'Back to the Future' DeLorean added to National Historic Vehicle Register

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The original Back to the Future is an icon of cinema and a true classic, but it likely wouldn’t have seen as much recognition if it wasn’t for its true main character, a 1981 DeLorean that loved to stall. Now, that vehicle is being added to the National Historic Vehicle Register for posterity.

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The registry is run by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior.

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The main goal of the register is to “recognize and document” historically significant vehicles, and Doc’s DeLorean definitely qualifies, being significant across the past, present, and future.

Despite the negativity surrounding the DeLorean Motor Company ‘s demise, in the early ’80s, the film managed to turn the car into an icon, one worth recognizing. Unfortunately, by the time the Time Machine saw the limelight, DeLorean had already gone out of business.

While there were three different versions of the vehicle built for each movie in the franchise, the “Hero Car” from the first film specifically will take the honour of being inducted into the registry. The original vehicle used in the film was restored in 2013, and now lives in the Petersen Automotive Museum in California.

The DeLorean joins several other movie cars in the registry, such as the 1985 Modena Spyder from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Frank Bullitt’s 1968 Mustang; and 26 other important vehicles.