New car available soon - 4 years after going bust
tinyurl.com/pzy4ayf
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No photo of the hybrid new model.
I like all Bristols, but the first Bristol car, the 400, was the best-looking one, with the 402 and 403 also very nice. From the 404 onward (that's a 404 behind the 405 in FB's photo) they became progressively uglier, although that is a matter of taste.
My comic published a front-end-on photo of a 400 today. A good one of those now would be worth a king's ransom. But I'd be more than happy with one of those ugly late V8 ones. Looks aren't everything, and one of those would surely be cheaper and less fraught to maintain without expensive specialist help.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Mon 8 Sep 14 at 15:43
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I try hard with Bristol, I really do, but they still just look and seem like creatures from another world - and not in a good way. I suppose the 411 that was current in the mid-70s when I became car-conscious has a trace of long-snouted elegance, provided it's in the right shade of silver-grey. But even there, knowing it has a V8 farm pickup engine and a three-speed transmission makes it seem a pretty crude alternative to, say, a 450 SLC from the same period.
As for the hideous 412 / Beaufighter generation - eeugh!
What, apart from rarity (rare for a reason if you ask me) am I missing?
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I like ugly cars if they have other virtues.
V8 Bristols are very rapid, quiet and comfortable, easy to thread through traffic because very narrow. The Chrysler V8 is everlasting and cheap to maintain using any competent indy; the chassis and suspension are repairable and meccano-like.
Looks are for the individual. Thirst is another matter, but nothing's perfect. I doubt if LPG conversion is worth the cost. I'd have one if I could afford it. But then I say that about a lot of cars.
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Bristol - Bust - Now newcars to appear soooon - £200K - Armel Coussine
