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MY LIFELONG FASCINATION WITH BRISTOLS
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I am quite sure that my love for Bristols began when, at the very beginning of the 70s, I was allowed to go all alone in London for one week. For a car-loving teenager, London was Heaven, with lots of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Aston Martins and the like parked everywhere even at night, on the open road..... But those enigamtic, large, evidently luxurious 2-door saloons intrigued me, as I had never heard of them before. Even more puzzling was learning that they were as expensive as Astons or Bentleys but their styling was deliberately understated to let their owners enjoy top-level motoring without the inherent (and, to many, undesirable) flashiness of their more famour counterparts. I didn't take these pics, sadly, I just bought them on eBay from a chap who took them at the end of the 60s. They summon quite well the ambiance of London in those years and the way Bristols were used by their wealthy owners |
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409-7355 was officially 'born' the 4th January 1967, when her first owner took delivery of the car at Bristol's famed Kensington showroom. This picture was taken in 1999, when 409-7355 was found in a garage where it had been stored for 18+ years following this minor accident. The car was born silver M607 and had been repainted in this 'Battleship Grey' very early in its life, maybe when the second owner purchased it around 1970 |
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The 18 years spent under the dust in a garage showed in the poor condition of the paintwork, but the body was sound. A classic car enthusiast can only dream of a 'barn find' of this quality |
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The interior of 7355 looked quite bad after so many years of careless storage |
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The main problem of 7355 when I bought it was the poor quality of the respray. Paint was flaking in several areas and my guess is that the primer coats had not been applied correctly. It is surprising to see that it was resprayed stripping the paint but leaving the windscreen, door frames, rear screen etc in place. Seeing this pictures made me think that my 409 deserved a really thorough restoration and a proper paint job |
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I bought her on the phone from HH Auctions, at their 9th/10th June 2009 sale in Buxton. They were quite honest about the condition of the car, so I can only recommend them |
