Advice on a Brigand

[Thor]

The really clever, but very unusual thing about the Brigand engine is the priority valve under the carburettor. I am not aware of the use of a priority valve in any other 'production' car, and this is probably because of maintenance difficulties. If the valve movement becomes sticky, then either the turbo can't pressurise the manifold, so no boosting occurs, or the low-load performance is ruined if the mixture is always forced to go via the turbo. Carburettors and things like priority valves are marvelous, elegant, mechanical solutions to the problem of mixture induction, but they wear and get dirty.

The modern solution, using fuel injection and variable vane turbos (probably 2 on a V8 rather than 1, possibly sequentially) would be much more reliable, but it is not cheap to build a custom made system like that.

[stovo]

In case it might help, happy to share some perspective. My first Bristol was a Britannia from Bristol Cars in the late 90s and I drove it for a bit less than a year before asking the factory to upgrade it to Brigand spec to get a bit more urge. The conversion was pricey but worth it when it worked. (new bonnet, different engine mounts, exhaust, etc). Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to use the car regularly, and it would go out of tune - probably for the reasons that Thor elegantly describes with the priority valve. (If only I had known at the time..) It was a wonderful car when Eddie at the factory had breathed on it, but the logistics around keeping it in good fettle while living in a different country and only using it occasionally led to it's sale. With the benefit of perfect hindsight I should have put in the injected 360 and 4-speed instead of going the turbo route. I drove a Blenheim during a factory visit and felt the performance to be equivalent (and a bit more linear) and would recommend looking at them too.

Never loved the non-matching modern turbo boost gauge and iirc swapped the location with the voltmeter so it wasn't glaringly in the middle of the instrument nacelle.

That drainpipe exhaust made a lovely burble though, and who could resist the bonnet bulge and quad headlamps.. Liked that car a lot (as does OPEC). Happy it went to a good home.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/107289...57637155693923

[irienz]

I drove a Brigand in 1995, along with a number of other Bristols, before electing to buy the 411 that I still own. I really enjoyed the car and it was a close decision to choose a 411 instead. I ultimately preferred the appearance of the 411, although I think the Brigand is the best looking Bristol from the 603 onwards. In addition, while the Brigand performance was impressive, typically for a turbo car (and I have owned a few), the power was not very linear. The car gather speed in a subtle and surprising way. My preference was for the more direct and linear power of a 411. That and the appearance tipped the balance. I'm glad I chose to buy a 411 and later to go down the path of subtle performance modifications but the Brigand remains as a strong and delightful memory.

I wouldn't regard a Brigand without a turbo as a proper Brigand and, if I bought one, I'd keep it and do what was necessary to keep it running reliably.

Bristols like regular use and, if you were using it as a daily driver, some of the issues reported may not be an issue. The fuel bills will be heroic but that's been my experience of the 411 as well.