Bristol 408
Encyclopedia
The Bristol 408 is a British
luxury car made by Bristol Cars
between 1963 and 1966. Unusually for Bristol, a slightly revised version was launched during the middle of the model's production run in 1965 and known as the 408 Mark II.
Mechanically the Bristol 408 was identical to is predecessor the 407, which had been a major departure for Bristol with its use of a Chrysler
V8 engine and automatic transmission
. However, outwardly there were some major changes. The frontal styling of the 407 – which had been a carry-over from the six-cylinder 406
and 405
– was discarded and in its place was a rectangular grille with pronounced horizontal bars. Another major change were the turn indicator lamps
, which on the 408 were wide and rectangular in contrast to the 407's round lamps.
The engine of the 407 and original 408 had a capacity of 313 cu in (5.1 l), but for the 408 Mark II this was increased to 318 cu in (5.2 l) (5,211 cubic centimetres).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
luxury car made by Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...
between 1963 and 1966. Unusually for Bristol, a slightly revised version was launched during the middle of the model's production run in 1965 and known as the 408 Mark II.
Mechanically the Bristol 408 was identical to is predecessor the 407, which had been a major departure for Bristol with its use of a Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
V8 engine and automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
. However, outwardly there were some major changes. The frontal styling of the 407 – which had been a carry-over from the six-cylinder 406
Bristol 406
The Bristol 406 was a luxury car produced between 1958 and 1961 by British manufacturer Bristol Aeroplane Co....
and 405
Bristol 405
The Bristol 404 and Bristol 405 were British luxury cars manufactured by Bristol Aeroplane Co., whose car division later became Bristol Cars. The models were successors to the Bristol 403 built between 1953 and 1958....
– was discarded and in its place was a rectangular grille with pronounced horizontal bars. Another major change were the turn indicator lamps
Automotive lighting
The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides, rear, and in some cases the top of the motor vehicle...
, which on the 408 were wide and rectangular in contrast to the 407's round lamps.
408 Mark II
Due to safety concerns, the push-button layout of the automatic transmission was modified through the use of a safety lever to prevent an unwary person moving the car out of "Park". There were also rectangular instead of circular push-buttons for the gear selector in this version of the car. The transmission itself was now of cast alloy and was over 30 kilograms (66.1 lb) lighter than that of previous eight-cylinder Bristols.The engine of the 407 and original 408 had a capacity of 313 cu in (5.1 l), but for the 408 Mark II this was increased to 318 cu in (5.2 l) (5,211 cubic centimetres).