Here I'm sitting in steamy Bangkok Thailand on holidays and not a Bristol in sight .
Plenty of Ferrari, Lambo , Aston , Maserati, BMW and Benz
I thought I should reply to a few other Forum members with a run down on the Bristol & Bristol powered cars I've owned over nearly 40 years.
My old car obsession started in the mid 60's with a friends AH 100/4 and I was hooked. My first two cars were AH 100/6 then progressed to E Type and two AC Cobras but I finally saw the light after buying a AC Aceca Bristol fitted with a Holden 3.3 litre straight six and auto . What a terrible combination but within 6 months I fitted a 100 series 2 litre Bristol engine and sports box with overdrive . The car came alive and was not far short in top speed of a AC 289 I later owned .
The first true Bristol was 400 chassis 452 which I purchased in 1976 as a basket case . After a extended restoration it was on the road in early 1985 and a few years ago gave it its second rebuild and special 100B2 engine .
I suppose its a long time to own a car but what other car of the late 40's can do what a 400 does , hopefully it will be with me for more rebuilds .
Later came a 401 with D2 engine & original 85C which I reverted back to standard and fitted the D2 to 400/452.
A AC Ace Bristol BE 167 ,once again with Holden 6 engine was a big resto job but luckily I already owned the original D engine for it . it was a interesting early car with Aussie race history.
A 402 I bought by tender from a deceased estate of a BOCA Club member , from memory for about A$6,000
It was a really nice Sunday touring car fitted with BW CR5 gearbox and 403 sway bar . I sometimes feel I should not have sold this 402 (it is still in the same family I sold it to ), but when one owns about 7 cars spread around Australia in rented garages .a few had to go .
AC Cobra , 402 , Ace which gave me a nice home and later a 4 car garage .
A 411 series one was offered and I could not resist . This was a great everyday driver , mechanically good but needed painting . I used it happily driving to work each day for eight years and had fun on trips at the weekend .
When it was previously domiciled in UK, BCL replaced the original engine with a later 400 ci engine , that was hopeless and I could not get it reving much over 4500.
I reverted back to a STD HiPo 383 which would rev to 6000rpm in top gear , a very fast car.
In between there was another Aceca Bristol , 404 & Arnolt all bought and sold in pieces and happily now on the road with later owners .
By the late 80's I was trying to purchase a BMW 328 but missed out and heard about Werner Oswald making a batch of 328/Frazer Nash wheels . Enquiring further placed a order for one of his Frazer Nash Le Mans Rep kits but in the end purchased the chassis , body , grille & some mechanical components . It arrived in about 1990 and I set to building it up . I used the engine and some mechanical bits from a extinct 401 plus BW CR5 box with syncro high first . It was a rewarding project to take on but has still only done about 1500 miles.
In my spare time I completed a 16 year restoration of a 1936 AC 16/80 two seat competition sports. This AC was later sold and replaced by a Lancia Aurelia B20 5th series a low mileage original car with unusual original leather trim . A nice car .probably faster than the 400 , but terrible seats & gearbox, antiquated sliding pillar front suspension , good brakes , steering , De Dion rear end and of course lovely Pinninfarina body. But as a whole I preferred the 400 to drive .
My brother Peter is also a keen Bristol owner and I purchased from him one and a half 400's that were parts cars he had purchased with another 400 years before . The better car , chassis 400/650 has been built up as a 400 convertible. copying the hood and cant rail design of the 402 .
It needs about another 6 months work to complete a 8 year restoration .
This should be fun , maybe not a 402 , 405DH or Farina 400/401 but far better than having a shed full of 400 parts I would probably never use or sell , it has saved another Bristol.
Later came my chance of owning a 30's BMW after missing the 328 . I was offered a 1937 BMW 329 with 2 seat Reutter body , it was a real basket case having been stored out in the open in sea air for nearly 40 years . When I separated the body from the chassis I found the chassis & mechanicals to be sound but the body was in many rusted & rotted pieces in a pile on the ground.
For those who are not aquainted with the BMW 329 they are basically the same tube chassis as a 319 & 328 but with 50hp engine , small diameter cable brakes and bolt on disc wheels .
This chassis currently sits with a replica Touring designed alloy body similar to the three 328's developed for the 1941 Berlin to Rome race organised by Hitler & Mussolini but never took place as WW2 took hold. But still needs a full restoration.
My latest purchase a few months ago was the last Aerodyne produced , 403 chassis 1580 , 70,000 odd miles from new , two previous owners , straight body with the usual rust in bottom of doors , sills etc .
I don't think it will be a long term project but I will no doubt improve it and find a keen new owner .
So my current fleet is
400/452 , 400/650 , Frazer Nash Rep , BMW 329 , 403 /1580 and the bones of a 1936 AC 16/70 special .
I retired earlier this year and probably need 20 healthy years to finish all my projects .
How the past 40 years has flown , luckily owning a variety of nice cars and meeting hundreds of really nice people along the way
Regards
Geoff
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