412 virtues

[lansdownplace]

Good point Keith, My 412 is a product of 70s engineering, pre-
computers (lets ignore lean burn, I have). That they can compete
with modern cars at all is something of a miracle in it's self.


The Bleheim 3 is a very different to the 1 & 2 they made a lot of
changes after Toby Silverton came on board. When I was making my
mind up on what car to go for I had started out with the idea of
upgrading to a secondhand Blenheim. I drove a 1, a 2S and a 3 back
to back. It was hard to believe that the same company had built the
the 1 and the 3, the difference in quality, performance and
refinement was that great. As an aside the 2S was a special car
built to a very high spec and heavily personalised which I really
really liked. Indeed comparing the panel quality and very tight
shut lines on the new B4 it seems they have stepped up further. On
reflection at the time I wanted the quality of the 3 but applied to
an older car hence my choice. The S is a great engine. Mind you the
Brigand/Beaufighter Turbo is awesome fun. I like the smell you get
with the carburetor engines, especially when mixed with the whiff of
leather which I would miss with a fuel injected car.

On the adjustability point, I have been looking into this as I am
building a specification for my' wish list' car so that I have
something to aim for. Aside from having a Bleheim you can pick any
V8 model and then start specifying. There are so many tunable
options on the cars it beggars belief. Beyond the shocks, you can
have different spring rates and sizes, the ride height is
adjustable, you can have a 5.9 engine in three basic states of tune,
a 6.3, a 6.7, a 7.7 engine are also available with choices of
manifolds , heads, camshaft profile, exhausts in standard or sports
(I believe someone has a straight through exhaust) or anything else
you want, I asked about the 6.1 Hemi but apparently it's low end
performance is not considered good enough to add to the line up and
the bigger engines throw out more power and torque. For those who
really know their onions the engines can be custom mapped for you.
You can even specify the foam in the seats, or have different
density foam on different panels on the seat to fit your frame.
there isn't an option list, dream it and you can have it (for a
price of course). And if you don't like t it can all be readjusted
anytime you like. Once you have done that you can start on colours,
finishes and trim. You could always go the whole hog and have a
completely one off car built like the Bleinheim 4, or perhaps as we
were discussing before this part of the thread morphed, commission
your own designer to run up design.

The bottom line is there is so much choice that you really do end up
with a one off car, which makes comparison difficult however as you
point out the trend is always improvement. It is the uniqueness of
every car that appeals to me. There really are no two alike.

At a more mundane level, I think tyres make a big big difference to
handling and ride, as do tyre pressures. Also I have to say I was
both amused and astonished that Bristol still test every shock
absorber individually on the same machine they have been using for
60 years. It is powered by a small car engine with a gearbox! it
produces a small card with graph drawn on it that shows the
performance of the part. They reject many more than they accept and
they pair them to get the best match. I knew they used to do this in
the early years but I really didn't think they would still have to
do it, or bother. It is an amazing level of attention to engineering
detail. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it.

Paul