tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-370153192012-01-12T14:19:22.183ZAdventures with a 1969 Bristol 410The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.comBlogger511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-36739789493543714052012-01-12T11:59:00.002Z2012-01-12T14:19:22.192Z

Well, if anyone is still reading this, you'll have noticed that every time I post anything on this blog, I usually start by apologising that it's been so long since the last time, and end with an airy promise that I'll try not to leave it so long until next time. Well, guess what...? It turns out that small children are a slight hindrance to both blogging and driving old cars which don't have a

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-40236508017562958862011-02-01T09:19:00.001Z2011-02-01T09:25:18.225Z

Ferrari California A few hardy Bristoleers  braved the cold last Sunday to go to the PistonHeads Sunday Service, held at the Mini factory in Cowley. Bristols always seem to get a mixed reaction on the PistonHeads forums, threads usually started by someone who has never seen or driven a Blenheim getting very angry that other people would consider paying so much for such an ugly, outdated car.

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-44710394840988661872011-01-05T10:06:00.002Z2011-01-05T10:10:51.116Z

I thought I'd better get something on the blog early this year, and will try to keep up with posting better in 2011 than in 2010.  The 410 is going well as ever.  I picked it up from SLJ's in mid-December but it hasn't seen much use through the snow and salt we've had recently. It is all much more solid underneath, and they kept the rotten bits so I could see just what had been remade.  Nice to

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-53984872929012395192010-12-07T19:12:00.005Z2010-12-07T20:24:07.631Z

Hello! Don't worry, I'm still here. Around this time last year I mentioned that getting married might slow the rate of blogging, and it seems I was right! The last time we spoke, the car had just had a new MoT, but kept blowing fuses and the lights didn't work as they should. All that's now sorted - a replacement fuse holder (there are only two fuses on a 410) has so far kept the electricity

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-2438318139524550152010-03-08T09:35:00.004Z2010-03-08T10:15:20.427Z

Things carry on here. The door has now been fixed and is working as a door should (opens, closes, that sort of thing...). While it was at Spencer's I also asked Rob and Colin, since they had one door apart anyway, to replace the rotten weather seals on the front windows. It is possible to replace them with modern rubber seals, but these sit proud of the door and don't look nearly so nice, so

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-27702114674472725392010-02-10T12:43:00.005Z2010-02-17T20:55:58.039Z

Well, happy new year to one and all. Things are moving slowly forward. My 'other' car, the Bitter SC, has finally gone to a new owner. Technically it had been for sale for some time, but in practice I had not advertised it anywhere, so enquiries were few. However a few people in the Bitter Owners' Club knew it was for sale, and passed some enquiries on to me. One of those was very keen, and

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-15127587262507561252009-12-16T20:16:00.002Z2009-12-16T20:35:49.418Z

Well hello! Sorry this hasn't been updated in six months now. Maybe that's what happens when you get married – are there any married bloggers out there?Anyway, to cut a long story short the car has been off the road for the last few months while waiting for various small / medium sized jobs all to be done at once, which makes it a Big Job, hence the delay starting. Things should progress in

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-59483301937345081672009-06-15T07:11:00.007+01:002009-06-15T09:05:04.350+01:00

Well sorry it's been a bit quiet here for a while. This is due to spending April furiously preparing for my wedding, and then spending most of May on honeymoon. Hooray! The 410 obviously played a part in proceedings, transporting me and my wife from the ceremony venue to the reception. The photo above is the best man and his girlfriend fitting the ribbons to the bonnet. Honeymoon was in

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-11525850005137439492009-03-24T12:13:00.009Z2009-03-24T13:47:32.704Z

We've been off to France again this month.  I'd been given a flyer for a classic car show in Arras, and since I needed to go to France anyway to stock up on cheaper booze (only slightly these days sadly!) I thought the two things could be combined easily.  Arras is only a little over 100km from Calais, so it would make a nice weekend trip with a cheap hotel in town easy to find.  The weather on

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-2664087498767958622009-03-06T00:51:00.007Z2009-03-06T01:35:52.770Z

The Vulcan bomber is a true Bristol. Four Bristol Olympus jet engines means it is more Bristol powered than my own car. Through a combination of extraordinary dedication, thousands of small donors, corporate will, and the National Lottery, one Vulcan XH558 is now airworthy after a 12 year restoration, the largest return to flight operation ever undertaken. However, the current financial

