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UPDATE: New DeLorean DMC-12 Will Pack 260+ HP Engine

The title is right, make no mistake about that. As we’ve reported back in January, the DeLorean DMC-12 is making a comeback into the 21st century. According to the new owner of the company, the resurrected dream machine will be motivated by an engine twice as powerful as the original mill.
DeLorean DMC-12 11 photos
Photo: DeLorean
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According to latest update from the company that promises to put the new DeLorean DMC-12 into production in less than six months from now on by Q2 of 2017 in the best-case scenario, engineers “have narrowed our engine choices to two different suppliers, and have test engines from both of these companies being adapted to our current, five-speed manual, transaxle for further development and testing.”

Compared to the 130 horsepower 2.85-liter Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6, each of the two engines the DeLorean Motor Company will be evaluating in the following weeks churn out more than double that. The more pressing question is, just how much power will DMC settle for? And what engine for that matter?

All we can do until the next official update from DMC is have a guess. I’m leaning towards the 2.0 LTG four-cylinder turbo engine General Motors uses in the entry-level 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. Another possibility comes in the form of the 2.3 EcoBoost four-banger found under the hood of the force-fed Ford Mustang.

Other powerplants that could (or could not) be considered are the naturally aspirated 3.7 Ti-VCT V6 from Ford and the 3.6-liter LGX V6 manufactured by General Motors. These said, I wouldn’t hold my breath for the latter because the DMC-12's engine bay is a rather snug place. Like properly, properly tight.

While we wait for more information on the reborn DeLorean DMC-12, I’m much obliged to tell you that DMC wants to build about 50 units per years. While refurbished cars sell for as much as $55,000, the new and much-improved DMC-12 will be priced at more than double that, as in $100,000 or thereabout.

UPDATE We've spoken to James Espey, the vice president of the DeLorean Motor Company.

We've learned that production will begin in Q2 of 2017 if everything goes as planned. "For the first 12 months of production, whenever we are able to to begin, [production] will be limited to 12 units - as we fine-tune the assembly process with the new engine, electrical, HVAC and in-car experience updates," concluded James.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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