Credit given where credit is due…I don’t think anyone else has actually pitted the Bricklin SV-1 against the DeLorean DMC-12 in any kind of competition. Why would they? Well…the cars have more than just the gullwing doors in common in terms of overall design. The Bricklin, the brainchild of Malcom Bricklin (see also: Yugo, Subaru of America), was supposed to be a safety vehicle, not a sports car. Except, that on paper, he actually managed to compose something sporty: composite body, V8 power, a shape that seemed a touch cribbed from the C3 Corvette, and bright colors. The result, however, wasn’t great: the composites warped, the hydraulically-operated doors tended to not work, and as for the engines, you either got the AMC 360 or the Ford 351 Windsor. The AMC mill provided 220 horsepower, the Ford maybe 175. Yikes.

Now, let’s talk about the DeLorean: PRV-sourced V6, 130 horsepower in the back, stainless steel body that is the second-most attention grabbing part of the DeLorean (it’s movie role comes first, naturally) and all built on the drive, determination and dream of one John Zachary DeLorean. DeLorean was GM royalty gone rogue, a man who didn’t fit in with the corporate culture of General Motors, and he wanted his sports car to be as good as gold. In fact, he had two gold plated to make sure of that. But this is the part of the story where the words “cocaine bust” and “failure” come into play. DMC was bought up by the predecessor to Big Lots and outside of the hardcore fans, they are just an oddity.

So…which one would beat the other in a drag race? Click the link below to find out.