Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin and the Fantastic SV1

Following the conversation, we invite you to join us for a meet-and-greet with the author, book signing and light refreshments.

Malcolm Bricklin, CEO, Visionary Vehicles

Dimitry Anastakis, L.R. Wilson and R.J. Currie Chair, Canadian Business History, University of Toronto

Jil McIntosh, Automotive journalist, WomanOnWheels.ca

Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin's Fantastic SV1 and the End of Industrial Modernity (University of Toronto Press, April 15, 2024)

Dream Car tells the story of entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin’s fantastical 1970s-era Safety Vehicle-1 (SV1), audaciously launched during a tumultuous breakpoint in postwar history. The tale of the sexy-yet-safe SV1 reveals the influence of automobiles on ideas about the future, technology, entrepreneurship, risk, safety, showmanship, politics, sex, gender, business, and the state, as well as the history of the auto industry’s birth, decline, and rebirth.

Written as an “open road,” the book invites readers to travel a narrative arc that unfolds chronologically and thematically. Dream Car’s seven chapters have been structured so that they can be read in any order, determined by whichever theme each reader finds most interesting. The book also includes a musical playlist of car songs from the era and songs about the SV1 itself.

Malcolm Bricklin is a maverick entrepreneur and automotive visionary. With a career spanning over half a century, his relentless pursuit of innovation has left an indelible mark on the automotive landscape, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential figures in the field. Bricklin's first foray into the automotive world came in 1968 when he founded Subaru of America, which became a major player in the U.S. automotive market, introducing American consumers to the quality and reliability of Japanese automobiles.

In 1974, he unveiled the "Bricklin SV-1" (Safety Vehicle One), a gull-winged sports car that combined futuristic design with advanced safety features. The SV-1 boasted an innovative energy-absorbing bumper system, integrated roll cage, and high-visibility fluorescent colors for enhanced safety. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bricklin also played a significant role in importing European cars into the United States, including from manufacturers like Bertone, Pininfarina and Yugo.

Bricklin is now focusing his energies on the development of electric vehicles and alternative energy. His most recent innovation is the Bricklin 3EV—a groundbreaking three-wheeled electric vehicle poised to redefine urban mobility.

Dimitry Anastakis is the L.R. Wilson and R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History at the University of Toronto in the Department of History and the Rotman School of Management. Professor Anastakis’s work addresses the intersection of business, the state and politics, and globalization, particularly in the post-1945 period in Canada. He has published nine books and edited collections, including four books on aspects of the Canadian auto industry in North America. His most recent book, (Toronto: UTP, 2024), is written as an “open road” and includes a playlist. He also co-edited (Toronto: UTP, 2024). Professor Anastakis is chair of the Canadian Business History Association, which he helped found, and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History.

Jil McIntosh is an automotive writer who contributes new-vehicle reviews, consumer advice, auto history features, and more to publications including Driving.ca, AutoTrader.ca, Old Autos, and Automotive News Canada. She is a member of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and an old-car enthusiast who owns two 1940s vehicles. Her work can be found at www.WomanOnWheels.ca.

This event is available to attend in-person.

Rotman Events is committed to accessibility for all people. If you have any access needs or if there are any ways we can support your full participation in this session, please email [[email protected]] no later than 2 weeks in advance of the event and we will be glad to work with you to make the appropriate arrangements.

• The event will be hosted in Desautels Hall at the Rotman School of Management (105 Saint George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3E6). Your registration fee includes a copy of the book, meet-and-greet with book signing by the author and light refreshments.

• Refunds will only be issued for cancellations received in writing NO LATER than 24 hours prior to the event. Please email [email protected] for processing.

• In-person registrants who do not pick up their book at the event will have 5 business days to request postal delivery by emailing us at [email protected]. All unclaimed books will be returned to the publisher after that time.

Questions: [email protected], Mandi Gosling

Event Venue

Rotman School of Management, 105 Saint George Street, Toronto, Canada