Words in the July 2011 issue of Motor Sport
by Andrew Frankel, in his column, Road Cars
"Caterham is not the only small British manufacturer to be taken over since the last issue, but circumstances in which Bristol found itself under new management could scarcely have more different.
"Unlike Caterham, which is a thriving business ripe for expansion, Bristol was effectively moribund even before the receivers were called in. Now it has been sold to a company the name of another great marque from times gone by, Frazer Nash (sic), and time alone will tell what, if anything, will be made of it.
"The story of Bristol's decline is a difficult one to tell, not least because of its total aversion to letting the press test its cars. In 23 years I never managed it. But while some people with opinions worth listening to lauded them (Simon Draper and the late Leonard Setright to name but two) even an outside observer could see what little product existed was antiquated, expensive and a world removed from the massively funded, state-of-the-art machines bearing the Rolls-Royce and Bentley names.
"Their example suggests very clearly that what is required to breathe fresh air in to these brands is not just investment measurable in billions combined with an innate understanding of what a modern product from the marque should be, but also the technical expertise and equipment to make it happen. It is not clear if or how Frazer Nash will be able to do this.
“What should a modern Bristol be? To me, it should be the ultimate long-distance gentleman’s carriage: less ostentatious than a Rolls, less sporty than a Bentley, more discreet, timeless and longer-legged than both. It would need to do at least 500 miles between fills, doubling what you get from most similar cars, achieved by the fitment of a 120-litre fuel tank and a large capacity, seamlessly smooth, torque-laden V8 diesel engine of the type all the large German firms now make. For sales in the diesel-averse markets like the US and China, petrol-electric hybrid power would be a necessary compromise. It’s ‘three Rs’ would be ride, refinement, and range. And yes, it is a little hard to see right now.”
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