A couple in Durham were dismayed to find an advert for a DeLorean posted through their letter box, thinking it was an elaborate scam capitalising off of the defunct car company’s name.

But they were shocked to find that they were having their very own Back To The Future moment – as the letter was genuine, and had turned up forty years late.

Peter Wilson, 69, received a message from wife Caroline during the day, saying a strange letter had come through the mailbox, claiming that for a small fee of £13,530, an original sports car could be shipped from the USA.

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Peter said: “Caroline told me that she thought that some kind of marketing scam had been posted through the door, but when I took a look, it was definitely genuine.”

The letter, dated September 17, 1981, arrived in Durham on September 4, 42 years after it was first addressed. 

“The letter is from DeLorean Motor Company, located in Belfast, advertising one of their cars for £13,000, but you’d actually send off for a car to come all the way from Texas.

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The iconic gullwing two-seater sportscar shot to fame in the 80s, as the time travelling jalopy of Marty McFly in Back to the Future.  

But by the film’s release date in 1985, the DeLorean Motor Company had already gone under, becoming defunct in 1982. The Italian-designed, Irish-manufactured cars were only produced in 1981 and 1982.

The Wilsons, who live in the Gilesgate area of Durham, have been confused but charmed by the unexpected postal arrival.

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Peter said: “The man the letter is addressed to is a fair few owners before us, even though we’ve been living here for decades.

“It does make you ask, where has the letter been all these years? It’s all faded and browned, and looks like it has been left out somewhere.

“Why someone would bother to pay the postage I don’t know- it’s clearly been unearthed when someone was having a clear out.

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Peter, a bit of an automotive buff himself, said that finding the letter is “not something that happens every day.”

“Getting something good in the post is pretty rare these days – it’s all just bills or done by social media. It’s nice that it’s come through our post box!”