Question
 

Is there anyone else on this Forum? Hallo..... Hallo.......

Very few Bristols, so very few owners
 

Yes, people come on from time to time, looking for parts or information, or even trying to find a car to purchase. Seldom do any come up for sale. They are indeed rare, as there were so few built. If you have one, that is just great. But, if you are a collector, and have been looking for years, it can be a challenge to find what you want and actually get the opportunity to buy it.

Hi Ronald.... I am lucky enough to own one, a 408. I joined the forum thinking there'd be a lot of expertise here, and to add a modicum of my own acquired knowledge, but you indicate that this is a forum of transients, not owners?

IMHO This is the wrong place to find a Bristol to buy .... Car and Classic UK is the place, there always seem to be a few. Not cheap as french fries these days though! I am getting the impression that all the Bristols are indeed disappearing into private collections, and maybe that is where mine will be going, since I'm scared to drive it these days in case I damage something! People who own private collections don't go on to forums, they merely buy the knowledge that the amateur car enthusiast would seek on a forum.

The Bristol Site
 

There is much information to be gleaned here, and my specialty is the engines and transmissions, as all the vee-eights are essentially Chrysler Corporation engines that have been around for years. Some early small blocks were of Canadian/Chrysler manufacture and only differed in displacement. People on the site are 'regulars' and once in a while, we will get a novice or more than likely, a new owner. I agree with you that the sources for purchasing one are usually in the UK, and those of us who are in the U.S. must face the importing and shipping hassles.

You could be a useful chap then! My car has the Canadian 313 c.i. with cast iron Torqueflite. Essentially a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere unit. Sounds beautiful.

I'd say that the shipping and importing for a genuine vehicle to the US are no real barrier. Shipping from Liverpool or Southampton to either coast is incredibly cheap, less than a business classplane ticket for you or me. And so long as you aren't trying to import a Land Rover, I don't think there are any real problems with the border officials.

Provided it is 25 years old or older.

OT: As long as the VIN plate is of a vehicle 25 years older.......
( easy on a Defender, the Meccano of vehicles)

Transient?
If you took a little time to look around you will see that many of the members have been contributing to the discussions here for many years. Most of us own a Bristol or two and many have done for many years.

Bristols are no different from most other classic car marques. Yes, there are a few in private "collections", but the vast majority are owned by typical classic car enthusiasts. People who keep the car in their garage at home, maybe maintaining and restoring the car themselves, and driving them on sunny weekends.

American customs officials, not being all that stupid after all, eventually figured this out, when more and more jokers started to try to import more and more unlikely vehicles pretending to be 25 years old. Now the situation for importing Land Rovers is so bad that quite legitimate vehicles are being sent back if (for example) a later engine (even of the same capacity) has been fitted. A number of blatantly fraudulent vehicles have even been crushed with large publicity.

Well, that's very reassuring, thank you. That was certainly my hope in joining the forum.



Again, good news. Recently I have started to pay attention again to Bristols advertised for sale, and I was getting the impression that they were less likely than formerly to be offered by private individuals, and more of them appeared to be listed by high end Continental retailers. No £1000 basket cases either. Probably just a temporary anomaly?

Bear in mind Bristol only ever made about 8000 cars (up to say 1980), and with each new model they made less and less.

Unfortunately once Tony Crook took over the company, the number of cars produced became a closely guarded secret (no doubt because the numbers were declining), so we can only make assumptions from chassis numbers for the V8 cars. For example there were apparently only around 50 411 Series fives made.

I believe there are around 2000 Bristols left, and they are spread around the world, although the majority are in the UK.

There is certainly nothing to lose to putting a "wanted" notice on sites like this and in Bristol club newsletter. (There are several Bristol owners clubs around the world).

I found my own 411 S5 through a "wanted" advert in the Bristol Owners Club Australia monthly newsletter.

This is just the inevitable happening. Most interesting to me, looking on Car and Classic UK, is that the cars that 10 or 15 years ago would have been ghastly no hopers seem now to be being restored professionally and in some cases actually pre-sold!.... like a condominium that you buy on the basis of the publicist's pretty picture in hopes it will indeed be as nice as they say. Sign of a seller's market indeed! At least I no longer have to feel like the child at the animal shelter whose heart is breaking at the sight of all the unwanted puppies, when I browse the Bristol ads. But of course I actually have my Bristol, and I certainly sympathise with those who would like to get one but simply cannot find the slightly downtrodden vehicle at a bargain price any more.