1.23 t2,720 lb
The DeLorean time machine weighs about 1,233 kg (2,718 lb), the curb weight of the real DeLorean DMC-12 that Doc Brown builds it from. The films never give a weight for his car, and none of the screen-used cars has a published one. The only figure from the franchise is 2,796 lb, from the 1991 animated series.
| Time machine in the animated series (1991)Doc in the episode “Brothers”: 2,796 lb, folded into a suitcase | 1.27 t2,800 lb |
|---|---|
| DeLorean DMC-12, curb weightProduction car; the technical manual gives 2,712 lb (1,230 kg) with a full tank | 1.23 t2,720 lb |
Universal has never put a weight on Doc’s time machine, so we use the car underneath it. Every film car started life as a DeLorean DMC-12, the only model the DeLorean Motor Company built, with about 9,000 made between 1981 and 1982. Its curb weight is 1,233 kg (2,718 lb), the figure Wikipedia takes from James Espey’s DeLorean buyer’s guide.
The owners’ technical FAQ, quoting the factory technical manual, says 2,712 lb (1,230 kg) with a full tank of fuel, so the two sources agree to within a few kilos. Wikipedia’s own spec table lists 1,288 kg without a source, which is a reminder that the last few dozen kilos depend on who weighed which car.
The famous brushed panels are SAE 304 stainless steel, left unpainted, but they are only the skin. They are fixed to a fibreglass underbody, which sits on an epoxy-coated steel backbone chassis designed by Lotus. The owners’ FAQ points out that the panels are not much heavier than ordinary steel ones and make up only a small part of the total.
Most of the weight rides on the rear wheels. The 2.85 litre PRV V6 (130 hp) is mounted at the back of the car, giving a 35% front, 65% rear split. The heavy gull-wing doors are held up by cryogenically preset torsion bars and nitrogen-charged struts developed by Grumman Aerospace.
Probably a little, but nobody has published how much. The prop makers added a flux capacitor built from an electrical box and high-voltage relays, a plutonium reactor on a Dodge Polara hubcap, aircraft parts and lights, and later a Mr. Fusion made from a Krups coffee grinder. No weight exists for any of the screen-used cars or for these parts, so we stick with the stock car’s number.
The one number from the franchise comes from Back to the Future: The Animated Series. Doc folds the rebuilt car into a suitcase, Marty struggles to lift it, and Doc says “2,796 pounds to be exact.” That is 1,268 kg, about 84 lb (38 kg) more than the factory figure, though the show never says what makes up the difference.
The first film used three cars: an “A” hero car for most shots, a “B” stunt car and a “C” car that could be taken apart for filming inside. Across the trilogy, the official movie book counts six real DeLoreans, plus a lightweight full-size fibreglass copy with radio-controlled wheels that was flown on wires from a crane for the hover scenes. For Part III’s off-road driving, DeLorean bodies were put on Volkswagen Beetle frames.
Only three of the cars survive. The stunt car was deliberately hit by a train for the end of Part III, and the fibreglass car was scrapped. The A car, picked apart by souvenir hunters while on show at Universal Studios Hollywood, was restored by a team led by co-writer Bob Gale and now sits at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
About 2,718 lb (1,233 kg). The factory technical manual gives 2,712 lb with a full tank of fuel.
Likely a bit, since the film cars carry extra props, but no weight has been published for them. The only franchise figure is 2,796 lb (1,268 kg), said by Doc in the 1991 animated series.
The car was first meant to have a plastic body that proved hard to paint, so John DeLorean switched to an unpainted stainless skin and saved the cost of painting. In the film, Doc starts to explain that the stainless construction “makes the flux dispersal” before he is cut off.
Six real DeLoreans across the trilogy, plus a lightweight fibreglass copy for flying scenes. Three of them still exist.
88 mph, with 1.21 gigawatts of power for the flux capacitor. The filmmakers picked 88 because it was easy to remember and looked good on the speedometer.
Last checked October 2, 2026.
