1953 Bristol 404

It is hard to imagine that the destruction, devastation, and sadness caused by World War II was quickly replaced by vitality and prosperity in the immediate post-war era. Like flicking a switch, Britain was thrust into a golden era of car manufacturing with its diminutive sports cars 'punching' well above their weight class. Nimble, lightweight, and often underpowered, they provided a sense of effortless performance at an affordable price.

The Bristol Aeroplane Company was the world's largest manufacturer of aeroplanes and their engines when it made the bold decision to create a car division in order to utilize and employ its redundant aircraft workers. Their first product was a two-door saloon dubbed the Bristol 400. It was introduced in 1947 and equipped with a 2-liter engine that gave it a top speed approaching 100 mph. While many of Britain's early post-war cars had attractive pricing, the Bristol 400 was targeted at well-heeled buyers.

Despite being a newcomer to the automobile manufacturing industry, Bristol was not beginning from a completely blank slate. With the support of the War Reparations Board, the rights to manufacture the BMW 326, 327 and 328 and their six-cylinder engine were secured by Bristol in 1946. The 1,971cc six-cylinder unit featured an ingenious cylinder head, designed by Rudolf Schleicher, incorporating hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves without recourse to overhead, or twin, camshafts.

The four-door Bristol 400 was based on the chassis of the 326 and powered by the engine of the 328. With assistance from BMW engineer Fritz Fiedler, the six-cylinder pushrod engine was modified to produce 80 horsepower at 4,500 RPM. Among the most obvious differences to the German original was the adoption of SU, rather than Solex, carburetors part way through production. Perhaps the most significant change to the engine was metallurgical, with the use of high-quality materials contributing to increased engine life.

The aerodynamically styled Bristol 400 was built using a wooden frame and steel body panels, with the doors, bonnet and boot-lid constructed from aluminum. At the front was an independent suspension by single upper wishbones and lower transverse leaf springs, while torsion bars located within the chassis members controlled the live rear axle.

Bristol built 487 (as few as 474) examples of the 400 between 1947 and 1950.

Before the 1940s came to a close, Bristol introduced the 401 saloon and the 402 cabriolet. Both were equipped with an improved version of the BMW 328 hemispherical-head engine and wore coachwork styling inspired by Milanese designer Carrozzeria Touring. Just 23 examples of the cabriolet were built through 1950, while the saloon remained in production for much longer (1953), with 611 examples built.

The Bristol 403 two-door coupe wore styling similar to the 401 and continued to rely on the BMW-derived pushrod straight-six engine. While the engine in the 401 produced 85 horsepower, the 403 received a modified version, which had bigger valves and larger main bearings, with an output of 100 hp. Produced through 1955, a total of 287 units were constructed.

The Bristol 404
The short-wheelbase 404 coupe was introduced in 1953, finally shedding its resemblance to the pre-war BMW and embracing a distinctive two-piece radiator grille. The bonnet was now forward-hinging, the spare wheel was located in the near-side front wing, and the body continued to be an ash-framed, aluminum-alloy paneled structure. The tried-and-true BMW-based, 2.0-liter six-cylinder resided under hood and was available in either 105 or 125 bhp configurations. By this point in history, UK fuel supplies were no longer restricted to the low-octane petrol, meaning the engines now came with higher compression ratios than preceding Bristols - 8.5:1 as against 7.5:1. The gearbox remained a manual four-speed unit with first gear freewheel and a short gear lever. Disc brakes were optional at the front.

Production of the 404 began in 1953 and ended in 1958, with 52 examples built during that time.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2024