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-19424627239347530612009-02-13T19:34:00.008Z2009-02-16T08:38:59.357Z

I've had this video for a while, and have finally put it onto YouTube for your general delight. The occasion was the BOC trip to Bordeaux in 2004. I went on on this trip and had a great time. It was more or less the first thing I did with the Club, and after getting to Bordeaux went on to Spain for a couple of weeks, racking up about 3,000 miles by the time we got home. I'm afraid HTV edited

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-61801124980544436002009-01-27T21:22:00.004Z2009-01-27T23:04:44.908Z

So where were we?  Once again, sorry for the absence.  At least I've managed (just) to get a post up before it becomes three months since the last one.  I put this down to the power of me not wanting to do my tax return, meaning I am finally doing lots of things I've been meaning to do for ages.  Anyway, the car continues to go nicely.  We were down in Somerset yesterday, to photograph the area

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-87364993605571782922008-10-28T16:10:00.006Z2008-10-28T19:51:24.276Z

Well, sorry it's been so long since the last post.  Things have been pretty busy over the summer, and having got a little behind with updating this, I then kept putting it off.  The 410, you'll be glad to hear, has been behaving itself over the last few months.  There's still a few little things to do after the rebuild, like sorting the draught around the passenger door that makes a huge amount

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-40343267554325978832008-07-17T19:25:00.007+01:002008-07-17T21:08:14.648+01:00

No apologies for the above photo. I know it's not a Bristol but it is one of my favourite cars, in terms of looks, ever built - the De Tomaso Mangusta, so called of course because the mongoose eats cobras... Another trip to France in the 410 last weekend, this time for the Le Mans Classic. The Mangusta was parked in the paddock area, and I expect was the most orange car on site by some margin.

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-20908666562186536092008-07-09T12:08:00.006+01:002008-07-09T13:16:14.554+01:00

Another busy couple of weeks here. Yet another wedding to attend, and this time in France, mean another good run for the Bristol. An early morning departure put us safely aboard the Normandie Express for a very rough crossing to Cherbourg. I don't mind rough seas, but the foul smell and sound of people being sick that permeated the whole vessel was not an inspiring start to a holiday! The car

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-67283830645013433822008-06-17T23:37:00.011+01:002008-06-18T19:33:35.351+01:00

So you though I'd forgotten about this? Well, here we are again! Sorry it's been so long since the last update, but having got out of the habit of regular updates I got kind of sidetracked. But here we are, and it's been a pretty busy few months since the car came back. First up was the BOC AGM in Nottingham, a lively affair this year with some new rules proposed and then withdrawn at the

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-17879005926121085322008-03-19T19:45:00.004Z2008-03-19T20:21:07.766Z

Well, we're back! Running on all cylinders, so to speak, and ready for action. I picked up the 410 from Andrew Mitchell's last week, in the torrential rain, and it really is good to back behind the wheel. Andrew and his team have done a fantastic job, especially Steve who did virtually all the major work. The fit and finish on the panels is superb, the paint match is excellent, and overall I

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-26478468345300352602008-03-03T23:22:00.012Z2008-03-04T00:18:24.709Z

You'll be glad to hear that work on the 410 has continued to progress apace and its return, I hope, is imminent. The paint is now all done and it should just be having underseal, final bits and bobs and a new MoT this week. I shall update you the moment it's finally back and ready for action.In the meantime I thought I'd share this little gem with you. I've mentioned before what rare and

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-194940760694543582008-02-11T23:36:00.000Z2008-02-12T00:24:30.920Z

Well, what with all the excitement of taking the 411 to pieces, it's been a little while since I mentioned how the 410 repairs are coming along. As you will have noticed in the photo of the 411, it has no wings. That's because they were the first things removed, before I started my removal of everything else, and they are now permanently attached to the 410. The photo of the 410 here is it as

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-80141434163707468872008-01-26T15:42:00.001Z2008-01-26T16:46:57.702Z

Here's a few more parts not listed earlier.Bootlid - excellent condition, with Bristol nameplate. I also have the lock.Bonnet - excellent condition. I also have the hinges.Doors - good condition, a few minor car-park type dings. Currently complete with frames, glass and electric window mechanisms (but not switches), but will be sold without glass if that will fit my 410.(Obviously all the

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-26232533642207760422008-01-22T19:26:00.000Z2008-01-26T15:41:34.308Z

