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New & Used Unique Cars For Sale in northgate

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  • RefCode: TA1162181
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 4,930

1981 Maserati Kyalami 4.9

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1198918
  • Body Type: Tourer
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 1,496

1936 Squire 1½ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1205439
  • Body Type: Van
  • No. of Doors: 4
  • Capacity - cc: 1,654

Details: Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1955 factory right hand drive Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) split screen 23 window De Luxe Microbus, otherwise known as a Samba or Kombi. The Zertifikat on file from Stiftung Automuseum Volkswagen dated 1st September 2011 confirms this is a factory right hand drive model 244 VW De Luxe Microbus. It was built on 11th March 1955 and left the factory on 18th March 1955. It was delivered to Volkswagen dealer Kemsley in London, UK. The certificate also tells us it was delivered with the following options: sealed-beam headlamps (M011), towing hooks front and rear (M029), Westfalia camping equipment (M108) and Safari windscreens (M113). At some stage this Kombi found its way to Australia. It is not known exactly when it was imported, but the Department of Transport has confirmed this must have been prior to 1989. There are receipts on file from the early 1990s indicating its then owner initially lived in Seymour, Victoria before moving to Brisbane mid 1990s. The car was sold in 2001 to its next Brisbane based owner. The current owner, who is also Brisbane based, acquired the car in October 2004. At that time it was painted in green and white. The odometer read 13, 354 miles. The car was used and enjoyed through until 2010, at which time its owner decided to return his Kombi back to its former glory. He enlisted the services of Das Resto Haus on the Gold Coast for the restoration. The owner wanted to return the car to its original colour scheme of Chestnut Brown (Code: L73) over Sealing Wax Red (Code: L53). The owner opted to make some upgrades to the Kombi to make it a more usable classic. The engine was replaced with a new 1, 654 cc engine of the correct type. The rear suspension was upgraded to an independent rear suspension setup and the original drum brakes were replaced with disc brakes. All the body work was completed around June 2012 after which the Kombi was repainted. The interior was retrimmed in correct light brown vinyl. The owner also managed to find the very rare foldable left seat to complete the interior. There is a thick file of invoices on file documenting most of the work done. It has now been just over 10 years since this Kombi was restored, however, it has been well cared for and today it still presents very well. From a meter away the paint work looks magnificent, however, when you get closer to the car you will notice some orange peel in the paint. This is mainly below the swage line and most noticeable on the drivers side of the car. There are no significant stone chips or other imperfections. All the panel gaps are very good. The external trim is minimalistic, but presents well. The glass (of which there is plenty!) is in good condition and, with the exception of the two front windows, appears to be all original. The steel wheels are shod with Coker Classic tyres, size 165R15, date stamped 2313 (week 23, 2013). They appear to have hardly been used but probably should be replaced based on age if one would consider doing some serious driving. A cool detail on these early Kombis are the semaphores. They are operational, however, for safety the current owner has installed additional indicators which are discretely positioned underneath the bumpers front and rear. Open the door and it immediately becomes obvious that this Kombi has been sparingly used since it was restored. Everything still presents like it would have done 10 years ago and there is hardly any sign of usage. The front seats present well and provide ample support. The back seats present equally well and it appears as if they have never been used. The carpets are in excellent condition. All the instruments in the dashboard present well and appear to be in good working order. There is an aftermarket RetroSound radio fitted. After getting comfortable behind the steering wheel, we make ourselves familiar with the very basic controls in preparation for our test drive. The car starts easily even from cold and quickly settles into a smooth idle with that familiar Volkswagen sound from its air-cooled engine. There is something about this car, it is just cool and we are genuinely excited to see how it performs on the open road. After allowing the engine to warm up, we move the gear lever to select first gear and off we go. For someone not familiar with a Kombi, the driving position takes a little bit of getting used to as you are basically sitting on top of the front wheels! As a result, driving around a corner feels a little bit weird initially. You get the feeling you are turning too late to make the corner, yet you do so easily. This Kombi just wants to go! The engine revs freely and