The DeLorean is back and apparently in a very big way. Recently unveiled online, the DeLorean Motor Company has officially introduced the Alpha5 EV to fans, a model which boasts a design inspired by its colourful storied past.

That can be both a good thing and a bad thing for motoring fans. For starters the iconic motor, which was the star of Back to the Future wasn’t actually a good car when it first debuted in the 80s. Over promising and under delivering, the DMC-12 arrived as rear-engine sports model in 1981.

Touted to be a vehicle ahead of its time, the model was designed by renowned Italian designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro from Italdesign. Giugiaro was famously known for designer iconic cars such as the Maserati Spyder, Ferrari GG50 and Volkswagen Golf Mk1. And what he presented in the form of the DMC-12 certainly did not disappoint.

The model featured a standout design with gull-wing doors and brushed stainless-steel body panels.  Although it was powered by a 2.85L V6 engine, the vehicle was noticeably underpowered and riddled with various build quality issues. The DeLorean Motor Company though did roll-out 9000 units of the vehicle between 1981-1982, before the company helmed by John DeLorean went bust.

But the fate of the DMC-12 wasn’t resigned to being an automotive flop. Thanks to Robert Zemeckis’ time travel action comedy, Back to the Future, the DeLorean was now forever immortalised. Fashioned as a time machine, used by Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), the DeLorean lived on in the trilogy, garnering renewed interest amongst fans, thus solidifying its position as an automotive icon.

Now, more than four decades on, the DeLorean starts a new chapter with the Alpha5 EV.

An Icon Returns

The DeLorean Motor Company Inc. has been teasing a new model for while now. Although initially thought to be just a tease, the DeLorean Alpha5 EV is proof of concept for the automotive company. The long-awaited model is the culmination of a 40+ year history with the prestigious design company Italdesign and it serves as DeLorean’s new interpretation of a modern icon.

Taking design cues from original model, the new EV incorporates the signature DNA of the DMC-12 into its design. The coupe’s exterior and interior is both sleek and sporty with classic louvers. It also sports a pair of gull-wing doors.

But that’s where its similarities end. The DeLorean Alpha5 EV is fully electrified and it swaps out the 2-seater configuration for 4-seats. According to the specifications revealed by the DeLorean Motor Company, the Alpha5 EV will offer a range of 483 km.

Powered by a 100+kWh battery, the model is capable of 0-100kmh sprint in just under three seconds. It will also boast an electronically limited top speed of 249kmh. Although only available to view online, the DeLorean Motor Company will debut its new model in the flesh soon enough.

In August, the Alpha5 EV is set to make its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. The 4-seater model will be offered in two exterior paint colours with a limited run of 88 Launch Edition cars — a subtle nod to Back to the Future.

Although too early to tell if it the DeLorean Alpha5 EV will achieve cult-like status like the DMC-12, the fervour behind the model is telling. The Apha5 EV will sell, as it already has a captive audience – one that is eager to own a new chapter of an automotive icon that’s sole claim to fame is a motion picture role in one of the biggest and most loved movies of all-time.

(Images: DeLorean Motor Company)