Bristol 401

Where the 400 had carried a body of largely pre-war form, the 401 was shaped in Bristol’s wind tunnel and skinned entirely in aluminium over a light tubular frame, a method the works learnt from the Milanese coachbuilder Touring and then stressed with its own aircraft experience. The result was a roomier car that weighed little more than the 400 and cruised with an ease that made its reputation abroad.

The 402 of 1949 was the drophead on the 401’s lines; only twenty-two were made. The 403 of 1953 kept the body and refined what lay beneath it, with more power from the six-cylinder engine, better brakes and an anti-roll bar. Bristols of this family finished third overall in the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally and were rallied and raced across Europe and beyond.

Many 401s remain in use today, some in single ownership for decades, which is the surest measure of how the cars were made.