Description
This is lot number 131 in the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction on September 7th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
One of only circa 12 survivors of 20 or so made
The first soft-top Bristol
Off the road in the preceding ownership for 46 years
Known ownership from new
Professionally restored between 2015 and 2023
In 1946 the Bristol Aeroplane Company, finding itself with surplus capacity and skills, embarked on the manufacture of luxury cars. With the introduction in 1948 of the 401 - the first of its exquisitely styled aerodynes - Bristol began to move away from the pre-war design the company had inherited from BMW. Carrozzeria Touring provided the Superleggera method of body construction that overlaid alloy panels on a lightweight tubular-steel framework, while the low-drag shape was achieved after hours of experimentation in Bristol's wind tunnel. The 401, and its soft-top sister car, the 402, continued to use the preceding 400 model's running gear and BMW-based, 2. 0-litre, six-cylinder engine with its ingeniously arranged, pushrod-operated inclined valves. The gearbox remained a manual four-speed unit with first-gear freewheel. Aircraft-industry standards of construction did not come cheap however - at £2, 270 the 401 cost as much as an Aston Martin DB2 - and fewer than 700 found customers.
The 402 Drophead Coupé was even more exclusive, a mere 20-or-so being delivered between 1949 and 1950, of which around 12 are known to survive. Tony Crook, a highly successful racing driver during the 1940s and '50s had been involved with Bristol's car division from the outset and would become Chairman and Managing Director of Bristol Cars Limited in 1973. Crook won the first motor race to be held in the UK after the war driving a Type 328 Frazer Nash-BMW, a victory witnessed by one of his biggest fans: Stewart Granger. Granger bought a similar car, asked Crook to maintain it and so began a long friendship between the two men. Crook recalled: 'Granger owned a string of exotic cars and said to me he wished there was a convertible Bristol, certain that it would go down well in California. We, at Bristol Cars, had already decided to make a small run of convertibles based on the 401, and Granger was very excited about this. He and his future wife Jean Simmons were about to star together in the film Adam and Evelyn and Granger was keen to have "his and hers" identical Bristol cars.'
When 402 production began, two of the first cars built were sold to Granger: registered 'NPF 1' for himself and 'NPF 2' for Jean Simmons. The cars were handed over at Anthony Crook Motors in Caterham, surrounded by crowds of fans and photographers. 'We had police cordons to control the whole of Caterham,' said Crook, 'but they were more interested in getting autographs.'
This Bristol 402 was purchased by the immediately preceding owner, Gerald Clapshoe, in September 1969, by which time it had been upgraded with the more powerful 100A engine, believed fitted by 1954. The original exterior colour was Cambridge Grey.
'UML 534' was purchased new by Belgium Willy Dauppe, a Captain in No. 10 Commando during WW2, who registered it on 21st April 1950. In October 1960 he sold the Bristol to Dr Peter Wright, who moved to Maida Vale in 1966 leaving the Bristol in storage in Buckinghamshire as it was no longer taxed. In August 1968 he sold the car to David Constable, who sold it on to the aforementioned Gerald Clapshoe. Mr Clapshoe did little to the car before it was purchased by the current owner in 2015.
The history clearly seems to suggest that the indicated mileage shown of 26, 439 could well be the distance covered from new. According to our vendor: "The mere sound of the engine and the driving experience would clearly seem to endorse this." A comprehensive restoration and bare-metal respray in Mercedes Nautikblau paint was undertaken by the current owner, a highly respected motor engineer of some 60 years experience. The interior was retrimmed by an accomplished Aston Martin expert, and a hood and tonneau cover produced by a local specialist trimmer. Reconditioning of the braking system, starter motor, dynamo, charging system, lights, etc was carried out by established specialists, as was the re-chroming and polishing, while the indicators were upgraded.
The engine required little attention apart from an overhaul of the carburettors, while a comprehensive clear out restored the radiator, and refurbishing the clutch restored the transmission to working order. A stainless steel exhaust replaced the blocked and corroded original. Health considerations and other projects meant that the Bristol's rebuild was not completed until 2023.
The full story of the car's resurrection was recounted in an excellent article by Zack Stiling in The Automobile magazine (June 2023, edition, copy on file). Quoting the vendor: "It's beautifully styled, one of the most attractive Bristols ever made, and it's a useable four-seater for the summer months. It runs beautifully, it really does. I'd drive it to wherever and back quite happily."
This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a unique car that should give the new owner many years of enjoyment. A history file including the original buff logbook comes with this most exclusive of Bristols.
