Bristol 406

Bristol
Bristol 406
406
Production period:	1958-1961
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 2.2 liters (77 kW)
Length:	4980 mm
Width:	1727 mm
Height:	1524 mm
Wheelbase :	2896 mm
Empty weight :	1365 kg
Previous model	Bristol 405
successor	Bristol 407

The Bristol 406 is a luxury vehicle from the British car manufacturer Bristol Cars , which was produced in small numbers from 1958 to 1961. It replaced the four-door sedan 405 and founded a whole family of similar models that extended to the 411 Mk. 5 from 1975. In addition to the series model, some special versions were created.

Company history background

Bristol Cars, based in Gloucestershire , had its roots in the Bristol Aircraft Company , which was founded in Bristol in 1910 as an aircraft manufacturer. After the end of World War II , Bristol Aircraft expanded into the automotive industry in order to utilize existing capacities. The first vehicles of the new brand took over the chassis and engine of the BMW types 326 , 327 and 328 developed before the war, possibly as a reparation payment , the debut model Bristol 400 even received a BMW body. The successors 401 , 402 and 403 with Italian touring bodies continued to build on the BMW chassis and the BMW engine, which Bristol developed step by step. The same applies to the Coupé 404 and the four-door hatchback 405 , the superstructure of which Bristol had designed itself.

In 1959 the automobile manufacturer got into turmoil. When the parent company Bristol Aircraft Company merged its subsidiary Bristol Aero Engines with the automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer Armstrong Siddeley to form Bristol Siddeley Engines (BSE), Bristol Cars also became part of the newly founded company. At the end of 1959, the BSE management considered merging Bristol Cars with the previously separately managed automobile division of Armstrong Siddeley into a joint operation; in January 1960, however, it favored the closure of Bristol Cars. Before that happened, George White, a leading manager of Bristol Cars, and the London Bristol dealer Anthony "Tony" Crook took over all company shares in Bristol Cars Ltd. in September 1960, which was then spun off from Bristol Siddeley Engines and continued as an independent company has been.

During this period the production of the Bristol 406 falls: it is the last Bristol automobile to be developed under the direction of Bristol Aircraft, the only Bristol automobile to be produced by Bristol Siddeley, and at the same time the first Bristol of the Tony Crook -Era.

Development history

Planning for the successor to the 404 and 405 began as early as 1956. This included work on the engine, the displacement of which was to be increased from 2.0 to 2.2 liters in order to increase performance. The first prototypes of the larger engine were already running on test benches in the spring of 1957, followed by practical tests in a 405 later. The 2.2-liter engine was ready for series production in 1958, but was not included in the 405 model that was still being produced at the factory. However, Bristol later equipped individual 405 sedans with the larger engine at the customer's request.

At the Bristol plant, Dudley Hobbs and Dennis Sevier worked on a completely new body design. Independently of this, the body manufacturer Gebr. Beutler in Thun built an independent coupé with "southern trains". The client was not Bristol Cars itself, but its Swiss representative Hubert Pattey. He understood the Beutler draft as a "proposal for the new 406". Beutler's Bristol was shown to the public in autumn 1957 at the Paris Motor Show and a little later at the Earls Court Motor Show in London as the Bristol 406E (for export). Tony Crook and George White, who at that time already had a lot of influence at Bristol, rejected Beutler's body, however, so that the draft of the Bristol designers Hobbs and Sevier for the production model was adopted instead. Based on the Hobbs-Sevier design, a prototype was built and tested in 1958. For series production, there were then even minor changes in the tail area, including in particular a reduction in the size of the tail fins.

Model description

Frame and chassis

Like its predecessors, the Bristol 406 has a steel frame with longitudinal members and cross members, which contemporary reports attested to be extraordinarily strong. The chassis tapers in the area of ​​the front end. The front wheels are individually suspended , the rear has a rigid axle fitted with torsion bars and self-designed shock absorbers. A special feature of the Bristol 406 are its four disc brakes, which were obtained from Dunlop .

