Don't I Look Young?

Here's that photo I mentioned a few weeks ago taken when I was about 17. It was 1984 and I was living in Hampshire with Mr Hunter-Cox and a Morris Traveller the same age as me. You can see my original blue colour and I still have the chrome trim along my sides which was removed later when I was repainted. I notice that my hubcaps were missing too but I wear a complete set now which Neil keeps nice and shiny for me.

Mr Hunter-Cox owned several different Bristols at one time or another but Neil has remained faithful, although he does eye up other models from time to time and I think he is secretly fond of the 412. He probably won't do anything about it but you never know ...

Sid in the News

There was an item on the ITV West Country News programme recently. It featured Sid Lovesy (88 and still going strong), works director of the Bristol Cars factory in Filton, whom I remember very well because he designed my electrical wiring. Neil has also met him, albeit briefly, when he refused to allow Neil to look around the factory!

Soon after he started looking after me Neil and his wife, Karen, took me on a touring holiday to the Pembrokeshire coast and Wales with a couple of nights in Bristol. There was an event on the docks celebrating Bristol Transport and I was able to take part. Neil popped in to the factory unannounced, met Sid and tried to talk his way in but Sid was very protective of the factory’s development work on the Fighter and other secret projects. Sid was perfectly charming and before Neil knew it he was outside saying goodbye.

They’re going to take me on another touring holiday this year but this time to France. I’ll get Neil to post some details. Perhaps he can show a map and itinerary in case there are any continental Bristols who fancy saying hello on my French adventures.

Parking

Saturday turned out to be a nice day so Neil took me into Colchester. After a visit to the Gym he took me into the centre of town for lunch and carefully parked me in a multi-storey car park. I’m often asked about parking safely because not everyone takes the same care over theirs or other people’s cars as Neil does, but with a little thought suitable spaces can be found in most car parks.

The multi-storey we used on Saturday has 8 levels and it tends to fill up from the top down as the top is at street level. However right at the bottom are a dozen or so spaces where the position of the pillars and the height of the roof put most people off. You will often see some very nice motor cars parked down there in splendid isolation from the masses. On Saturday I was opposite an Aston Martin DB9. He wouldn’t talk to me but a nice man and his son ignored the Aston and came over to talk to Neil about a Bristol 407 the man used to own.

I particularly like this one space which has a wall to one side and thick concrete pillars to the other. It is quite awkward to get in to but my slim proportions and manoeuvrability mean that I slip in with ease and feel much protected. The only downside for Neil is that he has to climb 80 steps to get to the High Street (he’s counted) but then he does need the exercise and it is nice that I can accompany Neil on his days out and feel safe when he leaves me on my own.