Bristol Fighter: which version to buy (2004–2011)
If you are choosing a Bristol Fighter, the catalogue has 1 generation (2004-01-01 to 2011-12-31), Coupe body only, and 4 versions. All four share an 7994 cm³ Gasoline 10-cylinder V-shaped engine, Front, longitudinal, Distributed injection (multi-point), 95 fuel, 6 speeds, RWD, 105 L tank, 152 mm ground clearance, and 1710 kg gross weight.
If you are choosing a Bristol Fighter, the catalogue has 1 generation (2004-01-01 to 2011-12-31), Coupe body only, and 4 versions. All four share an 7994 cm³ Gasoline 10-cylinder V-shaped engine, Front, longitudinal, Distributed injection (multi-point), 95 fuel, 6 speeds, RWD, 105 L tank, 152 mm ground clearance, and 1710 kg gross weight. Fuel consumption (city, highway, mixed), CO2, eco class, and wheel sizes are not measured. The buy decision is therefore not “which generation” — there is only one — but which of the four 8.0 cars: 8.0 MT (525 hp), 8.0 AT (525 hp), 8.0 MT (628 hp), or 8.0 MT (1012 hp).
People searching “Bristol Fighter T”, “T specs”, and “T engine” are looking at the Turbo car: 8.0 MT (1012 hp), on sale from 2006-01-01. The other three run No boost from 2004-01-01. There are no prices in this dataset, so “what extra money buys” below means extra hp, Nm, 0–100, and top speed on the same chassis numbers.
Bristol Fighter generations: what actually changed
1 generation (2004-01-01–2011-12-31), Coupe, 4 versions. No second generation exists in the data, so a later car is not a new platform: it is a different 8.0 tune.
What stayed fixed across all four: displacement 7994 cm³, 10 cylinders V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, longitudinal, multi-point injection, 95, RWD, 6-speed, independent spring front and rear, ventilated disc front, Disc ventilated rear, tank 105 L, clearance 152 mm, gross 1710 kg. Bore × stroke is 101.6 × 98.6 on every version.
What the generation added over time, using only these numbers:
- From day one: 8.0 MT (525 hp), 8.0 AT (525 hp), and 8.0 MT (628 hp).
- From 2006-01-01: 8.0 MT (1012 hp) with Turbo, kerb 1595 kg instead of 1540 kg, compression 9.3 instead of 9.25, peak 1405 Nm, 3.6 s to 100 km/h, 362 km/h top speed.
If you need a 2004 or 2005 car, the 1012 hp 8.0 MT is not in the range. A 2006–2011 search can include all four.
Bristol Fighter specs: four versions, three names
Three rows are named 8.0 MT. Separate them by power, as in the table. Gearbox is the only split between the two 525 hp cars.
| Version | hp (kW @ rpm) | Nm @ rpm | cm³ | Fuel | Cyl. / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.0 MT (525 hp) | 525 (391 @ 5600) | 712 @ 4200 | 7994 | Gasoline / 95 | 10, V-shaped | No | Manual, 6 | RWD |
| 8.0 AT (525 hp) | 525 (391 @ 5600) | 712 @ 4200 | 7994 | Gasoline / 95 | 10, V-shaped | No | Automatic, 6 | RWD |
| 8.0 MT (628 hp) | 628 (468 @ 5900) | 800 @ 3900 | 7994 | Gasoline / 95 | 10, V-shaped | No | Manual, 6 | RWD |
| 8.0 MT (1012 hp) | 1012 (755 @ 5600) | 1405 @ 4500 | 7994 | Gasoline / 95 | 10, V-shaped | Turbo | Manual, 6 | RWD |
8.0 MT (525 hp) vs 8.0 AT (525 hp): same 525 hp, 391 kW, 712 Nm, 4.2 s, 338 km/h, 1540 kg. The only catalogue difference is Manual vs Automatic. Buying the AT does not buy more engine.
8.0 MT (628 hp) vs 8.0 MT (525 hp): +103 hp (+19.6%), +77 kW, +88 Nm, still No boost, still 1540 kg, still 338 km/h. Peak power rpm 5900 vs 5600; peak torque rpm 3900 vs 4200. Compression stays 9.25.
8.0 MT (1012 hp) vs 8.0 MT (628 hp): +384 hp (+61.1%), +287 kW, +605 Nm, Turbo instead of No, kerb +55 kg (1595 vs 1540), top speed +24 km/h (362 vs 338), 0–100 −0.1 s (3.6 vs 3.7). Compression 9.3 vs 9.25.
8.0 MT (1012 hp) vs 8.0 MT (525 hp) or 8.0 AT (525 hp): +487 hp (+92.8%), +364 kW, +693 Nm, Turbo, +55 kg, 0–100 −0.6 s (3.6 vs 4.2), top speed +24 km/h.
Power per litre (hp ÷ 7994 cm³ × 1000): 8.0 MT / 8.0 AT (525 hp) 65.7 hp/L; 8.0 MT (628 hp) 78.6 hp/L; 8.0 MT (1012 hp) 126.6 hp/L. The turbo car makes 1.93× the specific output of the 525 hp pair and 1.61× that of the 628 hp 8.0 MT.
Bristol Fighter engine: what the extra output buys
All four engines are 7994 cm³ Gasoline, 10 V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, longitudinal, multi-point, 95. Do not treat them as four different architectures; treat them as three power levels plus one gearbox.
