Bricklins always appealed to me from the first time I saw a magazine article
in 1975. I like the uniqueness, but the reactions of other people are not why
I own one (or 2 or 3..), and I occasionally think a little less attention
might be better. Nevertheless it is part of the ownership experience.
The doors and styling are more a factor than the low production numbers. It
gets attention wherever it goes, unlike many other more rare cars. For
example I have another car of which less than 180 were built, and I only know
of
about 5 in North America and 4 elsewhere still on the road. It may get a lot
of
attention at club events, but the average driver and even car enthusiast do
not recognize it. The Bricklin is definitely more of an attention getter.
Doors up or down, it looks--and is--different from anything else.
I agree with the comment about heads turned per dollar spent ratio. At a
local car show, it was parked next to a $1.2 million Duesenberg and had as much
or more interest from spectators. I'm not sure what the Bizzarini on the other
side cost, but it didn't get nearly the attention of the Bricklin. Downtown
during the Ann Arbor meet a few years ago, it attracted almost as much
attention as the Ford GT prototype (at least until they fired up its engine,
lol).
George #220, 670
In a message dated 9/19/2005 10:41:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
jhuckins@cybersurfers.net writes:
> For me, it's pretty easy, we don't all purchase for the same reasons.
>
> First requirement is that the vehicle be unique, I have no interest in a
> late model hot car. Low production numbers help. If most people never
> heard of it so much the better. In my little town I'm the sole Bricklin
> owner, I have 2 74's a stick and an automatic...I don't happen to like
> Ford.
>
> I come to Bricklin from DeLorean, also a unique car but most people have
> heard of it due to the publicity surrounding John DeLorean and the movie
> Back to the Future.
>
> I had never heard of Bricklin, saw my first one at the all Gull-wing
> meet in San Ramon.
>
> I grew up with carburetors, points and condensers and the like, I'm
> happy to be back in that arena.
>
> One thing I enjoy is the challenge of driving a truly roadable old car,
> the Bricklin is a wonderful roader but always the question of will it
> make it to and from where I am headed. Guys like adventure, in a
> Bricklin you get it.
>
> The Bricklins need me and my talents, the DeLoreans pretty much didn't.
>
> Guys like puzzles, guys like challenges, in a Bricklin you get all you
> can handle.
>
> Lots of punch to the Bs, the DeLoreans are elegant 6 cylinder cars but
> have to shift down a couple of gears to corner, not the Bs. DeLoreans
> do not have power doors or power steering, I like both of those
> features.
>
> I dive Bricklins 3 days a week (total of about 100 miles), weather
> permitting. Before the gasoline prices went a bit loony I did 5 days a
> week. I find that if I don't drive every day I'm anxious for the B day
> to come around, much more so than if I drove one every day.
>
> There's a pride factor too, once you've mastered the air door system you
> tend to believe you're pretty hot stuff, not everyone can handle the
> doors.
>
> Great styling, fast, fun, unique! What else do you need?
>
> Les
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