Today I drove past the showroom of Bristol Cars.
Looking them up on the web:
www.bristolcars.co.uk/index2.htm
I am interested in what sort of engines they have, are they their own or made by someone else?
Anybody own one?
Better than an X5 any day!
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I stand to be corrected, but believe that the 525 BHP Bristol Fighter engine is an eight litre V10 derived from that fitted to the Dodge Viper.
Don't know about the V8 engines fitted to other Bristol models, but guess they'll be Chrysler sourced, too.
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Chrysler it is. I like the idea of having a Blenheim 3 as I shall not have to pay for number plates or delivery charges as per their website.
BRISTOL BLENHEIM 3
Basic Price:
£119,000 + vat
20,825
£139,825 total.
No collection or number plates charges, only road fund tax to pay.
Lottery win this week maybe?
Happy Motoring Phil I
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I frequently passed by the showroom late at night. I could get out and oggle the speedster.
www.bristolcars.co.uk/BlenheimSpeedster.htm
As usual the spare wheel is in the front wing. How civilised!
It has to be the best "Flies on your teeth mobile"
As they are only buiding a dozen or so it is even more important that the finger points to me as says "It is you" so next chance on the Lotto on Saturday.
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That car looks absolutely incredible, a real antidote to the "ordinary" supercars.
I used to get driven to the Rolls Royce Training College in Bristol by one of the instructors who used to work for Bristol cars in the fifties and sixties.
He had a book of photographs of cars which he had personally produced the bodywork for, working with sheets of aluminium, a few wooden bucks and a box full of hammers. He said he liked doing front wings best, a real challenge to produce with so many complex curves and angles and then matching it to the surrounding panels.
Watching him work with a piece of tin and a hammer was a profound experience.
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Why would you pay anywhere near these amount for cars that (other than the Speedster and Fighter) look like a Morris Ital?!
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Their website isn't exactly informative, so what is so special about them?
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Handbuilt to order, often favoured by old money and the nearest you'll get to a 1950s Bentley without owning one. Which would probably be cheaper, but logic and Bristol are uneasy bedfellows anyway.
Robustly made, lightly stressed (5.9 V8 plus Torqueflite) and long-lasting machines which have an almost undefinable Britishness about them. The 1950s and 1960s models are the most admired (the fashion designer Paul Smith has a 402, I think). I don't think there's any CAD/CAM in there so the blunt truth is that they can't compete with modern luxury cars. But competition ain't what they're about.
You'll either understand Bristol or stand there wondering whether you've landed in a time warp. Everything modern cars aren't and all the better for it.
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I often hankered after one the 406-7-8 and 410-411 appelaed but having seen what the revages of age do to uncared bodies and the HUGE bills for maintenance and repairs.. Bristol spare are NOT cheap- and I mean nearly Ferrari style bills for £10,000s -
I decided I would/could not afford one.
Pity.. look great outside and in.
madf
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Well if I was stinking rich I'd probably buy a Bristol - I mean they've made just 12 of that particular model - you don't get much more exclusive than that!
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There's not much demand for old-fashioned out-of-date, grossly overp-priced carp that's appalling to drive, so it's not suprising they only made 12....
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When I heard of this company I really wanted to like them, honestly I did, but who are they trying to kid? The Blenheim 3 looks like an old Capri! :-)
Sorry, but if I win the lottery I'll be off buying a Bentley, at least they've got luxury *and* style.
If I only have a small win of say, a million, then I'll be off buying the S class that I was shamelessly dribbling over in the Merc showroom in Stockton the other day. I can forgive the salesman for not asking if I was interested in buying, I was standing clutching a Smart brochure that I'd gone into get for a friend, but I got attracted to the shiney things on the way out...
Blue
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Thanks for the info.
I thought they may have some type of American engine in them if you know what I mean.
Years ago I read a magazine article about Bristol cars. The only thing I seem to remember is that they came with a picnic hamper as part of the original equipment.
I must make the effort to have a look next time I'm passing.
For similar money one could have a good, used Bentley Continental.
Are they fitted with ABS, etc.? How good are they? I saw Top Gear reviewing a TVR / Aston Martin a while back and one of the things that was commented on was the gaps in the doors, etc and generally poor finish, even though hand made.
There must be someone who owns a Bristol who could comment.
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Never owned one, but I did use to work on them. I used to hand roll the aluminium panels for the boot lid and doors.
The QA was quite onerous and the tolerances permitted were very small, particularly for hand work.
Admittedly quite a time ago, but if they put as much attention into the rest of the vehicle as they put into the panels I would expect them to be pretty good.
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They are wonderful cars. The Patek Philippe of car markers - and they are definitely not meant for lottery winners :) Lots about in London because they may be long, but they are relatively narrow. Despite their reputation for being the reserve of old money a lot of very famous stars drive them because they like the anonymity while having all the luxury.
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There's not much demand for old-fashioned out-of-date, grossly overp-priced carp that's appalling to drive, so it's not suprising they only made 12....
So you've driven one?
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I have found a website for the Bristol Owners Club.
Much more informative than the Bristol website, the guy who set it all up is obviously an enthusiast.
www.boc.net
I see there are some prices on there and comparisons with Bentley, etc.
I've noticed that most things these days are made to look and feel 'quality' but are, in fact, not.
A year or so ago I had a look at a Bentley close up.
At the rear on the side was the Bentley badge. It was made of plastic, not enamel or whatever car badges used to be made from and had become stained inside from water or whatever. The car was only a few years old and this small detail let the whole thing down. Maybe that's the thing about bristol cars: The quality.
I must say if I bought one I would expect 200,000 pretty much trouble free miles from it and doubt I'd be disappointed.
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