Despite its iconic movie-star looks, the DeLorean DMC-12 was never revered for its driving enjoyment. Now Oxford-based firm Electrogenic are hoping to fix that with their drop in electric conversion kit.
It’s one of the most iconic scenes in cinema: Doc desperately clinging to a clocktower while Marty shouts in vain as they attempt to power their electric DeLorean DMC-12-shaped time machine with a lightning strike. Luckily for us non-movie characters, UK firm Electrogenic have massively reduced the risk of electrocution with their brand-new drop-in EV kit.
While we can already hear the EV naysayers crying in dismay, the DMC-12’s original powertrain wasn’t exactly the stuff of dreams. Its asthmatic V6 put out just 130 hp via a slush box automatic, while it would handle the 0-60 sprint in an extremely leisurely 10 seconds; not exactly the stuff of science fiction. Electrogenic’s kit halves the 0-60 time to just 5 seconds, and impressively only adds 40 kg to the DMC-12’s original weight.
Designed from the start to be as simple as possible to install, the conversion replaces the fuel tank with a 43 kWh battery good for over 150 miles of real-world range, while power and torque figures now sit at 215 hp and 320 Nm respectively. The best bit? You can even add a replica flux capacitor for maximum movie accuracy. So, have Electrogenic perfected the DMC-12, or is this one EV conversion too far?
Photos by Alex Penfold