Bristols in Brandeston

I met up with Winston yesterday. Winston is a 1970 411 Series 1, liberated from the Bristol Cars showroom in Kensington and brought to Suffolk. We met up at the Queens Head Inn, at Brandeston in Suffolk, where our drivers and their partners had a very enjoyable lunch.

Winston sports smart British Racing Green paintwork with a red leather interior, and at first glance the 411’s body is very similar to the 410’s. Most obvious is the radiator grille that is less rounded with inner driving lamps that protrude from the radiator grille in chromed shrouds. It also houses a Bristol nameplate instead of the 410’s bonnet badge.

At the rear the style of the boot is simplified being squared off with the loss of the 410’s vestigial fins. There are slimmer bumpers front and rear and a neater single trim line applied to the flanks. Door kick plates are narrower than on the 410. All in all less fussy perhaps but in my opinion it is at the loss of a certain amount of character.

Inside a smaller 3-spoke leather-trimmed wheel with a Bristol badge set into its central boss has replaced the traditional twin-spoke Bluemels steering wheel. The dashboard has also been updated with large rocker switches replacing the 410’s toggle switches all set within a lighter wood veneer.

Perhaps the biggest change is under the bonnet with the Chrysler engine being up rated from 318 to 383 cu in – that’s 6.3 litres! This results in stunning performance but to the detriment of fuel economy, which is typically around 13 mpg.

Hopefully that won’t stop Winston getting out and about and I look forward to seeing him at shows over the coming year.

Caught on Camera

Motor Books have produced a DVD “Bristol Cars on Film” based on 2 16mm films shot by the late Ted Ashman, Chief Photographer of the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the mid-1950s.

The first film follows a Bristol 403 travelling by road and Bristol Freighter from London to Paris in 1954 to demonstrate how comfortable and pleasant such a journey could be. While the second film shows the Bristol team at Le Mans in 1955 finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their class.

As a bonus, footage of the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s Centenary celebrations at Filton in September 2010 is included. This is also where that year’s Bristol Owners Club concours took place (with the largest ever assembly of Bristol cars) and this too is featured on the DVD.

This is where I come in, or rather go out – literally. Forget the aerobatic display of the Airbus A380, spectacular as it is with the massive aircraft seemingly hanging motionless in the air. The highlight for me is when I’m captured on film leaving the site at the end of the day. Neil is in the driver’s seat with Karen next to him, and Neil’s friend John Tanner is in the back. It was a great day that I previously wrote about on this blog, and with the extra films this DVD is well worth looking out for. 

It's going to be a cold, cold Christmas

5 Bristol cars - a 407, a 409 and 3 410s were parked in front of Ravenwood Hall near Bury St. Edmunds while 17 club members sat down for a sumptuous lunch in the hotel’s restaurant. There was also a 401 and a 603 in the car park making a record 7 cars turning up for the East Anglian section’s Christmas lunch.

The record attendance was in no small part due to the excellent weather, which allowed the cars’ paintwork to stay shiny, and gave their ancient heaters a fighting chance at keeping their occupants warm.

The efficiency of our respective heating systems was a popular topic of conversation with the conclusion that drivers of 50 years ago were a much hardier bunch. Neil had blanked off part of my radiator to the extent that some warmth was discernable in the cabin with the temperature gauge reading a steady 75°C when cruising on the A14. I like to run hotter than that so some more experimentation is going to be required to ensure that I’m running at my best and Neil continues to take me out through the winter to stop me getting bored.

Winter running temperatures never used to be such a problem until Neil fitted me with a new radiator core 2 years ago in preparation for a trip to the south of France. However English winters, even mild ones, are another matter entirely.

Banners at Battlesbridge

The East Anglian section managed to muster two cars for the Battlesbridge Grand Motorbillia Day in September. I went along with Neil and was joined by Gwynneth and John Hogger, and Gwynneth's aunt in their 401.

Neil decided that this was enough to constitute a club display so he erected the Owners Club banner. 

