• Any DMC-12 is an icon of its day, but this DeLorean twin turbocharger returns to the 1980s as it was formerly owned by the late actor Jim Varney, who played Ernest P. Worrell in a series of beloved films.
• DeLorean is often mocked unfairly for the modest 130 hp produced by the 2.85L V6 engine. Here, the twin turbochargers bring power to 200 hp.
• Because of their popularity, the availability of spare parts for these vehicles is quite good. This example has the potential to be an excellent weekend driver and comes with a great story for your local Car and Coffee meet. Bidding ends Friday, May 27.
If you were a kid of the 1980s, the first rubber-faced comedian you fell in love with wasn’t Jim Carrey, but Jim Varney. Despite training as a serious Shakespeare actor, Varney achieved breakthrough success with his ludicrous role in the film Ernest. Ernest goes camping. Ernest Saves Christmas. Ernest and the Flimsy Pretext for another oddly profitable movie. The DeLorean shown here belongs to the late actor and it is currently listed on the auction site Give an intro — like Vehicle and Driveris part of Hearst Autos.
By all accounts a kind, sharp, and sensitive man, Varney made his fortune pretending to be a complete idiot. But at least a lovable idiot. Armed with his signature catchphrase, “KnowhutImean, Vern?” he made a mistake in life, destroying everything before resetting it. When you’re eight, there’s nothing more fun than watching an adult spectacularly fail to unplug the toilet. Ernest is a household name and Varney has made millions of dollars.
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When he was born and lived in Kentucky, you would expect the money to go to a large ranch and some sort of pickup truck. Yes, but Varney clearly has a more sophisticated fashion sense. At some point he bought this 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, and it was later fitted with the Island Twin Turbo system by Turbo Manifold Inc, of New York.
In 1981, Vehicle and Driver tested the DMC-12 with the Ferrari 308GTSi, Porsche 911SC, Datsun 280ZX and Chevrolet Corvette. The DeLorean is the slowest car, but not too big, and the car’s unique exterior and interior design impresses. “What DeLorean has here is no less the executive sports car,” we said.
Sadly, that conclusion is based on some wishful thinking. “Its performance has the potential to be fully successful if John Z.’s deal with Legend Industries, the maker of Fiat’s turbo roadsters, delivers the twin-turbo performance he’s been counting on.” It didn’t.
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John Z. DeLorean’s spectacular fall has been well documented, the subject of two films in recent years. In a way, this car is the answer to the question What could have been? Turbo Manifold Inc. grew up from the ashes of Legend Industries, after the collapse of DeLorean bankrupted that company. While the system is relatively simple and safe to run at low altitudes, the DMC-12’s 200-horsepower 2,700-pound unit would be excellent performance in the mid-1980s. It’s not far off from what you get. included in the previous generation Subaru BRZ.
While Varney clearly loves his DeLorean, and there are pictures of him with it, at some point the car was parked. But just as Jim Varney is more than a denim vest and khaki hat, the DMC-12 is better than its reputation. This example with its cycle-accurate turbines allows you to imagine a world where, perhaps, Ernest Saving DeLorean. KnowhutImean, Vern? As of May 21, with six days left in the auction, bids were at $32,000.
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