Before the first production models of the long-awaited DeLorean sports car were readied for export, Popular Mechanics sent British race-car driver Stirling Moss to John Z. DeLorean’s plant in Northern Ireland to drive the gull-wing two-seater. Shortly after, Auto Editor Tony Assenza visited the Dunmurry facility for a firsthand look at the plant, the car, and the former GM executive who wants to put an all-new sports car on American roads. Here’s their report.
Moss: The DeLorean is certainly a striking-looking car – long, low and extremely sleek. Like the old Mercedes 300SL of the ’50s, it has gullwing doors, a design it shares only with the Lamborghini Countach. They make access and exit easier, but once you’re sitting in the low and very comfortable seats, you find you need the arms of an ape to reach up to close the doors behind you.
The controls are nicely arranged for driving quickly, with the gearshift lever falling easily to hand for grabbing gears. It’s a five-speed unit, with fifth being an overdrive. I found fifth quite useful for cruising at moderate highway speeds, but it needs to be downshifted to a lower gear for acceleration. The engine doesn’t produce enough torque to overcome the gear ratio. Getting into reverse isn’t as much of a chore as it is on so many other so-called sports cars.
There are electric windows, though they only open a few inches. I suppose the only time you might need them is to ask someone the way or pay a toll, since the car is fully airconditioned, with vents in the doors as well as the center of the dash.
Assenza: The car’s styling was done by the now-legendary design studio, Ital Design headed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. His design credits encompass a variety of vehicles, including the Mangusta, VW Rabbit, Audi 5000, Alfasud, and even the non-exotic, but thoroughly practical, little Rat Panda.
At first sight, the DeLorean reminds you of the Lancia Monte Carlo due to the cut of the roof line and sloping rear panels. But that’s as deep as the resemblance to any other car goes. It has a character and a styling all its own.
Moss: There are only two seats, of course, separated by a fairly high center console that houses control switches for the windows, lights and so on. The console is quite handy actually, because under really severe cornering it helps to keep you put. Not that you really need it, because the seats are well bolstered.
Behind the seats there’s an elastic net over a small luggage compartment – a good idea, since it keeps small items of luggage in place when you’re driving quickly. There’s also a little luggage compartment in the front end of the car that holds very small items of baggage.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is good in front, but poor out the back. Rear vision is aided by a pair of rear-view mirrors, but you sit so low in the car that you can’t really see the front and sides of the car. This makes passing or maneuvering difficult in confined space.
But of course, the DeLorean is a car intended for the open road. Here, I must admit, that I found the performance didn’t quite match up to the car’s looks or pedigree. However, it handles very nicely, with good transient response and fairly neutral cornering attitudes.
It has a good, firm suspension, independent at all four corners; nice, light and very direct steering response, and very powerful Lucas-Girling disc brakes all around, good for 60 to 0 mph in 135 feet.
DMC DeLorean pictured in front of C.R. “Dick” Brown’s DeLorean offices in Irvine, CA. (https://goo.gl/maps/gmg9uU5MfDC4Y35d9)
At speed, the noise level Is low and the engine is well damped. You’re not conscious of a power unit churning away Just a few feet behind your head as you would be, let’s say, in a Maserati or a Lotus. I found wind noise to be more obvious, mainly due to the gull-wing doors.
Assenza: Unlike the vast majority of cars running on the road, the DeLorean doesn’t have a unitized body. Also, unlike some of the exotics, it doesn’t use the race-car derived monocoque tub. Instead, It uses a separate chassis and body combination.
The chassis Itself looks like two Ys Joined at the base. This central backbone Is the platform upon which the body and the suspension Is attached. It’s not surprising that this wishbone configuration is somewhat similar to that used in Lotus cars, since Lotus engineers were consultants in the design and development of the DeLorean.
The engine Is placed at the rear of the car. Just behind the rear axle. So this is a true rear-engine car, rather than the more common mid-engine cars which fit the engine just in front of the rear axle.
Front and rear suspension is coil-over shock with upper and lower A-arms – It could be called a classic racing suspension.
The plastic fuel tank is at the front of the car, nestled between the two arms of the Y. This seems to be a very safe place to store it, since it would be almost impervious to rupture, even in the most severe crash.
The powerplant is the jointly developed Peugeot, Renault, Volvo V6 displacing 2.85 liters. It is fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and runs on a fairly low 8.8:2 compression ratio.
Moss: I suspect the performance is a consequence of the car’s main market. The version I drove was modified to meet the stringent U.S. emissions regulations, which must have knocked the heart right out of the engine. Still, this is a problem all other sports-car manufacturers must face if they want to sell cars in the United States, and the DeLorean seems to have done as good a job with the engine as most of the others. You’ll get 0 to 60 mph in about 9 seconds.
At speeds over 100 mph, the car seems very stable due to the down-force created by its very aerodynamic shape (top speed is about 130 mph). It does seem a bit sensitive to crosswinds, however. This, I suspect, is due to the extreme rear-weight bias. Weight balance is 60 percent at the rear and 31 percent at the front.
In cornering, though, where it really counts, this rear-weight bias, which could cause oversteer, is reduced by suspension tuning and the larger tires at the rear.
Assenza: The man responsible for engineering the DeLorean is Mike Loasby, formerly of Aston Martin, who was also responsible for the Volante, Lagonda, and the Bulldog. His goal was to make the car handle well enough for the enthusiast to appreciate, but also make it very forgiving for the “average” driver. He has apparently succeeded, because the car is remarkably vice-free, especially in light of its rear-heavy balance.
The most striking feature of the car is certainly the stainless-steel body. It’s rustproof, naturally, and comes in a brushed natural finish without any kind of coating at all. If you like you can wax it and even paint It, but that would be taking away part of the car’s uniqueness. DeLorean Motor Co. won’t offer a paint job as an option, although they expect dealers to offer it.
Body maintenance is fairly easy. All you need is an Engis wheel, a round attachment on a drill with flaps of 200-grit sandpaper attached. Steel wool or any kind of abrasive which contains iron is not recommended because bits of iron will deposit themselves in the steel and create small brown spots.
The inevitable dings and dents can be banged out using traditional methods.
The cars are assembled in a 750,000 sq. ft. plant which is capable of producing 20,000 cars a year. Currently, it produces 22 cars per day.
Moss: The task of designing, developing and producing a new motor car is fraught with every kind of risk and problem, especially when making expensive sporting cars for the discriminating few. Still, to make a car like this from the very beginning in just a couple of years is a remarkable achievement.
The DeLorean has the makings of an extremely desirable sports car. The details that need improvement, such as the fit and finish of certain body and trim parts, are trivial indeed, compared to problems that have already been solved.
Reprinted from Popular Mechanics, June 1981 – Copyright The Hearst Corporation – All Rights Reserved
