Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Time Warp, Sports/GTs
SEMA Sideshow: Bricklin SV1 show car
Click for gallery of high-res shots of the Bricklin SV1 show car
Now here's something you definitely don't see every day, even at SEMA. A Bricklin SV-1! And not just any Bricklin SV-1 either, but the one redone by Dan Woods on "Chop, Cut, Rebuild." Less than 3,000 of these sporty safety cars were built by Malcolm Bricklin between 1974 and 1976 or so, and we can only surmise that a lot less than that remain in working order today. Actually, the handy placard says that number of survivors is somewhere around 1,500. Thank God for placards. Check out the gallery to see some photos of this bright orange
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter 4:53PM (10/31/2007)
Looks like it got sodomized by a ricer. What a waste.
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Kman 5:03PM (10/31/2007)
Waste for sure!
There was an orange one driving around in my area all summer long.
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Russell 5:07PM (10/31/2007)
The looks reflect the name BRICK-lin.
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Brad 5:56PM (10/31/2007)
Chop Cut Rebuild is an Awful show. If you can watch it at all, with the rediculously loud bad music, the host says or describes something incorrectly at least 2 or 3 times per show, as he pretends to do something. I gave it a chance, but after 5 episodes, just could not continue.
Shipey 7:37PM (10/31/2007)
My next door neighbor has an orange SV-1. Trust me, they don't need any help sucking. The build quality is abysmal, and it's crazy slow to boot.
And boy, do they get upset when people call it a Delorean!
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500 8:58PM (10/31/2007)
Hmmm, even with a $10,000 paint job, it still looks like a backyard kit car.
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Sal Meringolo 10:54PM (10/31/2007)
Living in the hoenix area since 1973, I remember Malcolm Bricklin's company was HQ'd in Scottsdale. I also remember Bricklin made the magnanamous gesture of giving the Scottsdale police dept. two of these beauties for use as patrol cars. I ditinctly remember seeing at a gas station one boozy Saturdy night at the corner of Scottsdale Rd and Shea Blvd. Anyone else out there remember the Bricklin cop cars?
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J James 8:50AM (3/08/2008)
Yeah Sal I was in 6th grade at the time and the Scottsdale Police actually came to my School (Tonto Elementary) and gave the entire 6th grade class a ride in the car. The doors seemed to be having problems closing all the way at the time. I remember the officer stated that they were actually being leased to the Scottsdale Police department for something like one-dollar ($1.00) each a year. They looked sweet but sure were not very practical.
BricklinOwner 5:23AM (11/02/2007)
Greets All! Just thought some input from a Bricklin owner might help ... :)
Bricklin was only in production for 15 months and produced less than 2,900 cars. The initial build quality was admittedly poor even when compared to the poor standards of the day. Yet they were steadily improving - just as one would expect with any startup company. Keep in mind that they were also using materials in ways no one had tried before (acrylics), unusual design elements (gullwing doors) and were still figuring things out as they were pushing cars out the door. Fortunately, dedicated owners have worked out how to correct the production & design flaws - and there are many examples of what the car should have been now on the road. Unfortunately, there are still a large number of neglected, poorly maintained and just plain bad examples being shown. Even worse, there's a lot of mis-information being passed on by the un-informed.
The performance of the Bricklin was right on par with the Corvettes of the same era. (See Road & Track, Car & Driver articles from those years.) Keep in mind that with the 70's came oil embargoes, emmission standards, unleaded gas, catalytic converters, etc., etc. Certainly, the switch from the AMC 360 (220 bph) equipped 1974 model year to the 351w (175 bhp) in the 1975 & 1976 model years resulted in a substantial drop in HP for the Bricklin.
Shipey, I'm not sure what 'crazy slow' means to you. A properly maintained and tuned Model T would be considered 'crazy slow' by today's standards - but not by those of the era. Assuming that we're comparing 'apples to apples', then it sounds like your neighbor needs assistance with his car as 'crazy slow' does not describe the typical Bricklin. Have him get in touch with the Bricklin International Owners Club for some help - or better yet - buy him a 4-barrel carb for Christmas. :)
The typical comment a Bricklin owner will hear is "Oh, that's just a painted Delorean" by the 'car expert' to his 'buddy' as they walk by. Yes - I can tell you that it is frustrating when you hear someone authoritatively passing on incorrect information to another and missing the opportunity to examine something truly rare and special. You'd also think that after multiple movies with a Delorean in a starring role most people could tell the difference by now.
One might not like what was done with the CCR car - or done / not done to any Bricklin for that matter. I'm okay with that. This car is not for everyone and does need special attention. But love them or hate them, they ARE hard to ignore. Sometimes, a car is more than the parts that are in it - and the Bricklin is just such a car. If you can, catch a ride in a Bricklin. Ignore the car and just watch the people around you. 'Thumbs up', double-takes, honking horns and the silently mouthed 'Wow - look at that!' will be experienced even on a short ride. It is a rare outing to the that I don't get involved in a conversation with sincerely interested folks. The encounters the car generates is probably the among the best things about owning a Bricklin. I'd find it hard to give that up for a more mundane ride now!
Allow me to invite you on behalf of the Bricklin International Owners Club to our website at http://www.Bricklin.org for further information. We host a public Forum for those that would like to learn even more about owning one of these rare and unusual cars.
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gary 9:11AM (11/02/2007)
As you've discovered, Bricklin fans are fanatical about their cars. They also typically think they are worth 5 times what they really are!
I have a neighbor with 2 of them and he tried to sell them a while back for 30 grand apiece. Needless to say they are still in the garage.
His daily driver? Avante.
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Brian 4:09PM (3/09/2008)
No Kidding. I have tried for two years to buy a Bricklin now. I had one shown to me on a wrecker. The interior was so bad I refused to sit in it, the doors would not open and it barely started. It was a mess. Asking price $29,000. There is another Bricklin in Moncton, Canada with very low milage. I had a friend there look at it for me. He said $6000.00 was a little high for the car. When I told him they wanted $30,000 he couldn't believe it. The worst was a local man who has two sitting out in a barn building. The cars were never started since purchased new, and the mice have been in them. Also they were never stored properly. He wants at least $16,000. At this rate I don't think I will ever get one.
ccr-host 12:17PM (11/04/2007)
Its amazing who can read and respond to messages on the internet! While I can't challenge you to say those things to my face, because of the venue, I can challenge you to put your comments where your mouth is...
So Brad, I'm happy to reply to your insulting remarks and ask specifically when, if ever "the host says or describes something incorrectly at least 2 or 3 times per show, as he pretends to do something."
I don't pretend or fake it. I do the work. I visit each shop once each week. I research my commentary. I roll up my sleeves. I get dirty, sweaty, and into it with the techs. Every shop will attest to it. Most are impressed and surprized by it.
If you don't like the show, I'm fine with that. But, you should not make a statement as fact, that insults someone without the decency of giving an example... So go ahead and give some! It should be easy if, as you say, I describe something incorrectly 2 or 3 times per show. That would mean you have somewhere between 26 to 39 examples per season to use.
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Brian 4:11PM (3/09/2008)
I agree with what you said. I have watched the Bricklin series numerous times and have also recorded it. I do hope at sometime to own a Bricklin to do a resto rod such as the one done on your show. The only negative comment I could come up with is the limited content on the cars. Out of a 30 minute show less than 10 minutes is on the bricklin and probably half of that is on the work being performed . The rest is on interviews. More of the cars please