The coolest Delorean concept cars ever designed
Published on Jul 28, 2022 at 1:41 PM (UTC+4)
by Patrick Jackson
Last updated on Aug 01, 2022 at 3:45 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The DMC Alpha5 is one of the most anticipated cars of the year.
With its in-person reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance less than a month away, the new DeLorean Motor Company is revealing just what it took to get it there.
The company has dug through the archives and revealed some long-lost concepts that paved the way for the Alpha5’s design.
DeLorean DMC-24 concept
READ MORE: The hidden details of the new DeLorean Alpha5 you might have missed
The first of these dates back to 1982 – the DMC-24.
Intended to be the successor to the original DMC-12, it’s perhaps the closest to the Alpha5 of any of the concepts.
Like the new DeLorean, it has one big gullwing door on each side and a four-seat interior.
While it made it to the aerodynamic testing stage in the wind tunnel, it obviously never made it to production.
DeLorean concept car Alpha2
Fast forward to 1996 and DeLorean finally decided to have another go at designing a successor.
This is where the ‘Alpha’ name was born, with the Alpha2 concept.
The first complete departure from the original DeLorean, it looks more like a futuristic Chevrolet Corvette.
This would also mark the last DeLorean concept powered by an internal combustion engine.
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DeLorean Alpha3
2006 saw the first electric DeLorean concept car – the Alpha3.
Interpreted as a luxury sedan, it featured gullwing doors at the rear and normal doors up front.
The styling was clearly ahead of its time, with it sporting a profile similar to some current EVs such as the Kia EV6 and Jaguar I-Pace.
DeLorean Alpha4
By 2013, DeLorean changed it up again with the Alpha4.
Envisioned in both SUV and pickup truck forms, it was to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
At that time, hydrogen was a hot topic with hydrogen models being released from both Honda and Toyota.
Of course, being an SUV or pickup, it was arguably the greatest departure from the DeLorean identity yet.
This all leads us to the Alpha5, which is not far off finally materializing as a production model.
If you’d been wondering just why it was called the Alpha5 and why it’s a four-seater, these older concepts help to explain why.
We can’t wait to finally see it in the flesh on August 21 in Pebble Beach, where you will find the Supercar Blondie team at Concept Car Lawn.
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A car zealot from a young age, Patrick has put his childhood spent obsessing over motoring magazines and TV shows to good use over the past six years as a journalist. Fuelled by premium octane coffee, he’s contributed to Finder, DriveTribe, WhichCar, Vehicle History and Drive Section.
