Display features three unique DeLoreans: a replica of the movie car, a monster truck and a limo
CONCORD, N.C. (March 24, 2015) – Switch on the flux capacitor, point your DeLorean DMC-12 toward Charlotte Motor Speedway and accelerate to 88 miles an hour! The classic time-travel film “Back to the Future”turns 30 during the April 9-12 AutoFair with a display in the Nationwide Showcase Pavilion honoring its automotive star.
“Back to the Future”was the top-grossing movie of 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly who travels through time with scientist Doc Brown using a DeLorean. The speedway will not only pay homage to the popular 1980s film with a replica DeLorean time machine, but “Great Scott!” there will be monster truck and limo DeLoreans as well.
Movie buffs may know that the DeLorean was not the original time machine concocted for the film. McFly’s original mode of temporal transport was a refrigerator, but the writer realized the time machine needed to be mobile and more visual. When creators decided on the DeLorean DMC-12, the somewhat unpopular vehicle, which was no longer in production when the movie came out, turned into a pop culture phenomenon and drew the attention of car lovers from around the country.
Illinois native, Rich Weissensel, was a fan of the car before the movie ever came out, but purchased his first DeLorean the year the movie premiered. The DeLorean collector is the mastermind behind the D-Rex monster truck and the DeLorean limo, both of which will be on display in the Nationwide Showcase Pavilion during the automotive extravaganza.
The massive D-Rex monster truck features the body of a DeLorean on a 1979 Chevrolet K5 Blazer 4×4 chassis. D-Rex towers above other cars on the road with its 12 inch lift kit, 44 inch TSL Super Swamper Bogger tires and other modifications. The gargantuan project took only one month for Weissensel to complete.
The DeLorean limo, a continuing work in progress for Weissensel, is just as big in its own right. The limo features six gullwing doors, custom fabricated stainless steel panels and back-bone chassis and utilizes parts from several wrecked DeLorean cars. Once the interior and engine are complete, Weissensel will be ready to take it out for a test drive.
See all three of these truly unique cars as part of the “Back to the Future” display April 9-12 in the Nationwide Showcase Pavilion. AutoFair features nearly 50 car club displays and more than 10,000 vendor spaces offering an array of automotive parts and memorabilia. More than 1,500 collectible vehicles of all makes and models will be available for sale in the car corral that rings the 1.5-mile superspeedway. In addition, up to 200 cars will be auctioned by Dealer Auctions Inc., and kids can enjoy face-painting, bounce houses and other games and entertainment in the Play Zone.
Hours for the April 9-12 AutoFair are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Ticket prices are $11 per day for adults and children 13 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Fans who buy three tickets get the fourth day free. Parking for the event is $5. For more information on the four-day event, contact the speedway events department at (704) 455-3205 or visit our website.
To purchase tickets, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267), or visit our website.
Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information from the speedway by downloading the new Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
About Charlotte Motor Speedway
For more than 50 years, Charlotte Motor Speedway has set the standard for motorsports entertainment for fans of all ages.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only race vacation destination where fans can immerse themselves in the heart of NASCAR country. Visitors can attend one-of-a-kind race spectacles such as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500; take behind-the-scenes speedway and race shop tours; explore the NASCAR Hall of Fame; and drive an 800-horsepower stock car.
Through every event and every decade, Charlotte Motor Speedway puts FANS FIRST with a never-ending commitment to enhance the fan experience. That tradition continues with unmatched value through affordable season tickets, unparalleled prerace entertainment and more opportunities for fans to see their favorite drivers.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.