Alleged son of DeLorean inventor designs rebooted version he says Taliban wants

By Tom Bevan via SWNS

The self-proclaimed son of the DeLorean inventor has designed a rebooted version and claims he has received orders - from the TALIBAN.

Ty DeLorean, 40, says the current rulers of Afghanistan want his 'Back To The Future' cars to be used by government officials there.

He been trying to reignite the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) by building hybrids of the iconic cars - mixed with Reliant Robins.

Ty claims to be the son of car legend John Delorean and has been advertising his latest version.

He says he has now received an offer from the newly-formed hard-line Afghan government.

In an email, he was told the militant group that took back control of the country last year, wanted to mass-produce his vehicle for its government officials.

And he said he was "open" to the business opportunity as he felt it could be used as part of peace negotiations as a "vehicle for change."

Ty, of Newquay, England, said he had subsequently been in contact with the British government who told him it was illegal to make deals with the Taliban.

But he said if they did drop their hard-line stance against women he could be open to entering into discussions with them.

He said: "I had offers for business from the current Afghan government, but I don't really know what to do about it.

"It was via email saying they had received previous news reports of the car on their desk and they were interested in mass-producing it.

''They would start with cars for government officials and lead on from that.

"I am now just waiting to hear from the transport minister to see what more they have got to say.

"I phoned the UK government and they said they wanted to see all the emails. And they told me it was illegal to do business with the Taliban in any way shape or form.

"That put a bit of a dampener on things, but I probably wouldn't have pursued it anyway because of their laws against women.

"I thought the car could be some sort of peace negotiation. Like a vehicle for change. Just like the original DeLorean helped bring groups together - maybe the car could be used to get the Taliban to drop their hard-line stance.

"Like a new beginning in the middle east peace negotiations."

The communication was supposedly from the current Afghani transport minister, Qudratullah Zaki.

He apparently wrote to Ty: “The Civil Aviation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan extends its compliments to you and your brilliant motor vehicle at Delorean motor company.

“Your amazing achievements were brought to my attention in your latest media interviews which has gone around the world and landed on my desk in a local newspaper."

The correspondence said they would "like to move forward with investment in your business" and described the cars as “perfect” for the rural roads in Afghanistan.

Ty claimed it was signed off by the head of the Taliban Hibatullah Akhundzada and said he was now dealing with his deputy and the transport minister.

He said it was not a shock to him that governments were interested but he was surprised that it was the Taliban that came forward.

He added: "The car has had a great deal of exposure across the world and I have previously had correspondence with the Indian government.

"I did anticipate someone mass-producing these vehicles or a four-wheeled version at some stage.

"The story is still developing. If it goes anywhere else I don't know but if they dropped their hard-line stance I would be interested.

"My ambition has always been to mass-produce these cars and reignite the DeLorean dream.

"It is just a shame the Taliban are so controversial. I would rather get an offer from someone else. I can see it legitimately happening and it could be mass-produced in the future and be a great seller in third world countries."

"We could then repay the British taxpayer and build DeLorean cars here for the rest of the world - right back where it all started."

Ty has also been at the center of a legal dispute with DMC itself where he has been accused of "passing off” his prototype cars as legitimate DeLoreans.

Ty himself claims he has a right to and today said the case was ongoing and he expected it to end in court.

He added: "I spoke to my solicitor and this is not going away. I've paid court fees of £600 ($818 USD) and it's all been filed accordingly. There is going to be a hearing and I can not see myself losing.

"They seem to be under the impression I have been selling cars.

''I've not sold any. It is purely artistic impressions at this point and is not a clear-cut trademark infringement."