911 Carrera

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

The DMC DeLorean would doubtless have been left in the dustbin of automotive history if it weren't for the "Back to the Future" film trilogy. A total of about 9,000 DeLorean sports cars were made before production ended at the Northern Ireland factory in late 1982, around 6,500 of which are still on the road today. Though most are located in the US, you can still find some in many countries, but this latest find is kind of random.

Found by Auto Geenius, this DeLorean is currently up for sale at a thrift store in Estonia. Parked in the back of the shop beyond the racks of old and vintage clothing, it has an asking price of 55,000 euros, or about $65,000 USD. The report does not say how the car came into the store's possession. It's entirely possible it was part of a customer trade or even from an estate sale.

Unfortunately, no details about the car's condition are available, including mileage. From the few photos provided it seems to be in pretty decent shape, though we noticed a few hood scratches on the close-up shot. The gas filler flap, located on the hood, indicates this is an early build 1981 model; it was later removed likely as a way to save money. Like the Porsche 911, the DeLorean was rear-engined and came powered by a Renault-sourced 2.7-liter V6 rated at just 130 horsepower and 153 lb-ft of torque.

The story of the DeLorean is both fascinating and sad. John Z. DeLorean was a famous executive at GM before leaving to start his own car company. He disliked the so-called industry rules and vowed to do things differently. His company's first and only vehicle was the DMC-12.

Celebrities loved the car as DeLorean was a natural-born salesman and promoter. But the fun didn't last. Funds quickly dried up and the company was facing bankruptcy. Following John Z. DeLorean's arrest in October 1982 for alleged drug trafficking following an FBI sting operation, the company that bore his name went under.

Thanks to Hollywood, the DMC-12 has become an icon and today the DeLorean Motor Company lives on in Texas. For years it specialized in DeLorean repairs and recently announced plans to build "new" examples using a mix of newly produced and stock parts.