Bristol 406 History

The 406 (1958–1961) closed the BMW-engined chapter of Bristol history. The straight-six was bored out from 1,971 cc to 2,216 cc to extract more power, and four-wheel disc brakes were introduced for the first time in the Bristol range — a prescient choice in 1958, when most British cars still relied on drums. Around 181 saloons were built.

Six 406 chassis also received lightweight coupé bodies by the Italian coachbuilder Zagato, making the 'Zagato 406' among the rarest and most valuable of all Bristols (the occasional 'seven' count reflects a separate short-wheelbase 406 S Zagato one-off built on a 404-derived chassis). The 406's successor, the 407 of 1961, would abandon the European six entirely in favour of a Chrysler V8, transforming the character of every Bristol built for the next 50 years.