http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm/country/ecf/newsID/2061107.004/bristol/bristol-fighter-t-revealed

Twin turbocharged and intercooled 8 litre V10 engine

1012 bhp at 5600 rpm

1036 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm

6 speed manual gearbox

A potential maximum speed of more than 270 mph has been electronically limited to a more than sufficient 225 mph at 4500 rpm.

0 to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds. (It better do 0-60 mph in around 2-2.5 seconds with that much power and torque, esp since it can reach 60 mph in 1st gear)

At 3500 rpm the standard Fighter produces an impressive 525 lb.ft of torque. The Fighter T delivers more than 900 lb.ft at the same rpm, and continues to do so all the way up to the rev limit of 6000 rpm.

11/8/2006 6:38:33 AM

front looks like a c6 vet

read end looks like an old school vet

i love the way that thing looks

11/8/2006 6:50:08 AM

^^ Holy crap, a car 0EPII1 posted that I actually like. Even the normal version looks pretty interesting:

http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/BristolFighter.htm

I'm surprised I've never heard of these, considering I'm kindof a British car fan. Something about that rear glass just draws me in, lol

11/8/2006 7:28:44 AM

Its a british car.

So no, it won't beat the Veyron.

It'll lose all its parts before that.

11/8/2006 9:58:38 AM

Quote :

"A potential maximum speed of more than 270 mph has been electronically limited to a more than sufficient 225 mph at 4500 rpm."

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 10:38 AM. Reason : ]

11/8/2006 10:38:31 AM

I believe if you don't make your own engine... you don't count
these people stole there block/heads/intake from a viper.

and judging my the 6 lug wheels (5 in your pic 6 in others) much more than that too.

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

11/8/2006 11:26:54 AM

EH, another kit company. The car looks uninspired and about as vanilla as a sports car can get.

11/8/2006 11:42:35 AM

its not THAT bad, but it isnt a jaw dropper by any means


now, start selling them over here for 75k new and it could be the car that changed the world.

11/8/2006 11:53:06 AM

^ cept they have to gut a viper which costs more then 70k to do it.

11/8/2006 11:56:57 AM

yeah i know. they should make one that will take a SBC

11/8/2006 12:09:27 PM

I'd rather have a Saleen S7 TT

11/8/2006 1:00:06 PM

Quote :

"It'll lose all its parts before that. "

so true

I saw a morgan at a car show that had a bumper sticker that read "all parts falling off this car are 100% genuine British"

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 7:59 PM. Reason : zxd]

11/8/2006 7:58:47 PM

If anybody wants a large version of the pic, you can get it here: http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/articles/fighter_t.asp

Quote :

"^^ Holy crap, a car 0EPII1 posted that I actually like."

That's not true. You also liked the Tesla Roadster (all-electric)! And I am surprised you haven't heard of them! They still make authentic British cars, probably the only one left. They were one of the world's most successful aviation manufacturers before they became a car company:

Quote :

"In the second World War, Bristol turned out an astonishing total of over 14,000 aircraft, including the Blenheim fighter bomber. "

See what various mags say about it: http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/Blenheim3/words.htm

But anyway, the side profile is gorgeous, especially the beautiful side-exhaust (and the door handle and the air-intake). And the interiors of Bristols are gorgeous, with lot of high quality wood, leather, and wool.

Quote :

"I believe if you don't make your own engine... you don't count"

In a way, you are right, but that would discount the Zonda and the Koenigsegg.

Quote :

"EH, another kit company. The car looks uninspired and about as vanilla as a sports car can get."

It is far from a kit company. See their official website for their history (they have been making cars for 60 years, and originally fighter planes before that). And the looks, while not to the liking of most people, are far from "vanilla", by which I take it you meant it looks plain and like most other sports cars. In fact, it looks very unique and different from most sports cars. See the side window, the glass greenhouse, the side-exhaust, etc... very nice. And the interiors are luxuriously hand-built, like Rolls Royces. Sure, the front is ugly, in my opinion (click on official website for front view).

