Mission Accomplished - Bristol Cars Ltd

Bristol 411

On Saturday I was very pleased to receive an e-mail from Geoff Hawkins, Chairman of the Bristol Owners Club, informing members that the future of Bristol Cars Limited which was in administration has been secured by Kamkorp Autokraft which also owns Frazer Nash Research Ltd.



Italdesign Frazer Nash Namir (Photo Italdesign)

It should be noted that Frazer Nash Research which made the 2009 prototype Italdesign Frazer Nash Namir is



Frazer Nash Colemore

not directly related to the company that made pre WW2 Frazer Nash chain drive vehicles,



Frazer Nash BMW

Frazer Nash BMW's and



Left F Thwaits Fraser Nash 100/163 (Picture Ed Arnaudin)

post WW2 Frazer Nash Bristols from 1927 to 1957.

That company, AFN Ltd, was sold by Archie Frazer Nash to the Adlington brothers when it ran into financial difficulties.

Under the Adlington's stewardship in 1946 AFN were briefly partners with Bristol Aeroplane Company in Bristol Cars, however BAC bought Adlington out of Bristol Cars when it became clear the two companies had differing visions of the future.

After AFN Ltd ceased manufacturing in 1957 it became a successful Porsche dealer which along with the Frazer Nash trademark was sold in turn to Porsche.

In 1929 after Archie Frazer Nash had divested himself of his interests in AFN Ltd and motor vehicle manufacturing he set up Nash & Thompson which specialised in manufacturing hydraulic gun turrets for aircraft, this led to the development of a variety of 2 and 4 gun turrets used on WW2 Beaufort, Blenheim, Halifax, Lancaster, Manchester, Sterling, Sunderland and Wellington bombers.

Nash & Thompson which in 1996 was acquired by ML Aviation and later defence contractor Cobham spun off Frazer Nash Research Ltd which specialises in Electric and and Hybrid Power Trains, automotive multiplexing, advanced composites and mass transit systems.

It is this engineering branch of Archie Fraser Nash's post vehicle manufacturing business that is now connected for the first time with Bristol Cars Ltd.

Kamkorp Autokraft a private limited company with offices registered in Mytchet, Surrey, is majority owned by chairman Mr Kamal Siddiqi, who like Archie Frazer Nash appears to have been born in India, and who has / had interests in Cicco Holding AG, Lithium Technology Corp, Electrosource Inc and Think Nordic, prior to acquiring Frazer Nash Research and Bristol Cars Ltd.

Spokesman for the Kamkorp Autokraft group and Director of Operations at Frazer Nash Research Mr 'William' Tet Hin Chia issued the following prepared statement :-

"Bristol Cars is a British institution and an important part of our national motoring heritage. Over the next few months we will start to reveal the details of our plans to combine Bristol Cars' tradition and iconic marque with Frazer-Nash's pioneering technology to showcase our cutting-edge electric and range-extended powertrains.

British engineers are globally recognised for their inventions and the quality of their innovation - and these attributes are inherent in all our systems and products. Mindful of Bristol Cars' rich heritage and our responsibility as custodians of the brand, we are certain that our technology will blend seamlessly and successfully with the Bristol Cars tradition of engineering integrity.

Owners and enthusiasts of the cars should be assured that, even though these are early days in our tenure of the brand, we are committed to providing them and their cars with the highest levels of quality, technology and service".

Geoff Hawkins e-mail suggests that Samuelson Wylie Associates, who represented TVR from 1993 to 2003, will be handling the PR and Marketing of Bristol Cars Ltd.

It will be fascinating to see what the future has in store for my local automotive manufacturer, with the prospect of all fossil fuelled vehicles being phased out of Europe by 2050, Bristol Cars may be well placed to become a leading edge manufacturer in the decades to come.

I hope you will all join me in wishing Bristol Cars every success.

My thanks to Geoff Hawkins of the Bristol Owners Club, James Trigwell a trustee of the Frazer Nash Archives, and bristol 7527 also known as Claude for the detailed information in this blog.

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres and that you'll join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !

In with the new.., ish - Volkswagen Passat TDI B6

Last week my landlady traded in her faithful 1990 B3 Passat in for a 2007 model year B6 Passat TDI. The B6 was in production from 2005 - 2010.



