Not many would know of Bristol Cars, a manufacturer which specialises in Hand-built luxury cars and is based out of Kensington, London. But the fact of the matter is that it is one of those companies which builds cars, or rather used to, from scratch, for specific requests from select clientele. It was a popular manufacturer back in 60s and 70s and even then, it used to build just 200 odd cars in a year. And so solidly were they built that 70 per cent of the cars manufactured from 1947 are still running on British roads.
The last time Bristol Cars showed off a new model was in 2003, 13 years ago. But it has made a comeback and how. The company recently took the wraps off the Bristol Bullet, its latest creation celebrating the 70th anniversary of Bristol Cars.
The new owners of Bristol Cars, who rescued the company from insolvency in 2011, saw an old, neglected speedster lying away in a corner under wraps. And thus, the journey of the Bristol Bullet began. The Bullet is a classic open-top car with vintage lines and you will find hints of aircraft-inspired design cues, owing to the company's heritage of manufacturing aircrafts during World War II. The body is made out of bespoke carbon-fibre composite materials so as to keep the rigidity high and the weight low.
(Bristol Bullet)Do not, even for a moment, get carried away by the old school design of the Bullet because under that gorgeous hood lies a monster of a BMW sourced 4.8-litre V8 engine that belts out 370bhp and 490Nm of torque. The 0-100Km/h sprint takes just 3.8 seconds and the Bullet maxes out at 250Km/h. Sure does go like a Bullet.
The name of this BMW engine is 'Hercules', not after the Greek god but after an old 14-cylinder, 1300bhp engine manufactured by BMW for Bristol. The engine can be fitted with a manual or an automatic transmission upon request from a customer.
There are a few modern day goodies thrown in too. There is a multi-touchscreen infotainment system, which has digital radio, smartphone connectivity and WiFi as well. The dashboard is made out of herringbone carbon-fibre weaved material. Woot!
(Bristol Bullet, Photo Credit: Auto Express)Should you want to own one, you will have to contact Bristol Cars in Kensington, UK and shell out £250,000 or roughly Rs. 2.2 crore.
(Photos: Telegraph.co.uk)
