Inside the factory.....

[jimfoz]

This may be of interest to many who have not had the opportunity to visit the factory.

Report (Permission Visit) Bristol Cars - Bristol - Dec'11 - UK Urban Exploration Forums

Although it does beg the question, if the factory has been cleared out and put up for rent - where are the cars now being built???!!

[TBC]

Originally Posted by jimfoz

Although it does beg the question, if the factory has been cleared out and put up for rent - where are the cars now being built???!!

My thoughts exactly......

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

I have been trying to follow all this over the past few months, and think there was some discussion about moving the cars and spares to another location.

[robertofollia]

Thank you so much for the links and pictures.
It's a sad case of seeing something we admire diwndle and vanish before our eyes.

I feared I would never be able to see or visit the factory in my life. Those fears have gone real. At least I have the "on line version".
Maybe the appearance was not a crystal glass such as VW's Leipzig factory where the ill-fated phaeton was being built, but simply a place where the greatest skills, workmanship, pride and crafts were reunited under one roof.

Take a look that everything, even the sun visors, was being manufactured in-house, that was a real car manufacturer in the truest sense of the word, opposite as today's "assemblers" even if they claim they manufacture.

Can't understand why they are getting rid of such valuable items as molds and maybe a complete back end of one speedster and all those quality tooling, built to last. Hope some of them go to the service centre and some more to the new premises.

Maybe we can get the answers some months later. Maybe the production stop had something to do with Mr. Silverton's decision of stepping out?

But I'm pretty sure about something: It's not the last time we hear from Bristol. If OCtane magazine is going to publish a feature on the whole Bristol Cars Range in the march issue, maybe there's something going on somewhere (in the new premises, if there are or whatever) that we still do not know.

We will have to wait and see.

Cheers from Spain
Robert

[jimfoz]

....although if you read further on, Sam Frost has mentioned that production of the new FN designed 'Bristol' car is being moved to their factory in Surrey. The fact that a Fighter rear hatch mould appears to be on a pile of rubbish doesn't look good for the future of the present model range!

[robertofollia]

Originally Posted by jimfoz

....although if you read further on, Sam Frost has mentioned that production of the new FN designed 'Bristol' car is being moved to their factory in Surrey. The fact that a Fighter rear hatch mould appears to be on a pile of rubbish doesn't look good for the future of the present model range!

It's odd they scrap a mould, as therre might be a need to supply spare parts and servicing to the owners, or even accident repairs.
Might have been a prototype mould or something like that.

Anyway, it's a sad case and I think maybe the BMIHT (british Motor Industry Heritage Trust) or the Bristol Trust in care of the archives should have stepped in to avoid scrappage of such historic items. Hope somebody has saved them or finds them somewhere before it's too late

Best regards