Pics from the Bricklin convention

[280Z Turbo]

It seems that a Bricklin club decided to have a convention at the Holiday Inn here in Holland, Michigan. Since it was halfway between the dealership and home, we decided to take a look:



















There was a Panoz Esperante there too, for some reason:




I don't know if you can tell, but there were 2 plaques with names signed into them. I think it's the names of the people that built the car. There was also a plaque in the middle that said: "CAROL". Is that the name of the owner?


I noticed that quite a few cars were from Canada. I don't know much about these cars, but I know that they were built there. Mark probably knows something about them.

[Raza]

I want that Panoz badly.

[omicron]

The Bricklins are appealing, in a retro 70s Lotus Esprit lines-and-angles sort of way.  

[Laconian]

I guess that's what you get when a sports car is sold on its safety, not on its performance. The front bumper on the SV-1s is especially hideous.

Thanks for the pix 280! There aren't a whole heck of a lot of pictures of the SV-1 on the Net, you probably just doubled the count. :)

[280Z Turbo]

I want that Panoz badly.

The Panoz still looks like a kit car to me.

[93JC]

I noticed that quite a few cars were from Canada. I don't know much about these cars, but I know that they were built there. Mark probably knows something about them.

The story of the Bricklin SV-1 is really the story of Malcolm Brickling himself.

Malcom Bricklin's father owned a building supply business. In 1958 he dropped out of Florida and started a franchise network called Handyman America Inc., a hardware store chain, built upon the financial foundations of his father's business. In the early '60s he left the company amidst a flurry of lawsuits brought on by Handyman franchisees alleging financial improprieties on Bricklin's part, and the company collasped shortly after. He had made a millionaire out of himself in the process.

He then bought out a motor-scooter company in Boston and started selling scooters, most of which were made by Fuji Heavy Industries (which, as most of you know, is Subaru's parent company). He got into the car business by co-founding Subaru of America Inc. in 1967, importing Subaru 360s to the States. He sold a paltry 6000 of them in four years. Ifcar could probably tell you how Consumer Reports called the Subaru 360 the most unsafe product they'd ever tested: because of its low weight it didn't have meet any DOT regulations.

Fuji Heavy Industries bought him out in 1971, not wanting to continue dealing with him, amidst more allegations of financial wrongdoing.

He founded a small car company later in '71, and had a small team of custom car builders quickly design the SV-1 prototype. In '72 they shot a promo film for it, marketed as a safety car (Safety Vehicle -1). He convinced a few banks to loan him a few million to start his building the car. Except he didn't have a factory.

He tried to buy the Renault factory in St-Bruno, Qu?bec, offering the Qu?bec government 40% ownership of the company. They passed on it. So he went to New Brunswick and offered the provincial government 51% owenrship oft he company if they'd give him a few million in loan guarantees so that he could build an assembly plant in St. John. The government agreed, the plant was built, and production began in 1974.

But there was a problem: the car's design wasn't finished.

The car was, again, designed to accommodate safety, not sport. The original design was to have been a compact with a four-cylinder, but that evolved into a Corvette-sized coup?. The chassis was one of the first designed for proper crumple zones and various safety cells to protect the passengers and the fuel tank from damage. The big, ugly front bumper was designed to overexceed the 5 mph requirement. The body was made from extruded acrylic. The theory was that this would reduce ownership costs, as any repair could be effected by the owner using some household paint. The engine was sourced from American Motors, their 360 V8. Gullwing doors were added for show.

The body had the tendency to crack. The panels were made in another plant in New Brunswick, and it wasn't uncommon for the St. John assembly plant to receive  panels broken in transit. The gullwing doors weighed a ridiculous 90 lbs, necessitating separate electric motors to open them. Electrical failure would trap an owner inside (the only way out was through the back hatch). Water leaks were frequent.

By the end of the '74 model year they had only built 800 cars.

AMC backed out of their engine contract as Bricklin had trouble paying the bills. He bought Ford 351 Windsors instead. Quality problems were still rampant, and the company hemorrhaged money.

The reason the company was losing money? Mostly Malcolm Bricklin, who treated himself with mansions, yachts, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. The New Brunswick government pumped around $25,000,000 into the company before Bricklin declared bankruptcy in September, 1975 and sent the company into receivership. The government cut its losses, selling of as many of Bricklin Canada Ltd.'s assets as it could.

To this day the government of New Brunswick still owns most of the designs and intellectual property of Bricklin Canada Ltd.

Bricklin went on to import Fiat X1/9s as "Bertone X1/9", and following that imported ZMW's little shitbox econocar, which became known as Yugo. There's been talk of him being involved in importing Cherys to the U.S., but so far nothing has come of it.

[ifcar]

"Ifcar could probably tell you how Consumer Reports called the Subaru 360 the most unsafe product they'd ever tested: because of its low weight it didn't have meet any DOT regulations."

It may have been the only car they gave the "Not Acceptable" rating to for something other than tipping over. They called it "fundamentally hazardous", for its 38-second 0-60, its violent oversteer, its behavior in crosswinds, poor braking, and lack of any sort of safety in an accident.

Subaru of North America told the US government that the 360 was a covered motorcycle, not a car.  

[Raza]

I want that Panoz badly.

The Panoz still looks like a kit car to me.

You say that about the Elise too, don't you?

I love it.  It's got so much more character than the standard Rich Guy Sports Cars.  And, I like the company, which is important to me.

[280Z Turbo]

I haven't said that about the Elise.

The huge body gaps, "tacked on" looking side skirts and tailights and Saturnesque interior remind me of a bad kit car.

[280Z Turbo]

I noticed that quite a few cars were from Canada. I don't know much about these cars, but I know that they were built there. Mark probably knows something about them.

