The Man Who Loved Bristols

Speaking of Bristols, here’s their greatest champion LJK Setright presenting the prizes at a Bristol Owners Club event in September 2004. Click through for another photo. More »

Lucky Hungarian Drives $370,000 Viper-Engined Bristol Fighter

One of motoring journalism’s enduring myths is the inability to test drive Bristol cars, enforced by the experiences of Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May. A Hungarian road test editor has beaten the odds. More »

The Dilemma Facing British Car Shoppers In 1951: Alvis, Bristol, or Land Rover?

The last round of print ads from old issues of Autocar was a lot of fun, so I've scanned another batch from 1951. We've got everything from the Rover 75 to the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. More »

Banksy Bristol Museum Installation Features Burned-Out Ice-Cream Truck

A burned-out ice-cream truck is at the center of 100 never-before-seen works pseudo-anonymous graffiti artist Banksy has installed at Bristol's council-owned City Museum and Art Gallery, replacing many of the UK museum's regular artifacts. [BBC]

1956 Arnolt Bristol Deluxe Roadster for a Classic $165,000!

If you're crazy about classic roadsters with racing heritage, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has found one that you'll go totally wacky over. More »

London Man's Bristol Accidentally Crushed by Authorities

Crikey, Humbert! Golly, Gumpert! Fackin' feck, Q-bert! 51-year-old Mendoza Stewart purchased a '72 Bristol 411 a few years ago. In 2004, he parked it in a legal spot near his home in Kennington, only to find that it had been hauled off by the council and then removed from the flatbed with a mechanical claw, destroying the car's aluminum roof. Although the council admits they were in the wrong, Stewart's yet to see a dime. The value of the car? Right around 30,000 quid. Eep. – Davey G. Johnson More »

On A Wing And A Prayer: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Becomes Car of Today At Bristol

It ain't a Superbird, but hell, at least the new car's got a wing. Yeah, we know, it's still NASCAR, but whatevs, maybe today's race with the new Car o' Tomorrow will be more crash-tacular. We'll see. The race begins at 1:30 EST today at Bristol...I think it's the fast Food City 500 or something. – Ray Wert More »

Welcome To The NASCAR "Car Of Tomorrow-ow-ow"

Get your jet fuel and oxidant ready Waltrip, NASCAR is introducing the "Car Of Tomorrow" after five years of testing (it takes a lot of engineering to drive in a circle). Designed to improve safety, performance, competition and cost efficiency for teams, the Car of Tomorrow fits all four current templates (Ford, Toyota, GM and Dodge). The car will make its debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway and will be used at sixteen events on tracks less than a mile and a half in length. One of the features we look forward to most is the deatchable wing! – Matt Hardigree More »

More on the 1000+ Horsepower Bristol Fighter

Bristol released more info on its new, batshit-mad, Dodge Viper-powered Fighter. It'll be dubbed the Fighter T, and the final numbers total 1,012 hp and 1,036 lb.-ft of torque (at 4500 rpm) via a couple of turbos and twin intercoolers feeding the 8.0-liter ten banger. The chassis is 30% stiffer than its predecessor, and it's been fitted with firmer springs, lower ride height, stiffer antiroll bar and 19" aluminum wheels. Aerodynamic drag factor's been reduced to 0.27 by a new rear wake diffuser, making a top speed of well over 200 mph probable (now how about some downforce?). Deliveries start in September 2007. Get 'em while they're still warm. – Mike Spinelli More »

Bristol Viper? Fighter Supercar to Get 1000+ hp

Lest we forget the Brits are as batshit mad as the rest of humanity, word is British sports-car builder Bristol Cars plans to spike its Dodge Viper-powered Fighter with twin turbos. That means the latest incarnation of the V10-powered coupe will produce 1,012 hp and 1,032 lbs-ft of torque, giving it a theoretical top speed of 270 mph — though the company says it's electronically limited to 224 mph to prevent it from experiencing a catastrophic teardown at speed. At least someone over there has a conscience. – Mike Spinelli More »

Whoopee. 60 Years of Bristol

We love the audacity of the Bristols. "No, you can't test our cars. Yes, they're very expensive, allegedly shoddily built, and feature Chrysler powertrains. We will brag about the smoothness of our four-speed autobox, even though Chrysler forgot how to build a decent transmission after they developed the 727 Torqueflite. And despite the fact that the Bugatti Veyron is demonstrably faster than the its claimed top velocity, we're still going to go ahead and claim that our Fighter is possibly the fastest car in the world. Yes, we're 60 years old, and dementia's setting in fast." More »

The Bristol Fighter: Really Worth 200,000?

Man, this is one of the most tepid reviews of a 200,000 car we've ever read. Frankly ridiculously tepid, actually. Like our own Robert Farago with the Bristol Blenheim, motoring journalist Martin Buckley had to wrangle a Bristol from a private owner. Unlike Farago, he didn't completely savage the car. But for something that resembles a cross between a TVR and a '94 Celica with a tweaked Viper drivetrain? It'd better be the most insane, nuts-ass car on the planet. And it's obviously not. More »