What is the body of a DeLorean made out of?

The body panels of a production DeLorean are made from brushed stainless steel. More specifically, the visible outer panels use austenitic SAE 304 stainless steel, giving the car its famously metallic appearance and resistance to corrosion.

The panels are not the entire structure of the automobile. They are attached to a fiberglass underbody, which sits on an epoxy-coated steel backbone chassis. This layered construction is an important distinction: “stainless-steel body” describes the exterior panels, not every component beneath them. The DeLorean also has a rear-mounted engine and distinctive gull-wing doors.

Most DeLoreans left the factory unpainted and without clearcoat, so their brushed metal grain remained visible. That finish helped make every car look similar, but it also showed fingerprints and made repainting more difficult than with conventional steel bodywork. Only three factory cars were plated in 24-karat gold; painted examples generally received their color after leaving the factory.

The DMC DeLorean was produced in Northern Ireland from 1981 to 1983 and later became famous as the time machine in the Back to the Future films.