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When the gull-wing doors of a DeLorean lift into the air, time seems to slow down. For many, that iconic stainless-steel silhouette will always be tied to the 1980s and a certain flux-capacitor-equipped time machine on the silver screen.
But in 2025, the DeLorean Motor Company isn’t just leaning on nostalgia. It’s aiming to reimagine itself with the Alpha5 – a fully electric coupe that blends the design cues of the past with the technology of tomorrow.
And in a twist that perfectly fits the brand’s rebellious legacy, you can’t reserve one with cash or a check. You’ll need cryptocurrency and a willingness to step into the world of NFTs.
This is more than just a car launch. It’s a case study in how automakers are experimenting with blockchain, web3 ecosystems, and digital ownership. And it’s a bold bet that the mix of retro cool and crypto innovation will find its audience.
Let’s break down how the Alpha5 came to be, what it offers under the hood (or, more accurately, under the floor), and why your crypto wallet is now the key to getting one.
Table of Contents
ToggleKey Points
- The DeLorean Alpha5 is an all-electric revival of the iconic gull-wing sports car with over 300 miles of range.
- Reservations require cryptocurrency and a $2,500 Build Slot NFT on the Sui blockchain.
- Fewer than 600 reservations have been made, and production is delayed to 2027.
- DeLorean’s DMC token and FLUX Protocol create a blockchain-based ownership and trading ecosystem.
A Quick Trip Through DeLorean History
The DeLorean story starts in 1975, when John Z. DeLorean, a charismatic former GM executive, founded his own car company.
The DMC-12, with its brushed stainless-steel body and gull-wing doors, promised to disrupt the sports car world. It was futuristic, photogenic, and completely unlike anything else on the road.
Unfortunately, the car’s reality didn’t match the hype. Production delays, quality issues, and financial mismanagement led to the company’s bankruptcy by 1982.
Ironically, the car’s second life began when Hollywood cast it as the time machine in Back to the Future. Suddenly, a car that had sold fewer than 9,000 units became immortal. Its pop culture status outlived its commercial failure, giving the DeLorean name a kind of untouchable cool.
Fast forward to the 2020s. A new entity, DeLorean Motor Company Inc., now based in Texas, acquired the rights to the brand. Unlike the original, this team isn’t trying to rebuild the past. Instead, it’s leaning into electric propulsion, web3 integration, and a distinctly modern approach to car ownership.
Meet the DeLorean Alpha5 EV
The Alpha5 is everything the original DeLorean couldn’t be: fast, refined, and fully electric. Designed by Italdesign – the same studio that penned the DMC-12 – the Alpha5 retains signature touches like the gull-wing doors and louvered rear glass, but the proportions and surfaces are pure 21st century.
Here’s what stands out:
Performance and Specs
Category | Details |
Price Estimate | ~$125,000 (unconfirmed) |
Range | 300+ miles |
0-60 mph | 2.99 seconds |
0-88 mph | ~4.35 seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph (electronically limited) |
Battery | 100+ kWh |
Charging Rate | 150 kW peak |
Drag Coefficient | 0.23 |
Production Volume | 4,000 units |
The numbers put the Alpha5 in competition with luxury EVs like the Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT. Its sub-3-second sprint to 60 mph is blistering, and the top speed is capped at 155 mph to balance performance with range.
Design and Interior
The Alpha5’s exterior is smooth and purposeful, avoiding the blocky stainless-steel nostalgia trap. The drag coefficient of 0.23 reflects serious attention to aerodynamics, which is essential for efficiency in EVs.
Inside, the car features a wraparound dashboard and dual-screen setup that puts critical info right in the driver’s line of sight. While the original DMC-12 could feel spartan, the Alpha5 leans into modern luxury, with illuminated logos, full-width rear lights, and seating for four.
That number has since been cut to 4,000, signaling a cautious approach to a very ambitious project. Reservations, as of mid-2025, sit at fewer than 600.
How Crypto and NFTs Power Your Reservation
Here’s where the Alpha5 really separates itself from the traditional car-buying experience. DeLorean isn’t just selling cars. It’s selling digital access to a production slot, and it’s doing so entirely on the blockchain.
Step-by-Step Reservation Process
- Join the Alpha Club: A one-time $88 fee gives access to the reservation system.
