DeLorean Motor Company, the company famous for the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car that served as the basis for Doc Brown’s time machine in the “Back to the Future” movies, has been revived as an electric vehicle company and is working on its first model, the Alfa 5.
First shown last May, the Alpha5 is a large coupe that packs a 100kWh battery and promises a range of over 300 miles on a charge.
Like the DMC-12, the Alpha5 was penned by Italdesign and features a pair of gullwing doors. It will also easily reach 88 mph, a feat it can accomplish in just 4.4 seconds, according to the company.
DeLorean had planned to build 9,531 Alpha5 coupes, which was the number the original DeLorean had planned for the DMC-12 run, according to current DeLorean CEO Joost DeVries. He said the number actually built was just under 9,000.
DeLorean Alpha5
In an emailed statement to Motor Authority, DeVries said his company will now build just 4,000 Alpha5 coupes, over the same five-year production period the company previously announced. DeVries cited supply chain constraints as a reason for the reduced production. He said the company would prefer to sell only as many cars for which it can guarantee parts, rather than sell additional cars and then not deliver them.
The company is currently accepting reservations for the Alpha5, which is done solely through the sale of a NFT (non-fungible token) tied to a build slot. DeLorean even plans to set up an exchange where NFTs (and therefore build slots) can be traded.
The NFT costs $2,500, although the price will increase to $3,500 on March 12, after which additional increases of $500 will be introduced for every 500 bookings made.
DeLorean has not said how much the Alpha5 will cost or where it will be built. However, DeVries said that information, as well as final specifications and a timetable for the start of deliveries, will be announced later this year. DeLorean has more models in the works, which are listed on the company’s website, though all efforts are currently on the Alpha5, DeVries said.
