"The Bristol 408 was made between 1963 and 1966. Mechanically, the Bristol 408 was identical to its predecessor the 407, which had been a major departure for Bristol with its use of a Chrysler V8 engine and automatic transmission. However, outwardly there were some major changes. The frontal styling of the 407 which had been a carry-over from the six-cylinder 406 and 405 was discarded and in its place was a rectangular grille with pronounced horizontal bars. Another major change was the turn indicator lamps, which on the 408 were wide and rectangular in contrast to the 407's round lamps. Due to safety concerns, the push-button layout of the automatic transmission was modified through the use of a safety lever to prevent an unwary person moving the car out of ‘park’. There were also rectangular instead of circular push-buttons for the gear selector in this version of the car. The transmission itself was now of cast alloy and was over 30 kilograms lighter than that of previous eight-cylinder Bristol’s.
This Bristol 408 presents well in the classic colour combination of Old English White paintwork over a red leather interior. This rare car has been owned by our vendor for the last 29 years but has seen very little use in recent years. We are informed that the car has only covered 474 miles in the last 19 years. However, the car has benefitted from considerable recent expenditure with a gearbox rebuilt in 2019 and a repaint in 2020. In excess of £15,000 has been spent on the car since 2018. Offered to auction with a V5C registration document, a workshop manual and a copy of the owner’s handbook, this Bristol is a striking example of a British gentleman's motor car and would make an excellent choice for any connoisseur.
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