DeLorean time machine
Encyclopedia
The DeLorean time machine is a fictional automobile-based time travel
device featured in the Back to the Future trilogy
. In the feature film series, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown
builds a time machine
from a DeLorean DMC-12 with the intent of gaining insights into history and the future but instead winds up using it to travel across 130 years of Hill Valley history (from 1885 to 2015) undoing the negative effects of time travel. One of the cars used in filming is currently on display in the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood
.
s which showed the destination, present, and last-departed dates and times. After entering a target date, the operator accelerated the car to 88 miles per hour (141.6 km/h) which activated the flux capacitor. As it accelerates, several rails around the body of the car glow blue. Surrounded by large sparks, the whole car vanishes in a flash of blue light seconds later, leaving a pair of fire trails where the vehicle's tires will pass arriving at the destination time. Observers outside the vehicle see an implosion of plasma
as the vehicle disappears, while occupants within the vehicle see a quick flash of light and instantaneously arrive at the target time in the same spatial location (relative to the Earth) as when it departed. In the destination time, immediately before the car's arrival, three large and loud flashes issue forth from the point from which the car emerges from its time travel. After the trip, the DeLorean is extremely cold
, and frost forms from atmospheric moisture all over the car's body.
A few technical glitches with the DeLorean hindered time travel for its inhabitants; in the original film, the car had starter problems and had a hard time turning over once stopped, much to Marty's repeated frustration. (However, although the car started almost 10 seconds after the alarm Doc set had gone off, the DeLorean still made it to the wire at the exact moment the lightning struck. This may be due to Doc's miscalculation, or the alarm was set too early). In the second movie the time display would act up and show random dates, which partially caused Doc to be sent to 1885. In the third movie the fuel line ripped while driving off-road and the car could not run under its own power (see below).
In Back to the Future
, Doc stated that the time machine was electrical but that he needed a nuclear reaction (produced by plutonium
stolen from a group of Libyan terrorists) to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity needed. A bolt of lightning was used to power the flux capacitor twice in the series, once with a large pole and hook rigged up to the car to help Marty
get back to 1985, and again accidentally in flight to send Doc to 1885. The Mr. Fusion model fusion generator, made by Fusion Industries, which uses garbage as fuel, was installed in place of the nuclear reactor from the first film during Doc's first journey thirty years into the future, 2015, when he also had the hover conversion installed. The power source of the flying components is stated in Back to the Future Part III
to also be "Mr. Fusion", but the gas engine appears to be running when the car flies. Also a different flying car can be seen getting some type of fuel pumped into it on the roof of a Texaco
in 2015 in the second film. In Back to the Future Part III
, the DeLorean's fuel line was damaged while fleeing from Indians in 1885, and Doc and Marty's only supply of gasoline was lost. It is stated by Doc that "Mr. Fusion only powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline; it always has." In a desperate attempt to get home, alcohol was used in place of gasoline after the fuel line was patched, destroying the DeLorean's fuel injection manifold
. The car never traveled under its own power again, but was pulled by a team of horses and later pushed by an 1880s locomotive
.
The power required is pronounced in the film as "one point twenty-one jiggawatts." While the closed-captioning in home video versions spells the word as it appears in the script, jigowatt, the actual spelling matches the standard prefix and the term for power of "one billion watts" : gigawatt. Though obscure, the "j" sound at the beginning of the SI prefix
giga- is the correct pronunciation for "gigawatt." In the DVD commentary for Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis stated that he had thought it was pronounced this way because this was how the scientific advisor that he had for the film pronounced it.
capacitor
, which consisted of a regularly squared compartment with three flashing Geissler style-tubes
(arranged in a "Y" configuration), was described by Doc as "what makes time travel
possible." The device is the core component of the time machine.
The device was located between the headrests behind the seats and, as the time machine neared 88 mph, light coming from the flux capacitor began pulsing (or as Marty said in the first movie, "fluxing") more rapidly until it became a steady stream. Doc originally conceived the idea for the flux capacitor on November 5, 1955 when he slipped and hit his head on his bathroom sink while standing on the toilet to hang a clock. He presumably worked for the next 30 years acquiring materials and working out the theories of what eventually became the DeLorean time machine in 1985. A similar, but more primitive, flux capacitor is also seen in the front of Doc's second time machine, the Time Train, at the end of Back to the Future Part III
.
