A replica of the DeLorean time machine from "Back to the Future" is being auctioned off for charity, with proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, started by the movie's star, who has Parkinson's disease.
This isn't one of the original movie cars, but it does sport a screen-used "flux capacitor," the part that enables time travel in the story. The flux capacitor on this car was used by a stunt car in all three "Back to the Future" movies, according to the listing. As in the movie, the car is also rigged for remote control, the listing said.
Aside from the other "Back to the Future" paraphernalia, including giant vents on the back and "time circuits" in the cockpit, the DeLorean appears mechanically stock. That means a 2.8-liter V-6 sits behind the driver (and flux capacitor). It's connected to a 3-speed automatic transmission.
The DeLorean DMC-12 was the brainchild of former General Motors executive John Z. DeLorean, who decided to start his own car company after a successful career at GM that included launching the Pontiac GTO. While the DeLorean initially impressed with its gull-wing doors and stainless-steel body panels, it was a financial failure.
By the time the DMC-12 got its starring role in "Back to the Future," the DeLorean Motor Company was already history. However, the movie and its two sequels cemented the DMC-12 in popular culture. That almost didn't happen, though, as the original plan was for the time machine to be a refrigerator. A revived DeLorean Motor Company is planning to build a limited run of new cars, some of which could end up as time-machine replicas too.
The auction site estimates the value of this replica at $500,000, which seems a little steep considering that an original movie car sold for $541,000 at a charity auction in 2011. The auction, which includes other "Back To The Future" memorabilia, ends on April 15.