Engine and power transmission

On a BMW basis: Bristol's straight six-cylinder engine

The Bristol 406 is the brand's last model to be powered by Bristol's own six-cylinder engine. A further development of the engine already used in the 400, which goes back to a BMW design from 1938, is used here. The engine has hemispherical combustion chambers with V-shaped hanging valves that are controlled by the camshaft below via tappets , bumpers and rocker arms. The exhaust valves are operated by an additional bumper across the cylinder head and a second rocker arm. In the 406 Saloon, a version enlarged to 2.2 liters (2216 cm³; bore × stroke: 68.69 or 99.64 mm) is used, with a maximum output of 105 bhp (78.3 kW, 106 hp). it is therefore exactly on the level of the 2.0 liter engine of the 405, but the torque is slightly higher (175 compared to 166 Nm) and occurs a little earlier (4,700 instead of 5,000 revolutions per minute).

Bristol's own four-speed manual transmission is connected as standard to a Laycock-de Normanville overdrive .

body

Jones Brothers aluminum body

In terms of body construction, Bristol broke new ground with the 406: the outer skin of the body was still made of aluminum. In contrast to its predecessors, the body shell was no longer supported on an ash frame, but on a steel structure. For the first time in the company's history, the body was no longer built by Bristol itself; Instead, the production order went to the independent body manufacturer Jones Brothers in the London borough of Willesden . The 406 was the only Bristol built at Jones.

The Bristol 406 with factory body is a large, four-seater coupé (called a saloon in English ). The belt line runs horizontally. The A- and C-pillars have a significantly lower inclination compared to Beutler's design, and the C-pillar, in particular, is very wide. Overall, the body was designed to offer more than enough space for four adults. It established a long-term goal of the company: "Dignified traveling for four six-feet persons". The front section was long; between the front wheel and the edge of the door were the compartments already known from the Bristol 404 , which on the one hand housed the spare wheel and on the other hand the battery and the servo pump. The basic layout of the superstructure followed the Alvis TC 108 / G designed by Graber .

The first vehicles - like the 404 and 405 - had, in addition to the two main headlights, a central auxiliary headlight, which was housed in the radiator opening. This design feature was abandoned after a few months; later vehicles of the type 406 had two additional headlights that were positioned outside the radiator opening on the bumpers.

Performance

Unlike its predecessors , the 406 Saloon equipped with the 110 engine is not a sporty car. It is true that the car managed “useful intermediate sprints” primarily because of its torque and the rear axle ratio that was matched to it; in terms of top speed, however, the Bristol fell short of its competitors. The plant has long proudly stated that its cars reached a top speed of 100 miles per hour (= 160 km / h) - among other things, the plant's demonstration cars were regularly marked "100 MPH" or "MPH 100" -; in the case of the Bristol 406, however, this value was only just achievable. In addition to the disadvantageous aerodynamics, the main reason for this was the very high curb weight of 1.5 tons.

Production and prices

The Bristol 406 went into production in August 1958; it was built for two years. There is no factory information on the scope of production. One source estimates 164 vehicles, of which 149 were sold and 15 remained at the factory. According to other sources, there were 168 or 178 vehicles.

The price for a Bristol 406 Saloon , including taxes, was £ 4,244. An Alvis TD 21 was £ 2,877 and a significantly faster Jaguar Mark II was £ 1,597.

Special models

Bristol 406 Zagato

Bristol 406 Zagato

→ Main article : Bristol 406 Zagato

As a reaction to the atypical brand performance of the 406 Saloon, Tony Crook, member of the board of Bristol Cars and at the same time the brand's largest dealer, developed the idea of ​​a sporty special model based on the 406. This ultimately became the 406 Zagato, which was formally not a model by Bristol Cars, but an independent project by Anthony Crook Motors. It was to build on the tradition of light and fast sports cars with which Bristol had started automobile production in 1946. In Crook's understanding, this included a particularly light body. He commissioned the Italian bodywork manufacturer Zagato , who had been known for lightweight construction since the early 1950s and whose British general importer Crook had been for years, to design and build them . The 406 Zagato was designed by Gianni Zagato . The notchback body, which has headlights with a plexiglass cover and a noticeable kink above the rear wheels, is made entirely of aluminum and around 250 kg lighter than the body of the 406 Saloon . It was lower, narrower and also shorter than the factory 406. Zagato's version was mostly equipped with a revised Bristol engine that developed 130 hp in view of the increased compression. With that, the car reached a top speed of 196 km / h (122 mph). The 406 Zagato was made public at the Earls Court Motorshow in October 1959. A total of six vehicles of this type were built, of which four or five still exist in the 21st century, depending on the source.

In addition to these standard 406 Zagato, some older Bristol 400 or Bristol 403 chassis were retrofitted with a body that corresponded to that of the 406 Zagato. How many such vehicles were produced is not known; some reports assume "at least three" vehicles.

