100 Cars That Changed History

“’81-’82 DeLorean DMC-12” by Bull-Doser – Own work.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

36. DeLorean DMC-12 1981-1983 United States

The DeLorean DMC-12 is known simply as The DeLorean for the fact that it is the only model that John DeLorean’sDeLorean Motor Company ever produced. The car was only produced for a few years before the company went under, but the car achieved immortality when it was converted into a time machine in the popular movie franchise Back to the Future. The success of the those movies aside, there is something about The DeLorean that speaks to the human desire to progress. If ever a car embodied the 1980’s spirit of charging into the future, it is The DeLorean. It’s fiberglass underbody support brushed stainless steel panels, its back window is needlessly shaded and the door are, of course, gullwing. Somewhere around 6,500 of the sport coupes are believed to still be in existence.