An Interview with Brian Marelli & Richard Hackett at Bristol Cars Showroom

[Music] it's his Steffensen ravitch with branmer le and it's the 14th of February 2014 I had to think for a minute of Brian I know at my age slips by quickly to do this who are in Bristol car showroom in Kensington Brian had a big first get get involved with mr. cast it was the love of my father and I had four motor cars generally and father was in the trade went to see mr. crook one day in her ship with view to purchase and demonstration of a Fiat and we went out for the test and one thing led to another my father said is there a space for my son what age we 16 and just just 16 and mr. crook said glad to have him aboard it'd be a delightful well as a small boy I was a great car enthusiast and we lived not very far from what was then Anthony crook motors the biggest Bristol distributor and I used to cycle past on my bicycle and look in through the window and one day when my father was thinking of buying himself a decent second car I suggested he went down and had a look which he did and he purchased in 1955 a secondhand 400 from the late mr. Anthony crook which he loved and later on it was part exchange for 405 Drophead which we drove all over Europe on holidays and I've been associated ever since some years after that when my father was part exchanging a humble suit the Snipe estate car for a 406 there was some discussion as to whether the wireless should be swapped over free or charge of them or not and my father said I can't spend too much money today because my son's about to leave school and he doesn't have a job so it was decided that my father will be blindfolded and mr. crook will be blindfolded and they would walk along the painted red carpet in the middle of the showroom and whoever got the furthest would no doubt win and my father managed it by about 18 inches and the wireless was swapped over free of charge and I started in the stores the following Monday on two shillings an hour to say I joined within fifty nine and the new car then was the the 406 with the - - then we went to the 407 which was the first of the v8 still with the body shape was as a 406 which was an attractive shape did you were you aware of the discussions prior to the choice of the v8 were you in fly no I was I was too young and no no but I did hear laterally latter days about what they tried they tried to develop another engine to get the extra performance but the cost was prohibitive and of course John Dennis was running the workshop at the time who was Tony mr. crooks racing mechanic in all the years with the hill climbs the circuits racing and everything that he he told me everything I know really about that side of things it was engineer crook motors as it was then yes but and we dealt with Fiat and our bath simcha and I see of course which was another insight because John Dennis used to prepare all the hundred d2 engines the sports engines that were fitted to the ACS down in temptin so he was he was responsible for the preparation of the engines for AC it's just fun being 110 engines that's it yes but these these were the hundred days that they put in the AC that although they did use the one one o in the fixed up the Greyhound that was a the Greyhound add that one mono engine and then things progressed it was a huge premises down at her shop but big sales area we we so Bristol's of primarily but we were also the are bath concessionaire for the UK yes we were fiat distributors for Surrey & Zagato by that stage it was really only the 407 Zagato that was left over 406 cigar toes have been delivered yes and the number of special bodied for hundreds yes they did for hundreds were sent out in the 60s or late fifties for the Garter body to be put on very very similar to the four s6 a got it we stayed there until about 64 at Hershel yes then we moved up to this edge Idzik is juicy cran about which was a large premises this was the time that Toni crypt was becoming involved with management of bristol cards very much so and of course mr. crook would fly from whitewater to filter on a weekly basis yes to see what was going on and to give advice took me in the plane a number of times and also took me a number of times to collect cars that we may have purchased of the Isle of Wight or up up in Scotland and I would drive them back and of course he would come back he was flying I always felt confident with him because he was very good at it but you know it's a tiny little machine and we were icing up one day their wings and he says I think we'd better drop the altitude a little bit so those sort of things make you think but now I was always confident with him and he was very good generally to the staff and the people who worked with him he had his moments it was always very enjoyable and very exciting he led very much from the front he never expected anybody in the sales department to do anything that he wouldn't do so his examples were were always excellent and he was very very hardworking and he expected a lot from his staff which he got so what are your best memories over all over all the years I think probably one of the fondest memories but in 1964 when him and baring mind had only been with the company for five years yes I was in coma with my parents and we had horrendous acts car accident I lost my mother I was seriously injured and I was in Ferrara hospital from the May until October and mr. crook used to send my salary weekly but recorded delivery see this is the sort of thing that you don't forget these sort of things this is why you know it was so and a very mother only been with the company for years and Sal was paid all that time and I was always getting phone calls and when you're coming back and don't rush I know you're better and I suppose I rejoined I just got back for my 21st birthday