\r\n\r\nOK, let’s just get this out of the way. Yes, the DeLorean DMC-12 did star in that ‘80s Hollywood super grosser where the bloke in a gilet travels back in time and cops off with his mum - basically, a H.G. Wells rip-off with an Oedipus complex thrown in for good measure. Originally, the time machine was going to be based on a radioactive refrigerator, but the directors decided that it would make shooting a lot easier if it were a slightly more mobile contraption. \r\n\r\nIn reality, the story behind the car’s brainchild would make a far more entertaining R-rated bio-pic in its own right. The 6’ 4” Detroit born John Z DeLorean was the Golden Boy of GM’s Pontiac division throughout the 1960s, and is credited for getting their iconic pony car, the ’64 GTO, into production and completely revitalised the Pontiac brand. A larger-than-life character, and a shameless self-publicist, DeLorean climbed GM’s corporate ladder to the No.2 spot before quitting to pursue his dream of building a luxury grand tourer of his own. \r\n\r\nDeLorean had envisaged a rear-mounted 200bhp rotary engined sports car taking design cues from the Lotus Esprit and the Porsche 911, cars that he saw as his key rivals in the lucrative American market. On the early prototype the sharply styled brushed steel bodywork (penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design) sat on a revolutionary reinforced plastic chassis. However, this was abandoned in favour of a more traditional Lotus inspired set up when engineers discovered that the rear-mounted engine and gearbox would fly forward and puree its occupants in crashes over 25mph (cringeworthy footage of these early crash tests can still be found on YouTube). \r\nThe “12” in the DeLorean’s moniker was intended to reflect its planned purchase price of $12,000, which would have put it on par with America’s only sports car rival; the Corvette C3. However, when the car was launched in 1981 the US smog cops had strangled the DMC-12’s lacklustre Volvo B28F powerplant (yes, the same V6 found in the caravanners’ favourite: the Volvo 760) until it was only capable of an asthmatic 130 horses. In the end spiralling costs also meant the first production DeLoreans had a list price of $25,000. \r\n\r\nBuilding his production facility on the frontline of Belfast’s sectarian divide at the height of The Troubles probably didn’t