1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Prototype for sale on BaT Auctions – ending April 21 (Lot #188,031)

This 1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide is the first of 142 examples built and was sent to Bertone in Turin, Italy, in late 1953 for the construction of its Franco Scaglione-styled bodywork before returning to England for completion. Chassis 3000 arrived in New York in February 1954 and was delivered the following month to Ohio-based Columbus Sports Cars, whose proprietor subsequently raced the car at several Midwest tracks. Later in the decade, it was purchased in Cincinnati by an Indiana owner who made several modifications while campaigning it in various races including relocation of the headlights, a color change, and the replacement of its Bristol engine with a Chevrolet V8. After receiving another color change under subsequent ownership in the mid-1960s, the car passed through several owners and fell to disuse. It was purchased out of a Joliet, Illinois, shed in a disassembled state in 1992 by an owner who embarked on a multiyear refurbishment that was completed in 2013. Work during the project included a repaint in the original shade of red after repairs to the body, a re-trim of the interior in tan leather, and the overhaul and installation of a replacement 1,971cc Bristol OHV inline-six. The car then changed hands in the mid-2010s and spent seven years with its previous owner before being purchased by the selling dealer in February 2025. Additional features include triple Solex carburetors, a replacement four-speed manual transmission with a remote shift assembly, hydraulic drum brakes, Koni shock absorbers, silver-painted 16” wheels, and a beige convertible top. This Arnolt-Bristol Bolide is now offered in Costa Mesa, California, with hand-written notes and other documentation from the refurbishment and a clean Nevada title.

Chicago industrialist Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt became a distributor of British cars in the Midwest region in the early 1950s and soon after established a partnership with Italy’s Carrozzeria Bertone to offer coachbuilt versions of the MG TD in the US. Arnolt’s Bertone-bodied Bristol offering followed in 1953, with the UK firm building rolling 404 chassis and sending them to Italy to be fitted with Franco Scaglione-styled steel bodywork. Most examples were configured as roadsters appointed in one of three different trim levels, with the Bolide positioned above a stripped-down competition version. Design elements include steep-crested fenders in balance with a raised central hoop scoop as well as narrow-set headlights flanking a mesh grille, a cut-down windshield, and curved fender vents.

This example’s body was stripped to bare metal, acid-dipped, and placed on a rotisserie for metal work by Restorations Unlimited in Cary, Illinois. Bodywork included replacement of the inner rocker panels, inner fenders, left lower front fender, door skins, and door bottoms in addition to repairs to several other areas. Further work by the Appenzeller Brothers of Milford, Indiana, included sheet-metal surfacing, the fabrication of Alumiclad floors, a repaint in four coats of PPG red with two coats of clear coat, and the installation of a replacement beige convertible top. A reproduction trunk latch was also fabricated.

Silver-painted wheels wear bright hubcaps with reproduction Arnolt-Bristol emblems that were custom ordered from England during the refurbishment. Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires measuring 5.50R16 are mounted at each corner, while a trunk-mounted spare is wrapped in non-matching rubber. Stopping is handled by four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes that were refreshed during the refurbishment with work including rebuilds of the wheel cylinders, re-lining of the shoes, replacement of the master cylinder and cast-iron rear drums, and the installation of finned aluminum front drums.

The cockpit was re-trimmed during the refurbishment in beige leather over rebuilt seat frames with color-matched upholstery over the center tunnel and door panels. Features include red latch-and-link lap belts, leather-wrapped door pull straps, engine-turned sill plates, and a dashboard-mounted rearview mirror.

The reproduction three-spoke steering wheel features polished stainless-steel spokes and sits ahead of Smiths instrumentation including a 140-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer with an inset clock, and gauges monitoring coolant temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, amperage, and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 20k miles, approximately five of which have been added under current ownership.

The 1,971cc Bristol BS1 Mark II inline-six is an evolution of Bristol’s version of the pre-war BMW M328 engine and features an aluminum cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers and two rows of inclined valves operated via pushrods driven by a single in-block camshaft. This example’s engine is a replacement that was overhauled during the refurbishment with replacement pistons, rings, cylinder sleeves, and bearings as well as a mild-racing-grind camshaft and a custom-fabricated copper head gasket. The triple Solex carburetors were also rebuilt during the project.

The four-speed manual transmission is said to have been sourced from one of 12 Arnolt-Bristol cars destroyed in a 1963 Chicago warehouse fire and was fitted with a remote gearshift assembly before being installed during the refurbishment. The differential assembly was fitted with a replacement front pinion bearing, and the inside of the housing was coated with Glyptol. Independent front suspension incorporates a transverse leaf spring, upper suspension units that anchor inclined telescopic shock absorbers, and an anti-roll bar. The solid-axle rear utilizes torsion bars, suspension arm units, and telescopic shocks. Koni shock absorbers were fitted during the refurbishment.

Images of the car before and during the project are viewable in the photo gallery below, as are hand-written notes, parts lists, research documents, invoices, and correspondence from the 1992-2013 refurbishment. Transcripts from a book written by the owner who oversaw the project are also included. An expense log from the project shows a total cost of over $228k.