John Zachary DeLorean, a rising star at General Motors who had invented the musclecar while at Pontiac and sorted out a foundering Chevrolet division, abruptly resigned in April 1973. His motivation was desire to build a car of his own, on his own terms.

The result was the DMC-12, unconventional in nearly every respect. It had a brushed stainless steel body, gullwing doors, rear-mounted engine and four-wheel independent suspension. The engine was the PRV V-6 jointly developed and used by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. For suspension he turned to Colin Chapman, the genius behind Team Lotus Formula 1 and the associated Lotus production-based sports cars. An incentive package from the United Kingdom government led him to build a plant in Northern Ireland. The cars, however, were expensive and quality was problematic. Some 8,700 were built before the enterprise collapsed.

This DeLorean is a very good example. The body shows no blemishes, but the gullwing doors will need attention. The gray leather shows some use, but has no wear or tears. The engine compartment and undercarriage are entirely serviceable but not detailed. The car is equipped with air conditioning, power windows and an AM/FM/cassette stereo.

The DeLorean DMC-12 achieved icon status as a time machine in the Michael J. Fox “Back to the Future” film trilogy. As a result of the modest production, the new owner is unlikely to see another in his neighborhood.