1948 | Bristol 400

Acknowledged by specialists to be one of the finest if not THE finest in existence. The subject of a 2000-hour restoration and one of a very few with the more powerful 100A engine. The provenance of this gem is impeccable. Built to aircraft standards and costing more than an Aston Martin DB2 this understated car is the epitome of the postwar gentleman’s sporting saloon. Beautiful in every detail and with a superbly executed restoration, we present the ultimate ‘specimen’ Bristol 400.

This, the 299th of the 421 Standard bodied 400s produced was registered to Smith Bros. of Albion Flour Mills, Worksop on October 19th 1949. We have the buff log book showing the company's name change to Smiths Flour Mills Ltd. in September 1954. Originally the car was painted Birch Grey. Bristol Motor Company often re-worked their cars for enthusiastic owners . We have a copy of the original factory record card, showing that Bristol fitted the higher power 100A engine on the 21st of July 1953 at 38,476 miles. It is believed by the last owner that only three 400s have this engine. We are told that the colour was changed to blue for its second owner in 1955. In 1961, Bristol agents Bradburn and Wedge sold the car to its third owner, a Mr Robert Hathaway from the West Midlands and he took the car on honeymoon with his new wife in 1963. The car was then displayed at the Stratford-on-Avon Motor Museum from 1966-1981.

The fourth owner, Edward Rose then kept the car until 1986 when it was sold to Andrew de Candole of Blenheim Asset Management. Andrew de Candole was brought up at Bateman's in Sussex - Rudyard Kipling's house, famous for its beautiful old gardens. He was, from an early age, a passionate gardener. In 1992, he bought Groombridge Place, a handsome 17th-century manor near the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells set inside a medieval moat described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as 'still and luminous as quicksilver'. Andrew set about restoring the gardens, which featured in the 1982 feature film ‘The Draughtman's Contract', and to celebrate he once held a dance dubbed 'Rock around the Moat'; the proceeds of which went to the Terence Higgins Trust. In 2012 one of our clients bought the car and we have photographs indicating that at the time it presented very well. However the ‘small improvement programme' evolved in to a meticulous total 2000 hour restoration and it has been described by a top marque specialist as possibly the best example in the world. After ten years of ownership, we sold the Bristol one behalf of our client to a local collector who has enjoyed the car over the past two years. It has proven faultless to own, and was driven back to us faultlessly ahead of being put on the market.

A small fortune has been spent improving this car and the specification is impressive. It has the original gearbox with J'Type overdrive conversion by Derek Hughes to give relaxed high-speed cruising, disc brake conversion by Spencer Lane-Jones, 123 Electronic ignition, stainless steel sleeved rear brake cylinders and ‘Alfin' DrumsTorsion bar adjusters (Bristol), new wiring loom with 3 fuse boxes and 17 fuses, Michelin X tyre, stainless steel exhaust (Bristol), anti-roll bar (Bristol) and 1960s Webasto Sunroof Interior re-trim by Bristol. We have a full photographic record of the comprehensive body restoration begun in 2012 which included the making of several steel panels to floor and wheel arches.

A brief description could not do justice to a car which has such a detailed history, restoration record and list of upgrades. The history file contains a huge amount of information, articles, photographs, invoices and specialist reports.