Delorean numbers in 1984

[Dangermouse]

Two part question here,

1. After the Culloden auction 1982 and the factory auction (1984), when all factory cars had been shipped to the US or auctioned off, how many cars remained in the UK and which ones were they. I am speculating the following at least:

Pilot 25 – 1
W-H cars (13 less two that went to Australia = 11)
AXI cars – 3
How many cars were at culloden - 12?
I think there were 6 other cars at the factory auction, as well as P25)
Did all the auction cars stay in the UK?

So I am thinking perhaps 33


2. When was the first car re-imported from the US, by whom and which one was it?

I am interested in how in 84 there were perhaps 9100 cars (out of 9200) cars in the US, but by today at least 1000 of those are scattered throughout the world.

thanks

Dermot

[Guinney1971]

hmmm,,,,,,, interesting one that Dermot - also, there were the SIJ cars that were RHD, like
Mary Hooper's for instance. Cant remember if they were company cars tho? I think Mary's
car was sold off at auction after the factory closed too.

I think this might be one for Chris Parnham or Phil Peters to answer, as they have lots of
archive material.

Chris doesn't get time to visit the forum much, so it might be worth dropping him an email
or giving him a ring - contact details in the club mag/on the club website.

[ROBLAMROCK]

Apart from the factory auction, the Culloden auction (cars confiscated by Northern Ireland Carriers), the Receiver also sold cars through several major car auctions in GB.
He also sold batches of cars to private individuals. I remember a number of brand new cars (including a RHD) that were advertised in Exchange & Mart in 1991 along with lots of spares. Keith Pratt from Taunton bought two of the cars and one ended up with Tony Lumsden-Cook who converted it to RHD and it's now in Australia.
Having said that, the majority of cars around the world have been exported from the USA.

Robert
Belfast

[Phil Peters]

Guinney1971 Wrote:hmmm,,,,,,, interesting one that Dermot - also, there were the SIJ cars that were RHD, like Mary Hooper's for instance. Cant remember if they were company cars tho? I think Mary's car was sold off at auction after the factory closed too.

The SIJ cars were company cars in the sense that they were company engineering prototypes but I don't think they clocked up very many (if any) miles in the hands of DMC executives. Certainly all the SIJ cars I have seen since the early 1990s have tended to be very low mileage cars. The Wooler-Hodec contract for 20 cars was not complete by the time the receivers were called in (even though they continued to fund the RHD development project) so any testing programme that was to be carried out on these cars presumably never happened either.

As Robert says, a number of these cars were sold through some of the larger UK car auction houses. VIN# 12173 (SIJ 1084) was sold at British Car Auctions (BCA) Measham in January 1983 and I think most of the other Wooler-Hodec cars went to BCA auctions around the country. VIN# 12173 still has its bill of sale from the auction and a letter from the DeLorean factory office in Coventry enclosing its first car tax. If anyone (Robert?) has any further information about these BCA auctions I'd be very interested to hear from them.

One thing that's just struck me as I write this is how quickly the Wooler-Hodec cars were auctioned off after factory closed its doors:

May 1982 - VIN# 121XX cars are first batch of cars to have been VIN'ned after the receivers take over the factory.
24th December 1982 - Factory closes its doors.
January 1983 - VIN# 121XX cars auctioned off
May 1984 - Factory auction

I suppose as they were company assets they just needed to be sold ASAP to recoup money for the creditors?

Cheers,

Phil

[Nick H]

Although slightly off topic.
I know that a least one DMC staff member used a car to drive over to Lotus in Norfolk. If this was his company car I am not sure.

The one time I had a problem that I could not sort out with LJH (fuel accumulator failure) (on the way to Supercar Sunday 2002/3) I had to call the AA.

The AA patrol guy that turned up had asked to come out to the DeLorean.
Turned out this chap knew his way around a D' .
He had been involved with them since the early 80's.
He said his first call out to a D' had been to a DMC executive who had driven over to Lotus from Belfast.

On the way back the unnamed executive had blown the engine! My AA chap had relayed the car and driver to Hollyhead for the ferry. I wonder if Neal can confirm the story?
Oh and he got my car going in two seconds flat .

Regards
Nick H

[The Hoopers]

On Thursday 10th February 1983 my car (Vin 12179) plus 4 other RHD cars all manual were auctioned without reserve at Brighouse Car Auction Yorkshire. To quote the auction details 'They will be the last De Lorean cars from the official receiver to be sold in Europe'

The auction of these cars attracted lots of media interest including Yorkshire TV who filmed the sale of the Deloreans for regional news. However, sadly, the previous owner of my car, Mike Taylor, failed to obtain a copy after lots of effort. Also Sunday Telegraph wrote a 3 page article for their Sunday magazine which was titled 'Who Bought The Dream Capsules?' In this article it states that only 36 people in Britain own a DeLorean! How things have changed!!

Mary

[Dangermouse]

Well that's what I was guessing 33 or 36 cars being in the UK in 1984.

