Bristol Boosts Eccentric Viper-Powered Fighter to 1,012 hp

Fighter T Photos

This is Britannia: the Bristol Blenheim III. (Photo: Bristol)

Shocking! A Bristol with curves! This is the original 2003 Fighter. (Photo: Bristol)

1,012 horsepower is simply incredible. (Photo: Bristol)

270 mph top speed is a bit lofty, but it had to be regulated for safety purposes. (Photo: Bristol)

Fighter is comfortable for those up to 67" tall, thanks to double bubble dome roof. (Photo: Bristol)

Exclusive Fighter GT Out-Powers Bugatti Veyron

Dont be surprised if youve never heard of Bristol before; this British car manufacturer is one of the quirkiest and most mysterious boutique automakers on the face of the planet. The brand started out as an aircraft manufacturer (perhaps youve heard of the WWII-era Blenheim or Beaufort bombers), but switched to automobiles in 1946. Though it produced vehicles with four wheels instead of two wings, the method of production remained unchanged, using labor extensive processes, plus aerospace engineering and manufacturing techniques.

For the past quarter century, Bristols main product was the Blenheim, a boxy, understated car that didnt look like anything special, but it was well-built, durable and exclusive. It also wasnt cheap, rivaling top marques Rolls Royce and Bentley in price. In 2003, Bristol introduced the Fighter two-seat grand tourer. This curvy, gullwinged coupe presented a new direction for Bristol, in the same way that the Aero 8 redefined Morgan.

Recently, Bristol introduced an upgraded Fighter model with a “T” designation, which stands for “turbocharged”; two turbochargers and an intercooler have been slapped onto its 8.0-liter V10 borrowed from Dodges first generation Viper. As with Saleens S7 Twin-Turbo, the Fighters big American engine responds well to the presence of boost, developing 1,012 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 1,036 lb-ft of torque at 4,500. Not only is that greater output than the Saleen, but it also outclasses the Bugatti Veyrons quad-turbocharged W16 motor by a surprising margin. It isnt as quick or as fast as the Veyron though, taking 3.5 seconds to hit 60 mph from a standstill in first gear and acheiving a top speed of 225 mph, which has been electronically limited.

Bristol claims that the Fighter T could theoretically hit 270 mph, which is a figure thats completely possible given the available power and the drivetrains long gearing via the six-speed manual transmission. However the truly odd proportions of the car, in combination with its extremely slick drag rating of 0.27 Cd, means it would be unstable at the high speeds its supposedly capable of reaching, despite an altered suspension, lower ride height and a rear wake diffuser. Still, 225 mph is nothing to scoff at, a top speed that easily secures it the position of worlds fastest front-engined car.

In previous performance versions of the Fighter, Bristol more or less increased the power output without really changing any of the other areas of the car. But because the Fighter T has far more power (it verges on airplane territory), the brand actually took the gull-winged coupe back to the drawing board. There, the cars tubular steel frame was modified to be 30-percent stronger than lesser variants. Up front, the new Bristol has a different intake to house the intercooler, while the exhaust now exists through holes cut into the side of the car.

First deliveries of the Fighter T are expected to take place next September. But, like all Bristols, production will be extremely limited, and only a handful of the top-line models will be built. As far as pricing is concerned, if you have to ask it obviously isnt for you.