LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum Becomes New Home To BACK TO THE FUTURE DeLorean Time Machine

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads” – Doc Brown

Last week, LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum kicked off it’s “BACK TO THE FUTURE Month” with a couple of really cool events that were held to celebrate and welcome to its new permanent home, the DeLorean Time Machine picture car from the iconic and beloved 80’s film BACK TO THE FUTURE.

On Wednesday, April 20th, the newly restored 1981 Delorean that was originally transformed into cinema’s most famous time machine was unveiled at its new home at the Petersen. For years, the car was displayed at Universal Studios Hollywood outside the Back to The Future attraction, and later relegated to the prop junkyard. Needless to say, the elements were not kind and the car sat there, rusty and broken, at the mercy of souvenir hunters and fans wanting photos.

Along with the unveiling was a panel discussion with the team responsible for the restoration. The panel moderator was Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood. Also on the panel was “Back to the Future” co-writer Bob Gale, Universal Studios Hollywood creative director John Murdy, DeLorean restoration lead Joe Walser, and “Outatime” documentary director Steve Concotelli.

According to Gale, there were originally seven Deloreans purchased to use as picture cars. The one currently at the Petersen is the “A-Car” or “hero car” that was driven in most of the scenes in the film. Joe Walser and his restoration team did a herculean job of restoring the car, complete with all its original parts and time machine props, including the infamous Flux Capacitor.

In one of the more interesting anecdotes, Gale spoke about the fact that for the movie, all the sound effects made by the car were added in post-production because the car didn’t actually make those noises (the date control panel, the iconic steam noise when the doors open, etc.). Happily, this was addressed in the restoration, and with an added sound system, the car now does have sound.

On Saturday night, the Petersen sentimentally recreated the “Enchantment Under the Sea Dance” made famous in the movie. There to perform were the 80’s band Missing Persons and the Back to the Future cover band The Flux Capacitors.

Fans of the movie partied with the famous Time Machine while the beloved film was shown on the wall above. What made it even more fun was that a real high school prom was taking place in another part of the museum and when the two parties eventually mingled, the real teenagers danced right alongside fans that were dressed up for the 50’s style Enchantment Under the Sea.