RE: Bristol is back!
Discussion
NomduJour said:
Some licence involved I think. Certainly employed a black guy at High Street Kensington.
Staff's staff. What he said to me will remin as one of my abiding childhood memories, in stark contrast to words said by far superior people, those he liked to try and hobnob with.
A more amusing tale from many years later when I was returning to the property next door to his off George Road in Kingston, I watched his Blenheim roll across the road in front of me after he had forgotten to put it in Park one evening. It rolled off his drive, crossed the road and came to a halt in the driveway opposite.
DonkeyApple said:
ChemicalChaos said:
DonkeyApple said:
Being white was the primary hurdle. Unlikely to sell any high end product from a London showroom sticking to that mantra today. Thank God. As Tony eventually found out and got sent packing. Interesting cars for ghastly people sold by a truly ghastly man. 
To be honest, I'd rather have a Bristol than a camo-wrapped Bentley, velour-wrapped 599, gold-plated Rolls Royce, or any of the other chav chariots of choice for those oveburdened with money and underburdened with tasteAtmospheric said:
DonkeyApple said:
ChemicalChaos said:
DonkeyApple said:
Being white was the primary hurdle. Unlikely to sell any high end product from a London showroom sticking to that mantra today. Thank God. As Tony eventually found out and got sent packing. Interesting cars for ghastly people sold by a truly ghastly man.
To be honest, I'd rather have a Bristol than a camo-wrapped Bentley, velour-wrapped 599, gold-plated Rolls Royce, or any of the other chav chariots of choice for those oveburdened with money and underburdened with tasteSheban Siddiqi? The irony in that directors name is not lost on me. I do rather hope Tony is turning in his grave!
I always felt that Crook's protestation that 'they don't follow the opposition' in the later years was merely because they didn't have the cash to follow the opposition and not because of exclusivity - he was a successful car salesman after all. They were not like this in the 50's and 60's when they were part of the aircraft company and easily held up with they rest of the posh manufacturers. When they did eventually get the cash with Toby Silverton's investment, instead of developing a new car based on the previous incarnations, Silverton wasted millions developing a dozen Fighters. Crook did well to keep it going for as long as he did, but I imagine he spent most of his fortune from car and aircraft dealerships in the process.
I hope they do get back to their heyday when they did produce exclusive cars, but merely saying 'it will have a BMW engine' after 5 years of nothing and teasing us about hybrid technology is opening themselves up to disappointment from the public. It reminds me of Stanley Kubrick and his final film.
I hope they do get back to their heyday when they did produce exclusive cars, but merely saying 'it will have a BMW engine' after 5 years of nothing and teasing us about hybrid technology is opening themselves up to disappointment from the public. It reminds me of Stanley Kubrick and his final film.
ChemicalChaos said:
DonkeyApple said:
Being white was the primary hurdle. Unlikely to sell any high end product from a London showroom sticking to that mantra today. Thank God. As Tony eventually found out and got sent packing. Interesting cars for ghastly people sold by a truly ghastly man.
To be honest, I'd rather have a Bristol than a camo-wrapped Bentley, velour-wrapped 599, gold-plated Rolls Royce, or any of the other chav chariots of choice for those oveburdened with money and underburdened with tasteThe Crack Fox said:
And TVR.
In fairness, there has only ever been the one revival story from TVR rather than a succession. The news this morning re Gordon Murray and Cosworth at least adds further credence to the project. I'd like to see Bristol back also and you'd think it would be more simple than the TVR project and should have happened by now.
Both were riddled with PR b
ks to swerve questions as to why they were built that way or why they didn't evolve with the times so they have more in common than at first glance. jimfoz said:
I always felt that Crook's protestation that 'they don't follow the opposition' in the later years was merely because they didn't have the cash to follow the opposition and not because of exclusivity - he was a successful car salesman after all. They were not like this in the 50's and 60's when they were part of the aircraft company and easily held up with they rest of the posh manufacturers. When they did eventually get the cash with Toby Silverton's investment, instead of developing a new car based on the previous incarnations, Silverton wasted millions developing a dozen Fighters. Crook did well to keep it going for as long as he did, but I imagine he spent most of his fortune from car and aircraft dealerships in the process.
I hope they do get back to their heyday when they did produce exclusive cars, but merely saying 'it will have a BMW engine' after 5 years of nothing and teasing us about hybrid technology is opening themselves up to disappointment from the public. It reminds me of Stanley Kubrick and his final film.
Tony Crook wanted a new development of the saloon car instead of the Fighter but was overruled. Apparently his proposed 'Buccaneer' would have cost even more to make than the Blenheim etc but if it had been more capable it might just have been worthwhile.I hope they do get back to their heyday when they did produce exclusive cars, but merely saying 'it will have a BMW engine' after 5 years of nothing and teasing us about hybrid technology is opening themselves up to disappointment from the public. It reminds me of Stanley Kubrick and his final film.
Max_Torque said:
Sheban Siddiqi said:
The future of Bristol is away from traditional powerplants to range-extended engines.
Right up to the point they found out how much it costs to do a "hybrid"........ ;-)
Somehow I suspect that Gallagher, being a loudmouthed white twallock, would have suited Crook's image. I rather liked the old BMW and Chrysler Bristols up until the 70s, but thereafter they just got uglier and uglier. The last one was still, well into the Noughties, using Vauxhall Senator tail-lights. The Fighter looked amazing, I don't understand why it didn't do better - perhaps more a problem with the brand than the car.
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