Ask the DeLorean crew about their upcoming Alpha5 sports car, and they'll tell you it's the result of 40 years of ongoing evolution. But wait, didn't DeLorean go bankrupt in the mid-1980s? Of course it did-but the new DeLorean company has created an alternate timeline where it didn't. Along with the Alpha5, DeLorean imagined a complete history of what might have been, including three seminal DeLorean concept cars.
We realize this sounds like an exercise in corporate navel-gazing, but when Troy Beetz, DeLorean's chief brand officer, explained it to us, the logic made sense.
"We knew from the beginning that we couldn't just redo the DMC-12," Beetz said, referring to the original DeLorean production car. "The way we could make this brand legitimate was to suggest that the DMC-12 was a derivative of the DeLorean brand. And what is a DeLorean? What kind of company was it? We already had in mind what we were going to build, but there was no DNA to jump from the DMC-12 to the Alpha5. We had to reinvent the brand as if it were here for the last 40 years."
What DeLorean did was create a backstory-a fictional history of what could have happened in the 40 years since the DMC-12. The company did extensive research, looking at every auto show, every concept car, and pop culture trends of the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. "The work that went into creating the backstory was incredibly detailed," Beetz said.
Using the DeLorean DMC-24 concept more on that in a moment as a starting point, DeLorean worked with ItalDesign to create concept cars for the aforementioned decades. ItalDesign, as you may remember, penned the original DMC-12.
"We asked, 'What would DeLorean have done in those time periods to evolve the brand both design- and technology-wise?" Beetz said. "We weren't just exploring design language, but engineering and materials science, as well."
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Motor Trend.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Motor Trend.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MOTORTREND SUV OF THE YEAR 2024 - CERTIFIED FRESH
THERE’S NO REST FOR SUV MAKERS IN THE INTENSE QUEST TO BE THE BEST
THE CHEVROLET BLAZER EV IS THE 2024 SUV OF THE YEAR
Once again, the bow-tie brand shows leadership in the electric vehicle space
AGENTS OF ZERO
WE DID IT AGAIN: RUNNING OUR VW ID4 EV OUT OF ELECTRICITY, JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS
THEY LISTENED
THE NEW TESLA MODEL 3 HIGHLAND FIXES NEARLY EVERYTHING WE HATED ABOUT THE OLD CAR
2023 Lexus RZ
Lexus says it will make only battery-powered vehicles by 2035, and the new RZ 450e is the brand’s first dedicated EV. This midsize crossover indicates Lexus’ future lineup will have luxurious appeal, but we find this first effort lacking in crucial areas.
2024 Land Rover Defender
The Defender 130 is a tricky one to judge. On one hand, it potentially improves upon a design and package we previously lauded enough to crown as our 2021 SUV of the Year in the form of the standard Defender 110. The 130 is more than a foot longer than the 110 and has more room for people and stuff, stretching the existing design into a new body style. (The 130’s wheelbase remains unchanged.)
2024 Kia Seltos
If you’ve been a fan of Kia’s recent styling direction but don’t want to pay top dollar for it, the 2024 Kia Seltos is a great way to get a rolling piece of that design aesthetic at a reasonable price.
2023 Jeep Compass
When asked to identify an off-road vehicle, the average person will point to just about any Jeep.
2024 Hyundai Kona
The Kona enters its second generation for 2024 with a new design language. It’s larger than the outgoing Kona, too, and its uncommonly ornate (for this class) and unmistakable design is something we’re already seeing in other upcoming Hyundai products. Having really liked the previous Kona, would our judges warm to this one?
2023 Ford Escape
The Escape is one of those SUVs that hasn’t ranked at the top of its class for a long time, but every time we drive one, we’re pleasantly surprised. Although it perpetually feels a little outdated, there’s some inherent goodness baked into the Escape.