<Tr> <Th> Height </Th> <Td> 1,140 mm (44.9 in) doors closed 1,961 mm (77.2 in) doors open </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Curb weight </Th> <Td> 1,230 kg (2,712 lb) </Td> </Tr> <P> The DeLorean DMC - 12 (commonly referred to simply as "the DeLorean", as it was the only model ever produced by the company) is a sports car originally manufactured by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981 to 1983 . The car features gull - wing doors and an innovative fiberglass body structure with a steel backbone chassis, along with external brushed stainless - steel body panels . It became widely known and iconic for its appearance, and because a modified DMC - 12 was immortalized as the DeLorean time machine in the Back to the Future media franchise . </P> <P> The first prototype appeared in October 1976 . Production officially began in 1981 in Dunmurry, a suburb of southwest Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the first DMC - 12 rolled off the production line on January 21 . Over the course of production, several features of the car were changed, such as the hood style, wheels, and interior . About 9,000 DMC - 12s were made before production halted in early 1983 . </P>

What type of car was in back to the future