An Illustrated History (the new one!)

[Kevin H]

I see my attempts to divert this discussion to the new thread titled "Our New Bristol Publication" have been well and truly ignored

Speaking as another armchair postulator (or should that be postulater?), I believe it would be foolish to go into such a project without identifying the obstacles and work out ways to overcome them. A gung ho approach to a colaborative project rarely results in a happy ending.

One thing we do not need, IMHO, is another LJKS or another book like those he has written. I wouldn't be without his books, I think they are great, but they are like story books and are not much use to people who are wanting to know what to look our for when buying a Bristol, or want to service or restore one. That is where there is a gap in the market. A Haynes manual for the Bristol car range.

Opinion comes into play in areas such as "how to" and "what products to use", and no doubt a few other areas, such as modifications!

For example, the way I remove the bushes from the wishbones on my 411 front suspension is very different from the way suggested by Bristol Cars Services, but it is still a valid method, (and in my opinion much safer).

However, this need not be a huge problem - simply offer all credible opinions on how to tackle a job or what products to use, equivalent parts etc.

This is where we can add value, rather than regurgitating 'history' which we may never be able to verify.

As for the legal and IP issues, I believe we have enough lawyers among us to provide guidance and maybe some documentation. The main objection would of course come from The Company, on the basis that it could detract from their servicing, repair and restoration business, although I personally believe this would be a rather short sighted view.