Fair Comparisons

[mendelo]

"As an aside, the vast
majority of Bristol Owners seem to use Macs, which I think reveals an
individual streak where utility and quality are more important than
following the masses."

I find this statement alarming as I always assumed the ownership of a Bristol to reveal a truly individual character with some mechanical acumen whereas a Mac is a product of an entirely design and marketing driven firm with very little actual engineering, quality and creativity and whose products provide even less expression of individuality than PCs. Sort of like Bose.

[GREG]

I wonder what Bristol 407-412 values would be today if Bristol had developed the prototype BMW V8 engine as Aldington suggested back in the 1940s ...
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I don't think they would have made it to 409 - development and manufacturing costs are the killer, especially as a stand alone without aerospace in the group

We will never know - if my aunty had balls etc

[lansdownplace]

The straightforward mechanicals also appeal to me, replacing or rebuilding an engine in many classics would be ruinously expensive, whereas in a Bristol (V8) it is eminently affordable and nothing to get unduly stressed about. As with most manufacturers Bristol bought many parts in, they were notorious for testing every item and rejecting more than they accepted so whilst some of the parts are generic, they are all the best of bunch. I have seen some evidence of this approach first hand with shock absorbers, I had new adjustable Spax ones fitted and they had been tested on the factory rig first. The test rig is an interesting piece of manufacturing arcania in itself. It is hitched up to a small engine and gearbox and plots a small graph. It was built in the 40s and is mentioned in some texts somewhere.

On the restoration front, I can only say that my own car was restored back to original spec at the factory so I think I can take that particular car as a reasonable bench mark of it's type. Only 10 more days to go till it gets it's new tricked up engine though!!! it's like being seven again and waiting for Christmas.