DeLorean Song of the Week - 10/31/10

This week begins the a weekly tradition of giving you a blast from the past each week of a DeLorean-era tune to take you back!

The awesome 80s DeLorean song of the week is:

Alive and Kicking - Simple Minds

Enjoy!

DeLorean & VW Bus Recreate Twin Pines Mall Chase!

At exactly 1:35 a.m. on October 26, 2010 at Gwinnett Place Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, DeLorean 6239 and a VW Microbus from the local AirCooledAddicts club recreated (at a slower speed) the famous chase at Twin Pines Mall in the original "Back to the Future."

Gary and Brian from AirCooledAddicts were generous with their time and Brian's VW Microbus fit the bill perfectly. Very cool to actually drive a DeLorean being chased by a VW Microbus in a mall parking lot in front of a JC Penney on the date and time anniversary of the famous movie chase. My friends Chi and Ash showed up for the fun with Chi sporting his Thriller jacket in true 1980s style.

Video of the event will be posted soon. For now, here are some photos from this morning's event with the crew.

Sony Retires the Cassette Walkman!

Looks like Sony's throwing in the towel on that 1980s mainstay, the cassette-playing Walkman, after 31 years on the market! Rest in peace venerable Walkman - We knew you well. Now if only I could get my hands on one of those damnable Aiwa cassette players Marty McFly carried in "Back to the Future." Of course, that won't happen until people stop paying more than $350 for the stupid things! A link to the full story is below the graphic.

Sony Cancels Cassette Walkman

AMC Theaters Show "Back to the Future" Today and Monday!!!

We went to AMC Theaters exclusive "Back to the Future" screening today. There's another one Monday at 7 p.m.! Highly recommended! Beautiful digital presentation with GREAT SOUND. I haven't seen the film on the big screen since its original release in 1985! I was only 7 years old then! While supplies last AMC is also giving out LIMITED 25th Anniversary movie posters for the event! Check out the photos below!

Red Letter Date: March 6, 2010 - 6239 Meets Stars of Back to the Future!

Since all this "Back to the Future" hype is going on right now, figured it was a good time to tell this 6239 story...

On March 6, 2010, we prepped 6239 and traveled over to Florence, Alabama for the official BTTF.com 25th Anniversary reunion celebration. It was an extremely long way, much longer a drive than I had anticipated. We started in the early morning, complete with an entire new set of Sylvania Silverstar headlights that my friend Joe and I had installed a few nights prior. Those were a real lifesaver as the original headlights on the DeLorean were surprisingly dim by today's standards. While on the way there, 6239 crossed the 5,000-mile mark!

Eventually the sun came up and we made our way into a picturesque little town in Alabama. Almost looked kinda like Hill Valley. We just made it into town when the autograph signing with James Tolkan and Claudia Wells took place. We pulled up next to the Team Fox DeLorean Time Machine and made our way inside.

Inside, I met the original Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells) and Professor Strickland (James Tolkan). They were kind enough to sign autographs in 6239's journal, kind of a log I keep with the vehicle.

What happened next was really awesome and more than I ever would have expected. Mr. Tolkan and Ms. Wells came outside for photos and Team Fox decided they should pose with 6239 because the doors were already up! Within seconds, two stars from the Back to the Future Trilogy were posing with 6239!

After I processed this excitement, we were told that "Back to the Future" producer and co-writer Bob Gale was giving a film lecture at the local university, so we jumped in 6239 and followed the Team Fox Time Machine through the streets of Florence, probably making quite a scene as we went by!

After a few more photo opportunities with visiting fans wanting to see the DeLoreans, 6239 headed for the university to catch Bob Gale. We caught him right at the end of the lecture and he was kind enough to sign 6239's journal. He seemed impressed that we drove a DeLorean all that way to see him and made it here ok! Apparently there's no love lost between Mr. Gale and the DMC-12.

He gave a great autograph too...

After all the excitement, we went and had lunch at the local Italian place where we watched out the window as bystanders and motorists alike stopped in surprise and to get pictures of, and with, 6239. As I mentioned in a previous post, there was one guy that just made an idiot out of himself trying to get a "McFly" photo with the DeLorean.

Before we headed for home, we made sure we snapped a photo of ourselves after all the craziness. And yeah, I like that puffy vest.

I don't know if this last photo was coming or going, but Melinda snapped it while I was driving. I know my chin isn't that fat-looking in person...Love that window contour -- there isn't any other car like it. Unmistakable.

Only 10 months after I brought 6239 home, we had an encounter with stars from the original "Back to the Future." Not bad, right?

Fox and Lloyd Honored at Spike TV Scream Awards for Back to the Future

Well, I'll let the footage speak for itself. This was the best entertainment moment of 2010 - hands down. And Michael J. Fox even took time out to thank John Z. DeLorean too! Pure awesome. Click the video link below to see the full segment.

