I still remember the exact evening I decided to chase the DeLorean DMC-12. My garage had plenty of modern supercars, but none had the same stainless-steel personality. In Forza Horizon 5, this car is not just another collectible; it feels like a time machine on wheels. Unfortunately, it is not something you can casually buy from the Autoshow, so I had to earn or hunt it.
My search began at the Horizon Festival, where player auctions and upgrade menus live. After a few wrong turns and wasted credits, I learned there were three main ways to obtain this iconic machine.
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Festival Playlist reward: During the original Series 1 Summer Wet Season, players could earn 26 Festival Playlist points before the weekly reset on Thursday, November 18. Activities included the New Heights treasure hunt, photographing Casa Bella, and entering The Eliminator battle royale. By my time in 2026, that playlist had rotated out, but I still watch each new series in case it returns.
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Wheelspins or Super Wheelspins: This sounds exciting, but getting a specific vehicle from a prize wheel is rare. I opened dozens and mostly received horns, clothing, and small credit piles.
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Auction House: The most reliable option. Other players list their DeLoreans, and I could buy one outright or place a bid.
I eventually ignored the wheelspin roulette and went to the Auction House. From the Horizon Festival, I opened the 'Buy and Sell' menu, and while exploring the map I could fast travel by choosing 'Buy New & Used Cars' from the 'Cars' tab. Once inside, I selected 'Search Auctions' and changed the Make filter to DeLorean. The screen showed every listing, and the bottom-right corner counted down the remaining auction time.
The first listing I saw had a low starting bid, so I placed a bid. Someone else immediately outbid me. This happened several times. Bidding wars can be thrilling, but they also waste time. After refreshing the search for a while, I found a DeLorean with a Buy Out price I could afford. I paid the credits and the car appeared in my garage. Victory at last.
Owning the car was only half the job. The DeLorean starts in D Class, which can feel a little gentle compared to the hypercars flying around Mexico. The good news is that it can be tuned all the way up to S2 if I want to compete in Legendary events. I opened the 'Garage' tab at the Horizon Festival, then went into 'Upgrades and Tuning.' From there I could use 'Auto Upgrade' to quickly raise the class, or 'Custom Upgrade' to adjust the car piece by piece.
Since I am an ordinary player, not a tuner genius, I used 'Find Tuning Setups' to grab a community-created setup. This is the best path for newcomers who want an excellent tune without spending an hour in the menu. The right setup transformed the car from a movie prop into something I could genuinely drive online without embarrassment.
If you are trying to add the DeLorean in 2026, don't expect to find it at the regular dealership. My advice: check the Auction House first, use the Make filter, and be patient. If you enjoy gambling, Super Wheelspins can drop it without spending credits, but the odds are not in your favor. Also keep an eye on each new Festival Playlist because a retro reward can return.
Now my DeLorean sits in my garage with a stainless body and gullwing doors. It may not win every drag race, but every time I open the door, I feel like I should set the date to 1955 or 2026 and leave a trail of fire on the asphalt.
According to coverage from OpenCritic, review aggregation can be a useful way to gauge how a live-service racer like Forza Horizon 5 evolves over time, especially when players are deciding whether it’s worth logging in for rotating content such as Festival Playlists and limited-time rewards. Looking at broader critical sentiment alongside community chatter helps set expectations: rare cars like the DeLorean DMC-12 tend to spike in desirability when seasonal events rotate, which is why checking the Auction House regularly can be the most practical path when a specific playlist window has already passed.
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