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1981 DeLorean "RHD" (Chassis# 5565)
One of only three Right Hand Drive DeLoreans ever built in the factory (& the other two are Automatics)
INFORMATION
Built: October 1981
Mileage: 13,000 miles from new
Engine: 2.8 Litre V6
Owned since: 2004 (after 22 years in a museum)
THE CAR
One of only three RHD cars built in the factory. It was destined for the rotating podium at the 1982 Motor Show and built after the factory was taken over by the receiver as the staff tried rescue the company & launch the UK model.
Although completed & signed off as meeting the European Type Approval requirements of the time, it never made the motor show as the week before the show John Z DeLorean was arrested on drugs charges in the USA. All that appeared at the 1982 Motor Show was a conspicuous gap where the stand should have been !
It has a European Powertrain based on a Renault V6 (identical to the Renault Alpine of the same era). Unlike the LHD versions destined for America it has no Catalytic converter or emission controls and consequently benefits from an improved output power compared to the LHD versions. This particular car appeared on “BBC World at One” being driven by a BBC journalist round the DeLorean test track accompanied by DeLoreans chief engineer Peter Milner. Apparently gave the car a `rave review`.
Originally fitted for the type approvals with ugly euro spec square rear lights (from a bus) set in a black painted hand-lay composite surround, these have been replaced with the rather more elegant Giugiaro-styled US specification lamp clusters as a matter of personal preference (originals have been preserved).
About 9000 cars left the factory, and except for three all were Left Hand Drive.
About 20 were later changed to RHD by Wooler Hodec, but this one manual and its two sister automatics (AXI 1698 & 1699) are the only Right Hand Drives to leave the factory.
This one was originally Don Landers company runabout and rebuilt after the company folded into a full UK homologated Right Hand Drive.
THE PLATE
Its original plate is AXI 1697 has been restored recently, it was changed to SOA 82Y while the car was in the `Patrick Collection` motor museum for 22 years (to show the year of car on the plate).
This car is mentioned specifically in the WikiPedia article on the DeLorean DMC-12 (search for “AXI 1697”).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMC_DeLorean
THE OWNER
Why do I have a DeLorean ? Because as a family we became fascinated by the `Back To The Future` trilogy and got to know some members of the UK DeLorean club. They told me when this one came to auction in the UK and I bought it in Dec 2004 for £22,000.
My daily drive is a Tesla Model S Ludicrous and I also still have my mid-life crisis car, a 2001 Diablo 6.0 VT (which I’ve owned from new) and my previous eco-unfriendly daily runabout a 5.0L Supercharged Range Rover Sport.