Bristol 400 Sports Sedan (1946 – 50)

The Bristol 400 luxury car is the first Automobile product of the British Bristol Aeroplane Company Bristol Aeroplane Company. After World War II, BAC decided to diversify and formed a car division, which would later be the Bristol Cars company in its own right. The company began working with AFN Ltd, makers of Frazer Nash cars and British importer of BMWs before the war, on plans for a joint venture in automotive manufacture. BAC subsequently acquired a licence from Frazer Nash to build BMW models. By July 1945, BAC had created its car division and bought a controlling stake in AFN and a new factory was established at Bristol Filton Airport, Filton Aerodrome near Bristol.

Bristol chose to base its first model on the best features of two outstanding pre-war BMWs, namely the 328’s engine, and the 326’s frame. These were covered with a mainly steel body but with aluminium bonnet, door and boot skins inspired by the BMW 327’s. The Bristol 400 featured a slightly modified version of BMW’s six-cylinder Pushrod engine of 1,971 cc. This engine, considered advanced for its time, developed 80 hp and could carry the 400 to a top speed of around 92 mph with acceleration to match. The gearbox was a four-speed manual with Synchromesh on the upper three ratios and a freewheel on first. The 400 featured independent front suspension with a transverse leaf spring and a live axle. It featured a lengthy 114”  (inch) wheelbase and a very BMW-like grille at the front of its long bonnet.

The model 400 was the only Bristol to be fitted with a steel and aluminium skin, and had all flat glass, but for the curved rear window, glazed in perspex, which was available to specification with a top hinge. This feature was very welcome on warmer climate export markets, where the sliding door windows provided only marginal ventilation to the passengers. The passenger area was very short, with the spare tyre mounted inside the boot on the first cars, but eventually mounted on the rear hinged boot lid, inside an aluminium cover.

During its three year production run (1947 – 1950) 487 Bristol 400 models were produced.