FOR lovers of all that is British in the world of luxury cars the news that Bristol has gone into administration is a body blow.
Bristol is famous for its exclusive, hand-built luxury cars and was a perfect example of the gentlemanly way to market high-powered wheels.
The company had just one showroom in Kensington High Street, London and in many way kept itself to itself.
There was no high-powered marketing or performance hype and spin, the company being one of the very few that did not supply cars on a regular basis to the media for appraisal -although I did manage to get hold of one, a 603V8, in the early 80s.
This enormously powerful car was one of the best kept secrets of the automotive world at the time.
The Bristol almost had a sense of anonymity. Its exclusive set up was a magnificently eccentric way of going about things, proving that the hand-made car of the pre-war years was still very much alive and kicking.
The company was was founded in 1946 when the Bristol Aeroplane Company teamed up with AFN which made Frazer Nash cars.
AFN was the importer of BMW cars at that time and anyone who thinks that the early Bristols like the 400 models look like a BMW are bang on the button. Many of the styling features were derived from the pre-war Type 38 BMW.
But that is where it ended. Bristol then went its own way about styling and in 1961 adapted a Chrysler V8 engine and automatic transmission to ensure its cars had all the punch needed to impress the well-heeled.
At that time the car manufacturing concern broke away from the aircraft firm and Bristol Cars was formed, the company coming under control of former racing driver Tony Crook in 1973.
But Bristol cherished its aircraft heritage and in the 1980s began to call some of its cars after famous planes produced at the Bristol factory. These included the Beaufighter, Britannia and in recent times the Fighter after the legendary First World War winged warhorse.
In the early 2000s Crook sold the firm to Toby Silverton and it carried on in its own way until now when RSM Tenon has been appointed to handle the administration.
But there is a glimmer of hope. The the administrators aim to find buyers for Bristol who could keep it running as a going concern. A sad fact is that 22 redundancies have already been made.
A spokesman for the administrators assured owners that sales and service operations would be maintained while buyers were sought.
If Bristol really does disappear it will be a tragedy to the amazingly loyal band of owners it has accrued over the years.
Maybe it will return in a form which is more up to date in terms of marketing and PR, perhaps even giving Bentley a run for its money.
It could happen – stranger things have occurred in the automotive world and the Bristol might take off again. I certainly hope so.