- Bob Gale: When Bob Zemekis and I first wrote "Back to the Future", the time machine was a refrigerator, and Bob Zemekis, the director, said, "Wouldn't it be simpler if Doc actually built the time machine into a car?" And then he says, "And what if he car was a DeLorean?" It wasn't my idea but I know a damn good idea when I hear one. This was a damn good idea. So I said, yeah that's great.