[AndrewA]

Good afternoon. I haven't got a Bristol at the moment and am in an interesting position of wanting to acquire one but not being sure which model I want - 410 or early 411 certainly appeals to me looks wise. Probably as importantly - I have no idea of the feel between a good one and a bad un and how they should actually drive!
All roads seem to lead to Hacketts who have kindly agreed to let me drive some of each and later models to help me make up my mind. I'm after a car that's good driver quality, needs nothing major for a while and will cope with pottering around the New Forest and about 6,000 miles of relatively high speed and spirited motoring on the continent as and when that becomes an option again. I'm reasonably mechanically minded if needs be but don't particularly enjoy it as a hobby. I'm hoping to pick up some opinions from the forum about which car might suit best and what to look out for. Previous cars have been an eclectic bunch and have included a chain driven Edwardian racer, 1962 Ford Thunderbird, Model A Speedster (a keeper), assorted Austins of various ages, Porsches, TVR's, and Alfa's to name but a few. Logic now is keep the speedster for a bit of inexpensive fun and acquire classic gentleman's express for car rallies (by which I mean organised tours most of the time) and continental and UK touring. Budget is £35k-£50k - but am not desperate to spend it all if no need.
As visiting cars is restricted at moment am gathering info mainly at this stage.
Thanks
Andrew