This Forgotten Canadian Classic Tried to Change Car Design with Its Striking Looks

As important as Canada is to the automotive industry on account of its manufacturing presence, if you were to ask most enthusiasts to name one of the country’s car brands, they’d probably draw a blank.

However, back in the 1970s, an American entrepreneur by the name of Malcolm Bricklin looked north of the border to establish his eponymous automotive company. The resulting Bricklin SV-1 is a car that Time classified as one of the 50 worst — ever.

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Despite taking that honor, Bricklin’s creation was actually packed with innovation, and it was years ahead of its time. As such, its ambition proved to be to its detriment, and the car amounted to little more than a gull-winged idea that flew too close to the sun.

Packed with potential

Having originally made his fortune in franchising a hardware and plumbing supply store chain, Malcolm Bricklin first broke into the automotive industry by being the first to import the Subaru brand into the United States.

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Not content to settle there, however, Bricklin then decided to create his own company, as he believed that he could combine safety and style as part of a unique value proposition.

For this reason, the SV-1 (short for “Safety Vehicle One”) featured tons of crash protection features that put it far ahead of anything else of the era. Along with a robust steel perimeter frame, it also boasted an integrated roll cage and fancy acrylic resin bodywork that was intended to be “low-maintenance”.

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What’s more, the Bricklin SV-1 incorporated its federally mandated energy-absorbing 5-mph impact bumpers into its design. Unlike most vehicles of the day, it made the required add-ons harmonious, even attractive.

As if that wasn’t enough, the SV-1 also featured a set of unique gullwing doors for entry and exit in traffic. In fact, Malcolm Bricklin was reportedly so concerned with safety that he deemed a cigarette lighter and ashtray to be too dangerous to be included.

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Too ahead of its time

On top of its many advanced safety features, the Bricklin SV-1 also promised to bring automotive manufacturing to Canada. Accordingly, the New Brunswick government put up most of the capital required, hoping to create jobs at the company’s two plants in Minto and Saint John.

Though Malcolm Bricklin managed to secure pre-order interest ahead of production, supply chain problems, a lack of workforce experience and poor quality control meant that things didn’t pan out as planned.

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To make matters worse, many of the SV-1’s defining features — like its distinctive doors and its futuristic bodywork — were ultimately to its detriment. Between problematic components and unreliable manufacturing methods, Bricklin was far from an efficient operator. In fact, the company supposedly wasted as many as a quarter of the body panels made.

Ultimately, all of these compounding problems affected the SV-1’s bottom line. Though Malcolm Bricklin had intended to sell the car for $4,000; it cost all of $7,490 when it went on sale in 1974, and the MSRP climbed to $9,980 come 1975.

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Accordingly, compared to cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, the initial AMC- and later Ford-powered Bricklin SV-1s were simply too expensive given their 220-horsepower output — even assuming buyers were willing to take a gamble on the name.

A rare ownership opp

While exact production counts vary depending on the source, it’s generally accepted that fewer than 3,000 examples were built in total. Thanks to the passage of time and the inevitable onset of rust and body damage, that figure is inevitably even smaller today.

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For this reason, the 1975 Bricklin SV-1 you see before you makes for a rare opportunity to own a piece of obscure automotive history. Though it does show rust on the undercarriage and the gauges are no longer original, the interior is in remarkable shape and the ‘Safety White’ bodywork looks to be in good condition given the age.

You can check it out over on Bring a Trailer to learn more or place a bid.

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