By Gordon Carpenter | With contributions by Skip Vaughan, Robert Lamrock and Paul Jenkins. Reprint courtesy of DeLorean Owners Association, Original Publication: DeLorean World Spring/Summer 2016
Arriving in Belfast for the 2016 Eurofest was like an opening scene to an epic movie. Sunshine through the airplane window woke us a few moments prior to crossing the western coast of Ireland. We have never seen a place with such vivid green vegetation.
The ‘ice breaker’ to get everyone mingling at Eurofest 2016 was the Cocktail party at the top of the Europa Hotel. We later learned that over 250 owners and enthusiasts from 18 countries were in attendance. We found it hard to spend significant time with old friends because there were so many new people to get to know. As the DeLorean Owners Association Membership Director, it was great getting to meet ‘in person’ many of you that I had recently exchanged correspondence with. From the great vantage point of the Europa Hotel party room, many pointed to places that we would visit in during the Expo. Belfast is truly an interesting city with a long and proud heritage to share with tourists.
Trying to organize and drive 78 DeLoreans from the Europa Hotel to the Belfast Parliament building for the traditional Eurofest group photo went quite smoothly. Belfast police gave participants with DeLoreans the ‘royal priority’ through a maze of streets and highways, making arrival at all Eurofest event locations a pleasure. This group photo was made special by the official culmination of the DeLorean World Tour in which three DeLoreans circumnavigated 24,000+ miles around the earth. Read more about this in a future issue of DeLorean World.
We found the trip to the Ulster Folk & Transportation Museum to be an exceptional experience. This multi-story facility has real examples of everything from bicycles to trains. The exhibit for the Titanic is very informative and emotional. Of course, the DeLorean exhibit was the highlight of this Eurofest outing. On display was one of the first DeLoreans off the assembly line, used to complete the 50,000 mile certification test program. Alongside this car was a rolling frame with the key mechanical components installed for an easy visualization of what lies beneath the beautiful stainless steel body of a DeLorean. Great attention was put into explaining the DeLorean story via a timeline of photos, newspaper headlines, and quotes from significant DMC executives and others related to this automotive achievement!
Also on display was a wooden mock-up of the DeLorean, used by the design team to visualize features under consideration. The left and right sides of the mock-up had alternative side window concepts. The trunk lid included two concepts of design transition to the windshield and placement of the gas port flap. Even a side fuel tank port was under consideration as evidenced by tape residue on the left fender. Design variations kept popping out at you the longer you studied this DeLorean display.
Our day at the DeLorean factory was both exciting and anticlimactic. As Montupet UK has steadily expanded into the former DeLorean factory, they have steadily removed historical content from the walls and floors of the structure. At this Eurofest, it was discovered that the photos of the factory and people have been completely removed. Those of us wishing to visit the building interior were not openly encouraged to do so. However, outside the thrill of driving a DeLorean on the test track was an enormous hit! Many owners sat in line to experience the tract multiple times. I want to thank Klaus Steiner for taking me around the test track in his DeLorean World Tour car, an epic moment for me! The DeLorean half mile long track continues to survive and remains in existence today thanks to the United Kingdom DeLorean Association, Montupet UK, and Bombardier Aerospace.
This fantastic day was wrapped up with a wonderful banquet at the Europa. We were especially enriched during the evening program with ‘life’ at DeLorean Motor Company Ltd. (DMCL) stories shared by Barrie Wills. As DMCL Director of Purchasing, beginning October 1978, he was close to the center of action throughout development and production of the DeLorean DMC12. Looking to the future, Stephen Wynne, CEO of present Day DMC, shared DMC’s progress toward manufacturing replica DeLoreans beginning in 2017.
The final day of Eurofest 2016 started out cool and clear, a pleasant relief from the rain of the past few days. The bus ride to the Titanic Museum was great, showing us the narrow city roads, the roundabouts, all from the British (wrong) side of the road as compared to the side that ‘main-landers’ drive on!
The Titanic Museum building is quite a site to see, as most if the external surface is covered in beautiful sheets of brushed stainless steel. An elevator takes you to the upper floors and of course a GIFT shop with great stuff related to the Titanic. However, the real Titanic experience is a unique suspended tram ride that takes you through the many stages of building the Titanic. From the setting of the keel, and the riveting of the Ship sides, this multi-story ride transports you all the way up to the upper decks, illustrating how an overhead crane is used to lift everything, the side plates to the deck and above into place. The top floor of the museum is a banquet room in which the Grand staircase of the Titanic has been recreated, just like that shown in the 1997 hit movie, Titanic.
Eurofest 2016 concluded with a wonderful dinner in the Titanic Museum grand ballroom. Presentation of the DeLorean World Tour highlights and an Awards presentation to honor significant accomplishments of participants and the Eurofest 2016 event leaders (Robert Lamrock Paul Jenkins and Brian Hamilton) closed out the 2016 Eurofest. The DeLorean Eurofest 2016 was an experience we will remember for a long time!
