Open Day At Bristol Cars

[Sundayjumper]

Bristol Cars have moved their service centre to Windlesham, not far from here, so I took my Dad along to their open day yesterday as he's keen on buying a 410 / 411 next year. The owners club had arranged for various cars to be on display pretty much covering all the models Bristol have made over the years. Quite interesting having a look around the early cars but you need to avert your eyes once you get to the seventies & eighties models

Anyway, main point of my post was that I had a look at their current model, the Bullet. It does look better in the flesh than in photos, but for the c. £250k price tag (yes, really) I was mostly impressed with how sh*t the paint was. It was like that all over. Shocking.

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[JLv3.0]

It's amazing that Bristol Cars still exists. There are just so many better cars available but their brand is absolutely unique, isn't it. You can imagine someone wanting to buy a Bristol not being interested in any other marque whatsoever.

[Zonda_]

I thought they went into receivership a few years ago. Anyway, the colours and interior trim of the Bullets on their website look far better than that one.

[Sundayjumper]

You can imagine someone wanting to buy a Bristol not being interested in any other marque whatsoever.

Yes, we met one of those characters ! A chap well into his eighties with a Bristol 406 that he's owned since the early seventies. Just back from a trip to the south of France in it. Kept banging on about how usable they are. Has written a book about the marque.

I think I can see the attraction of the classic models, they're very stately, and mechanically quite simple too so fairly easy to look after. An interesting alternative to a Bentley.

And I need to be on board with all this, because realistically whatever my Dad buys, Gavster & I will be inheriting at some point. I don't want to end up digging a total basket case out of a garage in 10/20/30 years' time.

I thought they went into receivership a few years ago.

I think that's happened a few times, and somehow they get bought up & bailed out to keep going.

[Matty]

They always look like one of those DIY kit cars you build in your garage - especially from the outside. The interiors are better (a bit), but still, £200k+ ?

How many cars do they actually sell a year?

[Mito Man]

Yep I would guess that’s £40k just looking at it and even that’s overpriced. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a newish Bristol.

[tim]

Sorry for the Fail link, but the owners do seem to be a curious bunch...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... coupe.html

[JLv3.0]

It was bought in 1960 by former racing driver and RAF pilot Tony Crook who allegedly old sold the cars to people he liked.

English is hard, isn't it.

[Mito Man]

Well I never knew the Kensington showroom was the official only one. It’s always looked so rundown and grubby from outside I thought it was just an independent that bought the name

[Sundayjumper]

Yep. That's where you order your £250k car. Baffling.