Fair Comparisons

[lansdownplace]

I think the fact that Bristols are relatively undervalued is that they have always been a well kept secret. You just know that the head of MI5 must have driven a Bristol, and possibly still does.

Classic car values seem to be driven in large part by older wealthier people buying the car they dreamed about when they were younger. Not many teenagers fantasise about owning an understated car that is deliberately kept out of the press to preserve it's anonymity so they didn't grow up with an aching desire to recapture their youth by buying a Bristol as the poster car of their teens. Hence the mid life crisis money is queuing up to buy some pretty (awful) junk elsewhere.

Bristol classic buyers are buying the engineering and build quality, not the image per se, I would have thought. Build quality, low running costs and engineering aside, I like the image as it seems to be the only way to travel around in rapid cosseted luxury without offending anyone.

As an aside, the vast majority of Bristol Owners seem to use Macs, which I think reveals an individual streak where utility and quality are more important than following the masses.

I think the values will rise, it has become more difficult to find cars of late, and people are now investing a lot of money in first rate rebuilds like the series 6 conversions. The supply is so limited that it doesn't take much to tip the supply/demand curve upwards, especially when people realise that you do actually recoup the cost of your restoration if it is done well.

Maybe we should all continue to keep shtum.