Ep. 34 The Legend of Malcolm Bricklin
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- A classic car connaisseur dives into the life and times of Malcolm Bricklin, who brought you suchs cars like the Subaru 360, communist Yugo, and his every own creation: The Bricklin SV-1!
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Tell me, was Malcolm Bricklin a true businessman with a futuristic vision of the world, hampered by setbacks out of his own reach? Or a salesman with a lot show, but not a lot of go, a conman even? Let me know!
He was hampered by the government... He also had UFO tech, but that's a whole other story.
I think he's ahead of his time but the market is never there when he has these ideas
@@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13 what?
I choose salesman.
Love your content 💪
here in canada, before the age of the internet when we could easily fact check things, we were told bricklin was a canadian guy who started a canadian car company with all canadian parts and canadian workers, and that it failed not because canadians didn't buy enough of them, but americans didn't buy enough of them, and that the car was modern (which, at the time meant mid-90s) despite being built (then) 20 years ago; with the implication that if only americans hadn't ruined it for canada 'yet again', that canada would have been a world leader in making cars, and we'd all be rich.
😂 seems to be a trend in Canada lol avro arrow comes to mind
This was no Arrow story boys.
And most people don't see the Arrow story accurately either
I've seen and touched that orange bricklin car . Its in a automotive museum in alberta Canada
Not sure about that - Bricklin was always a punchline growing up for me.
Avro Arrow was a good plane though.
@@samuel999 it was. But hideously expensive and it was chewing up so much of the defense budget that the Army and Navy were out to kill it. How the Arrow died is not just some American whispering in Dief's ear
Bro if I hear another "Slightly better understanding of the car industry... and his usual sense of perseverance" I'm gonna die.
I suspect that is said with a snark.
Of laughter?
Slightly better understanding of the car industry... and his usual sense of perseverance
Slightly better understanding of the car industry... and his usual sense of perseverance
@@ethanol1586 I wrote "hear" not "read", it's Ed that killed me (there was another slightly bla bla perseverance after I wrote the comment, only one but it killed me). Not you. But nice try.
I’m stunned. In each case, Malcom Bricklin was successful. He brought the 360 to the market, got out ahead of the bad news. He brought his own vision of a car to market. He brought the 124 and the X1/9 to the market and sold tons. He brought the Yugo to market and got out before the sanctions.
I have always thought of him as a failure, but he achieved his goals with each company.
Why this story remembers me of the path of a man called John DeLorean and the dream for a "revolutionary futuristic car" of his own? 😅
John DeLorean and the Quest for More Cocaine
Yeah, only the Bricklin was 10 years prior.
One should think they would learn from it the first time, but no...
Instead of billions of Canadian dollars down the drain, DeLorean did cost the UK taxpayers even more than that.
To be fair, Bricklins weren't fueled by cocaine.
@@catjudo1 ...as far as we know of.
@@catjudo1 well we are talking about dreams of a man that founds a more or less fortunate brand to design, produce and sell the car of his dream, that's what I was meaning... clearly, DeLorean in his private life was waaaay more... trasgressive and border line. Not to talk about the success he had prior to the "DMC-12 Project" in GM with the Pontiac GTO.
This man literally lived his life in a circle 😭 but you gotta respect the hustle
"Ever wanted to drive the cheapest car in America?"
Hoovie: *heavy breathing*
I'd love to see the look on Car Wizard's face if Hoovie rolled in with one of those!
Lolololol
Everyone: "You can't. Stop!"
Malcolm: "but, what if..."
As a Canadian and a car lover, this is the video I've been waiting for. I've always wanted to drive a Bricklin but I'm sure owning one would be a massive headache
That's the tragedy of owning rare and obscure cars. No parts exist. They're strictly museum pieces and parade cars, thats it.
Edit: had no idea it uses many AMC parts and has a Ford engine. It may be feasible to drive and maintain one, with a bottomless wallet that is!
Driving a Bricklin is not the same as owning a Bricklin. Besides, after forty years I'd wager that a lot of the bugs have been worked out by clever owners.
Getting replacement parts certainly is interesting to say the least.
Especially the taillights, which came off a DeTomaso Pantera haha!
@@EdsAutoReviews Didn’t both the Bricklin and the Pantara use a Ford 351C?
