Malcolm Bricklin
Founder, CEO
Visionary Vehicles

Malcolm Bricklin… Driving the Success of Visionary Vehicles

Vision. Strategy. Determination. These are the qualities that have characterized the leading innovators of our time – the Henry Fords, Howard Hughes's and Andrew Carnegies who have built industrial empires from the grain of an idea. Auto industry pioneer Malcolm Bricklin has the vision, strategy and determination to stand among these giants, and he possesses a healthy dose of charisma, too. Bricklin's newest venture, Visionary Vehicles, will bring the very first Chinese auto imports to the United States in 2007. But Visionary is only the latest milestone on the road of auto-industry innovation – a road that Bricklin helped to pave.

Malcolm Bricklin claims humble beginnings as the son of a working class Philadelphia family, but from an early age he displayed the ambition and business acumen to rise to success. In 1958, after withdrawing from University of Florida, Bricklin began work at his family's retail building supply store in Orlando. Always a step ahead of the curve, Bricklin recognized the business potential of computers and developed a computerized inventory system. He then franchised his hardware stores with investors who provided daily inventory, after receiving data from the mainframe computer system. This money-saving innovation helped prevent stock room hassles, and freed up additional capital for Bricklin to build his business. The Bricklin family's three building supply stores became a chain of 174 “Handyman” hardware stores in less than two years. But that was just the beginning for Malcolm Bricklin. He sold his interest in the “Handyman” hardware chain in the mid-1960's, and turned his attention to Japan in an historic venture that would place the name Bricklin forever in the annals of business history, not for hardware, but for automobiles.

Malcolm Bricklin's storied career as an automobile pioneer began with the Rabbit Scooter. Always seeking to provide new products from new markets, Bricklin purchased a Rabbit franchise with the money he made from the sale of his Handyman shares. Made by Fuji Heavy Industries, the Rabbits were a hit, providing Bricklin with the opportunity to travel to Japan. It was on one of these business trips that Bricklin initially became aware of Subaru automobiles. An idea took root, and with the help of childhood friend Harvey Lamm, Bricklin took the first step toward bringing cars from Japan into the United States. Bricklin's charisma, leadership and persistence were the deciding factors that convinced the reluctant Fuji company to contract to bring Subaru cars to the USA. With an initial investment of $75,000, Subaru of America was formed. Thanks to Malcolm Bricklin, the first Japanese-manufactured Subaru 360 mini-cars hit US soil in 1968.

“Malcolm was not given an opportunity - he made one. If Malcolm wanted something he would find a way to get it,” explains his sister, Barbara Jones. From Bricklin's initial efforts rose a company that provides vehicles to thousands of US households each year, through dealerships across the nation. Today, Subaru's five consumer models compete in the United States with cars from other Japanese manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota.

But by the early 1970's, Malcolm Bricklin had a new vision, one marked by a concept that has become a cornerstone of the car industry today: safety first . Bricklin saw a need for a new brand of sports car – one that was well-designed, easy to drive and most of all, safe . He sold his stake in Subaru and invested in a brand new company of his own, Bricklin Motors. Manufactured in Canada, the company's first automobile far exceeded the safety requirements of the time. The Bricklin “safety sports car” had no ashtray or cigarette lighter. Instead, it had a built-in roll cage, side guardrails, and side airbags. A sophisticated high-absorption bumper system was designed to keep passengers safe during a crash, while better handling was engineered to allow drivers to avoid most accidents. The car was visually striking, with gull-wing doors and acrylic paint that was applied to each fiberglass body panel in a revolutionary vacuum forming process.

Unfortunately, though people lined up to buy the Bricklin, the safety sports car was an idea before its time; Bricklin Motors closed its doors in 1975. Only 2875 Bricklins were ever made, but the car still boasts a devoted fan base of owners who swap photos, exchange stories and drive their vintage “Bricks” to meets across the United States.

At the end of the Bricklin Motors venture, an undaunted Malcolm Bricklin returned to the import business. After Fiat pulled out of the United States, Bricklin kept the market open for the Italian cars, selling the Fiat Spider 2000 as the Pininfarina and the X-1/9 as the Bertone. He later pioneered the market for cars from Eastern Europe, importing the first Yugos to the United States in 1985. However, NATO bombings and decreased demand curbed Bricklin's initial effort to popularize the Yugo. By 1989, the Yugo was no longer available in the US, but a deal with Zastava Motor Works will allow him to market another inexpensive Yugoslavian car in the United States over the next few years.

In the late 1980's, and 90's, Bricklin changed his focus from the import business to new technologies. Recognizing the growing need for vehicles powered by alternative energy sources, Bricklin first formed an electric vehicle company, marketing an electric bike known as the “EV Warrior.” By the year 2000, Bricklin had become involved in the development of automotive fuel cell technology.