“A perfect marriage. The inner beauty of a Volkswagen. And the outer beauty of a Bradley. You can now have a car that looks like a million, but costs very little.” That is how Bradley Automotive positioned a series of sleek fiberglass kit cars (that were built to bolt onto a standard VW Beetle chassis), in their series of eye-catching print ads. The first-generation Bradley GT made its debut in 1970 and the more refined GT II, as seen here, had a three-year run from 1977-1979. Located in Huntington Beach, California, this very clean GT II example is for sale here on craigslist for an asking price of $7.900. Another pat on the back to our friend, Pat L, for sending this tip our way.
The seller doesn’t give much background or history on the Bradley other than it’s a 1978 Bradley GT II body attached to a 1973 VW Beetle chassis, he’s owned the car for several years, and it is an attention getter. Based on the supplied photos, this white GT II appears to be clean, in very good shape, and ready to be driven. When introduced in November 1976, GT II’s were a little more sophisticated than the original GT and offered true gull-wing doors, improved bumpers, a steel-reinforced roof, electrically-driven retractable headlamps, and even air conditioning. 500 GT II’s are estimated to have been produced during their three-year production run with advertising promising “Autodynamic styling reminiscent of the most expensive and lavish European sports cars.”
I admit, I chuckled a bit seeing the photo of that familiar VW air-cooled 4-banger 1600cc engine in the back of that “lavish European sports car styled” rear boot. But like the rest of the car, the engine compartment is clean and tidy. The seller shares that several items have been rebuilt on the Bradley stating, “The front suspension has been completely gone through, the 1600 hp motor and transmission have been rebuilt, and it drives excellent.”
I realize kit cars are not everybody’s cup of tea and don’t have a large following, but I was around in the 70s and saw Dune Buggies, Bradleys and other kit cars on the street in the DC area and found the whole thing interesting and kinda cool. A novelty car for sure, but these kit cars were popular for those who marched to a different drum beat. For the driver looking for sleek European styling – and gull-wing doors to boot – at an affordable price (plus the durability and 35 mpg economy of a VW Beetle), this 1978 Bradley GT II could be for you.
“the 1600 hp motor and transmission have been rebuilt”
I’ll say!
This should be marketed as the first Bradley kit car ever completed and driving. Amazing after the hundreds and hundreds I’ve seen never finished.
I think it’s the first one of these I have seen actually finished and drivable. Most of them for sale are “projects” awaiting someone to rescue them.
These have a dune buggy flavor to them and I remember when you used to see these quite often. And, being lighter and more aerodynamic than the “donor” car, they were faster than a speeding Beetle.
Never liked the looks and why build what’s supposed to be a sports car with a that SLOW VW motor??
Like the sleeker BRICKLIN body much better but of course that’s my opinion.
At least the Bricklin had a 351 Ford V8.
I finish my Bradley in 78 looked great
Yes not too bad, if this is your cup of tea. I bet it has many rattles with those doors.
I am just curious what part of the country everyone seems to think that these never got finished. Back in the ’70s in Springfield Ohio, these were a very common sight on the streets. While it was cool to see them, the long tail and the Beetle sound was much of a turn off even for a pre-teen motorhead.
First thing I’d do is put those seats on a diet! Ugh! 😆
My brother bought this kit and had it finished in a year working on it after work in a one car garage. It looked identical to this one and was an eye catcher in its day. He ended up selling it due to issues of warping in the roof that caused leaks in the gull wing doors. Theres a gentleman near me who brings his to local cruise ins each summer.
A friend bought a finished one. The doors absolutely did not fit and could not be made to, they just were too far off dimensionally from the cavities in the roof. Give me a good original Beetle or Karman Ghia anyday. Same goes for those MGTD replicas. Why bother to build one when there were so many genuine ones available? Only exception a good 356 Porsche replica that’s worth 1/10 of an original and delivers a similar experience without risking a 250K car on a road full of illegals with no insurance.
One of my first cars was a beetle and i hated it soo much
It molded my future and have never been able to stomach any volkswagen since
I start laughing when i hear the noise the engine makes while trying to move the vehicle it has been mated to …
gone.