Here is a list of most of the parts for sale from my dismantled 411. It is also posted on the BOC Forum website.Complete stainless steel exhaust - quality system in good condition.Torqueflite gearbox and torque converter - unknown condition, but the car had an MoT and was running well before it was left standing. Probably just needs a service.Windscreen - usable, but has a little whitening of

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-44983508004397378612008-01-10T22:52:00.000Z2008-01-11T08:24:13.544Z

Well, I've just spent an interesting couple of days stripping as much as possible off the 411. There's still more to come and some useful stuff is being saved. Andrew Mitchell has already taken the front bodywork off, and the car's now at Spencer Lane-Jones's workshop as he's been tasked with making sure the 383 engine runs OK and then swapping it into another 411 with a broken engine. While

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-62468702956480944782008-01-03T18:09:00.000Z2008-01-08T22:11:51.996Z

I shall shortly begin the process of dismantling a 411 for parts.  It is a 1972 411s2 that has been standing for several years, and although it was a runner when parked it is now beyond economic rescue.  I shall probably be advertising parts for sale in the Newsletter or on Ebay in due course, but if anyone has any specific requests please let me know.

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-57930464811387883952007-12-18T00:52:00.000Z2007-12-18T01:28:59.836Z

Well, more progress this time.  The 410 is down at Andrew Mitchell's workshop, where he and his team have been making good headway with the repairs.  The damaged panels have been removed, which has had a huge effect on the appearance.  It straight away makes it look a million times better, as it now looks like a car under restoration instead of the sorry loser of a fight with an HGV.  They've

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-16905504920350220852007-11-20T19:28:00.001Z2007-11-21T11:09:52.303Z

Well, sorry it's taken so long, but at last there is some progress on the 410. Work has finally started - hooray! There is a certain critical point, early on in the work, that needs to be OK before I can say that everything is certain to lead to a happy conclusion, but if everything goes according to plan we should be back on the road sometime in the new year. Once everything is finally sorted

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-88582244387592974172007-08-21T14:56:00.000+01:002007-08-21T16:04:17.307+01:00

It was the BOC Concours d'Elegance this weekend. Since I am obviously sans Bristol currently, Andrew Blow kindly offered me a lift down to Blaise Castle, the venue for the concours in Bristol. I jumped at the chance as I knew he was taking one of the cars he currently has for sale - the Beaufort. Believed (though unconfirmed by the factory) to be the only one built, it is effectively a fully

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-28955282825515592822007-08-11T18:53:00.000+01:002007-08-11T19:01:39.151+01:00

Well, things are progressing. I've had a chance to have a better look over the car, and it really isn't as badly damaged as I'd feared. A couple of new panels and we'd be good to go. (Sort of at least - that's quite a simplification, but basically true). I'm still in discussions with the insurers, but I'm fairly hopeful we'll come to an agreement soon. I'll update again when everything is

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-25612642047272279862007-08-02T23:11:00.000+01:002007-08-03T00:12:52.068+01:00

Just a quick update to say thank you to all who have got in touch about this. I'm afraid I don't have any firm news to report yet. I've had a couple of rough estimates for the repairs, which were a little lower than I'd feared they'd be, so that is good news at least. However I'm still waiting to hear back from the insurers as to their valuation of the car before the accident and it's salvage

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-39414708858988696152007-07-14T14:41:00.000+01:002007-07-16T15:20:19.671+01:00

No picture this week, and no good news either I'm sorry to say. The 410 was involved in an accident last week and sustained some serious damage, so will be off the road for the foreseeable future. Thankfully no one was injured and, as far as I can see, I do not think the car sustained major structural damage to the chassis or mechanical parts so should be repairable. However it will require

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-72702257705761524432007-07-05T15:40:00.000+01:002007-07-07T10:38:20.641+01:00

In one of those 'couldn't make it up if you tried' moments, Bristol Cars are back in the news today, and not for good reasons. It seems that thieves have broken in to the Filton works and made off with 30 tonnes of body presses. According to the Bristol Evening Post, the loss puts production of the Blenheim at risk. This does sound a lot like the Chinese takeaway that happened in Longbridge,

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-90765015546847473472007-07-02T22:38:00.000+01:002007-07-03T01:45:27.463+01:00

