DeLorean vs RX-8: grannies review a classic
09-15-2006, 12:51 AM
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DeLorean vs RX-8: grannies review a classic
As we were leaving, Valley Mazda, Mom spotted an old “Back to the Future’ DeLorean parked out in the sales lot! Mom got excited and wanted to look at it up close and personal. So we circle the block and come back. It is a big stainless steel heavily muscled 1983 car. You don’t worry about scratches, you just buff them out! It’s owner was looking at RX-8s and was considering a trade in. I tell him I will let him play with my car if I can play with his!
He is a big tall silver haired Viking of a man. He says he loves the DeLorean but its getting old, he says he has young kids, and needs the extra seats. He thinks the 8 is an interesting exotic.
The DeLorean has an engine in the back and it is cooled by having a series of open slats or scales like a dragons belly that let air into the engine compartment. This is an interesting solution. I had a rear engined VW kit car and a closed engine compartment was really a heat trap!
The DeLorean’s engine was a Peugeot, set in sideways. It was still in good condition, but caused a lot of vibration which was conducted by the stainless steel body. It had a great engine sound as the whole body acted as a modulator and sound box. It must have really been impressive when it first appeared on the market, back in the day when silence was not a virtue. I prefer the 8 being quiet enough to enjoy it’s sound system. A former owner had placed a radiation warning sticker on the DeLorean's engine, implying that it was atomic powered and with the sound and the looks, you could almost accept that as a given!
The overall the styling felt very today – similar to a current Ferrari or a Viper, which are probably copies, since this car was that stylish over 20 years ago! – Very long hood – I assumed that this was to counter balance to the engine and passenger load – an attempt at centering the driver, and probably a lot of luggage space. This produced better blance than many cars of the same age group but the 8 still seems to rotate around the driver, rather than the driver centrifuging around the engine. The owner said the original DeLorean design called for plastic, but settled for stainless steel because it was more available, at that time. I would have like to test drive one with the original light weight design.
The gull wing door opened into a huge seating area. Very inviting for a large man’s frame. Nice high ceiling with sort of a little open box above the drivers head to give more head room. but, strangely, the 8 appeared to give about the same clearance! Door to door, the inside of the 8 is very tight in comparison. The DeLorean is very roomy for just two passengers. It could hold a 300 lb woman if she had a very narrow butt! The gull wing doors might be a little awkward in a tight parking area, but they sure look fine! When you get out, there is kind of trick to opening them back enough to get out easily.
The seats went far back and were laid back so you felt you were laying on your back in a recliner – giving the compartment sort of a space craft feel. With steel rimmed sun glasses, you would feel like Joe Cool. The seats themselves were more narrow than those of a 8, and not as comfortable. You had to get inside, backside first. The seats were also closer to the ground than in the 8, making it more difficult for Mom to get in, and very difficult for her to get out, although there was sort of a panel that you could hold onto and pull yourself up.
There was excellent acceleration for such a heavy machine, and you are pushed well back into the seat, but the speedometer only went to 85 mph! I would be willing to bet it could do at least 100. Gas consumption was not so modern – about 12 MPG, if I understood correctly.
It was a man’s car. You needed to have big arm muscles to control it, and it just exuded testosterone. It’s weight and low set made it hold to the road with a kind of fierce brute force, but it felt like it might take control, if it slipped loose. You needed to hold on tight. But it made you feel big, steely, tough, and fast. In comparison, the 8 is more supple, all ligaments and nuance. All balance, speed, control, and a more comfortable ride. The difference between a Samurai swordsman and a knight in German armor wielding a pick-axe..
I let the driver borrow my keys and fly my 8. He came back impressed. Offered to trade me, but I told him I rather liked my little car! Besides, it was too hard to get Mom in and out – this is a young man’s toy. He was bargaining with the Sales rep when I left – If anyone wants an old DeLorean, (needs some work on he dash board) I think Valley Mazda might be able to help you,
He is a big tall silver haired Viking of a man. He says he loves the DeLorean but its getting old, he says he has young kids, and needs the extra seats. He thinks the 8 is an interesting exotic.
