The Canadian Muscle Car That Time Forgot
By: Gray Van Dyke (HotCars)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Canadian Muscle Car That Time Forgot
In the world of automotive performance, certain countries are renowned for their sports cars - Italy for Ferrari, Germany for Porsche, Great Britain for Lotus, and the United States for the Chevrolet Corvette , along with a plethora of unique and thrilling V8-powered muscle cars . They're the kinds of reputations that took years to build, and they've only become more entrenched with time. As a result, it's made for a tough market to break into if you're not among the established players.
One nation that has proven conspicuously absent is Canada. In spite of the many cool Canadian cars , and its proximity to America and its car culture. However, that's not to say that the country is without potential. On the contrary: As you'll see with this oft-forgotten muscle car (or is it a sports car?), Canada nearly had a winner back in the 1970s.
A Safety-First Muscle Car Forged By An Era
An experienced entrepreneur, Malcolm Bricklin made his first foray into automobiles by selling quirky bubble cars under the banner of Subaru America. Despite growing consumer concern for fuel economy and a niche but expanding market for subcompact vehicles, the tiny Subaru 360 Micro really wasn't suited to American roads or traffic. Frustrated by a lack of sales, Bricklin sold his stake in the company and decided to try something even more ambitious: building a car of his own.
So he founded General Vehicles, Inc. and set up shop in Arizona, though he eventually chose New Brunswick as the site of production on account of the Canadian government's generous financial incentives. Determined to break into the market with something eye-catching and different, Bricklin envisioned his car as an offering that would be as safe for its occupants as it was fun to drive. He dubbed it the SV-1 (short for "Safety Vehicle One"), enlisting Herb Grasse of the Batmobile to finalize the styling and tasking a team of engineers to add crash protection measures.
Engineered For Crash Protection
Ralph Nadar's "Unsafe At Any Speed" hit bookstores in 1965, predating the SV-1 by almost a decade but inspiring a general shift away from brash muscle cars in favor of tamer, more economical options. Familiar with the safety failures of his bubble cars and anticipating battles with the NHTSA, Malcolm Bricklin had the SV-1 specially designed to incorporate a set of regulation-compliant impact bumpers front and rear. Compared to other options of the era, the Bricklin carried its crash protection well; it was harmonious with the design rather than grafted on as an afterthought.
Moreover, Bricklin built the SV-1 with a sturdy steel perimeter chassis, and it featured a tubular steel frame that wrapped fully around the passenger compartment. In combination with an integral roll bar, the arrangement made for some roll-over protection that was well ahead of anything else on the market.
A Driver's Car Designed To Perform
Almost as important as the SV-1's safety was its performance - Malcolm Bricklin wanted the car to impress enthusiasts. The entrepreneur had seen how Lotus was able to make affordable sports cars successful on a small scale, and he wanted to emulate the formula here in the States. The best way to get people talking about his car was to have more of them in the driver's seat; the SV-1 needed to be accessible in performance and in price.
During prototyping, Bricklin conceived the SV-1 as a kind of quick-handling lightweight - something along the lines of what we know today as a Caterham Seven . For this reason, he originally wanted the car to feature an Opel four-cylinder engine along with a fully independent suspension.
However, the anemic power plant was quickly scrapped; there was no way that Bricklin could keep up with the competition. As the team got further into its prototype efforts, the SV-1 gradually gained cylinders until it hit the market with an AMC V8 .
The Bricklin SV-1 was supposed to be revolutionary, instead, it ended up flopping spectacularly.
Becoming The Corvette's Canadian Rival
1975 Bricklin SV-1 Vs. 1975 Chevrolet Corvette Specs
Bricklin SV-1 Chevrolet Corvette
|
Engine |
5.9-liter AMC 360 V8 |
5.7-liter RPC L48 V8 |
|
Transmission |
Three-Speed Auto |
Four-speed manual/Three-Speed Auto |
|
Power |
175 HP |
165 HP |
|
Torque |
286 LB-FT |
255 LB-FT |
|
0-60 MPH |
~10 Seconds |
~ 8.2 Seconds |
|
Top Speed |
118 MPH |
132 MPH |
When it debuted in 1974, the Bricklin SV-1 was poised to be a decent performer . The slick Canadian sports car tipped the scales at nearly 3,500 lbs, though the combination of a 5.9-liter AMC V8 and a four-barrel carb meant that it made as much as 220 horsepower. What's more, some early examples came with an optional Borg-Warner T10 four-speed manual, an addition that only furthered the coupe's sporty appeal.
Come 1975, Bricklin switched engine suppliers, and cars from that point exclusively featured Ford's 351 Windsor small-block V8 paired with an FMX three-speed automatic transmission. Malcolm Bricklin didn't lose sleep over the loss of the manual option; he claimed the automatic was more in line with the car's intended purpose. And besides, despite emissions regulations keeping output to a meager 175 horses, the SV-1 stacked up against its C3 Corvette contemporary quite well. At the time, GM's base model sports coupe only made 165 horsepower from its L48 V8.
As Car and Driver found in its 1975 head-to-head review, "If your happiness computer accepts only performance inputs, the Corvette is your car. But if there is an adjustment factor for character and panache, you'd better cast your lot with the Bricklin." Sure, it was something of a backhanded compliment, but it made for high praise to be considered in the same breath as the incumbent from GM.
High Potential Hampered By The Era
Had Bricklin not entered the market during the malaise era , it's possible that the SV-1 would have gone on to enjoy some success. It boasted safety features that were ahead of the time, and the sharp styling was bold without being off-base. Unfortunately, though, stringent emissions regulations and lackluster engine options doomed the Bricklin's reputation as a sports car. It might have boasted the same Windsor V8 as found in legends like the Mustang and the Cobra, but only in name; those muscle cars had been free to breathe in a bygone age.
