Bristol Cars, once dubbed “Britain’s most exclusive luxury car” are often misunderstood, occasionally overlooked, and always underestimated, yet, they’re handsome, imposing, quality-built and over-engineered cars, they just lack the sex appeal of an Aston Martin or Jaguar.  Well, not this one!…

Finished in its original colour-combination of Silver coachwork with contrasting Black roof and sumptuous Burgundy leather interior, our car looks to all intents and purposes as it did at Earls Court in 1963…. Though given it now wears its third coat of paint its perhaps even better.

Powered by its original Chrysler V8 5100cc engine this is mated to a stylish yet faultless push-button controlled Torque Flite automatic transmission.  At idle, the car is whisper quiet and smooth.  Gears are engaged with an authoritative ‘clunk’ before the car effortlessly advances in a manner you might expect from a high-powered but light car manufactured by a firm made famous for aircraft engineering.

Accompanying our car are a host of invoices, bills, worksheets, correspondence from previous owners and even correspondence with Tony Crook himself which all point toward the care and maintenance which has been levied on this car throughout its life.  Too numerous to list here, two folders await anyone who’d like to come and see for themselves.

Ours is the vehicle chosen for display by Bristol Cars at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1963 where the manufacturer was awarded the SMMT Bodywork Prize for a car not exceeding £4,000 excluding purchase tax.

We understand our car to be the first car built after the prototype of a production run which lasted for fewer than 50 Type 408’s, and as such we’re pleased to now offer what is undoubtedly an incredibly rare, hand-built, aluminium bodied car which has had just four former keepers, is in exceptional condition for its age, ticks like a sewing machine at idle and drives superbly.