BRISTOL 412 SERIES 2 CONVERTIBLE

BRISTOL 412 S2 CONVERTIBLE

Zagato styled. aluminium bodied four-seater convertible powered by Chrysler 5. 9 litre V8 with three Speed ‘Torqueflite' automatic transmission. Very rare: probably fewer than 50 made. If you are reading this you probably know something about the special character of Bristol cars but it is worth saying that this thoroughly usable 412 offers spectacular value for money at the surprisingly low buy it know price I am willing to part with it for. Compare it with any other Bristol V8 currently available or any equivalent Mercedes V8 cabriolet.  

You are either convinced by the angular shape or you are not but it has something of the appeal of a Camargue or an Aston Martin Lagonda: the more you look at it the better it gets!

I have the full service history from Bristol cars in a folder but briefly it was supplied new to the Frizzell Group in London and driven by quite a famous Q. C for some time. There were two owners after him that kept the car serviced by Bristol and I am the 6th. It was bought from Bristol Cars Ltd a few years ago by a man who wanted a sound Bristol to fit a ‘stroker' 8 litre engine to but he found himself enjoying the 412 as it was so much he couldn't be bothered and contented himself with a £4000 front brake up-grade; the brakes are superb in fact. The reason it is running 16 inch alloys is that the original steel wheels (which I still have) won't fit around the big new disc/caliper set up. They actually look similar to what was fitted to later models anyway and are totally acceptable.

The car passed its MOT in March 2016 with no advisories.

Apart from the occasional tendency to stall at low speed it drives very well with excellent ride. handling and brakes. It is putting up a good oil pressure and charging nicely: On the hottest day of the year so far it was sitting middle of the gauge on a run. The passenger side electric window doesn't want to work and there is a crack across the bottom right hand corner of the front screen

Seats. hood and carpets are all in good condition. I had a new boot carpet made for it recently. However the veneer on the dashboard really deserves to be done as does the droopy inner lining of the easily removable ‘Targa' roof over the front seats. The drivers side door card is slightly loose.

At a glance the Beaufort blue body looks well and is perfectly respectable for daily use. However there is quite a substantial bump in the rear valance and a matching one in the front. both incidents having avoided damaging the bumpers thankfully. The paint is generally dull and has 'sunk' in several places

The paint is peeling on the boot lid and on the bonnet.  

Tyre's are good all round and the Bristol has recently had a new battery.  

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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