RE: Bristol Cars Saved By Frazer-Nash

[paul.deitch]

IDrinkPetrol said:

which is why a Frazer-Nash Continental has 356 doors) and they put a LOT of cars on the roads over the last fifty-seven years.

That is a lot of doors on a car!

[Fane]

AndrewIC said:

That is not a Bristol, or a least it isn't any more.

Some wally thought that turning a lovely old Bristol into a Talbot Largo lookalike was a good idea, clearly not!

A Talbot what?

[TheOrangePeril]

Digga said:

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

I hope this isn't a 'Swiss Smolenski'...

Quite.

Another bit of British motoring heritage slips into foreign ownership. Not to sound ungrateful - I'm glad it's not gone altogether - but ther is something inevetable and also very disturbing about the way we do not seem capable of financing our domestic manufacturing industry.

Hardly surprising seeing Britain's lack of 'bother' about education. Tuition fees rocket, less engineers, less engineering. Makes sense, sadly.

[0to60]

nightSpirit said:

FourWheelDrift said:

More likely something like this, the 2009 Frazer-Nash Namir ItalDesign concept.



800cc and electric hybrid power.

If Butch Patrick was a car...

LOLLLLLLL....That's ace

[tog]

Insight said:

Really, well that's a big shame, I remember seeing one of these in the flesh at the Bristol cars restoration centre in Warminster. Utterly gorgeous. Doh!

Seeing it, not one of these - there's only one. Whatever you think of it in principle, there's no denying that it is a fantastic job, beautifully built.

BTW, it's not Bristol Cars own centre in Warminster, it's Spencer Lane-Jones Ltd, who are independent specialists who also did a lot of the work on the Teardrop.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Twincam16 said:

I suppose, but they aren't as rare as they once were.....

So how does thet work then??

[Dr JonboyG]

Munich said:

or... hear hear.

Thank you.

[Dalto123]

Ceylon said:

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

Dalto123 said:

proof Bristol have no style

Whoosh Parrot anyone?

Quite!



Clearly don't have a clue

You quite sure of that, as far as I can see bristol cars have just been overpriced boxes, sure thats an ok bristol but the rest of the range is quite frankly ste

[Trommel]

lol bruv dem carz is mingin no spoilaz and rimz like dat my beemer az da bhes luv it lol innit cuz lol lol braaap

Just to preempt

[BrixtonSaint]

Munich said:

M666 EVO said:

dlc74 said:

Good for Bristol... hope the guys get their jobs back.

Here Here...

or... hear hear.

at last

[Legavroche]

Dalto123 has had a very limited exposure to Bristol cars! Never mind the Fighter, he clearly hasn't come across a 404 coupe or 405 DH? These are desirable cars in anyones language. My own 411 S1 was illustrated on the front page of the newsletter that followed our Cowley / Mini SS earlier in the year, not too many complaints then as i recall!

[Twincam16]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Twincam16 said:

I suppose, but they aren't as rare as they once were.....

So how does thet work then??

I mean it's taken a while for Maserati to get back to volume sales after a long period of being a bit off-the-pace and unreliable. People were initially untrustworthy of the 3200GT and V8GT, then the Quattroporte really picked up and the Granturismo seems to have followed suit.

If I was thinking about rivals to a 'new' Blenheim, an all-new car designed to make its mark in the 4-seater GT market, the Granturismo would be the car I'd look most closely at as an example of how to make a success of it.

Thing is, I think rarity is part of the Bristol appeal, so they'd have to convincingly rival the Maserati while not completely 'selling out'. perhaps a limited run of production each year, with a hotly contested waiting list and a programme of continual improvement?

[XitUp]

paul.deitch said:

IDrinkPetrol said:

which is why a Frazer-Nash Continental has 356 doors) and they put a LOT of cars on the roads over the last fifty-seven years.

That is a lot of doors on a car!

Thats what I was thinking! How long is it?

[Elektron]

oilit said:

IDrinkPetrol said:

Actually you see a lot of "Frazer-Nash" cars on the road. AFN, the oldest Porsche concessionaire in the UK stands for Aldington Frazer-Nash (if memory serves) (which is why a Frazer-Nash Continental has 356 doors) and they put a LOT of cars on the roads over the last fifty-seven years.

and just to be a wee bit more pedantic, it's not "the proof is in the pudding" it's "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"

AFN was eventually bought by Porsche outright and became Porsche GB I think you will find the guys who have bought Bristol are an EV business - whether they licence or own the FN brand I do not know - but my point is they have not made a single car apart from the concept shown - so not sure I agree with your point - but hey thats ok. (I do agree re the the pudding though - thanks !!)

