412 virtues

[lansdownplace]

It must be 70s cars. I like the AM Lagonda and the Camargue as well.
I saw a lovely navy Camargue last week for about two seconds from
behind. It was too late for me to change lanes to follow it. Maybe
these cars and the 412 represented a direction in car design that
was unique to the 70s which just never developed out because luxury
car buyers are quite conservative?

[Jervaulx]

I know the big issue with the Camargue was it's price. When it was launched
in 1975 it made the Silver Shadow look cheap by comparison. I think at the
start of the 1980's it cost £83,122 which was a massive price back then.
Was the 412 much more expensive than other Bristols around that time when in
production?

Oh and yes I like the AM Lagonda too, it's was almost space age in it's day.
A bit of a Thunderbirds kinda car.

Andrew

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by TLF799R

Ah, here we get to the knub of the matter - it is just my poor series 1 that is inferior!!!!

LOL
Philippa

Not inferior Phillippa, just not better

Originally Posted by rubbond

Regardless of all of the technical details.
I am surprised that especially Bristol owners should have lost grasp of the
english language!
It should of course be : similar to, comparable with, and different from.
Not hard to remember, but it would make reading your e-mails much easier!
With best regards,
Andrew Knox.

I believe 'english' should be 'English', with a capital E!

To the many Bristol owners out there who are not in fact English, and for whom English is a second language, please be assured that the rest of us will not criticise you for imperfect grammar or spelling and we welcome your posts on this site.

Kevin

[Rubbond]

Clearly I upset a few people with my comment on the correct use of
prepositions in the English language.
My apologies also for miss-spelling the word "grammar". Ouch!
For those who still might be interested, the prepositions "to", "with" and
"from" are governed by the original latin prefix of the modern english verb.
So, it's "commensurate with", etc.. "Compared to" and "different to" make
the hairs on my back stand on end!
I didn't mean to insult anyone - especially from outside the UK - I just
think it a pity that the roots of the English language, after about 15
centuries of Roman influence, are now being destroyed.
With best regards,
Andrew.

[Rubbond]

Dear Kevin,
You are absolutely correct and my apologies in general.
In my last mail I wrote "Roman" with a capital letter, and also apologised
to all those not native to the UK.
In retrospect it was a foolish message but even as an engineer (capital
letter, or not?), I am nevertheless very concerned about where the english
language is going. It's like well bad.
Andrew.

[Kevin H]

Andrew, I don't think you have really upset or insulted anyone, but we might upset a few people if we keep banging on about it in this thread about the Bristol 412

Therefore, I have copied your last post into a new thread in the 'Other Topics of Interest' forum here http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/showthread.php?t=228

[TLF799R]

Kevin,
U r quite rite 2 move this 2 a place different to the 412 stuf m8. Its much
2 highbrow compared to us 412 folk. LOL

Philippa

[Rubbond]

That's very sweet of you Philippa, and Kevin too.
I'm actually an engineer but will refrain from getting involved on the C of
G stuff. That is too highbrow for me and I would probably embarrass myself
further.
Anyway, we shouldn't be driving that fast.
Is LOL by the way lots of laughs, or lots of love?
Either way (Pronounced I-the-way of course, not e-the-way), my best regards,
Andrew.

[mrbennetts]

Paul, I have just seen your photographs of (presumably) your own 412, which you kindly posted, and I can now understand why you like them. Your car looks wonderful, outside and in. I am now sold on the 412. Might even chuck my Shadow away (not worth much at the moment) and look for a really nice 412 like yours. Hey Ho. If only all Bristol owners understood that ownership of a Bristol is not enough; it should be well looked-after too. Too many are just tatty. Oops......that's rather contentious ! Stephen Bennetts

[lansdownplace]

Thanks Stephen, it is my one but I can only take credit for the
polishing aspect of it's appearance, If you do want a 412 I strongly
recommend you give David Bradshaw at Bristol cars a ring, the
factory warranty is unbeatable. Andrew Blow seems to be out of V8s
altogether and Brian May was advertising for cars to sell. There is
always eBay for the brave!