Although the films do not describe exactly how the flux capacitor works, Doc mentions at one point that the stainless steel
body of the DeLorean has a direct and influential effect on the "flux dispersal," but he is interrupted before he can finish the explanation. The flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electrical power
to operate, equal to 1,210,000,000 watts which, to give a sense of scale, is approximately the output of a single pressurized water reactor
at a nuclear power plant.
The instruction manual for the AMT/ERTL
Delorean model kit says: "Because the car's stainless steel body improves the flux dispersal generated by the flux capacitor, and this in turn allows the vehicle smooth passage through the space time continuum
."
in the Back to the Future trilogy
. It can be seen at the end of Back to the Future
when "Doc" Emmett Brown pulls into the McFlys' driveway after a trip to the year 2015, and is an obvious parody of Mr. Coffee
machines, which were very popular at the time of filming. The appliance from which the prop was made was actually a Krups
"Coffina" model coffee grinder.
The Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor converts household waste to power for the time machine's flux capacitor and time circuits using nuclear fusion
(specifically cold fusion
). In the film, Mr. Fusion allows the DeLorean time machine to generate the required 1.21 gigawatts needed to travel to any point in time. The energy produced by Mr. Fusion replaces plutonium
as the primary power source of the DeLorean's time travel and flight capabilities, allowing the characters to bypass the arduous power-generation requirements upon which the plot of the first film hinged. It is never mentioned what Doc Brown did with the remaining plutonium, or if he used it all during unseen trips after he leaves Marty near the end of Back to the Future.
When the DeLorean is parked in a 2015 alleyway, a "Fusion Industries" machine is briefly seen.
-powered nuclear reactor
and, with the absence of plutonium, a bolt of lightning
channeled directly into the flux capacitor by a long pole and hook in the film's climactic sequence. At the end of the first film, and for the remainder of the trilogy, the plutonium nuclear reactor was replaced by a "Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor
" generator
possibly acquired in 2015. The "Mr. Fusion" device apparently converts household waste into electrical power. Due to a "hover conversion" made in 2015, the car also became capable of hovering and flight
, though it lost this ability at the end of the second film.
The DeLorean returned to 1985 and proceeded to travel to October 21, 2015 to stop Marty's future son from committing a crime. While there, the DeLorean was stolen by Biff who then traveled back to November 12, 1955 to give his past self a sports almanac to be used for gambling. Once Biff returned to 2015 without Doc's knowledge, the duo returned to 1985, but found it was an alternate timeline where Hill Valley is ruled by Biff that Doc described as 1985A. The DeLorean then travels back to 1955 to restore the timeline, but in the aftermath, it was struck by lightning again in the very same electrical storm, this time by accident, causing it to malfunction, activating the flux capacitor, leaving a twisted fire trail behind. According to the video game adaptation of the series, when the DeLorean was struck by lightning, a temporal duplicate of the car was created unbeknownst to Doc and Marty at the time. This car was flung into the future only to be rescued by Doc on one of his offscreen trips to the future. Doc refers to this duplicate as being "for all intents and purposes the same vehicle as the first." The lightning created an overload and the original DeLorean vanished from 1955, traveling back in time to January 1, 1885 (earlier in the film, Doc had mentioned that the time circuits were not functioning correctly; several instances in the film that show the time circuit display showed 1885 as the destination when the time circuits malfunctioned).
Once in 1885, the DeLorean was then hidden in the Delgado mine for 70 years because suitable replacement parts to replace the DeLorean's destroyed microchip would not be invented until 1947. The DeLorean was recovered from the mine on November 14, 1955 and repaired by Doc Brown's 1955 counterpart, thus restoring it to working order using 1955 components which unfortunately could not restore the Delorean's flying capabilities. While Doc stated he was happy in his new life in 1885 and informed Marty that he was not to attempt to retrieve him, Marty and the Doc of 1955 learn of tragedy to come Doc's way in 1885; therefore, the 1955 Doc agrees to send Marty back to the Old West. Due to a broken fuel line caused by a Native American attack during Marty's re-entry and an attempt to substitute alcohol for fuel which destroyed the fuel injectors, the DeLorean's final trip from September 7, 1885 to October 27, 1985 was partially powered by a steam locomotive pushing the vehicle up to 88 mph while using Mr. Fusion to generate the 1.21 gigawatts required to activate the flux capacitor and break the time barrier.
On October 27, 1985, once the DeLorean made its final trip from 1885, it was destroyed by an oncoming freight train running the opposite direction. Marty was able to bail out of the car moments before the train struck.
