Sold for £18,562
(including buyers premium)
Registration No: JNF 506
Chassis No: 400-1-378
MOT: Exempt
With the support of the War Reparations Board, the rights to manufacture the BMW 326, 327 and 328 and their famed six-cylinder engine were secured by the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s fledgling Car Division in 1946. Place a pre-war BMW 327 alongside Bristol's first offering, the 400, and the ancestry is self-evident, but there were many differences. The decision to make it a four-seater saw it based on the longer chassis of the 326. The aircraft grade Bristol body was more streamlined than that of the 327, while Bristol developed the already impressive 328 engine into one of the finest 2-litre units of the period, which powered not only all Bristol models until 1961, but various sports and racing cars from AC, Arnolt, Cooper, Frazer Nash, Lister, Lotus and Tojeiro. The 400's interior trim was an unmistakably British blend of leather and wood. With its lithe 1170kg kerb weight, rack and pinion steering, independent front suspension, torsion bar controlled rear axle and four-wheel drum brakes, the Bristol was among the fastest and best handling saloons of its generation capable of humbling rivals with far larger engines. However, such excellence did not come cheap and only 487 examples of the 400 were made.
First registered in May 1948, Chassis 378 had one previous recorded owner until 2002 when the previous owner purchased it. In 1973, it was sent for a complete restoration which included having the engine, gearbox and suspension completely overhauled for which there are invoices from Bristol Cars. The interior was re-trimmed and the carpets, headlining and leather work were refurbished.
Unfortunately, shortly after the previous owner purchased the car it suffered some fuelling issues which resulted in a small, but luckily contained, fire around the carburettors which burnt the paint off the bonnet cowling. The car was subsequently taken to a classic car repair garage in Kent who got the car back to running standard and the vendor then put the car away for 20 years until we pulled it out of its resting place in dry storage in 2023. This did, however, preserve what must be one of the most original Bristol 400s available. The current owner, who acquired it from H&H in 2023, initiated repairs, finding the engine in good condition. Following refurbishments and reassembly, the car is said to run well.
The vendor has chosen to move this fantastic Bristol on for another prospective owner to enjoy and improve as they see fit. This rare example comes with a good documentation folder that includes lots of previous MOTs, the driver's handbook and workshop manual, a spares list and a number of invoices for work that has been carried out on the vehicle over the years.
For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430
Auction: Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire, 27th Nov, 2024
An auction of classic, collector and performance motorcars to be held in the beautiful surrounds of the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire.Venue Details
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