DeLorean Rebirth

Podcast Episode: 0223
Can two (2) companies manage to bring us one (1) new deLorean?

     Can two (2) new companies really bring us the DeLorean we really want?  AutoLooks takes a look at the two (2) companies vying to bring us a new DeLorean.  One has knowledge of the product, while the other has history with the founder.  But who will win this race?

​     It was 2015 and everybody was looking at one car company. They were wondering if this car company would come back. It made a name for itself in 1985, even after the actual car company disappeared from the market. But it was 2015. It was the future, 30 years from 1985 was 2015, and we were all expecting one thing A flying DeLorean. But did it show up? It did not. Nothing showed up. There were no flying cars, there was no back to the future DeLorean and only a handful of ideas. Lexus created a somewhat hoverboard on a magnetic track and Toyota released a brand-new Tacoma, similar to the original Tacoma from the Back to the Future franchise. But our DeLorean wasn't back and neither was it flying, but it was back and at that point in time the DeLorean name was on its way back to life. It would be a few years before you'd finally see it, but eventually a new DeLorean would grace our screens and our roads. But eventually this one would be followed by another, and today AutoLooks is going to take a look at the two companies vying to become the next DeLorean.
 
    Welcome back to the AutoLooks podcast. I am your host, as always, the doctor to the automotive industry, Mr. Everett Jay, coming to you from our host website at AutoLooks.net. If you haven't been there, stop by, check it out, read some of the reviews, check out some of the ratings and go to the corporate links website page. Big or small, we have them all on the corporate links website page on the AutoLooks.net website. If you're looking for any car company from around the world, we're talking like any little country you could think of that might have a car company it's there on the AutoLooks.net website. The autolux podcast is brought to you by Ecomm Entertainment Group or distributed by Podbean.com. If you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email over at [email protected]. 

​     So, like I said in the beginning, DeLorean, we all know the name. It's a famous car company that just disappeared. It went too big for its own good and in the end, due to quality issues, manufacturing issues and financial issues, it crashed. But one movie chain brought it back to the future, brought back the DeLorean for all of us and inspired us for the future. Well, at the time the DeLorean failed, an American businessman decided to buy out the remaining stock as he became the main remanufacturing site for DeLorean’s around the world. From his base in Texas, he was rebuilding DeLorean’s and eventually buying out the original design, all of the stock, the moldings, everything he can get his hands on. He was able to recreate every single DeLorean Park to be remanufactured for people who love the car. But was this enough? And by 2015, they were looking to see if they could change the rules in the United States to allow for limited production, brand new models of DeLorean’s. He had enough stock to build almost 1,500 new cars and by getting a license to at least build 20 of them a year, he could finally put new DeLorean’s on the road. But he wouldn't just stop at that.
 
     After going through many legal battles with both the DeLorean family and Back to the Future franchise, the new DeLorean Motor Company managed to get the name register, the name and, because of the holding rights on the original designs, the castings and all the part, they managed to secure their part in history for the DeLorean namesake. But due to legal issues in the United States and governments taking forever to allow brand new, limited production vehicles, due to all the safety laws in north America, limited production runs of the brand new, reinvented DeLorean would take some time. But with that they were looking towards the future. The DeLorean nameplate may have been dragged through the mud. Originally, in the 80s, when the car failed miserably and John Z DeLorean got busted, that name was dragged through the mud but Back to the Future brought it back for all of us to love. It wasn't the world's greatest car, but it became an icon thanks to a major movie franchise and with that, our love affair with the car came back. 

​     Well, the new DeLorean Motor Company was not only looking to build brand new DeLorean’s built off of pre-existing parts that were left over from the manufacturing plant. No, they wanted to go one step further and bring us a brand-new DeLorean product. And by 2023, we finally got to see it DeLorean was moving out of being a boutique builder, moving away from its past of just building remanufactured DeLorean’s and bringing you all of the parts that you know of. They were going to bring out a brand-new DeLorean for the future, thanks to the reintroduction of the electric vehicle industry all thanks to Tesla Motors really bringing to light this new technology in lithium-ion batteries. DeLorean was managing to look towards the future and, considering the fact that lightning sent the car into the past, lightning could be what could send this vehicle into the future. Now the brand-new Alpha 5, which is more of a saloon than an actual sedan, was going to bring us there, inclusive of gullwing doors.
 
