DeLorean dies age 80; DMC-12 lives on

John Z. DeLorean, founder ofthe DeLorean Motor Company that built the DMC-12 died age 80.

Although he's gone, his car lives on in the hearts of people who saw the Back to the Future movies.

The thing I could never figure out about the DeLorean was the engine it used. The PRV (Peugeot Renault Volvo) V6 is hated with a passion by Volvo people and treated with general ambivalence by most Peugeot dudes. In the form in which it was used in the DMC-12 it only had 130hp. Not bad but by modern standards pretty underpowered. My 1994 4-cylinder Peugeot has about 150hp by comparion. Why JZD didn't stick a V8 in it , I'll never know. As it stands, I know of Peugeot fans who turn to the DeLorean guys when they're looking for performance tips on the PRV.

Fortunately there are enough companies dedicated to keeping the 9000-odd DMC-12s on the road that upgrades are possible. I'd be going with a 3-litre atmo PRV-V6 myself. I'd probably feel the need for a Renault Alpine A610 to complete the set, though.

JZD is gone, but his dream car lives on.