Quote :

"now, start selling them over here for 75k new and it could be the car that changed the world."

Not happening. Here are the prices:

Fighter (525 hp) - £ 195,000
Fighter S (628 hp) - £ 218,000
Fighter T (1,012 hp) - £ 300,000

[Prices without the 17.5% VAT] [All have the Viper engine]

It is amazing that they haven't been bought out or gone out of business; their cheapest car--which is very ugly; the Blenheim 3--costs £ 150,000 (including VAT). They must be doing something right!!!

Some interesting stuff from their website:

Quote :

"Bristol is the only remaining luxury car manufacturer under British control. It is also the last company that still creates its cars entirely by hand in the time-honoured manner benefiting from the exacting skill, precision and care of individual craftsmen."

Quote :

"As a company, we have no interest in slavishly copying automotive fashion. We crave instead integrity of purpose and an unmatched level of engineering perfection. We pursue a mindset that designs and builds our cars with a useful life of many decades in mind. As a result, we continue to enjoy absolute customer confidence and loyalty, which allows Bristol to thrive where others have failed. We are the only luxury car manufacturer that remains in private British hands. This ensures us the absolute independence of thought and action that is essential to our purpose. "

This is not the Fighter, but the Blenheim 3.

Quote :

"Firstly, all the major mechanical components are arranged so as to give a flat passenger floor without raised doorsills or intrusive transmission tunnel. Secondly, the brake servos, washer reservoirs, battery and fuses are grouped in a lockable compartment in the driver's side wing. A similar compartment in the other wing houses the full size spare wheel and jacking equipment. Even the CD changer unit has been found a place inside the car so as not to interfere with luggage accommodation. Thus, despite its compact exterior dimensions, the Blenheim still provides a spacious passenger compartment and one of the largest and most regularly shaped luggage areas to be found. "

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 8:38 PM. Reason : ]

11/8/2006 8:14:19 PM

"We are the only luxury car manufacturer that remains in private British hands."

If Morgan made lux cars it would have them beat, but I guess having to pay extra for door handles doesn't happen on lux cars.

11/8/2006 8:36:45 PM

anyone else think it's ugly????

11/8/2006 9:11:40 PM

Koenigsegg makes their own motor now
^ yes.


[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 9:31 PM. Reason : .]

11/8/2006 9:31:37 PM

Quote :

"It is far from a kit company. See their official website for their history (they have been making cars for 60 years, and originally fighter planes before that). And the looks, while not to the liking of most people, are far from "vanilla", by which I take it you meant it looks plain and like most other sports cars. In fact, it looks very unique and different from most sports cars. See the side window, the glass greenhouse, the side-exhaust, etc... very nice. And the interiors are luxuriously hand-built, like Rolls Royces. Sure, the front is ugly, in my opinion (click on official website for front view). "

The amount of time they have been in production doesn't negate the kit nature of the car. Plenty of small car manufacturers (especially british) came from the aerospace industry. The car is a freakin steel tube frame, how much more "kit like" can you get?

And I said it looks vanilla because it's uninspired. It's just another car "designed" by some engineers in a wind tunnel. There is nothing distincive or memorable about anything visibly on the car. It's like they took a viper, celica, db9 and a volvo and just hit the blur tool in photoshop.

The greenhouse was done much better on the old volvo wagons and looks extremely out of place on a sports car, especially a "supercar". The whole car looks like a concept design from the early 90's, the rear is a pretty blatant rip of Volvo's concept rear ends of late, proportions are the generic "perfect teardrop" front engine, rwd layout.

It's just an engineered car, not a designed car.

11/9/2006 4:49:11 AM

5 billion times the secksy

11/9/2006 7:37:44 AM

^Couldn't agree more

11/9/2006 10:50:03 AM

Noen, did you seriously just fucking say that the Bristol Fighter is a kit car and that Bristol cars is a manufacturer of kit cars?

