1975 Bricklin SV-1

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VEHICLES SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
1975 Bricklin SV-1
SOLD
Plus w
Body Color
Safety Red
Stock
21GKM452
Vin
00011BX5S002638
Miles
50,699
Engine Size
351cid/175hp 2bbl V8
Transmission Type
Automatic
PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS WELCOMED
Body Color
Safety Red
Stock
21GKM452
Vin
00011BX5S002638
Miles
50,699
Engine Size
351cid/175hp 2bbl V8
Transmission Type
Automatic
PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS WELCOMED

Gull Wing Doors

Safety Red
Cloth
351cid/175hp 2bbl V8
Automatic

1975 Bricklin SV-1

- Safety Red over Cloth Interior
- Ford 351 Windsor V8
- Gull Wing Doors with Upgraded Air Hydraulics
- Automatic Transmission
- Air Conditioning
- 50k Miles
- Recently Restored: Paint, Fuel Tank, Carpet, Tires, and Battery
- Rare Find: Only Produced for Three Years

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1975 Bricklin SV-1 on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 150 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

Hagerty Media tells the Bricklin story: “The Bricklin SV-1 was conceived in 1973, when the U.S. auto industry was in a slump due to fuel shortages, emissions regulations, and increased safety requirements. Subaru importer Malcolm Bricklin believed there was a seam in the market for a “safe” and individual sports car, so he persuaded the Canadian government to invest money for construction of such a car in depressed New Brunswick. Cost overruns and quality control problems with the inexperienced workforce led to eventual bankruptcy. The first Bricklins were built in 1974, and the factory shut down in late 1975….

“Despite looking like a mid-engine two-seater, the Bricklin squeezed an AMC 360-cid V-8 under the car's sharply sloping hood. Later cars had a Ford 351 V-8 but only the first year offered a four-speed transmission. The bumpers at both ends of the car were massive urethane bolsters and the body was fiberglass, with color molded in. The doors were electro-hydraulically operated gullwings that weighed a hefty 100 pounds apiece. The Bricklin was introduced at $7,900, rising to $9,995 for the last models.

“The 'SV' (for 'Safety Vehicle') part of the name was backed up by the car's steel cage and big bumpers. Color choices were bold in virulent orange, yellow, and green, red and white, and tan. Interiors were typical 1970s, with button-tufted faux suede seats and AMC gauges. In all, 2,897 cars were sold before the bailiffs appeared on the doorstep. A political scandal followed amid claims that the Canadian government had been trying to keep the factory open until the next election.”

A great deal more Bricklin-related information is available online at: https://www.automobile-catalog.com/tire/1975/78590/bricklin_sv-1_automatic_ford_windsor_engine.html

Offered here is a 1975 Bricklin SV-1 in Safety Red over tan. Recently restored, the Bricklin's odometer shows 50,699 miles, roughly just 1,100 miles per-year on average since new. With fewer than 3,000 ever produced, this well-maintained gull-winged-door bit of automotive history from the Seventies is a legitimate—and rare—bit of automotive history.

The exterior Safety Red finish shows well across all the car's exterior panels, with gloss-black accenting the lower body and bumpers (the rear bumper is entirely black). The paint finish has been very well treated through the years and now exhibits near-showroom condition free of scrapes or other damage. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) The limited chrome trim on the car has also been treated well. All factory badging—including the stylized “B” emblems in front and on the front fenders and the “Bricklin” badge on the rear—is properly in place. Tinted cabin glass (including on the bespoke gull-wing doors and large, strut-supported rear hatchback) is free of cracks or other damage. Lighting lenses (including on the pop-up headlights) are similarly undamaged. Factory turbine-style, 15-inch alloy wheels (with “B”-emblem center caps) are mounted with BFGoodrich® Radial T/A raised-white-letter tires.

The car's tan-themed interior has been cared for with the same attention as its body. The condition of the button-tufted faux suede seat upholstery (trimmed in vinyl) and recently renewed darker cabin carpeting is especially impressive. Both surfaces retain good color vibrancy and zero damage. Matching door-trim panels (including on the hatch) are equally impressive. Air-hydraulic-operated gull-wing doors operate as they should. A black-rimmed, brushed-metal-trimmed, 3-spoke sport steering wheel (with “B” center emblem) frames a simple but complete VDO® (not AMC as noted in the Hagerty Media article) instrument cluster including 160-mph speedometer, 4,500-rpm-redline tachometer, oil pressure, coolant temperature, alternator output, and fuel gauge. All instrument original markings in yellow remain clear and legible. The center stack features slide-lever controls for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioner above a Kenwood® audio head unit in the factory-radio location. The shift lever for the automatic transmission is mounted on the center console. Power window controls and the handbrake are aft of the shift lever. Overall, dashboard and switchgear surfaces show very well with minimal patina from age and normal use.

Under the front-hinged hood, the Ford Windsor 351-cubic-inch, 175-horsepower V8 commands a clean and complete engine bay. The engine block and (“Powered by Ford”-embossed) valve covers wear their original Ford-blue paint. All components—including air conditioning—appear properly mounted with no obvious modifications. Viewed from below, the chassis is complete, straight, clean, and undamaged. Light surface rust is present on some untreated metal. Due to the body's fiberglass construction, there is no body-panel rust. The dual-exhaust system and clean lower-engine surfaces are visual focal points.

The car's original factory data tags remain mounted. The sale includes a copy of the factory brochure.

While the more than 150 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '75 Bricklin SV-1

in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

In the case of this Safety-Red example, the historic appeal of a Bricklin combines with obvious attention to maintenance through the years to make for a compelling offering. Add to that, the joy of knowing this'll almost certainly be the only Bricklin SV-1 at any cars-and-coffee gathering, and chances are, there's an automotive iconoclast out there ready to snap up their own share of the Bricklin automotive legend.

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