Bristol 404

Bristol
Bristol 404
404
Production period:	1953-1955
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 2.0 liters (74–92 kW)
Length:	4400 mm
Width:	1700 mm
Height:	1390 mm
Wheelbase :	2438-2445 mm
Empty weight :	1040 kg
successor	Bristol 406 GT Zagato

Rear view

The Bristol 404 was a Gran Turismo vehicle produced by the British car manufacturer Bristol Aircraft Company (later: Bristol Cars ).

The 404 was introduced in 1953 to complement the large, four-seater Bristol 403 with a compact, particularly sporty model. The car was designed as a short, powerful coupe. Outwardly, it differed from the 403 and introduced a number of new design features that were also adopted by later models and became, as it were, a trademark for Bristol.

Development history

The 404 rested on the well-known Bristol chassis, which has been used more or less unchanged by all vehicles of the brand since 1946. However, it was shortened by 40 cm; Overall, the 404 was more than 45 cm shorter than the 403.

The Superleggera construction used in the recently introduced Bristol 403 was not adopted for the 404. Rather, its aluminum body was supported by a wooden skeleton. The chassis, body structure and body were designed by Bristol engineers. Furthermore, almost all the components used in the car were also manufactured by Bristol itself, which earned the factory admiration and sometimes ridicule.

The body design was independent. It broke away from the shapes of its predecessors. The 404 was particularly noticeable because of its extraordinary proportions: the bonnet was very long, the narrow doors ended directly in front of the rear wheel arches, and the sloping hatchback started just behind the B-pillar. At the rear, there were small rear wings that, according to the company, had aerodynamic purposes. Apart from that and fashion aspects, they were also intended to remind of the Bristol 450 presented in 1953 , a racing car that also had two rear wings - albeit significantly more extreme in terms of dimensions - and achieved some successes in endurance races in the year of its appearance. At the front of the 404, the previous "kidney" , reminiscent of the BMW roots, had disappeared. Instead, the 404 had a simple radiator opening, the design of which was intended to be reminiscent of Bristol's Brabazon aircraft . Many vehicles had a single additional headlight installed in the radiator opening, but not always. In the front fender between the front wheels and the door there was for the first time a compartment hidden behind a flap, in which the spare wheel was stored on one side of the vehicle; a similar compartment on the other side of the vehicle housed the battery, among other things. This division was initially due to the fact that the trunk of the 404 was not accessible from the outside - there was no trunk flap - and thus the spare wheel could not have been accommodated there without problems. The design concept was adopted from all later Bristol models, even if they regularly had trunk flaps. In the interior there was a new dashboard. The main instruments were grouped in an oval frame in front of the driver. Bristol also adopted this design for all future models.

From a technical point of view, Bristol continued to use the 2.0-liter six-cylinder for the 404, which had been in the range since 1946. It was available in two performance levels. The type 100B, which delivered 105 hp, served as the base engine. Compared to the 100A type used in the 403, which developed 100 hp, the compression ratio was increased from 7.5: 1 to 8.5: 1. The more powerful version was the type 100C engine. A revised camshaft with modified timing has increased the output to 125 hp with the same compression. With its powerful engine, the 404 reached a top speed of 113 miles per hour (approx. 180 km / h), and the car took about ten seconds to accelerate from 0 to 96 km / h.

The Bristol 404 was well received by the press. It was described as a powerful and sophisticated vehicle, which was described as "Gentleman´s Express". The British car tester John Bolster called it “a magic carpet for traveling for two”. However, the car was very expensive. It was offered in 1954 for £ 2,500 (plus the sales tax called "Purchase Tax" of £ 1,000) and thus almost reached the price level of a Bentley .

Regardless, the Bristol 404 was not a commercial success. Few vehicles were made in two years. The information in the literature ranges from 40 copies to 44 - the most frequently mentioned production figure - up to 52 vehicles produced. The Bristol Owners Club is also assuming 52 vehicles (including the prototype and the Abbott Cabriloet). The lack of success of the 404 is justified today with its high price. The car is mostly compared to a Jaguar XK 140 , which was faster and only cost half the 404.

