Out Of Administration; New Owner - Frazer Nash

[Philip]

Bristol out of administration - Autocar.co.uk

[TBC]

and people think Bristols are quirky enough; just imagine heading home after a good run in your new fighter, you stop at the lights just as the little Briggs & Stratton kicks in to recharge the batteries; and you thought the 'old' engine didn't sound great when idling because it was only running on 5 cylinders.......

[jimfoz]

Glad to see it survive although as someone else has already said, they cannot see what Frazer-Nash has to gain from aquiring Bristol. Are we now going to see hybrid Blenheim's or Fighters or small electric cars with Bristol badges on?

[Markus Berzborn]

I don't think there will be small electric cars with Bristol logo.
But there certainly will be Bristol coupés and sports cars with hybrid drivetrains.
Look at the Frazer Nash Giugiaro concept which was unveiled two years ago in Geneva. This was not a small car but a 190 mph supercar.
As long as this kind of technology will not be offered exclusively but as an additional option, I cannot see anything bad in it.
Just the opposite - it will also help to bring the maufacturer-related CO2 figures down, which might be an important legislative aspect in the future.
I think this is also the main reason why Aston Martin are now offering a car like the Cygnet.

Regards,
Markus

[Kevin H]

Given Bristol's obvious disdain for Frazer Nash, or at least the Aldington brothers when then owned FN and 'merged' with Bristol, I find it rather ironic that Frazer Nash now own Bristol.

Maybe they bought it for the showroom, or maybe just revenge

[lansdownplace]

The great thing about the extended range concept is that the generator engines are quiet to the point of silence which means you can attach loudspeakers to the back of the cars to play any exhaust note you like. Imagine pulling up at the lights in a dignified (but electric) 603 playing a coughing engine track out the back and wiping the floor with a 911.

I would think that FN want Bristol as the halo brand to showcase the technology and make it 'cool'. The bit they will find hard will be preserving a sense of design continuity between past models and future cars. Clearly the 412 will provide the necessary inspiration.

I would definitely go for a series VII 411 electric conversion with 0-60 in under four seconds and fuel costs akin to a 150p per gallon. Loads of torque at any speed, it's what Bristol has been about since the V8 was introduced

Paul

[jimfoz]

I have just remembered - Bristol used to be agent for Zagato in the 70's selling their boxy Zele electric car so there is kind of an historic connection with electric power I suppose.....

[TBC]

In many ways the combination of Bristol Cars and the technology available within the Frazer-Nash Group makes good business sense, as long as FNG have the resourses to develop the cars.

Just imagine an 190mph electrically powered Fighter, virtually zero emissions so no road fund to pay, vastly reduced running costs, no congestion charge to pay and maybe even a reduction in servicing due to fewer moving parts.

Now look at the potential sales oppotunity for such a vehicle in California, where Toyota sell thousands of Prius, I am sure a switched on company could sell a few dozen supercars to the stars.

Yes, yes I appreciate that some of you would shudder at the thought, but, you didn't fork out for the company and won't have to pay the development costs for future models.

There is also the possibility that an electric Blenheim replacement may even make business sense, if there is enough interest amongst the afluent in Europe, the green lobby being what it is in Germany, and none of the Major players there currently offering an alternative.

At the end of the day electric power only really makes sense for top line cars due to the unit costs, look at the Tesla, you start with a Lotus Elise, had 50% extra weight, triple the price, and all with no noticable increase in performance.

Using this mix, Bristol may even get close to the heady days at the end of the 1950's when they were making 150 cars a year.....

[browning l]

Originally Posted by jimfoz

I have just remembered - Bristol used to be agent for Zagato in the 70's selling their boxy Zele electric car so there is kind of an historic connection with electric power I suppose.....

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...g/Tobyscar.jpg

Toby's electric London runabout, with my wife, Kaye, on Jermyn Street, after dinner.

[Peter Grace]

What happened to Toby Silverton's bid? Did he not offer enough? Did he offer at all?

[Markus Berzborn]

Yes, if we can believe Car Magazine:

Kamkorp Autokraft beat off rival bids from Toby Silverton, owner of Bristol Cars before it slid into administration, and CPP, the company that owns Spyker Cars and Land Rover racing specialist Bowler.

Bristol Cars is sold to Frazer-Nash | Automotive & Motoring News | Car Magazine Online

Regards,
Markus

[Peter Grace]

Thanks Marcus

[The Baron]

I quite like this. Try as I might I cannot see a future where Bristol stayed as it was and I cannot see a credible future for the Fighter either.
Bristol have always inhabited the quirky end of the market and F-N are playing with some pretty quirky concepts.
I can't help but think there is a niche out there for this sort of thing provided they keep pricing sensible.
Finally, both brands do share a little bit of DNA so it's not an entirely contrived marriage.

I just hope they don't bank the brand and liquidate the business long term. It's not like they are a volume car manufacturer is it.

[Markus Berzborn]

I just wonder - why has noone here ever mentioned the Blenheim Speedster/Roadster?

Isn't it just a hilarious car?
So much classier than Wiesmann or the more modern Morgans.

Regards,
Markus