Click here for the: Spike TV Back to the Future Tribute at the Scream Awards

Alternate Realities: Home Video of the "Future"

With "Back to the Future" coming out on Blu-Ray disc on October 26 and the legendary DeLorean finally in our homes in restored high definition, I felt it would be worth it to take a look back, even if briefly, at the film's legacy on home video. I have omitted minor or redundant re-releases. So, we'll start with the original VHS edition. Please be kind, and rewind.

The original VHS release of "Back to the Future"

The original release of the VHS tape can be spotted by the logo on the spine of the sleeve. It is compact and centered like the title in the film itself and on the sleeve cover. Later editions would have the spine logo spread out along the entire length of the side.

Note the positioning and composition of the logo on the spine

This version also had a very nice spine label on the tape itself, something that was uncommon on most studio-made VHS tapes.

Had enough of blotchy, pan & scan VHS? So had most of us by the end of the 1980s. Some of us had also had enough of rewinding too. Thankfully "Back to the Future" was remastered on LaserDisc in widescreen (thank god), and despite a weird fake fade-out/fade-in effect on the disc transition on the first film, the LaserDisc trilogy was a great upgrade from the VHS. 

Jackets for the "Back to the Future" Trilogy on LaserDisc

The best part about LaserDiscs is the jacket art - like LP record sleeves. Very nice presentations. Check out the reverse sides of these sleeves and you'll see what I mean.

The final major release was on DVD in the early 2000s. Finally, the series had moved to a digital picture in anamorphic widescreen. There was only one problem: When the DVDs first hit shelves, Universal blundered and made a major matting error with Part II and Part III, effectively zooming in too close and cutting out a lot of the picture. The discs were put on a mass recall and replaced via snail mail. Once that was corrected though, it was the best presentation of the series ever to date.

An added bonus of the DVD edition is the new Drew Struzan artwork adding Doc Brown to the classic poster art for the Trilogy Box

Surreal Experience at High School Homecoming

So my cousin Jake and I take 6239 to a high school homecoming dance in Atlanta where the theme is "Back to the Future." The lady who met us was really nice, but the experience was rather surreal as most, if not all, of the teenagers who arrived had never seen "Back to the Future," and had little interest in the DeLorean's presence. In fact, in a strange turn of events, the boys were less interested than the girls. It's usually the other way around.

I don't have an issue with people not being interested in the vehicle. To each their own. What weirded me out was the pondering over why they would throw a theme that none of the kids could relate to. Then there was this professor who showed up as Doc Brown, but he insisted on wearing horn-rimmed glasses and did a lot of screaming about "3.43 kilowatts" and the flux capacitor and being stuck in 2010. Hmm...

I should have known upon seeing teenagers pull up in Maseratis, and with all of the boys sporting a Justin Bieber haircut, that this was no ordinary crowd. Jake and I spent the time hanging back and drinking Pepsi Throwbacks while amusing ourselves with our own conversations. It was nice in that they set up smoke machines behind the vehicle, but the effect was all but impossible to capture on camera as you will see below.

One dad who pulled up asked, "How did you get it here? Is it even roadworthy?" I found this comment rather contemptible. The car looks brand new and there were no trailers in the small parking lot to indicate I had towed it or trailered it to the location. So there we were, stuck between late-model baby boomer parents with little more than sarcasm toward the DeLorean and Gen-Y 17-year-olds who couldn't have cared less.

But, as I said before, the lady who met us and had asked us to be there was a classy person and a joy to be around and seemed to have a genuine love of the 1980s and the DeLorean sports car, so that made it all worth it.  

Countdown to Lightning Strike

Tonight 6239 will make an appearance at King's Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta as an added attraction for their Homecoming Dance, where the theme tonight is "Back to the Future."

While prepping 6239, as well as the driver, we took a few pre-show photos. Enjoy!

Owning a Rolling Movie Star: Part II - Actions Louder Than Words

I was warned by the DeLorean community before I took ownership that my life out and about with a car would never be the same. No, not because of a stellar driving experience or some euphoric epiphany about having a cool car. Rather because that would be almost everyone else's reaction upon your arrival to a gas station, restaurant, movie theater or anywhere you can imagine.

I was warned people would try to get in the car, put their hands all over it, lose all conception of manners and dignity and generally forget themselves and invade my personal space.

They were right. In the 18 months I've owned 6239 I've witnessed some weird stuff. I've got the evidence, both good and bad, to prove it. Honestly, I've met some great people and had many, many great experiences. I've also had experiences that have showed me the worst of humanity. Enjoy a few choice samples:

I caught this guy through the window of the restaurant. I think he was trying to mimic the movie poster, but he came off looking like a swooning Victorian woman.