Raising our profile with the banner must have worked because it attracted the attention of the judges who awarded 'Highly Commended' to Gwynneth's splendid 401. She then had to take the car into the main ring where it was in the running for best car in show.

Unfortunately it didn't scoop that prize but very well done for being one of only half a dozen cars singled out from amongst a field of several hundred.

The Lions go from Strength to Strength

Colchester's Castle Park is designated Grade II on the register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. The gently sloping Lower Castle Park offers the perfect venue for fairs, festivals, open air concerts and displays and even has a section of the town's roman wall running through it.

This year's classic vehicle show which is organised by Colchester Lions was by all accounts the best so far. We spent the day parked beside a lovely pre-war MG which had been brought to the show by the original owner's son. Owned by his father since new, the car had never been restored and had acquired a remarkably beautiful patina to its metallic grey paint. 

In the afternoon Neil was approached by one of the organisers to see if he would take me into the ring. As the only Bristol in the show Neil was happy to take the opportunity to show me off and take his turn on the PA to increase the awareness of Bristol cars. 

This prompted more people to come along and look at me once I was parked up again. It also produced the most touching moment of the day when a man came up to Neil to say that the Bristol, and the 410 in particular was his favourite ever car.  Neil offered him a seat behind the wheel but he declined and appeared quite overwhelmed with actually seeing one for real!

Bertie and Beer in Burnham Market

We have just been in North Norfolk again for a week’s holiday burbling around the coast of this very special part of East Anglia. We were last here in 2010 when we took part in a rally that started from the Sandringham estate. This time we made Burnham Market our base and had a very comfortable stay at the Hoste Arms.

Although we stayed dry for most of the holiday, a gale came through the village on the first night that left me looking the worse for wear in the morning. Neil on the other hand looked the worse for wear because the hotel served 2 varieties of Woodforde’s in the bar; Wherry and Nelson’s Revenge.

Both bitter style beers, Wherry is fresh and zesty with crisp floral flavours while Nelson’s Revenge has a background of sweet malt and a hoppy bitter finish reminiscent of grapefruit. It also packs a punch being a special bitter with an alcohol by volume of 4.5% compared to Wherry’s 3.8.

Anyway, while he was cleaning me of all the rain, leaves and other assorted debris he fell into conversation with a fan of the marque. He remembered that his father, who worked for a retail bank, had helped Tony Crook with the finance of Bristol Cars. He was pleased to learn that Mr Crook was still going strong, and that Bristol Cars future seemed to be secure after its recent acquisition by Frazer Nash Research.

Petrol stations were few and far between, but there was one in the village that sold a brand of fuel called Power. Neil had never heard of it and hesitantly put some in my tank but he need not have worried – it was a worthy substitute for my normal diet of Shell. It also gave him an opportunity to discuss the finer points of Bristol design after the mechanic engaged him in conversation about the only other Bristol he could recall visiting their forecourt.

Unsure of the model or year he simply referred to it as “the boxy looking one”. Further probing from Neil established that it was likely to have been a 603 or one of its derivatives. He soon put the mechanic right and informed him that although the cars’ looks may seem controversial to some, it all makes perfect sense once behind the wheel with excellent visibility and the ability to accurately place the car on the road; the design of all Bristols having started from the position of the driver.

When we visited Blakeney, the car park attendant at the quay let us stay free of charge because he was so excited about seeing me. Bristol had apparently been his favourite make of car since childhood but he had never seen one on the road. So excited was he that he had a good look inside my cabin, under my bonnet and even inside my wing lockers. He said to Neil “you made my day, boy” and gave us a cheery wave as we left.

Wide Load at West Bergholt

One of the great things about the shows I go to are the eclectic mix of vehicles I meet and their eccentric owners. Throw in the setting of an English village and a Summer’s day and you can sometimes get photo opportunities that are simply too good to miss, like this one taken at West Bergholt near Colchester earlier this year. 

This miniature traction engine certainly has its work cut out hauling its cargo around the showground but it’s the sign on the back of the trailer that says it all!