The DeLorean has an engine in the back and it is cooled by having a series of open slats or scales like a dragons belly that let air into the engine compartment. This is an interesting solution. I had a rear engined VW kit car and a closed engine compartment was really a heat trap!
The DeLorean’s engine was a Peugeot, set in sideways. It was still in good condition, but caused a lot of vibration which was conducted by the stainless steel body. It had a great engine sound as the whole body acted as a modulator and sound box. It must have really been impressive when it first appeared on the market, back in the day when silence was not a virtue. I prefer the 8 being quiet enough to enjoy it’s sound system. A former owner had placed a radiation warning sticker on the DeLorean's engine, implying that it was atomic powered and with the sound and the looks, you could almost accept that as a given!
The overall the styling felt very today – similar to a current Ferrari or a Viper, which are probably copies, since this car was that stylish over 20 years ago! – Very long hood – I assumed that this was to counter balance to the engine and passenger load – an attempt at centering the driver, and probably a lot of luggage space. This produced better blance than many cars of the same age group but the 8 still seems to rotate around the driver, rather than the driver centrifuging around the engine. The owner said the original DeLorean design called for plastic, but settled for stainless steel because it was more available, at that time. I would have like to test drive one with the original light weight design.
The gull wing door opened into a huge seating area. Very inviting for a large man’s frame. Nice high ceiling with sort of a little open box above the drivers head to give more head room. but, strangely, the 8 appeared to give about the same clearance! Door to door, the inside of the 8 is very tight in comparison. The DeLorean is very roomy for just two passengers. It could hold a 300 lb woman if she had a very narrow butt! The gull wing doors might be a little awkward in a tight parking area, but they sure look fine! When you get out, there is kind of trick to opening them back enough to get out easily.
The seats went far back and were laid back so you felt you were laying on your back in a recliner – giving the compartment sort of a space craft feel. With steel rimmed sun glasses, you would feel like Joe Cool. The seats themselves were more narrow than those of a 8, and not as comfortable. You had to get inside, backside first. The seats were also closer to the ground than in the 8, making it more difficult for Mom to get in, and very difficult for her to get out, although there was sort of a panel that you could hold onto and pull yourself up.
There was excellent acceleration for such a heavy machine, and you are pushed well back into the seat, but the speedometer only went to 85 mph! I would be willing to bet it could do at least 100. Gas consumption was not so modern – about 12 MPG, if I understood correctly.
It was a man’s car. You needed to have big arm muscles to control it, and it just exuded testosterone. It’s weight and low set made it hold to the road with a kind of fierce brute force, but it felt like it might take control, if it slipped loose. You needed to hold on tight. But it made you feel big, steely, tough, and fast. In comparison, the 8 is more supple, all ligaments and nuance. All balance, speed, control, and a more comfortable ride. The difference between a Samurai swordsman and a knight in German armor wielding a pick-axe..
I let the driver borrow my keys and fly my 8. He came back impressed. Offered to trade me, but I told him I rather liked my little car! Besides, it was too hard to get Mom in and out – this is a young man’s toy. He was bargaining with the Sales rep when I left – If anyone wants an old DeLorean, (needs some work on he dash board) I think Valley Mazda might be able to help you,
09-15-2006, 01:45 AM
#2
It's amazing that even today that car seems futuristic. If you spot one there is no mistaking what it is and what movie it was in. Does anyone know what the price was then in todays dollars when it hit the shelves?
09-15-2006, 03:02 AM
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Much like the AT RX-8, Deloreans are right up there acceleration wise with an older Civic EX . They also have a curb weight of about 2700 lbs so you calling it "such a heavy machine" is a bit puzzling.
Also, to say a Viper or Ferrari is a copy of a Delorean is a crime. If anything Mr. Delorean was the design thief. The Bricklin looked mighty similar to the Delorean http://www.cars101.com/subaru_brickl...bricklin%20car and first saw production in 1974. Direct copy, certainly not, but the Delorean was is not exactly something special nor influential from a design standpoint. An interesting side note, Malcolm Bricklin is also responsible for bringing Subaru to America.
