The Bristol Fighter is a sports car produced by Bristol Cars in small numbers from 2004 until the company suspended manufacturing in 2011. It is generally classed as a supercar.

The coupé body, which features gullwing doors, was designed by former Brabham Formula One engineer Max Boxstrom and gives the car a Cd of 0.28.

The car uses a front-mounted V10 engine, based on the engine in the Dodge Viper and the Dodge Ram SRT-10 pick up (it was originally based on the Chrysler LA engine), but modified by Bristol to produce at 5,600 rpm and of torque at 4,200 rpm. This is in keeping with Bristol's use of Chrysler engines since 1961. In the more powerful Fighter S, the engine is tuned to produce 628 hp (660 hp at high speed using the ram air effect). The car's weight is . The series 2 chassis is believed to have been intended for the Fighter T model.

thumb|Bristol Fighter (2008) rear

thumb|Bristol Fighter (2008) interior

Fighter T

In 2006, Bristol announced the Fighter T, a turbocharged version of the Fighter. This was planned to have a modified version of the Chrysler V10 producing and of torque at 4,500 rpm. This also would have made it the first turbocharged petrol-powered V10 production car. The Fighter T was designed to have an improved drag coefficient of 0.27. Bristol claimed that the car would be capable of more than ; however it would have been electronically limited to a "more than adequate" .

The Bristol Cars website now states that in fact, no Bristol Fighter T's were ever produced "... (the planned turbo version with 1050bhp never did make it to production)... " [https://grrc.goodwood.com/road/news/first-and-last-bristols-find-new-homes#Biuo2oAF8SlzVPQx.99]

Specifications

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"

|-

!Model!!Engine!!Displacement!!Max power!!Max torque!!Acceleration (s)!!Top speed

|-

|Fighter||V10|| || at 5,900 rpm|| at 3,900 rpm|| 4.0 ||

|-

|Fighter T||V10 turbo|| || at 5,600 rpm || at 4,500 rpm || 3.5 || limited

|}

References

  • Bristol Cars: Fighter
  • Bristol Owners Club, Bristol Fighter
  • Autocar review
  • Top Gear: Bristol Fighter T preview