Fighter T

[browning l]

Originally Posted by TBC

I have always wondered as to exactly what the Bristol 'marque character' is?

Obviously some owners don't believe in evolution.....

Apparently, a lot of people wonder, more don't care, but some are comfortable.

So far as evolution in external car design in concerned, I was worn out on the wedge shape about 15 minutes after it appeared. It was asdated as fin fenders. But, then, who am I?

Just a car buyer, who was more attracted to a 411 or a 603 than nearly any car on the market today.

Of course, I'm an old man, so that explains it.

[TBC]

I have nothing against people who prefer what is past, I too would choose a 411 (series 4 or 5) over most cars today, but also look to the future with an eye to what will be, although I would never consider myself a revolutionary, I am just a realist, as painful to some as this may be....

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Opinions vary, but there seems to be some sort of consensus reached by both sides when it comes to the future of the company (if we can call it that).
On the one hand, the 'realists' and 'conservatives' want the company to get back to it's roots. They want sensible cars, reasonably priced, very reliable, understated and elegant in their own way. Fine.
The avant garde group want modern, high-powered, outrageous cars that specialists have built for ages; truly unique examples of the latest, greatest technology available. Sure, but all these things fade, just like fashion, and many big companies have tried this route. I can name BMW, Jaguar, even Mercedes building some truly awesom cars. The market fades more rapidly than the companies can recover the R & D costs, let alone make a profit. So, who is right? Are there many Bristol followers out there that would consider buying stock in Bristol, if it was offered. I wonder. The American auto industry has seen their fortunes fade, and like Great Brittain, the government attempted to keep them afloat. Guess what? Failure.
OK, maybe it is time to admit that the market will not sustain a 'boutique' product like the Bristol, the Aston, and any other make you care to add to the list.

[Markus Berzborn]

I am not so pessimistic. The market sustains even a lot of boutique products from small manufacturers, not just in the automotive sector. It is just a question of the right marketing and the right cost management.

Regards,
Markus

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

You are right, and many small companies stay open and operating, and a lot of their success is dependent upon what we call 'hands-on' in the business. I have found in my own 4 business adventures that you cannot operate them at 'arms-length' unless you want to deliberately run them at a loss. I did that of course, for tax reasons in some cases. But to just 'invest', with hopes of some return is pure folly. I suspect a lot of that took place in Bristol's case. Same goes for David Brown and the Aston saga. There has to be a personal interest in the business. No one will run your business for you like you would yourself.

[Markus Berzborn]

The problem with Aston Martin in the David Brown era was that the profit margins were far too low or even non-existent.
The cars were expensive but they were not expensive enough to recoup production costs. Hand-built products can never be cheap, there is no way around that. Companies like Bristol, Wiesmann, Pagani or whoever can only survive in the high-price sector. There is absolutely no point in trying to compete with mass producers in lower price regions.
There are enough examples of companies failing exactly because of such attempts.

Regards,
Markus

[TBC]

i remember a story concerning a well-heeled individual who, upon ordering his DB5, i think, demanded that he be charged at 'cost' for hir car, to his dismay he was informed that the car cost £1,000 more to build than Aston were selling it for! And people wonder why they went bust....

I think that in todays world compromise is required, and for me, if Bristol need to build a few 'flashy' cars to generate the income to develope their 'traditional' models, 30 years over due in my mind, then so be it (this is what Ferrucio Lamborghini had in mind when he built the Muira, and had the Peruvian deal not gone sour, Lamborghini might still be creating gloriously tasteful supercars, like the 350GT & Espada, rather than phallic extensions for those with more money than taste...