It’s not November 5th 1955. And this car wasn’t found in an old, abandoned mine. But a rare 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 was been found after being stashed away in a Wisconsin barn with only 977 miles on the clock. That’s about 1,575 km, or three tanks of gas. This DeLorean is a time machine…sort of.
It is one of the most original and lowest mileage DMC cars ever discovered. This is DeLorean number 571 out of only 9,080 produced in Belfast, Ireland, more than 40 years ago. And it still has the original tires, original blue oil filter fitted at the factory. It has the original everything! So…more like a time capsule.
The car’s original owner had been storing the DeLorean in a barn for years. The exterior was covered in dust, the interior infested with rodents. But it wasn’t driven much, never had original factory parts replaced, and was kept out of sunlight that can wreck the dashboard an instruments rapidly. A Milwaukee car dealership kept the vehicle unregistered from 1981 to 1991, before selling it to the current (and therefore original owner) who kept the car in the barn just to admire it, not drive it.
All things considered, the car is in remarkably good condition and is completely original.
The car has now been rescued by Michael McElhattan of DeLorean Midwest in Illinois. They specialize in DMC 12s, and admit it may take six months to renew the car, but it is expected to be worth in excess of $100,000 upon completion of the restoration, or more if the flux capacitor is intact.
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