I wanted a DVD-playing headunit that could read DVDs and provide an RCA video output. Now the car can be a portable movie theater without needing the Mac Mini to read the DVD and generate the video signal.

By conceding that the Mac Mini had to be out of arm’s reach, I next had to tackle the problem of USB and Firewire ports. Many other carputer integrations have put USB hubs or other peripheral connectors close to the driver as part of the integrations. Mine had to do the same. At a minimum, I wanted the driver to have access to a USB hub, a Firewire port, an Ethernet jack, and a Minijack for audio. But how was I going to get all those cables from the bonnet to the center console?

As anyone who has ever taken apart a DeLorean dashboard and center console can attest, there is not a lot of room between the fiberglass body and the black vinyl armrest console. This would make running any computer cables through the car (such as Ethernet, Firewire, USB, audio) a virtual impossibility. I reluctantly decided to cut a hole in the fiberglass shell behind the driver’s seat and run wires to the bonnet by going under the car. Cables are loomed and secured to the fiberglass undercarriage, and now the Mac Mini in the bonnet can communicate with a slew of ports discreetly installed in the passenger compartment.

Next I decided to tackle sound. The stock DeLorean stereo system was in desperate need of an upgrade. Installing speakers in the front kickpanel area proved excessively difficult without a molded fiberglass speaker enclosure, so I opted to just replace the 3.5” speakers under the dash with Audiobahn 2-way speakers with a passive crossover. The Fusion Jonah Lomu Series 6.5” component system featured polished stainless steel tweeters: a real treat for the D. I built a new back plate for the cargo shelf out of MDF and covered it with black carpet.

The cubic foot of storage behind the driver is very handy, and the perfect size for a subwoofer enclosure. The stock design of the “lockbox compartment” was not sealed, and many other components occupy that space. To make a sealed enclosure, serious customization of the compartment was necessary, including changing how the stock DeLorean computer was mounted.

Because the lockbox compartment door is at an angle, I needed a very low-profile sub that wouldn’t hit the bottom edge of the box. I opted for a Blaupunkt ODW10 subwoofer. 10 inches in diameter, the sub was installed in a new compartment door that I fabricated out of MDF and painted black. Now the sub compartment can be unlocked and valuables can be stored behind the sub, yet the enclosure is still airtight when locked shut.

The amplifier that powers this sub is a little bulky: 14 inches by 24. It is a Class AB 800-watt amplifier from MB Quart. The black, semi-gloss case looks like it belongs on the rear shelf of the D, and it serves another purpose, too. I was able to fabricate a custom amplifier housing using molded plastic and black vinyl. The amplifier power wires and signal RCA’s are all neatly tucked away inside the amp shroud, and I was able to use one wall of the shroud to mount the ports for Ethernet, FireWire, and ¼” Minijack Audio. Finally the illuminated USB hub fits snugly and conspicuously in the accessory tray behind the ashtray.

An illuminated USB hub fits snugly and conspicuously in the accessory tray behind the ashtray. On either side of the USB hub are illuminated rocker switches that turn on the stereo amplifier and bonnet brain box. See the “Basic Stamp” section for more information on the brain box.

This USB hub is very ergonomically placed. It can be reached by either passenger, it is out of the way and doesn’t clutter the console. It is illuminated so it can be found in the dark, and the tray is still functional, so I can stow my glasses or remote controls in the tray at the same time.

This was one part of the job where i really had to bastardize the original DeLorean equipment. I took a Dremel rotary tool and cut holes for the switches and USB hub, and they all slide in place with the look and feel of original equipment.

The illuminated USB hub gives you just enough ambient light to plug in USB devices on the fly, like iPods, mice, keyboards, etc. The firewire port can be used to hook up a digital camera or iSight. If you want to shoot a video podcast in the car, do interviews and record them right there, you can, because the car has everything a podcast studio does.

You can use an Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard on your lap. If you’re right handed, you can sit in the driver’s seat and use the armrest console as a mousepad. If you’re in the passenger seat, you can use the Bluetooth optical mouse with the black vinyl mousepad on the sill area.