Hello again. After the previous piece on water powered cars, I thought I’d share some interesting trivia with you, on a lighter note. It still has a connection with water though. Sorry.
Many years ago, I was taking a boat trip, don’t want to say where exactly, but it was on the Irish coast. The guy piloting the boat was the chatty type, but also very knowledgeable, a good mix. The man should have been a school teacher. Anyway, I’ll steer back on course. As we chatted, in an effort to distract me from the ever closer reality of reliving breakfast, in reverse gear, I mentioned my love of cars. We talked about all manner of machinery, and then it was as if we hit a sand bank in his mind. His face changed. He looked around, making sure nobody was listening. “You remember the car from that film with the mad scientist?…….whats it called again?”. I reckoned he had to be talking about Back To The Future. “DeLorean?” came my instintive reply. “The very one, good man”.
He told me about how the factory in the north of Ireland had been a much needed boost to the economy and it was a massive blow to all involved when it had to close. The contents of the factory were sold off, with many bits being bought for use in other factories and the majority of the other parts just headed for recycling. “A local fisherman needed something to secure lobster pots to ya know. He heard about the sale and took a spin up to Belfast to see if there was anything that might do the job. Sure enough, he got some big bits, massive weight and for small money. Twas a lot of work getting them here and out into the water I can tell ya! Those are his marker bouys over there. Have a guess what bits he bought?……”. I had no idea. Thoughts of engines, gearboxes and other components went through my mind, but they wouldn’t be THAT heavy. “Not a clue” I said.
“You know when they make the cars, they press a shape into sheet metal? Things like the roof, bonnet, doors and stuff. Well, the key to making another DeLorean is whats down there, under the water. The metal stamps”.
Now, for those of you diehard DeLorean fans reading this, who are probably choking this minute, rest assured that I, even though not a huge fan of the car, was totally gobsmacked. Thoughts raced through my mind…… images of building a brand new shell and being the envy of all those fans. Owning a piece of automotive magic, the very tools which turned flat metal into one of the most iconic cars of our time. I wanted to dive into the water to check. I wanted to turn the boat around, get back on land and find the guy who sank these wonderous pieces to the murky depths of the cold Irish coastline, then possibly torture him. Then I thought about the length of time they would be have been there by now. The multitude of sea life who would be calling them home by now. The effect of anchors hitting them, rocks smashing against them with the tide. Salt water. Did those little lobsters have any idea what was tying them in place? If they did, I’m sure they’d like to time travel themselves and perhaps be freed from their watery prison. I began thinking of scenes from the movies. Quotes. Thinking of what would happen if the world found out about this. Should they? Should I not just keep this to myself and perhaps find the cash, somehow, to buy them? If he hadn’t bought them, they would surely have been melted to make something else. So, even though I was a little miffed that someone would/could sink them to the seabed, he did kinda save them. Should I just keep the info and location to myself?
No. They are too important for that. I’m hoping that someone, somewhere, might be willing to buy them. If you have a large sum of money burning a DMC-12 sized hole in your wallet, get in touch. I’d love to see them put back to use and make even just one more shell, instead of being surrounded by lobster shells.
Diesel is for tractors 