Tag Archives: back to the future

This gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12 in low-rider boots steals the limelight at SEMA 2021

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DeLorean DMC-12 changed the landscape of science fiction movies to a level that has automotive fans still reeling over “Back to the Future”. We see the reason though – the iconic 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 “Time Machine” made it through to the elusive club of cars at the National Historic Vehicle Register and is only the 29th car to make it through. The cult status the DeLorean enjoys is justified!

A great example is this outlandish carbon widebody modification by Boca Raton-based customization shop Salvage2Salvage in close quarters with automotive designer Khyzyl Saleem. This baby stole eyeballs at the recently concluded SEMA 2021 show. The Back to The Future ride was nowhere near this cool when the S2S lead fabricator Tim Moceri picked up a wrecked DMC-12, stripped it down to the barebones, and got down to giving it this drool-worthy makeover. While it looks like a beast from the outside, it doesn’t have the stock V6 engine or the flux capacitor with 1.21 GW of power to make one go tumbling down into the past.

Instead, it gets the 5.3-liter LS3 V8 engine hooked to a pair of Garrett turbochargers – churning out an impressive 1,000bhp. The gearbox is salvaged from a 996 generation Porsche 911, making it a classic mix of retro goodness any automotive lover will be willing to shell out a hefty sum of dollars. Alright, coming back to the mechanical components, the drivetrain is snug in place on the back – the turbo literally hangs underneath the car, making it a sports car you won’t want to ride on the race track chicanes or speedbumps of-course.

The final build seen at the automotive show is based on Khyzyl’s concept renderings, and it pretty much managed to emulate in real life, the vision on paper. It gets right the rear engine louver, blade-style headlights, and the active grid taillights. Or, for that matter the lowered suspension for a low rider-like appeal and the bulbous wheel arches draping the deep dish Sköl alloy wheels. Modern inclusions come in the form of custom wiring harnesses, a soundproof cabin, bumped-up STATUS seating, and the bespoke aluminum trim.

According to Tim, the wide-body kit will be replaced by carbon fiber in the future. So, will the modified KW suspension that’ll give way to an Air Lift Performance air-ride set up to strike the right balance? Until then, this DeLorean classic’s remake will be etched long in our memories.

Designers: Salvage2Salvage and Khyzyl Saleem

DeLorean DMC-12 at SEMA 2021

The post This gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12 in low-rider boots steals the limelight at SEMA 2021 first appeared on Yanko Design.

This LEGO kit comes with LED lights to build your own Flux Capacitor, like the one in ‘Back to the Future’

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In Back to the Future, Doc Brown warns Marty, “Whatever happens Marty, don’t go to 2020!” Wise words, Doc. While 2020 certainly wasn’t our golden year, 2021 is making up for the lost time. Alternatives for safe travel are cropping up and product designs for playing and relaxing at home are too. While we don’t want to travel back to 2020, perhaps some point in the distant future sounds more like it. While electronic hobby group Brickstuff has yet to construct an IRL version of Doc’s Flux Capacitor, a miniature LEGO replica will suffice for now.

Building with LEGO blocks will never go out of style. If I had a bucket of LEGO bricks in front of me right now, I wouldn’t waste any time before getting on the floor to build my dream home, making my younger self proud. Fusing the nostalgia of watching ‘80s cult classics like Back to the Future and spending entire afternoons building with LEGO bricks, Brickstuff designed the LEGO version of Doc Brown’s Flux Capacitor as a kit for anyone to construct, all ages welcome. The kit comes complete with a whopping 18 new LEGO bricks, a pre-assembled pliant circuit board, LED lights that actually glow with the help of a battery pack, and three AA batteries. You’ll have to buy the batteries separately, but the kit comes included with illustrated assembly instructions to aid in the building process.

LEGO bricks are the type of toy that instantly brings us back to our childhood. There was a time when LEGO was my whole universe. Back to the Future is nostalgic in itself, and I can still remember the first time I watched the movie–English class, sophomore year of high school. Brickstuff brings together these two forces from our childhood to create a miniature collectible item that we can build ourselves, reminding us that we can accomplish anything if we put our minds to it.

Designer: Brickstuff

Brickstuff’s LEGO replica of Doc Brown’s Flux Capacitor features glowing LED lights and a miniature circuit board.

Users can open the Flux Capacitor to mimic iconic scenes from Back to the Future.

An attached battery pack requires three AA batteries for the LED lights to turn on.

The kit comes with 18 new LEGO bricks and illustrated assembly instructions.

The kit comes with everything you might need to build your own Flux Capacitor – just add batteries.

Playmobil Adds Marty McFly’s Truck to Its Back to the Future Playsets: Great Scott!

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Presumably, because its previously released time-traveling DeLorean playset sold like hotcakes (and how could it not?), Playmobil is releasing another set, this time in the form of Marty McFly’s often overlooked pickup truck (affiliate link). I’ve already bought two – one for playing with and one for keeping mint in its packaging.

Inspired by Marty’s 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab pickup truck from the original Back To The Future movie, the playset includes the truck with an opening and closing hood and tailgate, along with Marty McFly, Biff Tannen, and Jennifer Parker figures. As the package notes, the playset is for ages 5 to 99, which means there are probably a lot of heartbroken 100-year olds out there right now, my grandfather among them.

I just performed a couple of quick internet searches to see what an actual 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab pickup truck costs these days, and they are not cheap. I’m talking like $20,000 restored. And, based on the cobwebs I just counted in my wallet, that’s a little out of my price range. Now, if only I could travel to the future and return with a Grays Sports Almanac.

