The DeLorean is making a comeback, and no, it doesn’t involve a flux capacitor. The DeLorean Motor Company officially unveiled the Alpha5 on May 30, 2022, marking the first new vehicle from the brand in over 40 years. It’s fully electric, it has those iconic gullwing doors, and it can hit 88 miles per hour in 4.35 seconds, a number that is very obviously not a coincidence.
For anyone who grew up watching Marty McFly disappear into a ball of fire and tire tracks, this is a big deal. The DeLorean name had been essentially frozen since 1982. The stainless steel DMC-12, with its gullwing doors and its role in the Back to the Future films, became a cultural icon despite the original company’s very brief existence.
For more than four decades, the brand lived only in the memories of enthusiasts and the collector car market. Now that’s changing.
The modern DeLorean Motor Company was founded in 1995 by Liverpool-born mechanic Stephen Wynne, who acquired the rights to the DeLorean name, the remaining parts inventory, and the trademark.
For years the company focused exclusively on restoring and servicing existing DMC-12s. The Alpha5 is their first swing at something completely new, and they went all in. The revived company brought in CEO Joost de Vries, a veteran of both Tesla and Fisker, signaling from the start that this was not going to be a nostalgia cash-grab.
The car made its physical debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2022, and the reaction was exactly what you’d expect, people lost their minds.
A design that honors the legend without being trapped by it
At first glance, the Alpha5 absolutely calls back to the original, it’s low, wide, and has gullwing doors. Most interestingly, those doors cover both the front and rear rows of seats, so when they swing up, you get a dramatic, wide-open view of the full interior.
The body is all aluminum, except for the doors themselves, which are made from lighter composite materials. When the doors are open, lights along their leading and trailing edges pulsate from the bottom up into the roof of the car, a motif that continues into a V-shaped element on both the front and rear fascias, white at the front and red at the back. It’s theatrical in the best way possible.
Inside, the cabin is minimalist, luxuriously upholstered, and completely devoid of physical buttons. A large touchscreen takes center stage and handles most of the car’s functions. But DeLorean didn’t forget where it came from. USB ports mimic the design of dials found in the original DMC-12, and the classic instrument cluster is available as an option inside the all-new digital display. Those are exactly the kinds of details that separate a thoughtful revival from a cheap reboot.
And then there’s the DeLorean wristband, easily the most unusual feature on any car in recent memory. The band connects whoever is wearing it to the car, sending the wearer’s heartbeat pulse directly into the driver’s seat.
It can also deliver a “hug” through the seat’s side bolsters, and even a “kiss” via the neck vent. Gimmick? Maybe. But it’s the kind of bold, weird idea that feels completely on brand for a car that was always more about attitude than practicality.
It’s worth stopping for a second to appreciate who is behind all of this. The original DMC-12 was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian designer who is basically the definition of a legend in the automotive world. His studio, Italdesign, has shaped more than 200 vehicles over the decades, among them the Volkswagen Golf, the Lotus Esprit, and of course, the DeLorean DMC-12.
In 1999 he was officially named Car Designer of the Century. Not bad. The DMC-12 became his most recognizable work not because it sold well, it didn’t, but because Back to the Future made it immortal. And now, Italdesign, today a VW Group subsidiary, is the studio behind the Alpha5 as well, making them the only design house to have shaped both generations of the same icon.
The numbers that matter, starting with 88
The Alpha5 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 2.99 seconds, reaches 88 mph in just 4.35 seconds, and tops out at 155 mph. It runs on a 100-kWh battery pack with over 300 miles of estimated range, powered by a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup. For context, that performance puts it in direct conversation with the Porsche Taycan, and analysts estimate a starting price of around $175,000, though DeLorean has not officially confirmed a final figure.
The Alpha5 was designed by Italdesign Giugiaro, a VW Group subsidiary, the exact same design house that penned the original DMC-12. The car will be built in Italy, with the powertrain sourced from a partner in the UK. That international production approach makes sense for a vehicle this exclusive and this specialized.
The Alpha5 is intended as the halo car for a broader lineup. DeLorean has announced plans for a V8-powered sports coupe, an electric sedan, and a hydrogen-powered SUV. Whether that ever becomes reality is another question entirely.
A dream that’s hitting some turbulence
Here’s where things get complicated. The Alpha5 has had a rocky road since its debut. DeLorean originally planned to build 9,531 units over five years, a nod to the DMC-12’s original production run, but later cut that number to 4,000, citing supply chain constraints.
Then things got worse. As of early 2026, the project has stalled due to unresolved financial obligations, leadership changes, and a $4.6 million judgment for unpaid development debts, along with the closure of its Texas offices.
It’s a frustrating pattern that feels eerily familiar. The original DeLorean Motor Company also had a car that turned every head in the room and a business that couldn’t keep up. The challenge has always been converting the brand’s name recognition, kept alive largely by the Back to the Future films, into actual sales of a vehicle that is significantly different from the one in the movies.
The Alpha5 is genuinely stunning. The specs are real, the design is inspired, and the heritage is undeniable. Whether the company behind it can finally deliver is the question that’s been hanging in the air since 2022. For now, the DeLorean is back, at least on paper, and that alone is enough to keep geeks, gearheads, and Back to the Future fans paying close attention.
Do you think the DeLorean Alpha5 will actually make it to production, or will it need a flux capacitor to travel back in time and fix things? Tell us what you think in the comments!