Chicago In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of the Back to the Future film, Illinois-based insurance behemoth Allstate is going back in time to disclose its little-known contribution to the creation of the DeLorean, the futuristic but brief, gull-winged, stainless steel vehicle that was Doc Brown’s time machine.
Marty McFly might not have left 1985 without Allstate, or he might have driven a Buick back in time, permanently upending the space-time continuum of the landmark film trilogy.
According to Sandee Lindorfer, Allstate’s vice president of auto claims, the vehicles are a result of the company’s collaboration with DeLorean.
Great Scott, in Doc Brown’s words!
On July 3, 1985, Back to the Future opened in theaters. By the time the film’s debut, a customized 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, which had taken viewers on joyrides to 1955, 1885, and 2015 over the course of three films, had already been sent to the junkyard of automotive history.
John DeLorean, an engineer and auto executive who quit General Motors to start his own namesake car, collaborated with Allstate in the middle of the 1970s. The insurance company reportedly spent $500,000 on a safety car initiative, creating prototypes with airbags, better bumpers, and sophisticated seatbelt restraints.
According to Lindorfer, we presented one of the three prototypes we supported through the DeLorean-Allstate safety car agreement to Congress to demonstrate to them what might be done to make smaller cars safer and more fuel-efficient.
The elegant DeLorean DMC-12, which was developed from a prototype, was produced in limited but poorly timed quantities at a plant in Northern Ireland during the 1981 recession, creating excitement but generating little sales.
By 1982, the indebted business had filed for bankruptcy, and its founder was embroiled in legal issues after being indicted on separate fraud and drug-related charges. Although John DeLorean was eventually found not guilty on both charges, it appeared that his automobile was merely a passing incident.
The rest is movie history. Three years later, the DeLorean was resurrected as Doc Brown’s time machine.
At first, Doc Brown was supposed to carry the time machine on the back of his truck in a chamber that resembled a refrigerator. Inspired by the idea that the time machine should be movable, director Robert Zemeckis expressly selected the DeLorean because of its futuristic appearance.
In my opinion, if a time machine is going to be installed in a vehicle, why not do it in a stylish way? In the film, Christopher Lloyd’s character, Doc Brown, provides an explanation.
Since the release of the film trilogy, other similar nuggets have surfaced in the canon of Back to the Future lore.
For instance, the second chapter from 1989 foresaw that the Cubs will defeat the fictional Miami Gators in 2015, ultimately ending their century-long World Series wait. Although the film came very close, the Cubs truly made their breakthrough in 2016 when they defeated the Cleveland Indians.
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Additionally, Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly. He filmed for more than a month before being replaced by Michael J. Fox, the more comically talented Family Ties star.
But for decades, Allstate’s contribution to creating the vehicle that gave rise to the time machine and a timeless movie star was hidden in a dusty binder in the back of a company cabinet. An Allstate archivist discovered the enigmatic DeLorean file in 2019 and started looking into the largely forgotten relationship.
Allstate is at last prepared to make a small bow on the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future, six years later.
To commemorate the film, the vehicle, and the surprising role the insurance provider had in both, Allstate hired a pair of vintage DeLoreans on Tuesday. The cars were temporarily on exhibit for the media and a few officials at Allstate’s reduced Northbrook/Glenview headquarters outside Chicago, which is located across the street from its former enormous corporate complex. The cars were hidden away in the back of an underground garage.
The vehicles, which featured a stock 1981 DeLorean and a modified model that replicated the Back to the Future time machine, were rented by DeLorean USA Rental, an Orland Park company that rents out the automobiles for events and parties.
According to Tom Sedor, who owns the vehicles and the rental company, you are not permitted to drive it since the insurer forbids it.
The garage and nearby parking lot provided enough space to propel the time machine up to the 88 mph barrier needed to travel back in time. The time machine is completely drivable and has a flux capacitor and a Mr. Fusion nuclear reactor in the back that runs on banana peels.
However, the copy has not yet been able to make the time jump, according to Sedor, 57, who used a 3D printer and various pieces from Menards and RockAuto to customize the movie imitation.
“No sparks, no action,” Sedor replied. Everything went smoothly. In fact, driving is quite astounding.
Chicagotribune.com/rchannick
