Buy a DeLorean, Receive a Free Executive? Or: How I Met My Partner in Crime...

As I have mentioned previously, James Espey was the first person I met from DMC Houston and, coincidentally, he was also the person in charge of car sales. So all of my paperwork and dealings went through him when I was purchasing 2932.

Once I brought the car home, I spent time driving it around, getting used to it, and planning what I was wanting to change and/or upgrade to improve the car and make it more personalized. My dad and I would put together a parts list during the week for me to pick up at DMC after work, and then we would install them over the weekend, usually finding out that we needed more parts to finish the job, causing me to come back the next week for the remainders (the ongoing cycle of car restoration!). Since the car was mechanically sound, I was able to focus on cosmetics and performance improvements. During my trips to DMC, I got to know more of the employees there, and James was also always around to say hello and ask how I was enjoying the car. He was a former DeLorean owner himself, so I would bounce ideas off of him and ask him questions about certain parts or systems that weren't explained well in the shop manuals. We would chat a bit during the day via email and on Facebook, and occasionally go out to dinner after my trip to DMC to continue visiting, as I usually got there around closing time.

​6 months into ownership, I had completed the remaining cosmetic work on the car and deemed it ready to debut at its first car show. It was a spring show held at the San Jacinto Monument, a beautiful stone pillar near the Battleship Texas. There were no other DeLoreans signed up to go, so James opted to join me in a car that was currently being restored for sale at DMC and was needing some road testing. 

2932 in March of 2010 with the foot of the San Jacinto Monument showing in the far background. This was pre-fender antenna removal and suspension upgrade - those were performed later at DMC.

The show started off great - it was quite a small turnout but there were some interesting cars to look at while we waited on the judges to make their rounds and the awards ceremony to begin (James opted not to enter the car he drove, as it was not technically owned by anyone). We also walked around the grounds and visited the small Battle Of San Jacinto museum that was housed in the foot of the monument. By now, we had become very close friends and were very comfortable spending time together. Later that afternoon the award ceremony began and about halfway into it, a massive wall of rain approached the tiny show tent that we were all congregated around. You could feel the rush of cold wind and hear the thin "sssssss" of the falling rain hitting the grass on the field grow louder as it swept towards us, a sheer face of misty white. James had been slightly behind me and quickly grabbed me and pulled me close to him, standing tall between me and the near-horizontal downpour. It was soon no use, and we all gave up and scattered into our nearby cars to wait it out, dripping wet. A few minutes later it had subsided to a sprinkle, allowing us to cautiously creep back out and finish the remainder of the ceremony. As the crowd dispersed, we said our goodbyes and I gave James a hug and thanked him for trying to keep me dry. He laughed and quickly bent down to kiss me while I was looking up at him. I buried my face in his chest with a blushing smile and hugged him tighter.

We both had realized how much fun we were having while we were in each other's company, and by then it was inevitable. We could talk about DeLoreans to each other, visit car shows, spend time working on cars, and knew the other one wouldn't mind. I also noticed and appreciated his devotion to his career, as I was also working long thankless hours as a teacher and "got it" - neither of us would be nagging each other for working late. Soon we became inseparable, and James now refers to himself as the best salesman in the world...

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