Rolls Royce used to say "at 60mph, all you can hear is the clock". Tony Crook, the long time owner of Bristol, said "at 100mph, all you can hear is the Rolls Royce you just overtook"
I love the older cars. Being from America I shouldn’t even know about this car, but I am an Anglophile and knew about the Bristol cars. Keep up the great work. I totally enjoy your channel.
Being from Europe, not into muscle cars but very much into US cars, still I shouldn't know about the Essex Terraplane. Still, I want one of these pre-war RR and Bentley rivals.
In the early 1960s I was an appentice at Bristol Siddeley Engines Rodney works We shared a site with Bristol cars and would see them in the raw state before any paint was applied. The finish and craftmenship to the aluminium body was amazing, even for us making the sheet metal components for aero engines including the diffusers and buckets for the first Peggy engines for the Harrier.
Back in the 70s I had a 401 the price I paid then was £220!! When you pulled away it was only firing on 5 ! Both mine and another friends 401 were both fitted with a free wheel. It was a super car and a joy to drive.
In the '60/'70's I sold aluminium to Bristol Cars Filton and regularly saw company owner Anthony Crook test driving prototypes, always with reg 100MPH and MPH100. Good race history, the car and the man. In '54 they produced 3 Bristol 450. They won their class at Le Man that year. And the next! Makes me proud to be Bristolian.
When I did my apprenticeship around 78-82. One of the men at the sheet metal work factory who helped train me had this exact model. His was white. He completely restored the car and it looked showroom. Beautiful wooden dash it really was a great looking car.
Oh! The memories. In the very late 60 and early 70's |I was lucky enough to own two 403's a 1952 & 53 models, both brought from R.F. Fugel's of Bushy Heath that were Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Bristol dealers and mechanics. Now I'm almost 80- I still reckon the the Bristols to be the finest cars I ever owned. I always thought those old Bristol's could easily give the old Cortina GT a run for there money not only in performance, but handling as well. When i first got my first one I took it for a spin around the back lanes of Chandlers Cross and Crocksely Common and after half-n-hour wondered why my arms were getting tied then I noticed the speedometer was showing +/- 60 mph which in those days was almost suicided, luckily there was no traffic. Both cars came with a FULL Bristol branded tool kit under the boot lid which like the filler cap could only be opened from the inside, same as the bonnet, and the spare wheel was house under the boot in its own drop-down tray below the boot. The aluminum doors you couldn't 'jimmy' open as the aluminium metal would just bend. you mentioned the brakes I never had any trouble with them, they were actually finned DLS drums that were originally used on the Bristol Beaufighter.(the same as in your photograph). The 53 model had the electric overdrive and could easily do 100 mph even with the window open and was the only time my mother ever went that fast even if it was accidental on my part. Later that year the speedometer clicked over to 000,000.0 miles and was still going strong. Unfortunately I had a slow headon with a beautifully restored Triumph Mayflower which cracked a steering stabilizer rod. But I still got back from Cornwall to Watford via Plymouth to get the suspension check at the nearest Bristol service center, in under 7 hours.(Remember this was pre motor-war era) The car was eventually repaired once the carpenter came back from leave as the ash space frame had rotted. by the time the car was eventually repaired I'd mover to South Africa, and so the car was sent back to Fugel's to find a new lucky owner. I often wondered what eventually happened to her hopefully she's still someones pride and joy. 6 months after I sold her the value of those care literally tripled or quadrupled over night even for a doggy one. Oh; well that's history for you.
My friend J Symonds bought two from Rf Fugels when we worked at Odhams in Watford. They are wonderful machines. Sadly both Fugles and Odhams are no more.
Thanks for the memory! When I was in college around 71/72 my mate on the course had one of these. We had a great time driving around in it, felt quite the business. The petrol filler flap was a source of hilarity at manned petrol stations which were common at the time.
I live in Australia, and I am old enough to recall a time when cars, other than those from the big 3 American manufacturers, ruled the road. From the BMW Isetta, to the fabulous Bristol. It all fascinated me at the time, being a child. But to think, parked on the dirt road that my street was, were many dozens of valuable, and now rare vehicles were on display. The particular Bristol, which struck me, was (in the finest tradition of aircraft manufacture) was in hand formed, and polished aluminium. Absolutely gorgeous. This was in the very early 60s. I saw that Jay Leno had one in his collection, which he enjoyed immensely. Bristol were so ahead of the curve in engine development following their WWII experience, I wonder what marvels they used.
I think if I were to own this car, I would have to take pity on it to do a complete but thoughtful restoration of the body, exterior, and interior. I would definitely be sympathetic to the original specifications as in colour and materials, eg.roof lining. As for mechanical upgrades, in the interest of safety, the brakes would have my attention, possibly a full conversion to discs.
Driving an old car like this is such a treat. We have it made, but there is something special when you drive such an old machine, and it gets you to where you want to go a little bit slower than you expected, and a bit less creature comforts. But being able to take that machine that far, is something else
My dad had a 407. They story went, that Tony Crook personally selected the car for each customer, matching the customer to the car "he" thought would best suit him. My dad got a 407. True enough, he loved the push-button gear selector.
I worked for Bristol at Filton from 1979 to '85. The best job l ever had... By the way, Jack, you seem to be developing a bit of a "six" fixation. 😊 The cars that followed on from the 401, all began with a four, right up until the 412. Then there was the 603. After that, names took over.
A very Large Thank-You to Julian for loan of this amazing automobile for you to test drive and comment on, Jack!!! It is quite simply a desperately pretty design, executed with all the top notch technology at the time, a very, very special thing indeed!!!
Restoring the running gear has a profound meaning- in that the car now does what it was designed to do, i.e., go down the road well. Imagine if we prioritised all our relationship choices like this. A company that cared about the particular alloy the cylinders were made of? Wow, that's incredible. Great testJack!
You can take the same parts to build two cars, and they can come out feeling very different depending on how they were built. Kudos to the owner for taking care of the mechanicals first. I remember when I acquired a Karmann Ghia that was not running. I built a balanced and blueprinted 1.6L, installed a new transmission and clutch, new brakes, calipers, shocks, tie rods, wheel bearings... the list goes on and it was running beautifully. Then one day a chap was looking it over and said "You're not a car person". I asked him what he meant and he remarked that the paint was not polished and could be much better, so I must not care about the car. Sigh. Thank for the sharing this lovely gem with us.
