It’s not every day you come across a Bricklin SV-1, and it’s even rarer when one carries the distinction of being the last of its year to roll off the line. This 1975 example, listed here on Facebook Marketplace out of Hebron, Ohio, is said to be #2880 of 2,906 built and, according to factory records, the very last ’75 model produced. For collectors of unusual and short-lived marques, that makes this “Safety Suntan” SV-1 a fascinating survivor with real historical weight. Thanks for the tip Ted!
The Bricklin story is well known in enthusiast circles. Conceived by Malcolm Bricklin as a futuristic safety sports car, the SV-1 featured built-in crash beams, energy-absorbing bumpers, and those iconic gullwing doors. Unfortunately, poor build quality and high production costs cut the dream short, leaving behind a limited run of just under 3,000 cars. Today, the SV-1 stands as a quirky but important piece of 1970s automotive history, and survivors in good condition tend to attract a loyal following.
This particular SV-1 shows just 30,000 miles and has reportedly been garage-kept, which goes a long way toward explaining its overall originality and preserved state. Finished in the distinctive Safety Suntan color, it represents one of the rarer shades offered during production. The seller notes that the car is both running and driving, making it more approachable than the typical project SV-1 that often requires extensive recommissioning before hitting the road again.
While details are limited, the pictures show a car that presents well for its age. These cars were never known for luxury interiors or cutting-edge performance, but the combination of American V8 power, wedge-shaped styling, and those dramatic doors keeps them firmly in the spotlight among oddball collectors. And the fact that this example holds the title of “last 1975 Bricklin built” gives it bragging rights that few others can claim.
With production totals this low, each surviving SV-1 is special, but this one stands out as a unique opportunity for enthusiasts who appreciate the story behind the car as much as the car itself. Whether kept stock, sympathetically restored, or shown as-is, it’s a piece of history that you’re unlikely to see at the average car show.
Would you add this rare Bricklin SV-1 survivor to your collection, or is its quirky place in history too unusual for your tastes?
A catfish on wheels. Wonder if that’s an oil trail in the grass behind it.
Ouch
Its a shadow of a power line pole directly behind the car.
Yup.
The Bricklin was a much better vehicle than the DeLorean. The Bricklin’s speedometer went to 160 mph while the DeLoreans’s lame version stopped at 85 mph. Of course as a plus DeLorean never offered ‘Safety Beige’ in a last effort to move product. Then again the Bricklin wasn’t stuck with the PRV powerplant.
Both vehicles were subject to over-promising and under-delivering. Of the two with the Bricklin would be less BTTF questions/comments at the gas pump. Of the two my choice would be ‘what else do you have?’
Having owned 8 DeLoreans and one Bricklin, I have to respectfully disagree. The Bricklin was by far the worst car I ever had. It had the look and feel of a badly designed kit car, and once broke down in a bank drive-through. I sold it a few months later for less than a dollar profit. I had one DeLorean for a daily commuter for years with no problems at all. The speedo issue was due to government regulations. My supercharged Chevy-powered one had a 140 speedo, a common upgrade at the time.
Doesn’t mention the make of the engine. Ford or AMC? I’ll never forget the hoopla surrounding these cars. Then it all went sideways. John Z replicated the same, a decade later.
This one has the ford 351 engine. The other enigne would have been AMC 360
Speaking of AMC, isn’t that the same shifter/floor console from the proletariat Pacer? A 727 handles the shifting duties of this swanky little ride?
Window crank handles and other bits of the interior are also from the AMC parts bin. Suspension is taken from the AMC Hornet.
The engine was switched to the Ford 351 for 1975 models because AMC could not commit to continue supplying the 360.
That’s the oft-repeated reason. Bricklin has a somewhat saltier version of what happened:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6pQlM4WMnM&t=467s
That’s got to be the ugliest car i’ve ever seen.
