Lot Ended
Description
Extremely rare 4-door Bristol; one of only 265 made; Opel Manta 1.8
engine fitted; disc brakes; nice transferable number; lots of grace with
decent pace!
Launched in
1955, the 405 was the first Bristol not to resemble the pre-war BMW 328 and was
also the first and the only Bristol to be offered as a four-door saloon. It was
also the first Bristol with flashing indicators and an opening boot lid, while
other features included the soon to be familiar ‘seven dial’ dashboard and a
spare wheel storage compartment in the nearside front wing.
With a light aluminium body and powered by Bristol’s 2-litre
inline-six OHV unit mated to 4-speed overdrive transmission, it had a top speed
of 110mph. It true Bristol style it was largely handmade and cost a hefty £3,188
making it more expensive than rivals like the Jaguar Mk VIIM, the Alvis Grey
Lady and the Lagonda 3-Litre. Only 265 saloons were
built, plus another 43 dropheads bodied by Abbotts, before it was replaced by
the 406 in 1958.
First registered in Birmingham
in March 1956, this 405 sadly comes with no real history but it has had just
four former keepers, according to the V5C, and we are told that it was owned for
quite some time by Bristol specialist Brian May of Birmingham.
At some point the original Bristol engine has
been swapped for a more modern engine from an Opel Manta/Ascona 1.8 which should
give at least the same performance as the original Bristol 2-litre unit with
greater ease of maintenance. It also has front disc brakes, a desirable factory
option.
Our vendor acquired the car in 2021, the
previous owner having owned it for six years during which time it was used as
bridal transport for his daughter’s wedding. Our vendor has used it only
lightly, mainly going to local shows, and we are told that it runs and drives
well. It has certainly been starting promptly and running nicely on
site.
Originally registered as TOF 117, it now
has an appropriately Bristol-themed number, EEE 406, which is transferable and
would no doubt be highly coveted by
a Bristol 406 or Peugeot 406 owner. It also comes with a very weighty factory
workshop manual for the 400. 401, 402 and 403 models which must be several
hundred pages long plus a Haynes manual for the Opel Manta/Ascona.
As you
can see in the photos, this rare 405 four-door looks most attractive with glossy
white paint, good brightwork and a nicely mellowed red leather interior. The
underside also looks reassuringly clean and solid. The only thing that lets the
side down slightly is the driver’s door which needs a good shove to close
properly so it could do with some adjustment.
Restomods are all the rage at the moment and this discreetly
modernised Bristol should be easily capable of keeping up with modern traffic –
not to mention being easier to maintain than one fitted with its
original and complex 2-litre engine.
Only
reluctantly for sale due to the advancing years and declining health of the
vendor, it is on offer here at less than half the price of a 405 with the
correct engine – assuming you could even find one as it is thought
that fewer than 20 still survive in the UK today with another 20 or so
in Australia and New Zealand.
Consigned by
James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]