Bradley Automotive was an American automotive company that built and sold kits and components for kit cars as well as completed vehicles. They were based in Plymouth, Minnesota. The company began selling kits in 1970 and ceased operations in 1981.[1]
In the late 1960s, Gary Courneya and David Bradley Fuller were introduced by a mutual friend.[2] Fuller had been running a small fiberglass design company, and Courneya had earlier been in sales in Beverly Hills, California. The two partnered in a business, Gary's Bug Shop, which produced parts and kits for the dune buggy market. Fuller designed the bodies, and Courneya handled sales.
Period advertising copy for Gary's Bug Shop lists a variety of different models already bearing the Bradley name, including the Bradley "T" Roadster, the Bradley Bandit and the Bradley Baron. This last model was a dune buggy with a hardtop and gull wing side panels. Also mentioned was a forthcoming Bradley Elan GT.[3]
Bradley Automotive began selling their first product, the Bradley GT, in 1970.[4] Like the earlier products of Gary's Bug Shop, the car was built on the chassis of the original Volkswagen Beetle. Interest in the new GT was generated by advertising widely in a broad range of popular magazines. Anyone wanting more information was asked to send US$1 to the company for a brochure. When this promotion began, neither the brochures nor car existed.[2]
The partners raised capital by offering 80,000 shares in the new company for sale at US$1 each. Half of the shares were quickly bought by the vice-president of a local construction firm, while the balance was sold over the next six months.[2]
Bradley GT
To accelerate sales, Courneya began telephoning sales leads obtained from the write-ins directly. During these calls he also began using the name "Gary Bradley", a fictional character whose name was the combination of Courneya's first name and Fuller's middle name.[2] The fictive "Gary Bradley" was even referred to as the company's founder and president, and his signature appeared on some company legal documents.[5] Appearances by "Gary Bradley" were actually Courneya.[1]
By 1973, the company was in need of another infusion of capital. One of the original investors agreed to put another US$90,000 into the company on the condition that a professional manager be brought in and Courneya move to sales full-time.[2] After this restructuring another US$250,000 was made available to them from Community Investment Enterprises, Inc, (CIE). Courneya and Fuller were able to repay their investors and buy out smaller shareholders as profits began to grow. Courneya was re-appointed president. In the early 1970s, the Bradley ads began to describe the company as the Automotive division of the Thor Corporation.
By 1977 the company's sales had grown to a six-figure net profit from roughly US$6,000,000 in sales.[2] New offices were obtained in Shelard Plaza, and the company was featured in an enthusiastic article in the local newspaper. The company introduced the Bradley GT II, a new, much more refined vehicle that year.[6]
Between 1977 and 1979 Fuller left Bradley and established another company named Autocraft Inc., which became a supplier of bodies to his former company.[7] Bradley would eventually contract out all of their manufacturing, not producing any components themselves.
In 1978 seven of Bradley's salesmen defected to their competitor Fiberfab.[7] Bradley sought an injunction preventing the competition from enticing any more of their sales staff to leave. Courneya claimed that the company experienced a loss of $300,000 in expected sales in October of that year. Bradley filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter and operated under Chapter 11 protection until April 1980. Six months later the name of the company was changed to Classic Electric Car Corporation.[8] The name change reflected a plan to sell an electrified version of the GT II. The company underwent another name change, this time to The Electric Vehicle Corporation (EVC), some time later.
Complaints and lawsuits from dissatisfied customers began to mount, and picket lines appeared outside their head offices.[9] In 1979 the Minnesota attorney general's office asked for an injunction that would force EVC to warn its customers in writing that the company had either shipped product late or failed to ship it at all.[8] At the end of July 1981 the attorney general formally charged EVC with consumer fraud.[10]
Reported deficiencies included kits that arrived missing key parts, or parts that did not fit.[10] Some clients did not receive their kits at all, as the company was taking orders for 30 to 40 cars per month but only had the capacity to produce 10 or 11 kits in that time.[8] Another major issue was Bradley's "Executive Broker Program", which claimed to offer prospective buyers the chance for significant income. The buyer was offered a discounted price for their kit and the exclusive right to be the licensed Bradley broker for their geographic area. It was discovered that every kit buyer got the special pricing, and that other "dealerships" were in the same area.
