Chance encounters often alter the course of history, and there were two that gave us the fascinating story of Bristol Cars.
The first was in 1909, when George White, chairman of The Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, was visiting France and met Wilbur Wright, who was demonstrating his and his brother’s invention: the aeroplane.
White immediately recognised the business potential so on his return founded The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, run out of an old tram shed in Filton.
Having failed to get airborne a biplane bought from French firm Zodiac, the Bristol team improved on a Farman design they had seen detailed in Flight magazine, and so in July 1910 the Boxkite took to the clouds above Salisbury Plain.
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It proved a great commercial success and became the British military’s first plane – and when the First World War broke out, Bristol’s Scout and Fighter were vital for the Royal Flying Corps.
When conflict with Germany broke out once more 20 years later, the now Bristol Aeroplane Company again provided several key types.
However, as it expanded to meet wartime demand, Bristol realised it would need to diversify in a post-war economy. As early as 1941, an internal planning document suggested car making, citing BMW and Lancia as examples to follow.
Then a few years later came that second chance meeting. Before the war, BMW’s sports cars were sold in the UK under the Frazer Nash brand by AFN, run by brothers Harold and Donald Aldington.
Posted to Bristol as a Ministry of Aircraft Production inspector, Donald heard of the car idea and brought a 1939 BMW 327/80. It was exactly what George White (named after his grandfather) had in mind, and so Bristol took over AFN.
When the war was won, Harold flew to Munich and returned with a BMW engine and blueprints for the 326, 327 and 328, to be used as the basis for the first Bristol car.
Armaments chief George Abell had previously worked for several car firms, so he was transferred to lead the new Car Division.
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In 1965, as an impoverished student I rashly laid out £200 to buy a knackered Bristol 401. it was great to drive, easy to unstick the rear wheels but even at just 70,000 miles the big end bearings were finished. I kept it for many years occassionally making small improvements, but it needed more so eventually I sold it to a restorer of Bristols based in Birmingham. JBO137, where are you now?
Still in Birmingham as recently as 2018, it seems!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tristartech/44064899872
In 1965, as an impoverished student I rashly laid out £200 to buy a knackered Bristol 401. it was great to drive, easy to unstick the rear wheels but even at just 70,000 miles the big end bearings were finished. I kept it for many years occassionally making small improvements, but it needed more so eventually I sold it to a restorer of Bristols based in Birmingham. JBO137, where are you now?
In 1965, as an impoverished student I rashly laid out £200 to buy a knackered Bristol 401. it was great to drive, easy to unstick the rear wheels but even at just 70,000 miles the big end bearings were finished. I kept it for many years occassionally making small improvements, but it needed more so eventually I sold it to a restorer of Bristols based in Birmingham. JBO137, where are you now?
Sorry for the triple posting. The post doesnt appear immediately and so I thought it had failed.