Manufacturer Bristol Cars Class Sport saloon Transmission 3-speed automatic | Production 1963–1966
83 units Layout FR layout | |
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Engine 5.1L (313 cu in) Chrysler A V8
5.2L (318 cu in) Chrysler A V8 | ||
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.
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 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).