DeLorean Is Back And It's From The Future With The Alpha5 EV - Yes It Has Gullwing Doors

It wasn’t made by Doc Brown and lacks that crucial Flux Capacitor but wears the DeLorean name, but can this from-the-ground-up Alpha5 EV convince us it shouldn’t have stayed in the past?

Everyone remembers DeLorean right? That single model, the DMC-12, released by the namesake automaker founded by slick auto exec John Z. Delorean became ingrained in pop culture after its starring appearance as a time machine in the Back To The Future film series.

Back to the Future with the DMC-12 DeLorean

Well, this isn’t that car, nor is it really a modern reinterpretation of it despite the design nods to that 80s automotive icon. Those turbine-style wheels look vaguely similar, it has louvres over its rear screen, and it does have the requisite gull-wing doors, and that might be enough for most people to suspend disbelief.

It’s not penned by Giorgetto Giugaro himself like the DMC-12 was but does come from Italdesign. When considered in isolation, this four-seat coupe has a rakish design, sure, and does look properly futuristic. Its single door on each side is almost as long as the car’s entire wheelbase and, of course, opens vertically but the Alpha5’s mashing up of genres reminds us of the Koenigsegg Gemera.

An EV DeLorean

This new fully electric Alpha5 and the DeLorean brand revival is being headed by new CEO Joost de Vries who had previously worked with at Karma Automotive and Tesla having purchased the rights to the brand name from Stephen Wynne.

Wynne had previously been running the outfit as an official aftermarket support service, restoration, and custom-build business since the mid-1990s. In years prior you could get a technically brand new DMC-12 thanks to their reserves of unused original chassis and a bunch of other parts, albeit fitted with much more modern engines, usually Chevrolet crate motors.

The Alpha5 and this revived DeLorean brand is clearly tugging at the nostalgia strings but time will tell if it can compete with other equally futuristic EVs from much more established brands. De Vries isn’t disclosing exactly what has gone into the Alpha5’s development or where the technology is coming from, except to say that it’ll be built in Italy.

Alpha5 DeLorean powertrain

Its electric powertrain and related components, meanwhile, are being supplied by an unspecified company in the UK. Also mysterious are the specifications but de Vries claims the car will have the performance to rival the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door and Porsche Taycan.

The 0-96km/h (0-60mph) sprint is claimed to be 2.99 seconds while 0-88mph (reference!) is 4.35 seconds with a top speed of 155mph (250km/h). We're presuming a dual electric motor setup but have no guesses as to how much combined output, though its battery size is said to be at least 100kWh to provide a range exceeding 300 miles (483km).

Still, you’re unlikely to ever see one on the road as only 88 are planned for production, in reference to that magic speed in miles per hour needed to start the time slice.

More models from DeLorean?

Far from stopping here, the Alpha5 is apparently just the start for this resurrected DeLorean brand. Like its original run in the 1980s, de Vries says that even more models are coming down the pipe including a V8-powered coupe, a fully electric four-door saloon, and eventually, a sports SUV with a hydrogen powertrain to rival the Cadillac Escalade and BMW X7.

Let’s hope their expansion plans past this first/only model go much smoother and less scandalous than John DeLorean’s attempt.

The Alpha5 will be shown off to the public for the first time at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours event, which is scheduled to take place in August 2022. We wish them Good Luck and Great Scott!