As a teenager Dean was a Back to the Future fan. As George McFly said “If you put your mind to it you can acomplish anything.” Back to the Future IV seems unlikely but he did get on set with Christopher Lloyd briefly in WIT and bought his first Delorean, Vin #4986 in 2004 and second Vin #16723 in 2007.

As Mr Fusion is yet to be invented (sorry, last BTTF reference) I didn’t like the idea of thundering along in a DMC Diesel so figured the best option was a conversion to LPG. I did some research on the DMC forum and DMC News and it seemed that no one had gone through with converting a Delorean to LPG before. So this would be the first ever Delorean to be converted to alternative fuel.

I’m no mechanic, so armed with Forum comments and advice I thought i’d go about seeking someone who’d know what they’re doing with LPG installations. The first company I called specialised in converting classics but he wanted to do a Singlepoint conversion for Multipoint money. Another guy wanted to put in his own hybrid version of a Single/Multipoint then my own mechanic who was ‘willing to have a go’ then several companies who were afraid to call back. I checked with my insurance company and they initially said they wouldn’t cover me if I converted the car but then called me back with a change of heart after I said i’d change companies.

I discovered a large LPG stockist was only 5 miles away, Tinley Tech Ltd. They also inspired me with confidence having previously seen a Delorean and knew exactly what would suit the car and which local installer to use. They initially checked with LPGA it was OK to use a tank in the crumple zone and were advised it’d be fine as long as its vented. Not wanting to cut un-necessary holes in the panels I decide the filler cap should remain hidden near the existing fuel cap. Tinleys also advised of the above anti-backfire device as a precaution in addition to a new set of HT leads, plugs, distributor cap and a rotor arm.

We went with a Singlepoint system because of the mechanical fuel injection system... where a multipoint would use the injector signals from the electronic fuel injection system and as we didn’t have them the Singlepoint was the best option along with a full toroidal tank for quicker filling and a very neat installation.

I was happy with the Singlepoint option, if it suffered any power loss I could switch to petrol instantaneously but with 95% of Singlepoint owners can’t tell any difference I was happy with those odds. During the installation the idle screw was missing and a previous owner had sealed the hole with silicone. The oxygen sensor was all over the place and needed replacing despite having been replaced 18 months previously. The car was returned to me in a smoother running order than before.

After a weeks test it felt a little lumpy. I filled the tank at one third the cost of petrol, started it and got a backfire. Took it to Tinley Tech and after approximately 3 tank fulls the diaphragm can get a bit worn-in and the car can run a little leaner so with a minor adjustment and adjusting the timing from 14 degrees to 12 it’s been as smooth as silk ever since.

Vin #16723

Vin #4986

#4986 found on ebay with a long list of faults from Kentucky. After winning the auction the previous owner said it’d been stored in his barn for 13 years! 2 months later it arrived in Britain. Wouldn’t start, the doors wouldn’t stay open and the fuel system needed serious attention.

I had the help of another owner nearby. Eventually the car shaped up and came to life then had it’s own brush with fame on High Spirits... unfortunately the actor Mark Wooton crashed it causing several thousand pounds worth of damage.