Seriously, get the fuck out of garage.

11/9/2006 11:03:51 AM

haha

11/9/2006 11:29:05 AM

it's fast and fugly

just like LS1 camaros

11/9/2006 11:38:06 AM

its not a kit car

11/9/2006 11:40:46 AM

Quote :

"Noen, did you seriously just fucking say that the Bristol Fighter is a kit car and that Bristol cars is a manufacturer of kit cars? Seriously, get the fuck out of garage."

No, I said it's very KIT LIKE. As in, it looks very unpolished from a design perspective. It's very well engineered and crafted though.

11/9/2006 2:44:54 PM

How is it unpolished from a 'design perspective'?

By that general criteria GM's entire lineup save for the corvette is 'kit like'.

And your exact quote, by the way, was

Quote :

"EH, another kit company. The car looks uninspired and about as vanilla as a sports car can get."

Seriously, log the fuck out of this section.

11/9/2006 2:54:03 PM

the design looks dated because its a design they have had for awhile

and holy shit bristol is not a kit car company

you dont know everything, just log out

11/9/2006 3:30:24 PM

Back glass says "Boat tail Buick Riveria"

[Edited on November 9, 2006 at 5:44 PM. Reason : "]

11/9/2006 5:44:14 PM

rear glass, wheels, side vents = various vettes.
front quarter panel = c6 or new viper.
exhaust cutout = new viper.

i'm sure no one else will share my opinion though.

[Edited on November 9, 2006 at 7:07 PM. Reason : ]

11/9/2006 7:03:36 PM

Quote :

"As a company, we have no interest in slavishly copying automotive fashion."

"Thats why we have aston style tail lights and a barracuda rear end and a vette hood"

11/9/2006 7:08:00 PM

its unlikely they copied the db7 seeing as they came out at the same time and the fighter was in the works first

11/9/2006 7:24:21 PM

i'm just picking..

just cause it looks like shit doesn't mean its unique

11/9/2006 7:32:38 PM

Alright shitwads.

THE FUCKING CAR IS TUBE STEEL. You want me to logout why?

The only fucking difference between this car and a "kit car" is the warranty. You dipshits act like being a kit car is some horrible big different thing. I notice it's fucking SandSanta and JonHGuth telling me this. Of ANYONE in the garage, who the fuck are you to call me out on anything?

This is an extremely low production, hand built car. Bristol has ONE shop, ONE showroom, ONE salesman, and makes a handful of cars a year. The engine comes from the LAST generation Viper.

The "designer" was Max Boxstrom, a freaking engineer. Of course it's uninspired from a design standpoint, ALL they cared about was getting the teardrop and lowering the drag coefficient.

Most KIT COMPANIES produce 10 times the units that Bristol does every year. So yes, this is a fucking kit company. Jesus Christ, look at their fucking "upgrades" page on their own website, it's like looking at a damn kit catalog.

And the interior is pretty boring too:




[Edited on November 9, 2006 at 8:40 PM. Reason : .]

11/9/2006 8:39:18 PM

11/9/2006 8:46:28 PM

please google bristol

then

please shut the fuck up

11/9/2006 8:49:37 PM

^ notice the wheel is similar to the c6 z06 wheel.

that split on the tail reminds me of the honda insight


[Edited on November 9, 2006 at 9:08 PM. Reason : ]

11/9/2006 9:01:47 PM

Dude the profile of the entire front end looks like a vette.

with the big viper/vette hybrid side scoop

11/9/2006 9:46:56 PM

OWNED

11/9/2006 11:32:32 PM

Quote :

"please google bristol then please shut the fuck up "

I did dickcheese. And went and looked at their history too. Like the fact they've made one damn model for almost 50 years. And on average sell 15-20 cars a year.