Well, I think you can probably guess that the photo to the left will tell that there's a story for you this time! That was the scene last Sunday night on a wet M4 near Heathrow. For a couple of weeks, although the car seemed mostly to be running fine, there had been a slight suspicion in my mind that it was slightly down on power, just not quite 100% there. It was just that subtle feeling that

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-18941011840147866202007-06-19T11:23:00.000+01:002007-06-20T00:25:57.532+01:00

As mentioned last time, it was the Classics plus Sports Cars Action Day at Castle Combe last weekend. It used to be the Classic and Sports Car Action Day, sponsored by Classic and Sports Car magazine, but this year the mag decided not to continue their sponsorship. A shame really, as C&SC is a good read, certainly the best of the classic car magazines available today, and it's always nice to

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-15773503909328053672007-06-04T22:28:00.000+01:002007-07-15T19:37:56.513+01:00

Well, the bonnet hasn't flown open yet, so I think my repair is still working! The 410 continues to trundle along quite happily - London yesterday, a couple of trips to Oxford in the last few days - so I thought I'd point out that Andrew Blow currently has a very nice looking 410 for sale if anyone has been persuaded by my mutterings here. Much more exclusive than a 411 remember...I also wanted

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-52292157529205426672007-05-25T23:19:00.000+01:002007-05-26T15:35:00.746+01:00

Tyres are the first thing this week. I'd been aware there wasn't a huge amount of life left in them, but a closer look last week revealed that the inside edges were completely bald. They're about 20,000 miles old, but clearly the tracking is a little out as well, so it was back to Bell Silencers, who I know usually keep a pair of the Falkens in my 205/70 r15 size. Once the young lad fitting

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-48411158384576998592007-05-13T22:57:00.000+01:002007-05-14T11:25:24.732+01:00

Well, another day out this weekend. The 410 has been getting about recently - over 1000 miles since it was serviced two weeks ago. Today was up to Prescott, for a classic car day organised by the local Rotary. I had heard good reports of last year's event so had been looking forward to this, but sadly the weather conspired against things and it was a bit damp. An hour or two in the morning

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-51941784493717864072007-05-01T11:45:00.000+01:002007-05-14T11:22:49.370+01:00

Well, since last time the 410 has been busy. It went down to Spencer's to have the PAS hose fixed and a quick service also, as it is 5,000 miles since it was last looked at in September. The brilliant Nick Cooper at SL-J's was the man who did it all, and apart from fluids and filters, a single split rubber boot on a track-rod end and new front brake pads were all that were required. After

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-56206058555707384362007-04-19T23:28:00.000+01:002007-05-14T11:26:13.040+01:00

So you're thinking life as a 410 driver is all hunky-dory and nothing goes wrong? Well, last Friday afternoon, just moments after a chance meeting with a friend when I told him how reliable these old cars can be, there was an exciting moment involving a sudden funny noise form under the bonnet... I paused, everything seemed fine again, I revved the engine slightly and everything still seemed

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-45943067009006889332007-04-10T22:37:00.000+01:002007-04-11T10:10:14.536+01:00

Well here's a story of our times... Man parks his rather lovely, fully restored, taxed, completely road-legal, 411 in a car-park in Camberwell. Thinking it abandoned, the council take it away and crush it. It happened in 2004, and although Lambeth Council have said it was a mistake and admitted liability, owner Mendoza Stewart has still not yet received any compensation.I was shocked when I

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-24032377755125011602007-04-09T19:31:00.000+01:002007-04-25T00:54:40.746+01:00

Well it's been a busy couple of weeks for the 410. Last weekend we were off to Exeter, dropping my other half off for a conference at the University (with 410 in the photo), and giving me an excuse to explore the Exeter Festival of South West England Food and Drink - quite a mouthful to say, and more so to eat! Lots of small, local producers and a great way to pass the morning. I think it's an

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-77932943748587414072007-03-23T17:37:00.000Z2007-04-11T10:09:32.347+01:00

Several people have emailed wanting to know some background about the car, and particularly why I chose a 410 over a 411. Well, it's been a quiet week so here we go. I've had this 410 since December 2003. It is my first Bristol. I'd long been aware of Bristol Cars, chiefly in the context of being the rare car that I didn't really know anything about, beyond the fact that they were always in

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-39436783616506771382007-03-19T23:32:00.000Z2007-03-20T00:10:16.422Z

