Eastern.promise, Bristol fashion

A road trip by Bristol to Turkey and back began well, but by the halfway point became a test of mechanical know-how if not marriage vows

- JUSTIN MAROZZI

I think you could be looking at an engine rebuild.” That wasn’t what I wanted to hear while sitting by the roadside, 2500 miles into a 6000-mile expedition to the Syrian border and back. My sixth sense, finely honed after 20 years of marriage, told me it wasn't the sort of news that would be entirely welcomed by my wife, either.

“What was that?” she asked suspiciously.

“Nothing serious, darling,” I replied. We'll just keep an eye on the spark plugs.”

Welcome to the Bristol Owners’ Club Turkey Tour 2022, an innocent-sounding expedition that, halfway in, we had already renamed the Bristol Endurance Rally. Our route, designed by Geoffrey and Hilary Herdman marque trailblazers and owners of a 1956 405 drophead that has driven around the world took us across Europe to Istanbul, then south-east to Cappadocia and on across the broiling Anatolian plain to Gaziantep, close to the boundary with wartorn Syria. From there, if we made it that far, it was back down the Antalyan coast, north along the Aegean shore and thena different route through Europe, retracing some of the footsteps of Paddy Leigh Fermor, the war hero, travel writer and bon viveur.

Our convoy consisted of eight Bristols and one Bristol-powered AC Greyhound. All the Bristols, bar a 1969 Chrysler V8-powered 410, were 2-litre, six-cylinder cars: a 1954 403, three 406s, the Herdman drophead and a couple of 1956 405 saloons, including Frieda’, our car. Technical know-how and ability ranged from extremely high a couple of the team were accomplished spanner-wielders, one of whom has rebuilt Bristol engines) to non-existent in 13 years of ownership and a few forays on the Continent, I had yet to change a spark plug).