When I took my 205 to my usual MOT place a new guy was doing the check, so wasn't familiar with my car. He said when it came in he was expecting to have to make a massive list of faults, but was pleasantly surprised when he passed without an advisory. He said the body and paint looked rough, but the mechanicals were spot on. I look after the car to make it drive well and be reliable, and not focus too much on how it looks.
I always say “Chrome won’t get you home”. There are a few guys in our club that won’t leave their garage unless the weather is perfect. I rebuilt my 1976 Spitfire for long drives. Not for putting around town.
I always liked these and the BMW these were based on. The amount of insulation in Bristols is amazing. I wish I bought one when I could afford one 15-20 years ago!
As someone who was trained in aircraft maintenance I'd argue the fuel filler door is aviation standard/influence. If it was it the filler cap would be accessible only after removing twenty screws.
@@simonm9923 Yes, I couldn't remember their exact name, but you knew what I meant. And they should screw into Helicoils to ensure the female threads stay in good nick.
Here is in the US I have never seen or heard of a Bristol 401. If the exterior were refinished, it would be a stunningly good looking car, it has a beautiful shape. It is a really interesting car.
Actually I like the patina. It suits the car in some way. Makes it look like an old warbird from WW2 for the road. Even the interior looks like an airplane cockpit .
@@robertneuschul4874 Disagree. This was a project car bought without an engine according to the video. It´s value is defined by that and relatively low. Maybe the owner calculates that the "cool patina" factor will change that, but to me this car suggests neglect, not patina or oily rag. Never heard a Bristol sound like a diesel before.....
I know you've mentioned my favourite motoring journalist of all time, L. J. K. Setright, in the past, so you probably know how much he loved these cars. He was the Owners' Club President for some time, and I think wrote the definitive book on them. I have the good fortune, here in South Australia, to know an excellent car restorer who has had a number of these fine, early Bristols through his hands (careful how you say that), and I have had a chance to look at them up close. They are remarkable cars. I like the unrestored condition of your test car.
I remember years ago picking up my Dad from the school where he worked. He had a nice little job as a school Janitor his “pocket’ money, job after retirement, next to his workshop was the Caretakers caravan parked next to the caravan was a Bristol 403 of course being a car bloke I had to get out and have a look 👀 what a beautifully put together machine I swear I could smell the leather through the glass lol. Believe me it was a treat to look at a car I had only seen in magazines such as it is living in tropical northern Australia 🇦🇺
My dad owned a 1951 Bristol 401 in the eighties it's still here in Aotearoa new zealand in a car museum. I've got awesome memories of that induction noise
@Mercmad yeah nah it's British racing green now in the collection of the owner of Metropolitan car and truck rentals it's sometimes on display in the lobby
Great video Jack. These cars are definitely special with their own character. I admire the owner's philosophy of getting it to run well, though if it were mine, I'd be inclined to restore the interior and exterior as it looks a bit ropey in its current state.
As a kid going to Grandad on the coach we used go past the showroom, I vowed one day I would own one, I missed my chance I saw a 401 for sale in the Netherlands affordable but alas I was a new parent and had no money, it was in green .
Don't forget that Bristol also built some of the best radial engines ever. Their sleeve valve system was better than the normal poppet vave systems that their competitors like Pratt & Witney were using. Go and look at the engineering on the Bristol centaurus for example. Lovely review and a lovely car by the way 🙂
They were certainly beautiful engines, but "better" is probably a subjective opinion. They were certainly powerful, smooth and fairly reliable, but limitations in metallurgy to keep the head cool and particularly high oil consumption due to the two-axis movement of the piston and sleeve were always issues. In the end the advantages were mostly negated by improvements in poppet valve design and materials.
@ Maybe you're right with the sleeve valve system, and Pratt & Whitney certainly built their radicals in larger numbers for much longer. They're still flying in their thousands today all over the world. But I'm sure you will agree that the sleeve valve engines were, for their time, an engineering marvel, and a tribute to the engineering prowess of the British Aerospace industry of the time. Largely gone now, but that's a story for another day 😀
My Dad had an XK 120 until I came along in 1951, so he sold it and bought a Bristol 403. He was so impressed with it that while he was at the War Office in London, in the late '60s, he bought an AC Ace with the 2.0 Bristol engine.
I had a 411s4, magnificent. I went to the showroom and discussed ownership with Tony Crook, even though not buying from them. He was very gracious and generous with his time, so I evidently met his criteria.
I have 2 401s, so I can say I have a nice pair of Bristols. The car on test has a remote gear lever, introduced on the later 403, so I assume it's a retrofit. Also there is a freewheel on 1st gear, so synchromesh is not required - you can engage 1st at any speed. I also own several classic Saab 900s - also designed and built by an aircraft company, and also excellent design and quality. The 401 has almost identical dimensions (it's taller though), but the Saab weighs a lot more than the Bristol. I've driven a friend's 402 (convertible version of the 401) on a good racetrack, and you can really throw these things around.
One of my teachers at school when I was 10 had one just like this. Even as ignorant about cars as we were back in the late '60's we were very much impressed.
Fourty years ago a found two for sale in London for £800 for both ! unfortunately I was a young chap short of funds and they would only sell both together. A few months later I came across one on the Great North road and it was leaving everything behind him including me despite my best efforts to follow.
I was raised in Kensington and would get off the bus from school on the corner of Kensington High Street, just before it became Olympia, and Holland Road, which is where the Bristol showroom was. I would ogle through the window on a daily basis. I had no idea it was the only one! Growing up I always had Bristols in the back yard, not just in the showroom but parked on the streets next to all the RRs, Bentleys, E-Types, Jensens, Aston Martins and of course the exotic Italians. It’s a ritzy part of town and of course it was full of all kinds of snobs. As I observed this I developed a perception from an early age that if you had money but no class you had a Rolls Royce, money and a bit of class it was a Bentley. And if you could afford it and knew the best when you saw it, you drove a Bristol. Understated and undersold.
I had a similar experience going to college in Manchester. I would pass the Jaguar showroom and stare longingly at the E types on display. I spent hours trying to persuade an older cousin, with money, to buy one, but he insisted on needing a family saloon.
Yes he did. But LJKS was equally iconoclastic and got progressively more irrelevant as the years rolled on. So you can see how he felt at home in a Bristol...
@@stuartbritton4811 I like it relative to the car itself today. If a new car would be purposely built with a paint job like that, then that would be very ugly and terrible.
