The DeLorean DMC-12. A moment in automotive history that many people, myself included, have picked apart, studied, and, well, everythinged. It started as a nice idea to make a cool, powerful sports car for successful young people, and ended up a very public failure.
The downfall of the company is far more complex than we have time and space for here, but it was a bit of a mess that left a fair few people out of pocket (including the British government.) And were it not for Back to the Future, few people would probably remember it as much more than an unfortunate incident.
The good thing is that movie and its sequels assured its icon status, which means the DMC-12s that remain are celebrities wherever they go. The bad thing is they’re all largely still powered by the infamously bad 2.9-liter PRV V6. It’s a slow, thirsty motor that doesn’t lend itself to a DeLorean’s sporting looks.
Now, the UK’s Electrogenic has torn that ‘orrible lump out and replaced it with an electric powertrain. And now the DMC-12 is arguably better than ever.
Electrogenic has been going since just before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its original plan was to convert commercial vehicles from ICE to EV, but when the world was sent to its room to think about what it had done, plans had to change. Rather than vans, why not classic cars? A fresh powertrain would make them reliable, and you’d not get any oil on your hands. Easy, right?
An Engine No One Will Miss
It turns out the decision to change direction was the right thing to do, and business boomed, helping clients all over the world swap E10 for E…lectrons. Today, Electrogenic has four arms to its business: Plug ‘n play kits for a range of popular classics, bespoke solutions for customers with unique requests, working with OEMs, and military projects. Currently, there are four Electrogenic converted Land Rovers on test with the UK’s military to see if replacing ICE lumps will work for the troops, and they seem to be doing well.
The trick at Electrogenic is software. It’s developed its own system that goes into every car it converts—tried and tested over the years, and now in a state where it’s become the firm’s standard.
Of course, its parts are bought in from suppliers, but getting supplier A’s part to work nicely with supplier B and C’s… that’s the hard bit, and the firm says it’s got it nailed. On top of that, each classic comes with its own challenges. Getting a Citroën DS’ tricky hydropneumatic suspension to work without a combustion engine isn’t easy, for example, and different cars come with different architectures on which to bolt batteries. Similarly, different clients may want different things.
The Electrogenic Jaguar E-Type kit offers different ranges and power outputs might well work for some people, but occasionally there are clients who have more specific needs. For example, Jason Mamoa’s immensely cool Electrogenic Rolls-Royce Phantom II featured at the 2023 Goodwood Revival was a bespoke project, much like the DMC-12.
Here, the client wanted to fit their DeLorean with a powertrain that would actually work, and give the car the sort of performance it always warranted. Its new motor kicks out 215b hp (160kW) and 229 lb-ft (310NM) of twist, extracting power from a 42 kWh battery.
Electrogenic says that’s good for about 150 miles of driving, and when the charge runs out it’ll take about an hour to top up via CCS charger. The batteries and motor are in the rear of the car, where the original DMC-12’s V6 used to sit.
The frunk is still a frunk, too, so you can put stuff in it. That range may not sound like a lot, but it’s plenty for how a classic like this will be used.
Where We're Going, We Do Need Roads
The car itself weighs about 88 lbs more than the ICE-powered Delorean, but the performance isn’t blunted at all. Quite the opposite. In period, the wheezy V6 would sling the DeLorean from 0-60mph in 9.6 seconds, which, given its looks (and mammoth hype) isn’t very fast. Electrogenic’s car will do the sprint in a vastly more respectable 5.0 seconds, and will top out at a more than adequate 130 mph. (I’ll let you insert the 88 mph pun of your choosing here; I’m not doing it for you.)
Hopping in, starting the car up is pretty easy. Twist the key, wait for things to wake up, pop your foot on the brake, put it into ‘D,’ and off you go. It whirrs away silently and delivers its torque as smooth as butter. There are three drive modes to choose from - Eco, Normal, and Sport. They only change the powertrain, and you can probably guess how. Eco is a perfectly fine way to get about. The car isn’t too urgent, and it keeps the cells as brimmed as possible - handy if you’re running a little low. Normal ups the pace a touch, and pedal response is improved, while Sport… well, Sport’s where it’s at.
From a standstill, you can believe Electrogenic’s five-second 0-62 mph claim. It is rapid. Especially in an older car like this, where you feel so much more of the sensation of speed than you might today. The original car wouldn’t have dared move so briskly; its engine wouldn’t allow it anyway. Well, not without huge modification.
Electrogenic’s goal is to make sure the cars it converts have the same handling and feel as they had with ICE power. When it comes to an E-Type, that’s a noble aim. With the DeLorean, a bit of modernization probably wouldn’t go amiss. In its day, the DMC-12 wasn’t known for its handling prowess—far from it. It was mooted more as a highway cruiser to get the impossibly fashionable from place to place in style. This also meant that the suspension was soggilicious and the steering was a little on the slow side.
That feeling is still here (with over 40 years of, erm, experience), leaning the car wildly into corners, and causing some rather surprising understeer in a tight right-hand bend at about 40mph. The 1970s were a wild time for car development, especially for the DMC-12, but time and modern dynamics haven’t been kind. Once you’ve gotten over its era-specific handling, or, more aptly, figured out how to work around it, you can get on with playing with Electrogenic’s powertrain wizardry.
In the UK, the DMC-12 feels rather wide. Low-hanging fruit gags about old American cars aside, John Z.’s idea that this would be more of a comfy cruiser than a sports car holds more water when you consider that you and your passenger can simply sprawl out and let the world pass you by. The driving position is low, the pedals slightly offset; you don’t drive it, but rather suggest it goes in a direction and wait for it to politely obey.
Electrogenic, and companies like it, give classics a new lease on life. The DeLorean’s powertrain was notoriously kind of awful, even in its day. And while those who have ‘em no doubt love ‘em, the dawn of EV conversions means that owners don’t have to put up with their shortcomings to get their style and vibes.
The DeLorean is one of the world’s all-time great car designs, and with electricity lighting up its ass, it’s got the performance it always should have had.
Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.
