Dealer-painted DeLorean sold on eBay

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 07.07.2020

Rare-to-see DMC-12 painted by dealer prior to sale, fetches AU$54,000

A Delorean with a difference caught our eye on eBay recently; finished not in its iconic and ubiquitous raw stainless-steel finish, but instead wearing a coat of shiny red paint.

It was painted prior to its original sale during its early life at a San Diego dealership, and sold for US$37,600, or about AU$54,000. That’s average market price for a ‘fair condition’ DMC-12 according to Hagerty in the US, almost ‘cheap’ by our local and more isolated market.

The car was originally delivered to John Hine Delorean, a dealership in San Diego, in July 1981; whereby the car acted as a dealer demonstrator.

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It was painted red with a lower body stripe added in January 1982, along with three other Deloreans, before it was purchased a few months later.

The red Delorean remained in use and registered until 1996, when the car was parked by the original owner. In 2017, the car was purchased by the most recent seller who recommissioned the car to fully functioning condition. All hoses and belts were replaced, the brakes were rebuilt, whilst the master and slave clutch cylinders were replaced. New tyres were also fitted while various electrical gremlins were rectified.

The body and paint required minimal attention, with only minor paint correction carried out. The car presents totally original and as it was sold back in March 1982. Perhaps its dormancy for 21 years can be thanked for its outstanding surviving condition.

The car’s odometer reads just 21,431 miles to date, with the interior remaining largely faultless with no rips or tears observed. There is some slight creasing to the driver’s side seat bolster, and the headliner is said to sag a little on colder days – but overall, the car is largely original with its dealer-commissioned coat of paint remaining its only deviation from factory.

Despite the non-factory finish, the dealer-painted Delorean enjoyed plenty of bidding interest, with 84 bids lodged by the online auction’s close. It looks like a fair price paid against the wider DMC-12 market, with the rare dealer respray adding a neat bit of collectability.

We don’t even mind it in red!

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