DeLorean goes electric for 25th anniversary of 'Back to the Future'

When it comes to conjuring up memories of the classic time-traveling film "Back to the Future," nothing does it like seeing a DeLorean DMC-12.

Originally manufactured for the American market in 1981-82, only 6,500 of the original 9,000 are believed to exist. The car is most remembered for being the instrument of time travel used by the character Doc Brown.

"The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style," he famously says in the 1985 film.

While the original vehicle ran on gasoline (with some help from plutonium to knock it back and forth through time), the folks over at Wired Italy thought it would be cool to add some future tech to the DeLorean. So, to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary, they took a DMC-12 and gave it an electric makeover.

"This is all real future, not back to the future," said Wired Italy Features Editor Massimiliano Ferramondo.

The team documented the project as a feature on its website (www.electricrace.it), as the 90-kilowatt engine and custom-designed lithium-ion batteries (silently) roared to life this month. Afterward, the lucky editors left Wired's offices in Milan and traveled back roads as they snaked their way across the Italian countryside toward the Rome Film Festival, which started Thursday and runs through Nov. 5. Along the way, they stopped in towns where Universal Pictures planned to show a digitally remastered version of "Back to the Future."

DeLorean goes electric for 25th anniversary of 'Back to the Future' - San Jose Mercury News