I'm waiting for Malcolm to start a company specializing in hover conversions.
Nah but I heard Goldie Wilson III has a startup over on Hill Valley.
@@thetman0068 he's gonna clean up this town... starting with the floor.
@@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts he will run for mayor
your probably the first person to do a good video about bricklin
@Shawn 🏴☠️ Stafford cool but terrible
I owned a Subaru 360 and was a member of the Subaru 360 Driver's club for several years. Some points to clarify: The 360 was not a big seller. Subaru moved less than 1000 cars in 1968. Fuji Heavy Industries deal with Bricklin was that if he ordered 10,000 cars, they would give him exclusive rights to sell the brand in the U.S. So Bricklin ordered 10,000 cars. In 1969 they probably moved about 6,000 or 7,000 cars, and a lot less than that in 1970. Some Subaru dealers still had 360s on the lot in 1973. Subaru of America did not import any 360s after 1969, all of the 1970 models were imported in '69. The vast majority of these cars were unloaded and stored at the Pasha Truckaway lots. When Bricklin left SOA, part of his severance pay was in the form of unsold Subaru 360s (he got about 300 unsold cars IIRC). He used these cars to set up Fastrack - where you could rent a Subaru 360 to do a lap around a dirt track. Needless to say, hundreds of 360s were quickly destroyed by underage drivers wanting to get behind the wheel of a "real car"! The serial numbers of U.S. spec Subaru 360s indicate that around 12,000 of them were imported, so you can see sales dropped off significantly after 1969, and it took a few years to get the last thousand or so out the door.
There are conflicting reports in the motoring press about what exactly was happening with SOA in 69-70. Bricklin and his business partner Harvey Lamm (who I once spoke to briefly: he had nothing to say about the 360 or Bricklin) seemed to be claiming (or pretending) that Fuji Heavy Industries had more or less tricked them into buying the 360s. The car they really wanted was the front wheel drive Subaru Star, the 360 was just a stopgap, but the people at FHI kept sending them more! This is plausible, as the Star would have needed the basic safety and emission features required in 1969, but you can also see why they'd want to pass the blame for the 360 on to somebody else. Dealers were waiting for their Subaru Stars, but Bricklin kept sending them 360s. So was Bricklin pulling a stunt here or was FHI? Well, I know my answer, and I think most people know it too.
Honda was watching the Subaru situation quite closely, and wisely saw that they needed something more powerful than a 360cc engine for the North American market. Thus the Honda N360 became the Honda N600 for our continent, and Honda was a LOT more successful in selling those cars!
I'll remember that Malcom was a man of perseverance to my grave 😂
Ed, congratulations for another great video. I really enjoy your video but also your sense humor. Cheers from Brazil.
14:55
Yugo, or in Serbo-Croatian Jugo in name of warm, south wind that blows at Adriatic coast, which had that name long before Jugoslavija ever existed. Word 'jug' in all Slavic languages means 'south', and 'Jugoslavija' was 'land of south Slavs'.
Name should mimic VW convection of naming cars after winds.
Fun fact:
Rimac Nevera is named after sudden Adriatic storm, Nevera.
There is some curse... Alfa Sud (South), YUGO X)
Back in the mid-1980s, I came across a parking lot meeting of early 1960s & '70s Japanese micro-cars, such as the cute little 16hp Subaru 360, 1960 Datsun Fairlady (4-cylinder 4-stroke 988cc 36hp), 1963 Honda S500 (4-cylinder 4-stroke 531cc 44hp), 1967 Honda N360 (2-cylinder 4-stroke 354cc 31hp), etc. Someone asked if these tiny cars were the death-traps they were derisively described as and was answered, "It was either this or a motorcycle."
I LOVE 💕 THE BRICKLIN! Beautiful. If they weren't so rare and expensive (at this point) I think I'd try to get one. The front end bumper treatment is so unique. ...and Mr. BRICKLIN, what a cool cat. I've seen several interviews with him and he is a classic. Kinda a Trump of the car world. Love him or hate him he is indeed a legend.
I love the way they looked but the weight of all that safety equipment and 70's emasculated engines = dreadful performance. I'd still buy one in a heartbeat if I could.
