NEWS ON THE NEW DELOREAN!!
Greetings everyone!
The latest news I have found recently is the opening of the site www.dmc2.com or www.delorean.com. However I am not sure how real it is, as there are no pictures of the car and no real info, just a picture of a watch and a place to sign up for a mailing list. There is a letter supposedly from John Z himself, but again I'm not absolutely sure it is legitimate or means anything. All we can do is wait I guess and see... I sure hope it's real.
Below are some bits of info and or rumours I have collected over the years on the next DeLorean:
I received a letter from John Dore over the summer (sorry it took so long to get up here), in which he told me that he had a personal interview with John Z. Delorean. Mail me at fademusic@hotmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
The following info is taken from the letters John Dore sent to me:
Hiya Kent! I just thought I'd update you on the "Firestar 500". I spoke to John DeLorean at his home in Bedminster New Jersey on August 2nd and since I'm a DeLorean fan I was very interested in the rumours of the firestar 500. He told me that he is designing a new sports car and aiming to introduce it in about 2 years time. However it will not be called the Firestar 500 as he has not chosen a name for it. The car's principal feature will be it's ultra low weight, around 1200lbs! Obviously the car will not feature gullwing doors as these are usually very heavy, unless they use lightweight doors like on the Mercedes 300SL, which in turn lead to other problems like ease of entry and exit. John DeLorean said the body will be a form of plastic which is very durable but light. I asked him if he was referring to the ERM process the DMC-12 was once going to be constructed from and he replied that it is related to the ERM process but is modified. The engine he is using in his prototype at the moment is the Mitsubushi "Evo" engine, 2.0 liter 4 cylinder Turbocharged capable of more than 300 bhp. This will be enough to propel the car to 60mph in 3.2 seconds due to the lightweight design of the car!!!
Well, that's it. Hope it has given hope to a few DeLorean fans out there! Below is the older info I've collected on what was then known as the Firestar 500. Enjoy!
The boom that has hovered over the head of John Z. DeLorean since his cocaine-trafficking trial has finally been lowered by a federal grand jury in Detroit. DeLorean was the only one named in the 15-count indictment that charged him with racketeering, mail and wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen money, income tax evasion, and causing false income tax returns to be filed. At the heart of the matter is some $17.65 million of DeLorean motor Company funds that allegedly disappeared in an intricate investment scheme.
The indictment comes on the heels of an announcement that DeLorean intends to build a new sports car. Based on the stainless steel-bodied sportster marketed in 1981 and 1982, the new car will use substantially more powerful engine which, says one of its backers, will make it "the fastest car in the world."
Dubbed the Firestar 500, the gullwing's styling is similar to that of the earlier DeLorean, with wider front and rear fenders and an elevated rear wing not unlike that of a Plymouth Superbird. According to Gordon Novel, a New Orleans businessman and one of the backers in the venture, present plans call for the car to be powered by a 4-valve fuel-injected all-alloy V-8, expected to produce in the neighborhood of 500 hp. By lightening the previous DeLorean up to 500 lb, Novel expects the powerplant to propel the Firestar 500 from 0-60 in less than 4 sec and to a top speed of 220 mph with Boneville-type tires.