The Bradley GT is one of the more widely known kit cars, and there seems to still be quite a few of them out there. These were back from the good old days when a VW donor chassis was fairly easy to score and inexpensive, plus the attention-getting factor was high once the Beetle body was off and the fiberglass was on. This one is nowhere near perfect, but for $2,000, I’m not sure you can get much more bang for your buck in the head-turning department. You’ll need to head toward North Canton, Ohio to check this one out in person, and we’d like to offer a big Barn Finds thank you to reader Ted for spotting this unusual cruiser and sending us the tip!
The shine has faded over the years here and the weather stripping has become brittle, but overall the body still appears solid, and with a coat of paint this one will probably look pretty good. The driver’s gullwing door has a crack on top, but I didn’t immediately notice any on the body itself. I’m not sure if those are actually Cragar brand five-spoke wheels, but this style was popular during the kit craze era, and they look right at home on a Bradley GT. Hopefully, with a little scrubbing, they’ll clean up some and maybe even sparkle once again.
Bradley Automotive began operations in 1970 and manufactured kits through 1981, so this one is near the end of the line, as it was produced in 1980. The seller says the chassis and drivetrain are from a 1969 VW, with the air-cooled engine stated to be in running condition. Some new parts include a coil, spark plugs, wires, plus a recent oil change. A new battery will need to be purchased by the future owner, but the seller has offered to put a temporary one in so potential buyers can hear the motor run.
Being white, the interior is prone to show dirt and blemishes more than a darker color, but just for something to drive occasionally, it doesn’t appear all that bad. The dash and instruments seem to be well-preserved, and I’m wondering if an afternoon with a bottle of 409 or your favorite cleaner might not get all that vinyl looking a lot better. For two grand, this 1980 Bradley GT could be a lot of fun, and it can be found here on Craigslist. I’m curious if any of our readers have ever owned or built a kit car, and if this one is a good deal for what you’re getting here?
I don’t understand some sellers. Why not replace the tired battery and add the price to the cost instead of a “temporary” battery?
In re: battery — Lots of stoochy sellers out there, peddling trash.
If I planned on buying a car, I’d expect the price to include a functioning battery.
No battery, no sale!!! Other than that it would be fun to drive, however the “doors” on this one are kinda high to have to step over to get in or worse get out of this one.
You’re correct. I rode in one once; getting in and out was difficult, and I was young back then.
I would say that getting OUT of this one would be vastly preferable to getting INTO it! :)
Neither one was easy decades ago, close to impossible for me now.
I think these make good full on dune buggies..lose the “doors” and back glass..some nice AT tires,couple of spotlights and off you go down Baja.As a “sports car” they just look silly to me..
I agree! It’s fiberglass, make into whatever you want!
Death Race 2000 tribute material!🤣🤣🤣
Right around the corner from me. And dirt cheap! But yeah, I have trouble getting in and out of my buddies Corvette.
Coulda bought one back in the 80’s when i was 16 for $500. no motor and interior not finished. I came from a family of car guys. Dad worked on cars on the side in the garage doing body and paint work and my brother was a mechanic. I was shot down by mom because the car was fiberglass and if i got in an accident, not much there to protect me. Then I wanted a 1968 Olds Cutlass. Got shot down on that too (gas hog). Then I asked if i could buy a Corvette and mom said “Oh yes”. That’s when I learned that if i want something, I will buy it. I bought a Honda 750 Interceptor (crotch rocket) and mom didn’t talk to me for 2 weeks. Then I bought my 1969 Firebird, mom wasn’t happy about that either, but by then she knew she didn’t have much she could say about anything anymore…she lost control. haha
I remember my Uncle Rol selling these kits in Wichita KS back in the late 70’s. He had three demos of completed cars on hand for potential suckers. He let me drive one to high school for a few weeks to drum up interest. I was the king of the parking lot! In retrospect, they looked cool but were a total pain in the ass. The “gullwing” doors were fragile and sucked. There was NO interior ventilation, and they rode rougher than all hell. Oh, and the seats hurt, too. Not to mention they were no faster than the donor bug that gave up its life.
Owned a Gazette kit car a short time ago, discovered it was a young person’s car.
Managed to squeeze my 6’3″ old body into it to yard drive it once. After prying myself out,listed it on ebay,really happy when it finally sold!
Sold.
Built a Kit Car from scratch, 73 pinto 2000cc engine, Built a 1923 Gazelle Replica from ground , got the frame jig weld, put the engine, trans, brakes, had to shorten drive shaft, Started it up with no body , moved it out to lot of snow,
got an old wood milk crate used as a seat , drove all over the neighborhood, doing spin outs and had a ball, its fun when you build one yourself, that was on 1980, just gave to my younger brother who is now 80, he is slowly bringing it back to life
Built a Kit Car from scratch, 73 pinto 2000cc engine, Built a 1923 Gazelle Replica from ground , got the frame jig weld, put the engine, trans, brakes, had to shorten drive shaft, Started it up with no body , moved it out to lot of snow,
got an old wood milk crate used as a seat , drove all over the neighborhood, doing spin outs and had a ball, its fun when you build one yourself, that was on 1980, just gave to my younger brother who is now 80, he is slowly bringing it back to life
I am grateful that you, all the writers of Barn Finds, have appreciated my sending in so many unusual cars and projects!
Best regards, Ted
My uncle sold these on the side in the late 70’s. We felt like superstars when he had us drive it to school to drum up business. I’m shocked it still has the gull wing plexi glass doors They were removable for the “convertible” feeling and not durable. The kits started at like 3k back in the day. VW chassis not included, without options. Super metallic paint molded into the fiberglass was like $300. The stripes around $50. The fact this has the rare doors intact makes the 2k ask fair.