The Bristol Blenheim family, 1993 to 2011

The Blenheim's bones were those of the 603 of 1976: a separate steel chassis with a 6.5-inch deep safety platform, a hand-formed aluminium body and a Chrysler V8 mounted well back so that, as Bristol never tired of pointing out, the entire engine and every major mass, spare wheel and battery included, sat within the wheelbase. The 603 became the Britannia and turbocharged Brigand in 1982. In 1993 the Series 4 603 was renamed Blenheim, after the Bristol Aeroplane Company's twin-engined bomber, and given what Bristol's history called "the most modern mechanicals yet": multi-port fuel injection on the 5.9-litre V8, for performance and fuel consumption alike.

Bristol's own account of the marque's aeroplane names applies here. Under Anthony Crook the company "produced at least six types, the names of which were largely borrowed from Bristol's distinguished aeronautical past: the Beaufighter, Blenheim, Britannia and Brigand". The 1999 Blenheim 2 page carried a photograph of the car beside the only flying example of the aircraft.

Bristol announced the Blenheim 2 on 14 January 1998, and the company's website of the time set out what had changed. Outside, the aluminium panels were extensively altered to take four larger gas-discharge headlamps in a sleeker, deeper grille; the wheel arches were reshaped; new Kevlar spoilers, alloy wheels, unobtrusive door handles and mirrors were fitted, and the rear wing line was made sleeker to reduce drag. The car was no wider than before: Bristol stressed that it remained "narrower than most cars in the luxury class to facilitate manoeuvrability in traffic".

Under the skin the track was widened, the turning circle cut "by nearly two feet", and the dampers, individually adjustable as Bristol practice required, were now hand-built. The V8 was further developed and paired with a four-speed automatic that could be held manually; Bristol quoted "around 30 mpg at the legal limit" and noted that 70 mph corresponded to 1,700 rpm. Inside, revised seat frames gave more headroom, extra soundproofing was added and a 14-inch dished leather steering wheel and restyled instruments were fitted. The Blenheim's signature packaging was kept: spare wheel, battery, servos and fuses lived in compartments in the front wings, leaving the boot uncluttered.

The Blenheim 3 replaced the Blenheim 2 from 10 November 1999. Bristol described the new body as blending "modern elements with traditional Bristol style to give a sleek, rounded silhouette", with a softly sculptured nose that concealed larger cooling ducts and a subtle splitter said to eliminate residual lift. New tall "armchair" seats were trimmed in a leather selected and processed in batches for Bristol; rear passengers gained lockable veneered compartments with fold-out trays, or a "town limousine" arrangement in which a slimline front passenger seat folded forward. Instruments and fascia lighting were redesigned, and automatic headlamps and an electronic reversing aid were offered.

The engine was the TS3 series, a development of the 5.9-litre V8 with a higher compression ratio and a new management system, tuned for torque throughout the range. Bristol's specification of 2002 gives 5,900 cc, a bore and stroke of 101.6 by 90.93 mm, a compression ratio of 9.25:1, tuned-runner aluminium plenum with multi-port injection, a four-speed automatic with a 2.19:1 stall converter and lock-up clutch, a 2.88:1 final drive (3.06 optional) and overall gearing of 40.72 mph per 1,000 rpm. The car's mechanical identity did not change on any of Bristol's pages between 2001 and 2019.

The Blenheim 3 sold at £119,000 before tax in 2001 and 2002, rising to £127,500 by 2006. Bristol quoted 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.

Early in 2002, marking what it called "exactly 55 years" since the 400 was announced, Bristol introduced an additional model, the Blenheim 3S, "offering a superior level of sporting ability while occasioning no penalty in terms of refinement". The Blenheim 3 stayed in production beside it.

The S was recognisable by 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with 225/60 tyres, a rear track widened by two inches and disguised by a subtly widened lower body, and four exhaust outlets beneath the rear valance. Six further standard colours were added, among them Le Mans Green, Goodwood Blue and Cambridge Grey. Four-piston front callipers and a revised servo improved the brakes; a stiffer front anti-roll bar and dampers with revised bump and rebound ratios controlled the body; the power steering could be tailored to the owner's taste during build, and twin fuel fillers allowed the tank to be filled from either side.

The engine became the TS4 series: a redesigned inlet manifold with straighter passages, ported big-valve cylinder heads, recalibrated engine management, low-restriction exhaust with larger catalysts nearer the engine, a 3.06:1 axle as standard and an operating range extended by 500 rpm. Bristol quoted 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and a price of £129,750 before tax. Inside, the seat pleating ran vertically for lateral support, and solid mahogany door cappings and waist rails with walnut facings, "a much coveted feature of older Bristols", returned with safety breakaway mountings.

In 2003 Bristol added the Blenheim 3G, a bi-fuel car running on petrol or liquefied petroleum gas. The company reminded readers that it had marketed a petrol and LPG 412 in 1977, "more than 25 years ago", and it presented the 3G as an extension of that experience rather than a novelty.

The installation used a stand-alone computer and eight additional gas injectors. Bristol claimed that LPG's anti-knock qualities allowed the engine to be tuned so that "no power loss can be discerned", that starting used petrol with a seamless switch to gas within the first mile, and that the system reverted to petrol automatically if the gas ran out. Twin LPG cylinders were positioned so that the boot still took "oversized suitcases or golf clubs", and Bristol quoted a combined range of up to 600 miles. With owners already reporting 30 mpg on petrol at steady legal speeds, the company put the cost equivalent on gas at around 50 mpg, and anticipated that owners might avoid the congestion charge then about to be introduced in central London. Existing Blenheims could be converted. The 3G was priced at £123,250 before tax.

The gas capacity was given as 80 litres in Bristol's specification and as "80 litre useable" and "65 litre useable" in different places on the same page; the two figures may describe nominal and usable capacity, and this page does not choose between them.

From 2010 Bristol's website carried a single Blenheim page, headed "Authoritative Performance, Time-honoured Craftsmanship, Elegant Understatement, Exclusive Luxury", with the 3G described beneath it. The mechanical specification was unchanged. Bristol's production table of the same year listed "Blenheim Production: 1993-current". The Blenheim remained in production until Bristol's manufacturing came to an end in 2011.

The figures are Bristol's own, as published between 2001 and 2010, and are reproduced as attributed factory claims. Where Bristol's pages disagreed with themselves the entry says so.