Bristol · 1963–1966
Bristol 408
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 – 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.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Predecessor: Bristol 407 · Successor: Bristol 409
All Bristol 408 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →
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 kg (66 lb) lighter than that of previous eight-cylinder Bristols. The engine of the 407 and the original 408 had a capacity of 5.1 L (5,121 cc; 312.5 cu in), but for the 408 Mark II this was changed to the newer, 5.2 L (5,204 cc; 317.6 cu in) variant.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Bristol 408
- Manufacturer
- Bristol Cars
- Production
- 1963–1966, 83 units
- Assembly
- United Kingdom: Filton
- Class
- Sports saloon
- Layout
- FR layout
- Engine
- 5.1 L Chrysler A V8, 5.2 L Chrysler A V8
- Predecessor
- Bristol 407
- Successor
- Bristol 409
- Transmission
- 3-speed automatic
- Wheelbase
- 2896 mm
- Length
- 4915 mm
- Width
- 1727 mm
- Kerb weight
- 1600 kg
- Top speed
- 203 km/h
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q917840CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_408CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376914692 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bristol_408_photo_1973.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Charles01 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.