WHILE millions of film fans dream of owning Bond’s Aston Martin or Bruce Wayne’s Batmobile, Ollie Wilkey has turned his movie car fantasy into a reality. The self-employed inventory clerk, from Somerset, is the proud owner of a DeLorean Time Machine – the iconic vehicle made famous in the Back to the Future series. The car was built in Florida by an ex-NASA engineer and Universal Studios constructor, and later bought by his friend Luke, from Leeds, UK, who sold it to Ollie in February 2014 for a five-figure sum. Although sadly not capable of traveling back to 1955, the “screen accurate” DeLorean features everything from a flux capacitor to a Mr Fusion Home Energy Reactor. And when the souped-up vehicle reaches 88mph, it activates a special time travel sequence, including lights and sound effects. Ollie runs a business renting the car out, but still finds time to take the DeLorean for a spin - and the car never fails to attract hordes of appreciative onlookers.
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:0001 A Time Machine
00:17In a traffic jam, not something you see every day, unless you live near Ollie Wilkie.
00:23But while this car might not actually be able to travel through time, its owner believes
00:28his pride and joy is the most screen accurate back-to-the-future DeLorean in Britain.
00:33A lifelong fan of the films, Ollie knew from a young age that he wanted a car just like
00:38Marty McFly's.
00:3902 Ollie Wilkie
00:40I saw it when I was about 10 and I thought, I bet when I learn to drive, I can get a DeLorean.
00:45There's about 6,500 left. If you can get a good running one, they're a good investment.
00:50At age 26, he was able to buy and renovate an original DeLorean, which he still owns.
00:5603 DeLorean
00:57The first DeLorean I bought in pieces as a restoration, I was able to pay for the parts
01:01over the two years that we did it up. It was a long process and it was essentially my savings
01:06fund.
01:07But then a couple of years later, his time travel dreams came true, when he had the chance
01:12to buy this sci-fi work of art.
01:1404 DeLorean
01:15I bought the car through the DeLorean Owners Club. I met a guy on there who bought this
01:20car and imported it from America. The real life Doc Brown, as it were, is an ex-NASA
01:26electrical engineer based in Florida. He now converts DeLoreans into back to the future
01:31replica time machines.
01:32And the attention to detail is every fan's dream, including iconic props like the flux
01:37capacitor and Mr. Fusion.
01:3904 DeLorean
01:40My favourite part of the car is the time circuits where you can input your destination time.
01:48When you hit 88 miles an hour, it will activate time travel mode. It will look and act as
01:54if it had made a jump through time.
01:58The most iconic parts of the car is its gold wing doors. When you open the doors, it makes
02:03futuristic opening noises as it does in the film.
02:07To complete the experience, Oli has managed to acquire a host of replica props from the
02:13film.
02:1404 DeLorean
02:15People love the Nike shoes. They love the hoverboard. People get just as excited about
02:19the hoverboard as they do about the whole car.
02:21While the car isn't exactly practical for going down the shops, it does attract plenty
02:25of attention.
02:2604 DeLorean
02:27I've had people right up behind me taking a video. You almost get a bit worried because
02:31it's not so much you're driving but someone going to the back of you. Luckily, I've never
02:34been pulled over in it. Whenever I do see police, they usually just give you a thumbs
02:38up and a smile.
02:3905 Oli
02:40Entrepreneur Oli has even managed to turn his boyhood dream into a business, hiring
02:44out the car for weddings and other events.
02:47But what does his girlfriend Anna think?
02:4905 Oli
02:50At first, I was a bit like, yes, OK, it's another DeLorean. And then I got inside it
02:53and then I got really excited as well. And I did a bit like a little kid, pressing all
02:56the buttons and it does this, it does that. I've always liked the films but I didn't necessarily
03:01call myself a fan as in I'd want to get one. I'd rather get a Volkswagen Campervan so I'd
03:06happily get the one that the Libyans come in. That would be the next thing that I would
03:11like. Thank you very much. Instead of having two DeLoreans.
03:15What does the future hold for Oli and his DeLoreans? Only time will tell.