Are Gullwings About to Make a Comeback?

Something's in the works in the world of DeLoreans

DMC-12
Two views of the DMC-12.
Italdesign

What’s your take on gullwing doors? A 2015 article in Popular Mechanics accurately referred to them as “undeniably cool,” and pointed out the advantages that they provide, including being able to open one’s car door with a lot less clearance space. The article goes on to explain why they haven’t caught on more broadly — ranging from design challenges to more pragmatic issues — but for enthusiasts, there’s plenty to savor.

2021 is shaping up to be a good year for gullwing enthusiasts. Earlier this month came the news that the Aston Martin Bulldog is being restored with the goal of setting a new performance benchmark. A week later brings news about another early-80s gullwing, the DeLorean DMC-12.

This week, Italdesign — a firm acclaimed for their bold styling work in the automotive world — posted a mysterious set of images heralding the 40th anniversary of the DMC-12.

As Ben Hsu writes at AutoBlog, it’s not entirely clear what this means – but there’s certainly room for some educated guesses. “We take it to mean that a modern interpretation of the DeLorean will soon be unveiled,” Hsu writes. “Most likely it’ll be a rendering, or a show car if we’re lucky, but we don’t believe a production machine is on the menu.”

A year ago, there were rumblings of a DeLorean revival in the works. Could this be connected to that in some way? Big things certainly seem to be afoot in the DeLorean space.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…
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