Anybody who's ever worked on a project car knows how something that started as a "simple job" can spiral into a much bigger one. When Howard Hesketh of Big H Bricklin emailed me with an offer to film his 1975 Bricklin SV-1 for AutoMoments, I originally declined because I didn't have the time or budget to travel to Missouri just to film a car, even one as special as his. However, when Howard informed me that he and his wife Kathy would be driving cross-county to Pittsburgh for a car show, I agreed to meet him there. Little did I know, it was just the beginning.
We spent a cloudy, humid day driving and filming his Ford-powered Safety Red SV-1 around a small town outside the city. Typically it takes a full 8 to 10 hours to film everything I like, including exteriors, interiors, engine shots, drive-by footage, GoPro footage, and finally talking-and-driving shots (which are the hardest, because I suddenly forget everything I want to say as soon as the camera turns on).
We spent a cloudy, humid day driving and filming his Ford-powered Safety Red SV-1 around a small town outside the city. Typically it takes a full 8 to 10 hours to film everything I like, including exteriors, interiors, engine shots, drive-by footage, GoPro footage, and finally talking-and-driving shots (which are the hardest, because I suddenly forget everything I want to say as soon as the camera turns on).
"This is uhhhhh....a nice car."
I'm always careful when I film someone else's car, because you never know how protective they are of their "baby." Perhaps that hood release knob is barely held together with J-B Weld, and a replacement one costs $300 on eBay, and I don't want to be the guy who hits it with his knee and breaks it while getting into the front seat. Thankfully, Howard's car was extremely well put-together, and he continually encouraged me to really drive it.
Despite our state's best efforts, Pennsylvania roads remain continually torn up due to unfavorable weather and geography. The SV-1's solid rear axle tended to hop around on broken asphalt, but once we finally found a clear stretch, I was amazed at how well it held on through turns. I found myself pushing it way harder than I would other 1970s "sporty" cars, which I probably would have understeered into a tree by this point.
Despite our state's best efforts, Pennsylvania roads remain continually torn up due to unfavorable weather and geography. The SV-1's solid rear axle tended to hop around on broken asphalt, but once we finally found a clear stretch, I was amazed at how well it held on through turns. I found myself pushing it way harder than I would other 1970s "sporty" cars, which I probably would have understeered into a tree by this point.
Vrooooom!
Funny thing is, in all the clips where you actually see the SV-1 driving, it's Howard behind the wheel! I'm behind the camera, off in the weeds by the side of the road, trying to record the perfect shot. This often turns out to be harder than it sounds, as oncoming traffic, bicyclists, and construction crews all seem determined to interrupt things. The grass along the roads was remarkably overgrown, which made it even more difficult to get the shots I wanted. Apparently the county maintenance crews felt the same way, because as soon as we found a good spot to film they showed up to start cutting the grass and digging out the roadside ditches. Finally, we escaped to some quiet places where we could film in peace.
After a successful day of shooting, I spent the next morning at the car show with Howard. He was parked beside two other limited-production sports cars, a Nash Healey and a Kaiser Darrin. Both were gorgeous examples that, until then, I had never seen up close in person. Of the trio, the Bricklin probably drew the most attention. Once the gullwing doors go up, everybody seems drawn to it. (Although the Kaiser has cool doors, too.)
After a successful day of shooting, I spent the next morning at the car show with Howard. He was parked beside two other limited-production sports cars, a Nash Healey and a Kaiser Darrin. Both were gorgeous examples that, until then, I had never seen up close in person. Of the trio, the Bricklin probably drew the most attention. Once the gullwing doors go up, everybody seems drawn to it. (Although the Kaiser has cool doors, too.)
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It's like a magnet for spectators.
Of course, the story could have had a happy ending right there, but a few months later Howard called me, asking if I would like to interview Malcolm Bricklin for my video! Most of the automotive personalities referenced in my work have long since passed on (there aren't many Kaiser or DeSoto employees left), so the chance to interview a living automotive legend sounded too good to be true. After some logistics back and forth, we finally agreed to meet at the 2019 New York International Auto Show.
This time we were indoors, but just like our shoot back in Pittsburgh, the environment seemed to conspire against us. Auto shows are notorious for having nowhere to sit, and I didn't want to make Malcolm stand for half and hour while I asked pedantic questions about the AMC 360 V8. Thankfully we nabbed a free folding chair that was hiding behind one of the automaker's displays, and I found a wooden bench for myself to sit on. We got our lights and camera set up, and Malcolm was just about to arrive when football star Boomer Eisaison walked by with a box of cupcakes to celebrate the Ford Mustang's 55th birthday.
This time we were indoors, but just like our shoot back in Pittsburgh, the environment seemed to conspire against us. Auto shows are notorious for having nowhere to sit, and I didn't want to make Malcolm stand for half and hour while I asked pedantic questions about the AMC 360 V8. Thankfully we nabbed a free folding chair that was hiding behind one of the automaker's displays, and I found a wooden bench for myself to sit on. We got our lights and camera set up, and Malcolm was just about to arrive when football star Boomer Eisaison walked by with a box of cupcakes to celebrate the Ford Mustang's 55th birthday.
I guess both Boomer and the Mustang were celebrating a 55th birthday.
Normally I'd be excited (especially for the cupcakes), but I knew the ensuing entourage would create a problematic amount of noise for our microphones, so I nervously asked a Ford PR person to shepherd the crowd away. I explained that we had a very important interview with, "Someone who built a famous sports car using a Ford V8 engine." She eagerly obliged, although I didn't bother including that the car was 45 years old. My guess is that nobody working the Ford display would recognize an SV-1, even if Malcolm himself drove it onto the show floor.
