DeLorean Time Machine Up For Sale
The DeLorean DMC-12 is one of those rare cars that despite limited commercial success has the status of a true icon.
That is solely down to its role in the hugely-popular Back to the Future movie series.
Movie fans from several generations have watched in awe as Marty McFly and Dr Emmet 'Doc' Brown use the modified DeLorean to navigate the time-space continuum with the help of the necessary 'flux capacitor'.
Watching the movies left most viewers solidified in their "I want one of those" opinion of the car.
Indeed, the franchise saw the DeLorean, crafted by the Ireland-based DMC firm, become a collectors items and models have passed hands for tens of thousands of pounds over the years.
While there are a few working models in circulation, few can lay claim to actually having been used in the making of the films.
Movie and motoring fans with more than a spare bit of change, however, could be tempted to get their chequebooks out after Profiles In History, the specialist auction firm, announced that it is to sell one of the actual DeLoreans used in the third instalment of the trilogy.
Back to the Future III saw Marty use the DeLorean to fly from 1955 back to 1855 in order to find Doc and take him "back to the future".
"Of the seven DeLoreans, only three have survived since filming, and this is one of those three - the only one in private hands," the auction firm explained.
"After filming completed, the car sat on the back lot at Universal Studios for about 14 years, with a short time on display at the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles."
With the DeLorean set to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000 (£257,500 and £386,260) the new owner will want proof of its use in the films in order to secure automatic bragging rights.
Luckily, the car comes with a Universal Studios certificate of authenticity and an original signed Bill of Sale with the Vehicle Identification Number.
Expensive modified DeLoreans have also been put up for sale in the past, but not with the success envisioned by those behind the stunt.
A joint promotion between the Irish manufacturer and American Express in 1981 saw around 100 24-carat gold plated DM-12 created,
However, the $85,000 price tag put prospective owners off and it is said that just two were sold.
More recently by the DeLorean Motor Company claimed that an Electric DeLorean, carrying the name DMC EV, will soon go into production.
Will the new eco-friendly model be as big a hit as its predecessor?
Posted by Sebastian Turkenburg