Arnolt-Bristol
Coupe

Chassis 404X3060

• Based on the sole remaining bare Arnolt-Bristol chassis, acquired directly from the Arnolt family

• Hand-built coachwork constructed on a bespoke wooden buck

• Subtly revised styling inspired by the original Bertone coupe design

• Powered by a 2-liter Bristol inline-six

Before becoming the Midwestern distributor for MG, Riley, and Morris in the early 1950s, Chicago-born Stanley "Wacky" Arnolt had already proven himself a successful entrepreneur with a penchant for showmanship. The local press coined his famous nickname after a promotional stunt for Sea-Mite Engines, in which Stanley piloted a 13-foot Sea-Mite-equipped boat across a choppy, foggy Lake Michigan from St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago. Wacky Arnolt's creativity didn't diminish as a car dealer, either. His fondness for the MG marque led him to create a more luxurious version of the plucky British sports car for American tastes, partnering with Carrozzeria Bertone in Italy to build a series of coupe and cabriolet bodies on the MG TD chassis. Styled by the prolific Giovanni Michelotti, the Arnolt-MG was a handsome little GT reminiscent of a scaled-down Ferrari 166 or 212.

Despite its high cost, Arnolt sold 65 Arnolt-MG coupes and 35 dropheads, then turned his attention to more powerful cars. He commissioned a few distinctive Aston Martin DB2s with Bertone, but Newport Pagnell disapproved, so he turned to Bristol and its new 404 grand tourer chassis, powered by the superb, BMW-derived 2-liter inline-six. Arnolt arranged to ship chassis directly from Bristol to Bertone in Italy to be clothed in a svelte, swoopy two-seat roadster body. Bertone was given free rein on the design, and Michelotti created a purposeful form with sharply creased lines, dramatic arches, inset headlamps, and steel panels that looked pulled taut over a tubular frame, the curvy fenders and purposeful hood scoop cleverly disguising the height of the Bristol six.

Three roadster variants were offered: the lightweight Competition, the dual-purpose road/race Bolide, and the road-ready Deluxe with quarter bumpers, side curtains, and a skimpy soft top. A striking fastback coupe was also offered, but only a handful of customers paid the extra $2,000 on top of the $3,995 base price for one. Total production of the Arnolt-Bristol topped out at 142 cars, including roughly six coupes and twelve roadsters lost in a warehouse fire.

Of those 142 original chassis, one, number 404/3060, never received a body in period. S.H. Arnolt, Inc. retained it as a display for auto shows and showroom customers. After Stanley's death and the company's closure in the early 1960s, the chassis stayed with the family, unbodied and never registered. Decades later, a noted Arnolt-Bristol collector connected with Stanley's son Michael Arnolt and eventually arranged to purchase 404/3060, intending to create a unique, one-off coupe. The new owner of 3060 also owned several roadsters and had previously counted one of the surviving original Arnolt-Bristol Bertone coupes in his collection.

With the never-registered, never-bodied chassis in hand, work began on the coachwork. The new owner made a few subtle but effective styling tweaks to the original Michelotti/Bertone design: roadster-style headlamps in place of the original pop-ups, and more aggressive arches with deep cutouts behind the front wheels. Bertone's signature fastback profile and sinuous curves were retained for the full effect.

The body was built in traditional fashion on a wooden buck, CNC-milled specifically for this project by ADC Enterprises of Ferris, Texas. Additional metalwork and finishing were handled by Red Car Restorations and Foster Vintage, both of Texas. The result is a striking machine, compact and purposeful in dark red with polished accents on the wheel lips and hood scoop. Details include period-correct Borrani bi-metal knock-off disc wheels and Deluxe-style quarter bumpers.

The cozy two-place cockpit features bucket seats trimmed in biscuit leather, matched on the door cards and panels. Oatmeal square-weave carpets add warmth and period-correct feel to the cabin. The driver faces a body-color dash with a Bluemels three-spoke wheel and Smiths-style instruments bearing the Arnolt logo, arranged in a tight binnacle set into an engine-turned alloy panel. There's storage behind the seats, and the boot has room for another soft bag or two on a rally, nicely detailed with carpet and housing a spare Borrani wheel.

Under the bonnet sits the legendary Bristol six, properly presented in sporting spec with a trio of downdraft carburetors. Befitting the quality of the build, the engine compartment is beautifully detailed with race-inspired touches, including dual ignition coils, a spare plug holder, and porcelain enamel manifolds. Authentic decals, fittings, and hardware maintain the period-correct aesthetic.

Conceived by a passionate enthusiast and executed without regard to cost, this striking Arnolt-Bristol coupe is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind sports car — built for carving backroads on events like the Colorado Grand or Copperstate 1000, and worthy of celebrating its unique design in New Coachwork concours classes.