Alternate Back to the Future Time Machine Vehicles

To celebrate hitting over 8,800 upvotes, I’m finally releasing a post that’s long been waiting in the wings.
We all know the Deloreon to be one of cinema’s most iconic star car. Aside from Michael J. Fox, the Delorean Time Machine is perhaps the number one thing that comes to mind when one thinks about the Back to the Future franchise. So my interesting question is ‘what car could work as a Deloreon replacement?’. Nothing will ever replace the legend of the Delorean, but it’s a fun exercise nonetheless. So lets hit 88 mph and see what we’ve got!

Fox Body Mustang

The Fox Body Mustang is not exactly the first car which comes to mind when thinking up possible time machines, but this was almost the actual Back to the Future car. Maybe if they used the SVO version I could accept it, but though the Mustang is a cool car, I could never see it as a futuristic vehicle of any sort. Ford, however, decided to offer Universal $75,000 for the product placement with the Mustang as the star car, but was shot down by writer Bob Gale who allegedly said,“Doc Brown doesn’t drive a f** Mustang!” I kind of have to agree with him on this one. Besides, everyone knows that Mustangs crash into crowds not the barns of unsuspecting farmers.

Subaru SVX

The first interesting proposal, I think it’s fair enough to say that the Subaru SVX looks more like a sci-fi time machine than any meer Mustang. The SVX even carries over the same type of windows as the Delorean and is a similarly sized grand touring sports coupe. What makes the SVX even better than the Delorean, in my opinion, is the crazy styling, and the fact the SVX actually has some gusto from the engine. The only reason more people would not consider the SVX in this conversation can be that it never sold really well, but doesn’t that just makes it more like the Delorean?

Pontiac Fiero

So what if the writers wanted another mid-engined American sports car and decided against the Delorean? Well, for that there’s the one and only Pontiac Fiero of course. Sure, Doc may have less space to cram in his tech, but the car also weighs less and actually did better on power (that’s a dis on the Delorean, not a real compliment). Also, unlike the Delorean, this could have actually launched the Fiero to sales success similar to the new Camaro and the Transformers franchise. Honestly, I have a bit of a soft spot for the Fiero, and its wedge shape makes it a candidate to be a movie time machine vehicle. Also, I kind of wish we still had Pontiac and specifically the Fiero.

BMW i8

The first of the feasible modern options, the i8 really steals the show. First of all, it looks awesome and modern so it looks the part, and not only that, the fact that it’s an electric car makes it an even better fit for the role. Now all Doc Brown has to do is fill up the Mr.Fusion to power the whole car no matter what driving mode it happens to be in. The only negative is possibly the i8’s hefty price tag. Doc Brown better make the money of a real top notch doctor, that’s for sure.

Mazda RX-7

Another wedge-shaped car, the RX-7 would be another fit from a purely aesthetic standpoint. Also, the Rotary engine ties in with the triangularly shaped flux capacitor. We’ve already seen tons of RX-7s with V8 swaps, but how about this time one gets a nuclear swap for a change. Honestly, it would cost less to fuel it with plutonium than the gas guzzling turbo rotary, throw in Mr.Fusion and you got yourself one wonderful piece of time traveling sushi mobile on your hands.

Nissan GT-R

So the stereotype is that the GT-R is basically just a computer on wheels, but here this technological prowess could make it a good movie time machine. The infotainment system would also be an upgrade over Doc’s method of selecting the date to travel to. Also, the GT-R will get to 88 mph much sooner with a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds. So it’s already a rocket ship, why can’t it be a time machine?

Toyota MR-2

Similar to the Pontiac Fiero, but the MR-2 (at least the 1st gen) is smaller and lighter. On the plus side, the MR-2 is faster than the Fiero in both of its first two generations. Also, I believe the MR-2 would a little more reliable than the Fiero. It would also be nice to see the pairing of the Toyota MR-2 with the awesome 4x4 Toyota Truck that Marty lusted for (and who can blame him).

A Tesla

So if we were to shoot a modern Back to the Future film featuring a time machine in place of the Delorean, a Tesla or i8 would probably be the best choice. Now, the only negative is that currently, Tesla does not have a sports car. While the Tesla Roadster was neat, it’s too derivative of the Lotus Elise to be a star movie car for Tesla. Instead, I hope Tesla comes out with some type of sports or grand touring coupe that would fit this role because nothing else quite screams future like a Tesla. It would also be fitting that the car of American entrepreneur John DeLorean would be replaced by the car of another independent American entrepreneur in Elon Musk.

Porsche 928

So this one might seem to be a stretch but I included it because the engines in many of the Back to the Future Deloreans have been said to be swaps from the Porsche 928. Also, the 928 is a good road trip grand touring machine, and that ability could prove crucial for a time machine considering it only travels through time, not space. If worst comes to worst just take it to the Porsche dealer if you are in the future, chances are they will still be able to service it.

Lotus Esprit

The Lotus Esprit already has movie credentials as a 007 car that could also convert into a submarine. The chassis of the Delorean was designed by Lotus, so it’s not as far off from the Esprit as one might assume. The Esprit is in the same genre of vehicle as the DMC-12 and it always had more horsepower. These reasons all lead me to believe it would be a reasonable candidate for the job

Bricklin SV-1

In terms of styling, the SV-1 is similar to the Lotus Esprit and other wedge cars. It also had a V8 and those coveted gull wing doors. The Bricklin SV-1 was another upstart oddity from an American entrepreneur, this time Subaru of America founder Malcolm Bricklin. The only downside is the Bricklin would not have the star power of the Delorean and doesn’t quite nail the futuristic x-factor necessary for a movie time machine.

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Another option if you want to stick with gull wings, but if you want more serious speed and class would be a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, preferably in the classic silver. The SLS has the grand touring upside of the Porsche 928, but with much more power. One negative is the difficulty of maintaining such a car and fixing it on the fly in different movie predicaments. It’s also probably out of Doc Brown’s price range (unless he breaks the rules, and uses time travel to win the lottery). It’s worth noting that the SLS is a large car for a coupe, yet still does not have the best storage space.

A Refrigerator

No lie, early scripts had this as the time machine. It was ditched as they did not want to encourage kids to get trapped in refrigerators. Spielberg would later reference it with a scene in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Indiana Jones uses a fridge to escape a nuclear test which promptly sent him flying through the air. This should have killed Indiana Jones upon landing, and with the way the movie went, it would have served as a better ending.

A car from the era you would like to go back to/ classic car/ chameleon car

If you wanted to go back in time with a car, it would be best to use a car that already existed around that time period. It’s worth mentioning that it’s better too old than too young. If I used a 1965 Mustang as a time machine, it would be good for 1964-to present. Don’t go too flashy, the point is to blend in and not cause too much of a disturbance upon the timeline. Another idea would be to invent a shapeshifting chameleon-like car. I mean, Doc has invented lots of things including a freaking time machine, is this tech too much of a stretch for one of the most brilliant inventors ever? Well, this concludes the search. Honestly, no car could really ever replace the Delorean DMC-12, but it’s still fun to think up other time traveling vehicles. What would your choice be? Comment below and like if you enjoyed, and remember, don’t get stuck on the tracks like Marty at the end of Back to the Future 3 because that was the only movie death scene which makes me really cry (insert top ten anime death scenes meme). #blogpost #bttf #backtothefuture