It looked like the future in 1981. More than four decades later, electrification has finally given it the performance to match.
With its brushed stainless-steel bodywork, dramatic gullwing doors and futuristic styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the DeLorean DMC-12 looked like something from another century.
Unfortunately, its performance told a different story.
Powered by a modest 2.85-litre V6 producing approximately 130bhp, the original DeLorean took around ten seconds to reach 60mph. Hardly supercar territory.
Hollywood would immortalise it in Back to the Future, but the irony was unmistakable: the world's most famous time machine was painfully slow.
The DeLorean looked like the future. It just didn't drive like it.
Finally, Performance to Match the Promise
British EV conversion specialist Electrogenic has developed a modern electric powertrain that transforms the DMC-12 without sacrificing its iconic appearance.
Replacing the original V6 with a 215bhp electric motor reduces the claimed 0–60mph time to under five seconds.
The conversion features a 42kWh battery, approximately 150 miles of estimated range, CCS rapid charging and even launch control.
More importantly, the conversion is reversible, retaining the original structure and keeping the weight within approximately 30kg of the factory car.
The stainless steel remains. The gullwing doors remain. The extraordinary silhouette remains.
What's changed is the driving experience.
Instant torque, seamless acceleration and a powertrain that finally feels as futuristic as the car looks.
When Electrification Makes Sense
Purists might object to removing a classic car's original engine, and preserving automotive history is undoubtedly important.
But the DeLorean was never celebrated for its V6.
Its appeal was always its design, its individuality and its extraordinary presence.
Electrification enhances those qualities rather than replacing them.
Of course, modern acceleration doesn't automatically transform 1980s steering, suspension and braking into contemporary sports-car engineering. And with conversion prices reported at £65,000–£85,000 before taxes in 2024, it's hardly an inexpensive upgrade.
But nobody buys a DeLorean because it's the most rational choice.
They buy one because it's a DeLorean.
The Future Was Always Electric
The electric DMC-12 demonstrates something fascinating about automotive evolution.
Electrification doesn't always mean abandoning the past. Sometimes it allows an existing design to fulfil its original promise.
The DeLorean was born in 1981. Its legend began in 1985.
But perhaps, more than four decades later, it has finally become the car it was always meant to be.
THE FUTURE WAS ALWAYS THERE.
IT JUST NEEDED THE RIGHT POWER SOURCE.
VOLT-AGE — THE CURRENT
Performance. Engineering. Machines. Culture.
Lead image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of an Electrogenic car. Back to the Future is a trademark of Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment. DeLorean and DMC are trademarks of their respective owners. VOLT-AGE is not affiliated with Universal, the DeLorean Motor Company or Electrogenic.
