Bristol 400

SLJ Hackett are delighted to present this beautifully restored Bristol 400 Chassis 400/1/614, KLX 324

Winner of the 2023 Bristol Owner’s Club Concours Gandalf Trophy, KLX 324 was chosen by the Duke of Richmond as the car he drove to open the 2023 Goodwood Revival, recreating the original opening of the circuit by a Bristol 400 in 1948.

Over the past 5 years the current owner commissioned Spencer Lane-Jones LTD to carry out a comprehensive restoration which cost in excess of £200,000. 

KLX 324 is now ready for a range of exciting potential uses; Mille-Miglia eligible as well as being ideally prepared for long distance Continental touring on the one hand (the current owner has just returned from a 5000 mile trip to Transylvania where the car has performed faultlessly), the car would equally suit a new owner who looking for an ideal contender for prestigious events, such as the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, for example. 

The following outline of the main works carried out summaries the meticulous attention to detail that has been lavished on the car:

Bodywork/Metalwork

All previous paintwork was taken off to asses any  potential bodywork repairs needed. All remaining areas were then stripped back to bare metal (interior, underside & engine bay) with any corrosion removed as well as any sections of the ash framework needing repair being replaced. Being a 1949 model this example originally had the spare wheel on the outside of the boot, KLX 324 has had that part removed and the spare wheel is now housed inside of the boot much like the earlier Bristol 400’s, the main reason for this was to bring the weight in-board as much as possible to improve the cars handling during spirited motoring. The exterior coachwork is presented in blue which is very similar to the original light blue this car was finished in. The engine bay has been finished in Gun Metal Grey Metallic. On the underside the most up to date Polymer underseal has been applied.

Engine 

SLJ fully stripped the engine in 2020 to find a good healthy engine with no obvious wear to current components. Anyhow the engine received a full rebuild which includes: 

- New Cosworth Pistons 

- New Valves 

- Crankshaft balanced, crack tested and lightly polished 

- New DLC followers

- Head pressure checked skimmed (TT workshops stamped cylinder head)

- IN Racing pushrods 

- New Steve Stanton fast road super sport Camshaft which is timed to SLJ touring spec for driveability. 

- Uprated pulley seal and uprated vernier camshaft pulley. 

- Compression set to 10:1

- Rebuilt water pump

Plus much more!

Interior

KLX 324 was then completely retrimmed in Tan leather upholstery. Once the interior was removed Dynamat was fitted throughout the car to provide great sound deadening compared to the original thick old fashioned material used previously. The Dynamat is also a very effective heat shield, giving a cabin that gets a lot less hot than standard 400’s . A heat shield to the exhaust further contributes to maintaining a comfortable cabin temperature. Colour matched inertia reel seatbelts were also fitted. 

The current owner prepared the car to do some serious millage so to make his adventures more comfortable heated front seats and a custom rear bench seat that remotely opens to access extra storage space were designed and fitted. The original rear bench seat has been retrimmed in matching Tan leather and will come with the car upon sale.

Brakes

The braking system like the rest of the car has been totally rebuilt and tastefully modified. SLJ offer a custom front Disc Brake upgrade designed and made by Zeus that are both aesthetically pleasing and incredibly effective, almost necessary for touring. All new copper brake pipes have been fitted. 

Other Key Points

- Full re-wire 

- Overdrive fitted

- New aluminium radiator 

- Radio and bumpers not fitted but will come with the car

- 2 Stage wipers fitted.

We have a photographs of the complete restoration and will be delighted to share these upon request.  

KLX 324 has considerable older history dating back to the early 80’s where most mechanical work was carried out by TT Workshops.

For further details and to arrange viewings

Contact Richard Hackett

Mobile Telephone: 07867782402

Office: 01985219551

E-mail: info@sljhackett.co.uk