Given all the fuss which greeted the recent sale of a pair of replica trainers from the Back To The Future film series, it's perhaps of no surprise that this classic 1981 DeLorean sports car came with a whisker of its high estimate at American Auctions' October 1 sale.
The legacy of the DMC-12, manufactured by the controversial entrepreneur John Delorean before his drug-related downfall, has been more than slightly helped by the timetravel film series starring a time machine built from a Delorean.
Yet this model gave collectors a chance to spot an unspoiled original model of the car which remains one of the most distinctive cars of the 1980s.
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 Inside and out: the classic 1981 DeLorean sports car |
This DMC-12 boasts all the marque's original features, including its inimitable stainless steel body parts, gull-wing doors and cryogenically pre-set torsion bars.
With only 6,000 miles on the clock, the Delorean didn't quite reach its $30,000 high-estimate but came impressively close, rocketing at 88mph to $29,700.
At the car's aft is a light-alloy 90 V6 engine with overhead camshafts, complemented by a five-speed transmission. The motor is also fitted with Goodyear Formula 1 Rain Tread tyres. There is no Flux Capacitor, however.
Because of the hype, DeLoreans could be bought for the same amounts spent on a Porsche or a Ferrari back in 1981, while bystanders marvelled at its stainless steel bodywork and futuristic gull-wing doors.
 This 1976 Delorean prototype auctioned for $110,000 at RM a few years ago |
Decades later, little has changed and the car has enjoyed much success at the world's top classic car auctions.
Notable sales include the fascinating inclusion of a 1976 DeLorean DMC-12 original prototype sold at RM Auctions a few years back. It brought $110,000 - way more than the example sold at American Auctions due to the car's unique features which were modified on later models.
However, American Auctions' 1981 DeLorean still gave a respectable performance at the weekend's sale. It remains a singular and remarkable automobile, for sure - but also has Hollywood partly to thank for its fame and notoriety.
