Great Scott! Look out for ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean charity convoy

Don’t imagine you have slipped into a Hollywood dream tomorrow if you are driving along and think the DeLorean sports car passing you has blurred into a dozen different vehicles.
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You are not witnessing the car slipping through time - as it did in the famed 1985 film, Back to the Future, with Michael J Fox.

No. There really is a convoy of the iconic 1980s vehicles driving from Newcastle to Portrush - distinctive due to their stainless steel body panels and gull wing doors.

The event has been organised to mark forty years since the first car rolled off the production line in Dunmurry under the leadership of US businessman John DeLorean.

David Abraham from Portdown, proud owner of an iconic De Lorean car, as featured in the famous Back to the Future movies.David Abraham from Portdown, proud owner of an iconic De Lorean car, as featured in the famous Back to the Future movies.
David Abraham from Portdown, proud owner of an iconic De Lorean car, as featured in the famous Back to the Future movies.

Portadown man David Abraham and his friend David Mathers from Dollingstown lost their grandmother and brother respectively to cancer this year. And as both are proud owners of the iconic cars, they decided to put them to good use in raising funds for Action Cancer.

“When I was a wee lad I always wanted one,” David told the News Letter. “Then the opportunity came up a few years ago to buy one from England that had come from Nevada, and I just went for it.”

DeLorean owners from across the world normally descend on Belfast every five years to celebrate the cars.

The last ‘Eurofest’ event in 2016 saw some 90 of the cars converge on NI, but this year’s event has been cancelled due to Covid.

So the two friends have organised an NI event for a dozen local owners instead.  

About 9000 of the cars were made and sold to the US market for around $23,000 dollars each. Now they will fetch £40,000 at auction.

”The thing most people find really surprising about the cars is how low they are,” said David.

Originally designed with input from the renowned Lotus car company, they are “surprisingly comfortable to drive”, he says.

However visibility can be challenging, especially when overtaking, as they are left hand drive.

”But one of the biggest risks in driving one are the people filming you on motorways. You often see the passenger in cars coming up behind you filming you out the window - right in your blind spot. You really have to keep aware of what is going on around you.”

The DeLorean Coastal Convoy itinerary tomorrow, Saturday September 17, is as follows;- The Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle at 7:30am; Belfast City Hall 10:00am; Stormont Parliament Buildings 10:30am; Carrickfergus Castle 12:25pm; Ballygally Castle 1:40pm; Ballycastle 3:40pm; Magheracross Viewpoint 5:30pm; passing through Portstewart 6pm finishing in Portrush Harbour at 6:30pm.

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