The Bricklin SV1 is said to exist in around 1,000 units worldwide, and this 46-year-old example just fetched $26,200 USD despite having under 55,000 km (34,000 miles) on the odo.
Malcolm Bricklin, who also brought a branch of Subaru to the United States, founded the company in the 1970s. He called the SV1 an innovative vehicle in terms of safety – in fact, the very abbreviation means just that, ‘Safety Vehicle’. Design highlights included special impact-dampening bumpers, among other things.
The coupe had a sporty overall silhouette with gull-wing doors, a stainless-steel external roll cage, and glass-fiber bodywork all around. It initially shipped with a 5.9-liter AMC V8 under the hood, which produced around 220 PS (217 hp / 162 kW) in tandem with a manual or automatic transmission.
Continued quality control issues, rising prices and the decision to replace the V8 with a cheaper, weaker Ford engine quickly brought about the end of the SV1, which was only produced in 1974 and 1975.
This example received a complete overhaul and some modifications, too. A 5.75-liter Ford Windsor V8 slotted in under the hood along with a new carburetor and a four-speed automatic transmission (up from three-speed stock). It also ended up with some replacement bodywork and a new windshield, as well as a new paint coat. The suspension was overhauled based on aftermarket components, but the sun visor inside still sports Bricklin’s own signature on it.