Bristol 400

Infobox Automobile
name = Bristol 400
manufacturer = Bristol Cars (then Bristol Aeroplane Co.)


production = 1947–1950 487 units
engine=1971 cc ohv straight-6
class = Sports sedan
body_style=2-door saloon
layout=FR layout
successor = Bristol 401
related=BMW 327

The Bristol 400 luxury car is the first automotive product of the British Bristol Aeroplane Company. After World War II, BAC decided to diversify and formed a car division, which would later be the Bristol Cars company in its own right. BAC subsequently acquired a licence from Frazer Nash to build BMW models.

Based on the pre-war BMW 327, the Bristol 400 featured a slightly modified version of BMW's 6 cylinder pushrod engine of 1,971 cc (bore 66 mm, stroke 96 mm). This engine, considered advanced for its time due to its hemispherical combustion chambers and very short inlet and exhaust ports, developed 80 horsepowerCite web|url=http://www.motorbase.com/vehicle/by-id/474/|title=Bristol 400|accessdate=2008-01-20|work=motorbase.com] at 4,500 revs per minutes and could carry the 400 to a top speed of around 148 km/h (92 mph) with acceleration to match. In order to maintain a hemispherical combustion chamber, the valves had to be positioned at an angle to the head. In order to drive both sets of valves from a single camshaft, the Bristol engine used 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 was a four-speed manual with synchromesh on all forward ratios — at the time, synchromesh on first gear remained far from standard.

The car featured independent front suspension with a transverse leaf spring and a live axle with A-bracket and longitudinal torsion bars at the rear. It featured a lengthy 2895 mm (114 inch) wheelbase and a very BMW-like grille at the front of its long bonnet. The passenger area was very short, with the spare tyre mounted in the boot and visible externally.

References

External links

* [http://boc.net/buyers_guide.html Buying a Six-Cylinder Bristol]
* [http://www.jel450.com jel450.com Bristol 2 litre engined cars]