Bristol Fighter (car)
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The Bristol Fighter is a British supercar manufactured by Bristol Cars in small numbers from 2004.
The smooth coupé body, which has gullwing doors, was designed by former Brabham F1 engineer Max Boxstrom and gives the car a Cd of 0.28. A maximum speed of 210 mph (337.9 km/h) is claimed.
The car uses a front-mounted V10 engine of 7996 cc (479.7ci) based on that of the Dodge Viper, but modified by Bristol to produce 525 bhp (391 kW) at 5600 rpm and 515 ft.lbf (698 Nm) of torque at 4200 rpm. This is in keeping with the Bristol's use of Chrysler engines since 1961. In the more powerful Fighter S the engine is tuned to give 628 hp (660 hp at high speed using the ram air effect).
The car's weight is 1475 kg. List price is £229,125. An 'S' version is listed that produces between 628 and 660 bhp (468 and 492 kW). Bristol explains that power increases at speed thanks to increased pressure in inlet system. It costs £256,150. (These are 2005 prices.)
The car has a six-speed manual/four speed auto. Rear-wheel drive. 0-60mph: 4.0 sec (claimed) Power to weight ratio: 267.8kW/ton (362bhp/ton)
Although sketches and models had been publicized some time before, a complete car was first shown to the press in May 2003. The first drive by a car magazine appears to be that in the April 2005 issue of Evo Magazine.
[edit] Fighter T
In 2006, Bristol announced the Fighter T, a turbocharged version of the Fighter with a modified V10 producing 1012 bhp and 1036 lb ft of torque at 4500 rpm. The Fighter T will also benefit from a drag coefficient of 0.27 (improved from 0.28 on the standard model). Bristol claim that the car is capable of more than 270 mph; however it will be electronically limited to a "more than adequate" 225 mph. When the Fighter T goes into production, it will be more powerful than Bugatti Veyron, which has advertised 1001 bhp, but still lower than 2007 SSC Ultimate Aero TT. The first production cars are expected to be delivered in about September 2007.
