Not easy to tell the difference between Bristol 400, 401, 402 or 403 without looking under the bonnet.

Only the Bristol 401 and 403 look the same. The 402 is a drophead version of the same shape. The 400 is altogether a different shape, less sleek, more 1940's looking, styled with separate swooping 'wings'.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 17/11/2014 at 22:32

Going a little bit off-topic....

There were also quite a few coachbuilt specials based on these early Bristol cars - some of those really would be a challenge to identify from a distance!

To my mind, the 'standard' Bristol 401 / 403 was a very beautiful car. I'm not a fan of retro styling but it would be interesting to see what sort of modern GT design someone could come up with using the Bristol as inspiration. They'd probably have to change the grille as it's too much like a BMW. That's no coincidence as the original Bristol 400 was based on a BMW design - as was the famous Bristol 6-cylinder engine.

Modern styling tends to convey the impression of speed by having a hunched-forward wedge shape, whereas in the 50's stylists went for the elegant 'sitting back' look, epitomised in these Bristol cars.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 18/11/2014 at 12:36

Modern styling tends to convey the impression of speed by having a hunched-forward wedge shape, whereas in the 50's stylists went for the elegant 'sitting back' look, epitomised in these Bristol cars.

These reputedly had good aerodynamics - Bristol, of course, had made aeroplanes for years.

The later Bristol 406 / 407 went as far as having a bonnet and grille based on the engine nacelles of the Bristol Brabazon aircraft. After that Bristol seemed to lose their sense of style and ended up, with the the Brigand model, making something that looked like a 1970's Ford Escort Mark 2 with an extended bonnet and bigger wheels!

Edited by Sofa Spud on 22/11/2014 at 22:15