there is enough power on tap to easily keep up with modern day traffic. The gearbox is smooth both up and down the box. The upgraded brakes stop the car quickly and in a straight line when required. With the 23 windows it is needless to say the visibility is good all around. It also makes the Kombi feel spacious and bigger than it actually is. Today the odometer reads 65, 631 miles. In recent years these Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) split screen 23 window De Luxe Microbus (otherwise known as Sambas or Kombis) have become highly collectable. These early cars are extremely rare and the ones to have, particularly in right hand drive. This particular example ticks a lot of boxes and can be used and enjoyed as is or taken to the next level by rectifying the paint issues. This Kombi would be a perfect beach house car and would turn plenty of heads at any cars and coffee! The Volkswagen club scene is very active in Australia and this Kombi would definitely be a welcome sight at any of their events Highlights: - Factory right hand drive early 23 window Microbus - Original colour combination - Sympathetically upgraded - Ready to use and enjoy or take it up to the next level. Price $229,950 Background: In the early 1930s cars were a luxury. Most Germans could afford nothing more elaborate than a motorcycle. Only one German out of 50 owned a car. Seeking a potential new market, some car makers began independent peoples car projects, such as the Mercedes 170H, Adler Autobahn, Steyr 55, and Hanomag 1. 3L. The trend was not new. Béla Barényi, an Austro-Hungarian engineer is credited with having conceived the first basic design in the mid-1920s. In Germany, Hanomag produced the 2/ 10PS Kommisbrot a small, cheap, rear-engined car from 1925 1928 and Czechoslovakia produced the popular Tatra 7. Ferdinand Porsche had been trying for years to get a manufacturer interested in a small car suitable for a family. He built a car named the Volksauto from the ground up in 1933, using many popular ideas and several of his own. Key features of the car were an air-cooled rear engine, torsion bar suspension, and a beetle shape with the front hood rounded for better aerodynamics (necessary as it had a small engine). In 1934 Adolf Hitler became involved. He ordered the production of a basic vehicle that needed to be able to transport 2 adults and 3 children at 100km/ h. He wanted all Germans to have access to a car. The peoples car would be available at 990 Reichsmark. A special savings plan was introduced. A person could save 5 Reichsmark a week to realise their dream of owning their own car. Over 300, 000 people participated in this savings plan, however, the whole project was financially unsound. No private industry was able to meet the requirements and produce a car that could be sold for 990 Reichsmark. On the 28th May 1937 the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens GmbH (Company for the Preparation of the German Volkswagen Ltd) was formally established by the German Labour Front and in 1938 the first prototypes of the KdF-Wagen (Kraft durch Freude) started to appear. On 16th September 1938 the company was renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH and the company built its main plant in KdF-Stadt which later became Wolfsburg. The outbreak of the Second World War and integration into the arms industry prevented mass production of the Volkswagen peoples car. Instead, military vehicles and other armaments were produced using forced labour. In April 1945, KdF-Stadt and its heavily bombed factory were captured by the Americans, and subsequently handed over to the British, within whose occupation zone the town and factory fell. The factories were placed under the control of Saddleworth born British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst, by then a civilian Military Governor with the occupying forces. One of the factorys wartime KdF-Wagen cars had been taken to the factory for repairs and abandoned there. Hirst had it repainted green and demonstrated it to British Army headquarters. Short of light transport, in September 1945, the British Army was persuaded to place a vital order for 20, 000 cars. The rest as they say is history. The Volkswagen or VW Beetle was born. In 1946 Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon visited the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg with the intention to purchase Beetles for import into the Netherlands. During this visit he saw an improvised vehicle based on the Beetle chassis being used to transport materials around the factory, a Plattenwagen. That made him think and he came up with a sketch of what became the Type 2 Volkswagen. That sketch, dated 23 April 1947, can today be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Volkswagen liked the idea, however; the Volkswagen factory was at capacity producing Beetles. Eventually, the Type 2 was approved for production on 19th May 1949 and the first example rolled off the production line on 12th November 1949. The rest as they say is history. The Volkswagen Bus, otherwise known as Microbus, Transporter, Samba or Kombi depending on the body style and market, became very popular all around the world and is still produced today.

