Bristol 400 Wanted

[Geoff Dowdle]

Marcus ,
I applaud your enthusiasm for what you want but its not that simple .
Even money sometimes can not buy what you want .
A few facts to put things in perspective
There were only 421 standard bodied 400's produced
Approx half with the opening rear window , of those about 80 were sold in Australia and no doubt 40 - 50 of the 200 odd would have been wrecked.
Maybe 50 % of the rest are laying unrestored waiting for new owners or in a condition that does not suit you .
There are probably only 5 - 10 examples to your specification worldwide and most of those owners would not part with them .
I believe your best option is to lower your expectations and buy a good sound car and rebuild it to the way you want it .
Andrew Blow seems to have the odd 400 for sale and recently sold a nice blue one that could have suited you .
Good Luck in your search
Geoff

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

I must wholehearted agree with Goeff. This is a very old car, and the production numbers were quite low. Couple that with very low demand in a niche market and you can see how difficult this search is going to be. His advice on finding the best one you can and doing what you think needs to be done is probably the best path. We all have our favorites,and if it is a 400 you want, then you are likely faced with quite a few compromises. Again, best of luck in finding the car of your dreams. I have found that you can get what you want, but it sometimes may take a decade to get it when it comes to old cars.

[Hydroglen]

I agree that such a car may not exist. I was amused at the opening line..."cah buyer" . With the prices of very good Bristols being what they are, I would like to see the wheelbarrow in which the cash will be placed.
In the antique/vintage world all transactions are paid in full, and cash takes, very much, a back seat to Bank transfers.
Dorien

[GREG]

They do exist and here is one of them

NOW SOLD 1949 Bristol 400 in excellent condition. For Sale on Car And Classic UK

Just sold recently on Andrew Blow's site for a few wheelbarrows of cash

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

At 75,000 pounds (sorry, I do not have that symbol on my keyboard), one might think they have found the car of their dreams. Perhaps. When it comes to old cars, the sky is the limit for serious collectors. Most of us would keep our funds in investments rather than pick up another car with it.
The chap that started the thread with 'cash' buyer would not attract anyone in this league, unless the funds were ill-gotten, but that is merely an opinion from an American who sees this sort of thing all the time. Personally, there is not a car that was ever made that would prompt me to consider a transaction like this. Having owned some two hundred cars in my time, I can state that not a single one can satisfy all a persons 'needs'. It was fun to collect and drive a large variety of cars. When the fun wears off, they are passed on, and usually with a slight loss.

[GREG]

Maybe a car becomes a true classic when people are prepared to pay what it cost to restore it. It seems that Bristols are finally getting to that level for some models. ?

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

It certainly looks like it in this instance. I recently looked up restoration costs on one of my E-type Jaguars, and it seems they want a $30,000 car to start with, and $120K to $150K to make a 100 point show winner. All for a car that sold for $5,000 new. The serious buyer will look for the restored car at a bargain price. As so often happens, the owners cannot stop themselves and the costs just soar. I saw a beautiful example go over the auction block for $69,000 that had to have cost over $100,000 to bring it to that point. It was an E-type. I'll wager it was a better car than the new one I bought in 1962. A pretty package with lots of flaws.

[Sam410]

Originally Posted by Ronald G. Stephenson

The chap that started the thread with 'cash' buyer would not attract anyone in this league, unless the funds were ill-gotten, but that is merely an opinion from an American who sees this sort of thing all the time. Personally, there is not a car that was ever made that would prompt me to consider a transaction like this.

'Cash buyer' in the UK usually means someone who will pay the full price at once, as opposed to someone buying with finance to be arranged. It doesn't mean someone turning up with a suitcase full of used £50 notes. More commonly the term 'cash buyer' is used for people who are cash buyers of property, but that just means that they have the funds available for immediate transfer and won't need to arrange a mortgage.

Money laundering regulations here mean that UK banks are obliged to report any unusual deposits of large amounts of currency.

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Another perfect example of our separation in similar languages and usage. Cash buyer over here is a 'red flag' so to speak, and we are hesitant to deal with people like that. It comes with experience. The same could be said for the outrageous offers that come over the internet from Nigeria and such places. The tip-off is the, 'What is your best price' statement. We do not use that terminology. Our usual response is, "Is that the best you can do", and that seems to work every time. A 'cash buyer' in our instance would be someone who would hire an agent to search for a car, not some blatant advertisement with that language.