Originally an aeroplane manufacturer, Bristol announced its first car in 1946 - the elegant 400 model, which looked much like the pre-war BMW on which it was based. The 401 followed in 1949 and this had a strong alloy body with extravagant alloy panels, wrapped around small diameter tubes which were graded in thickness according to function, heavier on top of the wings for instance, where mechanics would lean during servicing. Under the skin was a separate chassis derived from the first Bristol model and the engine was a gem - a throaty, straight-six, appropriated from BMW by way of war reparation. This provided almost 100 mph from a 2 litre engine pulling a luxurious full four seater – Jaguar and Bentley needed double the capacity to do the same job. But outright speed was not the sole aim - fine handling was helped by an aerodynamic body shape with a teardrop tail, honed on Bristol’s 2-mile Filton runway. In tests carried out at the MIRA wind tunnel 20 years after the 401‘s demise, only four modern cars were found to be more aerodynamic. In 1961, the 407 model with its Canadian built Chrysler 5.2 litre engine was the first V8 Bristol, instantly catapulting the big four seater into the 130 mph performance class. In 1966 the 410 followed with similar styling and a large V8 power unit, with this style continuing until the early 1990’s. In 2011, the company went into administration and was finally wound up in 2020.