A 1981 DeLorean with only 977 miles on it was unearthed in a Wisconsin barn

When Mike McElhattan of Illinois-based DeLorean Midwest got a call from New Mexico about a DeLorean car for sale, he wasn’t interested.

At least not until he found out the car had only 977 miles on the odometer.

DeLorean Midwest specializes in repair, sales and parts distribution for these cult classic cars featured in the "Back to the Future" movie franchise.

He and his business partner Kevin Thomas met with the 90-year-old owner, Dick, in early October, and the trio found the car sunken like buried treasure into the dirt floor of a barn.

The men perused the vehicle, which was covered in about two decades of dust and filled with rodent droppings. In a first for McElhattan ― who has seen thousands of DeLoreans in his 16 years working in the business ― there were live mice running around inside the car.

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1981 DeLorean with original tires called 'an absolute time capsule'

Despite the smell and the resident rodents, these DeLorean fans were smiling.

The car, manufactured in April 1981, appeared to be mostly if not completely original ― even down to a blue oil filter McElhattan thinks could be from the factory. The factory tires were flat, but had plenty of tread left.

“It’s an absolute time capsule,” McElhattan said. “To me, what’s cool about it, is it’s completely original down to the original tires that rolled out of the factory in Belfast, Ireland.”

Dick (whose last name wasn't shared by McElhattan) was the original registered owner after Hall Chevrolet in Milwaukee owned the vehicle from 1981 to 1991, according to McElhattan.

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DeLorean Midwest will likely need to gut the interior to thoroughly clean out the rodent remains. It will need a good bit of mechanical work, too. McElhattan said it typically takes around six months to get a car like this ready for sale.

“It’s very rewarding to take a filthy car like this and really transform it,” he said. “People just want to see it brought back to its full glory.”

McElhattan said someone interested in purchasing a DeLorean today can usually find one between $65,000 and $85,000 depending on its mechanical history and mileage. However, some can sell for much higher.

“I’ve sold cars well into the six figures when there’s something special like this,” McElhattan said.

Amazingly, this isn’t the lowest mileage DeLorean McElhattan has seen ― that was a car with only 14 miles.

DeLoreans have a 'vintage feel,' but 'drive like a modern car'

It usually costs between $1,000 and $1,500 per year to maintain the car.

“They have a vintage feel to them, but they kind of drive like a modern car,” McElhattan said.

DeLoreans were only available for three model years: 1981 through 1983. Despite this, parts are readily available as the company warehouse in the ‘80s had a lot of stock on hand when production ceased.

“You can still buy about 70% of the car as new old stock,” McElhattan said, adding because of the surplus the parts are relatively affordable.

The DeLorean is 'the quintessential car' of the 1980s

While "Back to the Future" propelled the DeLorean into its pop culture status decades ago, McElhattan said interest in the cars continues to grow. For him, it was the gullwing doors and stainless steel exterior that attracted his attention as the design was “really ahead of its time.”

“It really makes for a unique car,” he said. “If you could pick one car to sum up the 1980s, the DeLorean is the quintessential car.”

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @Redheadliner.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1981 DeLorean with just 977 miles on it found in Wisconsin barn