So part two of the original post was when and who imported the first car from the US - Dave Howarth? Dan Shields? I am wondering if there was a big gap - say until 1990, or was there some change in UK taxes/import laws or exchange rate that started the influx?

perhaps 1985 and BTTF?

It seems like in the mid-80s in the States cars started to be put away in barns etc as they failed mechanically and the widespread parts/service support just wasn't there.

[Guinney1971]

I know that 'DGS803X' came back to the UK around 1990, it was bought from Renton Auto Wreckers
near Seattle and shipped to the UK, and having languished for some time, it was bought
by Mark Bourne in the mid-late 90's and put back on the road. From what I can remember
Mark telling me years ago, there was a row between the guy who imported the car and the
shipping agents, and someone took a baseball bat to the car and smashed it up even more
then it already was.

I doubt that was the first one tho, I'm sure there were a few creeping back in way before that.

[steve.s]

hi

i would guess the Wales car would have stayed here as i think Dave H saw it in about 1985 when it was LHD.

i don't know the vin, but i thought the plate was SIJ?

Phil maybe you know?. it has the Gerry castle lights.

by the way...beer soon?.

Steve
ex vin 1621

[Dangermouse]

steve.s Wrote:hi

i would guess the Wales car would have stayed here as i think Dave H saw it in about 1985 when it was LHD.

i don't know the vin, but i thought the plate was SIJ?

I've seen this car mentioned on here before. SIJ 5996 - why is it called the Wales car?

steve.s Wrote:by the way...beer soon?.

Steve
ex vin 1621

Sure, pop round any time

[steve.s]

hi

it lives by the coast in Wales, and i think the sea air has not been kind. (and of course it rains all of the time!)

it was in one magazine 'rust in peace' section under a tarpaulin minus its interior and front and rear fascias (outside a caravan)

when i saw it, is was under the tarpaulin in that state, with very rusty exhausts (odd fluted ones), peeling low down go-faster stripe, whole thing laquered but now peeling.
and it was parked 200 metres from the welsh sea, over grass!!.

i thought it original RHD and offered lots for it, but he would not sell.
Lucky for me as i have since found out its a later conversion, maybe by Gerry Castle though as the lights are different, roof aerial etc. so obviously worth less, and would need to budget for a frame off rebuild.
(the owner said he might sell if i offered £30k !!!!!!!!!!!)

so another £10k plus to restore it!.

its a real shame as i would have liked that car, at the right price, and restore it back to 1985 condition

the chap has owned it since 1985 ish, and said he paid £12 000 to have it converted to RHD

i think it has had a small back end accident sometime, and has certainly been seen broken down by the side of the road (mentioned on other forums).

i would guess at present worth £11k ish.

nice chap though and had a chat with him, he's not a club memeber.

sorry but did not have a camera when i went!.

Steve

[Dangermouse]

Thanks,

that's the one in Barmouth that was mentioned in another recent post, I guess. I recall a post from Chris P (I think) where there were around 4 of those non-W-H conversions of 007xx vins, which I would presume had all stayed in the UK. I don't know whether it's more likely that they were factory auction cars, or Culoden auction cars (Weren't the Culloden cars, actual cars that were on there wy to the US, so more likely later vin cars)?

I wondered if it might have something to do with "Prince of", some royal connection. :lol:

[steve.s]

yes correct Barmouth.

the chap who bought it in 1985 had it off a car dealer, so don't know its hostory before then.

He may have paperwork, as i think he has kept everything to do with the car.

Dave H knows about this car and the owner, and i think the owner has been to see him.

i would like to buy it but can't see it happening at the owners valuation and reluctance to sell anyway.

did look very unloved though and not good to see for us enthusiasts

Regards

Steve
ex vin 1621

[Chris Williams]

steve.s Wrote:yes correct Barmouth.

the chap who bought it in 1985 had it off a car dealer, so don't know its hostory before then.

He may have paperwork, as i think he has kept everything to do with the car.

Dave H knows about this car and the owner, and i think the owner has been to see him.

i would like to buy it but can't see it happening at the owners valuation and reluctance to sell anyway.

did look very unloved though and not good to see for us enthusiasts

Regards

Steve
ex vin 1621

Chating to Dave the other day and he was under the impression that this car was away being restored at the moment!

Chris

[steve.s]

right, did not know that.

although i saw it nearly two years ago and the owner said then the interior and fascias were away 'being restored' and would take a weekend to put the car back together!.
(the exhausts were very, very rusty, laquer peeling, wheels peeling, jacking plate points very rusty) and bricks round it holding the tarp, over grass growing a foot high under.

this is what surprised me for such a possible high value item.

i would say its in one of the harshest areas, rain, sea, salt etc and my guess was that it may have needed the frame off to do a proper job.

when i saw it it needed way above a fascia repaint but maybe more is being done.

i would guess though one of the few people able to do it would be Chris N of course.

Would be nice to see it looking pristine

Regards

Steve