Bristol to Develop 200 MPH Electric Supercar

Back in April, we brought you news of one famous British sportscar manufacturer making a comeback under new ownership. Bristol had been acquired by Kamkorp Autokraft, part of the Frazer-Nash group, and we expected a new car to turn up, possibly in hybrid or electric form, as that’s what the new ownership is specialized in.

That’s exactly what happened, as EVO Magazine reports an electric Bristol supercar could be coming as early as 2013, being capable of cracking 200 miler per hour (322 km/h). We’ll believe it when we see it, but for now we’re happy to hear a classic name in the motor industry is coming back.

We’re not sure a car can provide the luxury needed in the current market and top 200 miler per hour on electricity, as some new engineering will have to come into play to achieve the magic number. The Bristol will reportedly make use of a range extender, just like the Chevy Volt and Fisker Karma to ensure there’s no range anxiety experienced by the owners.

The Bristol supercar won’t have one, nor two, but a total of four electric motors - one for each wheel and separated into two powertrains. A 14 kWh battery pack will store the juice for about 20 to 30 miles of running, though we’re afraid to think of what will happen when you truly give it the beans.

All this technology will be developed in partnership with Proton, which has entered a Proton Exora REEV development vehicle in this year’s Brighton-London Future Car Challenge. The vehicle came first in its class by averaging 127 mpg.

The idea sounds a bit too complicated to us, and we would have liked to see Bristol revive its name with modern day versions of its classic coupes and roadsters.