Bristol Brigand (1982 - 1993)

Introduction

In 1982, and following the 412's turbocharged metromorphosis into the Beaufighter, the same trick was used on the 603 to become the Brigand. And just as it did with the targa-topped car’s upgrade, Bristol re-named its coupé, launching the freshly-boosted Britannia as a brand new car. At the same time, the 603S2 was renamed and lightly revised to become the non-turbocharged Britannia.

The arrival of the Brigand (and non-turbocharged Britannia) saw Bristol adopt the names of the famous Bristol Aeroplane Company models for its cars. The Bristol Brigand had a Rotomeister turbocharger added to the Chrysler V8 engine and a torque converter originally used on the 440cu in V8 to cope with the extra performance, which saw the Brigand make 150mph. The Brigand was distinguished from the Britannia by the bulge in the bonnet needed to accommodate the turbocharger, and also had alloy wheels as standard equipment.