Well sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been away for my brother's wedding in Buenos Aires. A great trip, and after the wedding I went off to see some of the country but realised that I was driving along some of the same roads that the BOC had travelled on during their tour of Argentina last year. It would have been a lot more fun in the 410 than a 1.6-litre Chevrolet Nova! Anyway, a

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-81184061452053436192007-02-18T23:39:00.000Z2007-02-19T00:03:40.033Z

The Bristol Owners' Club's 2007 season got underway today with the Chiltern Section's now-traditional lunch at the Firecrest Inn near Wendover. It's not too far from me, and is a nice trip to get a pub roast dinner, meet up with old friends and make new ones, and a chance to chat about cars for a couple of hours. As usual a decent turn out, with a 400, 3 403s, a 409, the 410, a 411, 3 412s and

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-37182400355453922382007-02-14T00:16:00.000Z2007-02-14T02:17:52.564Z

It's been a fairly uneventful couple of weeks here. The weather has been horrible, but the 410 has been out and about – it's a car that gets used year-round. More by luck than judgement I never needed to actually go out in the snow, but since then a couple of trips up to London have been and gone. It's a great car in town, long but easy to squeeze though narrow gaps, and the automatic is nice

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-88922753078404796222007-02-01T12:53:00.000Z2007-02-01T14:04:20.858Z

A fairly quiet couple of weeks, but I had a trip to Torquay and back yesterday for work. My work mileage rate doesn't really cover the 18mpg the 410 gives (roughly - I keep records but haven't actually done the calculations for ages), but I took the Bristol anyway because sometimes the car needs a run and I quite enjoy longish cross country trips in it, especially by myself, because you can

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-11517124532362494282007-01-22T23:53:00.000Z2007-01-23T01:19:11.773Z

Sunday morning brought a nice run up the Fosse Way to Warwick. I usually enjoy the Fosse Way, and the roads from Highworth up through Lechlade and Burford to pick up the Fosse itself at Stow-on-the-Wold are wonderful, open, fast roads over the Cotswolds. However we set off a bit late, so we kept getting stuck behind lines of modern cars all too afraid to overtake anything travelling more than

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-1077395552031812132007-01-15T22:57:00.000Z2007-01-16T00:51:53.512Z

Another busy few days for the 410. A few weeks ago I had a phone call from a former work colleague. She'd seen me driving a Bristol round town a few times, and as her partner is mad keen on Bristols, but had never been in one, she tracked me down and asked if I'd be willing to take him out for a drive on his birthday. She'd been trying to hire one, but none of the classic hire companies keep

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-18626620860979038002007-01-12T17:24:00.000Z2007-01-13T00:14:51.814Z

I've been reading Evo magazine this month, and there's a Rare Event contained amongst its pages - a test drive of a company-owned Bristol Fighter, in comparison with the Spyker C8. Evo have driven a privately owned Fighter before, but I don't know the last time the company let a magazine drive one of their cars. It appears that Toby Silverton was with them on the test, and it's a nice article

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-54077640957080429672007-01-09T02:50:00.000Z2007-01-09T03:37:25.960Z

A new name for the blog today. I decided that I wasn't that keen on the Happy Bristoleer. It's not that I am not a Happy Bristoleer, I certainly am such and it's still my ID here, but I'd put it in as a overall title as well when I was first playing around with Blogger, and never really thought of a final title. I like the idea of 410 Short Stories though - I suspect it will take a while to

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-42532243144794554752007-01-06T11:44:00.000Z2007-01-06T12:12:35.283Z

Since making a tentative start at this blog last year, I think the new year will be the excuse I need to try again. A couple of times since the last entries in November I have looked at this site, and thought about writing something else, but been unsure where to start. However, I realise that, if anyone is to be tempted to read this, I think I need to do exactly what I first wrote a the top of

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-1162487541761873272006-11-02T17:05:00.000Z2006-11-02T18:34:50.816Z

Another test! This time a photo of my 410 so you know what I'm talking about.

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37015319.post-1162486508449459982006-11-02T16:51:00.000Z2006-11-02T18:38:50.673Z

Hello! This is my first post and is really just a test, as I'm new to this stuff and haven't used Blogger before. I hope to regale you with vaguely motoring-related tales of life with a Bristol 410 car. If you don't know what a Bristol 410 is, well you're in for a treat. Just look it up on Google for now, and I'll be back to tell you more later.The Happy Bristoleer.

The Happy Bristoleerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02702392177337583903noreply@blogger.com0