Also, to say a Viper or Ferrari is a copy of a Delorean is a crime. If anything Mr. Delorean was the design thief. The Bricklin looked mighty similar to the Delorean http://www.cars101.com/subaru_brickl...bricklin%20car and first saw production in 1974. Direct copy, certainly not, but the Delorean was is not exactly something special nor influential from a design standpoint. An interesting side note, Malcolm Bricklin is also responsible for bringing Subaru to America.
09-15-2006, 03:24 AM
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Yup, to say that Ferrari is a copy of DeLorean is a crime.
Not too fond of the Viper design. The two-piece look and angle of the rear lines make it look like a giant stepped on it. It has a nice looking front end though.
DeLorean was and is an overpriced and lackluster "exotic" IMHO.
Not too fond of the Viper design. The two-piece look and angle of the rear lines make it look like a giant stepped on it. It has a nice looking front end though.
DeLorean was and is an overpriced and lackluster "exotic" IMHO.
Last edited by dynamho; 09-15-2006 at 03:27 AM.
09-15-2006, 05:58 AM
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They still make them in Houston. DMC in Houston (not the original) bought all the parts from the real DMC in Ireland when it closed down production. They will refurbish a chassis and put on all the parts for about a 25K car.
09-15-2006, 06:56 AM
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Or you can buy a new-used Delorean from there for $40k+. There's much controversy about the car, the owner and the company, but they're an interesting part of automotive history and I would love to have one. There's 3 of them that I know of around my area...all very nice drivers. One of the most interesting ones being the man behind http://www.projectvixen.com. He used to work with me.
09-15-2006, 09:55 AM
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The DeLorean's not a bad looking car. It's typical Giugaro design and just not sexy like a Ferrari (although he did one Ferrari and a late concept, the GG50). His signature is the long hood with a lot of overhang and the upsloping rear end that rakes upward from the rear wheels. He also has the unusual habit of occasionally making the front overhang slope upwards so it looks like a boat in profile. His most famous design, the first generation Lotus Esprit (the submarine car), has a similar look but much better executed. I think the Esprit design put him on the map. The front end of the DeLorean is a virtual repeat of the 1977 Maserati Quattroporte that he designed. Designers also have a parts bin. The Isuzu Piazza 1st gen (Impulse in the USA) is also a Giugaro design and has a similar feel. He designed, or at least his studio did, a lot of lackluster cars like the Daewoo Leganza and Subaru SVX. I think he is an overrated car designer.
09-15-2006, 10:46 AM
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There were supposed to be some innovative electronics in the DeLorean we rode in, but we could not get details. The styling was innovative enough that it still looks up to date. the handling was better than say a heavy chevy of that same period and comparatively better balanced. But there is a brawniness to it that I have only experienced in a militaty Humm-V - you feel big in it! The owner considered the 8 a similar but more desirable exotic than the used but still collectable DeLorean. With a bit of restoration to the interior it would remain a source of pride even if it was not the fastest brick on the block.
As for time machine capabilities - just get with Mom, she can take you back to the last of the Covered Wagon Trains, World War II, The Smoke filled rooms when Truman was selected to run with Roosevelt, and the Dust Bowl!
As for time machine capabilities - just get with Mom, she can take you back to the last of the Covered Wagon Trains, World War II, The Smoke filled rooms when Truman was selected to run with Roosevelt, and the Dust Bowl!
Last edited by Winfree; 09-15-2006 at 10:51 AM.
09-15-2006, 12:45 PM
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If you get one for 8k expect to put about 10k+ worth of work into it to get it up to par. 25K is usually the price you should expect to pay for a Delorean in good condition requiring minimal to no work
09-15-2006, 04:48 PM
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I've always heard that they pull towards the white line on the road... 
(John Delorean was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle $24 million worth of cocaine into the U.S. in 1982 but a jury found him not guilty - reputation tarnished forever)
(John Delorean was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle $24 million worth of cocaine into the U.S. in 1982 but a jury found him not guilty - reputation tarnished forever)
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