Are there many Bricklins in private hands? The New Brunswick Museum (Saint John) used to have one on permanent display and the Reynolds Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin) has one too, but I have never seen one actually on the road, much less for sale.
Legend in his own mind !
So that's how the Yugo wound up in America. Nobody ever linked the name Bricklin to the Yugo. But these were great for a laugh....such as..."It's got a rear window defroster to keep your hands warm while you're pushing it." I'm wondering now if Bricklin was involved with another American Advertising favorite, "The Pocket Fisherman". There was also a "kit car" you could build on a VW chassis. Can't remember the name??...Mongoose??..the body styling left A LOT to be desired and they all were the same burnt orange color. Horrible...but right up Malcolm's' alley.
The pocket fisherman was Ron Popeil. There were a number of kit cars based on a VW Beetle chassis, but the Mongoose, which still exists, isn't one of them. Malcolm Bricklin was never involved with any of these.
I remember the jokes. There was the 2 door model... the Yugo, the 4 door model...the Wego and the minivan...
the Theygo.
Laugh all you want at Yugos, i still see a few of them driving around
The kit you may be referring to was possibly the Bradley, it was a VW based kit car.
John Delorean built his car a copy of the Bricklin 8 years after I built the Bricklin! Your doc is well done but superficial of my life!
You literally created your channel the day you commented this. Don’t pretend to be Malcolm Bricklin.
Thanks for making this video. I've always admired Bricklin's... What's that word?
Bricklin actually headquartered his namesake car company in my hometown of Scottsdale Arizona even though they were built in Canada. I remember he gave four cars to the police department. They were used for community relations only. Can you imagine a traffic stop where you had to wait have a minute for for one of those doors to open? Remember the day they came to Scottsdale High. They looked like kit cars compared to the Corvette. I really wanted one.
There's actually a Bricklin SV-1 for sale in my town. Its a little rough, but it runs. I wish I had the cash to pick it up!
Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t have the money to buy it, because you would’ve been very disappointed. No matter how much they’re selling it for, you could expect to spend far more than that just to get it in great shape. And if you ever needed new body panels, like after an accident, you could forget it because they aren’t manufactured. The doors are a constant problem, even if the battery is good, the hinges on the roof were not up to holding the massive weight. There isn’t a door handle to pop the door open, you have to press a button next to the door to activate the battery powered motor that lifts the door, and it often fails. The exterior is very attractive, but the interior is rather plain and ugly, and it only came with an automatic transmission (effectively killing any fun driving factor). The engines are powerful enough, but it’s not an enjoyable car to drive. The fiberglass body won’t rust of course, but like a Corvette, everything else will rust.
There are far better sports cars out there, so just save your money (or get a loan) and wait to buy something you won’t regret buying. The best sports car I’ve ever owned is any of the 1990-2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata’s I’ve owned (I still own the 2019). They’re incredible to drive (just try one at high speeds on a winding back road), built incredibly well, and can take lots of abuse and still be as reliable as a Camry. I do love the Italian and German cars I’ve owned, but they are either very unreliable, or they’re expensive to maintain. Miata’s are (mostly) affordable, you’ll never have to worry about the availability of parts, and they cheap to maintain.
@@Mike-rk8px I’ve owned many vehicles more reliable than my old Camry. Wasn’t the worst car, but far from the most reliable. ymmv
@@Mike-rk8px always that one guy that thinks a miata is a sports car lol
@@Wik3dNuTS4k it actually is a sports car front engine manual transmission rear wheel drive open Roadster that's the definition of a sports car it's power to weight ratio you don't need to have 400 horsepower for it to be a sports car it's the power to wait ratio and how the car handles👍😎🇨🇦
Cant wait for the Kei car video! keep up the good work Ed🔥
Being in Canada I've come across a few SV1s at shows and even driving around, though much less these days. Always a treat to see on the roads!
The guy is a legend, and the SV-1 is a beautiful car. I remember seeing them brand new in California.
