BRISTOL 405 Drophead Coupe 1954-1958 Photos, engines & full specs

The British car company Bristol started to build more cars for passion rather than for family usage and the 405 Drophead Coupe was a good example. It was produced in a very small number.

Bristol started to move away from its connection with the German car-maker BMW. They built cars together before WWII and up until the 404 model its products even had the “kidney grille” in the front. The 405 continued the evolution of the brand identity of its own. To spice things up, the convertible version was introduced, in the form of the Drophead Coupe.

The front of the car featured the new “bomber” nose, inspired by the Beaufighter airplane built by Bristol during WWII. On the radiator's grille, the manufacturer installed the third headlight to improve the night driving experience. The bodywork was made by E D Abbott Limited from Farnham, U.K. According to some historians, only 42 vehicles were made.

Due to a long wheelbase, the Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe offered four seats inside. It was not intended to be a sports car, but more of a convertible gran-tourer. The instrument panel was inspired by WWII planes, with more gauges installed in front of the driver. The steering wheel featured a special design, with two curved spokes.

The engine was an evolution over the BMW 2.0-liter inline-six unit found in the 327/328 before WWII. It had a higher compression ratio and was fed by three Solex carburetors. In that setup, the car produced 125 hp, which was very high for that era. To stop the car, the 405 was offered with an option for front disc brakes and most of the buyers did that or upgraded it later