Reassembling the 403: Interior
13 January 2015
After 'only' three months of the 403 sitting idly in the workshop of 'AutoInterni', something is moving. The roof lining has been fitted and it looks nice. They are also fitting new wood panels as the original rear shelf and other panels were beyond repair
February 2015
Dismantling the rear seat confirmed once again the exceptional build quality of the Bristol 403. Only the best materials were chosen: therefore the wood of the seat structure is still 'as new' after 62 years, cloth straps are dirty but intact, even the Dunlopillo lattice is perfect. The upholsterers were stunned by the build quality of this car, unknown to them (and to every visitor of their shop) until now; they showed me, as a comparison, the quality of the same components in a pricey Continental motor car built in 1965 that they are working on just now. Everything there was crumbling and/or decaying and has to be rebuilt from scratch....whilst in the 403 only the wooden parts under the rear window had to be remade, and this only because a leak in the window seal let some water in for decades
Still perfect: the 'Dunlopillo' mark on the 'Latex Foam Cushioning' of the back seats
Since October 2014, the 403 has been slowly submerged by swathes of expensive leather. At least this will protect the body
March 2015
The problem in remaking the 'ceiling' of the 403 is that, apart from being extremely well-made and elegant, it had to provide sound insulation and all the cable that are necessary to open and close the rear curtain, a touch of real class that is indispensable to understand how much sophisticated was the Bristol in her days. A tough job if you want to make it properly
The rear seat (back only) being tried for size. The Lords Red Connolly is superb
April-May 2015
The interior parts being reupholstered and ready for installation.... it's hard to believe that door cards (left) and seats (right) have been covered with the same Lords Red leather, as the different lighting makes a huge difference
3 June 2015: slow progess
Driver's seat installed.....slow progress indeed