The story of the Bricklin SV-1 is really the story of Malcolm Brickling himself.

Malcom Bricklin's father owned a building supply business. In 1958 he dropped out of Florida and started a franchise network called Handyman America Inc., a hardware store chain, built upon the financial foundations of his father's business. In the early '60s he left the company amidst a flurry of lawsuits brought on by Handyman franchisees alleging financial improprieties on Bricklin's part, and the company collasped shortly after. He had made a millionaire out of himself in the process.

He then bought out a motor-scooter company in Boston and started selling scooters, most of which were made by Fuji Heavy Industries (which, as most of you know, is Subaru's parent company). He got into the car business by co-founding Subaru of America Inc. in 1967, importing Subaru 360s to the States. He sold a paltry 6000 of them in four years. Ifcar could probably tell you how Consumer Reports called the Subaru 360 the most unsafe product they'd ever tested: because of its low weight it didn't have meet any DOT regulations.

Fuji Heavy Industries bought him out in 1971, not wanting to continue dealing with him, amidst more allegations of financial wrongdoing.

He founded a small car company later in '71, and had a small team of custom car builders quickly design the SV-1 prototype. In '72 they shot a promo film for it, marketed as a safety car (Safety Vehicle -1). He convinced a few banks to loan him a few million to start his building the car. Except he didn't have a factory.

He tried to buy the Renault factory in St-Bruno, Qu?bec, offering the Qu?bec government 40% ownership of the company. They passed on it. So he went to New Brunswick and offered the provincial government 51% owenrship oft he company if they'd give him a few million in loan guarantees so that he could build an assembly plant in St. John. The government agreed, the plant was built, and production began in 1974.

But there was a problem: the car's design wasn't finished.

The car was, again, designed to accommodate safety, not sport. The original design was to have been a compact with a four-cylinder, but that evolved into a Corvette-sized coup?. The chassis was one of the first designed for proper crumple zones and various safety cells to protect the passengers and the fuel tank from damage. The big, ugly front bumper was designed to overexceed the 5 mph requirement. The body was made from extruded acrylic. The theory was that this would reduce ownership costs, as any repair could be effected by the owner using some household paint. The engine was sourced from American Motors, their 360 V8. Gullwing doors were added for show.

The body had the tendency to crack. The panels were made in another plant in New Brunswick, and it wasn't uncommon for the St. John assembly plant to receive  panels broken in transit. The gullwing doors weighed a ridiculous 90 lbs, necessitating separate electric motors to open them. Electrical failure would trap an owner inside (the only way out was through the back hatch). Water leaks were frequent.

By the end of the '74 model year they had only built 800 cars.

AMC backed out of their engine contract as Bricklin had trouble paying the bills. He bought Ford 351 Windsors instead. Quality problems were still rampant, and the company hemorrhaged money.

The reason the company was losing money? Mostly Malcolm Bricklin, who treated himself with mansions, yachts, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. The New Brunswick government pumped around $25,000,000 into the company before Bricklin declared bankruptcy in September, 1975 and sent the company into receivership. The government cut its losses, selling of as many of Bricklin Canada Ltd.'s assets as it could.

To this day the government of New Brunswick still owns most of the designs and intellectual property of Bricklin Canada Ltd.

Bricklin went on to import Fiat X1/9s as "Bertone X1/9", and following that imported ZMW's little shitbox econocar, which became known as Yugo. There's been talk of him being involved in importing Cherys to the U.S., but so far nothing has come of it.

Wait a minute...this sounds familiar.

[cawimmer430]

Wow! I've never heard of this brand. At first, I thought I was looking at De Loreans, and then I saw the "Bricklin" writing. Nice pics!    

[FordSVT]

I noticed that quite a few cars were from Canada. I don't know much about these cars, but I know that they were built there. Mark probably knows something about them.

:lol:

The story of the Bricklin SV-1 is really the story of Malcolm Brickling himself.
He tried to buy the Renault factory in St-Bruno, Qu?bec, offering the Qu?bec government 40% ownership of the company. They passed on it. So he went to New Brunswick and offered the provincial government 51% owenrship oft he company if they'd give him a few million in loan guarantees so that he could build an assembly plant in St. John. The government agreed, the plant was built, and production began in 1974.

Saint John. Never St. John. It seems stupid, but I live there, and it's officially always spelled out fully.  Historically it was to avoid postal confusion with St. John's, NFLD.

A friend of mine works for Clow Ltd., one of the largest privately-owned makers of fire-hydrants in the world.  The plant where they assemble the hydrants was the building the Bricklin was built in.  You can still see the spots on the floor where some of the larger hardware was set in the foundation.

There are more than a dozen of these cars still in town, in varying states or repair, some nearly perfect and some that.... aren't.  They're neat to look at but tragically flawed in many ways, the worst of which is the heavy gull-wing doors.  Most people replace the door struts with higher pressure units than the factory ones.
-FordSVT-

[93JC]

Saint John. Never St. John. It seems stupid, but I live there, and it's officially always spelled out fully.  Historically it was to avoid postal confusion with St. John's, NFLD.

Whatever. One is "John", one is "John's". I figure that clears it up. :P

If you ever pronounced Calgary as "Cal-GAIR-ee" (it's "CAL-g'-ree", dammit!) I'd smack you upside the head, so I guess it's fair you insist on "Saint John".

[Raza]

Cal guh ree

[93JC]

The overwhelming number of people who simply cannot get it right is astonishing.

[L. ed foote]

Bricklin went on to import Fiat X1/9s as "Bertone X1/9", and following that imported ZMW's little shitbox econocar, which became known as Yugo. There's been talk of him being involved in importing Cherys to the U.S., but so far nothing has come of it.

FWIW, Yugos have pretty good potential as racers

Jim Thwaite's Yugo