[405dh]

Hi All,

Latest issue (Oct!) page 19 of Classic Cars has 2 extraordinary photos and text that are really getting me scratch my head in bemusement.

Firstly the "abandoned test car dating from around 1966".
It looks like a Speedster version of a 405 DH (and from the picture looks fabulous).
The article states "We found this speedster sitting in the corner of one of the factory buildings under a raggedy tarpaulin".
How on earth has this car not come to light before now? Surely it would have appeared on an inventory of assets when they were going into Liquidation, or been seen by people going around the factory at that time? What engine is in it I wonder - V8 or 2 litre?

Secondly, a photo of a black 400 "this 1945 example was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, rather than Bristol Cars because the separate car division
hadn't yet been formally founded". "This car marks the meeting point between Bristol, BMW and Frazer Nash." "This 400 was bought new by a Dutch family who kept it for three generations and the last owner left it to Bristol Cars in his will."

This "flies in the face" of all that is so far published about the 400. It is not in the 400 register, so far as I can see. Surely it could not have been produced in 1945? The blueprints for the engine were only "borrowed" from BMW at the end of the war i.e. some time after August 1945 (or was it fitted with a FN328 BMW engine?). And surely the very first car produced would not have been "bought new by a Dutch family"?.

Does anyone know any more about these 2 apparently amazing revelations?

Btw, is this the main operational forum now? The Club one seems very little used and the Yahoo one seems to have virtually nothing on it. I rather drifted away from the forums as did not understand the relationship between the 4 forums that seem to exist!

Kind regards to all,
Chris.

ps took a good look at the new Bullet last Sunday at the Concours and thought it looks absolutely fabulous, but puzzled why they didn't produce a Coupe version first.