Bristol 404 wanted
 

Hello,

I am very interested in a Bristol 404. Preferably a not restored, unchanged car from private ownership and matching numbers. I am happy to pay a realistic price for a good, original car. Thank you for any help or advice.

Best regards
Desmo

Desmo ,
as your probably already know there were only 51 404's make in total , and a few of those would have been destroyed or wrecked.
Most have been restored over the years and some possibly twice .
Your chances of getting an unrestored original car is slim, I hope you are a young patient person as it could take 20 years for a suitable 404 to your specification to come up for sale .
Regarding values , I'd imaging you would have to pay around GBP150k to buy any 404 regardless of condition ,and in my opinion undervalued at that price level .
I recommend if you find any 404 within your price range just buy it .

If you get disheartened during your search ,you could always consider buying another type of 6 cylinder Bristol of which more were made and are usually cheaper.

Good Luck in your search.

Geoff Dowdle

Hello Geoff,

Thank you for your information and your thoughts. Of course I have remain patient. Thank you again.

Best regards
Desmo

Hello,

Still looking for a nice example. The chance to compare to cars is nearly impossible. So can you give me any advice or support, how I can recognize a genuine 404 to be sure that she is not a fake or a replica car ? Are there any very special points I should note except of a good documented history ? Many thanks for your help.

Desmo

Desmo,
Check the chassis number and engine number .
Take plenty of photos,
depending on location get a Bristol specialist (or an official from one of the Bristol clubs) to inspect the car
These 404's are all well known and the history of most is recorded.
I have not heard of a fake or replica 404 in existence .

Geoff

Hello,

Is the chassis or car number to find only at the brass car number tag or also on other chassis or body places and is a non matching engine or gearbox car a point not to take a 404 in a closer choice ?
Thank you.

Best regards
Desmo

Have you found a car yet ??
Or is this all theoretical ??
With so few cars made you can not be too fussy .
A few of the 404s have later D2 or 110 engines fitted, some owners treat these as an positive , but others a negative .
Many Bristols of all types have been upgraded with later engines, gearboxes, brakes etc . Sometimes by BCL .
As I mentioned before take photos of the car , chassis and ID plates , ask for history and previous registered numbers and I'm sure the car will be well known.

Good Luck
Geoff

Hello,

Not really Geoff. Only one not confirmed offer and waiting for details. But I like to be prepered. I do not have any knowlegde about these model and do not find good literature describing these cars.

Desmo