I thought it might be interesting addition to the discussion to revise and resubmit much of the content of an older posting of mine (originally on a different topic).
My views on the historical management of BCL are mixed. No one can fail to admire Mr Crook's firmness of purpose which allowed BCL to survive, almost uniquely in this day and age, as a small manufacturer of cars for so many years. The essence of that survival seems to have been a lack of hubris and determination to stick to what one did well, despite what others did or aspired to do, coupled with a realistic assessment of what was in fact possible and what I suspect was a real pride in, and affection and sense of responsibility for, the company, its history, its products and its employees.
There is another side however. As the car division, the marque had a distinctive approach to the design and manufacture of cars and stood for unique values of innovation, performance, design and quality. The division appears to have had a confidence about its products and its unique design focus that contrasts strongly with the subsequent period of operation under Mr Crook. From about the 411 onwards, the company became increasingly less open about its products, their design and their performance. The marketing message shifted from a distinctive design and quality focus to notions of exclusivity and undifferentiated "differentness". One suspects that, lacking the ability and funding to innovate and to carry the torch for the original Bristol values, new values were invented which lay within the company's more limited abilities.
The Crook years represented the creation and building of a new Bristol image. The "exclusive and different" image was cultivated by secrecy about the cars and the company. Development and modification was hinted at but the details never disclosed (and the claims therefore could neither be verified nor disproved). The motoring press were increasingly kept away from the products. Historical mythology regarding Mr Crook's role in the initial creation of the marque in 1946 was created and fostered.
Withdrawal of the cars from the motoring press and the cultivation of a press reputation for avoiding press exposure was arguably a masterstroke of marketing - the cars were no longer portrayed as advanced designs of distinctive quality and were instead talked about with reference to having a "Saville Row" image. The strategy minimised the "Emperor's New Clothes" risk of exposing the cars to outside scrutiny and the adverse conclusions which might have been drawn from revealing the actual production activity (or lack thereof) over many years. The same sensitivity may also account for the strange treatment of potential customers who were refused test drives until after purchase. It may well be the case that BCL's survival required this form of rebranding and secrecy but it was certainly not a message that those of us who admired the original Bristol values could relate to with pride.
Against that background, the activities of BOC were inevitably counter-productive and de-mystifying (as the activities of any owners' club acting in the interests of its membership would be) and the rather strange historical tension between BOC and BCL is understandable for that reason alone.
The subsequent change of ownership and management had seen the marque undergoing another, and, for me, very welcome, change in image and projected values. BCL seemed to realise that it actually represented the overlooked benefits of traditional values and methodologies brought up to date, in the same way that current manufacturers of valve (or, for North American readers, tube) amplifiers, full-range single driver speakers, vinyl LPs and turntables represent those values so successfully in high end audio today. That is what makes my 411 so special to me and why I enjoy owning it alongside a Nissan GTR. Under the Silverton ownership, the differentness started to be revealed as having substance and tangible benefit (other than merely in vague allusions to snobbish exclusivity) and the new values were demonstrated and advocated by BCL in products (Speedster, Series 6, Fighter) which it was not afraid to show off. BCL had started to manifest confidence in what it did and was not afraid to show how it was different rather than just behaving unconventionally and secretively and claiming to be different.
It will be interesting to see what values are adopted in the future.
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