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1189198
  • Body Type: Roadster
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 4,480

1938 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1218892
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 4,930

1979 Maserati Khamsin

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1117706
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2

1960 Goggomobil Dart Restoration Projects

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1205421
  • Body Type: Ute
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 1,997

Details: Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale an Australian delivered 1958 Land Rover Series 1 109 Truck Cab Utility. There is a British Motors Industry Heritage Trust certificate on file which confirms that this particular example was dispatched as a CKD (complete knock down) car from the factory on 27th March 1958. Its destination was Regent Motors Limited in Melbourne and it was assembled by the Pressed Metals Corporation Limited in Sydney. The certificate also confirms this car was delivered with a 2 litre petrol engine. The current owner acquired this Land Rover in April 2019 through the Series One Shop in Newry, Victoria. The car belonged to a Victorian property owner and was described as matching numbers car with a genuine 50, 600 miles, original wiring and lights, no holes drilled in the bulkhead, no rust anywhere, engine runs beautifully without any tap or click and pulls strongly up hill and down dale, gearbox, transfer case and 4WD selector all work perfect, body work in excellent condition, rare 109 rear power take-off fitted with the correct selector, drive shafts and centre bearing. At that time the car was registered in Victoria with the registration ORR 302. There are photos on file of the Land Rover when the current owner acquired it and these clearly show this is a car that has been looked after by its previous owner. The current owner is very fussy and when he acquired the car there were a few small things he did not like. In particular, there was a nasty scrape on the passenger side of the car, probably caused by a farm gate and at some stage indicators were added on the front guards, similar to what one would see on a Land Rover Series 2. What started out as a simple job to tidy up a few things quickly resulted in a far more comprehensive one. He soon decided to restore the car! The tray, doors, floor, roof, front guards and front of the car were all removed from the chassis and prepared for a repaint. The current owner was fortunate enough to have access to a spray booth through his business and everything was repainted in dove grey. There are photos on file of the work done. At the same time the car was given a complete mechanical overhaul. The engine, gearbox, transfer case, differential, radiator and the starter motor were all reconditioned. The following new components were sourced and installed: a water pump, shock absorbers, suspension bushes, exhaust, brakes and brake lines. The owner also installed a new wiring loom and a new set of tyres were fitted Inside the cabin, a set of new Exmoor seats were fitted, the steering wheel was refurbished, a new steering switch for the indicators was installed and other miscellaneous items were either refurbished or replaced. Where possible, all genuine Land Rover parts were used for the restoration. The project was completed in mid-2022 and the car was subsequently registered in Queensland. The end result is simply magnificent. This Land Rover presents essentially like the day it was assembled by the Pressed Metals Corporation Limited in Sydney back in 1958! This Land Rover can be configured in different ways as it is truly a multifunctional vehicle. It can be used as shown in the photos with a steel truck cab style roof over the cabin and the open tray. There is a canvas canopy to cover the tray. The truck cab style roof can be removed and a full length canvas roof, which expands all the way from the front wind screen to the rear of the tray, can be fitted giving it that safari look. There is also a separate windscreen with the car which, when installed, can be folded down over the bonnet. As we mentioned before, the presentation of this Land Rover is simply magnificent. It would not be out of place in a Land Rover showroom today next to its more modern brothers and sisters. Today the odometer reads 61, 764 miles. This Land Rover certainly makes an impression when you walk up to it. The body work is in excellent condition and the paint work, which is only three years old, presents exceptionally well. The external trim is minimalistic and it all presents similarly well. The windows are a combination of glass and Perspex. The glass is all in good condition, though the Perspex windows are showing some scratches and sign of wear. The steel wheels are in excellent condition with no sign of any curb rash or damage. They are shod with Dunlop SP Road Gripper tyres, size 7. 