Where we’re going, we don’t need roads: QUB students to revamp iconic DeLorean car

A group of QUB students have embarked on an epic project to rebuild Marty McFly’s iconic DeLorean car, aiming to have it ready and stored at the university by the date Marty was due to return to the future – October 21st 2015.

The iconic DeLorean car had been manufactured in Belfast in the 1980’s and shipped to the USA.

Jake Mercer, a lead QUB student on the project and second year electrical engineering student allowed The Tab to take a tour of the DeLorean garage on campus to talk more about the project

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Jake got involved along with other electrical engineering students when an email was sent out through his school by lecturer David Laverty.

Speaking to The Tab, he said that he intends to remain with the project until it’s completion, when the DeLorean will be fully functional.

The plan is then to take a tour of the iconic car to secondary schools around Belfast to raise interest in studying electrical engineering at university.

The model due to be revamped by QUB students was returned to Belfast from a cow shed in County Leitrim, where it had been returned to Ireland by a car collector from South Carolina.

There are only three other electrical DeLoreans in the world, and Jake says that this will be the first in Northern Ireland.

The QUB team also aim to reposition the American style steering wheel, so the car will become the first right hand electrical DeLorean in the world.

Work began on the car when it arrived in the garage on campus in January this year. It has since been completely stripped of engine, parts and interior by Jake and other QUB students on the DeLorean team.

Instead of a flux capacitor, students at Queen’s University are aiming to give a highly-charged boost to the famous vehicle in a mission to restore and electrify the iconic car.

Currently the DeLorean is awaiting mechanical work to smooth and repair the body of the 1.2tonnes car. From there the inner body and electrical work will be done with an entire brand new interior, along with the development of a specialised QUB electrical logoto replace the iconic DeLorean insignia.

“We’re going to put an electric motor in the car where the original DeLorean engine was, to connect up the exact same way”

Jake says that the team are confident that the car will be ready and updated to the 21st Century in time for October 2015, when MartyMcFly was due to come back to the future.

The project is being overseen by Dr David Laverty, an electrical engineering lecturer at QUB.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Laverty said “The purpose of the project is to encourage school kids to consider careers in electrical engineering,”

“I was a big Back to the Future fan when I was growing up. The car remains iconic and well known among people of all ages. So when we were looking for a project I thought, wouldn’t it be really cool to build an electric car out of a DeLorean.”