8:33 can we just take a minute and appreciate the fact that this beautiful example of a vehicle here has probably been restored lovingly, but STILL THE POPUP HEADLIGHTS DON'T CLOSE RIGHT! LOL I have the same problem with my 85 Celica. #popupheadlightlife
Typical museum car, cosmetically perfect but everything internal is garbage
You're doing a great service with these videos.👏
Thank you for doing this video! Proud owner of an sv1 here! I've got a lot of respect for the sheer will this guy has when it comes to getting something done and wanted an sv1 for about a decade and thought I'd never see one in person let alone own one...I then came across car 2129 that hadn't been on the road since 1987 and picked it up and got the engine unsiezed and running and I'm now in process of the restoration.... It's an awesome sports car with a very helpful and dedicated community of enthusiast that keep doing the R&D to this day... Mine is going to be more of a resto mod since I'm going to be using a more modern parts bin to get creative with... But I'm not ruining the styling or the gull wing doors... But gonna give it some more modern amenities and maybe some more modern power
Vin 2211 here! I too am doing a restoration with what I was left with (not much) so I’m actually making her fully electric! Her best shot of getting back on the road again.
@@theblacksmithgamer1 that's awesome man... Gotta keep us updated on the progress! You can see some of mine on my channel midnight Auto repair and I'll be adding more videos on the progress too!
@@joshuadavis6094 Right now, I’m just trying to get her to start up so I can move her back to my barn so the real work can begin, but once that happens, I’ll begin posting updates. One of the last many previous owners, (I found a whole list with the help of the internet as well as John T. Blair, you may be familiar) had decided to cut half the wires for no reason, but remove half of the cut ones, and the repair manuals were lost 48 years ago, so I’m working with trial and error. Every step forward is 2 steps back, but just like Malcolm, I’m determined haha
@@theblacksmithgamer1 that was my thought too! I'm trying to figure out at much as I can on my own and update it with a more modern parts bin and on the 351 you have to make sure the duraspark box is still good and that is getting proper voltage... Mine the key in the ignition worked like twice so now I've been jumping it at the relay to get it started and moving
@@joshuadavis6094 man, I tried jumping it at the solenoid because I’d turn the key and the starter wouldn’t even click, and I got a few sparks and then nothing, and since then, when I turn the key, I don’t even get power anymore. I can not for the life of me figure out what went wrong and where.
I am proud to say I own #1432. A 1975 Bricklin SV1. It was way ahead of time. Malcolm worked with what he had. And produced far beyond when others would fail without making anything. His cars can be maintained today with minor difficulties finding parts, but not impossible. Its easier to find parts for a 45 year old Bricklin then a 10 year old Italian car.
Top shelf 👍👍.
He's living a great story. I own an X-1/9 that was imported by Bricklin in '85. Bertone started badging them about '82 and continued on until about '86 with many remaining unsold for years. It's a great car if you like little sports cars. There are some X1/9's running around with Yugo engines too. Many of the engine components of the Yugo are of Fiat origin.
Loved this episode! Great work as always 💕
This was surprisingly very interesting. Very well thought out and entertaining. Cheers from Canada!
My brother's friend Paul bought a yugo back in high school. We never let him live it down. Many times at lunch, my brother and his friends would pick up pauls car and carry it somewhere else... Like down the street and around the corner. Leaving paul to wander around trying to find it.
Bringing Subaru to America makes Malcolm Bricklin a swell guy. Bringing the Yugo to America makes Malcolm Bricklin a peerless legend.
Malcolm Bricklin - "The man who wanted to make everyone walk to work!"
I bet people back in the 70's looked at the SV-1 the same way people in the 90's looked at the Bugatti EB110... Although atleast the EB110 was fast
In terms of styling, engineering wise they are worlds apart.
EB110 was infinitely closer to be a real car product (so much that it effectively was): the people involved, the place (near Modena, the world supercar City, with suppliers, technicians, other Brands/factories that since many decades produce supercars).
This was a non technical guy, with good intentions, with no connections to the car industry, trying to build a car difficult to build from scratch, in a remote place with no history/etc. of building cars.
Best wishes.
@@ajax700 I was talking from a design prespective, but okay
I've seen a Bricklin SV1 in traffic. They were around. EB110? Nonexistant for all practical purposes.
Yes here in Canada, you see a few of those Bricklin's running around in the summer time. I know a guy that had 2 of them about 15 years ago. not sure if he still has them or not.
New video on my day off.
Life is good.
