'It blew me away' - car-mad dad goes Back to the Future by recreating Delorean time machine

A motor-mad father is turning heads after spending a small fortune recreating famous cars from the movies.

James Napier, from Essex, has spent £500,000 on his collection, which includes the four-wheeled stars of films like Back to the Future and Knight Rider.

Mr Napier's DMC Delorean, immortalised as Doc's time machine in Back To The Future, is his pride and joy.

He has spent two years recreating every detail on the rare sports car - just 9000 of them were made in the early 80s - even down to the famous flux capacitor.

He said: "I think it's remembering what the films meant to me as a child, how they made me feel, how they still make me feel when I watch them now.

"For the Delorean, I think it was the second Back to the Future film my dad and me went  to see in the cinema and it blew me away, I'd never seen anything like it before."

The Delorean from the back Credit: ITV News Anglia

The dad-of-three admits his obsession spills over into normal life and he sometimes uses the cars for everyday trips.

"Yes, I've taken the kids to school in it. A lot of interested kids, looking at the car, a lot of people maybe not understanding what it is as well.

"We've also been through a McDonalds drive through with it as well, Starbucks drive through."

James Napier has spent £500,000 on his collection of cars from the movies Credit: ITV News Anglia

The Delorean is one of seven cars Mr Napier has brought to life from the movies.

The famous time machine showing the years in the Delorean Credit: ITV News Anglia

It was famous as the car used to time travel in the Back to the Future films, with the flux capacitor kicking in at 88mph.

Also in Mr Napier's collection: KITT from Knight Rider, Eleanor from Gone in 60 seconds, Bumblebee from Transformers and a Jurassic Park jeep.

KITT from Knight Rider and the Jurassic Park jeep are two of Mr Napier's other creations Credit: ITV News Anglia

Mr Napier said converting the cars started out as a lockdown project but quickly spiralled out of control as he indulged a trip down memory lane.

"KITT the car who can drive and talk itself, that was never heard of back then, obviously it's normal now but every single one has some little memory."

He said wherever he goes in them heads tend to turn and phones come out.


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