, where the films take place. The vanity license plate
used in the film reads "OUTATIME," a deliberate anomaly, as the maximum digital display on California plates is only 7 digits. When Doc returned from 2015, it was a barcode license plate, which implied that by that year license plates have moved to other more sophisticated means of tracking and registering.
Although the DeLorean was destroyed at the end of the trilogy, Doc used a steam locomotive
, and created a new flux capacitor to create a time machine train, enabling him to return to 1985 (after at least 10 years of work) to see with Clara and their two sons, Jules and Verne, that Marty returned safely. Unlike its predecessor, the Time Train's flux capacitor was steam-powered and located on the front of the vehicle rather than within the passenger area. The locomotive also has the ability to fly and hover after lots of trips, including one back to the future for the hover conversion.
In The Animated Series
, Doc built another DeLorean into a time machine, restoring most of its features, including Mr. Fusion and the hover conversion (Doc either rebuilt the one destroyed at the end of part III
or he simply built a new one). He also seemingly added the capability to travel through space in addition to time (i. e., appear at a different location than the one it departed), similar to the TARDIS
from Doctor Who
. The cartoon DeLorean time machine had many add-ons, including a back seat in normal two-door mode, the ability to transform into a four-door, a pop-out covered wagon top, a blimp, a rear video screen, and a voice activated time input.
. In the first draft of the screenplay, the time machine was a laser device that was housed in a room. At the end of the first draft the device was attached to a refrigerator and taken to an atomic bomb test site. Director Robert Zemeckis said in an interview that the idea was scrapped because he did not want children to start climbing into refrigerators and getting trapped inside. In the third draft of the film the time machine was a car, as Zemeckis reasoned that if you were going to make a time machine, you would want it to be mobile. The specific choice of vehicle was a DeLorean DMC-12 for the purposes of it looking like an alien spaceship due to its characteristic gullwing doors. However, in order to send Marty back to the future, the vehicle had to drive into a nuclear test site. Ultimately this concept was considered too expensive to film, so the power source was changed to lightning.
When the filmmakers arrived at the point where the time machine would be built into a car, the art department was instructed to come up with designs for the DeLorean. Andrew Probert
was the first artist to explore the subject, (before Ron Cobb joined the production), but his designs were deemed "too perfect" for the look the producers wanted, which was to make it look as if it had been built in a garage by Doc Brown. The idea was that it had been constructed with parts found in a hardware and electronics store, so it couldn’t look too sophisticated. It also had to look dangerous, as Producer Bob Gale noted in the DVD commentary for Back to the Future. The task was undertaken by Ron Cobb who added the coils to the back of the vehicle. The nuclear reactor was also a design choice made by Cobb. This choice proved to be important, given the direction the script had taken. Cobb complemented the nuclear reactor with one vent on the back of the car, since it was generally known at the time that nuclear reactors had vents. Once Cobb had left the production, the producers wanted to balance the design with another vent, keeping a symmetrical aesthetic. Probert was asked to step in and he brought the design to its final form. At the end of the first film of the trilogy these vents become the propulsion system for the improved DeLorean, which now had hovering abilities and could reach the time-traveling speed of 88 miles per hour flying. The production design team added other buttons and lights inside the car to make it look more appealing and complex in order for the audience to have something attractive to look at.
Different parts from three 1981 DeLoreans were used in the first film. Liquid nitrogen
was poured onto the car for scenes after it had traveled through time to give the impression that it was cold. The base for the nuclear reactor was made from the hubcap from a Dodge Polara
. Aircraft parts and blinking lights were added for effect. In one of the first scenes, carbon dioxide
extinguishers were hidden inside the DeLorean to simulate the exhaust effect. Ultimately, five real DeLoreans were used in the filming of the trilogy; plus one 'process' car built for interior shots. In the off-road scenes in part III a modified-for-off-road VW Beetle frame was fitted to the DeLorean with the whitewall tires and baby moon hubcaps. A 7th DeLorean was also used in the filming, however, this one was merely a full-sized, fiberglass model used for exterior shots where the vehicle hovers above the set as well as when the actors interact with the vehicle.
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
device featured in the Back to the Future trilogy
Back to the Future trilogy
The Back to the Future trilogy is a comedic science fiction adventure film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The main plot follows the adventures of a high school student Marty McFly and...
