The bonnet & boot badges are red, which suggests a 403 (401 badges, and most other Bristol models, have an amber background), although 403s usually *do* have '403' on the bonnet sides and boot. The hubcap badges should match. The grille is silver (401s were black) - though that's easily changed. I painted my 403 grill black because I thought it looked better (actually, I also took the '403' and 'GB' badges off at one stage, when I was on a minimalist kick).
If it's definitely 1953, I think that's too late for a 401, too.
If you can go and look at it, a simple discriminator is the front suspension. The 403 has a roll bar, the 401 doesn't. The 403 should also have an engine number that starts with 100, rather than 85.
Hugh Miller
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