Move Over Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari Enzo !!

[Full Canvas]

It is probably best that LJK Setright died just over a year ago. He would have excoriated Bristol over this new model. Setright carried on a lifetime affair with the eccentric marque. Actually, Setright was every bit as eccentric as the Bristol cars he drove. If you have not read his books or had the opportunity to enjoy his monthly column in CAR magazine during the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, you owe it to yourself to do so. However, the business at hand is below!

Anthony Crook may be 86 years old but he is still a key figure in Bristol Cars, which claims to be Britain's last remaining luxury car company. Crook is a former Battle of Britain fighter pilot. He took part in the first post-war motor race at Gransden Lodge in 1946 and was a regular competitor in the years that followed, including racing in the British GPs of 1952 and 1953. When he stopped racing Crook built up his car business and became a dealer for Bristol Cars, which had grown out of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, one of Britain's most famous aviation companies.

In 1960 the aviation company was taken over by what is now British Aerospace and Bristol's owner Sir George White bought the car division in league with Crook. White eventually sold out in 1973 and Crook was the sole owner until 1997 when Toby Silverton, aviation spares magnate and a Bristol enthusiast bought into the company. Crook stayed in charge and in 2003 the company announced plans to build a new model called the Fighter. This was designed by former Brabham engineer Max Boxstrom and is being built at Bristol's factory at Filton, near Bristol.

Fighter T on the left. Fighter center. On the right, a Blenheim similar to what Setright drove.

The $600,000 Fighter T is the latest version of the car and boasts a twin-turbocharged 8-litre V10 (based on the Dodge Viper engine) that pumps out 1012hp. The car has a claimed top speed of 270mph that makes it faster than the Bugatti Veyron and the Ferrari Enzo.

Get it from the horse's mouth: http://www.bristolcars.co.uk
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[Nantucket Red]

For the price, I'll take one in white and another in midnight blue.

 

[MCsommerreid]

For that price I'll take two Koenigsegg.

 

[caelte]

Bristol never has concerned itself with styling fashion.
I like the Speedster.

 

[LabelKing]

I like Bristol's overtly traditional and really, rather stodgy designs. I suspect they have an awful business model like most luxury car-makers of the past did. Even a large company like Mercedes-Benz had what today would be considered a terrible business plan since they lost money on certain models like the 600. And that's what's eminently lovable. The styling cues are a bit like the 401 which was apparently based on the pre-war BMW 328:

I understand they are fairly inexpensive used.

 

[fritzl]

They remind me to TVR in their designs.

I've to admit, allthough am interested in cars, didn't realise that I have heard about this manufacturer.

I am glad that I am aware of this classic pieces of automobile history, now.

 

[DNW]

Those cars are ugly as sin. For that kind of money, there's nothing that say exotic cars about them. They're throwing money into a black hole if they build those ugly beasts.

 

[Lucky Strike]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Those cars are ugly as sin. For that kind of money, there's nothing that say exotic cars about them. They're throwing money into a black hole if they build those ugly beasts.
Bristols can be quite beautiful:

 

[caelte]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Those cars are ugly as sin. For that kind of money, there's nothing that say exotic cars about them. They're throwing money into a black hole if they build those ugly beasts.

That's why Bristol's have style, real style.

 

[Huntsman]

I hope it has the aerodynamics to stay on the road.

It is an interesting point that 1000hp is not to hard to achieve. There have been several Viper variants with 1khp, and Ferrari could certainly do it. Yet the Veyron has this fairly monstrous wasteful lump of a W-thing to do it which just seems so wrong somehow (anyone know the displacement?). It is almost as if the image of the engine has to live up to the bling, to be sensational, and in that sense it sacrifices elegance. Alot of things are like that and it saddens me.

Regards,
Huntsman

 

[MCsommerreid]

Some top fuel cars and rails get into the 5000 and more horsepower ranges. What would be impressive is a production car with 1000 horses.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Those cars are ugly as sin. For that kind of money, there's nothing that say exotic cars about them. They're throwing money into a black hole if they build those ugly beasts.
That's why I noted above, they probably have a bad business model which is what it so endearing about these sorts of companies. They seem to have no qualms about financial solvency.

Here is their current model Blenheim; doesn't it look a used Japanese car?

 

[LabelKing]

There used to be a Spanish car company, Pegaso, built on the remains of the old Hispano-Suiza factory which produced a sportscar that apparently exceeded the top Ferrari speeds. It made it the world's fastest production car at the time which was the late '50s.

3.9 or 4.5 V8 with 350 HP and a top speed of 170MPH--Pegaso Z-103.

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by MCsommerreid

Some top fuel cars and rails get into the 5000 and more horsepower ranges. What would be impressive is a production car with 1000 horses.

The scary thing about those cars is that those are estimated HP numbers --- no dyno can measure them. The engine is also good only for 1 or 2 runs.

Now I must play the role of SGladwell: what would be way more impressive than a 1000 HP street car would be a sub-200 HP car that's light (less than 3k pounds), fun-to-drive, well-packaged (4 people plus reasonable luggage), very fuel-efficient, RWD, well-equipped, not ugly, and exceeds every California emission standard and every safety standard. For $20K.

--Andre

 

[caelte]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

That's why I noted above, they probably have a bad business model which is what it so endearing about these sorts of companies. They seem to have no qualms about financial solvency.

Here is their current model Blenheim; doesn't it look a used Japanese car?

Yes, after an accident.

Look at the panel behind the front fender.

If I recall, that is where the spare is. Is that correct, Full Canvas?

The Fighter is very 70's, 80's Japanese or maybe Jensen ,TVR.

Bristols are one of my favorite cars.