Another DeLorean? Indeed, on May 30, 2022, we presented to you in these same pages the DeLorean Alpha5, an electric superbomb built in 88 units and which aimed to reincarnate this legendary name, linked to one of the cult film series of the 1980s, Back to the future.
Not the real DeLorean
In fact, the company behind the Alpha5, the DeLorean Motor Companyis in no way linked to the company John DeLoreanthe one that declared bankruptcy in 1982 following serious business problems and a cocaine-flavored controversy.
It is actually a continuation of DeLorean One, a third-party company acting as a supplier of parts and services dedicated to DeLorean vehicles. This company was created by Stephen Wayne in 1985, then renamed DeLorean Motor Company in 1995. This is where the Alpha5 was born, a car that, despite its name, has no direct link to the DeLorean family.
It turns out that this model does not please one of John DeLorean’s offspring, his daughter Kathryn. On his Instagram account, she has repeatedly expressed her dissatisfaction with the Alpha5; she even claimed that the company behind the project “lies”, and that her father, John, now deceased, “despises” her.
Tired of her father’s legacy being tarnished to this extent, she decided to take the bull by the horns and give birth to her own project, the company DeLorean Next Gen Motors who will try to design a real successor to the iconic DMC-12.
On the basics of the Chevrolet Corvette
During an interview with HagertyKat DeLorean took the time to clarify that she had to find a way to create something affordable that would not disappoint fans of the DeLorean DMC-12.
This is why it chose to partner with General Motors for the design of its car which, for the moment, is still only at the concept stage. Not only will the structure and powertrain of the C8 Corvette allow him to keep development costs to a minimum, but they will ensure better weight distribution to the vehicle and make a direct link with the career of his father, who worked at GM before founding the DeLorean Motor Company.
“People don’t know this, but during his years at General Motors, my father actively worked on concepts for the mid-engine Corvette. So I want to finish my father’s story. I’m building him his dream car,” she said during the interview.
Marketing details of the DeLorean Next Gen Motors are still nebulous, but Mme DeLorean took the time to clarify that it is primarily a non-profit company which aims above all to stimulate and finance science, technology, engineering, art, automobiles, mathematics and manufacturing. The firm also plans to build a small quantity of niche products such as this DeLorean built on the bases of a Chevrolet Corvette.
As for performance, Kat DeLorean would like her car to be based on the base Corvette, without the presence of the Z51 package. It would therefore be powered by a 6.2-liter V8 installed in the rear center of the car. Its power and torque would be estimated at 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet respectively. Nothing was said about the famous gullwing doors, but it wouldn’t be impossible to convert a Corvette convertible for the task. To be continued!
