What a classic Bristol sells for at auction
The median, the usual range and the way prices have moved, from 186 recorded Bristol sales at public auction since 2000: which models make the most, which come up most often, and what each of them sells for.
Part of: Bristol, the full marque guide186 Bristols have sold at public auction since 2000, at a median of £24,446; the middle half of them made between £11,326 and £36,626. The sale rooms see about 18 a year and 70% of the cars offered find a buyer. The 401 is the one that comes up most often, with 26 sales on record at a median of £22,140. The highest result is £200,100, paid for a 406 in September 2021.
In 2025 the median classic Bristol sold for £20,700 across 17 sales, 7% up on 2024. In real terms, typical classic Bristol prices were down about 52% over the five years to 2025, once inflation is accounted for.
Show the year-by-year medians Hide the year-by-year medians
| Year | Sold | Median | In 2025 money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | 6 | £16,776 | |
| 2025 | 17 | £20,700 | £20,700 |
| 2024 | 17 | £19,296 | £20,036 |
| 2023 | 23 | £5,880 | £6,310 |
| 2022 | 13 | £32,953 | £37,739 |
| 2021 | 20 | £38,176 | £47,206 |
| 2020 | 7 | £33,855 | £42,902 |
| 2019 | 10 | £32,094 | £41,086 |
| 2018 | 12 | £34,920 | £45,462 |
| 2017 | 5 | £32,032 | £42,668 |
| 2016 | 16 | £31,690 | £43,299 |
| 2015 | 5 | £32,480 | £44,822 |
| 2014 | 6 | £22,188 | £30,742 |
| 2012 | 5 | £24,742 | £35,567 |
| 2011 | 7 | £4,480 | £6,605 |
| 2007 | 3 | £25,312 | £41,933 |
| 2006 | 5 | £7,130 | £12,088 |
Which Bristol models make the most
Not every Bristol is priced alike. The 400 sits at the top of the marque, with a median of £40,125 across 22 sales and most of them between £24,250 and £50,440. The 405 sits at the bottom at a median of £5,880, so the dearest Bristol model typically makes about 7 times what the cheapest does.
- 400£40,125 median, usually £24,250 to £50,440
- Blenheim£33,855 median, usually £26,450 to £35,680
- 403£33,070 median, usually £17,981 to £47,206
- 411£33,000 median, usually £26,621 to £39,600
- Brigand£32,000 median, usually £9,000 to £33,960
- 401£22,140 median, usually £10,517 to £31,488
- 408£19,296 median, usually £18,562 to £29,216
- 406£17,762 median, usually £8,344 to £31,688
- 409£12,150 median, usually £11,840 to £12,486
- 412£11,934 median, usually £10,436 to £13,250
- 405£5,880 median, usually £2,526 to £19,060
The busiest Bristol models in the sale rooms
| Model | Sales | Usual range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | 26 | £10,517 to £31,488 | £22,140 |
| 405 | 23 | £2,526 to £19,060 | £5,880 |
| 400 | 22 | £24,250 to £50,440 | £40,125 |
| 411 | 21 | £26,621 to £39,600 | £33,000 |
| 406 | 20 | £8,344 to £31,688 | £17,762 |
| 403 | 18 | £17,981 to £47,206 | £33,070 |
| 409 | 6 | £11,840 to £12,486 | £12,150 |
| 412 | 6 | £10,436 to £13,250 | £11,934 |
| 408 | 5 | £18,562 to £29,216 | £19,296 |
| Blenheim | 5 | £26,450 to £35,680 | £33,855 |
| Brigand | 5 | £9,000 to £33,960 | £32,000 |
Plus 29 rarer variants with too few sales for a row of their own.
The latest Bristol sales
- £4,250 401
- £18,431 405
- £15,120 408
- £31,050 410
- £870 Beaufighter
Frequently asked questions
How much does a classic Bristol sell for?
Which Bristol is worth the most at auction?
What is the cheapest way into a classic Bristol?
Are classic Bristol prices rising?
What is the most expensive classic Bristol ever sold at auction?
How often does a classic Bristol come up for sale?
Before you buy or sell
- Buying a classic at auction
Why the hammer price is never the price, what Category S and N actually mean, why a clean-looking V5C proves less than buyers assume, and how to think about bidding on a car nobody has let you inspect.
- Selling a classic privately
A private seller is not a shop, and the law knows it. Which consumer protections fall away, which three rules still bind you, why selling an unroadworthy car is an offence whoever you are, the DVLA steps that end your liability, and the payment habits that keep the money.
- Agreed value insurance
The trade valuation guides insurers use do not value cars over about twenty years old, which is why a classic on a market-value policy is a claim waiting to be argued. What the Financial Ombudsman expects, what the regulator found when it looked, what agreed value actually promises, and the evidence that sets it.
- What a restoration really costs
Why restoration bills reach numbers that horrify outsiders, where the money actually goes, and the practical protections that matter when handing a valuable car to a workshop for a year. Staged payments, written scope, and what happens if the business fails.
- Inspecting a classic before buying
The two free government checks and what they reveal, why the log book proves less than every buyer assumes, the serial numbers DVLA tells you to look for, what a paid history check adds, and where your rights differ between a dealer and a private seller.
- What a classic costs to run
The fixed costs are knowable to the pound, from the zero-rated tax to the capped MOT fee to the price of petrol this week. The variable costs are where the money goes, and no official source publishes them. What can be stated, what cannot, and how to budget for a car that was built to be fixed.
Reasonable evidence. 186 recorded sales: enough for the range to mean something, though a few unusual cars can still move a single year's median. Sold prices from public classic car auction results (2000 to 10 August 2026), not asking prices and not a valuation: a concours car and a project both sit inside these ranges, and condition, history and specification move any one car well outside them. Inflation-adjusted figures use the ONS CPIH index, in 2025 money. How to read these figures.