DeLorean Car Show 2006

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the DeLorean, and Suz and I joined the unforgettable festivities this past weekend at the Pheasant Run Resort in Chicago. The event was the largest DeLorean gathering in history, with 156 DMC-12s making the journey, most under their own power and a few being trailered in.

Trailer Queens included 7 Concours worthy DeLoreans, and, I suspect, at least one of the Time Machines. Yes, that's right, Time Machines. There were multiple Back To The Future time machines present, each one unique, spectacular, and oozing with glorious nerdiness.

As if they couldn't make Pheasant Run more exciting, DCS 2006 was merged with the Bloomington Gold Corvette show at the same resort, which saw six thousand Corvettes joining the DeLoreans. It was a spectacular sight to see, if you could keep your eyes open against the sun's atomic rays blasting off the polished stainless bodies.

Our group was privileged to watch the debut screening of Looking Back At The Future, a documentary which essentially looks at the reasons why the movie franchise Back To The Future was so successful, and why it remains so popular even 20 years later. The documentary interviewed the producers, directors, and nearly all the key actors except Michael J. Fox, who continues to focus his energies on his foundation for fighting Parkinson's Disease.

Vendors such as Rob Grady of New York's P.J. Grady's and Video Bob of bttfstuff.com set up displays and processed credit cars all day long while some of the actors from the Back To The Future movies mingled with the guests, including me. John DeLorean's daughter, Kathryn, seemed only too happy to meet new people like myself, and with old friends she had met at previous events.

The Concours cars were judged during the weekend celebration. The judges spent 3 hours on each car entered into the Concours and, using their judging skills and super powers, determined 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Awards were presented to the luckiest of DeLorean owners during Saturday night's dinner.

But everyone present was lucky, even if they didn't win a thing, as the most precious DeLorean ever was revealed to us Friday night. Prototype 1, hidden since 1984, was purchased for approximately $100,000 U.S. in January 2004, restored, and unveiled to us in spectacular fashion. It is a moment I will never forget. In fact, the entire weekend is one I will never forget.