The English are known for concocting some of the most exclusive and beautiful automobiles of all time. When one mentions automotive class, names like Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce (now BMW-owned) and Lotus come to mind. Although the last few years saw several British car manufacturers get sold to larger establishments, one truly British icon of bespoke motoring survives, upholding time-honoured hand-crafting techniques using specially selected wood veneers and hides – and all this melded into an age-old yet somewhat intriguing and classy design. Enter Bristol.
For die-hard subscribers to the company’s “Nicely Understated, Never Underestimated” mantra, the base Blenheim model can be had for £149,812,50 including VAT. On the other end of the scale, those fans of the marque aspiring to supercar performance can shell out £256,150 for the top-spec Fighter, shown below.
Check out www.bristolcars.co.uk and/ or leave a comment!
SLD
lloyd@blueworldmedia.co.za
True, David, it is rather sad to note that all (or most) of these car makers had to be bought out by the respective firms – bearing in mind that it is the cachet of tradition that makes the marques so appealing.
By the way, did you know that TVR was also sold to a 20-something years old Russian investor named Nikolai Smolensky? 
. At least they have kept production techniques and most other aspects unchanged, bar an increase in production capacity and more new models. Word said they also wanted to produce motorcycles.
Happy motoring!
SLD
April 26, 2007 1:28 pm
I did know that! Nikolai is very young for this sort of position but nuder the guidance of the legendary Peter Wheeler (the previous owner of TVR) he has done extremely well. The Sagaris and Tuscan 2 is proof of that. 
I am looking forward to seeing my babies again in the next few days at the Castrol Extreme Auto Show. Just drop me a PM line if you would like pics, otherwise just keep an eye on the Zooped Forums.
I agree with David. Almost all the famous brands were owned by some others. It’s great to see Bristol as a British one and providing enthusiastic cars with high features. The models are also looking pretty good.
Great day…!
April 15, 2010 10:18 am
DavidT
Sadly British cars are not exclusively British anymore. Jag and Aston are owned by Ford, Lotus is owned by Malaysian car company Proton. Rolls Royce is owned by BMW, Bentley is owned by VW group. MG/Rover went bust and was sold to a Chinese Auto Firm. Sad, isnt it?
Only two manufacturers are left but their production lines are extremely limited. TVR and Bristol. They both specialise in enthusiast cars. Personally TVR thumps Bristol… Cheaper, faster and looks outstanding! TVR Sagaris ftw!
April 23, 2007 10:15 pm