The Stan West Collection
1976 Bristol 411 Sports Saloon
Registration no. SYE 970R
Chassis no. 411-7791659
*The last Bristol 411 built
*6,556cc Chrysler V8 engine (unleaded compatible)
*Restored in the early 1990s
*Substantial history file
Footnotes:
'The Bristol 411 is a car for the very wealthy but has many special virtues – this is a modern quality car of traditional British excellence.' – John Bolster, Autosport.

Bristol's long-running line of V8-engined sports saloons began back in 1961 with the 407, though in appearance the newcomer closely resembled the preceding six-cylinder 406. The adoption of 5.2-litre Chrysler V8 power came not before time, as Bristol's BMW-based engine had been effectively outgrown by the car's increasingly weighty coachwork. With a top speed of 125mph, the 407 re-established the Bristol as a true high-performance car but one that nevertheless retained all the refinement and luxury associated with the marque. The chassis was updated, larger engines adopted and the styling periodically revised throughout the 1960s, this process culminating in the 411 of 1969, five series of which were made between then and 1975. For the 411, Bristol continued with Chrysler engines but specified the 6.3-litre unit that produced 335bhp, an increase of some 85 horsepower over the '5.2'. There was a commensurate improvement in performance and a further boost when the 6,556cc engine arrived with the Series IV in October 1973. John Bolster summarised the result in Autosport: 'Almost accidentally, the Bristol has become the fastest genuine touring saloon, beating the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 both for maximum speed and acceleration.'

The last Bristol 411 built, chassis number '7791659' has the 6,556cc Chrysler V8 engine that can run on unleaded fuel, and was fitted with air conditioning in the mid-1990s. The installation occupies the spare wheel compartment under the nearside wing, and hence the spare wheel has been relocated to the boot. There are numerous bills on file for servicing, maintenance, parts, etc dating back to 1989, including those relating to a major restoration undertaken in April 1992 at 32,800 miles. At that time the exterior colour was changed from a bronze/brown to Midnight Blue. Old registration documents chart the car's ownership back as far as October 1998 when it was registered to one Brian May of Solihull, followed by Rakesh Uppal of London NW3 (from October 1999), and then Brian Clark of Staffordshire (from July 2001).
Lot to be sold without reserve.