Having driven the car for less than 100 miles my impressions is of an effortlessly smooth ride, aided by light controls and a slick 6 speed gearbox and some remarkable fuel mileage figures.



The TDI comes across like the Starship Enterprise in comparison with its 20 tear old traded in sibling, more knobs and buttons than one can shake a stick at.



Gone is the old fashioned key to be replaced by an electric one which is of absolutely no use unless the driver is strapped in AND has her / his foot on the clutch.

The car all so dispenses with the old hand brake leaver and has in it's place a hand brake button, which takes a little getting used to even for a driver experienced in driving many vehicles. Once engaged the hand brake is released automatically when puling away.



With her two kids my landlady needs all of this space when she goes camping with a 20 ft bell tent, it also comes in useful for shifting furniture and building materials about.



Other interesting features include exterior lights that come on when locking and unlocking the doors at night, again no conventional keys are required for this operation.



I'm not sure how the car will perform when I come to borrow it and attempt to defend the Cross Trophy Car Trial next year but I am sure I'll have plenty of fun giving it a go. With thanks to my landlady.

Hope you have enjoyed today's late model edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres', and that you will join me again tomorrow.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter.

Don't forget to come back now !

Perfect car for a wedding #3 - FIAT 500 Lusso

Mindful of the fact that in a weeks time much of the TV watching world will be tuned in to the nuptials Mr William Windsor and Miss Kate Middleton, I thought it might be fun to look at a wedding mobile that will almost certainly not feature in next Fridays Royal extravaganza.



The FIAT 500 Lusso (Luxury), produced from 1968 to 1972, was externally distinguished from its base F (or Berlina) models by its extra chrome nudge bar.



The original Nuova Cinquecento (500) was launched in in 1957 and replaced the delightful Topolino which had also been designed by Dante Giacosa.



With a 6 ft wheel base carrying a body 4" shy of 12 feet the 500 is considered to be one of the first city cars.



Like the Volkswagen Beetle and Renault 4CV the Cinquecento has its engine in the boot, this particular model was originally fitted with a 17 hp 499cc / 30.4 cui two cylinder motor.



As one might expect from a vehicle less than 10' long and just over 4' wide the space inside might best be described as intimate, in fact just perfect for a couple of newly weds.

Wishing everyone getting married in the coming week all the best.

Hope you have enjoyed todays wedding edition of 'Getting a lil' psycho on tyres' and hope that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !

Also in the Perfect car for a wedding series :-

Citroen Traction Avant

Humber Super Snipe MK IV

Too Dangerous To Race - Ferrari GTO

The Ferrari (288) GTO was designed to meet the 4 litre Group B regulations for rallying and racing sports cars which came into effect in 1982 .



To be homologated, granted approval, to compete in the liberal loose Group B classes of rallys and races 200 identical examples of a model had to be manufactured.



From 1984 - 1986 272 examples of the Ferrari 288 GTO were manufactured with a view to competing against the similar, albeit fitted with 4 wheel drive, Porsche 959/961.



The 288 GTO was loosely based on the Ferrari 308 GTB though the rear bodywork was extended to incorporate the engine which was now longitudinally mounted rather than transversely mounted as in the 308 GTB.



Pininfarina designed body panels for the 288 GTO were manufactured from a combination of fibreglass, aluminium and F1 technology Kevlar however in the interests of safety the door panels were made of steel.



With four hundred horsepower available, in road trim, from the twin turbo charged 2855 cc / 174 cui V8 it is regrettable that the 288 GTO never saw any competitive action as a result of the Group B regulations being deemed to dangerous for competition after a number of fatalities in Group B rally events during 1986. By 1987 the Group B regulations and even more lax Group S regulations had been suspended in the interests of safety.

This 1985 model, known officially as a Ferrari GTO but often called 288 GTO to distinguish it from other Ferrari GTO models, is seen at the recent Italian Auto Moto Festival in Bristol.

Hope you have enjoyed today's homologation edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !

Black Cat - Jaguar XK120 #670138

I'd like to thank Geoffrey Horton for sending me these photographs of Phil Hill's Jaguar XK120 at the 2007 Danville Concours de Elegance.