After what Jeremy wrote about the car (Blenheim maybe ?) in the Times and knowing Tony Crook, little wonder no one associated with him could have a go in one ^^
I want one. Yes please review the later Bristol's, I went into the Showroom several times, but as a despatch rider in London at the time I wasn't a serious customer was I? I loved the way they were so old fashioned.
I was fortunate to own a Bristol 401 for seven years when I was a young man. Most of my friends at the time owned MGB GT’s and I liked to think that I lorded it over them in my Gentlemen’s sporting carriage!
I saw the car and the grill and right away I knew the parentage. Of course the date 1948 made it obvious. I also heard if the Bristol name but never saw one or knew the details you explained. Wonderful video. So nice to learn a car that was made the same year as me is still on the road. 😊😂
Bristol actually started out as the Bristol Tramways and it is quite incredible how the company evolved as its chairman, George White created the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd which quickly became the Bristol Aeroplane Co. An interesting video and a wonderful car.
@@martinrichardhorrocks9869 Yes, it was and it was nationalised in 1948 (although at that time its legal name was Bristol Tramways- which ceased to run in 1941 when the power station was destroyed by bombing) which is why Bristol bus chassis were only sold to the state owned bus companies for many years.
Fascinating! I've known about Bristols for decades but have never seen one in a review of any sort. I have always known that they are rare and that the pricing put them in very rarified air. I would love to see what the last models were like. The aircraft, particularly the Beaufighter had a very faithful following due to that "get you home" quality. I didn't realize that it was the same company. All the best, Rob in Switzerland
What a gorgeous piece of history. Never knew about Bristol's superleggera build. Very impressive. Also didn't know about the BMW connection. Great video thanks!
This car is simply gorgeous. Every panel is a work of art. The boot!! OMG. And listen to it. Oh, and the font on the dials. I'd be super tempted to complete the mechanicals, and the interior, and leave that brilliant patina outside :)
I assume the headliner is a replacement. From the interior shots, the part around the rear window looks unfinished. Was that a work in progress perhaps?
Lovely car, well done to the owner. The old showroom on high st Kensington was also a great landmark to spot on trips into London. Look forward to you doing a video in the Fighter!
Good timing! I find Bristol cars fascinating - if I were one of the super-rich, there would be a place for one in my garage. Coincidentally, a Bristol 411 passed me yesterday - it was beautiful!
Thank you for covering one of my favourite cars from one of my favourite brands. I could probably wax lyrical (or as close as I can manage) on the features of the early Bristol motorcars. Yes, there was a lot of BMW in the Bristol's genes but the British combined the best of BMW practice by taking the chassis of the 326 and combining it with the 328 engine. On the 400 they even took inspiration for the bodywork from the BMW 327, just to be sure of doing a complete job. The BMW 326 (and the Bristol 400 up to and including the 405) used an bracket shaped like the latter A to provide lateral location of the back axle (rather like Alfa Romeo with its post-war designs) and torsion bars for the springing medium (arranged to give progressive rate springing). The BMW 328, for all its sporting success had to make do with a pair of leaf springs to support and locate its live axle. Bristol took great pains over the front suspension assembly, which was assembled as a unit before being attached to the chassis. Each assembly was checked to ensure that the geometry was correct throughout the full range of wheel movement. I noticed that you mentioned the lack of synchromesh on first gear. As originally designed, the transmission incorporated a freewheel mechanism on first gear, to allow for silent engagement of that gear while the car was moving. However, the freewheel mechanism could be damaged by careless usage, and some owners had it removed. As for the movement of the lever, I hope you get to try a later car, as the shorter lever that was fitted to the 404, 405 and 406 is reputed to be one of the best gear changes in the business. Bristol gets a lot of hate from people who've probably never even seen one in real life, never mind travelled in one. Thank you for presenting the positive aspects of the marque to a wider audience.
It was open well into the 2000s. I remember seeing a car in there which sadly had not been built to the highest standard. Fit and finish was well down on Bristol's heyday.
Im not really a car fan more into bikes BUT this car sticks in my mind because as a 10 year old walking the 2 miles to school every day i would see one of these parked in a side street and i was fascinated. I have a big interest in aircrat too and as a keen model maker at the time always wondered if there was a connection with the Bristol aircraft. Now after 60 plus years i know for certain, thanks.
From across the pond: Just watched John Light in a "Father Brown" episode The Father the Son. I thought he was driving a Bring More Wallet. coupe. Now I know it was a Bristol. Thank you. Narragansett Bay
I only know about Bristol cars because of L.J.K.Setright. I started reading Car magazine as a schoolboy in the early 70s and he wrote lovingly of them.
You remarked on the use of rack-and-pinion steering. The Morris Minor, released in the same year, 1948, was also fitted with such a system. Perhaps even more remarkable given its place as a small, affordable, mass produced vehicle.
Great review of one of Britain's best classic cars. Bristol's were beautifully finished. I love my Mark 2 Armstrong Siddeley. It has the rare twin stromberg preselector setup coupled to the 3.4 litre hemi. And over 100 mph is possible. Unlike the Bristol it has large ventilated power assisted brakes that work as well as a modern disk braked vehicle! And like Bristol the Sapphire is named after the jet engine that the company made and fitted to many aircraft. And the aircraft company still exists today in the form of the renamed British Aero space Industries. Who also make submarines. The Armstrong Siddeley was exceptionally well designed with outstanding bodies that have lasted extremely well here in Australia. And while there is a strong Rolls connection the connection is actually through WO Bentley. So essentially a fast elegant lorry perhaps! as some French bloke might surmise...
Armstrong-Siddeley was a similar comapny in that it was an engineering giant which also made cars. In truth, a lot more cars than Bristole ever did. Alvis was similar ( though I think a car company which became a defense company, so different direction of travel?) Confused by your reference to W.O. Bentley. I know he went to Lagonda after R-R, so there was also a post war connection with Aston Martin, but how was he coinnected with Armstrong-Siddeley?
Loved this, your unbridled enthusiasm is infectious. So where do I get one? But more seriously, I have owned and loved two 50's era Morris Minors. They were of course very much the plebs car of that era. But here's the thing. They handled very well, the 998cc engine was willing and had an excellent power spread and... they had rack and pinion steering.
