So Why The DeLorean?

*Update: There has been some confusion about this post - I have NOT purchased a DeLorean yet. Don't worry, the plan is to do so by age 30, that is a little over 1.5 years away at the time of this writing.

When I was 6 years old I saw a movie unlike any other I had ever seen. It was a movie about second chances. A movie about making the right choice when it isn’t the easy thing to do. That movie was “Back to the Future.” I found myself liking George McFly, the dorky Dad who was shy but held hidden potential that was waiting to explode if given the opportunity. As you recall, as a result of Marty’s intervention George steps out of character and takes a stand against the school bully in a situation he would have normally backed down on. That one event changed the course of his life in drastic ways that he could have never expected.

That got me thinking, I want to recognize those moments in my life. Those moments when looking back I would say “if only I had…” I wanted to be able to live my life such that I would not have regrets in those moments. As George illustrated in the movie, it was the moments of inaction he regretted, those were the moments that destroyed his life. As a result, I try my best to take action when I know I should though I am tempted not too. That has served me well.

So why the DeLorean? The single most representative object from the movie is unquestionably the car. As a huge fan of the movie, I found myself reading up on all things about it. I came to the point where I could tell you hundreds of factoids about the cast, crew, locations, and situations around the film. Through this I also began to better understand the DeLorean, and the person behind it, John Z. DeLorean.

The story of the DeLorean car is one very similar to the movie, it is a story of chasing dreams, taking a big leap of faith, and not looking back. Here was a man who was an executive at General Motors, the largest auto company in the world at the time, who left it all to follow a lifetime dream of building his ideal car. In the same vein as the movie, he recognized that moment in time where he needed grab his dream, and he did. Say what you will about the fate of the DeLorean Motor Company, their business practices, and the circumstances around its demise, but the guts it took John Z. to make his dreams a reality is something to be admired and emulated.

This dream became my own in part many years ago. The car is the objectification of the impressions a nutty 80’s movie made on me and has served as my own motivation for bettering myself early in my life. A couple decades ago it became a goal to eventually purchase a DeLorean when the time was right. This has helped me to focus my life on establishing myself such that it will be the right time. It is amazing what a goal does for a person. It has motivated me to achieve things I previously had never thought possible.

…oh, and the sweet stainless steel gull wing doors don’t hurt ;-)