The "Back To The Future" Story

The gulled-wing DCM-12 DeLorean.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in a gulled-wing DCM-12, known to most of you as a DeLorean automobile, talking with Dave who works at Horsepower Enterprises LLC of Lancaster, PA.  I had Dave as a student in my Graphic Arts class in the late 1980’s and knew he worked at the business.  Had passed Horsepower Enterprises on North Prince Street many times in the past few months and saw the DeLorean in the window with the gull-wings raised and knew I just had to stop to sit in the stainless steel car. 

Movie poster for the movie
Back To The Future.

This was the same auto that a young man is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in the 1985 movie “Back to the Future” which was invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown.  Stars of the movie were Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd who predicted what the future would hold and actually some of those predictions came true 30 years later while others ..... well not so much.  So what predictions from the movie came true?  Here are a few you may recall:  (1) Video conferencing which Marty McFly does with one of his co-workers is much like our current day Skype and Facetime; (2) The Chicago Cubs were predicted to win the World Series in 2015 and they came very close this year to reaching that pinnacle; (3) McFly drank Pepsi Perfect in the movie which resulted in Pepsi releasing Pepsi Perfect for the “Back to the Future” fans; (4) The movie showed how fingerprints were use instead of keys and today our phones and various other tech devices use fingerprints to do just the same thing.  Some things in the film that didn’t come true .... yet, but may soon come true are: (1) A woman in the Oval Office which could happen if Clinton or Fiorina win the election; (2) Ejection seats that are now used in planes but could someday happen in automobiles; (3) A cure for cancer which McFly read in a newspaper which claimed that cholesterol was the cure; (4) And, flying cars which were said to eliminate roads and I predict will fill our skies and prevent our crops from growing from lack of sunlight. 

Driver's side of the gull-winged DeLorean.

Well, the DeLorean is a fantastic car even thought it was only made between 1981 and 1983 which was a few years before the movie was released.  A few facts about the car that are pretty neat are: (1) The car was created by John DeLorean who had worked for General Motors and was given credit for making the first muscle cars with high performance engines; (2) It was designed by Giorgetto Giugaro of Lotus fame; (3) The car was built in Northern Ireland in a factory that John DeLorean had built and stopped production after fewer than 10,000 cars were built; (4) It really wasn’t that fast for a car that looked like it could take you to the future; and (5) It was fun to drive and sit in as I can attest to the latter fact.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.