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Old 30-03-11, 08:41 AM
The Baron The Baron is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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OK, first the Fighter. Yes it is unique and with a price tag at a maximum of half that it actually sported then it might have sold in reasonable numbers. The reality however is that there are plenty of competent, well proven alternatives in every price bracket. So to sum up, the Fighter is a decent solution to a problem (market niche) that doesn't exist. Bristol could never hope to compete effectively with the giant automotive conglomerates that now, for better or worse, dominate the global car industry.
This is not a criticism of the car, the company or it's management, it's just reality. Bugatti sell the Veyron at a well documented loss, Bristol could not afford to do such a thing I imagine.

Secondly the 603/411 cars. The same problems apply here, ever increasing costs of production versus the sustainable level of demand for the cars. I personally feel that the situation had reached the point where the revenue derived from these cars was not worth the effort (and costs) involved in producing or indeed re-producing them.

The spares operation will have been seeing a steady reduction in sales volumes for many years as the overall numbers of miles travelled in Bristols declined as the older cars were put out to grass as recreational vehicles. The volume of new cars being sold was a drop in the ocean even compared to the marque's heydays so spares and service on these cars couldn't take up the slack here.

So, to sum up, Bristol had it coming from all sides really and no amount of smoke, mirrors and hard graft was ever going to do anything other than prolong their decline, which is what, I believe, actually happened.
As a one time principal of a medium sized manufacturing concern I'd frankly be terrified to attempt to turn this one around, the level of investment capital required would be huge, the margin for error non existant, demand for the product unproven.
Maybe a large car company would be interested in Bristol as garnish for their car range a la Bugatti, but even the most stalwart Bristol fanatic would have to admit that the brand itself is looking a little threadbare these days.

We sit and wait for an announcement...
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