This 1975 Bricklin SV1 is quite a rare car, with only around 2906 automatic examples built for the world, and 155 4-speed manual examples, that makes this car shown here 1 of only 3,061 SV1’s in the entire world. American businessman & entrepreneur, Malcolm N. Bricklin, was the man behind the creation of this vehicle, which became a stand out in the industry as a creative alternative in comparison to the less eccentric options from larger manufacturers. The idea behind the SV1 was to create a small & affordable sports car that would feature gullwing-style doors, and many other unique design elements and features. For the design work, in the early 70’s, a designer by the name of Marshall Hobart was brought in. By 1972 Bricklin would employ the help of Herb Grasse Design and AVC Engineering to reengineer the design and revitalize the project. AVC engineer Tom Monroe joined Bricklin during this time and was hired as Chief engineer for the project, and simultaneously, a number of prototypes were being constructed by American automobile designer, Dick Dean. After as many as 8 prototypes were built, the production ready SV1 was finally presented at the Riviera Hotel Las Vegas in February of 1974. The SV1 features a number of unique design elements such as hidden headlamps, gullwing doors, and an overall beautiful shape and styling. Bricklin SV1’s were only built from 1974 until 1975, however, cars built in 1974 received a 360 cu in (5.9 L) 220hp AMC V8 from American Motors, and cars built in 1975 received a 351 cu in (5.8 L) 175hp Windsor V8 from Ford. Most SVI’s were ordered in automatic transmission, however, a very small number of the cars were built with a BorgWarner T-10 4-speed manual.
How many made? Approximately 2,062 built with a Ford Windsor V8
Engine: 351 cu in (5.8 L) 175hp Windsor V8 from Ford
Debut: The concept was first shown at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas in 1974, and 4 months later, the 1st production SV-1 was displayed at the Four Seasons in New York by Malcolm Bricklin and Richard Hatfield
Top speed: approximately 110mpb
0-60mph: approximately 9.9 seconds
Photo Credit: @rcomediagroup
Research: @rarecarsonly
1975 Bricklin SV1
05.12.2025
Bricklin