Italdesign teases modern-day DeLorean DMC-12

An automotive icon could return this year after design house Italdesign shared a teaser of its modern-day interpretation of the DeLorean DMC-12.

The first half of the image shared to Italdesign’s Twitter page marks the 40th anniversary since the original’s debut. Importantly, a silhouetted sneak peek below shows a modern reincarnation with classic gullwing doors and DMC badge.

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We may not have to wait long for the car’s reveal either. The caption hints at an unveiling in the near future.

“DeLorean DMC-12 turns 40 this year... What a better way to celebrate an icon of automotive history than a sneak peek of the (near) future? Stay tuned for more…” the caption reads.

The original 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro who co-founded Italdesign – which explains the connection between Italdesign and the teaser. However, the Italian design firm’s finer plans for the remake aren’t as clear.

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Italdesign is better known for its one-off designs than its work in designing production cars. So we suspect the car teased by Italdesign will be a 40th-anniversary one-off or similar, rather than a series production run.

The DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) has been attempting a comeback in recent years, intent on creating replicas of the original but with modern drivetrains. Its efforts have been hampered by suppliers which weren’t willing to deal with low-volume production.

The DeLorean DMC-12 was a stainless steel sports car that featured gullwing doors and was powered by a 97kW/207Nm 2.85-litre V6 engine.

Despite apparently being an ordinary car to drive and achieving mediocre sales success, the DeLorean DMC-12 shot to fame after featuring in the Back to the Future 1980s film franchise in which it starred as a time machine. 

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For that reason, the DMC-12 still maintains a cult-following to this day.

The two companies’ planned revivals of the DeLorean appear unrelated, despite the coincidental timing.