Automotive

The iconic Bricklin sports car rises again – as an electric three-wheeler

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The Bricklin 3EV (left) alongside a 1970s Bricklin SV1
Visionary Vehicles
The 3EV's swanky interior
Visionary Vehicles
Pricing for the Bricklin 3EV is estimated to start at US$28,980
Visionary Vehicles
The 3EV measures 183.6 inches long by 80 inches wide (4,663 by 2,032 mm)
Visionary Vehicles
A vintage 1974 Bricklin SV1
Christopher Ziemnowicz / C.C. 4.0
Plans call for changes to be made in the 3EV's exterior styling every 50,000 units made
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The Bricklin 3EV (left) alongside a 1970s Bricklin SV1
Visionary Vehicles
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Although you may not have heard of the Bricklin SV1, it was definitely an interesting car that has gained a cult following. Well, the next chapter in the Bricklin story is now beginning, with the recent announcement of the all-electric Bricklin 3EV.

The two-seater SV1 was created by American entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin via his company General Vehicles. It was manufactured in New Brunswick, Canada, starting in mid-1974. Production ceased less than two years later, due mainly to a lack of financing. The Government of Canada has since commemorated the car in both a postage stamp and a silver coin.

Along with its gull-wing doors, and performance which was said to rival that of the Corvette, the SV1 boasted numerous safety features – the SV in its name even stands for "Safety Vehicle." Among these features were an impact-energy-absorbing bumper, high-visibility fluorescent body colors, and a tubular steel frame with an integrated roll cage.

Malcolm Bricklin went on to bring the Subaru and Yugo brands to North America, along with individual automobile models such as the Bertone X1/9. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the SV1, he's announced the 3EV.

Pricing for the Bricklin 3EV is estimated to start at US$28,980
Visionary Vehicles

Unveiled in March at the American Muscle Car Museum in Florida, the fully-enclosed two-seater is claimed to "combine affordability, value, safety, luxury, performance, and dramatic scissor doors in a groundbreaking three-wheeled electric vehicle."

Although little is available in the way of performance specs right now, the car reportedly has a battery range of over 275 miles (443 km), thanks partially to a regenerative braking system.

And while the three-wheel design reduces weight and rolling resistance, the vehicle's wide front end is said to ensure conventional-car-like stability and handling. The batteries are located beneath the floor between the two sides of the tubular steel frame, keeping the center of gravity low.

The 3EV's swanky interior
Visionary Vehicles

Safety features include a collision-avoidance system, antilock brakes, full-body airbags, plus stability and traction control technology. Inside the cabin, drivers will find a head-up display, touchscreen controls, a "premium sound system," wood trim, and powered heated seats.

Plans call for the 3EV to be manufactured in the US by Bricklin's new Visionary Vehicles brand, and to be sold/serviced via a network of dealerships. There's currently no word on when production may commence, but pricing is estimated to start at US$28,980 – a faster, longer-range 3EVX model will be offered for $38,980.

"The SV1 is 50 years old but looks like a car that was built in the future," Mr. Bricklin tells us. "This also applies to his brother the 3EV. When you look at him, you see and feel the future."

You can see the prototype 3EV in action, in a video embedded on the company website.

Source: Visionary Vehicles

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10 comments
Daishi
I feel like anyone introducing an inexpensive 3 wheel car at this point needs to go take a business class in the complexity of funding an automotive company into production. The engineering and specs of the car are nearly irrelevant if they don't have billions of dollars in funding available. That space is a graveyard full of attempts at doing this. Tesla is one success in a sea of failures, and they bled cash for a decade before any quarterly profit. Elon can be wrong sometimes but he's right about the difficulty of getting a car company to production without going bankrupt. If I were an investor asked to fund this I would not envy the person who had to convince me. Maybe they should go buy FUV (Arcimoto) or one of the others out of bankruptcy instead of starting over.
zoomzoom870
Going by the dash this is a kit car reusing a 2019 or older Chevy bolt
Glen Hillier
I grew up with the Bricklin as my "dream car". I would love a kit version of the original design (or close to it) that could be adapted to a model 3 chassis. I often think I'll try something like this when I'm retired. The new design does not appeal to me personally, but maybe the younger crowd think differently.
Username
Front end inspired by Cadillac. Overall design seems to be a bit of a mess. Love the Original.
EVUK
Come on - in China small and not-so-small EV companies and startups routinely conjure up magically stylish, retro-futuristic, 'eccentric', mould-breaking EVs like this - and thankfully they only start publicising, plugging and selling their wondrous anti-conformity EV creations after they've actually begun manufacturing them and have additional production facilities lined up if or when demand increases.
Paul G
dugnology
Wow. A sort of pontiacesque front end with huge grills that it doesn't need. The fender flares at the back for wheels that don't exist. Rear scoops that are unnecessary. This car says 'non starter' in so many languages. Why even call it a Bricklin. It is referencing a car that few people know about. The original Bricklin was a fiberglass car with a nice looking body. Why not just update that? If you want a three wheeler, go the Aptera route and make it super aerodynamic.
Ancliff
And while the three-wheel design reduces weight and rolling resistance - it is essentially pointless.
TomLeeM
I think this is really cool looking. Hopefully it isn't one of those 'looks cool, gets lots of money to make it but nothing is ever produced' type of things. I think that design might have been around for awhile.
Jinpa
Please do a followup article, including pricing, after this thing completes the IIHS testing. And include the USAA and AAA insurance premium amounts.
mediabeing
All 3 wheelers are 'pot hole finders' and once the owner of this or another 3 wheeler hits a hole with the back wheel, he's going to regret his purchase.