Bristol, the erstwhile car maker from England, has debuted the Bullet, its first new model after being taken over by the new owners. This will be the first car to roll out of the Bristol factory known for building hand-built cars since the production of the Bristol Fighter stopped in 2011.
The BMW-engine two-seater roadster has made its public debut after the camouflaged teaser at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year. The Bullet looks vintage with its retro styling of the stretched hood, long wheelbase and the minimal overhangs that makes this car look classy especially with the creases that brow over the wheel arches. It reminds you of the Austin Healeys with the square-ish front grille, a bonnet that tapers towards the front and headlamps mounted on the pronounced fenders.
The opulent cabin is dressed in leather and shouts retro but has modern bits blending seamlessly into its scheme of things. It gets a touchscreen infotainment display, retro-styled binnacle for the instrument cluster with separate dials for temperature, fuel and a multifunction display. Under the classic looks lies an ultra-modern chassis with oodles of carbon fibre. It reaches 100kmph from zero in 3.8 seconds thanks to the 4.8-litre V8 petrol engine from BMW and limited at a top whack of 250kmph. This classic roadster is rated at 370bhp of power and near 500Nm of torque and comes with six-speed manual or automatic transmission options.
Since these cars will be hand-built, Bristol has commissioned only 70 cars as of now and the deliveries will start in January next year. This exquisite retro-mod is certainly expensive at the price tag that starts at GBP 250,000 (approx. Rs 2.2 crore).