1978 Bristol 603 S2 Coupe

Description

Produced in a small run from 1976-1978, Bristol's Series 1 603 replaced the 411 as the latest hand-built Bristol flagship. The dramatic changes to the exterior were still wrought in-house, and modernised the Bristol look, which had not been dramatically altered over the previous two decades. For the Series 1 there were two flavours of 603 - the E and the S. The E, or Economy, version was powered by a 318ci (5.2 litre) version of the small-block Chrysler V8. The S version (for Sport) housed the larger 360ci (5.9 litre) motor. The larger engine also received a 4-barrel rather than the 2-barrel carburettor as fitted to the economy edition. Both were coupled to the three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite automatic transmission. The Series 2 which was built from mid 1978 to mid 1982 was fitted with the 5.9ltr as standard and some minor changes to the grille. The finishing was exemplary, with many features designed purely to increase the comfort of its occupants. Electric seats were available and air-conditioning was standard-fit, a real novelty in the late ‘70s.