- Seems like there's always one person who shows up and asks if they can get a picture of their 4-year-old kid in the car, and it's rarely one of my friends like Tom, or someone like that I'm cool with. It's usually a disturbingly eager 30-something Dad. The kid always steps on the seat before getting in (ugh) and looks like he could care less, sometimes outright pissed. Clearly it's more for the parent than the kid, but the parent knows I'd be less likely to let them in the seat.

- Women generally don't care about the DeLorean when they're sober. But when they're smashed, look out! They will try to lean on the car, lay on the car, and push the limit. One girl wanted endless pictures in the car, with the car, wanted me to pretend to be Doc while she was Marty, left, reappeared in the driver's seat and was suddenly on a first name basis with me. Another drunken group practically leapt into the driver's seat while my back was turned. When I politely but firmly asked them not to sit in the car, they informed me that I wouldn't have the DeLorean with me when I was "burning in hell."

These British girls were very polite and reserved, which was a nice change of pace, and probably why I have a picture of them.

 
- If I came up to you at a gas station and started putting my hands all over your car, you'd probably be pretty annoyed and rightly so. You'd think a DeLorean in public is one of those museum exhibits for the blind the way people just put their hands all over it! And right in front of you! They play with the doors when you're not looking, stick their heads all the way in to get a look at the odometer and are generally completely forgetful that someone's car is not public property. At a car show, I even had someone while talking to me reach up under the headlights and give the fascia a nice double tug, like he was testing its durability or something!  One guy did a full palm rub on the roof and started rapping his fingernails on the stainless steel like he was deep in thought or something and forgot the owner was standing there watching him!

- But I'll end this on a positive note. The vast majority of people are polite and a lot of fun. They're so excited to see the "Back to the Future car" as they often call it. They start quoting their favorite lines, asking questions, asking how they can get the car to make an appearance at one of their events. The cell phone cameras abound. Sometimes this is dicey because the photographer in question is driving at the time, and swerving in and out of lanes to get close to the car! I had a guy on a Honda superbike pass me doing 90 while taking photos of 6239 with a digital camera! But as long as I'm a really defensive driver, it's just part of the experience.

This guy was dressed as Marty McFly for a screening and because he was the only costumed fan, I let him sit in the car. Check out the pure glee on his face - this is the awesome side of being a DeLorean owner.

He was a nice guy, so I got my photo with him - the two Martys.

   

"This is truly amazing...A portable television studio."

Yes, friends. With those words, Christopher Lloyd (a.k.a. Doc Brown) assured history that some obsolete technology would never go quietly into the night. In this case he was referring to the JVC GR-C1U VideoMovie camcorder. Used by Marty McFly to film Doc's first Time Travel experiment as well as the moments just before his death by Libyans, this camera has become a Holy Grail item for Back to the Future fans like the DeLorean DMC-12.

Well, I finally found one and it arrived on my doorstep today in a massive metal and industrial plastic case!  I opened the case with the resounding click of metal brackets and found...

That's VHS-C baby! Plus there's still a tape inside that I can't get out because the batteries aren't charged...and the battery has "Police" and a number carved on the back...Could be some interesting stuff on that old VHS-C tape...

Note the classy faux-leather cheek rest on the reverse side. The viewfinder is detachable as well. This camera was first class, ladies and gentlemen. Too bad it's missing the carrying handle...

Did I mention it has a remote! How many 1980s camcorders had those?! I'm also loving the RF-Unit, UHF to TV adapter - Nice.  Brings back the memories...

Finally there was one more item waiting for me in the mailbox tonight...

The 1981 McRib is as Elusive as the 1981 DeLorean

Apparently our good friends over at Yahoo Finance wanted to remind us that the McDonald's McRib, created in 1981 just like the DeLorean, is also equally hard to find and just as rabidly sought after by Gen-Xers.  The link to the full story is below. It appears the early 1980s created many wondrous, mythical things that despite dubious quality have eternal appeal.

The Elusive McRib Makes Ink

Michael J. Fox is Back in the Time Machine!

Spike TV has recreated the original Back to the Future teaser trailer, shot for shot, complete with Michael J. Fox back in costume! Very very cool. Check it out at the link below.


Recreated Back to the Future Teaser

"Throwback" to the Future!

Breaking News!

Pepsi has decided that Pepsi Throwback, the cane-sugared soda packaged in the iconic 1970s/early 1980s can, will become an unlimited product offering...for now. Pepsi says if we keep buying it, they'll keep making it! Count me in!

Let me tell you, it is a lot of fun when people crowd around your DeLorean and start talking "Back to the Future" and you reach into the luggage compartment and come away with a 1980s Pepsi! They flip! 

Read the full story here: Pepsi Throwback Is Here to Stay!

