The Rare Bristol 403 Is Charming to Drive and Evocative of Its Era  

A romp through any monograph on Bristol Cars—as with many arcane subjects—leaves one searching for a sense of order and a method to the madness. The Bristol marque was established in 1945, right after World War II, born from the automotive division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Power for Bristol’s automobiles came from engines that the company built based on BMW’s model M328, a pushrod 2.0-liter inline-six originally developed in 1936. This successful design…