Paul

[lansdownplace]

I have made up a screensaver for Kevin...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36877266@N08/3518920377/

[Kevin H]

I was going to say that 412s look better in darker colours, but your car looks really good Paul, maybe it's the metallic paint that makes the difference. There's no doubt in my mind that certain colours suit certain cars.

I think the later wheels help as well, whereas I don't think they would look right on a 411.

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by lansdownplace

As an aside, how many 412s currently grace our British roads?

Paul

I believe this is an oxymoron.

[TLF799R]

Well,
There's Bertie, Purdey, The Fridge, Sharkey, Black Beauty, Snowy, Mr
Whippy, Libby ...

Anyone else got a nickname for theirs?

Philippa

[Peter.Kent]

Paul's 412 looks splendid and a credit to BCL, particularly the interior.
But, could we have details of whatever mechanical upgrades there are? And,
dare one ask how much it cost? P

[Peter.Kent]

Further to last e-mail, I have looked at the BCL website/ cars for sale.
If the prices asked are indicative of prices obtained, then Mr. Silverton
has done a great job in raising second-hand prices of V8s enormously. Well
done. P

[lansdownplace]

Hi Peter,

The car had a complete rebuild of everything, with parts refurbished
or replaced, that included a full suspension rebuild, bare metal
repaint, chassis refurb and a new interior with valumol (R-R) leather
and alcantara headlining. It is to original spec, apart form the
wheels, the center console, a Blenheim steering wheel and the leather
dash. I also had rear seat bets installed. BCL agreed a 'delivered'
price and I have to say, they went well beyond what could reasonably
have been expected both in the quality of the work and the value for
money. There were no corners cut at all. The guys at the factory have
bent over backwards to keep me happy. A lot of cars come with
disappointment built in as standard. The absolute reverse is true in
this case.

Rather than go the whole hog and get an 'S6' version of the car, I
have had everything done so that I can upgrade the performance later
as it takes my fancy. I had thought about dropping a new engine in, or
perhaps putting twin turbos on it but it has plenty of power already
but I am getting an 'S' upgrade in the autumn from the factory. I get
a 30% uplift in torque and power for similar fuel consumption and no
appreciable loss of smoothness. One reason for choosing this route,
and some may say a dumb one, is that I love the smell of leather and
petrol that you get with a carberetta car. The front grill has been
left as was for the moment as I am also deciding whether to leave it
as it is, convert it to Beaufighter lights or reinstall the twin round
headlamps it wore for much of it's life before Mr Crook had it
'reverted'. If I stay as was the grill will get redone to complete the
job. I would welcome opinions if anyone has any.

On price, I shall demure, except to say it was exceptionally good
value for money and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the option to
anyone. Obviously you pay a premium for what is effectively a new car
but compared to the depreciation I would experience on a similarly
priced car, I will have very cheap motoring. Better than that you get
something that money can't buy. BCL also seem to treat customers
humanely when it comes to upgrading with them, which is a bonus.

regards

Paul

[Richard Levine]

Peter, your observations re V8 prices appear to be correct at first glance,
however I feel that a car retailed by BCL Ltd should not be compared to
similar age vehicles elsewhere for sale. I say this because BCL only sell
used cars that have been checked and worked on by the factory so as to
ensure they are not only extremely presentable but also in a safe and
reliable condition. It's not hard to imagine what might be "lurking under
the skin" of a 30 to 40 year old car, so to buy with a 6 months Factory
Warranty must be tempting to many. (Of course the notion of Caveat Emptor
may provide a thrill for others!) I remember around 1998 a used 411 that had
been worked on by the factory sold for over £40k by a specialist dealer. So
maybe prices haven't moved too far.


Happy Bristolling


Richard Levine

[SJH]

Super car Paul.

Wonderful spec and terrific photographs... thanks for sharing them.

Steve