50R16 and they are date stamped 4019 (week 40, 2019). Not surprisingly, the tyres are in excellent condition as the car has been used sparingly since it was restored. Inside the cabin everything looks fresh. As one would expect in a Land Rover it is all very basic. The seats are new and firm. Aftermarket seat belts have been fitted for safety and there are new mats on the floor. The instruments are clear and appear to be in good working order. The steering wheel has been refurbished and is in excellent condition. For our photo shoot we fitted the short canvas top on the car and that can be done with relative ease. It is a good fit and the canvas is in very good condition. The long canvas cover is also in good condition with just some minor discolouration. We did notice a small tear (approx 1cm) on the rear flap. The rear tray has new rubber mats to protect the paint. The car starts easily, though it does require the use of the choke when the engine is cold. The engine settles into a smooth idle fairly quickly but performs best when it has warmed up. The gearbox has synchro on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear when shifting up, and only 4th and 3rd on the down shift. As a result, this Land Rover is for real drivers, but you soon get the hang of it. Out on the road this Land Rover just goes about its business. The engine revs freely and performs well. The gearbox, whilst maybe a little bit agricultural, does what it is supposed to do and once you get the hang of it the gear changes are relatively smooth. The gearbox sound good and there is no wining from the gears. We decided against going off-road on our test drive, but we did test the four-wheel drive system and it works flawlessly. The transfer case engages and disengages the four-wheel drive system exactly the way it should. This car is fitted with a PTO at the rear, which we understand to be in working condition. Accompanying the car is a short canvas cover, a long canvas cover, a second wind screen (which you need when you fit the long canvas cover on the car), all the hardware needed, both for the short canvas cover and the long canvas cover and a Land Rover Series 1 instruction manual. There is also a spare wheel mounted on the bonnet, which can be easily removed. These Land Rovers are obviously very functional for their intended purpose, but like micro cars they are now highly collectable classic cars. This one is fabulous! Highlights: - Recently refurbished Australian delivered late series Land Rover Series 1 109 Truck Cab Utility. - Comes with truck cab, short canvas cover and long canvas cover. - Recent restoration. - Very well presented. - Ready to be used and enjoyed. Price: $89, 950 Background: One of the fundamental principles of economics is the law of supply and demand. During World War II the US army had a need for a light 4WD vehicle capable of carrying troops as well as cargo. And so the Jeep was born. From 1941 through until 1945 Willys and Ford were the major supplier of Jeeps, in various configurations, to the US military and their allies. The history of the Rover Company dates back to the mid 1800s when it was selling sewing machines and then safety tricycles and bicycles. By the 1930s, it had evolved into a car company but was hit badly by the Great Depression. In common with many British industrial companies during World War II, its factories were turned over to the war effort and produced engines for tanks and aircraft. By 1945 and the end of World War II, Rover found itself with two excellent factories and a highly skilled workforce. It was looking at restarting car production and had ambitious plans to build 20, 000 cars per year. A new model, the M-Type was dropped when it became clear that it would be unsuitable for export and that tooling costs would be excessive. Plans to produce 15, 000 of the pre-war designs per year were quickly quashed by the Government which refused to allocate steel for more than 1, 100 cars per year. This serious shortfall led Rover to realise that a stopgap solution was required until sufficientsteel was available. The stopgap also had to have export potential. Just to make things difficult, Rover had never exported any vehicles before! Maurice Wilks, Rovers head of design, had been using ex-army Jeeps on his farm and realising that there was no real alternative decided that Rover would provide one. The first prototype Land Rover, developed in late 1946, was actually built on Jeep chassis. The bodywork was made of an aluminium alloy called Birmabright. Using similar dimensions to the World War II Jeep, the first Land Rovers had an 80 wheelbase. The new Land Rover was first unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show on the 30th April 1948. It featured a steel box section chassis with an aluminium body and was powered by a 1. 6 litre, 4-cylinder Rover engine from the P3 Rover car range developing around 50 hp. The gearbox was four speed Rover mated to a two-speed transfer box thus allowing 4WD operation. A PTO (power take off) was also fitted to enable the Land Rover to be used as a stationary power unit. Rover didnt know what to expect but they need not have worried. The Land Rover was an outstanding success and the order books quickly overflowed. A legend was born! This humble Land Rover is in many ways the pioneer of the ubiquitous SUVs seen on our roads today.

