Bristol

In July 1946, the prototype Bristol 400 first ran and, since then, at least 750 niche car companies have been launched and failed. You look at 750 and think “Mike’s making that up.” I wrote A–Z of Sports Cars, 1945–1990, and when I embarked on the commission I thought there may have been 200 makers. I was wrong. Bristol just goes on, yet nobody with whom I’ve discussed Bristol cars can imagine the profile of the average buyer.

Perhaps that’s a clue; the buyers are not average people. They have to be wealthy—prices in the UK range from £140,000 to £256,000—yet they are discreet. You buy a Ferrari or a Rolls-Royce, and you make a statement. You buy a Bristol and people scratch their heads, and that has value.