Vehicle Description
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 the
Bristol Aeroplane Company's wind tunnel. 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. With the introduction of
the 403 in 1953, Bristol improved on what was already an exemplary
Grand Tourer, the newcomer's apparently unchanged appearance
disguising a number of important changes. The engine remained a
2.0-litre six of BMW design but the alloy cylinder head was new and
helped liberate 100bhp, up from 85bhp. The increase in
straight-line performance (top speed was now in excess of 100mph)
was matched by improvements to the running gear in the form of a
front anti-roll bar and finned light-alloy brake drums. This
stunning and rare Bristol 403 presented in metallic blue with beige
leather interior, has only covered 46,000 miles from new. This
striking coup� drives beautifully with the 100AB type engine giving
fantastic oil pressure and is running beautifully and quiet. The
drive train is fitted with a Derek Hughes overdrive and the gearbox
has very good synchromesh in all gears. The brakes are servo
assisted with Girling discs to the front. The car comes with a
folder with full history from day one and is a fantastic looking
and driving car with the rare three rear windows, which we
understand were only fitted to four of these models with this one
possibly the only survivor. For sale by auction on Saturday 23
September 2017 with Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Motor
Racing Circuit, Weybridge, Surrey, Call 01753 639170