Named in the attorney general's complaint were Courneya and Deil Gustafson, a Minnesota lawyer and real estate developer who had acquired a 50% ownership of the company in 1980 when he invested US$600,000 in Bradley. Courneya owned the other 50%.[10]
Among the creditors owed money by Bradley were Media Networks of New York City, IBM, Northwestern Bell Telephone, law firm McGovern, Opperman & Paquin, and Lester Electric of Nebraska.[10] The company entered bankruptcy with an estimated US$2,500,000 of debt.[11] Bradley Automotive did not resume operations.
Bradley GT Models
GT
Bradley GT
The GT was the first product sold under the Bradley Automotive name. The car's development was extremely informal, and the cost for prototyping materials was estimated to only have been US$2000.[2] According to the Bradley newsletter the first production GT was delivered in September 1970.[1] The car was available in kit form in different levels of completeness, or as an assembled vehicle. A completed GT weighed approximately 1,600lb (725.7kg).[12]
The GT's body was a two-seat coupe with low curved sides and no doors. Weather protection was provided by two frameless plastic panels that extended into the roof and hinged up gull-wing style. Hidden headlamps were mounted under two large opaque covers.
Bradley GT
The body was laid up in fiberglass and designed to mount on an unmodified Volkswagen Beetle chassis. The GT thus inherited its 2,400mm (94.5in) wheelbase from the donor vehicle, while front and rear tracks could vary depending on the builder's choice of wheels and tires. Suspension front and rear was via the VW's transverse torsion bars and trailing arms. The default power-train was likewise the air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine and four-speed manual transmission with swing axles from the donor Beetle.
The GT incorporated many parts from other cars built in larger volumes. The windshield, for example, was from the 1963-1967 Corvette.[12] One consequence of this reuse of common parts is that many parts for the GT remain in plentiful supply.
Due to the car's do-it-yourself nature there was considerable variation between finished vehicles. Some GTs replaced their hidden headlamps with fixed headlamps under transparent covers. Bradley offered the backlite in three variations; a short three-sided piece, a longer fastback piece that extended back to the base of the rear spoiler, or an extended wagon-back rear cover. The power output or even type of engine could also vary widely, depending on the owner/builder's wishes.
The Bradley GT was in production from 1970 to 1981.[1] The total number of Bradley GTs produced is estimated to have been 6000 cars.[5]
GT II
In 1975 industrial designer and former Shelby American employee John Chun designed a new car for Bradley that would be called the Bradley GT II.[13][14]
The GT II was described as a "Luxury Sports Car Kit" in its knock-down form, although it could be had as a turn-key car as well. Even though still based on a VW Beetle chassis, the GT II was a much more sophisticated vehicle than the earlier GT.[12] New features included true gull-wings doors with frames, sliding safety glass in the doors and interior door releases with gas struts, a lower sill to ease ingress and egress, improved bumpers and steel reinforcing in the roof. The retractable headlamps were now electrically driven. The interior was much roomier, with custom seats able to comfortably accommodate passengers over 6 feet in height. Instrumentation was provided by a set of VDO Jet Cockpit gauges.[15]
Development of the GT II cost approximately US$1,000,000.[2] The GT II was finally released in November 1976. The car was later offered in one Special edition; the Solid Gold Series 14000 G Limited Edition. The GT II would also become the basis for Bradley's electric GTE.
A total of 500 GT II cars are believed to have been built.[5] Today this Bradley model suffers from a scarcity of GT II-specific parts such as window glass, upholstery and fiberglass body components.
GTE
In 1980 Bradley released a version of the GT II powered by a battery bank driving an electric motor. This model was at first called the GTElectric. The name soon became the GTE Electric and then simply the GTE.
The car was developed with the assistance of General Electric's Electric Vehicle Systems Operation (EVSO).[16] GE supplied the car's Tracer I direct-traction motor, which developed 20.7 horsepower (15.4kW) and was installed in place of the original VW engine. GE also supplied an EV-1 motor controller.[17]
The main battery bank was made up of 16 6-volt batteries connected in series for a total of 96volts. A switch inside the car allowed the driver to switch from `Boost' mode, which delivered the full 96volts to the motor for extra power, to `Cruise' mode, which reduced motor voltage to 48volts and extended the driving range. The 17th battery was a 12-volt unit used to run accessories like headlamps and windshield wipers. With the batteries installed the car weighed about 2,900lb (1,315.4kg). The original VW suspension was retained, but overload shock-absorbers were installed to handle the extra weight.[17]
Top speed was over 75mph (120.7km/h) in Boost mode, and 55mph (88.5km/h) in Cruise mode. On Boost the car accelerated from 0-30mph in 8 seconds.[18]
A total of 50 GTEs were built.[17] The all-electric conversion developed for the GTE was to be applied to the rest of Bradley's (now EVC's) product line.[16]
Derivatives and successors
During the years that the Bradley GT was in production some competing cars appeared that were not Bradleys but that were clearly at least partial copies.
