Rare Rotomaster Turbocharged Prototype For Sale: The 1977 Bristol 603 Brigand

This is the original factory prototype of the car that would be named the Bristol 603 Brigand on its release. The Brigand was powered by a 5.9 liter Chrysler V8 with a Rotomaster turbocharger fitted, significantly increasing performance.

This is the car that Bristol used to carried out all the engineering and development work on the new Brigand before offering it to its customers. It was later sold by Bristol to a top London lawyer who owned it for many years, always remaining in touch with Bristol’s owner Tony Crook, and Brian Marelli, the Head of Service.

Fast Facts – The Bristol 603 Brigand

• The Bristol 603 Brigand was a luxury car produced by Bristol Cars, known for its unique styling and exclusive clientele. This particular vehicle is the original factory prototype used for engineering and development. Powered by a 5.9 liter Chrysler V8 with a Rotomaster turbocharger, the Brigand offered significant performance levels for the era. Bristol cars were designed to be timeless, appealing to eccentric and wealthy buyers who valued discretion and longevity in their vehicles.
• Bristol Cars, founded in 1945, transitioned from aircraft manufacturing to luxury automobiles after World War II. The Type 603, introduced in 1976, was the first major new Bristol design since the late 1950s and formed the basis for the Britannia and Brigand models. It featured increased interior space, accommodating four tall adults comfortably, and used Chrysler V8 engines with a modified 3-speed automatic transmission.
• The factory prototype Brigand, now for sale, represents a unique piece of British automotive history. It was used to test new components, including the Rotomaster turbocharger, before being sold to a London lawyer. The car retains its original condition with an older restoration, finished in metallic Peacock Blue with a blue leather interior. It comes with the full factory tool kit and fascinating correspondence between the owner and Bristol executives.
• Bristol Cars had a loyal following among British upper classes and celebrities, with waiting lists extending up to two years. The company went into administration in 2011, ending production. However, there have been efforts to revive the brand, potentially as a luxury electric vehicle manufacturer. The Brigand prototype, with its turbocharged V8 producing over 300 lb-ft of torque, represents a significant piece of Bristol’s legacy and is now available for auction.

Who Drives A Bristol?

The styling of Bristol cars has always been an acquired taste to some degree, they were never designed to appeal to the tastes of any specific era because they were designed to last the owner’s entire lifetime. Thus, they needed to be above the ebb and flow of what’s in fashion at the minute, and what’s decidedly last season.

Above Video: This episode of Jay Leno’s Garage covers the Bristol 403, one of the firm’s earlier models. Jay also gives a detailed history of Bristol, and he owns the car shown in the film.

It’s difficult to describe the average Bristol buyer, as they were always somewhat unique, though perhaps the two characteristics that would define most of them would be eccentric, and very, very wealthy.

Bristols would sell for sums similar to what you might pay for a Rolls-Royce, though far fewer people could identify a Bristol on sight – resulting in them flying under the radar for the most part. Perhaps this was fitting given that Bristol had started out as an aircraft manufacturer, becoming a critical supplier of planes for the war effort in both World War I and World War II.

As WWII was drawing to its conclusion, Bristol executives laid out a plan to switch much of the company’s production capacity over to motor cars. The (correct) theory being that post-WWII Britain would need a considerable number of cars, and that Bristol’s many thousands of workers would be ideally placed to build them.

The Early Days Of Bristol

Bristol Cars was founded in 1945 and their first production vehicle would be Type 400, which included many BMW-designed parts – the rights to which had been acquired as war reparations. The luxurious two-door Type 400 would cast the die for Bristol, and almost all of the firm’s cars would follow this same fundamental layout.

The Bristol Type 603 would debut in 1976 as the first major new Bristol design since the late 1950s. It would provide the basis of the Britannia and Brigand models, and it would remain in production in one way or another until the company went under in 2011.

The Type 603 was designed by Dudley Hobbs to keep the Bristol DNA firmly intact, but introduce more interior space. The car offered more more head, leg and shoulder room than any previous Bristol, and it could comfortably accommodate four adults over six feet tall, as well as their luggage.

Power would be provided by hefty Chrysler V8s initially mated to a modified 3-speed automatic transmission, sending power to the rear wheels. The car was body-on-chassis rather than unibody, and the design of the body had been deliberately styled to be both subtle and straight-forward for Bristol’s workers to shape.

Waiting lists to buy a Bristol could extend out to almost two years, with 18 months being fairly common. Celebrity owners included many big names, including Tina Turner, Bono, Liam Gallagher, and Sir Richard Branson. Most owners came from Britain’s upper classes, and the marque remained a firm favorite with the old money clique for decades.

Bristol would enter administration in 2011 and production ceased, there have been a number of efforts to bring the company back over the intervening years, and rumors are afoot that it’s been rejigged as a luxury electric vehicle manufacturer at the time of writing.

The 1977 Bristol 603 Brigand Factory Prototype

The car you see here is unique in that it was the only factory prototype of the Bristol Brigand that was made by the British automaker, and it remains in remarkably original condition throughout.

The Bristol Brigand, and its sibling model the Bristol Britannia, were the first to be named after earlier Bristol aircraft models – it’s a trend that would continue into the future.

This car was built to test the various new parts that would be used to create the Brigand, the most significant new addition would be the hefty Rotomaster turbocharger. Once the engineering and development work was done the car was retained by Bristol for a time, before being sold to a lawyer in London.

The correspondence between the car’s new owner and Bristol’s owner Tony Crook (and Brian Marelli, the Head of Service) is on file and makes fascinating reading. The car is a truly fascinating piece of Bristol history, and of British motoring history as a whole.

The car still benefits from an older restoration, it’s finished in metallic Peacock Blue with no notable dents or damage, it has refinished wood veneers, a blue leather interior, and it comes with the full factory tool kit.

The Chrysler 360 cubic inch (5.9 liter) V8 under the hood still has the correct Rotomaster turbocharger in place. The engine was rated at 172 bhp but this only tells part of the story, the base 360 V8 was good for 295 lb ft of torque in naturally aspirated form. There are no official torque figures available for the Brigand, likely due to the vehicle’s rarity and relative obscurity, but it’s likely safe to say that it’s producing well in excess of 300 lb ft.

This factory prototype is now being offered for sale in an online auction on Car & Classic out of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Car & Classic