Bristol Cars, the company that won post-war fame for its fast and plush grand tourers but was liquidated last year, is to be revived by a British entrepreneur.
Jason Wharton, an Essex-based property developer and Bristol enthusiast, wants to reinstate traditional manufacturing of Bristol cars quickly, and to build an “atelier-style” division around the new business that will sell, restore and support Bristol models of all ages. If all goes to plan, the new concern will be based near the company’s original home at Filton, on the outskirts of Bristol.
Wharton’s idea is to launch “remastered” versions of the Fighter two-seater and the 411 four-seater during 2022, before unveiling an all-new Buccaneer (reinstating a name previous owners used for a stillborn new model) around the middle of the decade.
“Our all-new car will be a four-seater very much in the traditional Bristol mould,” said Wharton, “but it will make extensive use of modern technology and materials.”
Wharton recently completed the purchase of the intellectual property rights needed to begin making his improved versions of existing designs, along with a collection of useful equipment, such as chassis jigs and body parts.
He hopes to gain access to the Bristol company archive, currently for sale, although he believes that would be better owned and managed by the Bristol Owners’ Heritage Trust.
The remastered Fighter and 411 models will each be hand-built in batches of eight. They will be comprehensively re-engineered where needed – for instance, the 411’s old-fashioned live rear axle will be replaced by an independent rear suspension.
Both will use a version of Chrysler’s 6.4-litre petrol Hemi V8 engine, driving through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Bristol had a long relationship with Chrysler, mostly using V8s, although the original Fighter had an 8.0-litre Dodge V10.
