Like me, do you really fancy buying a British car? You know, one that’s been built, by a British owned company in Britain. That’s tricky isn’t? Especially if you want a car that can be used every day and seats more than one, in comfort. It becomes even more of a challenge and clearly Caterham, Ariel Atom and Morgan, just aren’t up to it. Bristol are.
If you haven’t heard of Bristol, then shame on you. They’ve been around for over sixty years, born out of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, they applied Aircraft construction and design standards to cars and they still do. It was our pleasure, to meet the owner Toby Silverston. Tall, articulate and passionate about Bristols. This is how Matt Tumbridge and I expect every boss to be, but in the current motor industry climate we only meet, cautious, soundbite spluttering accountant types who actually don’t seem to like cars much. Toby is a hurricane of fresh air and one of the most charming and persuasive salesmen on the planet.
“I really hate the term benchmarking, absolutely loath it,” says Toby. “The problem is that those who use such a mealy mouthed term, simply look at what’s out there already and just make something that’s a copy. Yes it may be three per cent faster, or seven percent fatter, but it won’t really be any better at all. It’s just more of the same.”
Now that’s something you never, ever get with a Bristol, whose cars have always been individual, but not for the sake of it. There are always sound engineering principles behind everything they do. This important point has been routinely missed by the majority of Her Majesty’s Motoring press who have preferred to view Bristol as a symbol of rather quaint British eccentricity. Nothing could be further from the truth as Toby strides purposefully over to the beautiful metallic orange Fighter at the front of the showroom. Here is conclusive proof that British engineers can make a proper supercar which doesn’t need a prancing dobbin on the bonnet.
“When we decided to make a 200mph supercar, our first question was, not whether it would reach that speed, but whether it would be a safe car,” says Toby. Obviously Bristol never looked at what the opposition were up to otherwise the Fighter could have ended up with all sorts of inappropriate wings and things, but at the heart of this design is Bristol’s speciality, aerodynamics. “The Fighter is essentially a wing on wheels, but one that won’t take off.”
So despite the fact that a Ferrari Enzo is ligher and with 100bhp more power, it won’t leave the Fighter behind, but more to the point it is far more practical. Whereas the Enzo and it’s ilk can be a little clumsy away from the track, the Fighter is an all rounder, as Bristol’s customers prove by using their cars as Toby intended, for touring. “Our customers travel all over Europe in all sorts of conditions and aren’t afraid to go down dirt tracks as the attack and departure angles are better than on a Range Rover.“
Indeed, Toby’s test drive party trick is to tackle speed bumps at the legal limit, to the amazement of his passenger. So as the Fighter becomes Matt and mine’s new favourite supercar, there is the small matter of the £230,000 required to buy the entry level model.
Although Bristol has always been an exclusive manufacturer of bespoke, hand built cars, that doesn’t mean that we can’t afford these beauties. Toby told us that prices can start at £10,000 for a solid and useable example. Obviously it will need some factory TLC to return the paintwork and interior to it’s original sheen, but you should always regard a Bristol as a long term love affair. Bristol cars are actively seeking out older cars that they will then take to the factory and completely refurbish. Each one will be sold with a full Bristol warranty which means anything that goes wrong, is their fault. No quibble, no small print, just a guarantee of quality the way it used to be. The 411s, 412s and 603s that you will find in the showroom will be £28,000+ which isn’t much to pay for a car that took 2,000 hours to build.
These full four seater models share the same attention to driver and passenger comfort as the Fighter. The leather seats are sumptuous, you have a brilliant panoramic view of the road as this is a proper grand tourer that will east up the miles and not only have four on board but their luggage too. Look after your Bristol and the depreciation is minimal, especially when compared to ordinary mass produced cars like Porsches. A 1995 Blenheim will still sell for £68,000 according to Toby and as he is right to point out that 1970s models cost half as much as Rolls Royce Shadow which are now a third the price of a Bristol.
The showroom may need a lick of paint, but you would need to be a superficial person to think that matters when the most important thing to Bristol is building the best cars in the world for the most intelligent and discerning car buyers on the planet. It makes you proud to be British.
Words: James Ruppert