Ameer Randolph
The DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future franchise is one of the most iconic movie cars ever created. The car is a time-travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean, designed by John DeLorean. Its time-travel ability is derived from the flux capacitor, a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future when it accelerates to 88 miles per hour. The DeLorean is powered by a plutonium-fuelled nuclear reactor, which is replaced by a Mr. Fusion generator that uses garbage as fuel in the second film. In the third film, the DeLorean's fuel line is damaged, and Marty and Doc attempt to use whiskey as a replacement fuel, but this damages the car's fuel injection manifold, leaving it unable to travel under its own power.
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What You'll Learn
- The DeLorean DMC-12 was chosen for its distinct design and futuristic appeal
- The car's time-travel ability is derived from the flux capacitor
- The DeLorean's fuel line was damaged in 1885, and attempts to use whiskey as fuel failed
- The car's power source is replaced with a Mr. Fusion generator that uses garbage as fuel
- The time machine is electric and initially powered by a plutonium-fuelled nuclear reactor
The DeLorean DMC-12 was chosen for its distinct design and futuristic appeal
The DeLorean's iconic status in "Back to the Future" was not just a result of its visual appeal but also the skilled designers and builders who transformed it into a cultural phenomenon. The production design team, including Larry Paull and Michael Fink, who had previously worked on films like "Blade Runner" and "Star Wars," played a crucial role in creating the time machine aesthetic. They kitbashed random car parts and mechanical bits to make the DeLorean look like a genuine time machine, including a wheel cover from a Dodge Polara and pieces from a helicopter gas turbine engine.
The DeLorean DMC-12's unique design extended beyond its exterior. Its cramped interior presented a challenge for the film crew, as their large cameras struggled to fit inside the car for interior conversation scenes. This led to the creation of the "C-car," a replica with a modified "frunk" to accommodate the cameras. The attention to detail and creativity in addressing these challenges further enhanced the overall appeal and recognition of the DeLorean in the film.
The choice of the DeLorean DMC-12 as the time machine in "Back to the Future" was a pivotal decision that contributed to the film's enduring success. Its distinct design, futuristic aesthetics, and the requirement for speed created a lasting impression on audiences, solidifying its place as an iconic symbol of adventure, imagination, and time-bending possibilities. The DeLorean's fame and cultural impact continue to captivate new generations of fans, ensuring its lasting legacy in cinematic history.
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The car's time-travel ability is derived from the flux capacitor
The DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future franchise is a time-travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time-travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future when it accelerates to 88 miles per hour. This speed is crucial to the story, and the production team had to create a fake speedometer template that went up to 95 mph to achieve the dramatic effect of the needle continuing to move as the car gained speed.
The flux capacitor is activated by turning on a handle near the gear lever, which in turn activates a unit containing multiple 14- and 7-segment displays that show the destination, present, and last departed dates and times. The flux capacitor is just one of the many pieces of equipment that aid the DeLorean's ability to function as a time machine. Other equipment includes a keypad used to type in a target date, a lever that activates the time circuits, a pair of vents on the back that heat the vehicle after it travels through time, a plutonium chamber that serves as its original power source, a roentgen meter that is connected to the plutonium chamber, and a wormhole emitter on the roof.
The DeLorean's power source is replaced by a Mr. Fusion generator during a trip to the future, which uses garbage as fuel. The Mr. Fusion unit provides the required power for the time machine, but the DeLorean is still powered by an internal combustion engine for propulsion. The car's hover system is also powered by Mr. Fusion and is capable of bringing the DeLorean up to 88 mph.
The flux capacitor is a crucial component of the DeLorean time machine, and its ability to enable time travel makes it a key element of the Back to the Future franchise's enduring appeal and cultural impact.
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The DeLorean's fuel line was damaged in 1885, and attempts to use whiskey as fuel failed
The DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future franchise is one of the most iconic movie cars ever created. It is a time-travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time-travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future when it accelerates to 88 miles per hour.
In the third instalment of the Back to the Future film series, the DeLorean's fuel line is damaged when Marty travels back to 1885. After encountering his ancestors, Marty and Doc repair the fuel line. However, their attempts to create modern fuel by using whiskey as a replacement for commercial gasoline, which was not yet available in 1885, fail. The experiment with whiskey destroys the fuel injection manifold, leaving the DeLorean unable to travel under its own power.
