Renowned Bristol classic car brand to return to the city

A renowned car brand once made in Filton is set to be revived and remastered in a move expected to boost the city’s manufacturing sector.

After buying the intellectual property rights to Bristol Cars, entrepreneur Jason Wharton has revealed ambitious plans to attract further investment to revive the marque into a leading electric vehicle (EV) company by the time it marks its 80th anniversary in 2026.

The London-based property developer and chartered surveyor aims to re-engineer the distinctive vehicles on a build-to-order basis through his company Bristol Manufacturing Limited. The cars will go on the market for around £495,000, plus VAT.

In its heyday, the company formed in 1945 as the car division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company had a factory in Filton and an exclusive showroom in Kensington High Street, where the collection of refined grand tourers was showcased.

The original company went into administration in 2011 and eventually faced liquidation in 2020, seemingly to be lost forever before car enthusiast Wharton stepped in to acquire the intellectual property rights to the firm for an undisclosed sum.

Wharton, who owns a Bristol Fighter and a Bristol 411, aims to remaster select models from the classic Bristol Cars range.

Jason Wharton bought the intellectual property rights to Bristol Cars for an undisclosed sum – photo courtesy of Bristol Manufacturing Limited/Faith PR

The firm will be headquartered in London and Wharton intends to open an ‘Atelier’ style final assembly and brand centre in Filton, near the original manufacture site, as well as a showroom in Kensington once more.

Externally, the remastered vehicles will undergo a “mild facelift” but under the bonnet, they will be re-engineered to modern standards. Work is due to begin on the first cars this year, with prototypes likely to be ready towards the end of 2021, when an extensive testing regime will be undertaken.

The entirely new Bristol Buccaneer will be an EV, scheduled for a start of production in 2025 in Filton.

“Bristol is a quintessentially British brand that was renowned for creating luxurious and distinctive vehicles,” says Wharton.

“We want to revive and reinvigorate this iconic marque, preserving its heritage, while fully remastering it for the 21st century.

“This country has a remarkable tradition of creating low-volume, hand-manufactured vehicles, and Bristol Cars has for far too long been unable to fulfil its potential. We want to change that.

“I see myself as a long-term investor in this iconic British brand, so part of my role is to take it forward and develop it so it can finally become sustainable as a premium automotive business, hence our need to move with the times, and introduce a fully battery electric model.”

Wharton’s Bristol Fighter will be used to build the remastered prototypes – photo courtesy of Bristol Manufacturing Limited/Faith PR

Each remastered car will be fitted with a new 6.4 litre naturally aspirated Hemi Chrysler V8 powertrain, eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, while the suspension, electrical architecture and interiors will be newly updated.

Initially, three limited-edition series of eight remastered cars will be produced – the Bristol 411 Series 8, the Bristol Fighter and the Bristol Speedster. These will be the final internal combustion engine Bristol Cars ever to be manufactured, as the entirely new Bristol Buccaneer will be an EV.

Orders are being taken now for the remastered series of vehicles which will be delivered to customers in 2022 and 2023.

Bristol Speedster is one of the distinctive vehicles manufactured by Bristol Cars – photo courtesy of Bristol Manufacturing Limited/Faith PR

Main photo courtesy of Bristol Manufacturing Limited/Faith PR

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