Or how about the fact they announced the Bristol Fighter in 1997, announced it would be available for purchase in 2001, then actually showed up with a prototype in 2003, and aren't actually going to ship the first one until sometime NEXT YEAR.

And even then, their entire production capacity is 20 a year? Seriously, this is just another mom & pop operation. They aren't a luxury manufacturer. A custom car maker, yes. A small manufacturer yes, but Bristol is no Rolls Royce, Bugatti, Maserati or Bentley.

But really, show me where and how I'm wrong, I'd be delighted to know.

11/9/2006 11:49:04 PM

did anyone miss the fact that he went from saying its a kit car company to its LIKE a kit car company back to it IS a kit car company?

11/10/2006 12:05:06 AM

blahblahblahblah

does it even fucking matter?

11/10/2006 12:15:29 AM

it never did before...but seems to be the way of the TWW.

11/10/2006 12:19:41 AM

its the noen arguement trademark. its comical to watch, but usually takes place over threads with more than one page.

11/10/2006 12:20:35 AM

cobra daytona no question

11/10/2006 12:21:25 AM

Wait

Did you just seriously claim its steel tube sub frame as a reason why its a kit car? I mean would it make you feel better if it was Carbon Fiber instead of Steel? Just completely ignoring the fact that a steel tube frame would keep the structure more rigid and still weigh less then unibody of a civic.

Holy Jihad on stupdity batman, what the fuck else are you going to say in this thread? Lets move onto your criteria of suck that has to be met in order for a car to be a kit car.



Why don't we go ahead and claim any car that has a motor from a different company is also a kit car.

Add to the kit car list: Saleen S7, McLaren F1, Lotus Exige, Saturn Ion Redline(lolhonda)

Oh wait it has low volumes as well. Another kit car criteria!

Add to the list: koenigsegg, Morgan, Bugatti.

But the Designer was an engineer!! Not a designer! Thats why its ugly in your subjective eyes, right noen?

Lets go ahead and add to our kit car list: Pontiac Aztek, The entire fucking Saturn line BUT the solstice...ahh shit just all of GM. They make ugly cars. At least I think so and I always Win.

Oh and the interior is boring.

So our kit car lists now includes every Japanese and korean car maker ever.

And yet, what about the main criteria of a kit car. You know, buying the kit and building the car in your shop? Well to get to the bottom of that I went ahead and sent the following email to the Chairman of the Bristol Car Club as well as the US organizer of the BOC.

Quote :

" Dear Sirs, Recently, another person and myself got into a debate regarding the true nature of Bristol Cars. The person I was talking with claims that the Bristol T Figher is in fact a kit car and points to its Dodge motor and steel tube frame as evidence. Now, over all these years I was under the impression that Bristol was ultra novelty car manufacturer and not, in fact, a kit car manufacturer. Could you please shed some light on the issue? //Engin Akyol "

STAY TUNED

11/10/2006 12:42:08 AM

Quote :

"Or how about the fact they announced the Bristol Fighter in 1997, announced it would be available for purchase in 2001, then actually showed up with a prototype in 2003, and aren't actually going to ship the first one until sometime NEXT YEAR. "

you must suck at google, because thats wrong
i'll let you research and find out why

11/10/2006 7:20:11 AM

yes. yes. definitely a daytona clone. i had considered that too, but i wanted to stick with my corvette theme. the daytona is a closer resemblance though.

[Edited on November 10, 2006 at 7:41 AM. Reason : ]

11/10/2006 7:41:29 AM

Quote :

"They aren't a luxury manufacturer. A custom car maker, yes. A small manufacturer yes, but Bristol is no Rolls Royce, Bugatti, Maserati or Bentley. "

being a luxury car manufacturer is not mutually exclusive with being small or being a custom car manufacturer.

luxury talk about levels of hedonism, and small refers to size of the company. why are you mixing them up?

bristol definitely makes luxury cars. and you don't have to be RR. Bugatti, Maserati, or Bentley to be a luxury car manufacturer. you can be Bristol, MB, Jaguar, Lexus, or Cadillac.

but to be fair, the workmanship that goes into their interiors is definitely more comparable to RR et all, than to MB et all. when you source speciality hides and thick wilton carpets, that's not only luxury, but that's also the rarefied luxury of RR et al.

