Blakely Auto

Blakely Bernardi

The Blakely Bernardi is an automobile produced in the 1980s by Blakely Auto Works (also called Bernardi Auto Works in some references) of Princeton, Wisconsin, USA. Blakely produced a number of automobile models, including the Bearcat and Bantam. This model is named after Enrico Bernardi, Italian inventor of the gasoline internal-combustion engine and automobile pioneer. The Bernardi was available as a completed car or as a kit of parts to be assembled by the buyer.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Design and construction

The Bernardi is a neo-classic design reminiscent of the 1950s British MG TD. The chassis is front-engine, rear-wheel drive with the engine located behind the front axle. It has a two-seat cab under a removable hardtop or convertible fabric top, flat windshield, three windshield wipers (like the MGB Mark II), working doors, and detachable side curtains of fiberglass and plexiglass. In keeping with the traditional look of post-WWII British sports cars, the Bernardi's front fenders stand away from the body, and the headlights perch on stalks between the fenders and the hood. There is a functional, though fairly small, trunk in the back and a trunk-mounted external luggage rack. A small bench behind the seats was available as a factory option, with enough room to store small packages or accommodate a stereo system. Cars without the bench are equipped with a two-point chromed roll bar behind the cab, which fits beneath the convertible roof. While the body style and proportions generally mimic the MG-TD, the Bernardi is noticeably larger in body width and has sufficient room under the hood easily to accommodate an American small-block V8 engine. An overview of the build process for a Bernardi Blakely appeared in Kit Car World and gave significant detail about the Bernardi's general structure and some of its construction options. The basic construction is a Body-on-frame design with a fiberglass body mounted on a pre-fabricated metal chassis. The factory-provided chassis is a custom ladder frame built of 2-inch (51 mm) by 3-inch (76 mm) rectangular steel tubing with a 5/16th inch wall thickness. The factory attached fuel and brake plumbing, as well the tail-light wiring bundle, to the frame before shipping. The mechanical components, including engine, suspension, and transmis

Current status

The Blakely Bernardi was expensive for its time and marketplace. The company's 1984 price list listed the full set of kit parts at $US 8,495. To complete the car, the buyer would have to provide a donor car and optionally an additional engine. Blakely also offered a completed turnkey car for $US 19,900 to $US 22,900 depending on the engine choice. In 1984, driving a base-model Chevrolet Corvette off the dealer's lot cost around $US 22,000 and delivered a sportier suspension, better interior comfort, and a standard V8 engine. A kit car's value lies not just in the cost of the car or its components, so a comparison with the Corvette's cost may not be fair. The Bernardi competed more directly against other neo-classic sports-car kits. Although the Bernardi offered superior body quality and the authentic front-engine design of the sports cars it resembled, its body and chassis were more complicated and costly than those of kits based on the Volkswagen Beetle, like the Fiberfab Migi MG-TD replica. These VW-based kits are much more common across the United States. Blakely Bernardis, although regularly appearing for sale at specialty dealers, do not have the contemporary high visibility of many other kit models.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Bernardi
Manufacturer: Blakely Auto Works
Production: Unknown
Engine: Various, including: , Ford 1600 cc. 4-cyl. , Ford 2000 cc. 4-cyl. , Ford 2300 cc. 4-cyl. , Ford / GM 2800 cc. V6 , Ford small-block V8
Transmission: 4-speed manual , 3-speed automatic
Body style: Roadster
Layout: Front-mid engine, rear drive
Length: 3683 mm
Width: 1727 mm
Height: 1245 mm
Wheelbase: 2388 mm
Kerb weight: Various, starting at 817 kg

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4924587CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blakely_BernardiCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1333936702 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blakely_Bernardi_03_B.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Bernardi638 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.