Malcolm showed up right on schedule, and we had a grand time chatting about his work. He regaled me with stories of getting soaked in the rain waiting for gullwing doors to open, being cursed out over the phone by AMC president Bill Luneburg, and recently getting called by multiple electric car startups asking for automotive industry advice. We could have talked for hours, but unfortunately we were limited to 45 minutes. (I published our full, unedited interview on the AutoMoments YouTube channel.)
Malcolm showed up right on schedule, and we had a grand time chatting about his work. He regaled me with stories of getting soaked in the rain waiting for gullwing doors to open, being cursed out over the phone by AMC president Bill Luneburg, and recently getting called by multiple electric car startups asking for automotive industry advice. We could have talked for hours, but unfortunately we were limited to 45 minutes. (I published our full, unedited interview on the AutoMoments YouTube channel.)
Getting into a story.
During my research, many articles derided the Bricklin SV-1 as a failed car or a "flop." These are to be expected for any unique car, especially one where the company went out of business. (As an AMC fan, I'm well acquainted with automotive bias.) Having driven Howard's SV-1 and walked away fairly impressed with it, I figured most of these negative pieces were written by people who had never driven a Bricklin.
More disconcerting were the people who described the company as a "sham" and Malcolm himself as a "huckster" (or worse). Given the SV-1's inseparable connection to Canadian politics, the car will always carry some degree of controversy. But controversy is not the same as genuine scandal. I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before I published anything.
Thankfully, Malcolm's own account pretty much lined up with the accepted history of the company. Perhaps after all these years he sees the past with rosier glasses than some, but it's not like he tried to defraud New Brunswick and run off with millions. Like so many others who started automakers and failed, there was simply no amount of dreams or motivation that could overcome the incredible odds against him. He even admits that the chief cause for the company's problems was his own naivety. You won't find that kind of honest self-reflection from many people in the car industry, then or now.
Perhaps the worst allegation you could level against him is that he's an over-eager self-promoter, but then again, so are 90% of the people who were at the New York Auto Show that week...
More disconcerting were the people who described the company as a "sham" and Malcolm himself as a "huckster" (or worse). Given the SV-1's inseparable connection to Canadian politics, the car will always carry some degree of controversy. But controversy is not the same as genuine scandal. I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before I published anything.
Thankfully, Malcolm's own account pretty much lined up with the accepted history of the company. Perhaps after all these years he sees the past with rosier glasses than some, but it's not like he tried to defraud New Brunswick and run off with millions. Like so many others who started automakers and failed, there was simply no amount of dreams or motivation that could overcome the incredible odds against him. He even admits that the chief cause for the company's problems was his own naivety. You won't find that kind of honest self-reflection from many people in the car industry, then or now.
Perhaps the worst allegation you could level against him is that he's an over-eager self-promoter, but then again, so are 90% of the people who were at the New York Auto Show that week...
Malcolm and me.
Other projects forced me to delay working on the Bricklin video for some time. I knew a standard 10 minute road test wouldn't do the story justice; I'd have to do something longer, which made my procrastination worse. Then, spring 2020 came and we all had extra time on our hands, so I decided to get to work. After hounding Mark Bricklin and other other club members, I amassed a treasure trove of vintage photos. I contacted people in New Brunswick and even got permission to use a clip from the Bricklin stage musical in my video. The pieces were coming together. Herb Grasse' widow, Terri, was kind enough to share some stories over the phone, which made it into the video as well. After a few weeks of editing, the everything came together.
Ultimately I didn't indend to produce a 22 minute documentary on the history of the SV-1, but I learned so much interesting information, I just had to share it. In fact, there's a lot of great material I had to leave out, simply because it was impossible to include everything!
I am amazed and grateful for how generous the Bricklin community has been. This video is truly a labor of love, and I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from a lot of people. Howard Hesketh, deserves credit not only for driving halfway across the country and trusting me behind the wheel of his car, but for providing an endless pool of facts, data, contacts, and enthusiasm. As one of the top authorities on the car, I'd recommend everyone in need of parts or service to check out his website: BigHBricklin.com. Mark Bricklin also deserves credit, as do Patrick R. Foster, the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Alden Jewell, and many others. Most of all, I'm thankful to Malcolm Bricklin, who took time out of his day to share stories with some guy from a random YouTube channel.
In a way, we're not that dissimilar; we're both self-promoters who love to talk about cars...
I am amazed and grateful for how generous the Bricklin community has been. This video is truly a labor of love, and I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from a lot of people. Howard Hesketh, deserves credit not only for driving halfway across the country and trusting me behind the wheel of his car, but for providing an endless pool of facts, data, contacts, and enthusiasm. As one of the top authorities on the car, I'd recommend everyone in need of parts or service to check out his website: BigHBricklin.com. Mark Bricklin also deserves credit, as do Patrick R. Foster, the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Alden Jewell, and many others. Most of all, I'm thankful to Malcolm Bricklin, who took time out of his day to share stories with some guy from a random YouTube channel.
In a way, we're not that dissimilar; we're both self-promoters who love to talk about cars...
A few days after the final video was published, Malcolm sent me an email saying that I did a "hell of a great job!" Which is the best endorsement I could have asked for.
If you haven't already, I strongly encourage you to watch it. I also published Malcolm's full, unedited interview, and another video looking at some Bricklin brochures in depth. Enjoy!
If you haven't already, I strongly encourage you to watch it. I also published Malcolm's full, unedited interview, and another video looking at some Bricklin brochures in depth. Enjoy!
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