Man Owns Real Life Back To The Future DeLorean
WHILE millions of film fans dream of owning Bond’s Aston Martin or Bruce Wayne’s Batmobile, Ollie Wilkey has turned his movie car fantasy into a reality. The self-employed inventory clerk, from Somerset, is the proud owner of a DeLorean Time Machine – the iconic vehicle made famous in the Back to the Future series. The car was built in Florida by an ex-NASA engineer and Universal Studios constructor, and later bought by his friend Luke, from Leeds, UK, who sold it to Ollie in February 2014 for a five-figure sum. Although sadly not capable of traveling back to 1955, the “screen accurate” DeLorean features everything from a flux capacitor to a Mr Fusion Home Energy Reactor. And when the souped-up vehicle reaches 88mph, it activates a special time travel sequence, including lights and sound effects. Ollie runs a business renting the car out, but still finds time to take the DeLorean for a spin - and the car never fails to attract hordes of appreciative onlookers.
Transcript
00:0001 A Time Machine
00:17In a traffic jam, not something you see every day, unless you live near Ollie Wilkie.
00:23But while this car might not actually be able to travel through time, its owner believes
00:28his pride and joy is the most screen accurate back-to-the-future DeLorean in Britain.
00:33A lifelong fan of the films, Ollie knew from a young age that he wanted a car just like
00:38Marty McFly's.
00:3902 Ollie Wilkie
00:40I saw it when I was about 10 and I thought, I bet when I learn to drive, I can get a DeLorean.
00:45There's about 6,500 left. If you can get a good running one, they're a good investment.
00:50At age 26, he was able to buy and renovate an original DeLorean, which he still owns.
00:5603 DeLorean
00:57The first DeLorean I bought in pieces as a restoration, I was able to pay for the parts
01:01over the two years that we did it up. It was a long process and it was essentially my savings
01:06fund.
01:07But then a couple of years later, his time travel dreams came true, when he had the chance
01:12to buy this sci-fi work of art.
01:1404 DeLorean
01:15I bought the car through the DeLorean Owners Club. I met a guy on there who bought this
01:20car and imported it from America. The real life Doc Brown, as it were, is an ex-NASA
01:26electrical engineer based in Florida. He now converts DeLoreans into back to the future
01:31replica time machines.
01:32And the attention to detail is every fan's dream, including iconic props like the flux
01:37capacitor and Mr. Fusion.
01:3904 DeLorean
01:40My favourite part of the car is the time circuits where you can input your destination time.
01:48When you hit 88 miles an hour, it will activate time travel mode. It will look and act as
01:54if it had made a jump through time.
01:58The most iconic parts of the car is its gold wing doors. When you open the doors, it makes
02:03futuristic opening noises as it does in the film.
02:07To complete the experience, Oli has managed to acquire a host of replica props from the
02:13film.
02:1404 DeLorean
02:15People love the Nike shoes. They love the hoverboard. People get just as excited about
02:19the hoverboard as they do about the whole car.
02:21While the car isn't exactly practical for going down the shops, it does attract plenty
02:25of attention.
02:2604 DeLorean
02:27I've had people right up behind me taking a video. You almost get a bit worried because
02:31it's not so much you're driving but someone going to the back of you. Luckily, I've never
02:34been pulled over in it. Whenever I do see police, they usually just give you a thumbs
02:38up and a smile.
02:3905 Oli
02:40Entrepreneur Oli has even managed to turn his boyhood dream into a business, hiring
02:44out the car for weddings and other events.
02:47But what does his girlfriend Anna think?
02:4905 Oli
02:50At first, I was a bit like, yes, OK, it's another DeLorean. And then I got inside it
02:53and then I got really excited as well. And I did a bit like a little kid, pressing all
02:56the buttons and it does this, it does that. I've always liked the films but I didn't necessarily
03:01call myself a fan as in I'd want to get one. I'd rather get a Volkswagen Campervan so I'd
03:06happily get the one that the Libyans come in. That would be the next thing that I would
03:11like. Thank you very much. Instead of having two DeLoreans.
03:15What does the future hold for Oli and his DeLoreans? Only time will tell.