Bristol 603 S1

Production period:	1976 to 1978
Class:	Luxury car
Engines:	5.2–5.9 litres
Length:	4910mm
Broad:	1770mm
Height:	1440mm
wheelbase:	2900mm
curb weight:	1690kg

The Bristol 603 S1 is a two-door sports sedan produced by British car manufacturer Bristol Cars Ltd in the 1970s.

History

The Bristol 603 S1 replaced the Bristol 411 Mk.5 in October 1976 and was in production until late summer 1982. The car appeared on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the brand. Its design forms the basis for all later presented Bristol models up to the Bristol Blenheim produced until 2011.ith the 603, Bristol began a new designation system. After the Bristol 412 was presented as the brand's youngest model in 1974, the successor to the Bristol 411 should have been called the 413. The company wanted to avoid this. Instead of jumping to number 414, Bristol embarked on a whole new counting system with the new model. In the first sales brochures, which were published on the occasion of the presentation of the model in October 1976, the model designation is still given as Bristol 600 Series the company decided on the designation 603. This choice was intended to take account of the fact that the city of Bristol celebrated its 603rd anniversary in 1976. 

The two models

603 E The last Bristol styled by long-term chief stylist Dudley Hobbs, the 603 was a complete update on the 4-seater Bristol theme. using the lighter 312-cid Chrysler engine,
it introduced a thoroughly modem exterior and interior design, giving improved passenger accommodation. To maximize fuel economy, a two-barrel carburetor was used along with an economy low-stall torque converter.it offered shock absorbers that were adjustable to suit the owner's taste the 'E" model introduced standard air conditioning and electrically adjustable front seats. The handbrake enjoyed its own separate calipers and rear self-leveling suspension was standard offered the silence and comfort of a Rolls Royce with the performance of the contemporary Aston Martin from the time. 

603 S  For Bristol customers who valued power above economy, the sported a performance four-barrel carburetor, larger 360 engine, and performance torque converter. As had become a Bristol tradition, 

Apart from the Bristol 412, the Bristol 603 represented the most lasting change in the company's recent history. The car broke almost completely with the 16-year-established design of the previous models 406 to 411, and there were also numerous changes from a technical point of view. The 603 was the first car to have Bristol's own bodywork. The British bus manufacturer Park Royal Vehicles had previously supplied the body shells. Bristol's owner, Tony Crook, promised himself that production would take place in-house greater flexibility and better ability to respond to periods of reduced demand. The outer body panels were no longer made by hand, but machine pressed. Initially, the results of the pressing process were of varying precision. In the first few years, the large sheet metal parts in particular showed considerable unevenness, which gave viewers the impression of poor manufacturing quality. 

The Bristol 603's exterior had been completely redesigned. The designer in charge was Dudley Hobbs, a longtime Bristol employee who had already designed several previous models of the 603. The 603 was still a two-door, four-seat sedan, and the basic proportions – a long front end with spare wheels on the side and a passenger compartment set back – were retained. Other than that, everything else about the 603 was new. Deviating from the previous notchback line, the 603 received a semi hatchback with very thin B and C pillars. The aim of the designers was to improve the clarity of the body. The thin vehicle pillars and the large rear window enabled a very good all-round view. To support this Bristol launched in the press the note that the factory had not been able to find an interior mirror large enough to fully cover the rear window. The flowing roofline of the 603 was that of Tom Karen (Ogle Design) designed the Anadol A1, a car that Reliant had developed for the Turkish market. The short tail was sloping and featured rectangular taillights, already familiar from the Bristol 411. Unlike the previous model, there were two large rear fog lights and reversing lights on the left and right of the license plate in the tailgate. The large round headlights familiar from the 411 could be found on the front end. Unlike the previous model, the grill was not designed as a toaster grill, but consisted of three elements of roughly the same size, of which the middle one bore a large Bristol logo. Extremely thin, chrome-plated bumpers were striking. Bristol used many Vauxhall / Bedford add-on parts, such as front indicators, door handles and taillights.

The design of the interior was largely retained. Bristol retained the now-classic dashboard traceable back to the 404 coupes; Generously laid wood and leather continued to dominate the furnishings.Overall, the Bristol 603 was a decidedly narrow car. Bristol valued this feature, citing it as the reason for the car's particular handiness.

The Bristol 603's design has received mixed reception. In isolated press reports, the 603 was described as a "very nice car". In most cases, however, the design was critically appreciated, for example by describing the car as "not exceptionally beautiful" Some Bristol customers went further in their formulations. They compared the body of the 603 and others - which was also partly unclearly manufactured. with the "self-construction of a village blacksmith".

As for all of its predecessors, Bristol also used the well-known tubular frame for the 603, which had only been slightly modified. What was new, however, were the engines, which were smaller than in the Bristol 411. A 5.9-liter eight-cylinder was now on offer, which was still obtained from Chrysler; a smaller, 5.2 litre version was also temporarily added. Both were also used by Monteverdi at the time, specifically for the Sierra sedan.

PERFORMANCE
max speed: about 118 mph, 190 km/h
speed in direct drive at 1,000 rpm: 28.2 mph, 45.4 km/h
fuel consumption: 20 m/lmp gal, 16.7 m/US gal, 14.1 1 x 100 km at 70 mph, 112 km/h.

The first series Bristol 603 was offered from 1976 to autumn 1982. There were two engines to choose from:

• The Bristol 603S (for Sport) was equipped with a 5.9 litre eight-cylinder Chrysler engine. The 8.0:1 very low compression powerplant featured a quad carburettor which helped it produce around 200 hp. Bristol did not name any exact performance data; a comparison with Monteverdi but allows the conclusion of corresponding values. What is certain is that the performance has been noticeably reduced compared to the earlier models. For the 603S, Bristol quoted a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in the range of 7.6 seconds. In contrast, the magazine "Motor Road" determined a value of 8.4 seconds in a test in 1978, a good second longer than the aerodynamically unfortunate 412 with the 6.6-liter engine. According to Motor Road, the top speed of the 603S is 140 mph or 225 km/h. The Bristol 603S is the most common version of the model.

• The Bristol 603E (for Economy) was also available. It was equipped with a 5.2-litre version of the eight-cylinder and carried only a double carburettor. With a view to the freely available performance data of the correspondingly motorized Monteverdi Sierra 5.2, an output of around 160 hp should have accrued. For the 603E, the 1976 factory brochure specifies an acceleration value of 10.9 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour. A test of this model by a trade journal is not known. Only a few examples of the 603E were produced.

Priced at £30,000 in 1978, the 603 sat between the Aston Martin V8, which was listed for £21,000, and the Rolls-Royce Corniche, which was priced at £38,000.

Later In 1982 the factory built the first prototype of the Bristol Brigand, based on a 603 S1 produced in 1977.