This 1984 Blakely Bernardi was apparently built for the vice president of Caterpillar, way back in the day, which is an amazing bit of commentary about how people used to signal wealth. In the 80s, the concept of “neo-classical” and replica vehicles and kit cars that embodied this design sentiment was a major force in the automotive world, and it’s not at all surprising to hear that someone collecting a handsome salary in the middle 80s would consider ordering his own Blakely Bernardi as a sign that he had made it. Find this Bernardi here on craigslist for $13,000.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the tip. The Blakely Bernardi was positioned as a multi-cultural roadster, meaning it captured the spirit of an Morgan while utilizing Italian branding techniques to address two major archetypes of the automotive world: the British build fun open-top cars, and the Italians made them pretty (but unreliable.) The Bernardi took all of that and then dropped in a Ford-sourced 2.3L inline-four, giving this tribute to Italian and British motoring a far more reliable powerplant than either nationality could come up with. The Blakely’s bodywork featured a broad stance with generous fenders and wide running boards.

The interior was better than most replicas and/or kit cars, with leather upholstery and covered surfaces like the dash panel and inner doors. Oftentimes, replica makers would leave that up to the customer to finish, and many of these oddball tribute cars look rather cheap inside as a result. The cabin design, which inevitably came from some version of a production car, tended to make or break a car like this. If it was finished to a high standard, it was typically nicer than the car it was based on. If it wasn’t, well – there was no mistaking the origins of the cockpit as being from a Fiero or some other cheap 80s runabout. The factory shipped the Bernardi with all of the necessary trim components to make the interior quite upscale.

The Bernardi was built to a decent standard from its factory in Wisconsin. This included the way the fiberglass body was assembled: it featured two layers, when most kit cars were using just one. The curb weight increased, but the structural rigidity did as well. The 2.3L inline-four is not a hugely entertaining engine, but it’s the largest of the four cylinders offered with the kit. What is entertaining is when you take a car like this and stuff a SBC or some other domestic V8 to give it the proper noise and speed, along with a major dose of attitude. I also love these cars lowered on Panasport-style wheels, so the sky is essentially the limit when taking this Bernardi to the next level.