LOT 597

c.1950 Bristol 401 Sports Saloon Project Registration no. OHW 739 Chassis no. 401 1088 Engine no. 85C 2019

Sold for £16,790 inc. premium

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Lot 597

c.1950 Bristol 401 Sports Saloon Project

The Beaulieu Sale: Collectors' Motor Cars & Automobilia|2 September 2023, 14:30 BST|Beaulieu, National Motor Museum

c.1950 Bristol 401 Sports Saloon Project
Registration no. OHW 739
Chassis no. 401 1088
Engine no. 85C 2019

First of the 'Aerodyne' Bristols
One of only 611 made
Present ownership since 1989
Offered for restoration

"It will comfortably carry four people; in addition to them it will swallow an almost fabulous volume of luggage. It will sustain 80-90mph from dawn until the cows some home... and it is built with all the painstaking care and thoroughness which have made the products of the City of Bristol famous throughout the world." - The Motor.

With the introduction of the 401 - the first of its exquisitely styled Aerodynes - Bristol began to move away from the pre-war design the company had inherited from BMW. Carrozzeria Touring provided the Superleggera method of body construction that overlaid alloy panels on a lightweight tubular-steel framework, while the low-drag shape was achieved after hours of experimentation in Bristol's wind tunnel. It had been intended that the Milan-based carrozzeria would build the first 200 cars, but this idea was abandoned after a mere handful of prototypes had been completed. The 401 continued to use its predecessor's running gear and BMW-based, 2.0-litre, six-cylinder engine with its ingeniously arranged, pushrod-operated inclined valves. The gearbox remained a manual four-speed unit with first-gear freewheel. The 401's aircraft-industry standard of construction did not come cheap however - at £2,270 it cost as much as an Aston Martin DB2 - and only 611 of these exclusive cars found customers between 1948 and 1953.

This Bristol 401 has belonged to the current vendor since 1989, being used for family weddings and occasional outings on a regular basis. The car is offered as a project requiring restoration. Our vendor states that the engine runs and that the transmission works, and describes the chassis, bodywork and electrics as 'average'. The paintwork is rated as poor. We are advised that the fuel tank has a small leak, which has necessitated fitting an auxiliary tank in the boot. Finished in green with beige interior, the latter understood to be original, the car comes with a V5C document and is sold strictly as viewed.

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