     DeLorean Motor Company, or DMC, was looking towards its future and wanted to bring us a brand-new DeLorean. When the car was first released, it was similar to all brand-new electric car companies you put your deposit down and you wait, and you wait. Well, 2024 comes around. We still don't have our new DeLorean. They haven't hit the streets and they haven't been put in production. But the car is still sitting there with the backing of the parts manufacturing and the reconditioning of previous DeLorean’s and now with a license to build a small quantity of brand-new products up pre-existing parts.
 
     The DeLorean Motor Company is looking towards the future and what the DeLorean nameplate can be. Owning rights to the DeLorean name and the DMC, they're now looking to bring back this fabled brand. The company in question was originally founded by a mechanic who knew DeLorean’s, knew how to fix them, knew how to put them together and eventually found all of their weaknesses and issues and resolved them in the original car to reproduce them, to make them better. They were one of the first people to start adding big block V8s from Fords into them. They made the DeLorean into what it was supposed to be a sports car for the future, not just a failed brand. And with their brand-new Alpha 5, looking towards the future, the DeLorean nameplate was looking like it was going to come back. It was going to boom and create something great again. 

​     Unfortunately, by the fall of 2023, all of that would change once again when John Z DeLorean's home daughter would get the financial backing to build her own rebirth of the DeLorean motor car. Unfortunately, by this time, they don't own the rights to the DMC logo or name, so the name has to change. They called it the DeLorean and the original model was the JZD, standing for the model John Z DeLorean. She wanted to bring back what her dad had created. His son moved far away from the car company as possible only due to the fact that he didn't want to be associated with his father's failures because he had been there. His daughter wasn't so involved in it as his son originally was and she saw what her dad was creating was an amazing product for the future. She shared his vision and wanted to bring that back, but without owning the rights to the original nameplate. She could still use the DeLorean name as it is part of her name but couldn't use. DMC.
 
      Releasing the Model JZD to the public showcased to us that a DeLorean product can come back for the future, similar to that of the original Alpha 5 concept. This was another electric car, but the difference is the Alpha 5 was a four-seater grand touring saloon where the JZD would be a two-seater sports car. It was sharing the original vision that John had for his car company a product of the future, considering that they may go with stainless steel construction if the price is low enough, and bring back nearly every feature pre-existing in her father's original vision. From a front end to taillights, nearly every aspect of the original DeLorean was in the Model JZD. It was there and it was showcasing to the world that DeLorean can come back. It doesn't have to be a four-seater sedan, it can be a two-seater sports car. Now, originally John had looked at building a sedan and station wagon off of his original platforms. He wanted to launch the car company with the sports car. He wanted his halo vehicle to hit the market and run, but unfortunately it fell flat on its face due to many, many different changes. So, the original DeLorean was doomed even from the beginning. But the two new car companies vying to bring back the DeLorean nameplate are showcasing to us. There is a possibility of a future with not only one, but two DeLorean nameplates.
 
     DeLorean Next Generation Motors, as it eventually became, is the original vision that John had started. The product is associated with the original name, the original family. Its product design fits with the original vision and even the production facility that they're planning to build. The new JZD is coming from John's hometown. He's going to make Detroit Rock City proud and they don't want to build a DeLorean in Texas. No, DeLorean comes from Detroit. It may have been built in Ireland, but all the ideas and that came from Detroit and that's where they want to build the brand-new DeLorean next generation model JZD. 

​     A few months after this car graced our screens and we saw it, we all thought to ourselves well, anyone could create a design and showcase it to the world. But what is really going to make this car hit the ground and run? Well, after they finally chose the name of the company, DNG Motors, they released a secondary vehicle, the John DeLorean, utilizing the platform of the brand new C9 Corvette, the John DeLorean is going to do the same thing that Rezvani did to enter the market. They're going to use a pre-existing platform to build upon their own design. The John DeLorean shares the vision of the original DeLorean motor product. It has a similar design, it has the V8, and it has the appeal of being a sports car for the people and with the underpinnings from a pre-existing company, this vehicle is a lot more likely to hit the market. Rezvani did this a few years ago by using the original Ariel Adam platform to build the Rezvani Beast platforms. Then they moved on to using Jeep Wranglers, the Cadillac Escalades all with their own products, sheet metal over top of it. This is coach building using pre-existing products to build your own vehicles. Coach build world is huge and it's the easiest way to launch a car company. 

