Most of us, were we to get laid off from our jobs, would immediately begin the search for another job, maybe do a little prioritizing in our lives, perhaps even take the opportunity to pursue a career change. Ian Yanagisawa of Houston, however, decided to drive across the country. In a 1981 De Lorean DMC-12.

We met Ian the other day when he stopped by the Hemmings home offices here in Bennington, Vermont, on the 74th day of his cross-country trip, a little past his halfway point. We've met and wished well many a cross-country traveler here, but none in a DMC-12. Ian's reasoning for making the trip in a stainless steel gullwing sports car from the Eighties was rather simple - it's been in his family since new. "My mom always wanted a sports car, so when all of us kids were finally out of the house in 1981, she found this," he said. Equipped with the five-speed manual transmission, the De Lorean then served as her daily driver for the next 20 years or so.

Ian, who had maintained the De Lorean for his mother, got it when she was done with it and in the last year began to improve it here in there: He had the V-6 rebuilt to Stage II specifications, made some upgrades to the charging system, and installed a MegaSquirt electronic fuel-injection system, putting power up to about 200 over the stock 135. Then in May of this year, his company laid him off and handed him a severance package, prompting Ian's decision to take off to see the country.

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