DeLorean Alpha5: an all-new electric sports car with gullwing doors

DeLorean is back. 41 years after the first DMC-12 rolled off the production line, the brand is attempting a comeback with an all-new electric sports car, called the Alpha5.

Given that the Alpha5 was designed by the same firm that drew the original DMC-12, Italdesign, there are some visual similarities between the new EV and the star car from the Back to the Future movie trilogy. Namely the enormous gullwing doors, long bonnet, three-bar taillight design and louvred rear deck.

However, the new car does get a closed-off front grille, a full-width rear lightbar and more curves generally than the wedge-shaped icon that came before. As a result, the new Alpha5 has a drag coefficient of 0.23Cd, according to DeLorean, which is lower than Audi’s e-tron GT flagship. 

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The new DeLorean EV is also a four-seater, with bucket seats in the front and rear, which should be easy to get in and out of thanks to the gull-wing doors and lack of a B-pillar. Elsewhere Inside, the Alpha5 features a large digital driver’s display, a touchscreen mounted on the centre console and a squared-off steering wheel design. 

But of course, the biggest change from the original DMC-12 is that the Alpha5 is fully electric. Underneath the coupe bodywork is a more than 100kWh battery that DeLorean says is large enough for a range of over 300 miles on the American EPA test cycle. 

Power output and number of electric motors in the Alpha5 is still under wraps, but 0-62mph will take around three seconds, while 0-88mph is dispatched within 4.35 seconds, for all those Back to the Future fans out there. Top speed stands at 155mph.

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The Alpha5 is just under five metres long, measures 2,044mm in width and is 1,370mm tall, which means it will have a similar footprint on the road to the Porsche Taycan that DeLorean’s first EV is expected to rival. Other potential foes include the Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Model S, Lucid Air and Polestar 5.

Pricing for the DeLorean Alpha5 hasn’t been revealed yet, but we do know there will be a Launch Edition model, and the car is set to make its first public appearance at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, in August.