Bristol 400
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2018) |
| Bristol 400 | |
|---|---|
 1948 400 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Cars(thenBristol Aeroplane Co.) |
| Production | 1947–1950 487 units |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports sedan |
| Body style | 2-doorsaloon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | BMW 327 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1971 ccohvstraight-6 |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Bristol 401 |
TheBristol 400is a luxury car that theBristol Aeroplane CompanyMade from 1947 to 1950. It was the first model of car that the company made. AfterWorld War II,BAC decided to diversify. In 1947 it formed a car division, which later became theBristol Carscompany in its own right. BAC inspected theSoviet-controlled BMW factoryatEisenachin theSoviet occupation zone in Germany,and returned to Britain with plans for theBMW 327and the six-cylinder engine as official war reparations. Bristol then employed BMW engineer Fritz Fiedler to lead its engine development team.
In 1946 BAC acquired a majority shareholding inFrazer Nash,which in the 1930s held a licence to build theBMW 328.In 1947 the newly-formed Bristol Cars released its 400 coupé. It is a lengthened version of the BMW 327, and features BMW's double-kidney radiator grille.[1]
Bristol based the 400 on the best features of two outstanding pre-war BMWs: the engine of the 328, and the chassis of the326.These were covered with a mainly steel body but with aluminium bonnet, door and boot skins inspired by the 327. The 400 has a slightly modified version of BMW's six-cylinderpushrodengine of 1,971 cc (bore 66 mm, stroke 96 mm). This engine, considered advanced for its time due to itshemispherical combustion chambersand very short inlet and exhaust ports, develops 80horsepower[2]at 4,500rpm,and gives the car a top speed of about 148 km/h (92 mph),[2]with acceleration to match.
In order to form a hemispherical combustion chamber, the valves are positioned at an angle to the head. In order to drive both sets of valves from a single camshaft, the Bristol engine uses a system of rods, followers and bell-cranks to drive the valves on the far side of the engine from the camshaft. Owners soon found that setting and maintaining the numerous clearances in the system was difficult, but vital to keep the engine in tune. The gearbox is a four-speedmanualwithsynchromeshon the upper three ratios and afreewheelin first.
The 400 is the only Bristol that has a steel and aluminium skin. It has all flat glass, apart from the curved rear window, which is glazed inPerspex,and was available to specification with a top hinge. This was very welcome on warmer climate export markets, where the sliding door windows provided only marginal ventilation to the occupants.
The 400 hasindependent front suspensionwith a transverseleaf springand alive axle,located by an A-bracket over thedifferentialcase, and longitudinaltorsion barswith transverse arms and brackets at the rear. It has a lengthy 2,895 mm (114.0 in) wheelbase and a very BMW-like grille at the front of its long bonnet. The passenger area is very short, with the spare tyre mounted inside the boot on the first cars. In later 400s the spare wheel is mounted on the rear hinged boot lid, inside an aluminium cover.
Battista Pininfarinadesigned an alternative body for the 400. Its lines prefigure the 400's successor model, the401,which Bristol launched in 1948.
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Farina-styled 1949 400 -
Farina-styled 1949 400
References
- ^Norbye, Jan P. (1984).BMW – Bavaria's Driving Machines.Skokie, IL, USA: Publications International. ISBN 0-517-42464-9. LCCN 84060309, p. 80
- ^ab"Bristol 400".motorbase.com.Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2008.Retrieved20 January2008.
External links
- "Bristol Type 400 - 2 litre Saloon".Bristol Owners Club.
- "Buying a Six-Cylinder Bristol".Bristol Owners Club.
- "Bristol 400".jel.450.com.