Bristol 411 Series 1-5

From 1969 to 1976


Manufacturer	Bristol Cars
Production	1969–1976 287 produced
Predecessor	Bristol 410
Successor	Bristol 603 Bristol 412
Class	Sports saloon
Layout	FR layout
Engine	6,286 cc OHV V8 6,556 cc V8 6,556 cc OHV V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	2,896 mm (114.0 in)
Length	4,902 mm (193.0 in)
Width	1,727 mm (68.0 in)
Height	1,460 mm (57.5 in)-1,473 mm (58.0 in)
Curb weight	1,676 kg (3,695 lb)-1,712 kg (3,774 lb)

The Bristol 411 is a car which was built by the British manufacturer Bristol Cars. It was the fifth series of Chrysler V8 engined Bristol models.

With the 411, Bristol, for the first time since the 407 was introduced, made a change of engine. Although they were still using a Chrysler V8 engine, the old A type engine was gone. Replacing it was the much larger big-block B series engine of 6,277 cc (383.0 cubic inches) - as compared to the 5,211 cc of the 410. This much larger engine gave the 411 an estimated 30 percent more power than had been found in the 410. The 411 was capable of 230 km/h (143 mph). To cope with this extra power, a limited slip differential was fitted so that the car skidded much less at high speeds.

The interior showed a number of important changes from the Bristol 410. The traditional Blümel twin-spoke steering wheel was replaced by a more practical three-spoked leather-wrapped wheel, which as a result of the traditional Bristol badge being removed from the front of the car, was the only place where this badge was retained.

Over its seven years in production, the 411 showed a number of changes. The 1971 Series 2 added self-levelling suspension and a metric odometer, whilst the Series 3 from a year later had a lower compression ratio and completely revised styling. This edition was the first Bristol to possess the four-headlamp layout that was oddly anticipated by some of the company's earliest models, and to power this a bigger alternator was used. For the Series 4 of 1974, the compression ratio was reduced dramatically (from 9.5:1 to 8.2:1) but this was compensated by using a larger version of the B series engine with a capacity of 6,556 cc (400.1 cubic inches). The Series 5 made from 1975 to 1976 had the original Bristol badge restored and was the first Bristol to feature inertia reel seat belts.

Bristol Cars offers a modernised version of the Bristol 411, the Series 6.