Bristol 400

1 of 487. Do you know what links this car to a EuroFighter Typhoon?

After the Second World War, the Bristol Aeroplane Company was struggling. It's long range, heavy fighter, the Beaufighter, was of little use in the post-war years, and probably parts of them, like countless Hawker Hurricanes and the like, make up our saucepans right now. BAC had to diversify. A helicopter divison was set up, which fifteen years later morphed into Westland. That was one project to keep the firm alive. Missile development was another sideline and pioneering work in supersonic travel formed the basis of the Concorde design.

At the very same time, the spin-off Bristol Motors division was formed, and it's very first model was the 400. However by 1959, times were economically tough again, and Bristol alongwith English Electric and Vickers (a company that in it's various interpretations owned Rolls-Royce/Bentley) were 'pressured' to merge by Harold MacMillan's government. That's right, it's not just Labour governments that believe in telling industry how best to co-ordinate it's business. Then in 1977, this new concern, BAC, was morphed into what is now British Aerospace: Bae. And Bae? They make the Typhoon.