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While Malcolm Bricklin is perhaps best known in auto circles for bringing Subaru (and Yugo) to the US, the insatiable entrepreneur has actually started more than 30 companies, including the Bricklin car brand.
Like many of his endeavors, the Bricklin car brand did not last long, but from 1974 to 1975 it managed to produce striking sports cars with gullwing doors, lightweight composite bodies and V-8 power.
The car is a Bricklin SV-1, and comedian Jeff Dunham happens to own it. This was featured in the latest episode of Jay Leno’s web series, “Jay Leno’s Garage.
The Dunham example is the 1975 model year, meaning it features a Ford V-8 instead of the original AMC V-8 used in the previous model year. The Ford V-8, the popular Windsor, makes around 175 hp in this application and is paired to a 3-speed automatic. Drive only to the rear wheels.
Unusually for a sports car, the SV-1 was marketed for safety as well as performance. The SV in its name actually stands for “safety vehicle”, and the car has features such as an integrated roll cage. Some body panels, including the front and rear fascias, are also designed to absorb low-speed impact energy, helping to prevent dents.
As the video tells, many of the available car colors also have the word safety in their name, such as Safety Red, as featured on Dunham’s car. In an effort to save costs, the cars were actually unpainted. Instead, the color is impregnated in the acrylic resin used for the body. However, quality problems quickly emerged, such as the resin scalding at high temperatures.
Various other quality issues, along with a price increase meant that the SV-1 never became a top seller. Production, which took place at a purpose-built factory at Saint John, in New Brunswick Canada, is estimated at fewer than 3,000 units.
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