Photo: Petersen Museum
For Christmas 1979, American Express and GMC somehow partnered up to create one hundred 24k gold-plated DeLoreans for $85,000 each. They wanted to offer them to their gold card members, but only a couple of them were sold, and not a lot more built, eventually. If by any chance Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel back to the future - in two days from now - in a Golden Time Machine, now you know why.
If you thought luxury and opulence was born with the Kardashians, you’d better think again. Ever since the Romans would gift their wives with expensive jewelry, the term materialistic lifestyle existed, and probably long before that as well.
One of the gold-plated DeLoreans that were made was purchased by Roger Mize, president of Snyder National Bank in Snyder, Texas, details the DeLorean Museum. It sat in the bank lobby for over 20 years before being loaned to the Los Angeles-based Petersen Automotive Museum.
The second unit is currently located at the William F. Harrah Foundation/National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. This one, however, is the only one of the three existing gold-plated examples to be equipped with a manual transmission. The third one belongs to a private owner in La Vale, Maryland, and if the Museum has its facts right, it's currently for sale at the price of $250,000.
They may never have manufactured 100 pieces, but it sure seemed they planned to, considering they were pretty serious about selling them too. In a 1980 American Express catalog found by Car and Driver, an ad for a DeLorean DMC-12 plated in 24-karat gold appeared. The advertorial's caption itself is quite enticing.
“The car of the future - a sportscar so spectacular that it surpasses the imagination. From its dramatic gullwing doors and outer surface of glittering 24 karat gold to its Colin Chapman world championship automotive engineering, the DeLorean glides into the future with grace and authority that is seldom seen. The luxury is unbelievable. Specially commissioned by you alone - as conceived by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro - the DeLorean is a masterpiece of engineering and design. And, as befits its extraordinary character, the entire corrosion-free stainless steel outer body panels of this limited edition DeLorean will be electroplated with pure 24 karat gold.”
One of the gold-plated DeLoreans that were made was purchased by Roger Mize, president of Snyder National Bank in Snyder, Texas, details the DeLorean Museum. It sat in the bank lobby for over 20 years before being loaned to the Los Angeles-based Petersen Automotive Museum.
The second unit is currently located at the William F. Harrah Foundation/National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. This one, however, is the only one of the three existing gold-plated examples to be equipped with a manual transmission. The third one belongs to a private owner in La Vale, Maryland, and if the Museum has its facts right, it's currently for sale at the price of $250,000.
They may never have manufactured 100 pieces, but it sure seemed they planned to, considering they were pretty serious about selling them too. In a 1980 American Express catalog found by Car and Driver, an ad for a DeLorean DMC-12 plated in 24-karat gold appeared. The advertorial's caption itself is quite enticing.
“The car of the future - a sportscar so spectacular that it surpasses the imagination. From its dramatic gullwing doors and outer surface of glittering 24 karat gold to its Colin Chapman world championship automotive engineering, the DeLorean glides into the future with grace and authority that is seldom seen. The luxury is unbelievable. Specially commissioned by you alone - as conceived by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro - the DeLorean is a masterpiece of engineering and design. And, as befits its extraordinary character, the entire corrosion-free stainless steel outer body panels of this limited edition DeLorean will be electroplated with pure 24 karat gold.”
Google News