No one ever bought a Bristol because they wanted the typical car. Even the way Bristol sold their cars was different. And the owner was, to say the least, eccentric. But the cars were special and I'm so glad to see one still on the road
Wow! Thanks for the video, that certainly brought back memories for me! When I was 18, I used to drive past a Bristol 401 (or 403) that sat outside under an awning at regular suburban house near Chester. It actually looked the same condition as the one in your video. I was fascinated by it, I was into quirky cars, I was driving a SAAB 96 V4 (that I still own 36 years later!!). I pestered the owner multiple times to sell it, but he was keeping it for his son...lucky guy 🙂
My daughter's middle name is Bristol, after this make of cars. Her mother knew I wanted to name any child I sired after a car, but feared that I would pick something like Invicta (and I would have), so she went through my books looking for something a bit less outlandish. Most people here in NASCARland think she's named after the short track though, and i can live with that.
This is top tier. I have seen other reviews as good, but none better. And I would really like to see a Bristol from the last third of the twentieth century.
What a beauty ... Aerospace engineering inspector here , yes the TKR Le Mans jaguar used our composite materials skills in the early 90s ... carbon Kevlar wheel scoops .. keeping airflow on the wheels too make it stick to the track ... Anyway thanks for the video ... I'm 56 and hopefully there's still the skills and quality commitment about somewhere on this island 😊
A nice moment to remember my friend Brian May. Now deceased he loved these cars and we worked on them on his property in Birmingham. Through him I owned a 400 for a while. There was a video with him on RUclips, let have a look to see if it's still there. Nice memories.
Great cars. If money was no object..... Many years ago, while working for a well-known rubber company in Manchester, l visited the Motor Show, then held at Earles Court in London. When l visited the Bristol stand l was very lucky to meet Tony Crook. Although he knew that l was not in the market for one of his superb cars, he generously spent about 40 minutes "educating" me on the brand. Probably because of my rubber connections, l was invited to drop in at the factory if ever l was passing! Many years later, l found myself working in London . When in the West Kensington area l would sometimes make a beeline for the showroom just to stare at those beautiful machines. A business acquaintance had a 404 for several years.
... Meanwhile in East Germany, in one of those funny twists of fate, they were building a fairly close contemporary relative of this Bristol... The EMW.... Worth doing a bit of research on these rare cars. Very fascinating!
In the 1990's ,not long after the fall of the soviet union, I was wandering through a city with my wife. I spotted what I thought was a prewar BMW with a badly composed grill which made the front look like a singer SM. I told the wife that some soviet car restorer must have rebuilt it to running condition and the lack of parts resulted in a pretty ugly car. As my wife was Russian,she said no,it's not a Bee Em Vee ,it's a E Em Vee ,a east German car😄😄...which I actually knew of vaguely. The standard of construction was pretty much borderline .
@@Mercmad At that time the car you saw would probably be showing 40 odd years of abuse and neglect. And, correct, the front end was "updated" in the early 50s so no longer looked the same as the pre-war BMW 326.
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Rolls Royce used to say "at 60mph, all you can hear is the clock". Tony Crook, the long time owner of Bristol, said "at 100mph, all you can hear is the Rolls Royce you just overtook"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 brilliant!
Jay Leno said, it only means the clock in your Rolls is extremely noisy 😂
I met Tony Crook a couple of times, such a character, so many stories about him. Mostly true!
i love my rolls , do you like your s
Not many people know this, but the RR clock was the loudest in the world. It could cause hearing damage.
I love the older cars. Being from America I shouldn’t even know about this car, but I am an Anglophile and knew about the Bristol cars. Keep up the great work. I totally enjoy your channel.
Being from Europe, not into muscle cars but very much into US cars, still I shouldn't know about the Essex Terraplane.
Still, I want one of these pre-war RR and Bentley rivals.
In the early 1960s I was an appentice at Bristol Siddeley Engines Rodney works We shared a site with Bristol cars and would see them in the raw state before any paint was applied. The finish and craftmenship to the aluminium body was amazing, even for us making the sheet metal components for aero engines including the diffusers and buckets for the first Peggy engines for the Harrier.
WHAT an amazing experience
Back in the 70s I had a 401 the price I paid then was £220!! When you pulled away it was only firing on 5 ! Both mine and another friends 401 were both fitted with a free wheel. It was a super car and a joy to drive.
Wow. Must be worth double that now ?
They are truly cars where you don't own them but are custodians. Wonderful machines, the essence of Britain.
Yeeeees!!! Especially the one made of BMW 328 !!!
with a German accent?
@@bertbristow7172 the English are part German, genetically.
the only british bit about them is the unreliability.
@grrfy BMWs are not known for reliability either - whether MTBF or total down time.
In the '60/'70's I sold aluminium to Bristol Cars Filton and regularly saw company owner Anthony Crook test driving prototypes, always with reg 100MPH and MPH100. Good race history, the car and the man. In '54 they produced 3 Bristol 450. They won their class at Le Man that year. And the next! Makes me proud to be Bristolian.
When I did my apprenticeship around 78-82. One of the men at the sheet metal work factory who helped train me had this exact model. His was white. He completely restored the car and it looked showroom. Beautiful wooden dash it really was a great looking car.
Oh! The memories. In the very late 60 and early 70's |I was lucky enough to own two 403's a 1952 & 53 models, both brought from R.F. Fugel's of Bushy Heath that were Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Bristol dealers and mechanics. Now I'm almost 80- I still reckon the the Bristols to be the finest cars I ever owned. I always thought those old Bristol's could easily give the old Cortina GT a run for there money not only in performance, but handling as well. When i first got my first one I took it for a spin around the back lanes of Chandlers Cross and Crocksely Common and after half-n-hour wondered why my arms were getting tied then I noticed the speedometer was showing +/- 60 mph which in those days was almost suicided, luckily there was no traffic. Both cars came with a FULL Bristol branded tool kit under the boot lid which like the filler cap could only be opened from the inside, same as the bonnet, and the spare wheel was house under the boot in its own drop-down tray below the boot. The aluminum doors you couldn't 'jimmy' open as the aluminium metal would just bend. you mentioned the brakes I never had any trouble with them, they were actually finned DLS drums that were originally used on the Bristol Beaufighter.(the same as in your photograph). The 53 model had the electric overdrive and could easily do 100 mph even with the window open and was the only time my mother ever went that fast even if it was accidental on my part. Later that year the speedometer clicked over to 000,000.0 miles and was still going strong. Unfortunately I had a slow headon with a beautifully restored Triumph Mayflower which cracked a steering stabilizer rod. But I still got back from Cornwall to Watford via Plymouth to get the suspension check at the nearest Bristol service center, in under 7 hours.(Remember this was pre motor-war era) The car was eventually repaired once the carpenter came back from leave as the ash space frame had rotted. by the time the car was eventually repaired I'd mover to South Africa, and so the car was sent back to Fugel's to find a new lucky owner. I often wondered what eventually happened to her hopefully she's still someones pride and joy. 6 months after I sold her the value of those care literally tripled or quadrupled over night even for a doggy one. Oh; well that's history for you.