. In the feature film series, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown
Emmett Brown
Doctor Emmett Lathrop "Doc" Brown, Ph.D. is a fictional character and one of the lead characters in the Back to the Future film trilogy, in which he is the inventor of the first time machine, which he builds out of a DeLorean sports car...
builds a time machine
Time Machine
A time machine is a fictional/hypothetical device used to achieve time travel. The term may also refer to:-Novels and films:* The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by H. G...
from a DeLorean DMC-12 with the intent of gaining insights into history and the future but instead winds up using it to travel across 130 years of Hill Valley history (from 1885 to 2015) undoing the negative effects of time travel. One of the cars used in filming is currently on display in the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
.
Operation
The operation of the DeLorean time machine was consistent throughout all three films. The operator sat inside the DeLorean, (except for the first time when a remote control was used), and turned on the time circuits, activating a unit containing multiple seven-segment displaySeven-segment display
A seven-segment display , or seven-segment indicator, is a form of electronic display device for displaying decimal numerals that is an alternative to the more complex dot-matrix displays...
s which showed the destination, present, and last-departed dates and times. After entering a target date, the operator accelerated the car to 88 miles per hour (141.6 km/h) which activated the flux capacitor. As it accelerates, several rails around the body of the car glow blue. Surrounded by large sparks, the whole car vanishes in a flash of blue light seconds later, leaving a pair of fire trails where the vehicle's tires will pass arriving at the destination time. Observers outside the vehicle see an implosion of plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
as the vehicle disappears, while occupants within the vehicle see a quick flash of light and instantaneously arrive at the target time in the same spatial location (relative to the Earth) as when it departed. In the destination time, immediately before the car's arrival, three large and loud flashes issue forth from the point from which the car emerges from its time travel. After the trip, the DeLorean is extremely cold
Endothermic
In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction in which the system absorbs energy from the surroundings in the form of heat. Its etymology stems from the prefix endo- and the Greek word thermasi,...
, and frost forms from atmospheric moisture all over the car's body.
A few technical glitches with the DeLorean hindered time travel for its inhabitants; in the original film, the car had starter problems and had a hard time turning over once stopped, much to Marty's repeated frustration. (However, although the car started almost 10 seconds after the alarm Doc set had gone off, the DeLorean still made it to the wire at the exact moment the lightning struck. This may be due to Doc's miscalculation, or the alarm was set too early). In the second movie the time display would act up and show random dates, which partially caused Doc to be sent to 1885. In the third movie the fuel line ripped while driving off-road and the car could not run under its own power (see below).
Fuel
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
, Doc stated that the time machine was electrical but that he needed a nuclear reaction (produced by plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
stolen from a group of Libyan terrorists) to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity needed. A bolt of lightning was used to power the flux capacitor twice in the series, once with a large pole and hook rigged up to the car to help Marty
Marty McFly
Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly, Sr. is the protagonist in the Back to the Future film trilogy, and is portrayed by actor Michael J. Fox. Marty was also the protagonist in the animated series where he was voiced by David Kaufman...
get back to 1985, and again accidentally in flight to send Doc to 1885. The Mr. Fusion model fusion generator, made by Fusion Industries, which uses garbage as fuel, was installed in place of the nuclear reactor from the first film during Doc's first journey thirty years into the future, 2015, when he also had the hover conversion installed. The power source of the flying components is stated in Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
to also be "Mr. Fusion", but the gas engine appears to be running when the car flies. Also a different flying car can be seen getting some type of fuel pumped into it on the roof of a Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
in 2015 in the second film. In Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
, the DeLorean's fuel line was damaged while fleeing from Indians in 1885, and Doc and Marty's only supply of gasoline was lost. It is stated by Doc that "Mr. Fusion only powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline; it always has." In a desperate attempt to get home, alcohol was used in place of gasoline after the fuel line was patched, destroying the DeLorean's fuel injection manifold
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
. The car never traveled under its own power again, but was pulled by a team of horses and later pushed by an 1880s locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
.
The power required is pronounced in the film as "one point twenty-one jiggawatts." While the closed-captioning in home video versions spells the word as it appears in the script, jigowatt, the actual spelling matches the standard prefix and the term for power of "one billion watts" : gigawatt. Though obscure, the "j" sound at the beginning of the SI prefix
SI prefix
The International System of Units specifies a set of unit prefixes known as SI prefixes or metric prefixes. An SI prefix is a name that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a decadic multiple or fraction of the unit. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to the unit symbol...
giga- is the correct pronunciation for "gigawatt." In the DVD commentary for Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis stated that he had thought it was pronounced this way because this was how the scientific advisor that he had for the film pronounced it.
