A DeLorean, reminiscent of the iconic car featured in "Back to the Future," was recently unearthed in a Waukesha, Wisconsin barn, boasting a scant 977 miles on its odometer. Mike McElhattan, owner of DeLorean Midwest, a specialized shop located in Crystal Lake, Illinois, was alerted to the vehicle's existence by a New Mexico man whose uncle had the classic car tucked away. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that McElhattan decided to check out the car personally, despite it being roughly 60 miles from his business premises.
Upon arrival, McElhattan discovered the vintage car in less than stellar condition, covered in dust, and home to a family of mice. The 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, one of only around 9,000 produced by the DeLorean Motor Co., sat abandoned in a gravel floor barn. "The car was absolutely filthy. It had been sitting in a gravel floor barn, tucked away in a dark corner," McElhattan told the Chicago Sun-Times.
This particular vehicle was part of an ill-fated production run by the DeLorean Motor Co. in Northern Ireland from January 1981 to 1983. The company's founder, John DeLorean, had made a name for himself at GM, contributing to the creation of the Pontiac GTO, widely recognized as the original muscle car. Despite the firm's collapse and DeLorean's subsequent legal troubles, the vehicle has maintained a strong cultural footprint, largely due to its role in the "Back to the Future" franchise.
After purchasing the DMC-12 in September, McElhattan transported the classic back to his shop where it has since been cleaned. "Underneath all the barn-find filth, I was really pleased to see that the paint on the front and rear bumper is really in excellent condition and the finish on the wheels has really held up and is in very nice, original condition," McElhattan admitted. Nevertheless, substantial work awaits, as the vehicle requires a full overhaul of various systems, and the interior needs to be purged of its rodent residue.
Meanwhile, Kevin Thomas, the social media coordinator for DeLorean Midwest, and McElhattan have begun documenting their journey with the vehicle, aiming to preserve as much of its originality as possible. The find was especially remarkable to them: "Oh wow! For people who like antiques, barn-find cars are kind of a gem," Thomas expressed in a statement obtained by GMToday's The Freeman. Their encounter with the car was as unexpected as it was filthy; live rodents were witnessed making themselves at home in the vehicle's interior. Yet, for these automotive enthusiasts, such a discovery represents an unparalleled treasure.
Further deepening the vehicle's mystique, Thomas unearthed its provenance with help from social media. The original owner, who operated Hall Chevrolet in Milwaukee, had acquired the car in 1981, but for reasons unknown, let it fall into neglect. "Dick said he bought the car in 1991, which means the car was somewhere else for the first 9 years of its life," Thomas noted, as reported by GMToday's The Freeman. In the coming periods, the DeLorean is set to undergo a full restoration, with a meticulous cleaning and mechanical overhaul in tow to return it to its former glory.
