Bristol 401 Berlinetta Touring Superleggera' Prototype

Chassis No. 401206 is the first of 3 Touring bodied Bristols and the only one known to survive. It is a result of the collaboration between the Bristol Aeroplane Co. And Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. Constructed and designed in Italy, the bodies benefitted from the considerable experience for which the Italian coachbuilding company was renowned. The engine was built by Bristol to an original BMW design, the licence for this having been obtained in the form of compensation for war damage. This particular car was built by Touring for the Bristol factory as a prototype and was expected to compete in the 1948 Mille Miglia but was unfortunately not finished in time. The car was however displayed on the Touring stand at the Geneva Motorshow of 1949. Bristol has invested a great deal of time and money in this project, matching Touring's light weight "Superleggera" concept with Bristol's own experience in aerodynamics. Unfortunately the originale idea for commissioning Touring to build 200 cars fell through in the end. The above car remained with Touring until being sold in Switzerland, after which it appears to have had one subsequent owner, until being discovered in 1987 in original and complete condition. The car was completely restored to original specification and to a very high standard from 1991 to 1994 by the well reputed classic car restorer, Egon Zweimuller. In 1997 chassis no 401206 was invited to the famous "Concours d'Elegance" at Villa d'Este. At that point a film was made of the car with its creator, Sr. Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, 50 years after the car was built. A picture of Mr. Anderloni at the wheel of this Bristol, illustrates the cover of the book :"Il signor Touring Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni". The same year Le Mans legend racing driver, Derek Bell drove the car on the well-known Ennstal Classic Rally in Austria. Recently, UK Bristol specialist Spencer Lane-Jones finished the car into the smallest details. This car presents an exceptional opportunity and potential for the purchaser to acquire an important and now unique piece of both Bristol and Touring history, with the added appeal of the chassis no 401206 being eligible for the retrospective Mille Miglia.