The whiskey would have needed to be upwards of 95% alcohol to be used as fuel, whereas the average whiskey is only 40% alcohol. While it is possible to run a car on high-proof whiskey, the average whiskey is not strong enough. This is because the energy in whiskey comes from ethanol, which is also the type of alcohol used as fuel.
In the film, after the failed attempt to use whiskey as fuel, Doc and Marty borrow a locomotive to push the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour, which is the speed required for temporal displacement. The locomotive pushes the car to Shonash Ravine, where it successfully achieves temporal displacement just before the train crashes into the ravine and explodes.
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The car's power source is replaced with a Mr. Fusion generator that uses garbage as fuel
The DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future films is one of the most iconic movie cars ever created. The car is a time-travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time-travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future when it accelerates to 88 miles per hour and requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.
In the first Back to the Future film, the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity are supplied by a plutonium-powered nuclear fission reactor. However, in the film's climax, plutonium is replaced when Doc outfits the car with a long pole and hook to channel the power of a lightning bolt into the flux capacitor.
In the final scene of the first film, Doc travels with his dog Einstein to the future, on October 21, 2015, where he upgrades the DeLorean with 2015 technology, replacing the plutonium chamber with a Mr. Fusion Reactor, and giving it the ability to fly. The Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor is the name of the power source used by the DeLorean time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy. It is a parody of Mr. Coffee machines, which were very popular at the time of filming. The Mr. Fusion Reactor converts household waste to power for the time machine's flux capacitor and time circuits using nuclear fusion, presumably cold fusion.
The Mr. Fusion Reactor is constructed by mounting a Krups Coffina grinder on top of a custom-made base made from the outer shell of a Singer magnetic disc memory core, now obsolete, which was a feature in some computers made in the 1960s. The Krups Coffina grinder serves as a new piece of hardware from the future, introduced as a throw-away joke at the end of the first film, which was not expected to spawn a sequel. Mr. Fusion's in-universe purpose was to offer a safer, more energy-efficient alternative to the radioactive and scarce plutonium required earlier in the film to power the DeLorean's time circuits.
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The time machine is electric and initially powered by a plutonium-fuelled nuclear reactor
The DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future is a time-travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time-travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future when it accelerates to 88 miles per hour and requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity. The time machine is electric and initially powered by a plutonium-fuelled nuclear reactor.
The choice of the DeLorean as the time machine was a stroke of genius. Its distinctive design, with the gull-wing doors and stainless steel body, gave the car a futuristic and otherworldly appeal. The time circuits, flux capacitor, and the requirement for the car to reach 88 miles per hour for time travel added to its mystique. The DeLorean became more than just a vehicle; it became an iconic symbol of adventure, imagination, and the possibility of bending the rules of time.
In the first film, following Marty's accidental trip from 1985 to 1955, Doc has no access to plutonium in 1955, so he outfits the car with a large pole and hook to channel the power of a lightning bolt into the flux capacitor and send Marty back to 1985. During Doc's first visit to 2015, he has the machine refitted to fly in addition to standard road driving, and he replaces the nuclear reactor with a Mr. Fusion generator that uses garbage as fuel. Although the Mr. Fusion unit provides the required power for the time machine, the DeLorean is still powered by an internal combustion engine for propulsion.
In the second film, the destination time display malfunctions and begins to show a series of random dates, causing Doc to be sent back to 1885 when the DeLorean is struck by lightning with him inside. In the third film, a note left by Doc's 1885 self reveals that the DeLorean's flying circuits (added by him in 2015) were destroyed by the strike. After Marty travels back to 1885, the fuel line and fuel injection manifold both suffer damage, leaving the car unable to move under its own power.
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Frequently asked questions
In the first film, plutonium fueled the nuclear reactor in the DeLorean.
In the future, Doc replaces the nuclear reactor with a Mr. Fusion generator that uses garbage as fuel.
In the past, Doc and Marty attempt to use whiskey as fuel, but this damages the car's fuel injection manifold.