Do the Suzuki Swift/Cultus/ Subaru Justy/ Geo Metro ... Please :)
/Holden Barina
@@john_barnett Yea although that gets into shameful territory. Beep Beep Yea!
Back in the 80s a guy in my high school had one. I never knew what it's story was until I watched this video. It looked pretty cool.
the doors on the last venture, the electric 3-wheeler are called Knife Doors because they operate like a guillotine or like the blade on a paper cutter but again, OUTSTANDING!
I don't know what rep the X1/9 has in Europe, but in the States it's known as a very sexy vehicle, with a bad habit of shedding parts at speed. Oh, and rusting.. I knew a former owner who had 2 stories, once when the whole front brakes.. well broke on a hill in Cincinnati. The other involved the tailpipe falling off the vehicle, bouncing off the highway and somersaulting over the Taurus behind him.
Hey Ed,. thanks for sharing this comprehensive video on Malcom Bricklin!! 👍👍
Cool to learn all this. My city had a bricklin driving around through the 80s and 90s. Ir was orange.
My dad's best friend was forever making ice machines that didn't work very well. And he was always seeking new financing for his latest and greatest new ice machine. He lived his entire life that way. Raised two kids, lived in a modest home in a good neighborhood. He was a failure in many respects, certainly never hit it big, but looking back now I think he was a success. He did it his way. Was a nice guy. And maintained a sense of humor through it all.
Fantastic, well-researched video. I learnt a lot.
These videos are so awesome. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Ed. This is your best yet. Malcom Bricklin is easily one of the most colorful people ever in the car industry. You missed one minor point, he stumbled into the Yugo by purchasing the US rights from an individual named Miroslav Kefurt who had connections in Yugoslavia (I believe his mother was the trade minister). Kefurt is a small time player, but amusing in his own right having started as a Citroen SM mechanic, then taking on the Honda 600 before moving to the Yugo. Last I heart he was in Las Vegas hocking magic oil treatments.
X-1/9 wasn't from the '60s though, it debuted in 1973. And was also designed to exceed the safety standards of the day, possibly by a wider margin than the SV-1.
It was definitely designed to a MUCH higher standard, with much better engineering behind it. The "safety" angle of the SV was just a sales gimmick, nothing more.
Fun fact, Zastava started out making cannons in 1853. While their car division went bankrupt in 2008. Zastava the firearms manufacturer is still in business. Interestingly, the opposite happened with Daewoo. In order to arm South Korea more cheaply and efficiently than licensing American M16s, they developed the Daewoo K2 rifle.
Zastava AKs are very popular here in the US.
@@unlearningcommunism4742 I've wanted to get one for a while now.
Christ, that was INTERESTING. I didn't think it would be that good.
Down here in Italy we have our Malcolm Bricklin: his name is Romano Artioli, the man that brought us the Maruti with much rage from Suzuki. Incidentally, is also the man the brought back Bugatti to life in 1990.
Good News!!
New Ed
I have a 1988 Yugo GVX. The car is fun to drive and people love to talk about it.
Is that the sports model
@@tristanheaton2127 Yes. It's mostly a trim package but it did come with a slightly larger engine than the GV and it produced 10 more horsepower.
I'm from New Brunswick Canada. In my local area there is two kicking around . One gets driven almost everyday during the summer months
I want a 6 speed ls swapped Bricklin. Love the car, and the man
Ed is so good, that I have not watched the video, but already gave it like.
I gave you a like before reading your comment.
My man, that EV-3, has scissor doors. Love the channel
I like how he learned something each time. Never give up, never surrender!
Great as always; keep up the good work.
The Bricklin EV3 looks like a Pontiac from the front..... Great watch, thanks.....
In 2008 I worked for an electric motorcycle company in Massachusetts USA that manufactured and sold electric executive scooters the size of a Suzuki Bergman 500cc. I had the pleasure of meeting Malcolm Bricklin and showing him our product and new designs in the works. He was complimentary but chose (wisely) not to invest. I was laid off shortly thereafter and the company closed its doors soon after... He has a sense of what works and what doesn't but he always falls short of sustainable success of the business. While he personally makes money from the businesses his businesses always end in disappointment and failure.
What a great story. I am surprised he could find investors after his rocky start in the car business.
