1954 Warrior Bristol Special

This 1954 Warrior Bristol is arguably the earliest purpose-built Sports racing car in existence. It has in its lifetime identified as a Cooper Bristol, Warrior Bristol Special, and the Cooper Jaguar Special. It supremely represents the one off race cars in the mid 50s in England such as the Tojiero Bristol, Lister Monza, Aston Butterworth, etc.

These cars defined the maverick spirit of the 50’s where racers combined mechanical mastery and superior English body building skills to develop race cars that constantly evolved to remain competitive. In the case of the Warrior Bristol that has been a storied race career that has spanned 70 years and Four Continents (UK, Asia, Australia and the US).

Origins of A Racer

In 1953, a number of race car drivers—including Chase, Wharton, Brown, Girard, Nuckey, and others—were competing across England and Europe in Formula 1 Cooper Bristols..

Rod Nuckey, a young English driver from the family behind the Warrior Tap & Die Company, acquired a Cooper-Bristol Formula 2 Mark II (chassis CB Mk23153) in 1953. Racing it under the Ecurie Richmond banner, he secured several wins that season before a serious crash at Snetterton wrote off the chassis. The salvaged engine and transmission were set aside for a new sports car project.

That project became the Warrior-Bristol, designed by engineer Bernard “Bernie” Rogers. At 35, Rogers was already a seasoned talent: he had apprenticed at Alta Car and Engineering, served as chief mechanic for Mike Hawthorn and Ecurie Richmond, and—crucially—had already designed and built the first Cooper-Bristol sports car in 1953. The Warrior is regarded as his first complete, ground-up design, possibly the first purpose-built sports racing car built from the ground up: the Warrior Bristol. (original specs included in folder)

The car raced with a fair measure of success in the British Sportscar Series, driven by Rod Nuckey himself and then by Roger Biss, and J. D. Lomas at Silverstone, Snetterton, Aintree, etc.

While raced in Asia by Bernard Arnold between 1956 - 1963 Arnold put the Warrior Bristol in First position 151 times, scored 50 second places and 25 third positions.

After Bernard Arnold's death in 1964 Jim Watkins, a Singapore resident, purchased this powerful machine and drove the car vigorously in historic events until 1978 when the WB was sold to Australia.

After restoration in 1980 where the Jaguar engine was replaced with the correct Bristol engine and the body was replicated, the Warrior Bristol embarked on a second competitive life in intensive historic racing across Australia

The Warrior Bristol was sold to the present US owner in 1999 who continues to uphold its legacy at premier events like the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, competing in the Del Monte Trophy and Spirit of Pebble Beach groups. Serious amounts of history and documentation accompany the car.