They went under recently. Bit of a shame.
They are the root of one of my favourite stories about motoring smugness. They were one of the last car manufacturers to put a speedometer on their dashboards. When they were eventually forced to by law, they placed it over on the passenger side of the dash.

The owner believed that you should know how fast you were going by the tachometer and which gear you were in. Anybody who didn't know that didn't deserve to be driving a Bristol.
( Kroney, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 14:57, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

I don't know if it was based in 'fact' or just one of those myths you hear from time-to-time
But so the story goes, if the chap in charge of selling the cars didn't think you were the sort of customer they thought should be driving a Bristol, he wouldn't sell you one.
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 14:59, Reply)

I've heard that one, too.
He'd want to meet anyone who had the funds to buy one of his cars to make sure you were his sort of person.

He sounds fucking awesome.
( Kroney, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 15:00, Reply)

He was clearly very good at this part of the job, which would explain when the company has folded.

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 15:06, Reply)

They just stopped making decent cars.
The Bristol Fighter looked like a 90s Toyota Celica
( Kroney, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 15:08, Reply)

I put this reason forward as to why I don't have one.
I was wearing trainers.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 15:01, Reply)