One such car was the Scorpion GT sold by VW/GT Conversions in the early to mid-1970s. The Scorpion's body was nearly indistinguishable from the Bradley GT from the A-pillar back, but the front was reshaped with a center power bulge, a larger grille opening and a single round exposed headlamp faired into each side of the nose. The Scorpion's roof had a removable panel that allowed it to be used as a targa top.[19]
Another car that mimicked the looks of the Bradley GT was the Lithia GT. This car had a body and roof structure that closely resembled the GT's from the A-pillar back but with a slim air intake in front and a single round exposed headlamp integrated into each front fender.[20]
After Bradley Automotive went out of business the molds and rights for the Bradley GT were sold to SunRay Products, who put the original GT back into production.[12] Sun Ray also developed a "Sport Pack" body kit that gave the car a ground-effect look and added a rear engine cover that lifted up.[21]
Other car models
In 1980 Bradley Automotive bought or obtained the rights to several other kits to expand their product line.[22]
Baron
The second car to be called the Bradley Baron was not a dune buggy but rather a Neo-Classic roadster patterned after the Mercedes Benz SSK.[23] The car was a copy of the Classic Motor Carriages Gazelle.[22]
MGT
The Bradley MGT was a copy of the 1952 MG TC roadster built on the VW Beetle chassis.[22] A version of it with electric power was sold by EVC.[24]
Veebird
Bradley acquired the molds for a copy of the 1957 Thunderbird body made to fit a VW Beetle chassis from Veebird in Colorado.[22]
Marlene
The Bradley Marlene was an attractive Neo-Classic roadster in the style of the Mercedes Benz 540K.[23] After Bradley went out of business the molds were sold to Classic Roadsters.[22]
Other products
Bradley also manufactured a limited number of non-automotive products. One such product was a one-wheeled trailer called the TAG-Along.[25] Bradley also built a small recreational fiberglass boat called the Surfer GT.[26]
Famous owners
Liberace's gold metal-flake Bradley GT
Liberace - Pianist, singer, actor.[27] Owned a Bradley GT.
Barry Goldwater - Politician, businessman, author.[5] Owned a Bradley GT II.
Gaylord Perry - Major-league baseball pitcher.[28] Owned a Bradley GT II.
A white with red stripped electric GTE, was featured in the 1983 supernatural horror film Mausoleum.
Related Research Articles
The Ford GT40 is a high-performance endurance racing car commissioned by the Ford Motor Company. It grew out of the "Ford GT" project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, which won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race from 1960 to 1965. Ford succeeded with the GT40, winning the 1966 through 1969 races.
A kit car is an automobile available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then assembles into a functioning car. Usually, many of the major mechanical systems such as the engine and transmission are sourced from donor vehicles or purchased new from other vendors. Kits vary in completeness, consisting of as little as a book of plans, or as much as a complete set with all components to assemble into a fully operational vehicle such as those from Caterham.
The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United States since 1962.
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year.
Puma Automóveis Ltda., or simply Puma, is a Brazilian manufacturer of sports cars and small trucks that began its activities in 1963 as Lumimari which later became Puma Veículos e Motores the following year and ten years later, in 1974, as Puma Indústria de Veículos SA.
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück.
The Meyers Manx dune buggy is a small recreationally-oriented automobile, designed initially for desert racing by Californian engineer, artist, boat builder and surfer Bruce F. Meyers. It was produced by his Fountain Valley, California company, B. F. Meyers & Co. from 1964 to 1971, in the form of car kits applied to shortened chassis of Volkswagen Beetles. The car line dominated dune racing in its time, breaking records immediately, and was eventually also released in street-oriented models, until the company's demise due to tax problems after Meyers's departure. New vehicles inspired by the original Manx buggy have been produced by Meyers's re-founded operation, Meyers Manx, Inc., since 2000. The name and cat logo of the brand derives from the Manx cat, by virtue of the tailless breed's and the shortened vehicle's truncated "stubbiness".
