AT one point I was sure I had gone Back to the Future; I could almost hear Marty McFly’s excitement as he chased the magical 88mph that would transfer him and his DeLorean to a different period in time, and somewhere his trusty sidekick, Doc Brown, was screaming, “See you in 30 years, Marty...”
So, how come, when I came back to my own present, I was at a factory in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast, surrounded by 62 examples of the stunning vehicle that shot to movie stardom in the Back to the Future movies, becoming a cultural icon along the way?
That was thanks to the DeLorean Revival event, a glorious festival of all things DeLorean held over the weekend across Belfast...
The Dunmurry site, however, holds a particularly special place in DeLorean lore. It was here in 1978 that John Zachary DeLorean rolled into town to start work on a new factory that had the city of Belfast dreaming.
At the time, this was a city that was going through a period of such acute trouble that many potential investors would have been tempted to use their own time machine to make a dash for it.
But John DeLorean, the flamboyant and enormously ambitious US motor industry engineer, executive and dreamer, had other ideas. He wanted to build a dramatic new car, known as the DMC-12, to take on Porsche and, thanks to funding from the British government, he was going to build it in Belfast, creating hundreds of jobs and bringing a hope to an area that had forgotten what it was.
The car itself was as futuristic as it was unique, with stainless-steel body panels and gull-wing doors. It was this sleek appearance that attracted the Back to the Future team to the car.
But by 1985, when Doc wheeled the DMC-12 out of his shed in the first of those films to appear in cinemas, the DeLorean dream was already over.
Despite beginning production in 1981 with a healthy waiting list, the car’s lack of speed and prohibitive price (US $25,000 at the time) meant that soon many more cars were produced than were sold.
By the end of 1982 the company was bankrupt and production at the factory was shut down, taking 2,500 jobs and over $100 million of investment - mostly from the British government - with it.
In a further twist, in October 1982 John DeLorean was charged after being caught in an FBI drug trafficking sting operation; he was eventually acquitted but by then the damage to his reputation was done. He maintained he was only trying to raise funds for his ailing car-making business back in Belfast.
Fast forward, Michael J Fox/Marty McFly-style, to the present day and although the factory is now owned by Linamar Light Metals, there was still a sense, standing in last Sunday’s summer drizzle, that you were part of something special.
And the pièce de resistance for all those that had travelled from near and far to be there? A rare chance to drive the perfectly restored test track that was used at the time to check every DeLorean before it was delivered to a new home.
To be on the track, going around the steep banked curve, transported me back in time. I could get a sense of what is so special about this car, about this community and about the history of the site itself
Paul Jenkins, co-founder of DeLorean Revival, admits it wasn’t easy hosting the pinnacle of what was a three-day event across the city, but it was all worth it in the end.
“The track was almost taken over by the surrounding vegetation,” he tells me.
“We haven’t had a meet like this since 2016 because of Covid and that meant it was extremely difficult to re-capture the land.
“It took £10,000 to clear the site, which came from some very generous people and members of the club too, to make this day happen.”
This was the first time DeLorean Revival had organised the meeting, and Paul said they were “humbled by the turnout” and the success of the day.
“What I am not surprised about is the camaraderie between the guys here, who all share a love of the car,” he explains.
“We love sharing our ideas and repair tips with each other and bringing these fantastic cars to the public, who can then share and enjoy the nostalgia and happiness they bring.
“We have people here today from the mainland and the US today, who have travelled just for this event, and I think that speaks volumes.”
One of those visitors was Californian-native Richard McMillen, who is an owner of a DMC-12 back home and wanted to feel a part of the back story.
“It’s pretty cool,” he says. “We’ve seen pictures of the test track and the building but to be here in person is something else.
“To be here today and to think, ‘This is where my car was made and maybe even driven around the track’, is really cool, and it’s pretty spectacular to see 62 cars here, I love it.
“It’s so nice to be here and put a face to the names I’ve chatted to online. My brother and I both have these cars now and I can say that this really is the best community.”
I must admit it was always a dream of mine to sit inside one of these cars, and when a kind gentleman called Mervyn Richardson from Co Leitrim offered to give me a passenger ride around the track, I was like a kid in a sweet shop.
To be on the track, going around the steep banked curve, transported me back in time. I could get a sense of what is so special about this car, about this community and about the history of the site itself.
It doesn’t matter to these owners that John DeLorean was a bit of a rogue, and that sometimes the panels didn’t match up perfectly or the fit wasn’t the greatest.
They are buying into a piece of history, an experience that can’t be matched with a modern Porsche or BMW and a community that has each other’s back.
Sitting in Mervyn’s pristine car, queuing and awaiting the go-ahead from the marshals to have our turn on the track, he sums up what the experience of the DeLorean is all about for himself and so many others.
“I have the car we’re sitting in for 35 years now,” he tells me, waving out the window and ignoring the ever-increasing rain droplets gathering. Everyone seems to know Mervyn and he loves it.
“The car left Belfast, made its way to Texas, then I brought it back to Ireland from England, so it has gone full circle if you like.
“The car appeals to as many youngsters today as it did when I bought it at the end of the 80s. It’s a poster car, with its doors and shiny body, and of course the movies.
“There is a mystique to it that can’t be rivalled, and if you were to offer me over the asking price now, I would still tell you to get stuffed.”
As we finish our five laps around the track, I think I have to agree with Mervyn, and start saving...