My friend J Symonds bought two from Rf Fugels when we worked at Odhams in Watford. They are wonderful machines. Sadly both Fugles and Odhams are no more.
If they came armed like the Beaufighter it could possibly help in traffic...
Thanks for the memory! When I was in college around 71/72 my mate on the course had one of these. We had a great time driving around in it, felt quite the business. The petrol filler flap was a source of hilarity at manned petrol stations which were common at the time.
I live in Australia, and I am old enough to recall a time when cars, other than those from the big 3 American manufacturers, ruled the road. From the BMW Isetta, to the fabulous Bristol. It all fascinated me at the time, being a child. But to think, parked on the dirt road that my street was, were many dozens of valuable, and now rare vehicles were on display. The particular Bristol, which struck me, was (in the finest tradition of aircraft manufacture) was in hand formed, and polished aluminium. Absolutely gorgeous. This was in the very early 60s.
I saw that Jay Leno had one in his collection, which he enjoyed immensely. Bristol were so ahead of the curve in engine development following their WWII experience, I wonder what marvels they used.
I think if I were to own this car, I would have to take pity on it to do a complete but thoughtful restoration of the body, exterior, and interior. I would definitely be sympathetic to the original specifications as in colour and materials, eg.roof lining. As for mechanical upgrades, in the interest of safety, the brakes would have my attention, possibly a full conversion to discs.
Those Bristols are pure mechanical art, one of the coolest cars ever made by far
Driving an old car like this is such a treat. We have it made, but there is something special when you drive such an old machine, and it gets you to where you want to go a little bit slower than you expected, and a bit less creature comforts. But being able to take that machine that far, is something else
My dad had a 407. They story went, that Tony Crook personally selected the car for each customer, matching the customer to the car "he" thought would best suit him. My dad got a 407. True enough, he loved the push-button gear selector.
This was perfectly possible as they only sold a two-digit number of cars per year.
I worked for Bristol at Filton from 1979 to '85.
The best job l ever had...
By the way, Jack, you seem to be developing a bit of a "six" fixation. 😊
The cars that followed on from the 401, all began with a four, right up until the 412.
Then there was the 603.
After that, names took over.
I wonder which car Jack meant when he said the Bristol 601. I'm guessing the 406.
I'm in Australia. Bristol was always my dream car. A friend had (maybe still has) two.
A very Large Thank-You to Julian for loan of this amazing automobile for you to test drive and comment on, Jack!!! It is quite simply a desperately pretty design, executed with all the top notch technology at the time, a very, very special thing indeed!!!
A very BIG thank you for allowing me to discover this beautifull machine. What a character she has!
A wonderful old-timer, and the paint work makes a perfect camouflage for the quality engineering. A dream car for the discerning.
True beauty is under the skin.
Restoring the running gear has a profound meaning- in that the car now does what it was designed to do, i.e., go down the road well. Imagine if we prioritised all our relationship choices like this. A company that cared about the particular alloy the cylinders were made of? Wow, that's incredible. Great testJack!
Thanks chap!!!
All Car Companies care about the alloy of the cylinders, and to make the profit to stay in business, which British companies seemed to ignore.
In the tv series ¨the inspector Lynley mysteries" Lynley drove a maroon Bristol 410. He also drove a Jensen interceptor.
Lucky sod.
@@afischer8327 Understatement.
that was the main reason i was a fan of the show!!!
a man of wealth and taste.
You can take the same parts to build two cars, and they can come out feeling very different depending on how they were built. Kudos to the owner for taking care of the mechanicals first. I remember when I acquired a Karmann Ghia that was not running. I built a balanced and blueprinted 1.6L, installed a new transmission and clutch, new brakes, calipers, shocks, tie rods, wheel bearings... the list goes on and it was running beautifully. Then one day a chap was looking it over and said "You're not a car person". I asked him what he meant and he remarked that the paint was not polished and could be much better, so I must not care about the car. Sigh. Thank for the sharing this lovely gem with us.
He would have been a paint guy, and not a car person.
This story about the paint-man had me miffed, not going to lie.
How did you deal with that impudent chap, pray tell?
When I took my 205 to my usual MOT place a new guy was doing the check, so wasn't familiar with my car. He said when it came in he was expecting to have to make a massive list of faults, but was pleasantly surprised when he passed without an advisory. He said the body and paint looked rough, but the mechanicals were spot on. I look after the car to make it drive well and be reliable, and not focus too much on how it looks.
I always say “Chrome won’t get you home”. There are a few guys in our club that won’t leave their garage unless the weather is perfect. I rebuilt my 1976 Spitfire for long drives. Not for putting around town.
My neighbour was always washing and polishing his car. None of that stopped the underside rusting into a colander.
I always liked these and the BMW these were based on. The amount of insulation in Bristols is amazing. I wish I bought one when I could afford one 15-20 years ago!
i just love old bristols, they were fantastic cars.
As someone who was trained in aircraft maintenance I'd argue the fuel filler door is aviation standard/influence. If it was it the filler cap would be accessible only after removing twenty screws.
But self-retaining (captive) quarter turn Zeus screw with offset triwing drive recesses.
@@andrewdking, indeed! They’re Dzus fasteners actually, used on every racing car from the 50s and ever since 👍
@@simonm9923 Yes, I couldn't remember their exact name, but you knew what I meant. And they should screw into Helicoils to ensure the female threads stay in good nick.
amazing! love the old paint and the ''i have seen some things'' look
Here is in the US I have never seen or heard of a Bristol 401. If the exterior were refinished, it would be a stunningly good looking car, it has a beautiful shape. It is a really interesting car.
Jay Leno has one which is restored and featured on his channel..
Actually I like the patina. It suits the car in some way. Makes it look like an old warbird from WW2 for the road. Even the interior looks like an airplane cockpit .
Refinishing it would halve its value, and its interest.b Only heathens do such things.
@@robertneuschul4874 😂
@@robertneuschul4874 Disagree. This was a project car bought without an engine according to the video. It´s value is defined by that and relatively low. Maybe the owner calculates that the "cool patina" factor will change that, but to me this car suggests neglect, not patina or oily rag. Never heard a Bristol sound like a diesel before.....
