The ex-Duke of Westminster Bristol Beaufighter
Discussion
JPvanRossem said:
Can you explain why you love them?
To my eye Bristol cars, with few exceptions, are utter eyesores.
You see the car in the advert looks slab sided whereas the one in the book shows the side profile much better and looks the better for it. Disclaimer: My dad had a Bristol a 407 I believe. I think he paid £200 for it in the 1960s. I have the reciept and a letter from Bristol AC Cars sent to him headed and typed on foolscap paper when he asked them a technical question.
JPvanRossem said:
underwhelmist said:
It's not really a looker, is it?
Uncle Monty, he say, "I think the carrot infinitely more fascinating than the geranium. The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. There is a certain je ne sais quoi - oh, so very special - about a firm, young carrot...Excuse me..."But a Bristol Beaufighter? - It stirs my soul as it turns my stomach"
I laughed at the presentation - wonky number plate. And the looks are so dated. But Bristols 'do something' to me.
But I couldn't afford one. Well, couldn't justify real-world 8mpg!
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article... 16.5 mpg
Louis Balfour said:
JPvanRossem said:
Can you explain why you love them?To my eye Bristol cars, with few exceptions, are utter eyesores.
I like Bristols - struggle with these ones but a nice 410 or 411 would do me.
ettore said:
To be fair, most of them were lovely looking things up until the later horrors. Weren’t Zagato involved with the slab-sided one’s?
I like Bristols - struggle with these ones but a nice 410 or 411 would do me.
They are less gopping than some other models. but they still have the whiff of Eastern Bloc about them.I like Bristols - struggle with these ones but a nice 410 or 411 would do me.
Many many years ago there was a very Patrician looking elderly grey haired lady who used to dash about my home town in one of these. She had a certain look of faded sixties/seventies glamour model about her, the clothes she wore, the jewellery she wore, the accessories, the knotted head scarf just so, her general deportment. She was just marvellous, as was the car.
I love 'em, but it has to be said, they do look bloody awful. They are very well made, but you'd never know, panel gaps that'd make an old Rangie blush.
I love 'em, but it has to be said, they do look bloody awful. They are very well made, but you'd never know, panel gaps that'd make an old Rangie blush.
Mikebentley said:
I don’t think there was much design budget with that. It looks like Tarquin from sales said “I can draw cars” and they let him do it.
Tarquini maybe - the 412 / Beaufighter is a Zagato design, basically a scaled up Lancia Beta Spyder; they even share tail lights. They were built in Filton though. I believe this 1990 car was the last one of 20-odd Beaufighters built, including one full convertible version (the Beaufort).They are unusual looking machines certainly, which don't photograph easily but do have quite a handsome presence when seen in the metal.
Apparently the reason the 412 / Beaufighter is so large was a miscommunication down the phone between Bristol (I think Tony Crook) and Zagato, so the end product ended up huge.
The car is known as the 'fridge freezer' within Bristol Owners Club - particularly the white one that's quite famous.
Bristols in general are narrow - and in turn, to some, ungainly - because they were designed to be thread through London streets whilst still maintaining that long distance cruiser brief. They are, despite some 'hand built' finishing - read wonky lights and number plate - built to aeroplane tolerances and standards and were specifically made to last decades..not many manufacturers did/do that. Most are still on the road (driving, before someone gets clever!).
The car is known as the 'fridge freezer' within Bristol Owners Club - particularly the white one that's quite famous.
Bristols in general are narrow - and in turn, to some, ungainly - because they were designed to be thread through London streets whilst still maintaining that long distance cruiser brief. They are, despite some 'hand built' finishing - read wonky lights and number plate - built to aeroplane tolerances and standards and were specifically made to last decades..not many manufacturers did/do that. Most are still on the road (driving, before someone gets clever!).
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