Have you ever searched for an incredibly specific, almost fictional, car part? You might be surprised at what you can find, even at your local auto parts store’s website. Take O’Reilly Auto Parts, for example. If you navigate to their website and search for the part number “121g”, you’ll discover something truly unexpected: a listing for a “flux capacitor”.
Yes, that flux capacitor. The iconic component that makes time travel possible in the beloved 1985 movie “Back to the Future”. For years, this quirky product listing has been hiding in plain sight on O’Reilly Auto Parts’ website, delighting movie fans and internet sleuths alike.
The product description itself is filled with playful references to the movie. It humorously states, “Flux Capacitor requires the stainless steel body of the 81-83 DeLorean DMC-12, V6 2.9L to properly function,” and continues with instructions on how to initiate time travel: “Once the time machine travels at 88 mph (142 km/h), light coming from the flux capacitor pulses faster until it becomes a steady stream of light. Then, time travel begins.” Adding to the fun, a disclaimer warns, “Time Travel at your own RISK!!!” and clarifies, “Plutonium not Available at O’Reilly Auto Parts.” A final nod to the film comes with the mention of “1.21 Gigawatts,” Dr. Emmett Brown’s famous exclamation.
However, before you rush to your local O’Reilly store with visions of DeLorean-powered time travel, it’s important to note the fine print. The listing clearly states that the flux capacitor is a “Non-Functional Item Displayed For Entertainment Purposes Only.” So, while O’Reilly Auto Parts might list this essential “Back To The Future Missing Car Part,” it’s more of an automotive in-joke than a genuine product offering.
This isn’t a recent addition to the website either. Reports of the flux capacitor listing date back to at least 2011, and O’Reilly representatives believe it may have been implemented even earlier, perhaps in the late 2000s. Periodically, the listing resurfaces online, sparking amusement and renewed interest. Recently, the page experienced a surge in traffic, receiving tens of thousands of hits as people rediscovered this digital Easter egg.
O’Reilly Auto Parts embraced the renewed attention with good humor. They acknowledged the listing on their Facebook page, playfully hinting at their extensive inventory, and even released a temporary discount code, “FLUX88,” referencing the crucial 88 mph speed for time travel in the movie. Enthusiastic fans have even documented themselves calling O’Reilly stores to inquire about purchasing the fictional part, a testament to the listing’s enduring appeal.
But beyond the entertainment value, the flux capacitor listing serves a practical, albeit less whimsical, purpose. According to O’Reilly spokesman Mark Merz, it was initially implemented as a “security tracking measure.” O’Reilly’s comprehensive online parts catalog is a valuable asset, and the company wanted a way to detect unauthorized duplication of their database. The inclusion of the obviously fictional flux capacitor acts as a digital watermark. If a copied database surfaces elsewhere online containing a flux capacitor, O’Reilly can confidently identify the source of the data theft.
So, while you can’t actually purchase the “back to the future missing car part” to complete your own time-traveling DeLorean project at O’Reilly Auto Parts, the flux capacitor listing provides a fun Easter egg for fans and a clever security measure for the company. It’s a testament to how even mundane online catalogs can hold hidden surprises, blending a bit of pop culture nostalgia with the everyday world of automotive parts.
Could there be other hidden gems lurking within O’Reilly’s online inventory? Perhaps. But for now, the flux capacitor remains their most famous, and certainly most entertaining, “missing car part” that isn’t really missing at all.