I know you've mentioned my favourite motoring journalist of all time, L. J. K. Setright, in the past, so you probably know how much he loved these cars. He was the Owners' Club President for some time, and I think wrote the definitive book on them. I have the good fortune, here in South Australia, to know an excellent car restorer who has had a number of these fine, early Bristols through his hands (careful how you say that), and I have had a chance to look at them up close. They are remarkable cars. I like the unrestored condition of your test car.
I remember years ago picking up my Dad from the school where he worked. He had a nice little job as a school Janitor his “pocket’ money, job after retirement, next to his workshop was the Caretakers caravan parked next to the caravan was a Bristol 403 of course being a car bloke I had to get out and have a look 👀 what a beautifully put together machine I swear I could smell the leather through the glass lol. Believe me it was a treat to look at a car I had only seen in magazines such as it is living in tropical northern Australia 🇦🇺
My dad owned a 1951 Bristol 401 in the eighties it's still here in Aotearoa new zealand in a car museum. I've got awesome memories of that induction noise
Was it red? I raced one along the southern Motorway from Auckland to Papakura in the early 70's .
@Mercmad yeah nah it's British racing green now in the collection of the owner of Metropolitan car and truck rentals it's sometimes on display in the lobby
I've recently seen a real beauty of a 401 for sale in NZ. Gorgeous cars.
Great video Jack. These cars are definitely special with their own character. I admire the owner's philosophy of getting it to run well, though if it were mine, I'd be inclined to restore the interior and exterior as it looks a bit ropey in its current state.
Please Jack, more like this, so interesting. Thank you, Sir.
As a kid going to Grandad on the coach we used go past the showroom, I vowed one day I would own one, I missed my chance I saw a 401 for sale in the Netherlands affordable but alas I was a new parent and had no money, it was in green .
Bell crank in the valve train! Wow! Great solution that enables a hemi head.
Thanks!!
Don't forget that Bristol also built some of the best radial engines ever. Their sleeve valve system was better than the normal poppet vave systems that their competitors like Pratt & Witney were using. Go and look at the engineering on the Bristol centaurus for example. Lovely review and a lovely car by the way 🙂
They were certainly beautiful engines, but "better" is probably a subjective opinion. They were certainly powerful, smooth and fairly reliable, but limitations in metallurgy to keep the head cool and particularly high oil consumption due to the two-axis movement of the piston and sleeve were always issues. In the end the advantages were mostly negated by improvements in poppet valve design and materials.
@ Maybe you're right with the sleeve valve system, and Pratt & Whitney certainly built their radicals in larger numbers for much longer. They're still flying in their thousands today all over the world. But I'm sure you will agree that the sleeve valve engines were, for their time, an engineering marvel, and a tribute to the engineering prowess of the British Aerospace industry of the time. Largely gone now, but that's a story for another day 😀
My Dad had an XK 120 until I came along in 1951, so he sold it and bought a Bristol 403. He was so impressed with it that while he was at the War Office in London, in the late '60s, he bought an AC Ace with the 2.0 Bristol engine.
I had a 411s4, magnificent. I went to the showroom and discussed ownership with Tony Crook, even though not buying from them. He was very gracious and generous with his time, so I evidently met his criteria.
Tony Crook?! Great name for a used car salesman 😂
Magical! I'd love to see more Bristols driven and reviewed.
I have 2 401s, so I can say I have a nice pair of Bristols. The car on test has a remote gear lever, introduced on the later 403, so I assume it's a retrofit. Also there is a freewheel on 1st gear, so synchromesh is not required - you can engage 1st at any speed.
I also own several classic Saab 900s - also designed and built by an aircraft company, and also excellent design and quality. The 401 has almost identical dimensions (it's taller though), but the Saab weighs a lot more than the Bristol. I've driven a friend's 402 (convertible version of the 401) on a good racetrack, and you can really throw these things around.
What does a 1951 401 cost buy in good condition please
For me, this is my favourite car you've tested.
Love the patina on this fantastic Bristol.
One of my teachers at school when I was 10 had one just like this. Even as ignorant about cars as we were back in the late '60's we were very much impressed.
Fourty years ago a found two for sale in London for £800 for both ! unfortunately I was a young chap short of funds and they would only sell both together. A few months later I came across one on the Great North road and it was leaving everything behind him including me despite my best efforts to follow.
I was raised in Kensington and would get off the bus from school on the corner of Kensington High Street, just before it became Olympia, and Holland Road, which is where the Bristol showroom was. I would ogle through the window on a daily basis. I had no idea it was the only one! Growing up I always had Bristols in the back yard, not just in the showroom but parked on the streets next to all the RRs, Bentleys, E-Types, Jensens, Aston Martins and of course the exotic Italians. It’s a ritzy part of town and of course it was full of all kinds of snobs. As I observed this I developed a perception from an early age that if you had money but no class you had a Rolls Royce, money and a bit of class it was a Bentley. And if you could afford it and knew the best when you saw it, you drove a Bristol. Understated and undersold.
I had a similar experience going to college in Manchester. I would pass the Jaguar showroom and stare longingly at the E types on display. I spent hours trying to persuade an older cousin, with money, to buy one, but he insisted on needing a family saloon.
Bristol motor cars were for the less ostentatious consumer not wanting to flaunt their wealth.
The late LJK Setright would approve. I remember well reading his columns in Car magazine that often waxed lyrical about Bristol.
Fabulous cars.
Yes he did. But LJKS was equally iconoclastic and got progressively more irrelevant as the years rolled on. So you can see how he felt at home in a Bristol...
@martinrichardhorrocks9869 I guess so. Some of his prose was impenetrable. To me, at least. I still read his columns, though.
Would the name Setright,have anything to do with ticket machines as used by bus companies for years?
They of course made the Bristol Freighter all the while.
@@christophermiller853 Yes, indeed; the ticket machines were designed and manufactured by LJK Setright's father's engineering company.
What a car! I appreciate the owners view on restoration. The only thing I would restore on this car would be the interior and leave the outside as is.
I genuinely love the paint job. very, very cool car.
I don't like the paint job. It looks tatty..scruffy. It's today's preference though, rather like tattoos, dirty shoes and holes in clothes..
@@stuartbritton4811 I like it relative to the car itself today. If a new car would be purposely built with a paint job like that, then that would be very ugly and terrible.
Fabulous car one of my favourites along with Lancias from the fifties and sixties. Once the paint work is done going to be truly beautiful.
They’re only original once.