Bristol 406 S

1960 created two special models of the Bristol 406 with a shortened chassis, which are called the Bristol 406 S (short). They each received a Type 110 engine and the chassis of the Bristol 406. Both have their own bodies.

• A 406 S was provided in Filton with a body designed by Dudley Hobbs and manufactured by Bristol itself. The front section was similar to that of the Bristol 404, the same applies to the roof line. However, the 406 S had strongly accentuated beading on the sides, which ended in sharply designed tail fins. The car was driven by Tony Crook for a while before a private buyer took it over. In the 1980s it was extensively restored by Bristol.

• The second 406 S was bodied by Zagato. Stylistically, this model bears no resemblance to the regular 406 Zagato models. Rather, it is a hatchback body, the front section of which anticipated the design of the Bristol 407 Zagato. The headlights were behind a glass cover. The rear fenders were strongly arched. The Bristol 406 S Zagato became the model for the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato presented a year later . In Tony Crook's opinion, the two cars looked very similar. The 406 S Zagato was used by Tony Crook's daughter Carol for a long time. It remained unique.

literature

• Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071
• Christopher Balfour: Bristol Sixes - 400 to 406 , in: Classic & Sports Car, October 1990 issue.
• Doug Blain: Automatic GT - Forecast for the future? Contribution to the Bristol 407 GT Zagato in: Road & Track February 1962.
• LJK Setright : A private car , 2 volumes, UK 1999 (engl.)
• Martin Buckley: Bristol Fashion . Presentation and driving report of the Bristol 406 Zagato, in: Classiccars 9/2001, p. 104 ff.
• RM Clarke: Bristol Cars: A Brooklands Portfolio: 132 Contemporary Articles Drawn from International Motoring Journals , UK 2001 (engl.)
• NN: Bristol Cream. The engine does it: The Bristol models 406 and 407 . In: Oldtimer Markt special issue 14 ("Gran Turismo: The Big Travel Coupés"), 1994.
• NN: Seventh of the line . Presentation of the Bristol 406 with a detailed presentation of the technical characteristics, in: Autocar of August 29, 1958.
• AG Pritchard: Bristol built - but air inspired . Sporting Motorist, October 1962.

Web links

Commons : Bristol 406  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : Bristol 406 Zagato  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ On the early history of the Car and Light Engineering Division of the Bristol Aircraft Company cf. Bristol Enterprise in: Autocar 9 January 1948.
2. ↑ Dieter Günter: You only live twice . Model history of the Bristol 400 and 401 in: Oldtimer Markt, issue 9/1996, p. 228 ff.
3. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 254.
4. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 240.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 241.
6. ^ Engine dated October 2, 1957.
7. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 243.
8. ^ About the engine as a whole: Dieter Günther: You only live twice . Model history of the Bristol 400 and 401, in: Oldtimer Markt, Issue 9/1996, S, p. 230
9. ↑ For the technical data of the Bristol 406 Saloon s. NN: Seventh of the Line , Autocar dated August 29, 1958, for the Bristol 405s. NN: Next in Sequence ... The Bristol 405 , Autocar, October 8, 1954.
10. ↑ ^{a b} A.G. Pritchard: Bristol built - but air inspired . Sporting Motorist, October 1962.
11. ↑ Nick Walker: A – Z of British Coachbuilders 1919–1960 . Shebbear 2007 (Herridge & Sons Ltd.) ISBN 978-0-9549981-6-5 , p. 131.
12. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 245.
13. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 252.
14. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Sixes - 400 to 406 , in: Classic & Sports Car, October 1990 issue.
15. ^ Roger Gloor: All cars of the 50s , Motorbuch Verlag 2007, ISBN 978-3613028081 , p. 90.
16. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story , Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , p. 244.
17. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 609.
18. ↑ Doug Blain: Automatic GT. Forecast for the future? Bristol 407 GTZ Zagato in: Road & Track, February 1962.
19. ^ Balfour: Bristol. A very British Story, p. 397.
20. ↑ For the special models with a shortened wheelbase cf. Balfour: Bristol. A very British story. Pp. 249, 397.
21. ↑ Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story, Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071 , pp. 249, 397.
22. ↑ Michael Schäfer: Italian Dressing . Presentation of the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato in: Oldtimer Markt Heft 11/2010, pp. 154, 156 (there with an image of a false Bristol).