There are many cars you would not expect to find at a British restoration shop, and certainly a Safety Orange 1975 Bricklin SV-1 is one of them. Peter Brauen, owner of that restoration shop, saw his first Bricklin as a teenager. It was behind his dentist’s office in Metairie, Louisiana, and he would ride his bike regularly to look at it. He thought it was “the coolest thing.” The car was five years old and already a derelict. The owner wanted $10,000 for it—much more than a teenager could muster.
Years later, Brauen was talking with a friend about dream cars of their youth, and he mentioned the Bricklin. His friend knew of one located not far away. A meeting could never be arranged, so Brauen started looking on eBay and discovered that they were cheap. He found his in Abilene, Texas, and, although the photos were poor and the details vague, it appeared original, the acrylic looked good, and it was a low-mileage car. He bought it for $4,500. In the five years he has had it, the car has never been off the road. Brauen made some appropriate improvements, like adding an Edelbrock four-barrel carb on an aluminum intake manifold and changing the gullwing door-opening mechanism from its original problematic hydraulic system to a much more reliable pneumatic system, to make the car his daily driver.
The short, unfortunate, history of the Bricklin SV-1 began after Malcolm Bricklin’s failed attempt to make the Subaru 360 a success in the United States. Bricklin was somewhat of a whiz kid in business, having turned his father’s hardware store into the nationwide “Handyman” hardware store franchise system when he was only 20 years old. At 29, he formed Subaru of America and imported the tiny, two-cylinder Subaru 360. Surprising few in the industry, the 360 was not a car that interested many Americans in the mid-1960s. After the 360 failed, Bricklin decided to build his own car—he was 32.
Bricklin raised $20 million, from the sale of his interest in Subaru and a hefty investment from the government of New Brunswick, Canada, where he promised to build the car. New Brunswick needed more employment opportunities for its population, so the provincial government took a chance on the Bricklin. A prototype was running in late 1972, and the production model was introduced in 1974 in five “safety” colors—white, green, red, orange and suntan. Bricklin projected that sales of the SV-1 (SV for “Safety Vehicle”) would be 12,000 the first year and escalate to 100,000 by the fourth year. Unfortunately, during the first year of production, which spanned 1974-’75, only 2,897 cars were built. Short of funds, Bricklin sought more money from the government of New Brunswick and other sources, but he was refused, and the company went into receivership.
There were many problems with the SV-1, a major one of which was that there was no experience in auto manufacture in New Brunswick. As a result, quality control was inconsistent at the factory. Another was the result of the body construction. The body was acrylic plastic and fiberglass over a perimeter roll cage. Of his “Safety Orange” SV-1, Brauen says, “The acrylic, while 40-years old, still shines like new. Sure it has some spider cracks and stress cracks here and there, but show me another finish that has held up this well. The product is ‘alive,’ though, and changes shape on the flat panels quite dramatically. The acrylic layer is much stronger than the fiberglass substrate, and expands and contracts at a higher rate, causing the panels to flex. So in cool weather the corners of the hood and headlight doors stand proud of their openings. Bring it out in the sun for a few minutes and they flatten back out.” The final problem for Bricklin was that the car was initially estimated to sell for $3,000, but by 1975 the price was $9,980, considerably more than its competition.
The early Bricklins came with 360 cu.in. American Motors V8 engines and could be had with either an automatic or manual transmission. In 1975, Bricklin switched to a less powerful Ford 351 cu.in. V8 and only offered a three-speed automatic. Brauen was dismissive of criticisms of the Ford-powered car, “A lot is often made of the paltry 175 horsepower of the Ford unit, especially when compared to the 220 of the AMC- engined cars, but bear in mind that (the horsepower) figure is net, not gross, and is quoted at 3500 rpm with the ignition retarded to minimize emissions. Advance the timing and rev it up a little and this thing scoots.” Driving the car proves his claim.
The first thing noticed when preparing to drive a Bricklin is that the door sill isn’t nearly as wide as other gullwing cars, especially the Mercedes 300SL. It’s not difficult to enter. Second, all the controls and gauges are familiar, although it is difficult to adjust the steering wheel so that the speedometer and tachometer are fully visible. The car starts quickly and has a nice V8 rumble. Unlike the DeLorean, the Bricklin’s door windows open fully, allowing a choice of fresh air blowing in or air conditioned comfort. From a standing start, the car accelerates very nicely—much better than the original horsepower rating would suggest. When cruising, it can be kicked down a gear with the throttle or dropped down using the shifter, and it “scoots,” as Brauen says. Handling was another pleasant surprise. On the Mississippi coast, there aren’t a lot of sports car roads, but there’s one near Brauen’s shop—old Joe Moran Road. It has both sweeping and tight curves, including at least one that is off-camber. The Bricklin leans a bit in the corners, but it does not lean so much as to cause concern; in fact, the car took all the curves nicely. Driving the Bricklin enthusiastically produces smiles.
A Bricklin isn’t for everyone. First, there weren’t many made, so they are rare. Second, you have to be willing to endure people’s puzzlement over the car—don’t buy a Bricklin if you don’t want to answer questions. Finally, you need to be a competent tinkerer with these cars. Brauen, who restores British cars for a living, is a very competent tinkerer and may now have one of the best Bricklins in the world. His last bit of advice is: “buy the best one you can find.” He did.
