"DeLorean had wanted to implement his E.R.M. process in building the structure of his car, but time/money constraints forced the more tested G.R.P. process. The video reveals more."

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G.R.P. Body [0.6 MB]

Without a doubt, had Lotus not been brought in to develop the car there is a 99.9 per cent certainty that it would have been still-born. The ERM process with which John DeLorean wooed the interest of so many investors has proved to be totally impractical for a complete car application.

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"This gives a nice view of the fiberglass-reinforced plastic pontoon that was made at the factory. It was stamped together like a sandwich."

Elastic Reservoir Moulding meant taking two 1/2 in layers of foam and compressing them together with a layer of resin between. By the time the foam had been compressed to just 1/6 in (4 mm) it would become a very light strong and stiff panel. It promised to be better than glassfibre and even easier to produce. In the end that promise was never fulfilled and glassfibre took its place; for one thing it appeared that the dies for pressing ERM would have to be almost as precise and expensive as those for a conventional steel unit.

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"The E.R.M. body would have been a lot lighter than the G.R.P. mold, but both seemed to have very good absorbance capabilities, which is good for impacts."

The DeLorean is being designed for 40-mph barrier impact occupant survivability. One of the ways this is achieved is by using ERM.

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"These pontoons were made throughout the night in order to have enough for the day crew to build cars with. There was a separate building for this production and housing of the pods."

DeLorean's first step was to establish a subsidiary company (called Composite Technology Corporation) which would develop the Elastic Reservoir Moulding (ERM) technique that he had licensed from Royal Dutch Shell.

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"Pay close attention to the line in the middle of the car. That is where the two separate sections were molded together."