Flux capacitor
The fluxFlux
In the various subfields of physics, there exist two common usages of the term flux, both with rigorous mathematical frameworks.* In the study of transport phenomena , flux is defined as flow per unit area, where flow is the movement of some quantity per time...
capacitor
Capacitor
A capacitor is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy in an electric field. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all contain at least two electrical conductors separated by a dielectric ; for example, one common construction consists of metal foils separated...
, which consisted of a regularly squared compartment with three flashing Geissler style-tubes
Geissler tube
A Geissler tube is an early gas discharge tube used to demonstrate the principles of electrical glow discharge. The tube was invented by the German physicist and glassblower Heinrich Geissler in 1857...
(arranged in a "Y" configuration), was described by Doc as "what makes time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
possible." The device is the core component of the time machine.
The device was located between the headrests behind the seats and, as the time machine neared 88 mph, light coming from the flux capacitor began pulsing (or as Marty said in the first movie, "fluxing") more rapidly until it became a steady stream. Doc originally conceived the idea for the flux capacitor on November 5, 1955 when he slipped and hit his head on his bathroom sink while standing on the toilet to hang a clock. He presumably worked for the next 30 years acquiring materials and working out the theories of what eventually became the DeLorean time machine in 1985. A similar, but more primitive, flux capacitor is also seen in the front of Doc's second time machine, the Time Train, at the end of Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
.
Although the films do not describe exactly how the flux capacitor works, Doc mentions at one point that the stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
body of the DeLorean has a direct and influential effect on the "flux dispersal," but he is interrupted before he can finish the explanation. The flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electrical power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
to operate, equal to 1,210,000,000 watts which, to give a sense of scale, is approximately the output of a single pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
at a nuclear power plant.
The instruction manual for the AMT/ERTL
Aluminum Metal Toys
Aluminum Model Toys, or AMT for short, was a Troy, Michigan based company that manufactured various pre-assembled plastic promotional models starting in 1948, when attorney West Gallogly, Sr. started it as a side business. Later, a variety of kits became very popular. Most of the company's vehicle...
Delorean model kit says: "Because the car's stainless steel body improves the flux dispersal generated by the flux capacitor, and this in turn allows the vehicle smooth passage through the space time continuum
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
."
Mr. Fusion
The Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor is the name of a power source used by the DeLorean time machineTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
in the Back to the Future trilogy
Back to the Future trilogy
The Back to the Future trilogy is a comedic science fiction adventure film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The main plot follows the adventures of a high school student Marty McFly and...
. It can be seen at the end of Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
when "Doc" Emmett Brown pulls into the McFlys' driveway after a trip to the year 2015, and is an obvious parody of Mr. Coffee
Mr. Coffee
Mr. Coffee is a registered trademark of Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/b/a Jarden Consumer Solutions. The Mr. Coffee brand manufactures automatic-drip kitchen coffee machines as well as other products.-History:...
machines, which were very popular at the time of filming. The appliance from which the prop was made was actually a Krups
Krups
Krups is a German kitchen appliance manufacturer, named after its founder Robert Krups.It is often confused with the Krupp conglomerate.The company also produces a large variety of household appliances...
"Coffina" model coffee grinder.
The Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor converts household waste to power for the time machine's flux capacitor and time circuits using nuclear fusion
Fusion power
Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion processes. In fusion reactions two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus . In doing so they release a comparatively large amount of energy arising from the binding energy due to the strong nuclear force which is manifested...
(specifically cold fusion
Cold fusion
Cold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
). In the film, Mr. Fusion allows the DeLorean time machine to generate the required 1.21 gigawatts needed to travel to any point in time. The energy produced by Mr. Fusion replaces plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
as the primary power source of the DeLorean's time travel and flight capabilities, allowing the characters to bypass the arduous power-generation requirements upon which the plot of the first film hinged. It is never mentioned what Doc Brown did with the remaining plutonium, or if he used it all during unseen trips after he leaves Marty near the end of Back to the Future.
When the DeLorean is parked in a 2015 alleyway, a "Fusion Industries" machine is briefly seen.
