Bristol alternatives.

[406Special]

Philippa,

I agree that the Fighter has a unique chassis and probably may have a
uniquely configured air con system , but I suspect the air con will be based
around off the shelf components matched to suit the requirements of the
Fighter, not bespoke down to the ECU and sub components. That would be
farcical economically and something simply not worth doing.

Most large scale auto manufacturers use common components configured to
their specific requirements but often shared amongst several brands/marques.
A classic example (not air con) is the half shaft (drive shaft) off a
Porsche 928. It is more than £450 off the shelf from Porsche and is a
direct swap for the same item used on a Ford Granada of the same era (price
£195). All made by GKN. Similarly air-con units largely come from 3-4
global suppliers. Bosch supplies so much to the auto industry one has to
ask the question, what apart from body and chassis design do the car makers
actually do (lots really). Even engines and gearboxes are routinely shared
these days (Borg Warner / Getrag / etc, or Alfa/Fiat/Vauxhall/Saab with
diesels or even BMW Mini/Peugeot/Citroen diesels to name a few). Everything
from ABS and braking systems to other sub-systems are designed and produced
by third parties. Indeed it is a strength that such outsourcing of common
systems is used, especially for Bristol - makes it better for us who make
the time and effort to keep them going. My 406 will have a latest model
Dana Spicer rear axle and modern front disc calipers, plus other nice shiny
3rd party stuff added for convenience and ease of maintenance - including a
fully integrated off the shelf air con unit.

As to crash worthiness it is of great importance that energy is absorbed by
the structure as much as possible instead of the people inside. Rather than
blame the lack of available airbags (designed to help keep moving body parts
from too much acceleration and impact damage), the issue you raise about a
multiple car pile up is more related to the subsequent lack of impact
(energy) absorption by an already crashed car by another impact. This is a
catch 22 and unfortunate. Although having said that the basic cell
structure of most moderns remains pretty strong even after front and rear
impact absorption. Fewer deaths occur due to high speed (30-50mph) impact
than say 20-30 years ago (pro-rata). Even better still are injuries due to
impact of body parts inside the car.

The Bristol (V8's) has excellent rear impact absorption (relatively weak
(soft) structure) attached to a solid structure and similarly same at front
above chassis line and before engine. Side impact is good too as long as
the impact is below knee height until it hits the inner chassis rails. In
any event, the guy in the heavier object always comes off (almost always)
better than the guy in the smaller one. A V8 Bristol weighs in at 1700kgs
about the same as a modern BMW 5 series or smaller 7 series.