Bristol sourced its first V8 from Canada purely to dodge British import duty on American engines.
Lead trim: 407 Chrysler A V8 (250 bhp)
Bristol 407407 · 1961–1963
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Bristol 407 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBristol sourced its first V8 from Canada purely to dodge British import duty on American engines.
The Bristol 407 (281 made per the infobox, around 300 per the text) is a sports tourer produced between 1961 and 1963, the first Bristol made after the company separated from the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the first with a Chrysler V8. The 406's BMW-derived 105 bhp six could no longer give the 1.5-ton car sporting performance and Bristol's own type 160 engine and an Armstrong Siddeley 4.0-litre six were rejected, so it chose Chrysler's US V8, sourced from Canada to avoid import duties: an engine that debuted at Plymouth in 1956 at 260 CID, with the bore increased from 3.56 to 3.87 in (giving 5.2 litres), a Bristol-designed cylinder head replacing the "polyspherical" head, revised intake ducts, a new camshaft and mechanical tappets, delivering 250 bhp (186 kW), more than double the performance potential of the 406, with a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic as the only transmission and a top speed of over 125 mph (The Motor tested a 407 in 1961 at 125.2 mph and 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds). Outwardly it resembled the 406, with a single-bar enlarged grille and twin exhaust pipes, but the transverse front leaf springs gave way to coil springs and rack-and-pinion steering was dropped; bodies were built by bus builder Park Royal Vehicles, with a handful bodied by Viotti and Zagato (the 407 GTZ). The infobox gives 5,121 cc and the text 5,130 cc for the engine, so no displacement is entered. Wheelbase 114.0 in (2,896 mm), length 192.0 in (4,877 mm), width 68.0 in (1,727 mm), curb weight 3,640 lb (1,651 kg).
Collectors Spotted in the Bristol 407 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Bristol 407 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 407 Chrysler A V8 (250 bhp) | 1961–1963 | V8 | 250 hp | — | 9.2 s | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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