[via MikeShouts]

Back to the Future Rubber Duckie Figures: Quack to the Future

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Because what fun is taking a bath if you don’t have toys to play with (and a ton of bubbles), these are the Back To The Future TUBBZ duck collectibles from Numskull Designs. Each duck is constructed from high-quality PVC and they come in four varieties: Marty with a video camera, Doc (Duck?) Brown wearing his brain wave analyzer, Marty in his radiation suit, and Doc with time-traveling DeLorean’s remote control.

Fingers crossed they continue the series with Back to the Future II characters as well. Then wild west Back to the Future III ones. Eventually, one day I’ll have an entire corner of my office dedicated to Back to the Future rubber duckies. And on that day, my wife will suggest we have a yard sale, and I’ll pretend not to hear her.

Every morning I wake up hoping this will be the day I slip on the toilet while hanging a clock, hit my head on the sink, and invent the flux capacitor. But noooo, all I ever invent are new forms of pain. My chiropractor must be making a small fortune in my quest for time travel.

Team Makes Back to the Future II Inspired Self-Lacing Shoes

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Tying your shoes: what a hassle. You think you did it right but they always come untied or end up in knots. Well, now the team at YouTube channel Hacksmith Industries has created a pair of self-lacing shoes inspired by the Nike MAGs worn by Marty McFly in Back To The Future II. You just press the button on the side, and presto, snug sneakers.

The shoes, which have a bunch of exposed electronics in the soles and look like they’d catch fire if you ever stepped in a puddle, work with a relatively simple winch system that pulls the laces tight as you hold the button on the side. Just don’t go pushing the button for too long or you might cut off your circulation and send all your little piggies to an early grave.

Alternatively, just wear Crocs like I do. Sure they’re still confusing and sometimes you leave the house with them on the wrong feet, but it’s an easy mistake to fix, and at least you don’t have to worry about them coming untied. Shoot, I even wore Crocs to my wedding, although you’d have a hard time telling since my wife cropped all of our photos from the ankles up for some reason. The video below shows off the build, or you can skip to around 10:00 for the unveiling.

There’s a Back to the Future Playmobil Set

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Growing up, I was always more of a LEGO kid than a Playmobil kid. I always liked how LEGO bricks and minifigs left more to the imagination than Playmobil, so I felt I could be more creative with their toys. However, when it comes to anything Back to the Future related, I have a soft spot in my heart. So when I saw that Playmobil had released a Back to the Future playset, I just had to have one for my toy collection.

The centerpiece of the 64-piece set is a 9.8″ long replica of Doc and Marty’s iconic DeLorean DMC-12, complete with gullwing doors, and wheels that fold 90-degrees for flying. It’s got lots of neat little details, like a Mr. Fusion machine on back, and time travel controls on the dashboard. The blue lighting along the roofline and front bumper really bring it all to life.

In addition to their stainless steel steed, the set includes figures of both Doc and Marty, Einstein the dog, along with a skateboard, Marty’s video camera, Doc’s remote control, plutonium cores, and a hazmat case.

You can grab the complete Playmobil Back to the Future set over on Amazon for about $49.99. Where we’re going, we don’t need LEGO.

BTTF Time Machine Bass Guitar: Bass to the Future

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In Back to the Future, Marty loved to play the guitar. I’m thinking if he ever asked Doc Brown to make him a musical instrument, it might have looked like this. Sure, he’d have to learn to play the bass, but I’m sure he’d be fine with that.

This awesome one-of-a-kind custom electric bass was designed and built by Chicago guitar makers Steve and Richard Doner, and features lots off cool design touches inspired by Doc and Marty’s time-traveling DeLorean DMC-12. With a flux capacitor front and center, along with an LED destination display, and buttons to select millennium, century, decade, and year, this bass is ready to blast through time just as soon as it hits 88 beats per minute. Where they’re going, they don’t need notes.

All of its visual effect circuits have been isolated from its audio circuits, ensuring clean sounds, and instead of running on a Mr. Fusion, this thing simply has a NiMH rechargeable battery pack. After a brief run on eBay, the guitar was sold for an undisclosed price, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research. The auction had gotten up to $8888 before it was ended, so we can only guess that it raised a good amount of money for the charity.

[via Laughing Squid]

Tesla meets SpaceX meets Back To The Future!

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Say hello to the automotive mashup of the century! I mean, if your Tesla car can have a bio-hazard mode, how far are we really from your car being able to travel through time and space? If Elon could, Elon certainly would, right?

The Tesla x SpaceX x BTTF combination comes from the mind of Charlie Nghiem, a maverick automotive designer who’s even made a Tesla x Rimowa concept collab. This holy-trinity mashup features both of Elon Musk’s current ventures, electric automobile company Tesla, and space exploration venture SpaceX, along with an unlikely third, the DeLorean from Back To The Future (Musk is a Rick and Morty fan, so maybe he loves BTTF too?) The car looks like a pimped out Tesla Roadster complete with all the trims and the massive afterburners from the BTTF automobile. The car’s even got a hoverboard casually resting against its side, and features a SpaceX logo at the base of the C pillar, because where they’re going, they don’t need roads.

Hey Elon, you dig?

Designer: Charlie Nghiem

‘Rocket League’ is mining the ’80s for nostalgia-tinted DLC

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Rocket League fans, it's time to slap on your aviators, grab a hoverboard and fire up your favorite '80s playlist for a Radical Summer. Psyonix is tapping into the decade's pop culture tentpoles for the game's biggest event to date, lasting all summe...

LA museum’s sci-fi car exhibit includes HoloLens tours

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There's a chance you've seen a movie car or two if you've visited a convention, but the Petersen Automotive Museum's offering should be more... elaborate. It's opening a "Hollywood Dream Machines" exhibit that will showcase 40 vehicles from sci-fi g...