- Buy a Build Slot NFT: This $2,500 NFT represents your reservation. Slot numbers are assigned randomly.
- Use Crypto Only: Payments are made using DMC tokens (DeLorean’s native crypto) or USDC, a stablecoin, on the Sui blockchain.
- Set Up a Slush Wallet: This digital wallet holds your crypto and your NFTs, effectively becoming your digital key to the process.
Once your NFT is secured, it can be traded on the DeLorean Marketplace. If demand spikes, early buyers could potentially sell their build slots for a profit before the car even reaches production. Only the $2,500 deposit applies toward the final vehicle price.
This approach blends exclusivity with speculation. The company’s web3 arm, DeLorean Labs, sees it as the future of car ownership and sales.
The DMC Token and FLUX Protocol
To make the system work, DeLorean built a full blockchain ecosystem:
- DMC Token: A 12.8 billion supply coin used for reservations, ecosystem payments, digital collectibles, and potentially even governance decisions.
- FLUX Protocol: The blockchain layer that tracks ownership, reservation history, and vehicle data on the Sui blockchain.
- Build Slot NFTs: Tradable digital assets representing the right to a production slot.
To make the system work, you’ll need to acquire DMC tokens or USDC, which can be purchased with a bitcoin ATM for those in Georgia looking to easily convert cash to crypto.
DMC Token Allocation
Allocation | Percentage |
Ecosystem & Development | 45% |
Private Sale | 16% |
Strategic/Community Sale | 10% |
Team | 12% |
Advisors | 6% |
Airdrop & Rewards | 11% |
The FLUX Protocol allows everything – from reservations to ownership transfers – to be verified on-chain. It also promises future features like digital service records and verified maintenance history. The idea is that every Alpha5 will have a tamper-proof blockchain identity.
Benefits and Risks of the Crypto Approach
- Transparency: Blockchain-backed reservations reduce the risk of fraudulent resales.
- Tradable Reservations: NFTs create liquidity and the potential for speculative gains.
- Digital Ecosystem: DMC tokens and the FLUX Protocol create a digital backbone for ownership, data, and future services.
- Volatility: Crypto prices can swing wildly, potentially affecting your deposit’s real-world value.
- Complexity: Setting up wallets, buying tokens, and managing NFTs is still a hurdle for many car enthusiasts.
- Regulatory Uncertainty: Shifts in U.S. crypto regulation could complicate the process.
- Market Risk: With fewer than 600 reservations so far, demand remains unproven.
Even with Patrick Stewart lending his voice to the project, skepticism is real. Some crypto and car forums have debated whether the NFT angle is an innovation or a gimmick. Others raise concerns about production delays and the very limited reservation count.
Where Things Stand In August 2025
As of August 2025, here’s the reality of the Alpha5 project:
- Production Timeline: Delayed to 2027, three years behind the original schedule.
- Reservation Count: Fewer than 600 Build Slot NFTs sold.
- NFT Migration: Early 2023 NFTs are being migrated to Sui to integrate with the current system.
- Family Disputes: Ongoing legal sparring with John DeLorean’s family adds drama to the brand revival.
- Community Reaction: Excitement in crypto circles, hesitation among traditional car buyers.
The tension between innovation and accessibility is palpable. The car itself is gorgeous, fast, and culturally magnetic. The crypto-first buying model? That’s still an experiment in search of a mass audience.
The Road Ahead
The DeLorean Alpha5 is, in many ways, a product of two eras. It’s a car born from the shadow of the 1980s but built with the digital-first philosophy of the 2020s. The project is daring, maybe even polarizing. And that might be the point. DeLorean has never aimed for the middle of the road.
If the company can deliver the Alpha5 as promised – an electric sports coupe with the style of the original and the speed to match Tesla and Porsche – the crypto-based reservation system could become more than a novelty. It could become a blueprint for how high-end, limited-run vehicles are sold in the digital age.
Until then, the Alpha5 remains a pre-production dream, a gleaming pair of gull-wing doors suspended between past and future. And if you want to be among the first to own one, you won’t be heading to a dealership with a cashier’s check.
You’ll be logging into a crypto wallet, minting an NFT, and buying a little piece of DeLorean history on the blockchain.