Bristol Cars to go electric – new model due out 2013

AUGUST 4, 2011 AT 5:58 PM BY ANTHONY LIM FILED UNDER CARS, INTERNATIONAL NEWS

While Bentley is thinking about jumping into the SUV market, another old British automotive name is looking at going electric. Niche sportscar maker Bristol Cars, which went into administration earlier in the year and was then rescued by Kamkorp Autocraft, is apparently working on an all-new electric supercar, according to a report.

Brit mag Evo says that the four-wheel drive, range-extended EV is scheduled to be launched in 2013. It’s really no surprise that Bristol is looking at electrifying things now that it has been saved from oblivion. Swiss company Kamkorp is part of the Frazer-Nash Group, which is at the forefront of plug-in extended range powertrain technology, and which is working with Proton on its electric drivetrain – FN’s tech featured in the Proton’s Exora Hybrid that took the Best Range Extender EV award class win in last October’s RAC Future Car Challenge.

The report adds that Kamkorp’s owner, Kamal Siddiqi, bought Bristol as a means to showcase FN’s technology, and he has since tasked his team to come up with a new Bristol that will seat four in absolute comfort and is capable of both 320 km/h and a more than 35 km per litre (100 mpg) equivalent fuel economy.

The new car won’t be based on an existing Bristol design, but will utilise a base vehicle from an as yet undisclosed manufacturer, with FN adding in the powertrain consisting of separate twin motors at the front and rear and a 14 kwH battery that can be charged via plug-in or through the Wankel-based generator that will also equip the car.