Bristol 406

Last updated

Bristol 406
Bristol 406 - Flickr - mick - Lumix.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Bristol Cars (then Bristol Aeroplane Co.)
Production19581961
174 units
Body and chassis
Class 2-door Sport saloon
Layout FR layout
Powertrain
Engine 2,216 cc ohv I6
Transmission 4-speed overdrive manual [1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,896 mm (114.0 in) [1]
Length4,978 mm (196.0 in) [1]
Width1,727 mm (68.0 in) [1]
Curb weight 1,365 kg (3,009 lb) [1]
1,092 kg (2,408 lb) (Zagato) [2]
Chronology
Predecessor Bristol 404 and 405
Successor Bristol 407

The Bristol 406 was a luxury car produced between 1958 and 1961 by British manufacturer Bristol Aeroplane Co. Their cars were constructed to very high engineering standards and were intended to be long-lasting to justify their very high price. Buyers might arrange considerable changes to the specification of their own particular vehicle. [3] Bristol Aeroplane's car division later became Bristol Cars.

Contents

It was the last Bristol to use the BMW-derived pushrod straight six engine that had powered all cars built by the company up to that point. In a stopgap measure for the 406 its torque was improved by a 245 cc increase in capacity because it was clearly unable to give a performance comparable to that of newer engines emerging at the time.

Body

A prototype with a body by Carrosserie Beutler of Thun in Switzerland was exhibited in 1957 in both Paris and London Motor Shows. The start of production at Filton was announced in late August 1958. [4] Most of the bodies for the 406 were manufactured by Jones Brothers in London. [5]

Engine

Compared to the 405, the 406 saw several significant changes. The most important was that the six-cylinder engine itself was enlarged slightly in both bore and stroke to dimensions of 69 mm by 100 mm (2.71 inches by 3.94 inches). This gave an engine displacement of 2,216 cc (135 cubic inches) but the actual power of the engine was no greater than that of the 405. However, the torque was higher than for the smaller engine, especially at low engine speeds.

Manufacture of the 2-litre version continued for supply to AC Cars for their AC Ace and Aceca.

Disc brakes

The 406 also featured Dunlop-built disc brakes on all four wheels (making it one of the first cars with four-wheel disc brakes) [6] and a two-door saloon body Bristol were to stick with for a long period after adopting Chrysler V8 engines with the 407. The styling made the 406 more of a luxury car than a true sports saloon. It was, nevertheless, "a delight to drive". [7]

The rear suspension of the 406 also did away with the outdated A-bracket of all previous Bristols for a more modern Watt's linkage. The 406 was the world's first production car to be thus equipped. [2] However, the outdated front suspension of previous Bristols was retained and not updated until the following model with its more powerful drivetrain.

Zagato

Two short-wheelbase 406s, known as 406Ss, were bodied by Zagato. [8] In all, there were only six 406s with Zagato bodies. [9] Rather than the 105 hp (78 kW) of the standard cars, these received a fettled engine with 115 hp (86 kW) and a stainless Abarth exhaust, which combined with the considerably lighter weight to make a spirited performer out of the 406. [2]

Replacement

The engine's ageing design was dealt with in 1961 by replacing it with a 5-litre Chrysler V8. The resulting car was renamed Bristol 407.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "1958 Bristol 406". carfolio.com. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Setright, L J K (January 1974). Fraser, Ian (ed.). "And now, a quick look at Setright's Bristols". CAR Magazine. London: National Magazine Company: 76.
  3. David Culshaw and Peter Horrobin, The Complete Catalogue of British Cars 1895-1975 Veloce Classic Reprint series Dorchester 1997 ISBN   9781874105930
  4. New Bristol Car For £4,493. The Times), Tuesday, Aug 26, 1958; pg. 10; Issue 54239
  5. Christopher Balfour: Bristol Cars. A very British story, Haynes Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-844254071, S. 246.
  6. Setright, L. J. K. "Bristol: A Quiet Touch of Class", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 2, p.234.
  7. Setright, p.232fn.
  8. Setright, p.232 f.n. & pp. 234-235.
  9. Setright, p.234 f.n.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC Cars</span> British specialist automobile manufacturer

AC Cars, originally incorporated as Auto Carriers Ltd., is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car makers founded in Britain. As a result of bad financial conditions over the years, the company was renamed or liquidated many times until its latest form. In 2022, the new corporate structure began the production of new AC Cobra models, with a slightly modified structure to adapt it to modern safety and technology requirements and obtain the European road homologation certificate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Cars</span> Manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars

Bristol Cars was a British manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Bristol, England. It was formed from the car division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company after the Second World War and later became independent as Bristol Cars Limited. After being placed in receivership and being taken over in 2011, it entered liquidation in February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover P5</span> Motor vehicle

The Rover P5 is a series of large saloon and coupé cars that were produced by Rover from 1958 until 1973. The models were marketed under the names Rover 3 Litre, Rover 3.5 Litre and Rover 3½ Litre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W211)</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz W211 is the third generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class made from 2001 to 2009 in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate configurations – replacing the W210 E-Class models and superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lister Motor Company</span> British sports car manufacturer