The heavy engines contributed to the SV-1's curb weight, too, making the production model pretty far-removed from Malcolm Bricklin's original concept. Instead of a lightweight car with race-bred independent suspension as he had envisioned, the SV-1 borrowed from the AMC parts bin, incorporating the solid rear axle, leaf springs, and drum brakes from the Hornet.
The economical little sedan wasn't exactly known for its handling, and the Bricklin's performance suffered accordingly. When you consider that the SV-1 also cost more than double what was expected (up to $9,980 from a projected $4,000), it made for a tough sell - especially against a $6,810 Corvette.
Engines got smaller between 1973 and 1983, plain and simple. Cars were made to be safer, but this had somewhat of a negative impact on muscle cars.
Bricklins Are A Rare Breed Today
As is the case with so many other failed automotive startups , Bricklin's ambitions got the best of it. Riding a high of cash injections, widespread publicity, and optimism, the company had created a backlog of orders far exceeded its available production capacity. Poor quality control and supply chain difficulties made it ever-harder to keep up with demand, and Bricklin entered receivership in September 1975. 12 cars were left on the line when the company sold, planned 1976 models that would never be.
Because of the short-lived production, it's rare to see a Bricklin on the road today; estimates generally put the count at 2,854 cars in total. Of those, Bricklin built roughly 780 SV-1s in 1974 and the remaining 2,062 in 1975. Cars from early in the run -- like the AMC 360-powered, four-speed manual models -- rank among the rarest of the lot. Bricklin built all of just 137 cars specced with those drivetrain options. Depending on which of Bricklin's Safety colorways suits your tastes, certain combinations number in the single digits.
Estimated Bricklin SV-1 Production Counts
Automatic Manual
|
1974 |
643 |
137 |
|
1975 |
2,062 |
0 |
|
Total |
2,705 |
137 |
Scarcity Makes For Interesting Ownership
Because of shared components with much more mass-produced vehicles like the AMC Hornet and the Jeep Wagoneer, Bricklins are much easier to maintain than you might expect. However, you should consider some of the following quirks when looking to source an example for yourself:
- The acrylic bodywork is prone to stress fractures
- The hydraulic door pump is notorious for failure
- Loose weather-stripping makes for common leaks
- Like most wedges, visibility is lacking
- The cramped interior isn't kind to taller drivers
A Failed Innovation That's Remembered Fondly
Today, Bricklins have seen a gradual resurgence in their appeal. Although the SV-1 was once considered a forgotten relic, it's now a nice item of interest. The faults that plagued the Corvette-rivalling Canadian during its time on the market no longer overshadow its many innovations. Instead, they're to be considered quirks of owning an obscure classic.
According to J.D. Power's price valuation tool for a 1975 model year, the SV-1 remains a pretty attainable classic. On the low end, you can expect to pay around $11,600, though that probably doesn't account for fixer-uppers.
At the upper end, prices climb to $41,200, with the average falling around $24,700. We also checked Classic.com, as it compiles data from the last five years. Across the board, things have stayed pretty stable - you'll find SV-1s regularly change hands around the mid-$20k mark, with some especially notable examples breaking six figures.
Bricklin Values Over The Past Five Years
1974 1975
|
Lowest Sale Price |
$8,525 |
$7,500 |
|
Highest Sale Price |
$101,000 |
$60,100 |
|
Average Sale Price |
$37,904 |
$26,750 |
|
Median Sale Price |
$27,000 |
$25,400 |
The Canadian Sports Car's Lasting Legacy
Is it a sports car or a muscle car? Like the C3 Corvette, the Bricklin SV-1 is a model that blurred this line in the '70s. That said, hindsight makes it easy to focus on a car's failures. However, rather than remembering the SV-1 as one of the worst cars to be sold in America, we should acknowledge it for its ambitions.
The Canadian-built Bricklin pioneered many areas of crash protection, and it dared to challenge established automotive giants like the Corvette. If there's anything to take away from all of this, it's that Bricklin's demise was due to the company's business practices more so than the failure of the oddball sports car concept:
- Quality control was subpar during assembly
- Initially, 60% of the acrylic bodywork was wasted on production
- Workers were underskilled and unreliable
Sources: Hagerty, Silodrome, Classic.com, J.D. Power, Bricklin.org
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Unfortunately it failed - I wouldn't have minded owning one back in those days.
I wanted to get one when they came out but on my lowly junior enlisted salary it was just out of my reach. In addition my new wife said a flat out no so that was the end of it. In retrospect she was right.
I guess she didn't want the girls to be attracted to you because you were driving a sexy-looking car. LOL
Actually she was a trained in accounting and a much better money handler than I ever was. That made her a bit of a penny pincher but it worked out okay.
A couple I babysat for had one of these. It was so cool being picked up and dropped off in it, my friends were so jealous and I felt like such a big shot
I would have liked to have had that experience. The 1973 Pontiac Grand Am coupe I was driving when the Bricklin was produced was as close as I ever owned of that kind of car.
At least the rear quarter-window had the same treatment.
Good looking car
That acrylic nose was something that was fascinating. I's natural that noses hold some importance for me:
I thought that it was a very cool auto, but I have never seen one in the ‘’flesh’’ so to speak.
Neither had I, but I do recall hearing about it back then.
They looked very good but needed more than the 351 Windsor motor
Normally I don' t like the "Sting-Ray" type nose, but on the Bricklin the incorporated spring-loaded bumper was a terrific idea - more cars should have made use of the concept.