​      John's daughter knows this and she knows that by trying to get the Model JZD out to the public is going to take a lot of financing and a lot of backing. She's going to need deep pockets to try and get this product out to the public and to do that it's going to be hard work. Well, the DeLorean Motor Company from Texas already has the backing of the DeLorean parts manufacturer. They already have an existing business that's making profits. They have the ability to build brand new DeLorean’s off the original platforms and from the original parts. They have the financial backing to try and get this product off the ground. Unfortunately, they're now looking at manufacturing a vehicle from the ground up, which means engineering every single part, which is expense, time consuming. It could take years to finally come out.
 
     The Model JZD falls into this same category. It can have major issues hitting the market because there is so much that has to go into building this product. Like I said, anybody can create a design and showcase it to the world, but it'll be years before you ever see the car come out. That's if you get the financial backing to actually even build a concept and showcase the technology and prove it can work to people. That's what the Alpha 5 is going through right now to try and showcase to the world that this vehicle can exist and can be built. Its working prototype is already out there the Model JZD. Its prototype is now existing, but where DNG has one leg up over DMC, DNG has a brand-new DeLorean-styled vehicle that can be built off a pre-existing platform to help launch this company out into the world, similar to that of many other boutique builders, utilizing something that already exists to help you build what you really want.
 
     Gemballa has done this and his son has now taken over the business after he originally disappeared to build their new active sports car. It's not built off a Porsche platform, it's dedicated, built for itself. This is after years of building aftermarket products. Steve Saleen did this when he built the Saleen S7. He spent years building Mustangs and building his name up where eventually he found a way to build his own supercar.
 
     DNG Motors is attempting to do this with the John DeLorean. They're trying to get their name out there before DMC can get out there. If they hit the ground running first, they can bring the DeLorean nameplate back first. And once people find out that its background is owned by the daughter of the original visionary product master, john DeLorean, it's not just a name, it's a family affair. DMC knows all about the product and all of its faults. It has created a better vision for the future of the brand and the products already geared towards the clientele who already own DeLorean products today. So, they've already set their course for the future from its past, where DNG Motors has to set the precedence from right now for the future. Its past is only shared with the original Visionary, but everything else is new. 

     This is where it's going to get tricky for both companies to exist together. Which one are people going to believe in the most? The one from the original Visionary that looks like the original Vision, or the one from the company that has owned the nameplate for nearly 40 years and has kept it alive? Which one are we going to look at? The easiest way to figure this one out would be is if we could make a brand-new back to the future movie. If that movie was made, we could figure out which car we would want to use. But then again, it's whoever has deeper pockets and whoever can get through to Robert Zemeckis the best. But that will never happen. As Robert Zemeckis has said that the Back to the Future name and the entire movie chain goes with him to his deathbed. There will never be another Back to the Future until he is gone. Even still, his family may own the rights to it, keeping it from public eye. So, utilizing the original movie chain to try and launch a brand-new DeLorean Motor Company may be a little bit harder than you think. Creating a television series Maybe, but we already had the cartoon, which failed miserably.
 
     The other vision between these two companies is the fact that one is going after a grand-touring product placement. Where the Tesla Model S really evolved Tesla from its sports car beginnings. Where the Model JZD can be a car to bring back the nameplate as it was, it can also be its failure. If a sports car does not launch, it does not make it big in the first year. The company will fail. Where the Alpha 5 is more likely to find clientele across many different markets, from people who want the DeLorean nameplate to people that want a fun, fast electric car, to regular rich people that just see an electric sedan that looks cool.
 
