Rare 1975 Bricklin SV-1: A Safety-Focused Sports Car Joins Unique Museum Collection

The 1975 Bricklin SV-1, a rare automotive marvel, has found a new home in the Ron Sturgeon Collection at the DFW Car & Toy Museum, offering automotive enthusiasts a glimpse into an ambitious sports car project that challenged conventional design principles.

This particular model, finished in the distinctive Safety White, represents one of only 2,100 examples produced in the 1975 model year. Designed by Malcolm Bricklin, the vehicle was revolutionary for its time, featuring a robust safety-focused construction with acrylic resin body panels bonded to a fiberglass substrate and mounted on a steel frame with an integrated rollover structure.

Powered by a Ford 351 cubic-inch Windsor V8 engine generating 175 horsepower, the SV-1 combines performance with innovative safety features. Its most notable design element, the gullwing doors, have been upgraded with a pneumatic operation system, enhancing both functionality and visual appeal.

With only 32,000 miles on its odometer, this well-preserved example comes with additional provenance, including an owner's manual signed by Malcolm Bricklin himself. The vehicle joins the museum's unique 'cars that shouldn't exist' gallery, which includes other unconventional automotive designs like the Yugo, AMC Pacer, and Ford Pinto.

The Bricklin SV-1's inclusion in the collection represents more than just a vintage automobile acquisition. It symbolizes an important moment in automotive history when designers prioritized safety innovation alongside performance and aesthetic appeal, challenging the traditional sports car paradigm of the 1970s.