What If Marty and Doc Went Back to the Future in a Porsche 959 Time Machine?
Porsche 959, there is no substitute when you want to build a time machine into a car.
When it comes to escapist 80’s movies, Back to the Future is at the top of the list. It holds up well today, providing an entertaining mix of humor and drama. The time travel element is a simplified plot device to throw Marty McFly and Emmet “Doc” Brown into an adventure. And if you like cars, the time machine made out of a DMC DeLorean adds a coolness factor while becoming something of a running joke.
Rumor has it that John Z. DeLorean, founder of DeLorean Motors, wrote to the producers thanking them for using one of his cars. The story of John DeLorean and the company he founded would also make a great movie. But it would be more in line with Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street than a family-friendly flick. And while the DeLorean car looks cool, with its stainless steel body and gullwing doors, it lacked the performance to back up its looks. To travel in time, the movie DeLorean accelerates to 88 mph and the flux capacitor kicks in. The car looks fast while standing still, but the real DeLorean barely covered a quarter-mile in 17.9 sec at 76.5 mph. Weighted down with all of the time machine hardware, a stock DeLorean would barely outrun a VW Vanagon.
So what would make a better time machine for a 1980s flick? Something faster with the same futuristic vibe as a DeLorean? A Corvette C4? Lamborghini Countach? For at least one person, the answer is Porsche 959. Carlos Pecino, known as Colorsponge Carlos on social media, came up with the idea for an automotive social-media challenge. The idea of a Porsche 959 time machine simply works. Not only does it look timeless and futuristic, but with 444 horsepower on tap, it does 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, topping out at 198 mph. Doc and Marty wouldn’t need roads, or a flying car, to hit 88 mph in a 959 based time machine.
In addition to rendering the Porsche 959 with the additional time machine components, Pecino added gullwing doors. It’s a nice nod to the DeLorean and works well with the Porsche’s shape. But that’s where the tribute to the DeLorean ends. Everything about the Porsche 959 was re-imagined, including the shape of the components and how they integrate into the car. The overall result looks immediately familiar, but the details are totally different, right down to the Hoosier tires.
In the original movie, Marty seems incredulous that Doc built a time machine out of a DeLorean. Doc responds, “If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” At $225,000 in 1986 money, a 959 may be out of Doc’s price range. But when you need a fast, stylish, futuristic yet timeless car to build a time machine – there is no substitute.
Photos: Colorsponge Carlos
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