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1167101
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 3,967

1967 Ferrari 330 GTC

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1164214
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 3,996

1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage - Manual with A/C

CALL 07 3171 1953
  • RefCode: TA1215154
  • Body Type: Hardtop - Coupe
  • No. of Doors: 2
  • Capacity - cc: 1,971

Details: Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a lovely 1949 Bristol 400. There is documentation on file that states that this particular example was despatched on the 1st February 1950 to Messrs Commonwealth Motors Ltd in Melbourne. It also tells us the car is a factory right hand drive, matching numbers example which was delivered in its current colour of maroon. Two extra sun visors were fitted to the car as an option. It is understood the car was initially used as a demonstrator by Claridge Motors of Unley, Adelaide. Around December 1951 the car was sold to its first owner. Sometime in the next 6 years the car was painted black. The car then passed through several owners but remained in South Australia. It is understood that around 1974 the car was repainted in its original maroon colour. In July 1988 the car found its way to Bowral in NSW. In August 1993 the car was purchased by a Mr Lino Bertollo from Castle Hill, a suburb in the north west of Sydney in NSW. In 2001 the car was sold to Mr Heinz Haupt from Corawa, NSW. He later moved to Victoria and subsequently registered the car there. In his ownership the car was retrimmed in approximately 2002 prior to participating in the NSW South Coast Rally in 2003. The car was sold in 2009 and then again in 2016, when it ended up with a well known collector in South Australia. He kept the car for almost 4 years before selling it to another well known collector, this time in Melbourne, Victoria. The current owner acquired the car by chance in November 2022. Somewhere along the line the cylinder head on the car was replaced with a non-matching but correct cylinder head. Fortunately, a previous owner managed to purchase the original cylinder head at the 2016 Motorclassica auction and it remains with the car. Today this fabulous Bristol 400 presents and drives really well. Its presentation and condition is a true testament to how the current and previous owners have looked after and maintained the car. First impressions are good, really good! The car certainly has a real presence and the maroon colour suits it quite well. Generally, the paint is in a good condition but upon closer inspection you will see some stone chips and other imperfections. Most noticeable is a small scrape on the lower part of the left rear guard. There are also two small bubbles in the paint on the lower rear section of the passenger door and a very small one on the left lower panel. The brightwork on the car presents well and is in a good condition. All the glass is in good condition with no cracks or scratches evident. The mechanism to open the rear window is in good working order as are the clamps to hold open the rear quarter windows. The steel wheels are in reasonably good condition. There are some marks on them from either old balancing weights or perhaps just general wear and tear. The hubcaps are in good condition and feature the Bristol logo. The wheels are shod with Michelin X tyres size 5.50 R 16. They are date stamped 2711 (week 27, 2011) and whilst they are still in reasonably good condition, they should be replaced based on age. Open the door and you are welcomed by a typical English interior. The first thing you will notice is the big yet delicate steering wheel and the long gear lever, quite typical for a car of this vintage. The timber dashboard is another feature. The whole interior suits the car very well and is exactly what you would expect in a car like this. The seats are comfortable and soft, yet they provide ample support . . . very much like your favourite lounge chair. The leather is in a good condition and there are no cracks or tears evident in either of the front seats. The rear seats appear to have hardly been used and are in very good condition. The carpets also present well and are in reasonably good condition. The roll down sun visors are rather unique! All the instruments are clear and all appear to be in good working order. The car is also fitted with a period correct wireless of the type 4014VD. The serial number tag states Made in England specially for The Gramophone Co Ltd (Australian Branch) Sydney, NSW. Under the bonnet you will find a clean engine bay and there is the original and complete toolkit as well as a foot pump which are both in excellent condition. In the boot you will find the jack, the wheel brace, a bleeder drain tube for the hydraulic brakes, a set of original tyre levers and a crank handle. It is amazing to see that after seventy five years all these tools are still with the car and still in excellent condition. When the car arrived at our show room we were rather excited and very keen to take it out for a test drive to see what it was like to drive. It is hard to believe this car is some seventy five years old! We were not disappointed . . . this car drives every bit as good as it looks! There is a procedure one has to follow to start the car, particularly if it hasnt been started for a period of time. These cars do not have an electric fuel pump and as a result, if the car has not been used for a while you first have to manually prime the fuel pump. Once you have done that you get in the car, pull out the knob to activate the starting carburettor, turn the ignition on and press the starter button. This car fires up pretty much at first crank. You then use the hand throttle to keep the revs up and turn the starting carburettor off. After patiently allowing the engine some time to warm up, you are ready to hit the roads. As noted above, when the car rolled off the truck the first impressions were good, really good. After a very short