Exotic Technology

The fiberglass sections of the car were originally to be manufactured using a new technology known in the DeLorean literature as ERM. This technology was being developed by a DMC subsidiary and early research showed great promise for the technology. Toward the end of development this process was substituted with the Lotus VARI (somethime also referred to as VRIM) injection molding technology which had proven itself for Lotus which was completing the development for DeLorean.

Mass production of the stainless steel body panels required some new manufacturing technology be developed. I understand the panels were manufactured by a German company but have no details on the process or the company engaged to perform the manufacture.

The cars themselves were assembled in a state of the art assembly line referred to as the "Star Wars" assembly line in at least one book I have read. The highly automated factory featured operator-less robotic car carriers that would transport the vehicled though the various stages of assembly. Having been built from the ground up in a boggy marsh in record time, the factory was truly an engineering showcase at the time.

Fortunately for the many DeLorean owners, the new technology in the DeLorean has held up remarkably well and have not been a source of maintenance problems.