Bristol Cars

A little known fact is that the bodywork for some Bristol cars was built at Park Royal.  I personally recall seeing Bristol body panels being hand-beaten around timber jigs.  I remember being impressed by the demonstrable skill of the panel-beater.

Very little information is available to support this fact and it seems that, whilst other designers/coachbuilders are mentioned in association with Bristol cars, PRV almost never is; that is until I found an entry below from the Bristol Owners' Club of Australia where one, rightfully proud, owner seems keen to divulge that their Bristol Type 408 was indeed coach-built at Park Royal (Click here for the link to the page).

Only 83 cars of that model were made between 1963 & 66 and it appears that at least 64 of these Chrysler-engined 408's were built at PRV.  I believe my recollections are pre-1963 and if so it would have been the model 407, production of which began at PRV in 1961.  Perhaps a reader can advise me more detail.

But it is evident that PRV's association with Bristol Motors stretched into the 70's as Brian Wilson has kindly supplied me with a number of documents, dated through 1974 & 75, that clearly show PRV building at least 68 of the 287 model 411 cars that were produced between 1969 and 1976 (but it was not just the bodywork as other memos discuss the procurement of leather for the upholstery).

I quote an extract from one of the internal memos:

Note the typical use of the "B" prefix on PRV body numbers. 

Brian recalls the rolling chassis (six at a time) being brought up from Bristol on a double decked trailer pulled by a Land Rover; the full rolling shells being taken away on trailers. The part cars mentioned in the Works Instruction above were as a result of the work phasing out.

Pictured here at the 2007 Helston Motor Show, in Cornwall, is a Bristol 411 (I believe a 411 rather than a 410) that was coach-built at Park Royal.  In excellent condition, this particular vehicle was once owned by the actor Trevor Howard who apparently had several of the marque.

I am grateful to Thomas Schaumann who has kindly given the following information:

Other references to the Park Royal bodied Bristol cars can be found on the German Wikipedia page (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_407) that states that the 407 was the first Bristol having a Park Royal body.  Although it used the same basic design as the Bristol 406, the 406 had a Bristol designed body and was (as much as I know) Bristol built  - see note by Nick Challacombe below - (the Bristol "design" might be the reason, not to mention that the later cars were Park Royal bodied¹).  Park Royal bodies were used up to the Bristol 411, all of them using basically the Bristol 406 design. To my knowledge, almost all Bristol 407–411 vehicles were bodied by Park Royal; although I’m aware of three exceptions: the 407 Viotti (1960), the 407 GTZ Zagato (1961) and the 411 Mk 6 (2009²).
The "Bus Lists on the Web" site (http://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk³) gives some body numbers:

(¹) I do not think that Park Royal provided any "design" input to the Bristol; PRV only provided a manufacturing service. Ed.
(²) PRV closed in 1980 so any Bristol later than this date cannot have been bodied there. Ed.
(³) This link accesses the PRV list within the site - see the "Home" link at the base of the page for the main website. Ed.

Note by Nick Challacombe: The 407, whilst similar in shape to the 406, had no common body parts with the earlier model; the 406 was bodied by Messer's Jones Brothers at Willesden North West London. 

I do not know whether the list is complete; the 410 is missing, but I think that B55774-55813 & B56047-56088 are 410 and not 409 (concluded from the year and the number built). Body numbers B56964-57013 are probably 411 Mk 1 (the build date seems wrong for B56964-56999), and B58176-58234 are probably 411 Mk.2.

Here is a PRV bodied Bristol 407 (Chassis No. 6028 - PRV Body No. B4863) from the first batch bodied at PRV between September 1961 and June 1963; it must have been the 28th built after the prototype that had an Armstrong Siddeley engine.  This exquisite example won its class in 2002 and 2009 at the Bristol Owners Club concours and the photograph & details were kindly supplied by owner Nick Challacombe.
Note: At the time Armstrong-Siddeley and Bristol Cars were both part of British Aircraft Corporation.

John Doyle writes:
I can confirm that the Bristol Cars were still being built up to 1975 (at least) when I left PRV to emigrate to New Zealand.  I worked on some aluminium & other metal parts for the Bristol and helped fit the doors with the two tradesman finishing them ready for the next stage.  I recall the seats being made in the trim shop and fitted ready for finishing at another factory.  The wooden horse was set up at the canal-end of the panel shop where the bodies were hand made & inspected. I can also confirm that the Bristol had an 8-cylinder engine and that the spare wheel housing was on the passenger side to the front of the door.

I would be pleased to hear of any information that can add to the story of PRV's association with Bristol Motors, thanks. Ed.