603 design ?
 

Someone asked me in the pub !

Where and who designed the Bristol 603 ?

I have already had comments such as Picasso etc.........

603 design ?
 

Hi. This was deigned in house by Dudley Hobbs, the chief designer. The 412 was a contemporaneous model but it was designed by Zagato.

Paul

Thanks

His brother Russell designed our kettle !

And a lovely job he did of it, too.

Read about it in the new Balfour book...

Bristol Cars: A very British story: Amazon.co.uk: Christopher Balfour: Books

Interestingly in one of the bulletins featuring Dudley Hobbs, it had a photo at his leaving do shaking hands with Tony crook. His leaving presents appear on a table - a workshop vice and a kettle!

Was his new wristwatch covered by his shirt sleeve?

Kitchen utensils were important to Mr. Crook - remember the blue saucepan story?

Was that a customer who bought it into the showroom because he wanted the same shade on his car?

As related to me and my spouse by Mr. Chairman, yes. He turned out to be a customer, but at first glance apparently was thought a quack. As told, once assured he could have a saucepan blue Bristol, he assured whomever, "Someone will bring the funds this afternoon." And, someone was there with the funds.
Allegedly, this buyer had more than one saucepan blue Bristol over time.

603 design ?
 

This is an oft repeated story. Apparently he turned up dressed as a tramp with his favourite saucepan and was treated with kind consideration by Mr Crook. He turned out to be a gozillionaire who dressed up for the crack, and to test Mr Crook. He did buy the car by all accounts. Personally I am somewhat surprised that Mr Crook saw him without an appointment. There has possibly been some embellishment and rather being a tramp he may have been wearing an off the peg suit or slip on shoes.

This story is a nice counterpoint to Mr Crooks practice of paying tramps to sit on the Rolls-Royce stand at the motorshow.

I like the story about the customer who had to beat Mr Crook at scaletrix before Mr Crook would accept his order. It took him all day.

I am sure there are many more anecdotes out there

Paul

Someone said that Tony Crook was also the stand in for the Stig on numerous occasions without Clarkson finding out !!

Probably as true as the rest of the stories :-)

For the unitiated, who are "the Stig" and "Clarkson?"

Jeremy Clarkson is the most intelligent and knowledgeable motoring journalist that has ever lived who's quick witted humour has made him worshipped worldwide. -- In his opinion ! Stig was the anonymous racing driver that tested cars on the Top Gear programme Clarkson dictates.

I believe he is banned from the Bristol Car show room after writing an article on the Blenheim without actually driving one !

He is very blunt and makes me grunt, he comes across as a total c


connoisseur !

Hope this helps Lou :-)

603 design ?
 

Nice one Greg, from someone whose opinion as always shows who's who.

Ta. That certainly fleshes out the cast. Most obliged.

Top Gear, while I've become aware of its existence since getting my 603, doesn't have much of a profile here, either in print or on the telly. At least not sufficient to have pulled me in as a consumer of either.

Nice to be appreciated - cheers :-)

603 design ?
 

Like a lot of motoring pundits he is very self opinionated.
Problem is he knows very little about cars except how to waste an awful lot of rubber on an airfield.
.
He is though a legend,
.
.
In his own bathroom!

Nick