MovieChat Forums > Back to the Future (1985) Discussion > In reality, a DeLorean isn't that fast a...

In reality, a DeLorean isn't that fast as BTTF made it out to be!


It’s top speed was 109 miles per hour and it could accelerate from 0–60 in 8.8 seconds.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-slow-car-that-people-think-is-fast/answer/Jon-Mixon-1

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I mean there are other things that aren't like real life. Such as Biff getting his car back without having paid for the repairs.

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Yes, Josh Gates noticed that too in an episode of Expedition Unknown. He was driving one and looked down at the speedometer and it only went to 80 or 100 I think. He said he felt cheated of one of his childhood fantasies lol.

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Didn't it only go 88 in the films?

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Considering it just needed 88 mph to travel in time, I don't see the problem. Besides it is very likely Doc modified the car.

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"Besides it is very likely Doc modified the car."

That's awesome!

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That's what I was going to say...dr brown had to mess with some turbo and special exhaust features

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The film producers messed significantly with the exhaust.
The sound of the car in the film is fully overdubbed with some V8 or other rather than the crap that came with the deLorean.

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The DeLorean had a small displacement V6. That engine was a joint effort of three European automakers (Volvo was one). Not very potent, but built during a time of very high gas prices when even muscle car buyers were opting for the smaller engine offerings when available. My understanding is that John DeLorean was planning either a turbo, supercharger, or a much bigger engine when his car became a hit.

Unfortunately, the car was a bomb and DeLorean had to become a drug king pin to finance his pet project, but things went downhill fast and an engine upgrade never happened.


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The problem is , a real sports car that could do like 150mph or so would be able to get up to 88 in a short space , which has often been a factor in the films

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I don't see the problem. Most cars can hit that speed easily. I once got my 73 Dart up to 90 without even trying.

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I got my 1978 Ford Fiesta to just under a hundred. Your Dart would probably beat that even with the slant 6. If it was a 318 it would get over 110.

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318 as in 318 cubic inches? with kind of displacement i'd expect an actual speedy car!

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Yep, 318 cu in. was an option for the Dart, as were bigger motors like the 340 and bigger (like a street hemi 426cu in). My buddy had a '74 Dart with the 318. But in 1974, federally mandated emissions regulations caught Detroit off guard. The easiest way to get emissions down was to lower compression, and that sapped power.

My first car was a 1973 Ford Gran Torino with a 351 Cleveland (5.8L). The Cleveland was a powerhouse when first introduced as a performance engine but by 1973, had only about 150HP with 8.5:1 compression. It had respectable torque so it moved that 4500 pound car pretty good, but today's average grocery getter would pound the snot out of it in a drag race.

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my first car was a Vauxhall (gm) Chevette. 79.3 cu :)

from google:
The 318 had a 3.91-inch bore and 3.312-inch stroke. Its compression ratio in 1968 was a hefty 9.1:1, but was reduced to 8.6:1 by 1973 in the interest of fuel economy. It was equipped with a two-barrel carburetor and generated 230 horsepower at 4400 rpm and 340 foot-pounds of torque.

Meanwhile in europe:
Jag 5.2 v12 - 290hp (1972ish)
Ferrari 365 GT4 - 360hp (5.0L 1974)
Aston Martin db6 (1965 to January 1971)
The DB6 is powered by the 3,995 cc (243.8 cu in) twin-overhead camshaft (DOHC), in-line six-cylinder Aston Martin engine designed by Tadek Marek. The engine, continued with its triple SU carb setup[9] producing 282 bhp (210 kW; 286 PS) at 5,500 rpm; the Vantage engine option is quoted at 325 bhp (242 kW; 330 PS) against the 314 bhp (234 kW; 318 PS) of the DB5.


not having a dig btw, theres little i wouldnt do for a late 60s Camaro or Roadrunner :)

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No offense taken.. cars in America were nothing like Euro cars: 5000lb cars were common and large displacement low stressed engines we're perfect to move them. Torque was where it was at when it comes to moving heavy cars, trucks, and towing things like large campers and boats. Just change the oil every once in a while and these engines would last a long time. Before the emissions standards were passed, these engines would twist the bodies of cars if the factory didn't reinforce the unibody, but they got caught off guard and had to reduce compression. Once fuel injection and computer controls were introduced, power levels returned.

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Also, DeLoreans were not capable of time travel.

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Not straight off the production line no, but with a few simple modifications....

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Doc modified it. If Doc can build a frickin' TIME MACHINE, I'm sure modifying a car to run faster is NO problem!

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Why is everybody obsessed with the supposed speed of the car when Doc Brown said it was the stainless steel body that help facilitate time travel?

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