Bristol 400

The Bristol 400 was the first product of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. After World War II, BAC decided to diversify and formed a car division, Bristol Cars. BAC subsequently acquired a licence from Frazer Nash to build BMW models.

Based on the pre-war BMW 327, the Bristol 400 featured a slightly modified version of BMW's 6 cylinder pushrod engine of 1,971cc (bore 66mm, stroke 96mm). This engine, considered advanced for its time due to its hemispherical combustion chambers and very short inlet and exhaust ports, developed 80 horsepower at 4,500 revs per minutes and could carry the 400 to a top speed of around 148 km/h (92 mph) with acceleration to match. The gearbox was a four-speed manual with synchromesh on all forward ratios.

The car featured independent front suspension with a traverse leaf spring and and live axle with A-bracket and longitudinal torsion bars at the rear. It featured a lengthy 2895mm (114 inch) wheelbase and a very BMW-like grille at the front of its long boonet. The passenger area was very short, with the spare tyre mounted in the boot and visible externally.

[edit] External links

• Buying a Six-Cylinder Bristol