1961 Bristol 406

Lot details
Registration No: 5574 WA
Chassis No: 406/5365

- Running and driving

- Service and restoration work carried out by Marque specialist Spencer Lane-Jones

- Original registration number , Engine number 5033 , engine type number 110


At the end of WW2 the Bristol Aeroplane Company found themselves with a surplus of skilled labour and a reduced order book. As a result, the Filton-based business decided to diversify into the prestige car market and, benefitting from the reparations benefit of pre-War BMW designs, were able to quickly develop their own car; in the autumn of 1946 the Bristol Car Division unveiled the 400 saloon powered by a Filton-built, mildly modified version of the BMW 328 engine. The 406 two-door saloon introduced in 1957 was the last of the Filton-engined Bristols, its OHV straight-six pushrod engine fed by triple Solex carburettors having been enlarged to 2216cc to try to compete with the more modern powerpacks offered by Bristol's competition, and now known as the 'Bristol 110 Series'. It was identified by the absence of the then-familiar bonnet scoop of its predecessors and was one of the first saloon cars of its class to feature disc brakes on all four wheels. Just 174 examples of the model were built.

This particular Bristol 406 has a fascinating history, having been previously registered to Tony Crook, director of Bristol Car Division from 1960 who took over full control of Bristol Cars in 1973. Service and restoration work carried out by marque specialist Spencer Lane-Jones is detailed in the comprehensive history file, which also includes an instruction manual, spares handbook and V5. A small number of sensible and sympathetic enhancements have been added such as a Kenlowe electric fan and a Motolita steering wheel (although the original Bristol two-spoke wheel is also included). Records show the MOT lapsed in 2016, but prior to that it passed annual tests back to 2006. The car, finished in imposing maroon coachwork with a grey-piped red leather interior, retains its original '5574 WA' registration and is offered with no reserve.

A little bit about the late Ian Grange :

Not the tallest man in the world, Ian Grange was nonetheless a very much larger than life character. Born in Stockport, severe dyslexia saw him leave school at fifteen with no qualifications. After doing his National Service, Ian went into the Manchester motor trade. A school of hard knocks that could literally have the shirt off your back (as he found out when purchasing a Jaguar E-Type from Harold O'Connor), the budding entrepreneur learnt to wheel and deal with the best of them setting-up Red Lion Autos in Cheadle before specialising in classic cars and relocating to Chorlton.

A serial nightclub owner as well as a car dealer whose clientele included 'everyone from dustbinmen to lords', Ian traded on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Resident in Florida for several years, he could turn a profit on machinery that made more conservative rivals blanch! Never afraid to sit on his stock 'while it increased in value', he professed there was 'a bum for every seat' and sold a fabulous array of classics including a Mercedes-Benz SSK, Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari 275 GTB, AC 428 Convertible, countless coachbuilt Rolls-Royces and Bentleys not to mention numerous outlandish American cars.

A classic car dealer for almost sixty years, Ian was a familiar face at auctions up and down the country. Happy to be bound by one of his irrevocable handshakes and a stickler for punctuality, he remained active up until his death last year. Thankfully, his daughter Samantha Grange-Bailey is picking up where her father left off and will reinvest the proceeds of the collection in further stock