Bristol Fighter: One of Nine

Few have heard of it.

Even fewer have seen it.

But it hasn’t stopped many claiming to have spotted the rarest of motoring unicorns that has become the stuff of legend.

Sightings of the unmistakably long blue mythical creature have been reported across the sweeping fields and hills of the Cotswolds. Appearing between the cows and around corners, it’s said the fabled beast is always heard before it comes into vision.

The roar isn’t thought to be deafening though – far from it given the size of the creature. Yet it’s loud enough to know that the animal has enough power to make a mockery of its elegant grace.

At three times the speed of a cheetah, it can outpace any of its prey. With aircraft-like precision, it sweeps and swoops across the land before pouncing. And once it’s made its mark, it’s never forgotten.

That mark has been left in Europe and the Middle East with people catching a glimpse of the much-loved beast’s gullwing doors rising up and down as if they were flapping in the breeze.

However, millions are unlikely to ever be lucky enough to witness its beauty. And if they do, it’s likely to be much more than a brief look because there are no more than nine or 10 in existence.

It remains mysterious and elusive to many. And while it’s not quite the Loch Ness Monster, that’s why the Bristol Fighter will always be a unique part of motoring folklore.