Fictional timeline
For most of the first film, the 1.21 gigawatts were supplied by a plutoniumPlutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
-powered nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
and, with the absence of plutonium, a bolt of lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
channeled directly into the flux capacitor by a long pole and hook in the film's climactic sequence. At the end of the first film, and for the remainder of the trilogy, the plutonium nuclear reactor was replaced by a "Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor
Fusion power
Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion processes. In fusion reactions two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus . In doing so they release a comparatively large amount of energy arising from the binding energy due to the strong nuclear force which is manifested...
" generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
possibly acquired in 2015. The "Mr. Fusion" device apparently converts household waste into electrical power. Due to a "hover conversion" made in 2015, the car also became capable of hovering and flight
Flying car (fiction)
In fiction, a flying car is a car that can be flown in much the same way as a car may be driven. In some cases such flying cars can also be driven on roads....
, though it lost this ability at the end of the second film.
The DeLorean returned to 1985 and proceeded to travel to October 21, 2015 to stop Marty's future son from committing a crime. While there, the DeLorean was stolen by Biff who then traveled back to November 12, 1955 to give his past self a sports almanac to be used for gambling. Once Biff returned to 2015 without Doc's knowledge, the duo returned to 1985, but found it was an alternate timeline where Hill Valley is ruled by Biff that Doc described as 1985A. The DeLorean then travels back to 1955 to restore the timeline, but in the aftermath, it was struck by lightning again in the very same electrical storm, this time by accident, causing it to malfunction, activating the flux capacitor, leaving a twisted fire trail behind. According to the video game adaptation of the series, when the DeLorean was struck by lightning, a temporal duplicate of the car was created unbeknownst to Doc and Marty at the time. This car was flung into the future only to be rescued by Doc on one of his offscreen trips to the future. Doc refers to this duplicate as being "for all intents and purposes the same vehicle as the first." The lightning created an overload and the original DeLorean vanished from 1955, traveling back in time to January 1, 1885 (earlier in the film, Doc had mentioned that the time circuits were not functioning correctly; several instances in the film that show the time circuit display showed 1885 as the destination when the time circuits malfunctioned).
Once in 1885, the DeLorean was then hidden in the Delgado mine for 70 years because suitable replacement parts to replace the DeLorean's destroyed microchip would not be invented until 1947. The DeLorean was recovered from the mine on November 14, 1955 and repaired by Doc Brown's 1955 counterpart, thus restoring it to working order using 1955 components which unfortunately could not restore the Delorean's flying capabilities. While Doc stated he was happy in his new life in 1885 and informed Marty that he was not to attempt to retrieve him, Marty and the Doc of 1955 learn of tragedy to come Doc's way in 1885; therefore, the 1955 Doc agrees to send Marty back to the Old West. Due to a broken fuel line caused by a Native American attack during Marty's re-entry and an attempt to substitute alcohol for fuel which destroyed the fuel injectors, the DeLorean's final trip from September 7, 1885 to October 27, 1985 was partially powered by a steam locomotive pushing the vehicle up to 88 mph while using Mr. Fusion to generate the 1.21 gigawatts required to activate the flux capacitor and break the time barrier.
On October 27, 1985, once the DeLorean made its final trip from 1885, it was destroyed by an oncoming freight train running the opposite direction. Marty was able to bail out of the car moments before the train struck.
Other elements
In the films, the DeLorean time machine was a fictional licensed, registered vehicle in the state of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where the films take place. The vanity license plate
Vanity plate
A vanity plate or personalized plate , prestige plate, private number plate, or personalised registration or custom plate or personalised plate is a special type of vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle...
used in the film reads "OUTATIME," a deliberate anomaly, as the maximum digital display on California plates is only 7 digits. When Doc returned from 2015, it was a barcode license plate, which implied that by that year license plates have moved to other more sophisticated means of tracking and registering.
Although the DeLorean was destroyed at the end of the trilogy, Doc used a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, and created a new flux capacitor to create a time machine train, enabling him to return to 1985 (after at least 10 years of work) to see with Clara and their two sons, Jules and Verne, that Marty returned safely. Unlike its predecessor, the Time Train's flux capacitor was steam-powered and located on the front of the vehicle rather than within the passenger area. The locomotive also has the ability to fly and hover after lots of trips, including one back to the future for the hover conversion.
In The Animated Series
Back to the Future: The Animated Series
Back to the Future: The Animated Series is an animated series for television based on the Back to the Future trilogy of feature films. The series lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 7, 1991 to November 28, 1992. It reran until August 14, 1993...
