The Texas-based DeLorean Motor Company has confirmed it is poised to produce 24 of the 'winged' wonder machines next year.

The classic car found fame in the 1980s in the hit film Back to the Future.

Its gull-winged doors and stainless steel finish gave the car a futuristic sci-fi look that captivated people around the globe.

Currently, the DeLorean Motor Company strips old models and rebuilds them with unused parts.

But due to high costs, the company is set to scrap that method and start building new cars from unused parts left over from the 80s.

Robert Lamrock, from the DeLorean Owners Association in Northern Ireland, said local enthusiasts are happy the car is hitting the production line again.

He added: "We welcome it. It means there's demand for the car. There would currently be 60 cars in Ireland, from Bushmills to Cork, throughout the whole island.

"I think the big attraction here is that it is a local product, made in Dunmurry. It's a bit like the Titanic except it wasn't hit by an iceberg, it was hit by the receivers. John DeLorean was highly innovative and well ahead of his time. A lot of people can have a bit of our industrial history by owning a DeLorean."

Company Vice President James Espy says there is massive demand for the cars.

"There are guys who were in their teens when they first saw the movie, who are now in their late 30s or early 40s, who are at that point in life when they can get the car they wanted when they were a kid.

"We feel quite confident that there is a market for between 20-25 hand-built, made-to-order cars each year, without question. Right now, we have a nine- month waiting list."

A reconditioned DeLorean currently costs £20,927 ($$42,500).

DeLorean became synonymous with Belfast after production began at a purpose-built plant at Dunmurry in early 1981.

At its height, the factory employed 2,000 people.

However, by February 1982 the company, headed by colourful American businessman John DeLorean, had gone into receivership. In November that year, the British government, which pumped almost £80m into the company, pulled the shutters on the operation.

Almost 9,000 of the cars were produced in Belfast in the 21 months the company traded.

John DeLorean's troubles continued throughout 1982 when he was charged with trafficking cocaine after an FBI sting.

The millionaire businessman later walked free after being cleared by a US court. He died, aged 80, from a stroke in 2005.