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Photo of a Bristol 407

Bristol 407

Bristol's first V8 brought 250 hp (SAE) and illuminated push-button gears.123

Researched November 9, 2026 from 22 sources

At a glance

0150300
250 hpPower
0510
9.2–9.9 s0–60 mph
0125250
196–201.5 km/hTop speed
0250500
461 N·mTorque
01,0002,000
1,651 kgWeight

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.245

Engine
5.13 L Canadian Chrysler 313 V8, Bristol camshaft and tappets2
Layout
Front-engine, rear-wheel drive10
Gearbox
3-speed TorqueFlite auto; lit buttons; Pont-à-Mousson manual never ordered234
Built at
Filton, United Kingdom; Park Royal Vehicles aluminum bodies34
Units built
Total uncertain: 88, 281 or about 300 (1961–1963)14

The story

Introduced in 1961, the 407 was independent Bristol's first model, replacing the underpowered 406's BMW-derived six with a Canadian Chrysler V8. Commonwealth sourcing avoided UK engine import duty.24

1960: White and Crook buy Bristol Cars19601961: The first V8 Bristol arrives · Park Royal bodies head to Filton · 9.2 seconds to 60 mph · 407 GTZ reaches Earls Court19611962: 407 GTZ remains a one-off · Viotti's steel convertible at Turin19621963: 407 bows out; 408 brings four headlights1963 Bristol 400 (400): 1947–1950Bristol 401 (401): 1948–1953401Bristol 402 (402): 1949–1950Bristol 403 (403): 1953–1955Bristol 404 (404): 1953–1955Bristol 405 (405): 1955–1958Bristol 406 (406): 1958–1961Bristol 406 Zagato (406 Zagato): 1959–1960Bristol 407 (407): 1961–1963Bristol 408 (408): Introduced 1963408 19501960197019801990200020102020
GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones1341213141516
Show the numbers
YearWhat happened
1947–1950Bristol 400 (400)
1948–1953Bristol 401 (401)
1949–1950Bristol 402 (402)
1953–1955Bristol 403 (403)
1953–1955Bristol 404 (404)
1955–1958Bristol 405 (405)
1958–1961Bristol 406 (406)
1959–1960Bristol 406 Zagato (406 Zagato)
1961–1963Bristol 407 (407)
Introduced 1963Bristol 408 (408)
1960White and Crook buy Bristol Cars
1961The first V8 Bristol arrives
1961Park Royal bodies head to Filton
19619.2 seconds to 60 mph
1961407 GTZ reaches Earls Court
1962407 GTZ remains a one-off
1962Viotti's steel convertible at Turin
1963407 bows out; 408 brings four headlights
  1. 1960

    White and Crook buy Bristol Cars

    George White and Tony Crook bought Bristol Cars in September, separating it from Bristol Siddeley Engines to operate independently.5

  2. 1961

    The first V8 Bristol arrives

    Front coils and Marles steering replaced the 406's leaf spring and rack; the 407 used servo-assisted Dunlop discs and a torsion-bar rear axle with Watt linkage.1236

  3. 1961

    Park Royal bodies head to Filton

    Park Royal Vehicles supplied aluminum bodies to Filton; the saloon had a 2,896 mm wheelbase, 4,877 by 1,727 mm body and original 6.00x16 tires.347

  4. 1961

    9.2 seconds to 60 mph

    Motor's test returned 201.5 km/h and 0–60 mph in 9.2 seconds, with touring fuel use of 16.1 L/100 km.4

  5. 1961

    407 GTZ reaches Earls Court

    Designed by Ercole Spada, the 407 GTZ debuted on Zagato's stand in October; Anthony Crook's project went from idea to finished car in 10 weeks.48

  6. 1962

    407 GTZ remains a one-off

    Tony Crook shelved the Zagato project in summer: the light body and heavy engine left a front-heavy balance the factory could not cure.2

  7. 1962

    Viotti's steel convertible at Turin

    The one-off four-seat 407 convertible by Viotti appeared at the Turin Motor Show as a design exercise, using a steel body.249

  8. 1963

    407 bows out; 408 brings four headlights

    The 407's production run ended in summer; the 408 appeared at Earls Court with four headlamps and a larger rectangular air intake.34

Every generation

  • Bristol 400
    4001947–1950
  • Bristol 401
    4011948–1953
  • Bristol 402
    4021949–1950
  • Bristol 403
    4031953–1955
  • Bristol 404
    4041953–1955
  • Bristol 405
    4051955–1958
  • Bristol 406
    4061958–1961
  • Bristol 406 Zagato
    406 Zagato1959–1960
  • Bristol 407
    4071961–1963
  • Bristol 408
    408Introduced 1963

Versions

3 versions worth knowing, with their power.

