Canada is not a country renowned for the success of its motor industry, and the tragic tale of Bricklin, an ill-fated New Brunswick sports car venture that lasted from 1974-1976, is perhaps an example of why.
But the dramatic story of the SV-1 sports car, a saga that saw fewer than 3000 cars built before the company folded owing the New Brunswick state government a cool $23 million, has been revisited. In song (we jest not).
The Playhouse theatre, in the SV-1's home town of Fredericton, New Brunswick, is putting on a musical that recounts the story of the SV-1.
"We're going for a cabaret-meets-disco-meets-car-show vibe. It's supposed to be fun," Tim Yerxa, the Playhouse's executive director, told the New York Times. "It's a story about hopes and dreams, and at its heart are these two larger-than-life characters."
These two characters are the SV-1's creator, Malcolm Bricklin - who had made his fortune by importing Subarus into North America - and New Brunswick's then premier Richard Hatfield, who was instrumental in pouring millions of dollars of government cash into the project
The car itself, whose acronymic name stood for 'Safety Vehicle 1', was originally intended as a safe and economical sports car but, despite a fibreglass body, its ugly impact bumpers and integrated roll cage made it heavy - and therefore thirsty. Quality problems with the fibreglass body and poor management also eventually landed the company in receivership in 1975.
Fittingly, a 'Safety Orange' SV-1 - bought on eBay for $9000 - takes pride of place on the stage. But whether the car, whose voice is a 5.7-litre Ford V8, gets a solo number is unclear.
The Bricklin runs from 30 July 30 to 15 August 15, and the car is currently on a publicity tour of New Brunswick.
We presume it is now only a matter of time before somebody comes up with DeLorean: The Opera, or The Rise and Fall of TVR (three-part TV mini-series)...