Layer Marney Tower on 30 May 2010 and I’m the only Bristol here but there are plenty of interested people speaking to Neil. As well as general car talk it's always nice to hear stories about Bristol Cars the company, and a former owner of a 403 told Neil a real gem today.
Having had the misfortune to be involved in an accident, he called Bristol Cars in search for a new front wing and spoke to Tony Crook who said he had them in stock and would send one out.
When the delivery arrived it consisted of a single flat sheet of metal - surely some mistake? When the surprised owner of the pristine sheet made enquiries, an equally surprised Tony Crook said there had been no mistake. All that was required was to form it into the correct shape – “they are all hand made you know”!
With a great deal of ingenuity a pattern was taken from a straight car and a carpenter enlisted to make a buck. The panel was beaten and the shape of a wing duly emerged which was then fitted to the damaged car.
If you still have your original bucks and the skills required to wrap metal around them, as Bristol do, why expect your customers to try and emulate the factory’s craftsmanship and risk substandard repairs to the cars that bear your name?
Hopefully attitudes at the factory have changed and anyone ordering a wing for a 403 today would receive something that held more than a passing resemblance to something you would actually find on a car.
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