A little known fact is that the bodywork for some Bristol cars was built at Park Royal. I personally recall seeing Bristol body panels being hand-beaten around timber jigs. I remember being impressed by the demonstrable skill of the panel-beater.
Very little information is available to support this fact and it seems that, whilst other designers/coachbuilders are mentioned in association with Bristol cars, PRV almost never is; that is until I found an entry below from the Bristol Owners' Club of Australia where one rightfully proud owner seems keen to divulge that his (or hers) Bristol Type 408 was indeed coach-built at Park Royal (Click here for the link to the page).
Only 83 cars of that model were made between 1963 & 66 and it appears that at least 64 of these Chrysler-engined 408's were built at PRV. I believe my recollections are pre-1963 and if so it would have been the model 407, production of which began at PRV in 1961. Perhaps a reader can advise me more detail.
But it is evident that PRV's association with Bristol Motors stretched into the 70's as Brian Wilson has kindly supplied me with a number of documents, dated through 1974 & 75, that clearly show PRV building at least 68 of the 287 model 411 cars that were produced between 1969 and 1976. (But it was not just the bodywork as other memos discuss the procurement of leather for the upholstery.)
I quote an extract from one of the internal memos:
| Works Instruction | ||
| From Sales Department |
Dated: 5-12-74 |
|
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
| Job Number | : B.61516-61583 | |
| Instruction No | : 5 | |
| Customer | : Bristol Cars | |
| Contract No. | : 99138 | |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
|
43 of the above Cars will be completed in accordance with the Works instruction already issued. The remaining 25 Cars will be built to a reduced state of completion consisting basically of framework mounted to the chassis but without roof and rear end and without any skin. Seats trimming and electrical work are also excluded. A detailed schedule of the items to be included is held by Mr. Thomas. Both kinds of body will be built concurrently. |
||
|
To facilitate record-keeping the body numbers will be utilised as follows:- B.61516-61558 43 'Skinned' bodies as already called for. B.61559-61583 25 'Frame Only' bodies. |
||
| The chassis for the two types are not interchangeable. | ||
Note the typical use of the "B" prefix on PRV body numbers.
Brian recalls the rolling chassis (six at a time) being brought up from Bristol on a double decked trailer pulled by a Land Rover; the full rolling shells being taken away on trailers. The part cars mentioned in the Works Instruction above were as a result of the work phasing out.
Pictured here at the 2007 Helston
Motor Show, in Cornwall, is a Bristol 411 (I believe a 411) that was coach-built
at Park Royal. In excellent condition, this particular vehicle was once
owned by the actor Trevor Howard who apparently had several of the marque.
I would be pleased to hear of any information that can add to the story of PRV's association with Bristol Motors.