by Dave Tavres
I’m a DeLorean owner since 2015 and a lifelong Back to the Future fan. After reading the article “Meet the DeLorean Owners Who Hate ‘Back to the Future’” I’ve met and personally known several of those types of DeLorean owners, so to “Angela”, “Vincent”, and any other owners who hate BTTF, here’s the same advice I’ve given those I’ve met and known: go buy a Ferrari – no one will bother you. No one will want to get a picture of your car. They won’t bug you when getting gas. They won’t pace you on the freeway to take a photo. And you’ll NEVER hear someone say “I’ve never seen one in real life.” They will hardly notice you. (But, we know you actually WANT the attention, so you won’t get rid of the DeLorean.)
The DMC DeLorean is not a Fabergé egg, it’s a car. And very few cars in history draw out people’s fun and wonderful memories the way the DeLorean does. A non-car friend of mine once said “It’s not a time machine, it’s a smile machine!” after taking her for a drive one day. Everywhere you go, people see the car and smile. Not just at gas stations or the parking lot at work – but in the cross-walks at a red light! I don’t own a Ferrari or a Jaguar or any other collector car – but I would be VERY surprised if any of those cars brings a smile to so many people’s faces the way a DeLorean does. And when people get happy seeing a DeLorean, what a wonderful thing! As for the weirdos who own a DeLorean and hate the Back to the Future comments, it’s clear they just don’t like people.
99% of DeLorean owners bought the car because of Back to the Future. That remaining 1% are the ones who bought their car in 1981, 82, or 83 BEFORE the car was no longer available at dealerships, and before the movie came out in 1985. There are very few of those early buyers in the world. And of that 1%, most of those owners DO like the movie, because the movie saved the car – and the car makes people happy.
It’s true, I do like people more than most, and I absolutely love sharing the car with the public. As I said, the car is not a Fabergé egg, it’s a car. As long as there isn’t a group of 20+ people around it, I often invite people to come sit in the car to take photos. How often do fans of any pop-culture icons get to ‘interact’ with the thing that makes them happy in that way? Yes, it’s possible somebody will poke a hole in the seat with keys in their pocket, or break the turn signal stock – but that would be a small price to pay for sharing something that brings so much joy to people.
Maybe I should feel sorry for Angela and Vincent and other ‘elitists’, but I don’t. If they choose to be unhappy where others find joy, it’s their loss.
I wholeheartedly invite anyone who loves Back to the Future or the DeLorean by itself, to come up and say hello when I’m getting gas, or at the grocery store, or picking up food, or any other number of things (including getting ice cream.) And if you’re a DeLorean owner who hates that – too bad for you.