& these are the 2 ugliest i ever seen …
https://www.imcdb.org/v002991.html
&
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Chevrolet_Spark_LS%2B_1.2_%E2%80%93_Frontansicht%2C_26._Juni_2011%2C_Mettmann.jpg/1280px-Chevrolet_Spark_LS%2B_1.2_%E2%80%93_Frontansicht%2C_26._Juni_2011%2C_Mettmann.jpg
You need to look at the original Chevy Spark sold in USA with headlites bigger than the tires! & Dreyfuss’ Citroën 2CV in “American Grafitti”. lol
While I was training as a mechanic, a ’74 Bricklin was a customer’s daily driver that we serviced. Ford 351C which was easy enough to tune, but the thing had a persistent overheating problem until we changed out the thermostat for a higher number. The air lines to the doors, plastic, kept popping out of their fittings, and there’s nothing in the world that hurts like a 150 pound car door dropping on your head. Out with the plastic, in with copper lines and compression fittings.
When it came time to road test the thing, we just let the boss do it. We figured if it fell apart he could take the heat for it.
Found out while sourcing parts that the Bricklin was sold through some kind of agreement with a local Buick dealership, and the reason they quit selling them was that under our state law you couldn’t sell a new vehicle without a warranty and there were no spare parts to handle anything that might break.
RP your numbers are off, all 74’s had a AMC 360. And the doors were not 150 pounds, close to 75.
As i have said before, i had a red 75 for a few years, they are not a exotic or sports car, very kit car like. I was in my local Bricklin club. They did make a handful of 1976 cars.
Definitely not a car for everyone but they are a frequently misunderstood item.
Yes, from the factory they suffered from many cases of poor workmanship since Bricklin’s agreement with the Canadian government was to build his factory in an impoverished area to boost employment rates. This resulted in a learning curve that proved difficult to overcome. I worked on these cars in ’75 with a California distributor correcting issues…mostly water leaks around the windshield and hot air at the firewall prior to delivery to customers. You can say what you want, but all things considered what Bricklin did in a mere couple of years was nothing short of miraculous. The production quality, while never great was improving with experience, we could see that. But unfortunately production could not keep up with number of orders they were getting, this meant not enough cars leaving the factory fast enough to bring in enough revenue to keep the lights on.
It was a fun and interesting time in my life as a 20 year old working on these cars which I have a soft spot for to this day. I do have 2 in our collection, one with an original 4,700 miles on it. When they’ve been gone through and dialed in by qualified people (I know one, lol) they are a blast to drive. Despite what some people say, mostly those who’ve never even stood beside one, they are very good performers that handle quite well.
People get it backwards, the Bricklin was far from a kit car, rather what a kit car would aspired to be. The body was designed by Herb Grasse, one of Ford’s top designers of the day. As the write-up states, they are an important niche in automotive history. While the subject car may be the last car built before the company failed, there were a small number of ’76 models that were assembled from leftover parts while in receivership.
As I have stated before. I worked at a Bricklin dealer. (Pontiac, Honda, Bricklin) so there are many things I like about these and just as many that I dislike. After leaving that dealership, I went to work at an accessories distributor. We were also manufacturers/importer reps for Marchal lighting. Our firm was responsible for Marchal lights being used on AMC vehicles. We were at a Bricklin facility in the Detroit area (Dearborn maybe?) Where they did some engineering and trouble shooting work. We were out in their back lot walking and talking when we walked by a Bricklin with no skin. It was fascinating to see for me. I turned to walk around the other side of the car and sliced my head open on the bare metal open gull wing door. One of the employees ran to get the first aide kit and shortly afterwards got the bleeding stopped. It didn’t hurt much and everything was light hearted and jovial. When I kiddingly said that I would have to sue. The next day they shut down. I was there the last day those nice people had a job at Bricklin.
how many could bring a car to production these daze: -0- to car-on-the-street? Not many AND it wasnt much easier then. Very ‘80s styling, I liked its look
Same guy who imported the Subie 360 (I lub da van) 356ci 2cyl, 2 stroke, no?
I’m glad this was the last one built.