Bricklin SV-1 Buy yourself this legendary Gullwing from 1975

This is all you really need to know…this is the only known road legal UK Bricklin, which is a Later example with the Ford 5.8-litre V8

has some early history and been brought up to impressive running standard by the UK owner over the last few years. Overall it is an incredible rarity and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Bid and buy now at the Car and Classic website where you can see dozens of photos and paperwork.

THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK

Imported in late 2018

First registered in the UK in January 2019

Fully road legal and UK registered

Previously owned by one registered keeper in Burlingham, California

Copies of former title slips from California Department of Motor Vehicles

Invoices for recent brake and mechanical work

Original owners’ handbook

34,960 miles indicated

UK V5C

Tax and MOT exempt

Workshop repair and service manuals

Copies of three classic magazines featuring this very car

Old road test books

Owners’ club documents

Malcolm Bricklin is an automotive tubthumper extraordinaire – he gets knocked down but he gets back up again. From the highs of being a hardware store millionaire by the age of 30 to the lows of being bankrupt five times, having launched both Subaru (successfully) and Yugo (disastrously) in the USA and becoming the inspiration for a famous episode of The Simpsons in which Homer creates his own car, his life in the car industry is one well-lived. Now in his 80s, he’s still actively involved in automotive projects.

In among his amazing career was the SV-1 – Malcom Bricklin’s dream. His very own car from his very own car company, which he launched at the age of just 29. Bricklin’s ‘SV-1’ was a striking, wedge-shaped coupe that was aimed at the sports car market (especially the Corvette), but packed with safety innovations that were its USP (SV-1 stood for ‘Safety Vehicle Number 1’).

Anti-submarine seats, separate safety cell and gullwing doors (to stop the opening of doors into traffic) were among its innovations. But with no external investment, Bricklin soon whittled down his fortune. In the end, his venture got the support from the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The region’s Premier, Richard Hatfield, decided that the region would invest an initial $4.5 million in creating the production facility – in the hope that the jobs would enliven what was a deprived area. Production began in 1974 in St John, New Brunswick, with 1,200 employees manufacturing the cars and a network of 400 dealers across Canada and North America.

Bricklin frequently boasted of 40,000 pre-orders (one would imagine to procure further investment) but the reality is that just 2,897 cars were made, each featuring multiple build quality issues, before almost all external investors pulled the plug.

This one is the only known, working example in the UK, imported here in 2019 and used for various shows and events by its owner since. It’s an original, low mileage Canadian-made example with the later Ford V8 in lieu of the AMC unit that powered earlier models, so is also pretty easy to own. One things for sure – you’re unlikely to see another coming the other way…

See much on the Car and Classic website.