, Doc built another DeLorean into a time machine, restoring most of its features, including Mr. Fusion and the hover conversion (Doc either rebuilt the one destroyed at the end of part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
or he simply built a new one). He also seemingly added the capability to travel through space in addition to time (i. e., appear at a different location than the one it departed), similar to the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
from Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. The cartoon DeLorean time machine had many add-ons, including a back seat in normal two-door mode, the ability to transform into a four-door, a pop-out covered wagon top, a blimp, a rear video screen, and a voice activated time input.
Development
The time machine went through several variations during production of the first film, Back to the FutureBack to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
. In the first draft of the screenplay, the time machine was a laser device that was housed in a room. At the end of the first draft the device was attached to a refrigerator and taken to an atomic bomb test site. Director Robert Zemeckis said in an interview that the idea was scrapped because he did not want children to start climbing into refrigerators and getting trapped inside. In the third draft of the film the time machine was a car, as Zemeckis reasoned that if you were going to make a time machine, you would want it to be mobile. The specific choice of vehicle was a DeLorean DMC-12 for the purposes of it looking like an alien spaceship due to its characteristic gullwing doors. However, in order to send Marty back to the future, the vehicle had to drive into a nuclear test site. Ultimately this concept was considered too expensive to film, so the power source was changed to lightning.
When the filmmakers arrived at the point where the time machine would be built into a car, the art department was instructed to come up with designs for the DeLorean. Andrew Probert
Andrew Probert
Andrew Probert is an artist who is best known for designing the USS Enterprise for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Enterprise-D for Star Trek: The Next Generation....
was the first artist to explore the subject, (before Ron Cobb joined the production), but his designs were deemed "too perfect" for the look the producers wanted, which was to make it look as if it had been built in a garage by Doc Brown. The idea was that it had been constructed with parts found in a hardware and electronics store, so it couldn’t look too sophisticated. It also had to look dangerous, as Producer Bob Gale noted in the DVD commentary for Back to the Future. The task was undertaken by Ron Cobb who added the coils to the back of the vehicle. The nuclear reactor was also a design choice made by Cobb. This choice proved to be important, given the direction the script had taken. Cobb complemented the nuclear reactor with one vent on the back of the car, since it was generally known at the time that nuclear reactors had vents. Once Cobb had left the production, the producers wanted to balance the design with another vent, keeping a symmetrical aesthetic. Probert was asked to step in and he brought the design to its final form. At the end of the first film of the trilogy these vents become the propulsion system for the improved DeLorean, which now had hovering abilities and could reach the time-traveling speed of 88 miles per hour flying. The production design team added other buttons and lights inside the car to make it look more appealing and complex in order for the audience to have something attractive to look at.
Different parts from three 1981 DeLoreans were used in the first film. Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
was poured onto the car for scenes after it had traveled through time to give the impression that it was cold. The base for the nuclear reactor was made from the hubcap from a Dodge Polara
Dodge Polara
The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car; after the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full sized best trimmed Dodge model; the Polara that year had...
. Aircraft parts and blinking lights were added for effect. In one of the first scenes, carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
extinguishers were hidden inside the DeLorean to simulate the exhaust effect. Ultimately, five real DeLoreans were used in the filming of the trilogy; plus one 'process' car built for interior shots. In the off-road scenes in part III a modified-for-off-road VW Beetle frame was fitted to the DeLorean with the whitewall tires and baby moon hubcaps. A 7th DeLorean was also used in the filming, however, this one was merely a full-sized, fiberglass model used for exterior shots where the vehicle hovers above the set as well as when the actors interact with the vehicle.
Cameos in popular culture
- The DeLorean time machine makes a cameo in an episode of The Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParents is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Butch Hartman about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. The series started out as cartoon segments that ran from September 4, 1998 to March 23, 2001 on Oh Yeah!...
called, "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker!". It is seen departing to some point in time a few seconds before Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda arrive in the 80's (with the help of a time-traveling scooterScooter (motorcycle)A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
). Also in the episode, it reveals that March 15, 1972 is the worst day of Mr. Crocker's life. March 15, 1973 (one year later), is the date that Marty's father, George was murdered by Biff (altered timeline) and rewarded (proper timeline) in Back to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
. - Swedish singer RobynRobynRobin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
mentions the DeLorean time machine in her song "Time Machine." The lyric is "All I want is a DeLorean." - The future Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
visit their younger selves using the DeLorean in the short film Fight For Your Right Revisited. - The DeLorean and Doc Brown were mentioned in the movie "Knocked Up." Seth Rogan was saying that with the DeLorean he could change the facts and not be due to become a parent.
