The Gold-Plated DeLorean You Likely Didn’t Realize Existed

Then came the hook — there would be no more than 100 of these limited-edition versions made. The consumer only had to make a $10,000 deposit on the $85,000 so-called “masterpiece.” According to the CPI Inflation Calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, $85,000 in 1980 is equivalent to just over $283,000 today, as calculated on April 21, 2022. But the devil was in the details as the fine print said: “There will be no refunds and no deferred payment privileges.” Only the wealthy could afford such a golden prize.

According to the DeLorean Museum, only two sold through this AMEX promotion. After the factory closed in 1982, a third was cobbled together from some spare parts made in case one of the other two got damaged and pieces from an early development model. A “fourth” was made, but it wasn’t from the “official” AMEX promotion. According to My Car Quest, an owner of a regular stainless steel DeLorean decided he could gold plate his car and did so for about $8,000. A far cry from the $85,000 AMEX price tag. 

Short-lived though it may have been, the DeLorean still endures as one of the most famous cars in movie history. The gold version of the vehicle will far more likely remain firmly stuck in our society’s collective archive of lesser-known automotive history.