11/10/2006 8:03:43 AM

and the daytona looks like an old bristol because suprise they are both british bodies

11/10/2006 9:14:41 AM

Quote :

" Sir, I would have to say that a Bristol is a true manufactured car. A kit car is a car that can be purchased in Kit form, one needing total assembly. This would be more like a TVR in the old days. Not more like a number of Lotus 7 replicas. The Bristol, you have no choice of power plants, and to mu knowledge, they will not ship one to you for you to assemble to save costs. They also manufacture the vast majority of the cars components. A kit car would be a series of bits from others companies in boxes to assemble. The fact it has a steel frame, how dare them, make a proper car still. I think at those speeds, I would and always will prefer a steel frame. It is better than something that will come apart in an accident. I hope this helps, Shawn Thomas "

11/10/2006 10:07:49 AM

Quote :

"Wait Did you just seriously claim its steel tube sub frame as a reason why its a kit car? I mean would it make you feel better if it was Carbon Fiber instead of Steel? Just completely ignoring the fact that a steel tube frame would keep the structure more rigid and still weigh less then unibody of a civic. "

No. The WAY they built the car is fine, I think it's VERY WELL ENGINEERED. I have no problem with the construction or materials. I am strictly talking about their BUSINESS MODEL. They have a basic chassis and will do whatever the fuck you want to it.

Quote :

" Why don't we go ahead and claim any car that has a motor from a different company is also a kit car. Add to the kit car list: Saleen S7, McLaren F1, Lotus Exige, Saturn Ion Redline(lolhonda)"

Not what I said, but this illustrates a good point. In none of your examples, and no other PRODUCTION vehicle that borrows powerplants (that I know of anyway), do they use a now two generation old powerplant from another manufacturer. In all of the examples you have given, the borrower worked directly with the OEM to implement a solution using their current gen technology.

Quote :

"Oh wait it has low volumes as well. Another kit car criteria! Add to the list: koenigsegg, Morgan, Bugatti. "

All of the above have distribution channels, service plans and WARRANTEES ON THEIR VEHICLES. Low production != kit. But low production with no service and no warranty does = kit.

Quote :

"But the Designer was an engineer!! Not a designer! Thats why its ugly in your subjective eyes, right noen?"

Mine and EVERY magazine, trade journal and even online publication I could muster up. Even BRISTOL itself as well as the guy who designed the car said they didn't care about aesthetics, they were building the best engineered car they can. And I never said it was ugly, dumbass. I said it was uninspired and vanilla. It's not ugly, it's just hardly beautiful. But really, keep on putting words in my mouth.

Quote :

"Oh and the interior is boring. So our kit car lists now includes every Japanese and korean car maker ever."

Yes it's boring. No, not every Japanese and Korean car has a boring interior. Missed the point entirely.

Quote :

"And yet, what about the main criteria of a kit car. You know, buying the kit and building the car in your shop? Well to get to the bottom of that I went ahead and sent the following email to the Chairman of the Bristol Car Club as well as the US organizer of the BOC. "

Blah blah. It's not a kit car, it's just a fucking homebuilt small-time car. Here is my announcement to the world that I'm incorrect in my terminology. I'll even put in bold to make you happier.

Is this a production car company though? HELL NO ITS NOT.

Quote :

"you must suck at google, because thats wrong i'll let you research and find out why"

Feel free to correct me. When Toby Silverton came on board in 1997, his first project (and apparently only project) has been the Fighter. In 1999 the car's development was formally announced with the promise of delivery in 2001.

11/10/2006 10:36:11 AM