[DML] Re: Next Generation Delorean

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Wed, 5 May 1999, Bill Graham wrote:

> Is this just a dream for John Delorean or can it be a reality?

JZD has been trying to start a new car company ever since DMC closed down.
While I would be first in line to buy a car like that, I don't think it
will ever be built. First, these things have been rumored in the papers
for a couple of years now, but there hasn't been any incorporation of a
company, selection of managers, or anything like that, at least that I
know of. While JZD could probably design the car all by himself (I mean,
he hasn't had anything else to do for the past ten years or so besides
fight legal battles) he can't build it himself. He needs a factory,
employees, etc, which he certainly cannot afford himself. So he'd need
another big loan (good luck), or he'd need to have someone build the car
for him. Isuzu might be a good choice, they built some cars for Lotus a
while ago...

I also don't think the car would turn out anything like what it's rumored
to. It is just plain difficult to shoehorn a big engine with the
requisite suspension, braking, chassis, etc. to stand up to it into a
1,500 pound car. That's Indy-car territory, and those cost a million
dollars. The only street car accomplishing anything like this is the
McLaren, and they cost a million dollars, too. If it happens for $18,000,
or $38,000, I'll buy one, but I don't think it could be done for less than
ten times that, maybe a hundred times. Lotus has built some cars of that
weight, but they cost a fortune, and have less power than JZD wants in his
new car.

Consider what happened with the DMC-12, it was going to be a 2,200 pound
car faster than the Corvette for half the price. It turned out to be a
2,750 pound car, considerably slower than the Corvette, and cost more. 
If the same thing happens to the car he's trying to build, well, it'll
still be a good car, in a market currently occupied only by Mazda's
excellent Miata, but it won't be everything it's supposed to be. Concept
cars rarely are, when they're actually produced.

On the other hand, he could buy a Geo Metro and drop, say, a 300-HP Mazda
rotary engine in it. Total cost, about $18,000, plenty fast, weighing in
at just about exactly 2,000 pounds. :} It is possible to build extremely
light, cheap cars, but you might not like what you get when you're done.
:} Something would have to be done about the styling, of course. I wonder
how much it would cost to convert one of those for gull-wing doors? :}


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