The Blakely Bernardi was a kit car produced by Blakely Auto Works out of Princeton, Wisconsin in the 1980s. While other models were available, this one was named after Enrico Bernardi, the Italian inventor of the gasoline internal combustion engine. You could buy the car and put it together yourself or they could do the work for you at an additional cost. This copy looks like a nice survivor that comes with both soft and hard tops. Located in Copley, Ohio, this Bernardi is available here on craigslist for $10,000. This tip is brought to us compliments of Barn Finder Pat L.!
These cars were designed to look like the post-war British sports cars of the 1950s. The chassis is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive set-up with the motor behind the front axle. While the body style and proportions of the Bernardi pay homage to the MG-TD, it’s larger in body dimensions and has enough room under the hood to accommodate powerplants as big as a small-block V8 engine. Whether you got the car fully assembled or as a kit, these were not inexpensive purchases. For $8,495, they sent you the vehicle in crates and the buyer had to provide a donor car and an engine. For $22,900, you got a turnkey auto but it was priced in the same neighborhood as a contemporary Chevy Corvette.
The seller says this car comes with its original assembly manual so that most certainly makes it a kit. The engine is an inline-4 and Ford usually supplied those, so the one in this car could be anything from 1600 to 2300 cc in size. It’s paired with a 4-speed manual transition and the condition of the Bernardi is said to be good, so we assume it runs. The seller indicates that only about 60 of these cars were ever made, so the chances of you seeing another one anytime soon are unlikely.
It’s not fair to compare this car to a Corvette because their cost is similar. The Bernardi competed with other neo-classic sports kit-cars of the era. And the Bernardi’s are more complicated than the kits that were based on the VW Beetle chassis and drivetrain. While the powerplant components are probably easy to find if needed for this car, but locating body pieces would be a more difficult undertaking.
Have only seen one in pictures but it’s overall a nice looking car with the exception of the casket shaped grill. All those nice curves until you get up front.
Ditto on that front end. Yeesh. So cheap looking. The interior looks like a huge step up from the usual kit car interiors.
The Blakely Bernardi was a kit car produced by Blakely Auto Works out of Princeton, Wisconsin in the 1980s……
Long long Winter’s in Wisconsin, the Cheese State.
This is definitely a cool-looking car and certainly out of the ordinary. If I had it, I would toss the Ford drive train and substitute one from a Honda S2000.
To me that front end looks like it took inspiration from a Diamond T truck. Not too sure on the front but the rest looks pretty good. I’ve seen kit cars that are good and some that are crap. I’m not sure of this one so don’t know which category this one falls into.
I think those grilled are sourced from a ‘76-‘77 Cutlass S. Just turned 90°!
Thanks, I suspected that.
These have a rectangular tube frame, but I have no idea how well engineered the whole chassis/suspension system is. I suspect that even TVR would laugh at them, but I don’t know.
Bernardi, inventor of the internal combustion engine? THAT is a new one for me.
Yep,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Bernardi
Who knew.
If I’m not mistaken, there is/was a Barn Find staffer with one of these . . . Or is it a Hathaway kit car I’m thinking of??
If it’s me you are thinking of, it’s a Hathaway Hunter, although Josh had a Blakely at one point.
Ah Haha! I was double right . . . Two birds, one stone . . . Personally I think the Hathaway is the best original design (non-replica) of any kit car ever . . .