AFN is short for Archibald (Archie) Frazer-Nash. He started making chain-drive Frazer Nash cars in the 1920s and then the Aldington brothers took over in the 1930s. AFN under the Aldingtons were the first to import BMWs into Britain (from 1934), hence Frazer-Nash-BMW. They then helped Bristol to start making cars after the war based on BMW technology because they had an unused licence to build BMWs in England.

AFN also built Frazer Nash cars in the 1950s using BMW-based Bristol 2-litre 6-cylinder engines, cars with names like Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and most famously Le Mans Replica which won the 1951 Targa Florio in Sicily, the 1952 Sebring 12-hours in Florida and did well at Le Mans from 1949 to 1955. From 1954, while still sole importers of BMW (until 1959), AFN became sole importers of Porsches. AFN and the Frazer Nash brand was eventually bought outright by Porsche in Germany.

The company that has bought Bristol Cars owns the company Frazer-Nash Research. This is a descendent of a company started by Archie Frazer Nash, long after he had stopped making cars, and therefore has no prior connection with BMW or Bristol Cars. Sorry to ruin a good story line!

[Dalto123]

Legavroche said:

Dalto123 has had a very limited exposure to Bristol cars! Never mind the Fighter, he clearly hasn't come across a 404 coupe or 405 DH? These are desirable cars in anyones language. My own 411 S1 was illustrated on the front page of the newsletter that followed our Cowley / Mini SS earlier in the year, not too many complaints then as i recall!

I dont have limited exposure lol, just accept other peoples views of these cars, I have seen many bristols over the years having been up to the dealer in London twice and at several car shows. I still cant justify them. Try to look at it another way, Bristol Cars have been going for years now, they've had a good run, they're unique and now it's time for them to go, being taken over by Fraser Nash may bring in a few more sales but they cant be seen the same way they were before when they were and independent company. Just accept other people views of these cars as I would another persons view of my car lol

[smilo996]

Not a huge fan of their cars but the Fighter S was certainly innovative and very fast. They limited it to 225mph but had tested it at about 270mph.
There is an article about Vauxhall production being in jeopardy because they cannot find enough UK based suppliers.
What is it with this place, by now someone should have realised that we cannot rely solely on financial services. Another piece of UK heritgae gets sold off. Rant rant....and if Britian is to becme great again then forget the States, take the fight to the rest of Europe.
The Italians can muster enough savy to either hold on to (Ferrari), pull the wool over to get funds (Fiat GM), buy back brands they have lost (Ducati) or keep them healthy themselves, Aprilia, Guzzi. They can even wor with foreign manufacturers successfully, Lambo. All the UK does is simply sell them.
I'm not being nationalistic but with Rolls Royce and F1 leading the way in the use of cutting edge tech and engineering, you would have thought thre was enough talent going round to purchase and update these companies and provide employment within the UK.
Lotus is a good examle of how "not to do it". Lotus is owned by Proton, the MD is from Austria and the management team seems laregly German. 5 new cars in 5 years. Great until they decide to move production elsewhere, then admin, then design and then....nothing left. What was the anthem in the Italian job - self preservation society!!!

[anonymous-user]

Does any one know how much Kamkorp Autokraft paid for Bristol cars?
I cant find any information about it on the web.

[davidcoombs33]

Can only be good news. I heard a story once that one of the guys that used to run the outfit would only sell you a car if he liked you? Does anyone know if that's true? If it is and that's the calibre of person they employ then it sounds like they need a kick up the backside anyway! Website is pants too!

[Pothole]

IDrinkPetrol said:

oilit said:

the proof as they say is in the pudding - afterall, look at all the fraser nash cars you see on the road .................

I suspect they will cease manufacturing the cars, - if you read the press release carefully it does make a lot about existing customers quality care and service...

Afterall from what I have read the service part of the business was profitable.

Regardless, good luck to the 'remaining 4' staff

Actually you see a lot of "Frazer-Nash" cars on the road. AFN, the oldest Porsche concessionaire in the UK stands for Aldington Frazer-Nash (if memory serves) (which is why a Frazer-Nash Continental has 356 doors) and they put a LOT of cars on the roads over the last fifty-seven years.

and just to be a wee bit more pedantic, it's not "the proof is in the pudding" it's "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"

Indeed, in the eating!!

[peter450]

I hope they price them more realistically, they used a basic crate US V8, yet charged the prices of a fully bespoke car

Companies like Pagani and Spyker sourced a more fitting powerplant for there cars

Dont get me wrong here, there is nothing wrong with US V8's etc, it's just when you can get the same engines in cars that cost a 10th of the price it looks well a bit over the top

Exclusivity is all well and good, but there are lots of exclusive cars at similiar prices with far more advanced engineering

Hopefully the new owners will see were they went wrong before