I live in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, and I had a sighting of the rare mythical Bricklin SV1 on my way home from work a couple years ago.
It was that classic orange so it popped out at me as it zoomed past, and my jaw was on the floor.😲
They still look super cool despite the build quality.👍
Definitely one of my most memorable car spots. Great vid Ed.
Thanks Ed
Very educational Ed. Canadian here. Future topic, Americans getting caught with their pants down with the Japanese, now Japanese getting their pants down with Koreans
Very interesting guy, great example of someone always wanting to move forward on an original idea, and also had great outside of the box problem solving skills to keep his dream and ideas taking root in company after company.
Ed - this was fascinating. I had heard of Malcolm and the Brickland SV1 but had no knowledge of the car or the big past that he was involved in! I follow 2 Stroke Turbo and he has a few Subaru 360s, now I know the history behind it, it’s fantastic! Keep up the amazing car history coming my friend
Great video as always, Ed! Keep 'em coming!
Another great car documentary 👌 👏 👍
I really think that the fall of IAI was a bit more complicated than some mild hostility from Cadillac.
Bricklin in the late 1980s tried to introduce the Proton Saga into the American Market but did not do well due to the car not passing emissions testing plus the fact that the Saga was basically a Mitsubishi clone.
15:04 "Imagine buying a new car for just under 10k"
*Laughs in Suzuki Maruti*
now I have a better understanding of the Bricklin history.
Excellent job, as usual
Yes another great video! Thank you!
There's a vice grip garage video about the SV1 on a barn find where he makes it run. I wasn't expecting this video being about the company that made that car.
Ahhh the Yugo! A car even Yugislavians wondered.. WHY. At least it could fly...right over the guardrails of the Mak bridge!
Malcolm was a visionary
Always thought the Yugo was quite cute and cleanly designed
I'll be waiting for your next video showcasing a slightly improved understanding of the auto industry and your usual sense of perseverance.
I think Malcolm Bricklin is pretty awesome for doing all that!
Wow! I thought you were going to talk about the original bricklin car only but I'm very surprised and delighted that you reviewed his entire career in brief.
1:16 Green Onions is so cool
Had a neighbor with a Bricklin SV1, as a kid I thought it was cool but after so many months I noticed it didn't move from where it was parked. Getting parts pre-internet was part of the charm.
To set the record straight the Bricklin SV1 was created 8 years before John Delorean built his copy! Subary of America imported the larger safer front wheel and all wheel drive car into the USA before I left to build the Bricklin and Fuji bought all the stockholders out 20 years later! Interesting Doc but superficial ! I enjoyed watching it!
Did not expect the Alante I drove to work today to make an appearance in this video.
Wow! this guy sounds Awesome!
The "Bricklin, SV-1."
Is this where DeLorean got the ideas for his car?
Hey! Your 'sense of humor...' 'Niiiiiice!'
Always puts a smile on my face when Ed pronounces "variety" as "viarity". 8^D
Love the Subaru 360s! The van is so cool.
A guy in our VW club, actually owns a Bricklin. Not running at the moment, but he will be working on it this winter. Definitely smells like the '70's inside...
I love the design of the Yugo, lol.
Another great episode. Love the research you put in and your sense of humor. Also your occasional English language flubs are quite endearing.
I've been living in NYC for five years now and I'm seeing a trend to small electric scooters and electric motorcycles. Nobody wants to drive in Manhattan because of the traffic so a lot of people are switching from their car to an electric scooter and now the way gas prices are it makes even more sense to switch.
Love this channel!
I love Malcom ❤️❤️, if there was an American businessman hall of Fame he would be my vote for the first inductee
Book: "The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History" by Jason Vuic, is one one the BEST books on cars ever written period! Not only is it accurate, informative, and insightful, it is also funnier than all hell and a thoroughly good read. Bricklin has been called the PT Barnum of the car industry,This shows why. This book details his life and trails and tribulations and the history of the 360, the SV1 and ..the Yugo. oh and Yugo, car stays.
I feel a slight sense of Deja Vu after watching this.
he just kept goin be it a car or bicycle it didn't matter lol he deserves a movie
That's some great research and a great history lesson.
If he doesn't contact you to write his Auto- biography (as in automotive biography) then he is missing out on a best seller