      You have to remember that the sports car industry is smaller than it was in the 80s. In the late 70s and 80s, sports cars were everywhere and everybody wanted them. Today, with the average driveway only consisting of two vehicles, not three, the chances of launching a sports car manufacturer and getting into those households that are looking for that third vehicle is even harder. But of course, the Camaro and the Challenger are now gone. So, if the John DeLorean can hit the market at a price course, the Camaro and the Challenger are now gone. So, if the John DeLorean can hit the market at a price point where the Camaro and Challenger were. Then it could scoop up that market share and hold it until they can release the Model JZD for the higher-up clientele, building their sports car market, similar to that of how McLaren used the MP4C to help build their marketplace. It was an inefficient and poor-quality build, but it managed to find clientele that pushed the name further. Without Back to the Future franchise supporting these brand-new DeLorean companies, there isn't a chance that one of them can blow up. Today we are only looking at how the market will adapt and want a nostalgic name. 

      I nearly put my name down for the Alfa 5 sedan, but realizing how much it would cost and how much money I would have to put into getting this vehicle, I turned away from it. The John DeLorean is a similar thing. I need a new vehicle for going back and forth to work. I can't afford to get a sports car right now. I can only afford to keep my fun little pocket rocket on the road. So, I'm out of that market, even though I'm a person who wants the DeLorean nameplate in my garage. It's one of my top three vehicles I want in my garage, but I can't afford it.
 
     Similar to that of the original DeLorean, where the Model 3 really brought people into Tesla. The Alpha 5 may be able to bring people into the DeLorean nameplate, but without a product to follow it. They're putting all of their eggs into one basket. Where DNG Motors is looking to hit the ground running with a coach build product and then give the world the vehicle they really want. They're looking to make a profit off an entry level to build their halo. Where DMC is looking to hit the ground, running based off their nostalgic name. Can the world survive with two DeLorean companies and two DeLorean products? Well, the future will have to wait to see, because both of these products are poised to come out within the next two years. So, by 2026, we may see two DeLorean’s on the road.
 
     The biggest question I have for everybody out there is which one would you choose? Do you want one from the original founder's daughter that lives and breathes the original embodiment of the DMC car company? Or do you want one built and created by the person who has fixed every single fault in the original vehicle to give us the DeLorean’s and keep us interested in the nameplate? It all comes down to who do you really trust the most? A mechanic who knows the car inside out or somebody who shares the same vision as her family member DeLorean? The name's coming back, but can we adapt to having two? So, what do you think about the rebirth of two new DeLorean motor companies DNG Motors or DMC? Which one are you going to choose? Do you know anybody that has owned one?
 
     I have actually gotten an email back after I did my Vehicles from Ireland podcast earlier this year and I actually learned from somebody who worked as a mechanic fixing the vehicles after they were done and he was telling me this amazing story about how the DeLorean, when he went to go fix one of the front panels of it, somebody had drawn Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone inside of the panels. That's an amazing thing to know about the original car company. Somebody did that and somebody wanted to leave their mark on the original car company. Do you have a great story about DeLorean or all the DeLorean products? Hell, which one would you prefer? The Alpha 5 or the Model JZD? Let us know in the links below, send us a comment and share this podcast with all your friends and family. Ask them which DeLorean car do you want? If you could afford one, which one? I came really close to putting my name down for an Alpha 5 and actually looking at it now within the next year, I probably could have afforded to get one. So yeah, I kind of missed the boat on that one, but maybe the Model JZD is the one I'm going to go after. But who's to say which DeLorean I prefer the most? So let us know in the comment and after you listen to the podcast, after you shared it with all your friends, your family and you, click the like button to follow us and to learn more from the AutoLooks podcast and the AutoLooks.net website.
 
     Go on over to the AutoLooks website, read some of the reviews, check out the ratings and go to the Corporate Links website page. Big or small, we have them all Hell. Even go over to the rate it page at the top and find some vehicles that we've put up there over the years that you can go and tell us what you think about them. Yes, utilize portions of our rating system to tell us what you think of the vehicles of the future All from the AutoLooks.net website. And if you got little ones, we got kids books as well. So, stop by, check it out and learn some more information from the AutoLooks.net website. The AutoLooks podcast is brought to you by Ecomm Entertainment Group and distributed by Podbean.com. If you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email over at [email protected]. So, from myself, Everett Jay, the Ecomm Entertainment Group and the AutoLooks.net website, strap yourself in for this one fun, amazing ride into the future of the DeLorean name. 

Everett J.
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