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The resurrection of a famous Le Mans shape

Seemingly lost forever, the Bristol 450 coupe design is racing again thanks to one of historic racing's feel-good projects

Distinctive. That's probably the best word to describe the Bristol Type 450, a shape that had been lost to motorsport but has now been 'rediscovered'.

The series of Bristol endurance racers scored successes in the mid-1950s, but arguably the most famous of the line could only be seen in photographs until French Bristol Owners' Club member Olivier Bore commissioned Mitchell Motors to build a remarkable recreation in 2017.

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Author Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner is Autosport’s Chief Editor. While studying History at the University of York, Kevin began covering UK club events as a freelance reporter for Autosport and Motorsport News. He joined the Autosport staff as Editorial Assistant on the magazine in 2006, winning what is now known as the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award. He became National Editor in 2008 and over the next few seasons covered a range of international events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the British Touring Car Championship and British GT. Kevin became Features Editor before switching to edit Motorsport News in 2014.

He returned to Autosport in 2016 to become editor of the magazine, a dream job that is still part of his role.

He became Chief Editor in 2020, helping to plan content for autosport.com and Autosport’s podcast as well as seeing the magazine through the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin also led work on the special publication celebrating 70 years of Autosport and has been a judge on the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, formerly known as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, since 2008. He lives in Warboys with his wife and two children.