Back To The Future Delorean Drawing

The 'Back to the Future' DeLorean is on the shortlist of all-time movie cars. Here's a look at how the vehicle went from artist's concepts to Hollywood star, and how a team of superfans, under the supervision of restorers Joe Walser and Terry Matalas, and with the support of producer Bob Gale, painstakingly rebuilt the car for the film's 30th anniversary.

Are You Telling Me That You Built a Time Machine… out of a DeLorean?!

The original screenplay called for the time machine to be in a pickup, but director Robert Zemeckis, in a moment of inspiration, decided to change it to the gull-wing sports car. Some of the original concept art from the Universal archives.

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Exterior Concept

Sketches of front and rear of DeLorean.

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Interior Detail Sketch

The DeLorean cockpit reimagined for skipping through time.

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Interior Sketch

Early design of rear interior of DeLorean.

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Profile Sketch

The Doc Brown-modded DeLorean was retrofitted by various parts scavenged from junkyards but the production designers.

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Time-Travel Sequence

Storyboard showing the time machine in action.

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Time-Travel Storyboard

A more detailed breakdown of how the time-travel effect would be depicted on screen.

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Roads? Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads…

During production on the film trilogy, the A and B cars were used for main action shots.

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'Back to the Future' Poster

The classic theatrical poster features Michael J. Fox hopping out of the iconic gull-wing DeLorean DMC-12.

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DeLorean Seal of Approval

After seeing the original film in 1985, John DeLorean wrote a letter to producer Bob Gale and producer-director Robert Zemeckis. The automaker called the movie "absolutely brilliant. … I was particularly pleased that the DeLorean Motor Car was all but immortalized in the film."

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Hero Car on Universal Lot

After production wrapped on the 'Back to the Future' sequels, the A car was stowed on the Universal Studios lot in Hollywood, a fixture for years on the tram tour. But after two decades in the elements, it fell into disrepair.

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Flux Capacitor

The A car's Flux Capacitor remained inside the vehicle. This photo, taken in the '90s, reveals the wear and tear from exposure.

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Stripped Down

After decades of neglect, a team of superfans with the support of producer Bob Gale, meticulously restored the Hero vehicle. First, they completely stripped the car and catalogued all parts.

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Before and After

The restoration team found rat nests in the interior. After they were finished, the car was pristine. Can almost sniff the new-car smell!

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Back in the Future

Here's the completed Hero car before it was moved to its current home, in Universal's on-site museum.

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OUTATIME

The restoration team's work was hailed by producer Bob Gale, who said the car "never looked this good, not even on the first day it rolled out of [the production] shop."

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