The Bristol 404s are very popular today. You can easily reach six-digit euro prices.

Special bodies and related vehicles

The 404 was only delivered from the factory with a closed body.

• In the fall of 1953, the British Abbott of Farnham bodywork presented a convertible version of the 404. The body - apart from the roof structure - largely corresponded to that of the factory coupé. However, the distinctive tail fins of the 404 were missing. In some press reports, series production of the 404 Drophead Coupé was announced, but it was not realized in this form. Abbott's 404 Drophead Coupé remained a one-off. It is not to be confused with the 405 Drophead Coupé, which Abbott later realized in a few copies on a longer wheelbase.

• The four-door sedan 405 was derived from the Bristol 404, which was based on the conventional - i.e. H. not shortened - the chassis was based and at least adopted the design features of the 404 on the front end. Based on the 405, several convertibles (with a long wheelbase) were also made, which were also manufactured by Abbott.

• The chassis of the Bristol 404 formed the basis for the Arnolt-Bristol , which was dressed by Bertone and sold mainly in the USA .

• The Bristol Blenheim Speedster , produced from 2002 to 2011, was based on the 404.

The Bristol 404 in motorsport

The Bristol 404 was designed as a “gentleman's express” and not as a downright sports car. Accordingly, it was rarely used at motorsport events. Tony Crook in particular took part repeatedly in the popular club races in Great Britain with his 404 between 1954 and 1955 and achieved a number of victories with him.

literature

• An exciting new Bristol . Autocar from September 25, 1953
• John Bolster tests the "404" Type Bristol . In: Autosport from October 16, 1953
• NN: A German-English classic. The history of the Bristol brand . In: Classic Cars Spezial - English classic cars. June / July / August 1994, p. 6 ff.
• Dean Bachelor, Chris Poole, Graham Robson: The Big Book of Sports Cars ; Erlangen 1990 (no ISBN)
• David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader: Encyclopedia Automobile.
• Rainer W. Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink: English sports cars . Könemann, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-8290-7449-2 .

Web links

Commons : Bristol 404  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Bristol 404 model history on the Bristol Owners Club website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Classic Cars - Special: English classic cars. P. 12.
2. ↑ A British newspaper asked why you should buy a part for £ 5 when you could make it yourself at Bristol for £ 30. Quoted from Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink: English sports cars. P. 74
3. ↑ Because of the design reference to the Bristol 450 cf. Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink: English sports cars. P. 74
4. ↑ The Bristol models 400, 401, 402 and 403 each had in the standard body, but also in all special bodies, a two-part radiator grille reminiscent of kidneys, which was already typical for BMW models in the pre-war period.
5. ↑ Classic & Sports Car, issue 8/2006, p. 118.
6. ↑ Classic Cars - Special: English classic cars. P. 12.
7. ↑ The only exception was the Bristol Beaufighter which was temporarily offered with a smooth dashboard from 1980; Bristol customers continued to prefer the conventional layout.
8. ↑ Autocar from September 25, 1953.
9. ↑ Autosport of October 16, 1953. This test was carried out in Paris and the surrounding area with the exhibit that Bristol exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in September 1953. In tests with other vehicles, slightly higher speeds are said to have been achieved.
10. ^ Autosport from October 16, 1953.
11. ^ Bachelor, Poole, Robson: p. 99
12. ↑ Classic Cars - Special: English classic cars. P. 12
13. ↑ Lillywhite, Schrader: p. 91
14. ↑ Model history of the Bristol 404 on the Bristol Owners Club website ( memento of the original from January 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
15. ↑ cf. Bachelor, Poole, Robson: p. 99
16. ↑ Classic Cars - Special: English classic cars. P. 12 with illustration on p. 13.
17. ↑ Autocar from September 25, 1953.