BRISTOL · BRISTOL 401 · Cars
BRISTOL 401 Ultra-rare
Survivors over time
How rare is it?
Genuinely rare — only 28 left on UK roads.
Rarer than 71% of the 2,408 UK car models we track.
Fuel breakdown
Trend
About the 401
The Bristol 401 saloon and Bristol 402 cabriolet are British luxury grand tourers, produced between 1948 and 1953 by Bristol Cars, an offshoot of the Bristol Aeroplane Company They were developed from the Bristol 400, which continued in production alongside the 401 and 402 until 1950. The 401 and 402 use an improved version of the BMW 328 hemispherical-head engine and its unusual arrangement of two separate pushrods to operate the exhaust valves, necessitated by the hemispherical combustion chambers and opposite facing valves, as used in the 400. However, the styling was an advance on that first...
BRISTOL 401 — questions & answers
How many BRISTOL 401 are left in the UK?
As of 2025 Q4, 28 BRISTOL 401 were still registered in the UK — 19 licensed and on the road, plus 9 declared SORN (off-road). The figures come from official DVLA vehicle licensing data.
Is the BRISTOL 401 rare?
The BRISTOL 401 is genuinely rare, with only 28 left, making it rarer than 71% of the 2,408 UK car models we track.
Is the BRISTOL 401 increasing or decreasing?
Over the last year the number of BRISTOL 401 on UK roads held steady.
What fuel do most BRISTOL 401 use?
Most BRISTOL 401 run on petrol — about 96% of those still registered, with the rest split across diesel.
When did the BRISTOL 401 peak?
The BRISTOL 401 peaked at 28 registered in 2023 Q4, and was first recorded in the data in 2014 Q3.