Lot Ended
Description
1972 Bristol 411 Series
3
Current owner 22 years; impeccably maintained with various
useful upgrades; one of only 287 made
By the dawn of the 1960s,
Bristol’s long-running BMW-derived 2-litre engine cold no longer cut the mustard
against rival offerings from the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar and
Bentley.
Although the 407 of 1961 looked outwardly similar to the
preceding six-cylinder 406, under the bonnet lurked a Chrysler 5.2 V8 which gave
the car a 125mph top speed and re-established the Bristol as a true
high-performance car. Over the following years the chassis was updated, the
engines grew larger and the styling was periodically revised, culminating in the
411 of 1969 which combined the elegance of the early cars with a decade of
development under the aluminium skin and is widely regarded as the finest
Bristol of all.
Going through five series between 1969 and 1976, the 411
initially had a high compression 6.3 Chrysler V8 that produced 340bhp and
425lb/ft and could launch the car to 60mph in 7.2 seconds on its way to a top
speed of 140mph. Hooked up to Torqueflite three-speed transmission, twin-servo
brakes and power-assisted steering, it all made for a relaxed high-speed cruiser
with one of the finest cabins around.
"Almost accidentally, the Bristol
411 has become the fastest genuine touring saloon, beating the Mercedes-Benz
300SEL 6.3, both for maximum speed and acceleration," said John Bolster in
Autosport. "On the road it’s the steering that is one of the Bristol’s most
impressive features," wrote Classic & Sportscar. "The wheel never fights in
your hands, even when the 411’s fat Avons bump over imperfections in the road
surface or splash through pools of standing water, and there’s constant subtle
feedback through the rim, the big Bristol steering with a delicacy and precision
that belies its size.
"Good balance and relatively light weight help: the
411 has less mass to shift than contemporary rivals like the Jensen Interceptor,
Aston Martin V8 and Rolls-Royce Corniche. It will hustle down a twisty road with
aplomb, the gearbox locked in second and the V8 using its mountain of mid-range
torque to haul the 411 out of the corners. Performance is brisk rather than
bellicose, the Bristol doesn’t do anything so uncouth as ‘accelerate’ - it
merely surges forward until it reaches cruising velocity, before oozing into the
long-striding top gear. Its real forte is sweeping A-roads or along motorways,
where it eats up miles in comfort."
First registered in June 1972, this
411 Series 3 retains the original 6,277cc V8 that was enlarged but detuned for
subsequent models to meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements. It also
has the distinctive quad headlamps, quad exhausts and chrome side trims of the
later models.
From 1996 to 1999 it was owned by a classic car hire
company, Bespokes of Bushey Heath, who naturally kept it in tip-top running
order, their customers covering some 18k miles during this period, as evidenced
by old MOTs and invoices. They also fitted a Clifford alarm system with remote
central locking, the security being later enhanced by a more sophisticated alarm
system and a Tracker recovery device which remains on the car although the new
owner will need to re-register it and keep up the annual
subscription.
Our vendor acquired the car from Bespokes in 1999 and has
continued to use it regularly, adding another 50k miles during his 22-year
ownership, including several tours of the Continent, the odometer now showing
134,700 miles. Serviced every year at MOT time regardless of the mileage
covered, it comes with an impressive file of invoices, much of the work being
carried out by Bristol themselves.
Various sensible upgrades have been
carried out over the years, including a large capacity alloy radiator with
uprated cooling fans to ensure reliable performance in even the hottest European
conditions. It also benefits from later alloy wheels as fitted to the Series 6
which Bristol briefly offered as a modernised version of the 411 in the 2010s
and which were found to enhance the stability of the car at high speeds and on
tramlined road surfaces.
The rear inner wheelarches have been
strengthened to address one of the few weak spots of the original design, while
a new Edelbrock carburettor with manual choke was fitted shortly after the
vendor acquired the car. A smaller diameter MotaLita steering wheel has been
fitted to sharpen up the car’s responses, although the original steering wheel
is also included. Electrically adjustable chrome door mirrors have also been
fitted, along with air conditioning.
The bumpers were rechromed in 2002,
the suspension was overhauled by Bristol in 2009, the whole car was repainted in
2012, the interior was re-Connolised at the same time and a new heated rear
screen and most of the exhaust system was renewed in 2015. The eagle-eyed will
have spotted that the trim strip on the passenger door is not quite straight but
it appears to be the strip that is misaligned while the door itself fits
perfectly.
Although it no longer needs one, it gets MOTd every year, the
current ticket running until July 2022 with just a couple of advisories for a
minor oil leak and for ‘o/s/f outer floor strengthening rail corroded’, the
latter issue having been attended to just before the auction. The history
file also includes 32 old MOTs back to 1982 and the original owner’s handbook is
also present.
Religiously maintained by the current long-term owner and
said to drive as well as it looks, this impressive 411 is fighting fit and
cruises happily at the legal limit and beyond, leaving that sonorous V8 burble
echoing in its wake. One of only 287 made, it is on offer here at a very
attractive guide price and now only needs an enthusiastic new owner who can
continue to cherish it in the manner to which it has become
accustomed.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or
email james.dennison@brightwells.com
* All charges are subject to VAT