Many times, I pass up on featuring kit cars like this Bradley GT-2 because they are in such horrible conditon it seems unlikely anyone would take it on. That’s not the case with the 1974 example, which is a claimed Califorina garage find that had remained hidden after the owner passed away. Said to be slightly more livable than the more bare-bones GT, this VW-based kit car here on eBay appears quite solid – and bidders seem to agree.
Now, that’s not to say bidding is crazy high – it’s currently just over $1K – but clearly, more than one bidder has shown up with cash in hand. The interior of the GT-2 was designed to accommodate larger passengers, and trademark features like the gullwing doors were re-engineered to stand a better chance of staying erect (which they appear to be in the top photo). The interior in this car is holding up fairly well, with no big rips in the seats and good glass.
The seller notes little is known about the Bradley’s history, but it does come with a VW Type 3 chassis and engine. The car will run with some gasoline poured directly into the carbs and a jump, but the gas tank will need to be professionally cleaned out before many miles are logged. That was always the appeal with a kit like this: the exotic looks everyone wanted without the high upkeep costs of an actual exotic. The build quality played a big role in whether the kit felt like a formidable sports car, however.
While the paint is a little tired and we’re sure a dent or two was collected while in storage, the Bradley GT-2 looks like it’s holding together better than most kit cars would be at this point. Perhaps the longtime owner was fanatical about this car, and ensured his would be tighter than most when it came time for final assembly. Whatever the reason for its decent appearances, this could be a fun project for not much cash if the reserve is set low.
How does one dent a plastic body?
My father-in law with a friend built a Austin-Healy 3000 Mark III. They were both professional engineers and didn’t spare a dime on building it.
The friend wound up driving it and when he felt he was too old to drive it anymore, tried to sell it.
There were no takers anywhere.
Eventually it was donated to a not-for-profit museum, & he received an admission voucher to the museum that had to be used that month. WOW….
What can I say about kit cars.
But that doesn’t stop me from looking for an already built turnkey Mercedes 500K.
The engine condition is suspect as the Type 3 had tinware around the generator belt and then a big rubber boot connecting that to the body. Cooling air (which should be COOL AIR) came into the body at the top of the rear fenders. This is critical. There was even a recall for the A/C equipped cars to install a larger number of louvers in the fenders to allow maximum COOL air flow into the system. Running the engine like you see it here draws HOT air from under the engine and exhaust system and makes it run HOT. Life expectancy plummets. Basically it’s like hooking your top and bottom radiator hoses together and going for a ride. Plan on replacing/rebuilding this engine and designing some method to keep the hot air from the cool air intake.. Beetles and buses used a “skirt” of tin and a rubber seal to do that.
Did you see where the car is located?
Stateline Nevada.
That is some hot air there.
Miguel, have you ever actually been to Stateline? It’s right next door to South Lake Tahoe and the California-Nevada state line separates the two towns as well as the two states.On average, the low 80s is as hot as it gets there ‘cuz the elevation is 6,283 ft.
These “Bradley” cars are nothing more than a fancy dune buggy, I have one just down the road from me & if the owner tries to come anywhere near my house with it, I’m gonna shoot first & ask questions later………lol
In all seriousness, I wouldn’t want one even if it was given to me.
That’s the most cross-eyed car I’ve ever seen.
These cars were for sale in magazines for around $1500.00. The add said use Ford or VW chassis, I don’t think they specified which Fords. I seriously considered ordering one, but decided against it when I found they were just basically a body, you provided everything else. Looking back with divorce in the near future its probably good that I didn’t.
Somebody should snap this up before Jeff Dunham hears about it. He is cornering the market on Bradley GT’s.
But he does a nice job of getting them running and looking great again, so not really a bad thing. Someone has to look after all these “Orphan” fiberglass kit cars before they disappear entirely from the planet…..
A story for the ages… my dad was a real car nut, and in 1972 he bought an exotic car for the then exorbitant price of $8,000. By 1977 it needed about $3,000 worth of general maintenance and my mother flipped out. So he sold it for the same $8k and took the money and invested it in a great father son project. A Bradley GTII. He was an engineer as well, and some old rusty used Beetle was not good enough so he purchased a brand new “crate” engine and chassis and we built the car together over a school year, meticulously.
Where are we now?
Dad passed in 2003 and now I own, very likely, the finest, cleanest, lowest mileage GTII in existence. (Not saying much..). Has only 8,000 miles, and runs like a top. Even the AC and power antennae works.
That exotic? It was a 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS, recently sold at auction for 2.2 Million. (I slept in it the day before they picked it up, crying all night begging my mom not to sell it.)
Mom? Haven’t spoken to her for over 30 years