Bristol 412 S2

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Built by individuals for individuals, Bristol always had a maverick streak, this being an intrinsic part of the marque's appeal to its affluent customers.

The firm's long-term owner, Tony Crook, looked at the world from an entirely different angle to most car companies, openly making the purchase of his products as difficult as possible to ensure that only the right sort got behind the wheel. His policy of "no riff-raff" was certainly different, as was his refusal to lend cars to journalists, a profession he held in some contempt.

He kept production levels very close to his chest – when asked at a press launch how many cars the factory produced, he haughtily replied “I will never make more than 150 in one year”. An evasive riposte to say the least, as "fewer than a handful" was probably closer to the truth!

With such low volumes of production, the model life-cycle was measured in decades rather than years. The first V8 Chrysler-engined Bristol was the 407 which arrived in 1961. Its alloy, hand-made body was built onto a separate chassis and the suspension (independent at the front) used a live rear axle. Conservative but effective, this formula was adhered to from then onwards, forming the basis of all subsequent models (Beaufighter, Beaufort, Britannia, Brigand and Blenheim) until Bristol finally closed its doors in 2011.

A natural rival to the Rolls-Royce Corniche, the 412 came out in 1975 with angular Targa-top styling by Zagato. Initially fitted with a 6.2 Chrysler V8, this was replaced by a 5.9 for the Series 2 model from 1978, the engine set well back for optimum handling and good for a top speed of 140mph. It even had cruise control which was quite remarkable for a car of that era. Three times the price of a Jaguar XJ12, ownership was restricted to a privileged few.

Dating from September 1979, this 412 Series 2 was originally registered JLD 705V and was first owned by the Chairman of luxury car distribution group, Inchcape of London. It comes with an impressive history file from new showing regular maintenance by Bristol Cars until 2006, with occasional visits to marque specialists Spencer Lane-Jones.

In 1993 when had covered 89,400 miles and was silver with the registration number UDV 909 it was inspected by Andrew Blow who gave it a very positive report and that same year it was also tested by Martin Buckley for Classic & Sportscar magazine, again receiving high praise: “difficult to fault… eats up the straights with jet-liner smoothness” (both documents on file). Treated to a bare metal repaint in its current vibrant red a few years ago, it has now covered 115,600 miles with plenty of bills on file including one for a full brake overhaul in 2014 since when it has been kept unused in storage.

Starting promptly and running nicely as we moved it around for these photos, it would doubtless benefit from a degree of recommissioning before the prodigious performance is exploited to the full. Believed to be one of only around 80 made, this well-historied 412 now needs an enthusiastic new owner to get it back on the road where it belongs. But remember - "no riff raff"!