Bristol 410

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Bristol cars had reached a nadir by the late 1950s. Despite the excellence of their aerodynamics, these delicately clothed saloons no longer cut the mustard with their pre-war straight-six engines.

Bristols were simply no longer powerful enough, so the boffins at Filton quietly installed a big new engine into a reworked chassis that was to become the basis of Bristol cars for the next five decades.

The 410 was the fourth iteration to use the trusty 5,2-litre Chrysler V8 and could be distinguished from its predecessors by its more curved coachwork, uprated brakes and most crucially, power steering.

Combining the best of all worlds, yet retaining the earlier model’s restrained and graceful styling, to many, the 410 is the pick of the crop, although with just 82 having left the works, they are not exactly to be found on every street corner.

This fine example comes to us from a private car collection in Devon and has a very comprehensive history file which details work done over many years. There are numerous bills from Hexagon in Highgate and in 2008, an LPG conversion was fitted by Lloyd Ash of Bridgwater which keeps running costs sensible.

The interior is a lovely place to be, with original leather, new carpets and good veneer to the dashboard. Its current lady owner purchased the car 10 years ago from a pilot (how appropriate) and has used it for classic car runs since, including those for local Devon charities, covering around 8,000 miles over the period.

Of late, the car has seen less use than normal hence its inclusion in the sale, its most recent MOT expiring in December last year. It is currently in the workshop having its brakes attended to, and would no doubt benefit from some further light tinkering before embarking on its next major journey.

AMENDMENT: Please note that although not flagged on Experian, according to HPI, this was recorded as a loss in 1989. There are several bills for this period responsible for panel beating and respray so bidders are advised to check the paperwork if they feel they need to investigate further.