525 hp pair (8.0 MT and 8.0 AT). 525 hp / 391 kW at 5600 rpm, 712 Nm at 4200, boost No, compression 9.25. This is the lowest specific output in the model. Choose it if you want the same kerb 1540 kg and 338 km/h as the 628 hp car, and you accept 103 hp and 88 Nm less. Choose 8.0 AT only if the Automatic 6 is the point; it does not change hp, Nm, 0–100, or top speed versus 8.0 MT (525 hp).
8.0 MT (628 hp). 628 hp / 468 kW at 5900, 800 Nm at 3900, boost still No. Same 1540 kg, same 338 km/h, 0.5 s quicker to 100 km/h than the 525 hp cars (3.7 vs 4.2). This is the strongest No-boost Fighter: 103 hp and 88 Nm above the 525 hp pair, without the Turbo, without the 55 kg, and without waiting until 2006-01-01.
8.0 MT (1012 hp) — the Turbo / “T” search target. 1012 hp / 755 kW at 5600, 1405 Nm at 4500, boost Turbo, compression 9.3. Kerb 1595 kg. This is the only version with boost Turbo and the only one with 362 km/h. Torque is 1.76× the 628 hp car (1405 / 800) and 1.97× the 525 hp cars (1405 / 712). Peak torque arrives later (4500 rpm vs 3900 on the 628 hp 8.0 MT). Production window is shorter: 2006-01-01 to 2011-12-31.
Bristol Fighter performance, top speed, and mpg
0–100 km/h: 8.0 MT (525 hp) 4.2 s; 8.0 AT (525 hp) 4.2 s; 8.0 MT (628 hp) 3.7 s; 8.0 MT (1012 hp) 3.6 s. The 628 hp 8.0 MT takes 0.5 s off the 525 hp pair. The 1012 hp 8.0 MT takes only 0.1 s more off that. Most of the turbo’s extra 384 hp versus the 628 hp car does not show up in 0–100 in this dataset.
Top speed: 338 km/h on 8.0 MT (525 hp), 8.0 AT (525 hp), and 8.0 MT (628 hp). 362 km/h on 8.0 MT (1012 hp) only — +24 km/h. If top speed is the buy criterion, only the Turbo 8.0 MT (1012 hp) changes the number.
Fuel consumption and mpg: city not measured, highway not measured, mixed not measured on all four. CO2 not measured. Eco class not measured. You cannot rank versions on economy from this catalogue.
Bristol Fighter dimensions, weight, and tank
Wheel sizes: not measured on all four. Ground clearance 152 mm on all four. Tank 105 L on all four. Gross mass 1710 kg on all four.
Kerb: 1540 kg on 8.0 MT (525 hp), 8.0 AT (525 hp), and 8.0 MT (628 hp); 1595 kg on 8.0 MT (1012 hp). Payload (gross − kerb): 170 kg on the three 1540 kg cars; 115 kg on the turbo 8.0 MT (1012 hp) — 55 kg less payload because kerb rose 55 kg and gross did not.
Mass per horsepower (kerb ÷ hp):
- 8.0 MT (525 hp) and 8.0 AT (525 hp): 1540 / 525 = 2.93 kg/hp
- 8.0 MT (628 hp): 1540 / 628 = 2.45 kg/hp
- 8.0 MT (1012 hp): 1595 / 1012 = 1.58 kg/hp
The 628 hp 8.0 MT is 16.4% lighter per hp than the 525 hp pair with no kerb penalty. The 1012 hp 8.0 MT is 46.2% lighter per hp than the 525 hp pair even after +55 kg.
Which Bristol Fighter version to buy
Buy 8.0 AT (525 hp) if the Automatic 6 is required. You get the same 525 hp, 712 Nm, 4.2 s, 338 km/h, and 1540 kg as 8.0 MT (525 hp). You do not get the 103 hp of the 628 hp 8.0 MT or the Turbo.
Buy 8.0 MT (525 hp) if you want Manual 6 and the lowest power of the three No-boost cars. Versus 8.0 MT (628 hp) you give up 103 hp, 88 Nm, and 0.5 s to 100 km/h for the same weight and the same 338 km/h. Versus 8.0 AT (525 hp) you only change gearbox.
Buy 8.0 MT (628 hp) if you want the strongest No-boost Fighter: 628 hp, 800 Nm, 3.7 s, still 1540 kg and 338 km/h, available from 2004-01-01. Versus the 525 hp pair you gain 19.6% power and 0.5 s; versus 8.0 MT (1012 hp) you give up 384 hp, 605 Nm, Turbo, and 24 km/h, and you keep 55 kg less kerb and 170 kg vs 115 kg payload. This is the arithmetic “middle”: not the peak hp, not the automatic, not the turbo.
Buy 8.0 MT (1012 hp) if the search is “Fighter T” / turbo engine / highest top speed. You get 1012 hp, 1405 Nm, Turbo, 362 km/h, 3.6 s, from 2006-01-01. You pay 55 kg extra kerb and 55 kg less payload. 0–100 is only 0.1 s faster than 8.0 MT (628 hp); the large gap is power, torque, boost, and +24 km/h, not the sprint figure.
Do not choose by generation. There is 1 generation. Do not choose by mpg, CO2, eco class, or wheel size: all not measured. Do not choose by tank, clearance, cylinder count, displacement, drive, or suspension: they do not differ. Choose by gearbox (8.0 AT vs the three 8.0 MT), by No vs Turbo, by 525 / 628 / 1012 hp, and by whether the car must exist before 2006-01-01.