- In the cult film Donnie DarkoDonnie DarkoDonnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell...
, a film that uses time travel as a key theme, there is a scene between Donnie and his science teacher when they are discussing the possibility of time travel, and Donnie cheekily refers to the DeLorean. - In an episode of The Chasers War on Everything, the team berate former Australian Prime Minister John HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
after a political decision by saying that he should go back in time in the DeLorean time machine and change his mind. - Mattel'sMattelMattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
Hot WheelsHot WheelsHot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
toy line has created two toy replicas of the time machine: first, as a Japan-only exclusive that was released in 2001; and second, as part of their main toy line in 2011. - Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
mentions the time machine in his song, 'Good Morning.' "Look at the valedictorians, scared of the future while I hop in the DeLorean." - It is featured in the Owl CityOwl CityOwl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
music video for the single 'Deer in the Headlights' - It also appeared behind Lil Wayne in the music video "Look At Me Now."
- It also appeared in the 2011 remake of "Arthur" starring Russell Brand.
- In the visual novel Steins;GateSteins;Gateis a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus, and was released on October 15, 2009 for the Xbox 360. This is the two companies' second time collaborating together after Chaos;Head. A port to the Windows operating system on the PC was released on August 26, 2010 and a port for Sony's...
and its anime adaptation, in which the main characters discover a way to send text messages back in time, the messages are dubbed 'DeLorean Mails' or 'D-Mails' for short. - The DeLorean makes an appearance in the season 4 episode of American Dad - Delorean Story, and is driven by a 'Back to the Future' fan dressed as Marty McFly racing against Stan for the Gull Wing door.
- In Driver San Francisco, the DeLorean DMC-12 is an unlockable car. When driven at 88 mph, the camera zooms out and a secret challenge map is unlocked.
- In Car TownCar TownCar Town is a social network game developed by , a same developer which creates Nitto 1320 Legends. This game lets users collect and modify virtual cars. The object of the game is to win races and to build a collection of cars, while the focus of the game is more on collecting them. It currently...
, the DeLorean DMC-12 can be available in 3 configurations, including stock model and Time Machine configurations. The Time Machine configuration can be bought directly from the car dealer or upgraded from stock model. - Burnout ParadiseBurnout ParadiseBurnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
features a DeLorean DMC-12 mock up called the Jansen P12 88 Special. - In Forza Motorsport 4Forza Motorsport 4Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game released by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport series, and was released in North America on October 11, 2011 and in Europe on October 14, 2011...
, an achievementAchievement (video gaming)In video gaming parlance, an achievement, also sometimes known as a trophy or challenge, is a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters...
is awarded for driving the DeLorean at 88 mph.
Further reading
- Boyd, Matt. "The Back to the Future DeLorean" in DieCastX Magazine, Spring 2007, p. 98.
- De Santis, Solange. "Stephen Spielberg Builds a Time Machine" in Popular MechanicsPopular MechanicsPopular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
, August 1985, pp. 84–87, 132. - Iaccino, James F. Jungian Reflections within the Cinema: A Psychological Analysis of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Archetypes, pp. 81–89. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998. ISBN 0275950484
- Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. Random House, Inc., 2008. ISBN 0385525443
- McDermid, Val. A Suitable Job for a Woman: Inside the World of Women Private Eyes. Poisoned Pen Press, 1999. ISBN 1890208159
- Mowbray, Scott. "Let's Do the Time Warp Again" in Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
, March 2002, pp. 46–51. - Nahin, Paul J. Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction. Springer, 1999. ISBN 0387985719
- Ní Fhlainn, Sorcha. The Worlds of Back to the Future: Critical Essays on the Films. McFarland, 2010. ISBN 0786444002
- Redmond, Sean. Liquid Metal: the Science Fiction Film Reader, pp. 115–122. Wallflower Press, 2004. ISBN 1903364876.
- Simpson, Philip; Utterson, Andrew; Shepherdson, Karen J. Film Theory: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies, Volume 2. Taylor & Francis, 2004. ISBN 0415259738
- Sobchack, Vivian Carol. Screening Space: the American Science Fiction Film. Rutgers University Press, 1997. ISBN 081352492X