The Once and "Future" Marty McFly

I'm pre-empting Part II of my recent blog series to make mention of a very special announcement. Today footage was released for the first time showing Eric Stoltz in the role of Marty McFly! It's clear even in these clips he's a great actor, but his presence is not about "funny." It's more about the gravity of the situation - probably not the right tone for a comedy... Click the link below the photo to see the full video. "This is heavy."

Hollywood Reporter article: Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly

Owning a Rolling Movie Star: Part I - "Back" Talk

I could start by boring you with a bunch of talk about how much I loved "Back to the Future" or how much I was fascinated by these cars. I could waste your time talking about everything I went through to buy the car and whatnot. Doesn't really seem all that interesting at the moment, so let's start with a few posts on what it's like to own and drive a DeLorean in 2010 in the United States.

In this post, rather than listen to me, let's start with what everyone else has to say. Here are a few of the select quotes from bystanders, other motorists and random people -- these should give you a pretty good idea of what you're up against every time you take the car out in public.

• "Where's the flux capacitor?" (This is usually followed with a smirk, and/or the person laughing really hard at their own joke, because they think they're really clever. Truth is, this is the NUMBER ONE comment you will get as a DeLorean owner, so have a comeback ready.)
• "I hear DeLoreans always drift towards the white lines in the road." (This is a cocaine scandal reference, a common one. There's also one about "snow tires." Get used to this too.)
• "Back to the Future!!!!" (Most often belted out obnoxiously by redneck teenagers on Friday night.)
• "So, does your car run on garbage?" (Said to my back at a Steak 'n Shake in reference to Mr. Fusion in "Back to the Future: Part II")
• "Hey man, you need some help? You run outta plutonium?" (Admittedly, kinda funny. I was parked in a Subway parking lot with the door up, checking my phone.)
• "HOW did you get this car?!" (Apparently, many people don't realize you don't have to buy a car at a dealership, and old things still exist and can be purchased.)
• "WHERE did you get this car?!" (See previous entry)
• "Did DeLorean ever get out of prison?" (He never went to prison. Acquitted.)
• "I didn't know this was a REAL car!" (People live in tight niches. Their realities can be very limited.)
• "How much did it cost to add those suicide doors?" (First off, they're "gullwing" doors. Secondly, every DeLorean had them. Be prepared for a skeptical "Really?!" when giving this response. See the people around you will often think they know more than you about your own car. These are the same people who will often then say the next phrase --)
• "All aluminum, right?" (See?)
• "Are parts hard to find?/Where do you get parts???" (Okay, I've explained this phenomenon already)
• "I have a friend/brother/father/uncle who owns/used to own one of these!" (Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Everyone is connected to a DMC-12 within six people or less...allegedly.)
• "These cars are really slow/These cars were underpowered/These cars were a mess/These cars are pieces of $%#*!" (DeLorean detractors are EVERYWHERE. They "hate" the car with a passion, but you'll notice they stand around the car "hating" and deriding it for 30 minutes to an hour and never seem to go back to their "awesome" muscle cars. Amazing how something you hate deserves so much of your attention.)  
• "That's awesome/That's badass/That is SO cool!"

Where 6239 gets away from the not-always-adoring public: The Garage

"Yes...that car from Back to the Future."

"Back to the Future" celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year and the generation that embraced it now straddles in age between the mid-20s and mid-30s. With that coming age also comes a strange pop-culture redemption for the infinitely famous but ever elusive DeLorean DMC-12 sports car.

The revolutionary product of an automotive visionary became little more than a derided, broken dream by 1983 and John Z. DeLorean, victim of government entrapment and hard luck, never regained his reputation. The years immediately after were just as hard on the car itself. In 1984, the unique stainless steel vehicle was already an automotive orphan and dealerships were painting them any color they could to get them off their lots.

The only footnote was 1985, when Marty McFly found himself racing through time on the silver screen in a brushed silver DeLorean, converted into the iconic Time Machine by Dr. Emmett L. Brown. To adults, it was a nostalgic, rollicking comedy. To the youth of the 1980s, it was for many of us an introduction to the car that would capture our imagination for the rest of our lives.

Now, 25 years later, DeLoreans remain as elusive as ever and the generation that was captivated by them now has the buying power to claim them from generations past.

This blog isn't the story of a restoration (and to those who face such a journey with their DeLorean, I salute you), but rather a chronicle of what it's like (both mechanically and socially) to be a DeLorean owner and a member of the "Back to the Future Generation" at the height of Back to the Future nostalgia and DeLorean mania.  This is the story of DeLorean 6239 falling into the hands of a 30-year-old "Back to the Future" kid.

Hold on and have fun. We're about to hit 88 miles per hour...not that we'll ever know it because the DeLorean speedometer maxes out at 85 mph.

6239 and its pilot arrive at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta for the screening of Back to the Future -- April 2010