Crazy cool old beauty. As a Canadian I’ve never seen one in the metal but maybe one day. I guess James May is allowed into the building now hahahaha
After what Jeremy wrote about the car (Blenheim maybe ?) in the Times and knowing Tony Crook, little wonder no one associated with him could have a go in one ^^
@@jean-charlesweyland129 I always wondered what Clarkson did. Thanks. I will look that up.
I want one. Yes please review the later Bristol's, I went into the Showroom several times, but as a despatch rider in London at the time I wasn't a serious customer was I? I loved the way they were so old fashioned.
I was fortunate to own a Bristol 401 for seven years when I was a young man. Most of my friends at the time owned MGB GT’s and I liked to think that I lorded it over them in my Gentlemen’s sporting carriage!
I saw the car and the grill and right away I knew the parentage. Of course the date 1948 made it obvious. I also heard if the Bristol name but never saw one or knew the details you explained. Wonderful video. So nice to learn a car that was made the same year as me is still on the road. 😊😂
What a pretty and nicely engineered machine. The bonnet slide for opening.. just utterly nice. Lovely car.
and totally useless if parked on the English side of the road and want to access that side of the engine bay LOL
@@Pyjamarama11I’m sure most Bristol owners couldn’t care less. Lol.
@@damonrobus-clarke533
Good point !!
"Let me know when you've fixed it, Jeeves"
@@Pyjamarama11 You've underestimated Bristol; engineered to open either side.
Jack, I love these type of tests/vids of the really rare/older cars. Fantastic.
Love it! Thank you Jack and Julian.
That straight 6 makes a really good note 🎵.
My friend had a 406. The complex valve gear was like a well oiled sewing machine!
Bristol actually started out as the Bristol Tramways and it is quite incredible how the company evolved as its chairman, George White created the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd which quickly became the Bristol Aeroplane Co. An interesting video and a wonderful car.
So was the Bristol bus company part of that?
@@martinrichardhorrocks9869 Yes, it was and it was nationalised in 1948 (although at that time its legal name was Bristol Tramways- which ceased to run in 1941 when the power station was destroyed by bombing) which is why Bristol bus chassis were only sold to the state owned bus companies for many years.
@@NickRatnieks Thanks for the information. They were very solid vehicles!
Fascinating! I've known about Bristols for decades but have never seen one in a review of any sort. I have always known that they are rare and that the pricing put them in very rarified air. I would love to see what the last models were like. The aircraft, particularly the Beaufighter had a very faithful following due to that "get you home" quality. I didn't realize that it was the same company. All the best, Rob in Switzerland
What a gorgeous piece of history. Never knew about Bristol's superleggera build. Very impressive. Also didn't know about the BMW connection. Great video thanks!
Fantastic! I remember gazing in awe into the showroom in the 1960's.
This car is simply gorgeous. Every panel is a work of art. The boot!! OMG. And listen to it. Oh, and the font on the dials. I'd be super tempted to complete the mechanicals, and the interior, and leave that brilliant patina outside :)
Agree. This is too nice a car to be trimmed so badly. The bodywork is fine, though I suspect it isn´t all just the passage of time tbh....
I assume the headliner is a replacement. From the interior shots, the part around the rear window looks unfinished. Was that a work in progress perhaps?
@@charlesyoung7436 Hope so!
Lovely car, well done to the owner. The old showroom on high st Kensington was also a great landmark to spot on trips into London. Look forward to you doing a video in the Fighter!
Good timing! I find Bristol cars fascinating - if I were one of the super-rich, there would be a place for one in my garage. Coincidentally, a Bristol 411 passed me yesterday - it was beautiful!
Thank you for covering one of my favourite cars from one of my favourite brands. I could probably wax lyrical (or as close as I can manage) on the features of the early Bristol motorcars.
Yes, there was a lot of BMW in the Bristol's genes but the British combined the best of BMW practice by taking the chassis of the 326 and combining it with the 328 engine. On the 400 they even took inspiration for the bodywork from the BMW 327, just to be sure of doing a complete job. The BMW 326 (and the Bristol 400 up to and including the 405) used an bracket shaped like the latter A to provide lateral location of the back axle (rather like Alfa Romeo with its post-war designs) and torsion bars for the springing medium (arranged to give progressive rate springing). The BMW 328, for all its sporting success had to make do with a pair of leaf springs to support and locate its live axle. Bristol took great pains over the front suspension assembly, which was assembled as a unit before being attached to the chassis. Each assembly was checked to ensure that the geometry was correct throughout the full range of wheel movement.
I noticed that you mentioned the lack of synchromesh on first gear. As originally designed, the transmission incorporated a freewheel mechanism on first gear, to allow for silent engagement of that gear while the car was moving. However, the freewheel mechanism could be damaged by careless usage, and some owners had it removed. As for the movement of the lever, I hope you get to try a later car, as the shorter lever that was fitted to the 404, 405 and 406 is reputed to be one of the best gear changes in the business.
Bristol gets a lot of hate from people who've probably never even seen one in real life, never mind travelled in one. Thank you for presenting the positive aspects of the marque to a wider audience.
I remember the Kensington showroom. I'm not sure when it closed, but it was still there in the 90's
It was open well into the 2000s. I remember seeing a car in there which sadly had not been built to the highest standard. Fit and finish was well down on Bristol's heyday.
@@peterdodd8324Showroom finally closed in 2011.
Im not really a car fan more into bikes BUT this car sticks in my mind because as a 10 year old walking the 2 miles to school every day i would see one of these parked in a side street and i was fascinated. I have a big interest in aircrat too and as a keen model maker at the time always wondered if there was a connection with the Bristol aircraft. Now after 60 plus years i know for certain, thanks.
The Bristol Beaufighter was great aircraft and this an amazing car to be built by an aircraft company.
From across the pond: Just watched John Light in a "Father Brown" episode The Father the Son. I thought he was driving a Bring More Wallet. coupe. Now I know it was a Bristol. Thank you. Narragansett Bay
It's so bombastic & crude looking, it's elegant.
I love old cars like this!
A bit like the southern Q1 so ugly but beautiful
@FredWilbury Indeed!
I only know about Bristol cars because of L.J.K.Setright. I started reading Car magazine as a schoolboy in the early 70s and he wrote lovingly of them.
I'm a young 63 yr old....I lived in West Ken as a kid...I used to ogle thru the show room window there on High Street Ken.
You remarked on the use of rack-and-pinion steering. The Morris Minor, released in the same year, 1948, was also fitted with such a system. Perhaps even more remarkable given its place as a small, affordable, mass produced vehicle.
