Iconic Car from 1980s Pop Culture Up for Sale in Illinois

You can own a piece of 1980s pop culture history, but it won't come cheap.

I still remember the first time I saw the 1985 cult classic Back to the Future. My dad rented it on VHS when I was around seven or eight years old. I thought it was one of the coolest movies I'd ever seen—an opinion that hasn't changed over the years. Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the movie was a huge success and sparked two sequels. However, the real star of the film may have been the time machine itself.

The Iconic Car from Back to the Future

The core element of Back to the Future is the DMC-12 DeLorean, which Dr. Emmett Brown uses as the platform for his time machine. According to Time magazine, the car was created by American engineer John DeLorean, who left General Motors (GM) in 1973 to start his own company. He aimed to create his own sports car, and in 1981, the DMC-12 was born—later immortalized in pop culture history on the big screen.

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You Could Own a 1981 DMC-12 DeLorean

If you've been dreaming about owning this car for the past 40 years, now is your chance. A seller in Tinley Park has listed a manual 5-speed DMC-12 on Facebook Marketplace, and it appears to be in incredible condition. Complete with a new braking system, fuel line, battery, alternator, and more, it seems this ride is ready to hit the streets. While it won't help you travel through time, it will at least make you look a little cooler blasting Huey Lewis & The News on your way to Walmart.

How Much Does This DMC-12 DeLorean Cost?

According to the automotive and tech news website SlashGear, 9,000 of these stainless steel, gull-winged sports cars were made between 1981 and 1982 before the company went out of business. It is believed that around 6,700 were sold to the general public, with approximately 6,000 still in existence today. The one for sale in Illinois currently has 46,000 miles on the odometer and is listed at $87,000, with the seller promoting $40,000 in upgrades. Sound worth it?