DeLorean: Stainless Style... In the auto collector, passion and desire and, ultimately, the worth of the prize are fueled by a more elusive variable: taste. With a personal yardstick, a collector measures the beauty of sculpted form, the excellence of mechanical workmanship, or the satori of the driving experience. Within that discerning group, those who live to pamper and preen their mechanical love objects rub bumpers with those who seek headier satisfaction: making money. Many such exotic cars are purchased and garaged as investments in the rare car market - a market that may be whimsical at times, but that can offer the long-term investor a substantial return. The DeLorean DMC-12 appeals to both breeds.

It's been 17 years since John Z. DeLorean challenged the automotive industry when he rolled out his so-called ethical sports car from a state-of-the-art factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. The history of DeLorean Motor Co. was daring, turbulent, and disastrous, leaving a lasting stigma on its founder.

DeLorean's legacy as one of General Motors Corp.'s most respected automotive engineers was overshadowed by the U.S. government's charges that DeLorean had trafficked cocaine as a means to finance his fledgling company. Even though he was exonerated from all federal drug charges brought against him, his reputation and credibility weoyed. Yet from the tangle a nearly perfect driving machine emergedre devastated, several of his colleagues abandoned him, and his new company was destroyed.

Technically, the DMC-12 is a solid automobile, powered by a rear-mounted, 130-horsepower Peugeot-Renault-Volvo fuel-injected, aluminum, 2.8-liter V-6 engine with a Bosch K Jetronic fuel-injection system. It sits on a Lotus-designed, double-Y, backbone-frame chassis and features independent four-wheel suspension. It has a wide, 62-inch track, and its front wheels are an inch smaller in diameter to minimize oversteer and offer better overall handling. The DMC-12 purrs like a kitten yet runs like a scalded dog. There's no doubt this car was engineered for the driving enthusiast.

But what draws most people to the DeLorean has little to do with its power train or suspension. The attraction isn't under the frame; it's in the design. Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design studios in Turin, Italy, was recruited to create a unique look for the new DeLorean. Giugiaro had designed such notable autos as the Maserati Bora, Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, Volkswagen Scirocco, and Lotus Esprit. DeLorean considered Giugiaro one of the world's greatest automotive engineers and designers. He was correct

Technically, the DMC-12 is a solid automobile, powered by a rear-mounted, 130-horsepower Peugeot-Renault-Volvo fuel-injected, aluminum, 2.8-liter V-6 engine with a Bosch K Jetronic fuel-injection system. It sits on a Lotus-designed, double-Y, backbone-frame chassis and features independent four-wheel suspension. It has a wide, 62-inch track, and its front wheels are an inch smaller in diameter to minimize oversteer and offer better overall handling. The DMC-12 purrs like a kitten yet runs like a scalded dog. There's no doubt this car was engineered for the driving enthusiast.

But what draws most people to the DeLorean has little to do with its power train or suspension. The attraction isn't under the frame; it's in the design. Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design studios in Turin, Italy, was recruited to create a unique look for the new DeLorean. Giugiaro had designed such notable autos as the Maserati Bora, Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, Volkswagen Scirocco, and Lotus Esprit. DeLorean considered Giugiaro one of the world's greatest automotive engineers and designers. He was correct

Then why are so few DeLorean DMC-12s on the road?  There are several reasons: One is availability.  Only 8,583 DeLoreans were manufactured in 1981, 1982, and 1983: 6,539, 1,126, and 918, respectively.  Of those, about 6,000 are believed to be in circulation - a few hundred of them outside the United States.  Many have been squirreled away in garages by those interested in the cars' future value; its scarcity makes the DeLorean appealing to those who invest in exotic cars.