When the original DeLorean Motor Company went into bankruptcy in the early 1980s, it was the end of something remarkable. John DeLorean, one of General Motor’s biggest rainmakers, bailed on potentially becoming the president of GM to launch his own car company in 1973. By 1981, his stainless steel, gull wing sports-GT car, called DMC-12, was rolling off a brand-new, state-of-the-art assembly line just outside of Belfast, Ireland on what used to be a cow pasture. The building of the company was an all-hands-on-deck scenario, with the British government pitching in some £250,000,000 of grants and loans along with private investors such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnny Carson.
The saga of how the company came and went set the tone for the 1980s and really deserves a Hollywood production film to be made about it. The closest it really got to infinite fame was the movie Back to the Future, which truly put the DMC-12 in the psyche of people around the world. It spun the negative into a positive and opened a door for a whole new generation of enthusiasts. Because of the popularity the movie helped to generate, the car became very popular with a whole new generation of people, causing need for parts and service. Thankfully, Stephen Wynne had the vision to serve the market. In a nutshell, he bought the rights to the name, logo, and so on to build the new DeLorean Motor Company, serving owners and enthusiasts the world over. The headquarters are now in Humble, Texas and James Espey took GSM and Matt Stone on a tour. For a DeLorean enthusiast, it’s Mecca.
The DMC headquarters is in a warehouse that is well stocked and well organized with row upon row of parts and more parts, many still in the original wooden crates with the original Belfast address stamped upon it. When acquiring everything, new DMC was also able to take on some of the original, custom-made steel wire racks, complete with the DeLorean name upon the steel stamp, a neat throwback to the era of when.
Situated between a couple of rows are DMC-12s in various stages of repair and restoration. Off in the corner is the shop, where repairs and restorations take place. A fascinating place, cars show license plates from all over the place, and depending on the work needed, the wait list can span over a year. Nicely, DMC is helpful on the phone too – in the event that you’re repairing a DeLorean and need some help, you can call the and get some guidance, which is all part of a great community.
Sadly, since Covid, the headquarters no longer entertains drop-in tours, but in the event someone calls and asks to see the facility, they can usually accommodate. Check out their website at classicdmc.com to learn more.
Stephen Wynne never purchased the rights to the name nor the IP. My uncle purchased the IP with the help of his brother at the time of the bankruptcy.
The IP was in a company solely owned by my brother and I at the time of my father’s passing. My brother Zach and I are the rightful owners of the DeLorean name and brand. This company not only doesn’t have permission to use our name, my father actively attempted to prevent Stephen Wynne from stealing his IP while he was alive.
Please correct this misinformation. This company has nothing to do with the original company or my family at all.