Topic: Solved - NEH 1133: Bristol 400 Estate by Westland (?) - 1950

[Carnut]

What is this, who built it, when was it built and does it have any special significance?
All this for 1 point...

[Carnut]

Experts?

[barrett]

Bristol 400 Estate car by (probably) Westland. It was significant because -

It was reportedly built to evade purchase tax levied on private cars and not applied to commercial vehicles. After a trip to the appropriate government department it was deemed to have passed the test, thereafter being described in its original documentation, first as a ‘400 Estate’, then later as a ‘400 Utility’, never as a ‘Shooting Brake’ or ‘Brake’. Most of the above mentioned descriptions would not be acceptable today as there are no rear doors, but in the late forties the term ‘Estate Car’ was accepted as the definition of a vehicle used to convey personnel about country property. In order to achieve that it did not need to have doors at the rear and so qualified for the classification. It was indeed destined for that use and so effectively sidestepped the additional tax. A ministry door was therefore confirmed open enough to allow others to produce similar tax exempted classes of private vehicles, which they duly did

[Carnut]

All of which is correct - but you haven't given me the date yet.
And whilst that is the true story and is fascinating, it alone is not what gives this car its special place in history!
So I'll lock it for you to dig a little deeper and see if you can find what it is I'm looking for.

[barrett]

It's from 1948.

I'm not sure what else makes it significant - It's chassis 151 which makes it the 50th Bristol built, and it was the first Bristol with a full compliment of wind-up windows! Other than that I'm not sure.

Also, it was built for a MR. F.J. Hyde though probably not actually by him

[Carnut]

Yes, I had it as "The Hyde Special" but dating from 1950..
You've got the car so I'm going to give you the point anyway in due course, but before I move it to Solved I'll give you one last chance to come up with something else that makes it a bit special, as you haven't quite hit the nail on the head yet..
Let me know how you get on!

[barrett]

It was the first four door Bristol.....?

[Carnut]

It was the first four door Bristol.....?

Bingo!
Worth at least a point!

[Allan L]

So far as the Purchase Tax avoidance was concerned, and based on my understanding from the various bodies on Lea-Francis on the one hand and my memory of what friends did on the other a van was a commercial vehicle and not subject to PT. However an Estate Car/Shooting Brake/Utility was not a van, the significant differences  being that the van has no side windows or doors aft of the driver's door.
After a certain time from new, one could cut windows in the side without paying PT - and I think if you did so earlier there was a sliding scale of PT liability. I remember people with Ford 100E vans cutting windows in them, but in the case of Lea-Francis the wooden bodied vans simply had to have panes of glass fitted where plywood panels had been.

This Bristol, as illustrated, is not a van so would have had to pay Purchase Tax

[Carnut]

Or, as was more likely, the owners simply but glass in place of the steel panels after not paying the Purchase Tax and hoped no-one would notice...!