The man who sold the world's fastest-selling European car
In short: Malcolm Bricklin was a high-stakes automotive maverick who navigated a career of extreme highs and lows. From launching Subaru in America to importing the infamous Yugo, he consistently bet on unconventional ideas—including electric bikes and high-end art—often years before the rest of the world caught on.
Bricklin's career was defined by a series of bold, often risky ventures. Subaru vehicles were brought into the US by him after he signed a sole agreement with Fuji Heavy Industries during 1968. He was recognized as an early visionary for identifying that thrifty, inexpensive Japanese cars could succeed in the American market. This move was highly lucrative; Subaru of America became the only import car company to be publicly traded from its inception in 1968, generating significant wealth for Bricklin.
His ambition led to the creation of the Bricklin SV-1 in 1974. This two-seat sports car featured advanced safety standards, including a tubular-steel perimeter frame and a roll cage, which exceeded U.S. government requirements at the time. While it garnered positive media coverage—with Car & Driver noting it was a 'tangible threat to the Corvette'—the venture faced a harsh reality. Despite building 2,854 cars and securing 40,000 back orders, the company was forced into receivership in 1975 after the province of New Brunswick withdrew financial support.
Bricklin later pivoted to the Yugo, a Zastava Koral from Yugoslavia. Marketed as the least-expensive new car in the U.S., it became the fastest-selling car ever from Europe in the United States, moving 163,000 units in three years. While critics mocked its older Fiat technology, a 1987 survey of 1,000 buyers found that 78% described the workmanship as good to excellent. By the late 1990s, Bricklin was looking toward the future, partnering with Dr. Malcolm Currie to produce the EV Warrior, an electric bicycle designed to meet California's 1990 Zero Emission Vehicle mandates.
Despite the EV Warrior's advanced features—like LED lights and a 17-mile range—it failed to gain traction and the company filed for bankruptcy in 1996. Bricklin's legacy is one of constant reinvention: moving from hardware stores to Japanese imports, to American-made sports cars, to Yugoslavian hatchbacks, and finally into the burgeoning fields of electric mobility and art.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Malcolm Bricklin
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