party there was a group that was a then I started work the week after was a terrific salesman I'm a great motivator in fact the greatest motivator I think I've ever worked for you know I I was sitting in my office at Herschel and a chap came in and bought the last hour bath 1000 TC and I didn't really do a great deal to sell it he just came in and said may I have it please but it was quite a feat to sell it and when mr. crook found out he said right follow me and he picked me up by the lapel and dragged me along the showroom took me into the workshop all of the car to be removed from the ramp packet was stuck on the ramp the ramp was raised a Union Jack flag was put in my hand and mr. crook ordered everybody in the workshop to clap which they did and I felt suitably embarrassed was something I shall never forget and of course the other thing with him is that unless it was somebody like mr. crook the company wouldn't have lasted as long he really wouldn't we would say he was so dedicated and so enthusiastic about everything so it was the good times yes terrific memories I mean there was never a dull day frankly and the stories are too numerous to run through but it was like being at advanced prep school in many ways and I can remember standing very close to where we're sitting now and hearing from the office a tremendous ignore exhaust noises and I questioned my own sanity at the time thought can i really be hearing this and I thought well I'd better go over and see what's happening in the Chairman's office and I opened the door to find that there was normos tape player in the corner and my chairman was sitting behind a desk with crash helmet and goggles and a steering wheel in his hand and the tape was playing some recordings from a race circuit from a previous many years prior and the the late can't remember his name now was commentating on mr. Anthony crooks driving and it was very complimentary see and the noises were going on and on and on squealing of tires and things and eventually the tape player was switched off and mr. crook put up the goggles and said Hackett your chairman was driving superbly you will clap so I clapped so your dealings with the Bristol customers what is it you think they appreciate about a Bristol because they're in a position to power to have anything by one of these thing by anything any other British car a correct correct correct I'd like to say and the light to think that it is the personal attention that we give them I mean the customers I've known yes for 30 40 years and it they're almost like one of the family because you know I've known them for so long I don't want to drop names because it's not fair but you know they we do become and we go out to dinner we go to tea to the house from whatever yes but it's yes it's it's it is charming what does today's Bristol customer look for would you say appreciate a very interesting classic car that they can thoroughly enjoy and put with their collection yes and of course we make the series 6 which is an older car which is completely rebuilt with modern engine and gearbox brakes etc which appeals to people that would like to use them on an everyday basis with the Bristol he doesn't look ostentatious this is the beauty of it it is you know such a lovely comfortable car but it doesn't look flash enormous range of customers we always have had a Bristol and landed gentry actors clergymen all sorts of people that just love them up then of course Richard Branson had one as well yes a 411 series 5 then of course there is all the partner that is associated with him at the time who now has nearly every Bristol made right there so he did and I've met him a number of times but I usually a Steve O'Leary who looks after his flock of cars which includes estimate is a quid suitable number as well but nearly every Bristol model he is he has got including the 450 acres of course well yes did you know with Peter Sellers I dealt with his staff probably more than Dan sellers we had quite a range of cars which we used to look after we used to look after Liam Gallagher and 6:03 not that he drove when he first had the car his lady at the time Patsy Kensit yeah was the one who used to drive it and she dictated the colors and you know what the upholstery should be I don't think he had a driving licence no he did not when they first purchased a car that's great then of course there has been obviously people with major companies that you know I can't talk about too easily because of the privacy having left person yes you came to Chyzyk rap Chyzyk ran a bath indeed and then we were there 64 until about 72 yes then from 70 we went to Alfa Laval with Charles Center yes which was just up the Great West Road then we moved to the Hogarth Center yes but by the roundabout again they wanted to redevelop and if you go past it now it's just the same as we left it of course after that we fortunately went up to the present which we've been now three years I think he'll drive yeah no I've got to steal though I've I've got to last I've got her out work mr. love Z there's been my companion and soulmate well I mean we speak when he was regularly with the company it was a daily chat on the phone and even now he's not with there we speak weekly very fond of mr. love Z a very special person they don't make them like that anymore unfortunately so many years well what is faithful but excellent so I'm just hoping to defend there will be more a lot more depending on the man upstairs we are - we are - train Joe on behalf of all the Bristol owners yes I assume thank you very much thank you Binda pleasure - the pleasure thank you very much you

Channel: Bristol Owners Heritage Trust

Views: 9,617

Rating: 4.9483871 out of 5

Keywords: Bristol, cars

Id: z-4cREmChks

Length: 18min 13sec (1093 seconds)

Published: Thu May 30 2019