The history of the Dunmurry Dream already has enough lurid appeal to stand alongside the best plot that Harold Robbins could produce, and fresh ingredients are added almost daily to the true life melodrama that could be (and no doubt will become) the stirring scripts for ?a major? film in the best Hollywood tradition.

"Take a look at the windshield and T section of the car. Any more downward force could have made that section collapse even more which could have been very dangerous."

It (DeLorean project) had taken 18 months to get nowhere with the Puerto Ricans. The Eire Government took five months to vet the project and turn it down. In Northern Ireland, from the first approach by the Labour Government to the final signing on the Aug. 3 1978, it took just 45 days.

"Look at that busted up wheel. Almost looks like it is trying to go into hover-mode, but this is no BTTF car."

Certainly, the cars, clad in their stainless steel, wipe-clean panels, look good and now seem to be very well finished. Go out into the Belfast countryside at dead of night and you're likely to run into a few DeLoreans, being pounded around the backroads by members of Ulster Auto Club who are packing in 50,000 miles of final testing before the cars go on sale.

"Who said DeLorean's weren't safe cars? After seeing the damage to this car and how the owner survived it, I don't feel as badly driving around in my car with all these big SUVs on the road."