DeLorean Time Machine

Lore & Background

During development, the time machine was initially conceived as a laser device attached to a refrigerator and taken to a nuclear bomb test. Spielberg vetoed the idea due to concern that children might attempt the same and get trapped inside. Zemeckis suggested a DMC DeLorean because using a vehicle solved the problem of being a stationary booth and offered mobility, and its unique gullwing doors would appear like an alien UFO to a 1950s family. The creative team decided that an eccentric individual named Doc Brown built it in his garage rather than a corporation, which Bob Gale said gave it a "slapdash, kind of cool look to it." During filming, the power source was changed to lightning and the location moved to the clock tower in Hill Valley. The DeLorean was developed under the supervision of Lawrence Paull, who designed it with artist Ron Cobb and illustrator Andrew Probert. The Ford Motor Company offered $75,000 to use a Ford Mustang instead; Gale responded that "Doc Brown doesn't drive a fucking Mustang." 88 mph was chosen as the time travel speed because it was easy to remember and looked "cool" on the speedometer. A custom speedometer was built to simulate 88 mph, as a 1979 law passed by then-President Jimmy Carter had limited speedometers to 85 mph to reduce speeding. The Flux Capacitor was originally called the Temporal Field Capacitor; Zemeckis said the name was not believable. From his work on The China Syndrome, Fink had learned of neutron flux. He and Zemeckis simultaneously suggested renaming it the Flux Capacitor. Fink constructed the device using a NEMA box and backlit Torr High-Voltage relays. The time display was constructed from LMB boxes. When Fink left, he picked Michael Scheffe to replace him. Scheffe finished the Flux Capacitor build and built the "Mr. Fusion" replacement power supply out of a Krups coffee grinder.

In Their Own Story

The engine roared with a sound that seemed to tear through the very air of the canyon. Sparks erupted from the rear tires as the DeLorean surged forward, its stainless steel body gleaming under the harsh desert moonlight. The digital display on the dashboard flickered wildly, counting down the seconds until the impossible became reality. With a final lurch and a flash of blinding blue light, the car vanished, leaving behind only twin trails of fire etched into the asphalt and the echo of a future that had just been rewritten.

Reader's Guide

Piloted primarily by Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown, the vehicle functions as both a standard roadster and a temporal vessel. While ground driving requires standard automotive controls, time travel demands hitting exactly eighty-eight miles per hour to activate the flux capacitor. Later modifications added hover mode for aerial navigation and gull-wing doors that facilitate quick entry and exit in tight historical settings.

Did You Know?

• The Flux Capacitor was originally called the Temporal Field Capacitor; Zemeckis said the name was not believable, so he and Fink simultaneously suggested renaming it the Flux Capacitor after Fink learned of neutron flux from The China Syndrome.
• A custom speedometer was built to simulate 88 mph because a 1979 law passed by President Jimmy Carter had limited speedometers to 85 mph to reduce speeding.
• The "Mr. Fusion" power supply was built out of a Krups coffee grinder by Michael Scheffe.
• The flying DeLorean used a 1:5 scale model (approximately 33 inches long) built from epoxy, steel, and aluminum, filmed against a blue screen.
• The "B" car (stunt car) was purposely struck by a train during production, leaving it as a pile of rubble; its body panels were later sold to Planet Hollywood Hawaii.