The Bricklin at 50
Produced in Saint John and Minto in 1974-1975, only about 3,000 of the cars were ever built
About 40 Bricklins lined Water Street in Saint John this weekend. New Brunswickers young and old had the chance to admire the cars and even take a seat at the wheel.
The Bricklin was produced in Saint John and Minto in 1974 and 1975. Only about 3,000 cars were constructed by time production ended, leaving New Brunswickers out more than $23 million in tax dollars.
Bricklin enthusiasts from throughout the world brought the cars back to New Brunswick to celebrate the 50-year anniversary.
Among the 40 cars is the only black Bricklin with a black interior. It is a prototype for a never-produced model that would have been called the Chairman.
Steven Stratton is the owner. He is the chairman of Bricklin International, a club dating back to 1976 that has about 240 members. He travelled from Virginia for the meet.
Stratton saw his first Bricklin in Virginia when he was 13. One thing instantly stood out to him.
"The gull-wing doors," he said.
He bought his first Bricklin when he was in his 30s. Now 20 years later, he owns two Bricklins, including the Chairman. He owned four at one point.
The club
The club once had over 300 members. It is made up of Bricklin owners and fans from around the world. The club stays in touch online. This year's meet is the first held in New Brunswick.
Stratton said the club's goal is not only to bring the Bricklin community together but also to keep the car alive.
"It's a team effort to keep the car going, to make sure that repairs are done properly. And people can modify and do whatever they want with their cars but as long as we are keeping the cars on the road … that's the goal of the club."
Stratton said the club serves as an archive for Bricklin repair and maintenance. Much of this can be found on an online forum that dates back to the early 2000s.
Current and back issues of the Bricklin Magazine, which is published by the club, also shares stories of Bricklin owners, the history of the car and repair tips.
The manual
John Blair also lives in Virginia. He's a Bricklin owner and was in charge of publishing the magazine for several years.
Blair bought a Bricklin in need of repairs in the '90s. Throughout his repair journey, he would take notes he would later use for magazine articles.
His work was noticed and he was asked to be in charge of publishing in 1997. He said making the magazine a repair manual was his priority.
"When I took over, I said 'this is going to be to keep the car going and I'm going to tell you how to fix it, and if you can't do it you can give the articles to the mechanic,'" he said.
Blair said many mechanics are hesitant about working on the car since it is not a common vehicle. He hoped with the articles he published in the magazine, mechanics would be more open to giving it a go.
But a small group of mechanics have dedicated themselves to the Bricklin. The work of these mechanics has made the Bricklin a better car than it ever was 50 years ago.
The mechanics
Terry Tanner was the head of manufacturing for Bricklin in New Brunswick. Once the car ceased production, Tanner moved back to his home in Michigan where he opened a shop specializing in Bricklin repairs. He later moved to Virginia in the 1980s where he continued his business.
Stratton said the community owes a lot to Tanner, who died in 2015.
"He was the original parts repairman and restoration guy that you went to," Stratton said.
Tanner didn't want to just maintain Bricklins, he wanted to make them better. Blair said Tanner's goal was to make the car what it should have been when it was produced.
"That was his baby," he said. "He birthed that car and he wanted to see that car grow up, and he wanted to see it better than it ever was."
Blair said Tanner's many improvements to the vehicle include reworking the mechanism to open the iconic doors, improving the heating and air conditioning, and fixing cooling issues that caused the vehicle to overheat. He also produced fibreglass body panels to replace the acrylic ones that could crack with age.
Many of Tanner's improvements are still implemented by Bricklin owners, and a handful Bricklin shops still exist.
Bob Hoffman is the owner of Bob's Brickyard in Michigan. Hoffman initially worked for Tanner before starting his own Bricklin shop.
Hoffman said the shop will do "anything and everything that's needed to repair a Bricklin."
He said Bricklin owners were part of the reason he decided to work on the cars full time. "They're willing to talk to anyone that comes up at a car show and wants to see the car, they take great pride in their car."
He said the Bricklin keeps him busy. The repairs take time. He will service about a dozen cars per year.
"Some of the mechanical parts are becoming absolutely impossible to get," he said.
He said brake components are becoming scarce. But he is hopeful that the Bricklin will be able to be serviced at least for the near future. Hoffman has a large inventory of parts, and his son plans to take over the Brickyard once Hoffman retires.
The future
Stratton said as older owners die and their cars are passed on there is less loyalty to the club, but he believes this weekend has reinvigorated the Bricklin. He said he has been honoured by the reception and interest from New Brunswickers.
On Friday at a club event at the old Bricklin factory, a plaque was unveiled renaming the building The Bricklin Building. He says it was a surprise.
"It's the icing on the cake of 50 years of hard work," he said.
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