The thought of world domination past one’s 60th birthday sounds exhausting, even for overzealous politicians. An unlikely dark horse, Bristol is up to the challenge. Who’s Bristol? Bristol’s not a person, but the last wholly owned British car manufacturer. Their mantra, “Nicely Understated, Never Underrated” translates to “Never Heard Of Them,” even among many enthusiasts. That could soon change in a very big way, thanks to the Bristol Fighter T.
The T-designated model introduction is apparently in response to current owners’ (yes, we understand that to be a plural) desire to achieve greater performance than they can with the already-formidable Fighter and Fighter S. With a top speed projected to be about four times the 55-mph speed limit, we’ll venture a wild presumption that the objective has at least been temporarily satisfied.
With such promises of ground-level flight, can the Bristol Fighter T possibly deliver? It’s time to strap in for the rare opportunity to take a closer look and evaluate this exotic on the bases of luxury and practicality, relative to its peers (not that there are many). Is a perfect score of 100 points on the horizon? Read on…
The luxury ride
It may be a good thing that the Fighter T is exceptionally exclusive, because this kind of power wasn’t made for the masses. Open the elongated hood, and you’ll immediately understand why the Fighter T needs an elongated hood; lurking beneath is a twin turbocharged and intercooled Dodge Viper 8.0-liter V10. Even in a standard tuned Mopar, this engine will slap you around and make you say its name. In the Fighter T, you’d better establish a safe word and notify your next of kin before you play. That’s because you’re experiencing 1,012 horsepower, 1,036 lb-ft of torque and compressed innards as you whip from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds -- and you'll only shift the six-speed manual into second at about the time you hit the 60 mark. With four-digit horsepower and torque, Bristol reckons the Fighter T’s theoretic top speed crosses 270 mph -- not mistyped, that’s 2-7-0 or more. Falling back on their “nicely understated” tradition, Bristol clips the T’s wings to a “more than sufficient” 225 mph-limited top end. At each corner ride 19-inch wheels on, yes, speed-rated tires -- thank God.All velocity aside, the Fighter T appeals even when it’s not moving at a subsonic blur. The lines definitely say exotic sports car, but the front-engine layout allows for a less polarizing look than other megabuck rides, like the Bugatti Veyron. To us, hints of Zagato-bodied Aston Martins come through here and there, and that ain’t half bad. But given the T’s price of just over $700,000 and its overachieving performance, some will grumble it looks too benign for its status. Ostentatious looks have never been a Bristol hallmark. In fact, this is easily the flashiest, most modern-looking car from them yet.
Inside, the T’s interior is mostly appealing, though it leaves a little to be desired in some of the finer details. Every now and then, your eye catches a glimpse of a parts-bin component that doesn’t befit a super-expensive, ultra-exclusive exotic.
The verdict
Phenomenal performance in an attractive (some will say plain brown) wrapper, the Fighter T is far less fussy than other cars like the Bugatti Veyron and, if you can believe it, even rarer. This really appeals to sports car purists who don’t mind sacrificing a little flash for a lotta dash.Luxury score: 44
We know he Fighter T is fast, but is it practical?
The practical ride
Said sports-car purists may have also come to expect a certain degree of difficulty from a proper sports car. It can manifest in terms of cabin comfort, effort required to run properly, finicky handling and so on. These guys will also tolerate more of this, commensurate with the level of performance. So they'll be a little disappointed with the Bristol Fighter T. Mind you, the T is neither exceptionally roomy nor posh, but Bristol has always made a point of making the most of the available space in any given model. Yes, the British are familiar with ergonomics after all.The good news continues where the engine is concerned, since the naturally-aspirated Viper’s V10 is typically durable for such a high-strung unit. Even with the extra plumbing and performance, we still feel the two-place Fighter T shouldn’t kick up much of a fuss, even on road trips and track days -- provided it’s in the hands of a competent driver.
Here come the clouds, though. The bad news is that any of the T’s specialized components, the unique-to-Bristol bits, will have to come directly from the source. Bristol does not have any dealers or authorized service centers, even in the UK. There’s only the headquarters in London where you’ll have to source all your needs, or, at worst, ship your car for major service.
The verdict
Some high-end cars give owners the option of shipping their cars to the motherland for major service or repairs, but few offer it as the only solution. Granted, anyone willing to spend over $700,000 on a car won’t mind the expense, but it translates to inconvenience at any price. And if you spend any time around the Bristol Fighter T, you can imagine wanting to spend every waking moment in its presence as a fortunate owner.Practical score: 36
and the total is...
After 60-plus years of quietly hand building exceptionally low numbers of gentlemen’s GTs, Bristol is poised to take on the world -- or at least the world’s fastest exotics -- and dominate with their Fighter T. The first deliveries are about to take place, but unless you’ve already been in line for some time and are poised to hand over $700,000, you’ll have to sit on the sidelines with the rest of us and see how it all plays out.80/100
Resources:http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/FighterT.htm
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=12&article_id=5440
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