Nearly 150 DeLorean sports cars were assembled on the Stormont estate on Saturday for a gathering marking 45 years since the model was first produced in Northern Ireland.

The event, part of the DeLorean Euro Fest organised by the DeLorean Owners Association of UK and Ireland, attracted owners from as far away as Australia and Japan.

The wider festival, which included a product fair and a gala dinner at Titanic Belfast, brought together more than 300 examples of the vehicle, according to organisers.

The DMC DeLorean was manufactured at a purpose-built factory in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast beginning in 1981. Designed by American engineer John DeLorean, the distinctive stainless-steel car with gull-wing doors gained worldwide fame after appearing as a time machine in the 1985 film Back to the Future.

An estimated 9,000 cars were built before production halted, and the factory had already closed by the time the film was released.

During the weekend, owners were granted access to the disused factory site and its test track, where the cars were originally evaluated.

David Abraham, one of the organisers, said the DeLorean held a special place for many people in Northern Ireland because it offered a symbol of hope during the Troubles. He described the community of owners as close-knit, saying those who attended were not merely friends but like family.