DeLorean Motor Co. (DMC), the revived automotive brand known for its iconic stainless steel-bodied DMC-12 sports coupe in the early 1980s, is back and making its mark in the air. Last week at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the company announced it will enter the Airspeeder International Series, the world’s first racing series for electric flying cars, as constructor of the United States Airspeeder team. The team will be known as the DeLorean Airspeeder Team, and will make its racing debut when the 2026-27 season begins in November.

The announcement makes DMC the first American constructor in flying car racing, lining up against national teams from around the world in the first international season of the series. Other teams listed on the Airspeeder Series website include Australia and Italy. The spec racing series uses electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles manufactured by Australia-based Alauda Aeronautics. The aircraft design, pilot lineup, and competition details will be revealed ahead of the season opener, according to the announcement.

The connection to flying DeLorean vehicles in popular culture, thanks to the Back to the Future movies in the 1980s, which featured a flying DeLorean, isn’t lost on the leadership of DMC or Airspeeder.

“DeLorean has always stood for the courage to imagine transportation differently,” said Cameron Wynne, Chief Brand Officer at DeLorean Motor Co. “People have pictured a DeLorean in the sky for forty years. We decided it was time to stop picturing it.

“DeLorean is the original flying car brand,” said Matt Pearson, Founder and CEO at Airspeeder. “Long before anyone had built one, the whole world already knew what a flying DeLorean looked like. To have an American icon line up on our grid in our first international season tells you where this sport is going. America has repeatedly changed how the world moves, on the road, in the air, and beyond, and the DeLorean Airspeeder Team carries that ambition into a new arena.”

In the Airspeeder International Series, national teams race eVTOL aircraft in three dimensions through electronically defined courses, rather than around a conventional circuit. For its debut season, the DeLorean team will race the Airspeeder Mk3C, with DeLorean leading its design identity.

Key features of the 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long, 100-kg (220-lb) uncrewed Mk3C are a 96-kW electric powertrain in an octocopter X-formation layout. Its speed can exceed 75 mph (120 km/h), with a high thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 2:1. It is equipped with lidar, radar, and vision collision-avoidance systems that build a virtual force field, with enhanced telemetry developed with Telstra. It features a “slide-and-lock” rapid battery-swapping system.

For the 2027-28 season, the DeLorean Airspeeder will be designed in collaboration with student engineering teams at universities across the U.S., including the University of California, UC Berkeley, and Georgia Tech.

“Motorsport has always been where mobility brands prove themselves,” said Wynne. “Competition compresses development cycles: systems are tested in public, teams learn quickly, and performance is measured under pressure. Through its partnership with Airspeeder, DeLorean aims to participate at the ground level, advancing not only the technology behind flying vehicles but also the regulatory, safety, and compliance frameworks required for their responsible adoption. While widespread use remains over the horizon, the opportunity is significant. By engaging early, DeLorean is positioning to help turn future mobility from a vision into practical, scalable reality.”

The DeLorean Motor Co. was originally founded in 1975 by auto executive John DeLorean and was based in Detroit. The company produced its only model, the DMC-12, between early 1981 and late 1982, and eventually fell into bankruptcy after Mr. DeLorean was caught on video in illegal activities as part of a sting operation. He was later acquitted, but the DMC brand remained dormant until 1995, when it was acquired by Stephen Wynne.

The new version of DMC has since grown as a provider of parts and services to owners of DeLorean DMC-12 vehicles, such as maintenance, restoration, and the sale of replacement parts. In 2022, the company unveiled a new electric vehicle, the Alpha5, which was inspired by the original DMC-12. However, the Alpha5 EV never made it to production.

Other prominent EV and traditional automotive manufacturers, including Stellantis, Toyota, General Motors, BYD and Honda have formalized plans to get into the eVTOL vehicle business, with some planning to enter the urban air mobility market through dedicated subsidiaries, internal research and development, or joint-venture production agreements.