The Unipower GT is a British specialist sports car that debuted at the January 1966 Racing Car Show. It uses the powertrain from the BMC Mini mounted amidships. Production lasted until the end of 1969.
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car, based on the Lotus Elise chassis, that was produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway legal serial production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production all-electric car to travel more than 320 kilometres (200 mi) per charge. It is also the first production car to be launched into deep space, carried by a Falcon Heavy rocket in a test flight on February 6, 2018.
The Valkyrie is a GT sports car introduced in 1966 by the Fiberfab company. The Valkyrie's styling was inspired by the lines of the Ford GT40.
Superformance LLC is an American automobile company that builds, designs, develops, engineers and markets sports cars, related performance components and full replicars. The company was founded as "Superformance International Inc." by Hi-Tech Automotive Ltd. in 1996. Today, Superformance has 15 authorized dealers in the United States and 6 international dealers. SPF cars are sold as "turnkey-minus replacers". In December, 2005 Hi-Tech Automotive transferred the ownership of its subsidiary, Superformance, to American Hillbank Automotive Group, which is a privately owned business of American entrepreneur Lance Stander. Hi-Tech Automotive continue to build Superformance cars at its plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Fiberfab was an American automotive manufacturer established in 1964. Starting with accessories and body parts, they progressed to making kit cars and fully assembled automobiles. They became one of the longest lasting kit car manufacturers.
The history of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) spans a little more than a century, but most of the significant commercial developments have taken place after 2002. The revival of interest in this automotive technology together with all-electric cars is due to advances in battery and power management technologies, and concerns about increasingly volatile oil prices and supply disruption, and also the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Between 2003 and 2010 most PHEVs on the roads were conversions of production hybrid electric vehicles, and the most prominent PHEVs were aftermarket conversions of 2004 or later Toyota Prius, which have had plug-in charging and more lead-acid batteries added and their electric-only range extended.
Kelmark Engineering was an American automotive specialty shop established in 1969 and based in Okemos, Michigan. It focused on high-performance custom V8 drivetrain swaps, the modification and production of rear and mid-engined cars, and custom-built turn-key automobiles. Until 1986, Kelmark Engineering manufactured kits and complete, finished, turn-key vehicles which were either Volkswagen-based or built on tubular race car-type frames. The outfit gained its name from Russ Keller and Randy Markham, the two co-creators who started the operation. Up until at least 1989, the Kelmark GT was still available as a kit albeit the manufacturer was Kelmark Motors in Holt, Michigan. The cars are all "rare" models, but the Volkswagen-powered Kelmark GT was the most popular.
SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., formerly known as Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Anting, Shanghai, China and a joint venture between Volkswagen Group and SAIC Motor. It was founded in 1984 and produces cars under the Volkswagen, Škoda and Audi marques. It is the second automobile manufacturing joint venture in China after American Motors and the first German car manufacturer to enter China.
The Lotus Evora is a sports car produced by British car manufacturer Lotus. The car, which was developed under the project name Project Eagle, was launched on 22 July 2008 at the British International Motor Show. The Evora S was launched in 2010 with a supercharged 3.5-litre V6. A facelifted and more powerful Evora 400 model was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, followed by another more powerful variant, the Evora GT430, which was unveiled in 2017.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a front mid-engine, 2-seater, limited production grand tourer developed by the Mercedes-AMG division of German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, with the assistance of David Coulthard. The car is the successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and was described by Mercedes-Benz as a spiritual successor to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, mainly because it was inspired by the latter. SLS stands for "Super Leicht Sport".
Model Products Corporation, usually known by its acronym, MPC, is an American brand and former manufacturing company of plastic scale model kits and pre-assembled promotional models of cars that were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. MPC's main competition was Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) and Jo-Han Models.
Mills Extreme Vehicles (MEV) is a kit car design and manufacturing company based in Gloucestershire, England, founded in 2003.
The Volkswagen Golf (Mk7) is a small family car (C-segment) produced by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, as the seventh generation of the Golf and the successor to the Golf Mk6. It was introduced in Berlin on 4 September 2012, before a public launch at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Deliveries started in Europe in November 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Vol.A–F. Chicago Illinois: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN1-57958-293-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
