1950 Bristol 402 Drophead Coupé

• The first soft-top Bristol
• One of only circa 12 survivors of 20-or-so made
• Left-hand drive
• Delivered new in the UK
• Restored in 2010

In 1946 the Bristol Aeroplane Company, finding itself with surplus capacity and skills, embarked on the manufacture of luxury cars having obtained the rights to BMW's automotive designs as part of Germany's post-WW2 reparations. Thus it came about that the Bristol 400 was effectively a synthesis of three pre-war BMWs, with a chassis derived from that of the 326; the advanced 2.0-litre six-cylinder engine from the 328 sports car; and an aerodynamic bodyshell similar to that of the 327 coupé. But Bristol did more than simply copy the work of its German counterparts; the application of aviation industry standards to its manufacture resulted in a car more refined and considerably better constructed than its Teutonic forbears.

With the introduction in 1948 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.

The 401, and its soft-top sister car, the 402, continued to use the preceding 400 model'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. Aircraft-industry standards of construction did not come cheap, however - at £2,270 the 401 cost as much as an Aston Martin DB2 - and fewer than 700 found customers. The 402 Drophead Coupé was even more exclusive, a mere 20-or-so being delivered between 1949 and 1950, of which around 12 are known to survive.

This 402 comes with a Bristol Cars Heritage Certificate revealing that it was manufactured in left-hand drive configuration in February 1950 and despatched new to the Pallas Oil & Trading Co Ltd, Imperial House, Moorgate, London EC2. The Bristol was restored in 2010 and is described by the vendor as in 'A1' condition throughout. Since then it has been maintained with no expense spared by RH Classics. There has been only one owner during this period, but little is known about the car prior to this. There are bills of file relating to the restoration and subsequent servicing, and the Bristol also comes with some MoTs and a V5C document.