1970 Bristol 411 Series 1 - £59,950 from Dylan Miles Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK
Mixing highbrow British appointment with American V8 muscle, the Bristol 407 was launched in 1961 and marked the beginning of a much-loved combination. The move away from Bristol’s BMW-derived straight-six might have been a bit of a culture shock for customers at the time, but the 5.2-litre Chrysler V8 engine provided ample performance and reassuring reliability.
As the car evolved into the 411 in 1969, it retained the same steel box-section chassis and alloy body construction but gained a new 6.3-litre ‘big block’ engine. With 335bhp and 425ft lb, it took this super- GT to new performance heights. The 411 persisted until 1976, via five series and just under 300 cars. This exquisite Series I car is offered by Dylan Miles, and was first ordered from Bristol by aeronautical engineer Harold Roxbee-Cox, better known as Lord Kings Norton. Amazingly – or predictably if you’re familiar with Bristol owners – he continued to use the 411 as a daily driver up to his death in 1997. The car’s history file is apparently filled with fascinating letters between Anthony Crook and his Lordship.
After passing through one further owner, it was sold again via a Bristol specialist to the current owner in 2013. At that point an extensive restoration of the 411 was commissioned. John Arnold of Brooklands Motorsport undertook the well-documented work, which included a full strip-down and bare-metal repaint. The brightwork was also re-plated.
No expense was spared when it came to the engine rebuild. The block and heads were acid-dipped, and the cylinders rebored to accept new high-compression pistons. Almost every component was either replaced or upgraded, and it even received a custom sports exhaust and manifolds to free-up extra power.
The improvements didn’t stop there. The electrical system was boosted with a 120-amp alternator, and the cooling system was brought up to scratch with a custom-built alloy five-core radiator and twin cooling fans. Clayton Classics fitted a bespoke air conditioning system and wider Series II rear-end set-up to finish it off. It’s ready to jump in and enjoy. dylan-miles.com