Lister Motor Company Ltd is a British sports car manufacturer founded by Brian Lister in 1954 in Cambridge, England, which became known for its involvement in motorsport. After buying the company in 1986, Laurence Pearce produced variants of the Jaguar XJS before producing a bespoke sports car, the Lister Storm. In 2013, Lister Cars was acquired by Lawrence Whittaker's company Warrantywise. Production of the original sports car restarted in 2014 and ten continuation Lister Jaguar Knobblys were built to celebrate Lister's 60th Anniversary. In 2016, the company announced the build and sale of the Lister Knobbly Stirling Moss. On 31 January 2018, the Lister LFT-666 based on the Jaguar F-Type was announced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagonda</span> British luxury car marque owned by Aston Martin

Lagonda is a British luxury car brand established in 1906, which has been owned by Aston Martin since 1947. The trade-name has not had a continuous commercial existence, being dormant several times, most recently from 1995 to 2008, 2010 to 2013, and 2016 onward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aston Martin Virage</span> Series of luxury cars by Aston Martin

The Aston Martin Virage is an automobile produced by British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin as a replacement for its V8 models. Introduced at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1988, it was joined by the high-performance Vantage in 1993, after which the name of the base model was changed to V8 Coupe in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1977)</span> Motor vehicle

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a British grand tourer, a higher performance version of the Aston Martin V8. It was hailed at its 1977 introduction as "Britain's First Supercar" for its 170 mph (270 km/h) top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi S6</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi S6 is the performance variant of the Audi A6, an executive car produced by German automaker Audi. It went on sale in 1994, shortly after the "A6" designation was introduced, replacing the "100" nameplate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Type 603</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol Type 603 is a car that was launched in 1976 by British manufacturer Bristol Cars to replace the 411. With the 603 – introduced along with the Zagato-built 412 – the Bristol car underwent its first major facelift since the introduction of the 406 in the late 1950s. The design was to last until the marque's demise in 2011. Bristol's chief designer Dudley Hobbs strove to make the car more spacious and aerodynamic, while also using flatter body panels that would be easier to hammer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Majestic</span> Motor vehicle

The Daimler Majestic DF316/7 and DF318/9 luxury saloon was launched by the Daimler Company of Coventry in July 1958 and was in production until 1962. Edward Turner had been appointed Chief Executive of BSA Automotive in 1957 and promised new products, this car was to carry his new V8 engine still under development. The six-cylinder, four-door saloon, with new three-speed Borg Warner automatic transmission, power steering and vacuum-servo assisted four-wheel disc brakes was mechanically up-to-date for its time, but it had a heavy coachbuilt body of outdated construction on a separate chassis which kept the car's mass well above more modern designs and made it difficult to manoeuvre, despite the modern steering. The styling was already becoming outdated when the car appeared and became increasingly dated as lighter cars with monocoque construction appeared during the Majestic's production run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 403</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 403 is a luxury car which was produced from 1953 to 1955 by British manufacturer Bristol Aeroplane Co.. The 403 was the third of the eventual five series of Bristols powered by the BMW-derived pushrod straight-six engine. It replaced the Bristol 401 and 402 in 1953 and continued in production for two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 404 and 405</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 404 and Bristol 405 are British luxury cars which were manufactured by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The 404 was manufactured from 1953 to 1958, and the 405 from 1955 to 1958. The models were successors to the Bristol 403. The 404 was a two-seat coupé and the 405 was available as a four-seat, four-door saloon and as a four-seat, two-door drophead coupé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 407</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 407 was a sports tourer car produced by British manufacturer Bristol Cars between 1961 and 1963. It was the first Bristol model to be made by the company after separation from the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which had built all previous Bristol models. Outwardly it resembled the 406, on which it was based, and which had been produced between 1958 and 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 408</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 408 is a British luxury car made by Bristol Cars between 1963 and 1966. Unusually for Bristol, a slightly revised version was launched during the middle of the model's production run in 1965 and known as the 408 Mark II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 409</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 409 was the third series of cars from British manufacturer Bristol Cars powered by Chrysler V8 engines. It was actually introduced before the older Bristol 408 went out of production and only gradually supplanted that model after a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 410</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 410 was the fourth series of Chrysler V8-engined models from British manufacturer Bristol Cars. It was the last Bristol to use the 5.2-litre (318 cubic-inch) engine originally found in the Bristol 407.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 411</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 411 is an automobile which was built by the British manufacturer Bristol Cars from 1969 to 1976. It was the fifth series of Chrysler-V8 engined Bristol models. The car was rated highly for its comfort, performance and handling by contemporary reviewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 412</span> Motor vehicle

The Bristol 412 is a car which was produced by British manufacturer Bristol Cars from 1975 to 1986. Variants were produced as the Bristol Beaufighter, from 1980 to 1993, and as the Bristol Beaufort, from 1984 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol 406 Zagato</span> British-Italian sports car built by Zagato

The Bristol 406 Zagato is a British-Italian sports car that combines the technology of the Bristol 406 Saloon with a body designed and built by Zagato. This special model, often considered eccentric, was commissioned by Bristol dealer Tony Crook and was produced in very limited quantities. It is known for being lighter, smaller, and faster than the factory-bodied base car. In addition, some older Bristol chassis also subsequently received similar Zagato bodies. Today, the 406 Zagato is considered one of the most expensive classics within the brand’s lineup.