Bristol alternatives.

Quote
Yes, Bristol did on the 411, with barely noticeable bodywork changes.
That's what those two vents are for on the rear wings. There are lightly
spring loaded flaps behind those. That's also why there are two wire mesh
grilles in the rear parcel shelf. The holes beneath them are not, as this
picture
(http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/a...pictureid=233)
shows, for the seat belt to pass through!
End quot

I guess this follows on from the first Cortina, which had vents on the C
pillar. A lot of current cars have vents in the boot which exit behind the
rear bumper and are therefor not visible.These have a rubber flap to act as
a one-way valve. The 403 already has airflow into the boot via the rear
window blind slot, but no way out from there. I would not like to cut vents
into the rear wings, but the areas to the side of the boot floor, behind the
rear wheel arches is a possibility.

[Jervaulx]

(Quote: Kevin Howard)
However, rather than laziness this may have been down to economics. My guess
is that the company was in terminal decline by the time Mr Silverton came
along.
(End Quote)

I think the Bristol Fighter sends out a good signal for the future of the
company under Mr Silverton's stewardship.

(Quote: Kevin Howard)
As for whether things like air con and electric rear windows matter, it all
depends upon on how you use the car. If you keep your car under wraps in a
dehumidified garage and drive it only on sunny Sundays then of course it
doesn't matter and you should probably strive for originality. But if you
want to use a classic car as a daily driver then a few niceties become more
important.
(End Quote)

Don't forget, Bristol Cars regularly comment that their cars are designed
for daily usage, so really these things should be standard fitment.

Andrew

______________________
PREVIOUS MESSAGE FROM: Jervaulx

(Quote: rubbond)

On the other subjects, my goodness. Who really could care a sh*t about
electric rear windows? Or am I mad?

(End Quote)

Basically, if you have front electric windows, you should have the rear
ones
electric also. It also helps older and more infirm passengers in the rear
to open the window when they find it difficult to reach and open the
manual
mechanism. Also, in a prestige car you should open the window in a more
gentlemanly manner by pressing a switch by slight of hand rather than if
you
were in a £7000 car. I don't agree with excuses of unreliability. When
you
make cars costing £150,000 and above, you find a reliable mechanism and
you
fit it. Excuses smacks of laziness to develop and progress and to make
the
car a better and more passenger friendly car. I also believe this has
some
truth with the lack of safety features which have been proven,
overwhelmingly to save many lives.

Having said that, i am a fan of the current models from Bristol and would
recommend them.

Andrew

[Jervaulx]

A tip to help prevent windows steaming up which works on bathrooms mirrors.
Take a soft dry cloth, squirt washing up liquid on it and wipe over the
windscreen and/or side windows. Then take another soft dry cloth and buff
it off. This should stop the misting as it really does work on bathroom
mirrors.

Andrew