Description
The Bricklin SV-1 is a two-seat sports car built from 1974 to late 1975.
The car was noteworthy for its gull-wing doors and composite bodywork of colour-impregnated acrylic resin bonded to fiberglass. Assembly took place in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
To promote the SV-1 as a car designed with an emphasis on safety, the company touted such features as its integrated rollover structure and energy-absorbing bumpers. The car's name is an abbreviation for "safety vehicle one".
The SV-1 was the creation of American entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin. Production of the SV-1 ended with just fewer than 3, 000 cars built. An estimated 1, 700 Bricklin’s are known to be surviving today.
The SV-1 was a two-door, two-seat hatchback with gull-wing doors, hidden headlamps and a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Its bodywork was a composite material made up of acrylic resin bonded to a fibreglass substrate. The acrylic was impregnated with the body's colour, which had the potential to reduce costs, as it eliminated the need for the factory to paint the cars in a separate step. The Bricklin's chassis was a steel perimeter frame with an integrated rollover structure.
The front and rear bumpers were designed to absorb the force of a 5 mph (8 km/ h) impact. Bricklins were powered by one of two OHV V8 engines, depending on the year of manufacture.
Cars built in 1974 received a 360 cu in (5, 899 cc) AMC V8 from American Motors. With a single four-barrel carburettor this engine produced 220 hp and 315 ft?lb of torque. Transmission options for the year were a 3-speed Torqueflite automatic or a BorgWarner T-10 4-speed manual.
The cars had no cigarette lighters or ashtrays. There was also no provision for a spare tire.
Development of Bricklin’s high performance “safety vehicle” began in 1971. Originally estimated to sell for $4, 000, the SV-1 saw its price nearly double over the three years it would take to bring an actual car to market. The price for a standard SV-1 came in at $7, 490 when launched.
This car is in very good order in fine working order and is thought to be the only car running in the UK today.
