1970 Volkswagen Bradley GT
Previous owner: Owner from Bellevue, NE, 2003; Bernie and Janice Taulborg Collection
Engine, etc.: 4-speed; replica/kit car
Bradley Automotive created and sold the Bradley line of kit cars (build-it-yourself kits) based on the original Volkswagen Beetle chassis. The company was created by Gary Courneya and David Bradley Fuller who sold the kit cars from their facility in Plymouth, Minnesota. Production began in 1970 with the Bradley GT.
The production run of the Bradley GT was from 1970 – 1981.
Bradley kit bodies were all fiberglass 2-seater gull-wing cars. The original GT sold several thousand units and was largely unchanged from the late 1960’s to 1977 when the GT II was introduced.
The vehicles could be bought in various stages of completion. The company sold the GT, Scorpion, and GT II models. The GT II was a more refined kit with more production quality but now suffers from lack of GT II-specific parts such as window glass, upholstery, and fiberglass body components.
Because the GT borrowed many components from production automobiles, parts may still be available. Many of the parts date back to Volkswagens, Chevy Corvairs, and other vehicles from the 1960’s.
The Bradley Corporation went on to become the Electric Vehicle Corporation, selling electric drive versions of the Bradley GT II. Financial problems and kit quality issues eventually led to the company filing for bankruptcy in 1981.
Liberace owned a 1972 GT personalized with a gold metal-flake finish and silver candelabra emblems on the sides. (This car is kept at the Liberace Museum.)
Sources:
http://bradleygt.org/ (Home for “everything Bradley) Select from menu at top.
