Spare the Rod: 1969 Bremen Motorsports Mini Mark

If you are looking for a kit car that has the look of a roadster from the 1930’s but retains the odd proportions of the donor Beetle, look for a Bremen Mini Mark. The Bremen Mini Mark was actually considered a conversion car built on the chassis of the ubiquitous VW Beetle and not a kit car since you purchased it fully completed.   The car was one of 5 conversion car models offered by Bremen Motor Sport of Bremen, Indiana.  Bremen still exists today as Bremen Composites, and is a specialist in the manufacture of fiberglass of boats, motor homes, truck bodies, trailers and other fiberglass products.  Find this 1969 Bremen Mini Mark for sale in Bellingham, WA for $11,500 via craigslist.

The Craigslist ad talks of  Bermen Motorsports, Bermen Composites, Bermen Indiana and calls the car a V-Rod.  At first this ad had me thinking that I had a mystery on my hands as when I searched Google and Bing and could not find any information on Bermen Motor Sports, Bermen Composites or a kit car called the V-Rod as the ad read.  But then searching on Bermen Indiana also turned up nothing – but Bremen did.  Is our children learning?  When it became Bremen Composites the mystery was solved.  There is no mystery of what powers this kit/conversion car however (although I’m not sure why there’s a tachometer back there)…

Inside you will be greeted by what look to be modern gauges and radio.  Don’t mind the steering wheel that is off center when the road wheels are pointing straight ahead.  Does that bother you, or is it just my pet peeve – how could you tolerate driving a car like that?

According to the Craigslist ad the car was designed by Bermen Engineers and price of this rarity in 1970 was $16,000.  Only 100 were built before a fire destroyed the factory in 1980.  Unfortunately the story according to the Bremen Mini Mark history site on the interwebs paints a different picture.  The car was designed by one man, Dewayne Creighton, who started building dune buggies in his chicken coupe in Bremen Indiana.   His factory did burn down, but in 1975 (no word on any poultry casualties) and Dewayne rebuilt it and continued to build cars until he decided to do something else in 1984.  The price of a completed Mini Mark does appear to be correct, however approximately 400 were build of only 87 are assumed to survive.  Either way, you are guaranteed to get invited to Fourth of July Parades anywhere.

Find another kit/conversion car mystery?  Email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com

Gianni is the newest contributor at Daily Turismo and is honored to be officially on staff as the PNW correspondent.  He’s a lifelong Alfista and grew up riding dirt bikes in rural Washington State when no one cared where you rode off road.  He wrote this bio in third person, but isn’t nearly clever enough to make witty jokes about it.  Vote for Manuel, in reverb we trust.