Great review of one of Britain's best classic cars. Bristol's were beautifully finished. I love my Mark 2 Armstrong Siddeley. It has the rare twin stromberg preselector setup coupled to the 3.4 litre hemi. And over 100 mph is possible. Unlike the Bristol it has large ventilated power assisted brakes that work as well as a modern disk braked vehicle! And like Bristol the Sapphire is named after the jet engine that the company made and fitted to many aircraft. And the aircraft company still exists today in the form of the renamed British Aero space Industries. Who also make submarines. The Armstrong Siddeley was exceptionally well designed with outstanding bodies that have lasted extremely well here in Australia. And while there is a strong Rolls connection the connection is actually through WO Bentley. So essentially a fast elegant lorry perhaps! as some French bloke might surmise...
Armstrong-Siddeley was a similar comapny in that it was an engineering giant which also made cars. In truth, a lot more cars than Bristole ever did. Alvis was similar ( though I think a car company which became a defense company, so different direction of travel?)
Confused by your reference to W.O. Bentley. I know he went to Lagonda after R-R, so there was also a post war connection with Aston Martin, but how was he coinnected with Armstrong-Siddeley?
Loved this, your unbridled enthusiasm is infectious. So where do I get one? But more seriously, I have owned and loved two 50's era Morris Minors. They were of course very much the plebs car of that era. But here's the thing. They handled very well, the 998cc engine was willing and had an excellent power spread and... they had rack and pinion steering.
Such a beautiful car , leave it as is and drive it , 👍
Right on! Let's how our ole buddy Jules-Bob leaves that patina ALONE!
Lovely thing. I was aware of Bristols, but I have never seen one. Thanks for this glimpse into a giant of its era.
No one ever bought a Bristol because they wanted the typical car. Even the way Bristol sold their cars was different. And the owner was, to say the least, eccentric. But the cars were special and I'm so glad to see one still on the road
Wow! Thanks for the video, that certainly brought back memories for me! When I was 18, I used to drive past a Bristol 401 (or 403) that sat outside under an awning at regular suburban house near Chester. It actually looked the same condition as the one in your video. I was fascinated by it, I was into quirky cars, I was driving a SAAB 96 V4 (that I still own 36 years later!!). I pestered the owner multiple times to sell it, but he was keeping it for his son...lucky guy 🙂
Their aviation heritage shows in the way the wipers park vertical rather than horizontal.
An excellent piece.
I've never been within forty feet of this model, but you capture its genesis and its mechanical heritage very well.
My daughter's middle name is Bristol, after this make of cars. Her mother knew I wanted to name any child I sired after a car, but feared that I would pick something like Invicta (and I would have), so she went through my books looking for something a bit less outlandish. Most people here in NASCARland think she's named after the short track though, and i can live with that.
NASCAR, Adult Bumper Cars.
This is top tier. I have seen other reviews as good, but none better. And I would really like to see a Bristol from the last third of the twentieth century.
Superb episode, I just love that car, many thanks and lets have another Bristol.
What a beauty ... Aerospace engineering inspector here , yes the TKR Le Mans jaguar used our composite materials skills in the early 90s ... carbon Kevlar wheel scoops .. keeping airflow on the wheels too make it stick to the track ... Anyway thanks for the video ... I'm 56 and hopefully there's still the skills and quality commitment about somewhere on this island 😊
Proper cars, always had a soft spot for them👍
A nice moment to remember my friend Brian May. Now deceased he loved these cars and we worked on them on his property in Birmingham. Through him I owned a 400 for a while. There was a video with him on RUclips, let have a look to see if it's still there. Nice memories.
Great video as always Jack and a beautiful car! Would love to see you do an episode on a Bristol 405. 👌🏻
I used to work next door in BAE and one day I got a chance to snoop around there workshop in Filton. Happy memories long gone 🤔
Bristol Cars - hardly seen outside the back lanes of Kensington and Chelsea! Bristol planes and buses were pretty good too....
there was one where i grew up in sky blue and that was in 1971 and i was 8! ive always liked those cars they're lovely
Fabulous machine, always loved the Bristol marque.
Great cars. If money was no object.....
Many years ago, while working for a well-known rubber company in Manchester, l visited the Motor Show, then held at Earles Court in London.
When l visited the Bristol stand l was very lucky to meet Tony Crook. Although he knew that l was not in the market for one of his superb cars, he generously spent about 40 minutes "educating" me on the brand. Probably because of my rubber connections, l was invited to drop in at the factory if ever l was passing!
Many years later, l found myself working in London . When in the West Kensington area l would sometimes make a beeline for the showroom just to stare at those beautiful machines. A business acquaintance had a 404 for several years.
Dare I say it's a very chic rat-rod? Great video, Jack. You are getting some amazing cars on the channel.
Jack. You have the coolest job. Fantastic job as always Jack.
... Meanwhile in East Germany, in one of those funny twists of fate, they were building a fairly close contemporary relative of this Bristol... The EMW....
Worth doing a bit of research on these rare cars. Very fascinating!
The EMW derive from the BMW design, so they look identical in some aspects, to BMW501.
@@jmbpinto73 The EMWs I have seen are more like pre-war BMW 327. and smaller BMW 326. 501 was more modern, a post WW2 design.
In the 1990's ,not long after the fall of the soviet union, I was wandering through a city with my wife. I spotted what I thought was a prewar BMW with a badly composed grill which made the front look like a singer SM. I told the wife that some soviet car restorer must have rebuilt it to running condition and the lack of parts resulted in a pretty ugly car. As my wife was Russian,she said no,it's not a Bee Em Vee ,it's a E Em Vee ,a east German car😄😄...which I actually knew of vaguely. The standard of construction was pretty much borderline .
@@Mercmad At that time the car you saw would probably be showing 40 odd years of abuse and neglect. And, correct, the front end was "updated" in the early 50s so no longer looked the same as the pre-war BMW 326.
What a special car! Thank you for another great video.
I love everything about that car.....how cool! Amazing stuff as always Jack buddy 👍
Cheers dude!
I saw this exact car at the Goodwood Revival this year! I've got many photos of it. Fantastic patina. Impossible to miss
A Bristol 411 would be my dream car, I think one day I'd swap my Bentley turbo R for a Bristol. Best car of all time.
A man of taste 👌
You´d have a super deal if you could find that swapmate.....
Bristol cars are rare. I have seen one in the US and three in London. Thanks, Jack!
Very rare beasts 👌