  • Standard

    Bristol 407

    1961–1963

    250 hp
  • Bristol 407 Viotti

    Special

    Bristol 407 Viotti

    1 built

  • Bristol 407 GTZ Zagato

    Special

    Bristol 407 GTZ Zagato

    1961

    1 built

How to spot one

Look for

  • Factory saloon: one horizontal bar crosses a slightly larger grille than the 406's.2
  • Factory saloon: two exhaust outlets replace the 406's single pipe.2
  • Factory saloon: no indicator repeaters on the roof above the doors.7
  • Front fender hatches behind the front wheels conceal the spare wheel and electrical gear.10
  • Factory saloon: a chrome strip runs from the front fender to the end of the rear fender.5

Don’t confuse it with

  • Bristol 406

    Look above the doors: the 406 has extra roof-mounted indicator lights that the 407 omits.47

  • Bristol 408

    Four headlights, a larger rectangular air intake and a flatter roof mark the 408.34

Against its rivals

  • Jaguar Mk X

    407 vs Jaguar Mk X

    Price incl. tax lower is better

    4075,141 £
    Jaguar Mk X2,392 £
    3
  • Daimler Majestic Major

    407 vs Daimler Majestic Major

    Price incl. tax lower is better

    4075,141 £
    Daimler Majestic Major3,082 £
    3

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

  • Versions

    • Why each of the 3 versions matters

  • Legend

    • 13 stories from its legend
    • “White and Crook took Bristol independent”
    • “A ski trip and Brands Hatch led to Chrysler”

  • Generations

    • The story of each of the 10 generations

  • Market

    • 6 things to check before buying one
    • Where prices are heading, and why
Read the full file in SPOT

SPOT is free on iPhone. Full car files come with SPOT Plus.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 22 sources
  1. Bristol Cars - Bristol Owners Club Of Australia bristolownersclubofaustralia.com.au
  2. Bristol 407 (1961-1963) motor-car.net
  3. Bristol 407 (1961): the V8 era begins · Bristol Cars bristol-cars.co.uk
  4. Bristol 407 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  5. Bristol 407 – Wikipedia de.wikipedia.org
  6. Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres !: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 psychoontyres.blogspot.com
  7. Blockley Tyres - Bristol - blockleytyre.com
  8. Ercole Spada - Wikipedia it.wikipedia.org
  9. Metal Underwear: Peter Sellers' Car Collection – The Transatlantic Journal thetransatlanticjournal.com
  10. Bristol 407 — Wikipédia fr.wikipedia.org
  11. Bristol 407 Drophead Coup� "Viotti" (VIN 407-6152) 1962 traumautoarchiv.de
  12. Bristol 400 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  13. Bristol 401 and 402 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  14. Bristol 404 and 405 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  15. Bristol 406 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  16. Bristol 406 Zagato - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  17. Bristol 403 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  18. Bristol 407 For Sale & Price Guide | The Classic Valuer theclassicvaluer.com
  19. 1962 Bristol 407 sljhackett.co.uk
  20. One-off onsdag: Bristol 407 Zagato | ViaRETRO viaretro.dk
  21. Running-in, warming-up and oil-changing March 1962 - Motor Sport Magazine motorsportmagazine.com
  22. 2361 PL | 1962 Bristol 407 - Free History Check | UKCarData.co.uk ukcardata.co.uk
  • bristolownersclubofaustralia.com.au
  • motor-car.net
  • bristol-cars.co.uk
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • de.wikipedia.org
  • psychoontyres.blogspot.com
  • blockleytyre.com
  • it.wikipedia.org
  • thetransatlanticjournal.com
  • fr.wikipedia.org
  • traumautoarchiv.de
  • theclassicvaluer.com
  • sljhackett.co.uk
  • viaretro.dk

Photo credits

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