You’d think that for $541,200, the DeLorean DMC-12 from the Robert Zemeckis-directed film Back to the Future actually ran on plutonium. But even without the nuclear power source, the actual car used in all three installments of the 1985-1990 trilogy pulled in a hefty price tag at a recent auction.
Made of stainless steel to (obviously) enhance the car’s time-travel abilities, the low-profile vehicle would fetch around $30,000 if it wasn’t for its fame in the movie that starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, the character responsible for converting the DeLorean into a time machine.
(PHOTOS: The Multitalented Michael J. Fox)
The car was auctioned from a private owner with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. It was one of seven made specifically for the movies, all in various states of Doc’s tinkering, but only three are believed to still be in existence, according to auctioneer Profiles in History.
The version auctioned was used mostly in the third movie, complete with a Volkswagen V-6 engine and the addition of a full roll-cage. The private owner had restored to the DeLorean to its original movie specs.
No longer made, the DeLoreans do enjoy a sizable pop-culture cult following. But we bet that few companies can offer what was on auction: A DeLorean complete with a flux capacitor.
MORE: Nike Unveils Marty McFly’s Self-Tying Mag Sneakers from ‘Back to the Future’