Bristol 401 For Sale At Auction, Duxford, UK
Coming up for sale at auction is a rare 1952 Bristol 401 with H&H at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, UK.
The Bristol 401 was the development of the 400, which was a reworked BMW 326 chassis and the engine from the 328. The body was built by the Italian coachbuilder Touring using their Superleggera technique. Bristol developed the shape using the latest aerodynamic knowledge and testing it in their wind tunnel. This enabled Bristol to produce a shape that had a drag factor of 0.36, which is still competitive today.
The 401 was introduced in 1949 only a year after the 400. The smoother shape with the additional power found from the BMW derived 1971cc straight six up to 85 bhp improved on the earlier car. With Overhead valves, a four speed transmission the relatively light car at 2,700 lbs, or 1250 kg, had lively performance. The aerodynamics helped the 401 reach 100 mph. The Motor magazine tested a 1952 example like the one for sale at a maximum of 97.3 mph. 0 – 60 mph taking 15.1 seconds. Other tests the car had gone even faster.
Underneath, the car had transverse-leaf independent front suspension and hydraulic drum brakes. This made the car quite capable and with good handling. The 401 won the Touring Class on both Cannes and Tulip Rallies in 1951.
Bristol only made the 401 for four years and produced 618 of them. The price when new might have kept many buyers away, £3,212 13s 4d was a lot of money and could be said to reflect the aircraft quality of the components used.
This example has 81,980 miles recorded and has been with the current owner since 2016. It had an engine overhaul in 2018 by Stanton Motorsport and was fitted with a high performance radiator, brake servo and a high torque starter motor.
The auction is on the 26 May 2021, the car has an estimate of £35,000 to £45,000. To register to bid, or hopefully attend, visit the H&H Auctioneers website.
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Thanks to H&H for the images.
Simon