Kit cars and vehicles built on top of a donor chassis are a fun and sometimes inexpensive way to attract attention in the automobile hobby, with appearances and features ranging from average to what could almost be considered works of art, such as those offered by Factory Five Racing. One that seems like a lot of bang for the buck is this Bremen Sebring here on Facebook Marketplace in Nashville, Tennessee, which started at $10,000 and has already been reduced to $7,500. This one has some cool features and seems to offer plenty of fun at a relatively low cost, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank Barn Finds reader PRA4SNW for spotting this sporty two-seater and bringing it to our attention!
Bremen Motor Company offered both kits intended for home assembly and turnkey-ready cars, with their Sebring being the creation of Al Hildebrand, who designed this VW-platform GT-type sportster as an intended improvement over the earlier Sterling creations. One of the standout features here is the aircraft-style canopy that pops up for entry, which the seller says lifts electrically, and it also has a sunroof on top. The cool fiberglass body appears to be in excellent condition, with a decent black finish, and it’s said to be mounted on the chassis of a 1970 Volkswagen Bug.
In keeping true to form with the platform, this one’s powered by a VW engine said to have an oversized cam and pistons. The seller reports it’s running but also indicates the engine needs work, with no explanation of the specifics required to get the motor operating properly. There aren’t many details about the transmission either, but it’s stated to be good, so hopefully it won’t take too much mechanical effort to get this Sebring ready to be a dependable and enjoyable cruiser.
On some kit cars, it’s often the interior details that don’t always present as much excitement as the exterior. Thankfully, that’s not the case here, as the inside components are sporty and appear to be in fine shape. That is one tall and oddly placed shifter, and with the seatback’s trajectory, it’ll take some leaning forward and physical effort to operate. This one seems like a lot of fun for the money, and I feel it’s probably priced fairly for what you’re getting here. Any thoughts to share on this Bremen Sebring?
All of that glass, sunroof and black paint. You probably don’t want to drive it when the sun is up!
It would really be hot, especially without windows you can roll down.
Owned a Sebring myself. Just wondering whether the top is electric, hydraulic, or spring loaded. I can tell you from experience of having to climb out of those small windows more than once, that it’s a major problem to be sure of the system operating that top. Other than that, my car brought more attention to it than I have ever experienced. wife and oldest son refused to ride in it because of that. My youngest son and I enjoyed for several years before selling it.
A kit car that actually looks pretty decent. That said, why bother with a VW engine? At least put a 351 in it!
I was wondering if a Porsche flat 6 would bolt right in . . .
Or a Corvair flat-6 for that matter…
“Exotic” :)
In the ’70s (between 1975 and 1977) this company had a booth at the Chicago Auto Show. I spent quite alot of time talking to one particular person in the booth. He told me that the car on display was not a driving car. It was a test mule with a VW Rabbit engine. They were trying to make it work in transverse mode because of the weight hanging it out the back using a bug transaxle. They were having issues with the shift linkage and noted sure that they were going to continue down the “water pumper” road or not. I had a bit of experience with that setup and offered a possible solution. He immediately offered me a job. Which I graciously declined. I did notice that they never did offer the option.
My dad worked at r&r iron works in Forest Park illinois. The Sebring plant was connected to his building so I saw these cars all the time and dreams of having one when I was a kid
With many kit designs, it never ceases to amaze me that someone skilled enough to create their own design, could be so ignorant of the concept of artistic balance and proportion.
Originally made in Bremen, Indiana…
Not real far from me!!
Wouldn’t it be neat, to get trapped in something like this?
Had those thoughts a couple of times when my car died on the side of the road.
It looks the part (maybe), but these VW kits are just paper tigers.
I love my Lister Bell Lancia Stratos. The build quality and design is actually better then the original, authentic cars by a margin of 10 but is so acurate to the original that Lister Bell parts fit the original cars. Tony Ostermeier’s Gullwing Cars makes an outstanding Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing rep as well. The “kit car” business has come a long way from the days of the Bradley GT and Manta Montage’s.
I’m sorry, the Bradley should never be mentioned in the same class as anything. That P.O.S. is a testament to uninformed people will buy anything!
Yes, Manta was in no way a “Factory Five” quality car. But, it wasn’t priced like it was. But the Bradley (I really even hate to capitalize the name.) had no even attempt at quality.
To me, this screams “KIT CAR” in much the same way as a Bradley does. This isn’t going to fool anyone into thinking it’s an “exotic”.
To be a “Kit Car” it doesn’t have to be an exotic car copy. It can be an original design like this one. Take the Meyers Manx as an example. It was the original design. NO COPY! (Soon to be copied by others.)
The Manx is the very definition of a kit car. You bought the body and installed it on a Beetle chassis.
You completely missed my point. Just like the Bradley, this thing is hideous and an obvious effort to be something it isn’t. It looks like it was cut out from cardboard.
Ewww. The Sebring can be decent looking if done right. The design is decent. However, this one had some Fast and Furious inspired redecorating which did it absolutely no favors.
Here’s this car when the current owner changed the styling of the original Bremen Sebring. I think he did a nice job. Certainly has talent for this kind of thing.
https://www.sterlingkitcars.com/index.php?threads/putting-back-together-a-bremen-sebring.2068/