by Mike Gulett –
The DeLorean DMC-12 is fairly rare but the gold plated version is extremely rare. There were only 2 made by DeLorean to promote the American Express Gold Card in 1980 with a third one being made from spare gold plated panels. There was a fourth one made by an owner of a regular DeLorean who wrote about it for My Car Quest and you can read about his adventures making his gold plated DeLorean here.
The photos of this original gold DeLorean were taken at the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in July 2021.
The plaque with the car said,
This example (VIN 4300) is the first of two 24-karat gold plated DeLoreans built to promote the American Express Gold Card and offered in its 1980 Christmas catalog for $95,000. It was purchased by entrepreneur Sherwood Marshall who later donated it to the National Automobile Museum.
An unpainted stainless steel body seems like it would be difficult to maintain and the gold plated version seems like it would be even more difficult to keep looking good. In the first photo above note the difference in color between the “hood” and the rest of the body. This is real and not an artifact of the photo.
Photos by Mike Gulett.
I don’t really care for Deloreans, but that is pretty cool!
Myth + Mogul John DeLorean–Just out on Netflix and a must watch–includes the cocaine set up
by FBI
there’s a DeLorean for sale up in Canada with a Chevy V8 for about $30,000 u.s. if any one cares
I think an American V8 is an improvement for the DeLorean.
Well, is it worth it’s weight in gold?
Seems like it would be a highly desirable target for thieves.
Which V8 engine does it have?
I saw a red DeLorean in Manhattan Beach California driving around back in the 80s. I heard 2nd hand that the guy had a hard time getting the red to stick well on the brushed stainless steel but I never caught up with the guy on the road to talk to him personally. The car looked looked very nice in red.
ARE YOU SURE IT WASN’T GOLD ANODIZED???
I believe Johnny Carson had a gold one ?