The recent appearance of a hyper-accurate Back to the Future DeLorean replica on eBay got us thinking: How does one build such a time-traveling monster? Who does this? And just what does it take to go eighty-eight?

Thankfully, Gary Weaver was there, as was YouTube. According to several BTTF fan forums and general internet scuttlebutt, Weaver is the preeminent authority on how to bastardize a DeLorean. Want to turn your stainless-steel drug mule into an underpowered parade float and aerodynamicist's nightmare? He's who you call.

Clarification Re: The Above Statement: When it comes to bastardized DeLoreans, we are seriously conflicted. On the one hand, you have a heavy, slow, and only marginally attractive sports coupe that needs little extra weight or drag. DeLoreans are pretty boring to drive, and unless you listen to a lot of Thomas Dolby, they tend to remind you of petri dishes and bad French food.

On the other hand, a DeLorean time machine is exactly what we wanted to blast around in when we were six years old. We also wanted a monster truck. We cannot afford a monster truck, but we can probably afford to build ourselves a BTTF DeLorean rep. You see the problem. We apologize for the diversion of internal opinion. If possible, we would like to curry your favor (and patience) by sharing the following quote:

Marty McFly: Wait a minute, Doc, are you trying to tell me that my mother has got the hots for me?
Dr. Emmett Brown: Precisely.
Marty McFly: Whoa, this is heavy.
Dr. Emmett Brown: There's that word again; "heavy". Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth's gravitational pull?

Ahem. Moving on.

Gary Weaver's site used to hold a wealth of information regarding BTTF DeLorean construction, but it's currently under construction and offers nothing but an image and a couple of links. The following videos came from Weaver's YouTube channel, and they answer all the questions you didn't know you had about building a time machine. The answers to some of those questions, arranged randomly and without context, are as follows:

  • Wormhole emitter
  • Fake plutonium
  • A hubcap from a Dodge Polara
  • Bendix oil separators taken from a Douglas aircraft
  • A cast replica of the stator from a GE-T58 turbine
  • Electroluminescent wire
  • Mr. Fusion, but on a desk.
  • Watch and enjoy. If you hit 1885, don't forget to write.

    P.S. Remember, kids: There's something terrible I have to tell you about the future! Last night, Darth Vader came down from the planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take you out, he'd melt my brain! Make like a tree and get outta here! No one can start this car but me!