A 1981 DeLorean with only 977 miles on its odometer was found in a barn in Wisconsin. – Mike McElhattan
An iconic vehicle from the 1980s was discovered in good condition in Wisconsin: a 1981 DeLorean.
The blast from the past, perhaps best known as the type of car used in “Back to the Future,” sat in a Waukesha County barn for almost 20 years. The 42-year-old vehicle still has all its original parts and only 977 miles on it.
The stainless-steel machine has a new owner after sitting in the barn untouched and undriven.
“He said he would go out in the barn and just look at it, because he thought it was a really cool car,” Michael McElhattan said.
McElhattan is the owner of DeLorean Midwest in Crystal Lake, Illinois, a restoration company. He says he got wind of the hidden treasure by a phone call all the way from New Mexico.
“It happened pretty quick, because once I found out the car was close and it was a low mileage car, I was excited to go take a look,” he said.
The nephew of the car’s original owner told McElhattan they were looking to sell the piece of history.
So, he and his social media coordinator, Kevin Thomas, made the trip to the barn to see their dream car. When they got there, they found more than they bargained for.
“We open it up and the first thing I saw was a mouse go running across the center console,” McElhattan said.
Despite the mice invasion, McElhattan says this car has withstood the test of time.
“The condition of the leather, the condition of the instruments cluster in the dash, and a lot of places where you see sun damage, and that’s one of the big killers on this – this car virtually has no sun damage,” he said.
He said he is hopeful he can restore the car back to its glory days.
“To take a car from this condition to what I know we can do with it is just, that’s an adventure anybody wants to be on,” McElhattan said.
This article was first published by KKTV.com.