The modern car industry is rather good at resurrecting historic names. Usually, however, the treasured badge returns attached to an electric car or a hybrid at the very least. Bristol Cars has chosen a more petrolhead-friendly route: an 8.0-litre V10 supercar, complete with gull-wing doors.
A newly completed Bristol Fighter has made its public debut at Salon Privé 2026, marking the return of one of Britain’s most eccentric and exclusive manufacturers. Built around an original unused chassis using period drawings and parts, it is the first of five Fighters that will complete the production programme interrupted in 2011.
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Bristol’s Unfinished Supercar Story
Founded in 1945 as a spin-off from the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Bristol completed its first car, the 400, in 1946. Its aviation background influenced everything from aerodynamic bodywork to unusually thoughtful packaging.
The marque even proved its engineering ability at Le Mans, where the Bristol 450 finished first, second and third in the two-litre class in both 1954 and 1955. Later road cars combined traditional British luxury with Chrysler V8 power, built in tiny numbers for buyers who preferred discretion to dealership promotions and launch-edition stickers.
Then came the Fighter. Unveiled in the early 2000s, it was a compact, front-engined two-seat supercar powered by the Dodge Viper’s enormous V10. Its clean body, long bonnet and spectacular gull-wing doors looked unlike anything else on sale.
Production ended when Bristol entered administration in 2011. As few as 15 Fighters are believed to exist worldwide, making the car rarer than many seven-figure hypercars.
An 8.0-Litre V10 With Up To 600bhp
The Fighter’s naturally aspirated 8.0-litre V10 produces 525bhp in standard specification or 600bhp in uprated form. Bristol claims a top speed of up to 338km/h, placing it firmly among the fastest grand tourers of its era.
Those numbers remain serious even today, but the engine’s character is arguably more important. There are no electric motors filling torque gaps and no synthetic soundtrack attempting to recreate mechanical excitement through speakers. It is an enormous ten-cylinder engine driving a small-production British supercar.
Yet the Fighter was never intended to be an uncomfortable track special. Bristol designed it to combine supercar performance with grand-touring refinement, long-distance comfort and everyday usability. Its restrained styling also gives it a presence quite different from the increasingly complex aerodynamic shapes of modern exotics.
Five Original Fighters Will Be Completed
Five unused Fighter chassis survived the original programme. The first has now been completed in black with a tan leather interior, while the remaining four will be built to their owners’ specifications.
Customers can select right or left-hand drive, along with their preferred exterior and interior finishes. Production will take place in Britain with an unnamed specialist manufacturing partner, and pricing is available on application. Considering the Fighter reportedly cost around £235,000 back in its heyday, bringing a generously funded chequebook would be prudent.
Bristol also says the cars can be exported to major markets, including the United States through the Show or Display exemption.
Bristol Cars Begins Its Next Chapter
The revived company is led by owner and director Paul King, with Richard Hackett serving as chairman. Hackett previously worked closely with former Bristol boss Tony Crook, providing a valuable human connection to the company’s original era.
Completing the Fighter programme is described as the first step in Bristol’s return, rather than its final ambition. That distinction matters. This is not an unrelated modern car borrowing an old name; it is unfinished business being resolved with original chassis, original drawings and the engine that made the Fighter unforgettable.
Classic and exotic cars move us because they preserve moments when manufacturers took extraordinary risks. The Bristol Fighter came from a tiny company that believed it could build a 210mph British V10 grand tourer on its own terms.
Fifteen years later, that wonderfully improbable story can finally continue.
