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.

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