Profiles in History, which has a track record of bringing impressive (usually themed) exhibits to Comic Con (Stan Winston Studios, LOST, etc.), this year has a Back to the Future display, which is centered around an original DeLorean from the third film in the franchise, which will be offered for sale in one of their future auctions. The auction house is taking $20 donations for photo opportunities with the famous movie car, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Team Fox, Michael J. Fox’s Foundation supporting Parkinson’s research.
Earlier this month, an episode of the SyFy television “reality” series featured Profiles in History CEO Joe Maddalena visiting prop dealer Desi DosSantos of ScreenUsed at his home to view his collection and to see the iconic time machine from the beloved film trilogy, Back to the Future. The Original Prop Blog published photos and a video interview with Desi last year about the same car from my own visit with Desi in November (see ScreenUsed Original ‘Back To The Future’ DeLorean Movie Prop Car – High Resolution Photography and High Definition Video Interview).
Update 7/24: Below is an explanation from Brian J. DosSantos about his contribution to the restoration, following his review of this article, per his request:
95% of the restoration was done by Brian DosSantos in Northern California. It was done off and on again over several years, starting in 2004 to the completion in 2010. Brian has experience with many types of vehicles from race motorcycles, to various cars including restoration of muscle cars. None of this prepared him for the major undertaking of this project. First, the DeLorean design and the way it is built is not like any other vehicle. Second, quite a bit of the car was created using various unknown parts to represent the look of the Time Machine. Brian had some assistance from various people along the way, and they are all mentioned at the bottom of this page. The restoration could not have been completed without their knowledge and help.
You can learn even more details about the ScreenUsed Back to the Future III DeLorean at their special site about the car at www.BTTF3DeLorean.com. You can learn more about ScreenUsed and Profiles in History at their respective websites, www.ScreenUsed.com and www.ProfilesInHistory.com.
Desi is on hand for the duration of the show to talk about and promote the vehicle. Claudia Wells and Jeffrey Wiseman were both on hand today to sign autographs, and Billy Zane is expected as well.
You can learn more about the charity at www.TeamFox.com:
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation
As the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson’s disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson’s patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding almost $251 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson’s research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases Parkinson’s awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world.
Below are photos from the Profiles in History exhibit area. The additional Back to the Future props and costumes are from the ScreenUsed collection and the collection of a prominent collector in our hobby.
Coincidentally, there is a second, replica DeLorean on display in the main exhibit hall at Comic Con this year at the Hot Wheels area.
Click the link below for more more Comic Con 2011 coverage by The Original Prop Blog:
All Comic Con coverage, going back to 2009, can be found HERE.
Jason DeBord