Meeting Bob Gale - Claudia Wells - Kevin Pike

Back to the Future

1 May

Comic Con july 2022 ……

“The Future is here !!!”

Being a huge fan of Back to the Future (ever since the DeLorean appeared from Doc Browns truck in the original film), meeting the creators and actors of the film was a mission that seemed impossible ……..

Well July 2022 gave the the opportunity not only to meet :

Bob Gale (Screenwriter and Co-writer of Back to the Future)

Claudia Wells (aka Jennifer Parker - Marty McFly’s Girlfriend in the first Back to the Future )

Kevin Pike (Back to the Future -Special Effects Supervisor)

But also opportunity to spend time with them, and even drive Bob Gale to the event !

Let me start with a little back story…..

Taking you ‘Back’….. Back in time to 2016 when I decided to make my dream come true by owning a DeLorean !

I certainly didn’t release on what a roller coaster ride my DeLorean would take me on…..

(I know “where we’re going we don’t need roads” !! ) but in this story we do ….

It’s took me to new places, met some amazing people, found new communities, learnt so much including engineering, electronics, car mechanics (including engine strip and rebuilds), vehicle electronics, Movie prop making, website design, sales and marketing, website design, SEO, and much much more….

Some may say it’s a Car ….. well yes, that of course is true, but it’s much more than that …..

The DeLorean was one man’s vision, a vision for a new future of automotive car building in the hope of providing an ethical Sports Car to masses. This vision was from a briliant engineer called John Z DeLorean.

A car to this day, was built in record time (28 months) a record which has never been beaten. Especially as he started it all without a factory, no workers, no money, not even a working proto type.

All these factors didn’t matter to John, as this was to prove one man could accomplish anything in late 1970’s 1980’s with just imagination, sheer will power, and undoubted belief he could start his own car company.

Anyway I digress (as I could get too carried away telling this story) please read more here ….

Fast forward to 1980, a Visionary Writer called Bob Gale wrote the Back to the Future Script along with Robert Zemeckis. At the time the studios’ did not like the script and concept, saying Time Travel movies just do not work, they where looking for something different.

But Bob and Robert persisted (again similar to John DeLorean never givinging up on their dream. With the script being knocked back (over 40 times) finally Universal picked up the production through Amblin Entertainment

And the Future was now set…….

Bob Gale - DeLorean Time Machine with Mark Elliott

Claudia Wells Back to the Future - with Mark Elliott

Fast forward again to 1985, by this time a lot had happened (especially concerning the DeLorean) with John Z DeLorean’s dream becoming a reality in February 1981 with the 1st DeLorean rolling off the production line. But then on 26th October 1982 the company filed for Bankruptcy. John DeLorean along with his car’s reputation where in tatters.

Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis where looking for a Time Machine for their script (the original idea was a refrigorator) and the futuristic DeLorean was the only vehicle that they wanted Doc Brown to drive and convert into a ‘Time Machine’

Pressing the fast forward button to March 2020, the start of lockdown ! a very strange time for everyone.

I was not furloughed from my job which meant I worked all the way through the lockdown. But with no car shows, no events, and no days out and about. I thought why not use this extra spare Lockdown Time to Lock myself in the garage to convert My DeLorean into a perfect replica of the ‘A-Car’ Time Machine as used in the first film ( as any one would do ! )….

So in March 2020 I began….

The idea had come from visiting may shows throughout the years I owned my Delorean. At these shows I would display the props like the flux capacitor (as that’s one of the first questions anyone asks ) when they see a DeLorean. And also a Hoverboard, Almanac, Nike Mags, Marty’s cloths and trainers, and all the letters from the films.

Seeing what enjoyment everyone got from the props, I thought when you say DeLorean the Time Machine words always follow on.

I am both a fan of the car itself and John Z DeLoreans background story, and also a huge Back to the Future Fan. So putting these two together is a Dream come true.

As I entered the conversion I released two things :

It had to be movie accurate, so all the parts needed to be built out of alloy and all the hoses wiring etc had to be real
I didn’t want to damage the DeLorean in anyway (as a conversion would require drilling into those lovely stainless steel panels) so any equipment fitted must be able to be removed without any damage to the car itself.

So both of these two points would add major complications on top of an already difficult task

So I spending the whole of lockdown studding the A Car in the film (which is now located in Los Angeles California’s Peterson Museum) .

Luckly for me it was rebuilt in 2015 for the 30th celebration of the Back to the Future franchise. So there were plenty of photo’s. Of course there’s’ more to it than studding the photos

The rebuild of the car came out on Blu Ray, so I watched this (just a few times !) and then the exact dimensions had to be obtained.

Claudia Wells - Kevin Pike - Mark Elliott with the DeLorean Time Machine

Fast Forward again now to July 2022 where the opportunity to meet the creator of Back to the Future, the Special effects Supervisor for the Film and also Marty’s Girlfriend

came to Southampton.

I desperately wanted their signatures, but how was this going to happen when they are in such demand at these events. But little did I realise I would have the opportunity to Drive Bob Gale to the Event itself, where he would sign my car. Which would also give me time to answer the questions I always wanted answering.

So the doors of the Hotel opened and Bob Gale walked out, (I still cannot believe I met him) he shook my hand and asked my name. He was so friendly and really wanted to spend time talking about Back to the Future Film, at the same time signing the back seat of my DeLorean and my Hoverboard !

We then set off in the Time Machine with both doors open, as we drove past all the fans waiting to get into the event. Arriving in ‘Style’ in Bob Gales visionary Time Machine

Bob Gale was an absolute pleasure to, and is genuinely happy that everyone enjoys the Film which keeps it Alive….

Then I returned to the Hotel, this time the doors opened to reveal Claudia Wells who enthusiasm, energy and enjoyment of the Film was absoutley fantastic, especially as she interacted with all her fans. She was so easy to talk to and was only too pleased to take part in a mini-photo shoot and signing with my DeLorean.

I spoke breifly spoke with Kevin Pike on the Saturday (to ask if he could cast his expert eye over my Time Machine Conversion,) what better person than the Special effects Supervisor of Back to the Future to give me advise on Time Machine conversions !

So on Sunday he rembered I was desperate for his oppionin and visited my DeLorean to give me the ultimate word on whats correct

He has an excellent sense of humour and a fantastic memory for detail. He started at the front of my DeLorean with the flux bands and worked all the way around the car (which I have filmed !) He very compilentory (especially on my Flux bands which took me absolutely ages to get right), and was giving me pointers regarding the finer details on the components and wiring (even down to the tightness of the wiring looms). Also the exact colours to use (which even with all the reasearch I did, did not find this information. So once again Thank You to Kevin for his time and advise.

I was so happy that he had the time to spend with me, and now my mission to fix all those points he went through, and at the same time was Surprised how much detail I got correct.

Then managed to get Kevin Pike and Claudia to pose for a Time Machine Photo’

Being at this comic con around such creative, energetic, imaginative people is truely refreshing. This is a world of ‘Anything it possible’, if you can imagine it, it can be built for everyone to enjoy through the media of TV and Film. I felt truely energised, and greatful these people had brought something special for anyone from the age of 3 to 103 to enjoy for a lifetime.

I was so pleased that in addition to the Back to the Future As an additional bonus I also got to drive :