time behind the wheel the first impressions of the drive were also good, really good! The car was surprisingly firm on the road with no significant rattles or squeaks. The engine feels strong and it pulls strongly through the rev range. The gearbox is smooth and the gear changes are easy both up and down the box. This car is very easy to drive and you tend to forget it was born in the 1940s . . . quite incredible really! Even the brakes are quite adequate and pull the car up in a straight line. With only around 500 ever made the Bristol 400 is quite a rare car and they do not often come up for sale. Here is a unique opportunity to acquire an Australian delivered, factory right hand drive example that is ready to use and enjoy. This is quintessential British motoring at its best. The Bristol 400 was so far ahead of its time it is not funny and today this car offers incredible value for money. Accompanying the car is the original cylinder head, toolkit, jack, an original spare wheel, an original Bristol 2 Litre Type 400 instruction manual, an original spares handbook and a copy of a workshop manual for a type 85a engine and gearbox. Highlights: - Australian delivered, factory RHD, matching numbers example. - Known ownership from new. - Original toolkit, jack, and foot pump. - Beautifully presented car that is just fabulous to drive. Price $94,950. Background: The Bristol Car Company has a rich and fascinating history. Its origins date back to the Bristol Aeroplane Company (formerly The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company) that was founded in February 1910 by Sir George White, chairman of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, along with his son Stanley and his brother Samuel, to commercially exploit the fast-growing aviation sector. The Bristol Aeroplane Company developed into a British industrial powerhouse and they built some of the worlds most technologically advanced aeroplanes. Some of the most well-known and successful aircraft built by Bristol were the Bristol F2 Fighter (used during World War I), the Bristol Bulldog and the Bristol Beaufighter (used during World War II). Following the First World War the British aircraft industry suffered a dramatic downturn and subsequently significant financial challenges. In an endeavour to keep its workforce employed the Bristol Aeroplane Company undertook the manufacture of a light car, the single seat Bristol Monocar which was powered by a motorcycle engine, the construction of car bodies for Armstrong Siddeley and bus bodies for their sister company, Bristol Tramways. The company survived, but times were tough. Aircraft manufacturing ramped up again with the outbreak of the Second World War, however, management had learned that they must plan for the future. It is understood that discussions started as early as 1941 to establish a post war car manufacturing division. Bristol began working with AFN Ltd, makers of Frazer Nash cars and British importer of BMWs before the war, on plans for a joint venture in automotive manufacturing. What ultimately eventuated was that the Bristol Aeroplane Company took over AFN Ltd and established its car manufacturing division, Bristol Cars. A purpose built factory was constructed at Filton Aerodrome, near Bristol. The first Bristol was designated the 400 and not surprisingly given the Frazer Nash and BMW connection it was based on a BMW 326 chassis with BMW 327 styling. The engine, whilst built by Bristol, was also based on a BMW 327. The first prototypes were built in late 1946, however, the car was formally introduced at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show. The car was a great success for Bristol and almost 500 examples were built through until 1950. This included 17 Drophead Coupes with coachwork by Pininfarina. In 1949 Bristol introduced successor to the 400, the 401, which was designed and bodied by Touring of Milan in Italy. The new model was aerodynamically sleeker and featured superleggera construction with an aluminium body over a steel frame. As a result the car weighed significantly less and its performance was greatly enhanced. Bristol was gaining a reputation for building technologically advanced motor cars that were luxurious, very reliable and offered genuinely exciting performance on the road. Their cars were not cheap and as a result they remained somewhat exclusive. Buyers of new Bristols back in the day were typically wealthy businessman who wanted a car to stand out in a crowd. They also wanted a car they could drive and enjoy and many Bristols were used for hill climbs and weekend motor racing. Bristol developed the 450 specifically for motor racing and it made its debut at the 1953 Le Mans 24 hour race. Two cars were entered in the race, however, they both retired with engine failures after about 10 hours. Bristol returned to Le Mans in 1954 and entered three cars, with uprated engines and improved aerodynamic bodywork. In contrast with the previous year all three cars finished the race, coming home in first, second and third place in their class and seventh, eighth and ninth overall. Their performance also earned Bristol the team prize. Bristol returned to Le Mans again in 1955 and again performed exceptionally well achieving the same results as in 1954. The race became famous for the wrong reason when a major accident resulted in debris flying into the crowd killing 83 people and injuring many more. Following this race a number of manufacturers, including Bristol, retired from motor racing indefinitely. Subsequent road cars included the 403 (1953-1955, 287 cars built), which was a further development of its predecessors, the 404 (1953-1958, 52 cars built), the 405 (1953-1958, 308 cars built and the 406 (1958-1961, 174 cars built). Bristol Cars was sold after its parent company joined with other British aircraft companies in 1960 to create the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), which later became part of British Aerospace.

CALL 07 3171 1953
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