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Fly fast and in style

Bristol Cars Fighter T unveiled

Candace Lombardi
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
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Candace Lombardi
2 min read

Is Sophia Loren really the only woman deserving of a gullwing coupe?

Bristol Cars

Thankfully, Bristol Cars is among the few car manufacturers that still make cars with wings. In fact, it has just introduced an even faster model.

"Supremely elegant but with a steely hint of aggression," Bristol says of its new car. The Bristol Fighter T, available starting in September 2007, is the next generation to the Fighter S.

It has a twin turbocharged and inter-cooled 8-litre V10 engine. Bristol claims the car has the potential to do a maximum speed of 270 mph, but that it has "electronically limited" the Fighter T to a "more than sufficient 225 mph at 4500 rpm." Such a claim insinuates that the Fighter T is potentially faster than the Bugatti Veyron, which claims a top speed of 253 mph. The Fighter T does 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds in first gear, according to the specs. (The Veyron hits that in 2.3 seconds.)

Bristol Cars

Except for the carbon fiber doors and tailgate, the body of the Fighter T is hand-formed aluminum. Not entirely surprising, given that the company has its manufacturing roots in aviation, and has continued to approach cars with the same design and construction imperatives of aerodynamics and weight.

Don't be put off by the old-school photos and coat of arms, this is one British car that can, actually, compete with the Europeans. Though not as expensive as the Veyron, you will need Loren's bank to get one. The British Fighter T will sell for about $670,383 and, as Gizmag points out, you must contact Bristol directly. Bristol Cars does not operate through dealers, though it does have a lovely showroom on Kensington High Street, London.