Will the ill-fated DeLorean DMC-12 blast back from the past?

The storied DeLorean DMC-12, the star of the Back to the Future blockbusters from the 1980s, may be coming back. This is not the first time that rumours suggest a modern take.

It’s long been reported that the iconic gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12 would resurface with the still existing DeLorean motor company, that survives through restorations and the selling of replacement parts for the now 40-year-old DMC-12, also making claims as far back as 2016 that it planned to reincarnate the low-slung and angular coupe it built between 1981 and 1983.

None of the claims have come true — until perhaps now during a pandemic-riddled 2021. It all began with a recent tweet by coach-builders Italdesign that marked the 40th anniversary of the DMC-12, which hit the market in 1981 and in 1985 helped polish the star of one Michael J Fox.

The original car was designed by Italdesign founder Giorgetto Giugiaro, and in the recent tweet, accompanied by a silhouette of a gull-winged car, was the text, “what better way to celebrate an icon of automotive history than a sneak peek of the (near) future? Stay tuned for more …”

There’s good reason to believe this latest teaser from the company based in Moncalieri, Italy will come to fruition. It specialises in the creation of in-house small-batch specials.

Not only is the company recognised for designing a vast number of concept and production cars, such as the Nissan GT-R50 that commemorates the 50th anniversaries of both “Godzilla” and Italdesign, it also gave the world the BMW M1, Lamborghini Gallardo and many more. But perhaps Italdesign’s most important and iconic contribution to the automotive world was the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.

Back to the DeLorean, it’s also believed new legislation in the US allowing for low-volume manufacturers to ply their trade in this eco-conscious age will finally permit the US-based DeLorean motor company to fulfil its promise to build up DMC-12 replicas.

Time will tell whether Italdesign moves forward with that teaser, but the prospects of returning one of the all-time greats may just be tantalising enough of a project. It’s an Italdesign kind of thing to do.