Some of you may not be aware of Bristol Cars but it has launched a new car following a 12-year hiatus – the Bristol Bullet. Not only is it a cool name but it harks back to the racing biplane of the same name that could be seen flying around the skies in the 1920s. Bristol first started out as an aircraft company in 1910 before it introduced car production from 1947 onwards.
The Bullet roadster comes in preparation of the 70th anniversary of the British brand and certainly looks special. It may look as if it’s been transported from the 60s, but this is in fact a brand new car. Like a lot of British firms, Bristol went bust but thankfully it was brought back to life in 2011 before setting out on ‘Project Pinnacle’ – the initial name for the new Bullet venture.
It may look like it's come from the past but believe it not, the body is made from carbon fibre
Under the retro bonnet sits a 4.8 litre V8 engine taken from BMW which produces 370bhp. It’s able to get this classic-looking two seater to 62mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 155mph – the same speed as the biplane, not sure whether that was intended or purely a coincidence. The interior reminds me of a luxury gentleman’s washbag – there is plenty of leather on show although I do think the touchscreen somewhat kills the vibe.
The inside is pure classic motoring, apart from the touchscreen interface - still not sure how I feel about that.
This is the 21st century though and this kind of feature is in high demand on the cars of today. The whole car is hand-built from start to finish in Chichester and just 70 examples will be made. Prices are expected to be £250,000 so it's far from what you call cheap but it is a lot cheaper than an Eagle Speedster which will set you back around £500,000.
It can be fitted with either a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox and there are even plans for this model to come in electric and hybrid variants in the future. Hmm, I'd much rather have the nice rumbly V8 given the choice...
