DeLorean Parts Northwest (DPNW) was founded by Toby and Misty Peterson in December of 2003 as a Limited Liability Company, registered in the state of Washington.
Toby and Misty first became involved in the DeLorean community in 1988, when they purchased their 1981 DeLorean, VIN 2248. The car was in poor shape due to neglect by the previous owner, but was all there and with no permanent damage. As they began to bring the car up to acceptable standards, they met some of the founders of the Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club (PNDC), including the Club “parts guy” Darryl Tinnerstet, Founder of Specialty Automotive.
As the condition of the car improved, it became apparent that there was room for performance and appearance upgrades to the stock DeLorean. Toby began working on a series of changes and improvements to their car, collaborating with a local automotive performance shop that specialized in semi-exotic cars and was interested in working on DeLoreans. The car, later to be called “Winged1”, was lowered using a set of custom made springs and shock absorbers, and a source for a rear anti-sway bar was found. There were many other changes made to Winged1 over the next several years to enhance the aggressive lowered appearance, and improve the handling and responsiveness of the suspension, and overall reliability of the car. All of this activity resulted in Toby becoming the Vice President of Research and Development for the PNDC. Toby also became known in wider circles of the DeLorean community after he introduced a new trailing arm bolt (the Toby-TAB) in response to safety concerns with the stock bolts that were prone to fail, with potentially disastrous results.
As 2003 was drawing to a close, Darryl Tinnerstet announced that he was retiring from the parts business and put his substantial inventory of new (NOS) and used DeLorean parts up for sale. Darryl had also developed a number of improved components to replace some well known troublesome parts in the stock DeLorean, and these innovative parts and accessories were included with the inventory of genuine DMC parts. With encouragement from friends, family, and fellow PNDC members, Toby and Misty decided to purchase the inventory, and start a new company that would use the legacy of Specialty Automotive as a foundation, but would be dedicated to taking the venture to a new level of service and innovation.
DPNW was founded on a passion for the DeLorean automobile, and for serving the needs of DeLorean owners who share that same passion. This little silver car is a marvelous example of innovation, daring design, and rich history – even with all of its unconventional characteristics. It is the primary goal of this company to enhance the DeLorean experience by developing and providing access to innovative products to improve the safety, performance, and reliability of this unique sports car.
