A “self-made DeLorean” that can be driven on public roads has finally been completed…!
Delorean, the time machine from "Back to the Future" from Hyogo Prefecture, took over two years to build, with over 300 parts installed and beautifully reproduced in every detail.
Passing pedestrians would do a double-take.
The license plate number is “1985”. This is the year that the movie “Back to the Future” was released. In the film, the main character travels back and forth between the past and the future in a “DeLorean” that has been converted into a time machine, starting from this year.
Mr. Toshi, a self-employed man in his 30s living in Hyogo Prefecture, completely recreated the DeLorean from the movie by himself. It took more than two years to make. He also visited a museum in the U.S. where the DeLorean used in the movie was exhibited.
After completing DeAgostini’s “Back to the Future DeLorean Weekly,” my friends and I wondered what it would be like to build a real car. I have acquired over 300 parts. Some of the parts were made based on measurements taken from the parts used in the movie. Many of the parts were collected by visiting a huge warehouse in the U.S. where junk is sold by a friend from overseas.
The total cost of the parts is said to be about 2.8 million yen, but there are many valuable parts that money can’t buy. The “time circuit” installed in the car to set the desired time looks just like the real thing. The skateboard that appears in the movie was also handmade to the same specifications.
“I went to the Transport Bureau and consulted with the inspector many times to make sure the car complied with the safety standards, and it passed the inspection on August 23 this year.
This is the first time in Japan that a time machine version of the DeLorean can be driven on public roads. It is no exaggeration to say that it is almost the real thing, except for the time slip function.
From the September 24, 2021 issue of FRIDAY
Interviewed by： Kumiko Kato Photography： Hiroto Kato
