Bricklin SV-1

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Image:Bricklin SV-1.jpg
Bricklin SV-1
Manufacturer:General Vehicle Corp.
Arrangement:Front-engine/Rear-wheel drive
Class:Sports car
Body Styles:2-door coupé
Production:1974–1976
Engine:1974:AMC 360 in³ V8
1975–1976:V8 Ford 351 Windsor
Length:178.6 in
Wheelbase:96.0 in
Width:67.6 in
Height:48.15 in (doors closed)
Weight:3470 lb
Fuel Consumption13 MPG city
15–18 MPG open road
This article is part of the automobile series.

The Bricklin SV-1 was a gullwing door sports car built in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada from 1974 until early 1976 for the US market. The car was the creation of Malcolm Bricklin, an American millionaire who had previously founded Subaru of America. Sales did not meet expectations, and only 2,854 cars were built before the company went into receivership, owing the government $23 million. It is believed approximately 1,500 Bricklin cars still exist.

The name stood for "safety vehicle one", an odd choice of focus in a sports car from the fuel-sensitive 1970s. The Bricklin was designed for safety with an integrated roll cage, 5 mph bumpers, and side beams. The body was fiberglass with bonded acrylic in five "safety" colors. The cars had no cigarette lighter or ashtray.

Power came from an AMC 360 in³ V8 for 1974. Later cars used Ford's 351 in³ Windsor V8. The suspension was independent in front with A-arms and coil springs, while the rear used leaf springs on a live axle.

Among the factors that doomed the Bricklin were a high price, build quality problems especially with leaking gullwing doors, lack of confidence in its acrylic plastic bodyshell, and a poorly designed electro-pneumatic system for raising the heavy doors. The later De Lorean, which resembled the Bricklin in many ways, used a much more reliable torsion bar system to raise the doors.

A later Bricklin development was a true rotary engine (not a Wankel engine). However, this never saw the light of day.

Malcolm Bricklin is in the car business once more. His company Visionary Vehicles is currently teamed up with Chinese manufacturer Chery Automotive to import Chery vehicles to the US. They plan to introduce five models starting in 2007. The cars will not go under the Chery name in the US due to its similarity to General Motors' trademarked Chevy brand.

Contents

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In the Media

The Bricklin Story, was a 30-minute 1974 film produced as a self-promotion piece. It aired nationally on CBC and was roundly panned by critics.

A 1975 music album by Woodstock, New Brunswick DJ Charlie Russell, was entitled (with irony), The Bricklin and Other Sound Investments.

New Brunswick Premier Richard Hatfield's 1974 reelection campaign was nicknamed The Bricklin Election, possibly because of his governments financial support of the Bricklin company and because of Hatfield's use of an orange-colored Bricklin in his campaign. He blamed criticism of the car on the opposing Liberal government.

An episode of Chico and the Man debuted on NBC on February 14, 1975, guest-starring Sammy Davis Jr., who drives in to Ed Brown's garage in a Bricklin, complaining of engine trouble.

The most famous Bricklin SV-1 was made for the 1977 American film Demon Seed. It was driven by the main character portrayed by Julie Christie. The car was also featured in a movie version of Harold Robbins' novel, "The Betsy."

Another most famous Bricklin was also featured in two H.B. Halicki movies which are from 1982 and 1983 which are called The Junkman and Deadline Auto Theft, where Halicki drives the Bricklin during a car chase and crashes it into a river. The Bricklin later winds up in the Los Angeles Police Department impound yard.

The Bricklin was featured in the September, 1977 issue of Playboy Magazine.

A New Brunswick film company, Cojak Productions, is reviewing the Bricklin fiasco in a docu-drama. Malcolm Bricklin will be playing himself. Three Bricklins were discovered in Halifax and have been purchased for use in the film. Tentatively named Plan B: The Bricklin Legend, the film has been aired on RDI and Radio-Canada on April 15th, 2006.

History Television produced a documentary entitled Premier, Promoter & Their Car for its Turning Points of History series. The documentary explores the political fiasco that surrounded the Bricklin.

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In Print

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Problems

  1. The gull-wing doors weighed 45 kilograms each. They also leaked.
  2. Electrical issues
  3. Headlights often refused to pop up
  4. The plastic body was subject to cracks and warping
  5. A high sticker price
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Filmography

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See also

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