This chassis #670138 is known to have been raced by Phil, who was guest of honour at Danville in 2007, in at least 3 races in 1950 in which he scored two second place finishes and a win in the 100 Mile race at Pebble Beach in November 1950.



Last week it came to light that I had overlooked something in my original blog on the XK120, namely that while the standard XK 120 took it's name from it's 120 mph capability, it has transpired that Norman Dewis was bolted into an XK120 with a streamlined roof and recorded a production car record speed of 172.412 mph on the 21st October 1953 driving along a stretch of Belgian Motorway known as the Jabbeke Straight, between Bruges and Ostend.

My thanks to Terry, Tim, Allan, and Tony at The Nostalgia Forum for the additional details and thanks again to Geoffrey for today's marvellous photographs.

Hope you have enjoyed today's Black Cat edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow, Ferrari Friday, for a look at my favourite road going V8 Ferrari. Don't forget to come back now !

Cobra Killer - de Tomaso Mangusta # 8MA 1216

This Mangusta is one of a handful of genuinely show stopping cars at the Italian Auto Moto Festival on Bristol last weekend and my personal favourite of those present.



When I was a kid and we got our first black and white television I was completely captivated by a Sci Fi puppet series called Thunderbirds and there were three real machines representing transport that seemed to capture that vision of the future, the Mangusta with its clean lines and gullwing engine cover, the supersonic Concorde and the ship named Queen Elizabeth 2 or QE2.



Mangusta translated means mongoose a carnivore immune to some snake venom known to kill vipers and typically avoid cobra's. However the myth is that Mongeese are cobra killers and that is why the name was chosen for this vehicle because de Tomaso wanted to build a car that was better than the Shelby Cobra after a misunderstanding about a supply of engines that went to Shelby.



The Giorgetto Giugiaro body is fitted on to pressed steel back bone chassis which has it's origins in de Tomaso's first road car the Ford 4 cylinder Kent powered Vallelunga.



401 Mangusta's are thought to have been built from 1964 to 1968 of which around 128 may have survived.



All bar one Mangusta were fitted with Ford V8's the 306 hp 4729 cc / 289 cui for the European Markets, and the 220 hp 4949 cc / 302 cui for the US Market, the US versions had pop up lights in place of the twin headlamps of the European versions. The odd Mangusta was built with a Chevrolet Small Block V8.



Tarantino aficionado's might recognise the 155 mph Mangusta from Kill Bill Vol. 2, see trailer at 1m 27 seconds, and Kylie Minogue fans might recognise the Mangusta from the 2001 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' video.



Chassis 8MA 1216 seen here was purchased by Alitalia pilot Giancarlo Furiosi and kept by him until 2009 when portrait photographer Jonathan Root acquired it.

Hope you have enjoyed today's Cobra Killer edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a black cat. Don't forget to come back now !

More Mini Fun - ABS Freestyle

While at Dundry for the Cross Trophy Car Trial on Sunday I came across several vehicles about which I knew very little including this ABS Freestyle.



Manufactured by Westholme Aviation Limited in Somerset this kit car was marketed by Funbuggies.



The steering gear from a Mini is bolted onto the front of the chassis, with integral roll cage,



and a similarly sourced engine and gearbox is bolted on to the back.



Extra grip to the rear, driven, wheels is afforded by the two spare wheels mounted on a separate cage behind the engine.



This ABS Freestyle which is SVA (Single Vehicle Approval) tested and road registered is shared by father and son Richard and Matthew who trailer the Freestyle to and from events as it does not offer much protection from inclement weather.

Unfortunately ABS Freestyles are no longer in production and Funbuggies appears to be no longer in business.

SOT further to yesterdays blog it turns out that not only did I win the front engine front wheel drive class in Sundays Cross Trophy Car Trial but Tim Murray informs me that my scores when adjusted by an index against all the entries in the other 'Clubsport' classes that I also won the Cross Trophy as well ! I am honoured, humbled and pleased as punch. Apparently the trophy will be awarded at the end of season AGM which will no doubt be the subject of another blog.

Hope you have enjoyed today's Freetstyle edition of 'Gettin' a lil psycho on tyres' and that you'll join me again tomorrow for a look at a show stopper. Don't forget to come back now !