It’s 21 October 2015, Bug to the Future day, where we’re celebrating the day Marty McFly was transported into the future in the famed flick Back to the Future II. He was transported in a DeLorean, a legend in itself, but being VW nuts we’re not totally convinced it was the right vehicle. And for that reason, we’ve come up with some VW-derived DeLorean alternatives…
When the Back to the Future film script was first written in 1981, a refrigerator was to feature as the time machine in which the brave duo would be transported into the future. However, fears that children would imitate and get trapped inside, they decided that the time machine should be a car. As we all know, a DeLorean was chosen for the star role and for the first film three were purchased with a further three acquired for the two sequels. A full sized fibreglass model was used for the flying scenes in the second film. For the desert scenes, DeLorean bodies were built on a couple of custom made dune buggy chassis which, interestingly, were powered by VW engines, water-cooled Golf units were presume.
So that’s the background and understandably the studios spent a fortune on preparing the cars – the prop work alone was estimated at $150,000! So here are some our more down to earth alternatives…
Aquila
The Aquila has a similar wedge-like profile and the same gullwing doors as the DeLorean but adds classic charm and reliability in the form of a 1200cc Beetle engine. It was made in California by American Fibre Craft in the 1980s (so it’s from the same era) and the company’s founder Robert Mueller based the design on the exclusive and exotic BMW M1. While a whopping 9000 DeLorean DMC-12s left the Northern Irish production line, only 150 of these Aquila Gullwing kits were made so it’s much rarer. You can read more about it here.
Electric bus
Electric cars are nothing new, but for the ultimate in low emission totally cool retro rides, check out this clever solar powered split window VW Bus which certainly gives the various gadgets in the film a run for their money. It’s based on a 1966 camper and the original engine’s been replaced by a hoard of batteries – used to store charge gleaned from the mahoosive solar panel bolted (literally) to the roof. Despite being able to cruise at 80mph, the electro Bus’s range is somewhat limited and when the sun’s not shining it will only manage around 20 miles before silently grinding to a halt. We originally wrote a blog post about it here.
Flying high
The flying DeLorean in the film would have met its match with this custom built Rib-Jet from the Sixties because its inventor Curtis Rebelin was a US Navy jet pilot and fashioned it on a fighter plane. Based on Beetle running gear it certainly looks the futuristic part with its odd bulbous snout (which looks like a platypus), sculptured sides and boat-like rear end. Apparently, it’s a hoot to drive – lightweight, quick and with cornering that feels like it’s on rails. Find out more here.
Dune Bug
This is a concept that first saw the light of day in 2000 but with its raised ride height (by about 50mm) we think it would have worked brilliantly in the original film. With styling that harks back to the original ‘60s Beetle dune buggy it retains the instantly recognisable and totally timeless Bug profile and wouldn’t look out of place in any era…
Get into Ghia
‘Blue Mamba’ – a 1967 Ghia with a 8.3-litre Viper V10 engine shoehorned under the bonnet is a great mix of past and present and that exposed chrome manifold gives it the visual drama that we think would have appealed to Back to the future movie lovers. The paint scheme is also blockbuster material and we can envisage McFly and the Doc travelling through time in that space age, hot rod inspired interior. Read more about the Mamba on this blog post.
Radical Rocco
This oddball DeLorean lookalike is based on a 1989 Scirocco GT and, just like the original, it features quite intricate gullwing doors. It was created in 2006 to take part in the Scumball and Scally rallies. It basically mimics the film car and even has a genuine Krupps ‘Dr Fusion’ coffee grinder and smoke machine. Sadly, having obviously sat around somewhere for a few years, it came up for grabs on eBay earlier in the year but failed to attract any bidders. You never know though, if there’s a budget UK remake – it could make a surprise re-appearance…
Mad Michimoto
Ital penned the DeLorean’s distinctive shape and was also responsible for the space age looking VW-based Michimoto of 1986. A hybrid of motorcycle and car elements, it used Golf GTi mechanicals and passengers sat astride twin rows of seats, very much like a motorbike. Wackier still, it could be steered either by a conventional steering wheel, by handlebars or by vertical hand grips. Luckily, nothing quite like it has ever made it into production, although no doubt it would have provided ideal transport for McFly and his crew. Get more info here.
Space Dragon
Our friends at Hayburner magazine were recent custodians of this awesome and totally unique Space Dragon/Rock promotional vehicle. It’s rumoured to have been originally built for use in a James Bond film and is based on a shortened 1970 VW beetle chassis. After a quick beating with the lowering stick, they had it running on 8×15 Modulas up back “for extra grip in futuristic space lands,” as they put it. Musing over the optional Mountney space exploration steering wheel, they suggested that it might be NASA approved. Who knows?
Playing an Ace
Finally, the Audi Asso Di Picche which means ‘Ace of Spades’ in Italian looks uncannily like a DeLorean because once again, it came from the same Ital design studio. However, incredibly, it dates from 1973 so was way ahead of its time. Built by Karmann for Audi it was based loosely on Audi 80 underpinnings. With its geometric design and raked screen from the side it looks very much like any ‘60s/’70s Italian supercar of the time but from the rear, we can’t help but think Mk1 Scirocco… See what you think by looking here.
Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage.