Bristol 603

Bristol
Bristol 603 E
603
Production period:	1976-1982
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 5.2-5.9 liters (118-147 kW)
Length:	4910 mm
Width:	1770 mm
Height:	1440 mm
Wheelbase :	2900 mm
Empty weight :	1690 kg
Previous model	Bristol 411 Mk. 5
successor	Bristol Britannia

The Bristol 603 was a two-door sports sedan produced by the British car manufacturer Bristol Cars Ltd. , which replaced the Bristol 411 Mk.5 in October 1976 and was produced until late summer 1982. The car appeared on the occasion of the brand's 30th anniversary. Its design forms the basis for all the Bristol models presented later up to the Bristol Blenheim produced up to 2011 .

The designation

With the 603, Bristol began a new designation system. After the Bristol 412 was introduced in 1974 as the brand's youngest model, the successor to the Bristol 411 should have been called the 413. The company wanted to avoid this. Instead of jumping to number 414, Bristol started a completely new counting system with the new model. In the first sales brochures, which were published on the occasion of the presentation of the model in October 1976, the model designation is still given as Bristol 600 Series . Ultimately, the company decided on the designation 603. This choice should take into account the fact that the city of Bristol celebrated its 603rd anniversary in 1976.

The concept

The Bristol 603 was - apart from the Bristol 412 - the most lasting change in the company's recent history. The car broke almost completely with the 16-year-old design of the previous models 406 to 411 , and there were also numerous technical changes . The 603 was the first car whose body was manufactured by Bristol itself. So far, the British bus manufacturer Park Royal Vehicles had supplied the body shells. By producing in-house, Bristol owner Tony Crook expected greater flexibility and better opportunities to respond to phases of lower demand. The outer body parts were no longer made by hand, but pressed by machine. Initially, the results of the pressing process were of varying precision. In the first few years, the large sheet metal parts in particular showed considerable unevenness, which gave the viewer the impression of poor manufacturing quality.

The design

Bristol 603 (Series 1); with non-standard rims

Prototype for the 603: The Anadol A1 developed for the Turkish market

inner space

The exterior of the Bristol 603 had been completely redesigned. The designer in charge was Dudley Hobbs, a long-time Bristol employee who had designed some of the previous models of the 603. The 603 was still a two-door, four-seater sedan, and the basic proportions - long front end with spare wheels placed on the side and passenger cell set backwards - were retained. Apart from that, everything else about the 603 was new. Deviating from the previous notchback line, the 603 received a semi-hatchback with very thin B- and C-pillars. The aim of the designer was to improve the clarity of the body. The thin pillars of the vehicle and the large rear window enabled a very good all-round view. To support this, Bristol launched a notice in the press that the factory had failed to find an interior mirror large enough to fully capture the entire section of the rear window. The flowing roof line of the 603 was modeled on the Anadol A1 designed by Tom Karen ( Ogle Design ) , a car that Reliant had developed for the Turkish market. The short stern sloped off and had rectangular tail lights, which were already known from the Bristol 411. In contrast to the previous model, there were two large rear fog lights and reversing lights in the tailgate to the left and right of the license plate. The large round headlights familiar from the 411 could be found on the front end. Unlike the previous model, the grill was not designed as a toaster grill, but consisted of three elements of roughly the same size, the middle one bearing a large Bristol logo. Very thin, chrome-plated bumpers were striking. Bristol used numerous attachments from Vauxhall and Bedford , such as the front indicators, door handles and taillights.

The design of the interior was largely retained. Bristol retained the now classic dashboard that can be traced back to the Coupe 404 ; Generously laid wood and leather still dominated the furnishings.

Overall, the Bristol 603 was an extremely narrow car. Bristol attached great importance to this feature and highlighted it as the reason for the particular handiness of the car.

The design of the Bristol 603 was received differently. In isolated press reports, the 603 was described as a "very nice car". In most cases, however, the design was critically assessed, for example by describing the car as "not extremely beautiful". Some Bristol customers went further in their wording. They compared the body of the 603 u. a. with the "self-construction of a village blacksmith".

The technology

As with all of its predecessors, Bristol used the well-known tubular frame for the 603, which had only been slightly modified. What was new, however, were the engines, which were smaller than those of the Bristol 411. The offer was now a 5.9 liter eight-cylinder, which was still purchased from Chrysler; a smaller, 5.2 liter version was temporarily added. Both were also used by Monteverdi at the time , for the Sierra sedan .

The models

The Bristol 603 was produced in two series between 1976 and 1982. A total of between 70 and 80 copies were made; the Bristol Owners Club estimates that about one car a month left the Filton plant in the 1970s .

The 603 S1

Bristol 603 S1

The first series of the Bristol 603 was offered from 1976 to autumn 1982. There was a choice of two engines:

• The Bristol 603S (for sports ) was equipped with a 5.9 liter eight-cylinder Chrysler engine. The engine, which had a very low compression ratio of 8.0: 1, had a quadruple carburetor that gave it around 200 hp. Bristol did not give exact performance data; however, a comparison with Monteverdi allows conclusions to be drawn about corresponding values. What is certain is that the performance was noticeably reduced compared to the earlier models. For the 603S, Bristol reported an acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in the range of 7.6 seconds. In a test in 1978, the magazine "Motor Road" determined a value of 8.4 seconds, a good second more than the aerodynamically unfortunate 412 with the 6.6 liter engine. According to "Motor Road", the top speed of the 603S is 140 mph or 225 km / h. The Bristol 603S is the most widely used version of the model.

• The Bristol 603E (for Economy ) was also available. It was equipped with a 5.2-liter version of the eight-cylinder and only had a double carburetor. With a view to the freely available performance data of the correspondingly motorized Monteverdi Sierra 5.2, an output of around 160 hp should have arisen. For the 603E, the 1976 factory brochure specifies an acceleration value of 10.9 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour. A test of this model by a trade journal is not known. Only a few copies of the 603E were produced.

In terms of price, the 603 was priced at £ 30,000 in 1978 between the Aston Martin V8 , which was offered for £ 21,000, and the Rolls-Royce Corniche , which was on the price list at £ 38,000.

In 1982 the factory built the first prototype of the Bristol Brigand on the basis of a 603 S1 manufactured in 1977 .

The 603 S2

Bristol 603 Series 2 stern

In 1978 the 603 appeared in a second series (603S2). Outwardly, the new model could be recognized by side ventilation openings in the rear fenders. From a technical point of view, Bristol was now limited to the 5.9-liter variant; the previous model 603E was omitted. The purchase price for a 603S2 in 1980 was £ 21,000.

In October 1982 the Bristol 603 was replaced by the Bristol Britannia and its twin Bristol Brigand .

literature

• Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story . 2009 (Haynes Publishing) ISBN 978-1-844254071 .
• RM Clarke: Bristol Cars: A Brooklands Portfolio: 132 Contemporary Articles Drawn from International Motoring Journals , UK 2001 (engl.)
• LJK Setright : A private car , 2 volumes, UK 1999 (engl.)
• LJK Setright: Bristol Cars and Engines , UK 1974, ISBN 978-0-900549-22-9 (English)
• Western Expension: Bristol 411 replaced by new-style 603 , Presentation of the Bristol 603 S1 in: Autocar, October 16, 1976 (engl.)
• Long, narrow and British : Presentation of the Bristol 603 S1 in: Autosport, October 14, 1976.
• Bristol 603 Star Road Test : In-depth test of a Bristol 603 S2 in: Motor, September 2, 1978

Web links

Commons : Bristol 603  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• First sales brochure of the "Bristol Series 600" from 1976

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Illustration of the sales prospectus (accessed on August 13, 2012).
2. ^ Balfour: Bristol Cars. P. 328.
3. ^ Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story. P. 328.
4. ^ Engine: Star Road Test from September 2, 1978.
5. ^ Autosport of October 14, 1976 ("A very pretty car").
6. ^ Motor, September 2, 1978 ("not extaordinarily attractive").
7. ↑ "A blacksmith's special", quoted from Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story. P. 331.