Old photographs give the impression of a clumsy, imposing machine, with lines that suggest massive bodywork to the rear. But the reality soon sweeps away all misconceptions: the Bristol 450 Le Mans is compact. It might look unnecessarily long in profile, but the bold aerodynamic logic of its designers actually gives it quite delicate proportions, such as its tapered fins, as slender as those of a fighter jet.
It was this functional aesthetic that inspired Olivier Boré, a Frenchman passionate about art, design and old cars, to embark on a recreation of the forgotten coupé. "Initially, I was looking for an aerodynamic car," Boré explains. "I like things that are designed, and rare, and I've always been fascinated by this kind of streamliner, like the Bugatti Atlantic. But the cars that appealed to me were either impossible to find or too costly."
At the time he owned a Bristol 404, an elegant coupé whose rear wings had small fins, vestiges of the 450's, and it was through enthusiastic research that Boré discovered the 450 Le Mans. Of the four made, only one survives: chassis 11, which had been converted to a roadster in preparation for the 1955 season that ended early (C&SC, January 2019). The idea of recreating a coupé slowly germinated in Boré's mind, and while in England to visit Andrew Mitchell, boss of Wiltshire-based Bristol and coachwork specialist Mitchell Motors, discussion on the 450 turned into a plan of action. "Andrew was immediately very enthusiastic," Boré recalls. "As the original had disappeared, the approach was justified: it was not a replica of an existing car."
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Classic & Sports Car.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Classic & Sports Car.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
DOWN MEMORY LANE
As C&SC hits 500 not out, our most prolific and popular wordsmith turns Jackanory to tell the story of his lifelong link to the magazine
Locked & loaded
Land-Rover's SAS prototype and Minerva's Blindé vehicle were built to lend agility reconnaisance and versatility to Europe's special forces
SHOCK THERAPY
Testing an electric Fiat 500, and the idea of EV-converted classics, with a drive across the capital
Fire in the hole
The Huayra Pronello Ford combined advanced aerodynamic ideas with brutal V8 power for a long-lost Argentinian sports-prototype series
Brighton belles
This pair of pioneer machines found fame in the 1953 caper Genevieve, a film that helped give old-car ownership global appeal
FORTUNE 500
It was less famous than the Indy and Daytona 500s, shorter-lived than the Brooklands 500, but memories of the BOAC 500 live long
To be continued...
After the fabulous C2, the best of the rest convene from seven decades of America's original sports car dynasty
AMERICAN BEAUTY
For eight generations and 70 years, the Chevy Corvette has been the backbone of the US sports car industry. As it turns 60, the C2 remains the most desirable of all
THE LAST TEMPTATION
This, the final Ferrari 500 Superfast marks the end of a line of GTs conceived for the mega-rich, not just the merely wealthy
Martin BUCKLEY
'I was enthralled by the lavish feel, tarnished only by an anti-corrosion warranty sticker added as an afterthought'