When the world's great auto makers leave you wanting, maybe it's time to go it alone with a kit car. And if your yearnings extend to gull wings and Asiatic dragons then perhaps it's time for this Nice Price or Crack Pipe Bradley GT II. You might however, hanker for it having a lower price.
She's a brick. . . yard. What could possibly be more American than an Indy-pacing replica Mustang, especially one in as nice condition as yesterday's 1979 Mustang Turbo 4 Pace Car? Well, apparently for the 70% of you who voted its price Crack Pipe-a-licious, being cheaper would have really chequered your flag.
That crazy like a Fox Mustang was weighed down by innumerable plastic body additions, including a ramped hood center, apron-scraping airdam, and hatch-mounted spoiler, significantly altering the car's basic appearance. Today's candidate takes that one-step beyond, its plastic body completely disguising its VW Beetle origins.
Bradley Automotive was founded in the late 1960s - the heyday of the KIt Car era - a time when VW Type Ones were plentiful and cheap, and fiberglass-borne lung ailments were common. Over slightly more than a decade, Bradley cranked out a series of cars full of swoop and, in the case of the original GT, more metalflake than Spinal Tap's drum kit. That car was little more than a pointier version of the original bathtub dune buggy body, topped with a gull-wing equipped roof.
The GT II was a much more ambitious affair, comprised of multiple fiberglass panels, more complicated door mechanisms, and actual glass. All that conspired to make the kits harder to conceive and complete, and as a result, quality suffered. Bradley eventually diverged into building electric versions of the GT II, which, as these things go, proved the niche builder's last gasp.
Discovered far from confines of either Craigslist or eBay by fashionably Canadian Jalopnik reader ShigDaFawks, on an Alberta suburb side street, this home-built Bradley GT II also had a hand-made For Sale sign in its window. ShigDaFawks rightfully stopped to check it so he doesn't wreck it, and managed not only to snap some great pics, but get both price and detail on the car. Strong work, eh?
This Bradley GT II's gel coat is appropriately as red as the maple leaf on the Canadian flag or Dudley Do-Right's pointy-ass hat. Yes, those are gull wing doors, and additionally yes they can be fully removed for that just been vandalized driving experience. Under said doors is what appears to be a pair of those thinner than a supermodel kit car seats, each covered in a luxurious layer of Pep Boy's finest faux shearling. The rest of the inside - center-stack gauges, three-spoke wheel and read and black vinyl looks like it was assembled in a garage, but at least not as though by angry monkeys.
Providing motivation is what's claimed to be an 1800-cc Vee-dub four, with a pair of 40s on the curb providing the breathing. Dellortos? Webers? Who knows, just figure they'll make the engine look good and it'll still sound shrill. No word on the transmission, or what era of Beetle chassis this Alberta Clipper rests upon, but hopefully it evidences all the upgrades of a post-'67 edition.
So far so good, but what really makes this Bradley stand out - its pièce de résistance, or, if you're French-Canadian, pièce de résistance, eh? - is the metal spoiler that's mounted to - nay, gloriously adorns - its ass-end. You've seen spoilers before, hell, what car model out there hasn't at one time or another had an inverted wing slapped on its rump like it's some sort of massive Gillette razor? But do any of those spoilers have Asian dragons on them? This one does. And not only does it have mind-blowing spoiler dragons bedecking its anterior region, but the dragons were cut with lasers. Frickin' lasers, people.
Should you, or anyone, buy this car exclusively due to its Asian spoiler dragons cut with frickin' lasers? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say yes, for that reason alone it should not only be bought, but should be displayed with pride. Perhaps however, you do not share my predilection for dragons carved by light. Maybe you find this car's inherent kit car-i-ness off-putting despite the awesomeness of its spoiler. Maybe, its $7,500 asking price is just too many Loonies, eh?
But that's exactly what we're here to find out now isn't it? Is this Canuck Kit Car worth $7,500 Canadian? What do you think, is that a price that makes this Bradley a bargain? Or, does that price mean this is a kit car that's near purrrr-fect?
You decide!
H/T to ShigDaFawks for both the tip and the photos!
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