As a pioneering figure at General Motors and within the automobile industry as a whole, John Zachary Delorean was well known for his work behind some iconic muscle cars such as the Pontiac GTO, Firebird, and Chevrolet Cosworth Vega. But perhaps the biggest move to make Mr Delorean one of the most celebrated (and later infamous) individuals anywhere in the automobile world was when he introduced the Delorean Motor Company in 1975.
Three years later, a series of negotiations with stakeholders that included private investors, dealerships, as well as a significant offer from the Industrial Development Board of Northern Ireland, led the Delorean Motor Company to open its first factory in Dunmurry, Belfast.
However, the company never really saw the greatest of days, facing constant issues with budget overruns, an inexperienced workforce, and a general lack of demand, pushing it to the edge of bankruptcy. In 1982, John Delorean was suspected of being involved in drug smuggling, and even though he was acquitted of all charges, the DeLorean name was already tainted, and DMC concluded its operations not much later.
Read: How Production Of The “New” DeLorean Was Supposed To Be Launched Back In 2016
Liverpool-born mechanic Stephen Wynne is the founder and CEO of the reborn DeLorean Motor Company that is headquartered in Humble, Texas. Production of a new DMC-12 continues to wait on laws allowing for low-volume car manufacturers to exist in the U.S. However, the first-ever DMC factory tour was recently presented by the Petersen Automotive Museum YouTube channel.
As we are ushered into the 40,000 square foot factory, Wynne takes viewers through the general setup of the new DMC facility, which is currently used primarily as a service department. Wynne claims the space accommodates anywhere between 30 to 50 customer-owned cars that are in for servicing, restoration and/or general repairs. DMC also has its own shipping department which reportedly dispatches up to 40 packages a day all around the world.
See: Let This This Low-Mileage DeLorean Transport You Straight Back To 1985
When the original DMC shut down in 1982, all of its equipment and parts that were meant for production were shipped to the U.S, and those parts now sit at the factory in Texas. Wynne reveals that a majority of the factory floor is reserved for the storage of approximately four million Delorean parts, all of which will be used when the company sets up their assembly, which, according to its CEO, isn’t very far away.
However the main reminiscence of DMC history doesn’t lie within the car parts, but the actual storage units themselves. You see, after Wynne acquired the company in ’95, he was also given all of its equipment, with some of the storage bins and racking systems used in the Texas factory the very ones that once stood in the facility in Northern Ireland.
According to Wynne, it takes around 2,850 parts that are required for the production of the DMC-12 and the facility currently has around 80% of them, including 1,000 gull-wing doors that are apparently one of the most expensive parts of the car. As the Chief Executive Officer, Wynne is pleased to have these parts at their disposal, as he believes it will significantly reduce production costs once the assembly hall is up and running again.
Speaking of which, Wynne says that they plan to set up three assembly lines, one for the body, one for the chassis, and a final line that will bring together the iconic stainless steel panels of the car, mimicking what was practised back in the original factory.
