The DeLorean DMC-12, launched in 1981, used a body made largely from stainless steel and was built in Northern Ireland.
John DeLorean founded the DeLorean Motor Company after a career in the American automobile industry. The company built its factory in Dunmurry, near Belfast, with financial support from the British government. Production began in 1981.
The DMC-12 had unpainted stainless-steel exterior panels over a glass-reinforced plastic body structure. Its gull-wing doors and wedge-shaped design were created with major input from designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. A rear-mounted V6 supplied power, while the chassis was developed with assistance from Lotus.
The car’s production ended in 1983 after the company entered administration. It became much more famous after appearing as a time machine in the Back to the Future films, but that fictional role came after the automobile’s original launch and was not part of its engineering purpose.