Back in time: AMC showcase, DeLorean replica power May Somernites with nostalgia

May 25—Depending on your interests, "AMC" could mean "American Movie Classics" — a category for which the 1985 hit "Back to the Future" definitely qualifies — or "American Motors Corporation." At Somernites Cruise's May show Saturday, both meanings came together in a way that benefitted automobile aficionados.

While the theme car showcase for the month was "Mopar Mania," featuring vehicles under the iconic Chrysler banner, sponsored by Don Franklin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, the biggest attraction might have a vehicle made by the DeLorean Motor Company — or at least one that looks a lot like what that company might have made.

A replica of the time-traveling DeLorean from "Back to the Future" was on display on the Fountain Square Saturday, as well as downtown Friday for a special screening of the comedy-science fiction flick at the Virginia Theater.

Bob Rice of Ohio Time Machine Rental — a company out of Columbus, Ohio dedicated to renting out a facsimile of a time machine, that is — said that the car's owner, Scott Mulhollen, found a stock 1981 DeLorean for sale on eBay. He successfully bid for the car, and it was taken over to a Universal Studios-sanctioned mod builder to retrofitted as a prop car, a process that took about seven months.

"That was six years ago, and we've been going strong since then. We travel all over the place," noted Rice, who said they rent it out for events like Somernites, as well as corporate events, private parties and the like; people can get photos either outside or inside of the vehicle. "... We don't do a lot of car shows, but this one has been great. ... An outpouring of interest, a lot of photos taken. We've raised a lot of money for Somernites Cruise."

He added, "People love to relive the past, so it's all about the memories that are made. People get to see the car ... they're transported back to maybe 1985 or whenever it was that they saw which movie out of the series. So it's fun."

The car is equipped with all the bells and whistles one would hope to find on the movie replica, both interior and exterior; "It is as (much the) movie replica as you would possibly find," said Rice.

In addition to the Mopars, there were special displays for both vintage station wagons — another nostalgia-driven attraction — and AMC vehicles, of which about 15 lined up in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse on Saturday for the first-ever Somernites display dedicated to the line.

One of the AMC owners who brought an example of the unique brand that operated from 1954 to 1988 and included such memorable names as the Pacer Gremlin, Matador and Javelin was David Taylor, vice president of the Tennessee Valley Region AMC Car Club out of Knoxville, Tenn., and the man behind the AMC-focused YouTube channel, @TheAmericanMotorsGuy. He described his interest in AMC as being "since birth."

"My father worked for American Motors; my grandfather started after World War II, working for Hudson," he said, referencing one of the companies that merged to form AMC. "I've been in AMCs from the very beginning; it's in my bloodline."

Taylor said he started the Tennessee club almost eight years ago, and has grown it to 30 members. He noted that Kentucky doesn't have a local club like it, so he came up to Somernites to invite others there to shows in Tennessee.

He owns a 1969 Rebel, and a 1988 Eagle from the last year of production, as well as a 1973 Hornet hatchback.

"For most people, their father had (an AMC car) or their grandfather, grandmother. I've heard stories about Grandma falling asleep behind the wheel driving a Rambler wagon," he said. "... Most of these people who have AMCs, there's a connection to the car.

"The first car to have seat belts was a Hudson. The first car with a headrest, that was a Nash," added Taylor. "Hudson ruled NASCAR, when NASCAR first came out. ... AMC has always been unique. When you think about the AMX, (it's) not a sports car, it's not a muscle car, they don't know how to classify it, but it's a two-seater that would whip the snot out of a Corvette most of the time."

Taylor mentioned a "huge show" dedicated to the brand, the Great AMC Day 2024, coming up May 31, in Cleves, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati; the AMC fan running the show, Damien Terrell, was also present at Somernites on Saturday, who noted that 15 original super stock AMX cars — which Taylor called "extremely unique," only built one year, 52 total — are expected to be in attendance.

Somernites Executive Director Keith Floyd said that it was a "pretty good day, all things considered" on Saturday, considering an early forecast that called for bad weather.

"That went away about noon, so it turned out to be a great day, weather-wise. We were lucky we dodged that," he said of the rain predictions. "But it hurt the crowd. The forecast is what kills you, not the weather."

Even so, around 600 cars rolled through the gates on Saturday, 17 station wagons, and close to 200 Mopars in total. And then, of course, there was the one car in particular that lots of people at the Cruise made time to see.

"(The 'Back to the Future' car) was a huge hit," said Floyd. "It was a big hit (Friday night) at the theater, had a good crowd there. Been a crowd around it all day (Saturday). Everybody has really enjoyed it."