PJ Grady Europe has researched the DeLorean 50,000 mile test car program.

This has only been possible due to Dave Howarth, the UK DeLorean Owners Club Treasurer. Dave has amassed a wide and diverse collection of DeLorean and DMC papers and has kindly allowed us to share them with the DeLorean community through this website. 

We would like to thank Dave for his kind support and willingness to share this valuable historical information with DeLorean owners and enthusiasts everywhere. 

 

The 50,000 mile test program was evaluated and approved by Mike Loasby on the 15th of April 1980. In this section, we have provided original technical data on the proposed car development program. 

 

The date on this document of April 1980 shows that this program was planned well in advance of the actual testing. This is of course understandable, as the company were legally obliged to complete this program. 

Early 500 VIN cars were used for testing – all had early 1981 build dates. This shows in fact that the test program was planned and agreed almost a year before the tests were to be carried out. 

This document makes interesting reading, especially with the proposed speed testing on the German autobahns. Clearly the DMC management were trying to overcome various legal obstacles, with speed being a factor in any new car design. 

The document is also very interesting showing the wages breakdown, along with other costs. The entire 50,000 miles testing document is around 100 pages! PJ Grady Europe has tried to summarise the key facts and information from these documents, to allow details of this exciting phase of testing to be released to the DeLorean community. 

The following section outlines a case study in the 30,000 mile endurance testing, which includes various cost factors - from hotels to fuel costs. Clearly the DMC management did not take this task lightly, and were keen to pin down costs and contingencies early on