1945 400 & 1966 Bristol Bullet!

[Geoff Kingston]

Mike,
Well done for setting the record straight, the existence of this car was well documented in the classic car press when Toby Silverton owned the company, being mentioned in connection with the development of the speedster.
The notion in a company as small as Bristol that it could have sat forgotten under a dust sheet in the corner of the factory, including through the insolvency process is fanciful in the extreme.
Sidelined because it was no longer of any use or thought not to be a saleable proposition is far more likely.
Sad to say another monthly has repeated the same claim despite the fact that they previously carried the storey of Toby Silverton deciding to do something with the original car and launch the speedster.
As for what appears to be claimed for the 400, the magazine should know better, in the past they have run far more accurate articles, the early history of the company is well documented, the first Bristol engines were run in BMW's and the idea that in 1945 a Bristol 400 had been completed and was sold to Dutch Owners is complete and utter nonsense. This would have pre dated not only the first known 400 but also the first example sold to the public.
Geoff.

[Geoff Dowdle]

Chris,
Could you please scan a copy of the photos or the whole article and place on the Forum ,as we won't get the Oct issue down under for a few months .
I have thousands of photos of Bristols filed by chassis number and might recognise the Black 400 from the Netherlands.

It all sounds dubious as to the accuracy of the article.

One question ,we as Bristol enthusiasts should ask , is what would the current owners of BCL know about the early history of the Bristol Car ???

They have probably read the same ill-informed magazine articles ,with the same mistakes reproduced time after time that they are now bordering on the truth.
Even Oxley and Setright to a lesser extent had some glaring mistakes in their various books. But these books were certainly welcome at the time.

Geoff

[Nick Challacombe]

I can see that the record has been set straight, I had wondered how the "Speedster" had come into Kamcorp hands but it must have been owned by the company and bought along with all other assets from the receiver. Glad it is still around though. The Bullet makes me very pleased to own a 407 whose front and rear look very like the Bullet. I bought the 407 in 1999 because I wanted a Bristol which looked like a 2 litre, I could not have a 2 litre as missing one leg I needed an auto. Well done readers for setting the record straught.

[405dh]

Copy attempted to attach herewith. Only a low resolution though as refused to accept high res.

[405dh]

The registration of the 400 looks to be GSF 424, which is Chassis no: 400/1/513 - a 1949 car. The history of that car does not tally with the article so there appear to be some "wires crossed" somewhere.