A new DeLorean DMC-12 tribute based on the C8 Corvette is in the works, and the project is helmed by the daughter of DMC-12 creator John DeLorean.
“I needed to find a way to build an affordable car for the DeLorean community,” Kathryn DeLorean said in an interview with Hagerty announcing the project, which is dubbed DeLorean Next Generation Motors (DNG).
DNG will replace the factory bodywork of C8 Corvettes with new styling inspired by the DMC-12—complete with gullwing doors. That last bit is possible thanks to the stock Corvette coupe’s targa top, which required Chevy to route the roll cage structure away from the tops of the front-hinged doors, Kathryn DeLorean told Hagerty.
Thus far, DNG has only showed renderings of the design, which comes from the mind of Ángel Guerra, a designer who worked at the Croatian EV company Rimac.
C8 Corvette-based DeLorean design by angelguerradesign via Instagram
The unnamed DMC-12 tribute will use the base Corvette Stingray as a platform to keep the price as low as possible, but DNG is working with aftermarket companies on mechanical changes, according to Hagerty.
Using the C8 Corvette as the basis for a new DeLorean is also fitting. Before starting his own car company, John DeLorean was a General Motors executive. He’s best remembered for helping shepherd the Pontiac GTO into production, but from 1969 to 1972 he was also head of Chevrolet. During that time, he pushed hard for the Corvette to switch to a mid-engine platform, and even tried (unsuccessfully) to purchase the rights to the mid-engine Aerovette concept after leaving GM, according to Hagerty.
Rendering of proposed modern DeLorean from DeLorean Next Generation Motors (DNG)
The company is also planning a more exclusive hand-built sports car called the Model JZD. Just 42 will be made. The JZD will carry a more exclusive price, while the DMC-12 tribute will be more affordable. For reference, the Corvette Stingray costs about $70,000, so expect the reimagined DeLorean to cost significantly more than that, given the work required to transform it.
DeLorean Alpha5
DNG’s pair of sports cars aren’t the only new DeLoreans in the works. Texas-based DeLorean Motor Company announced plans for an electric DeLorean, called the Alpha5, in 2022. While it does have gullwing doors, the Alpha5’s styling isn’t retro, keeping its nods to the past minimal. The company had planned to build 9,531 Alpha5 coupes—the number of DMC-12s DeLorean had originally planned to build—but has since cut the planned production run to 4,000 units over the same five-year span originally announced.
