1954 Arnolt Bristol DeLuxe Roadster

There sat my never-forgotten love from Paris, among common British machinery like Morris Minors and MG Magnettes

The Arnolt Bristol was the obsession of engineer, industrialist, importer, and sports car enthusiast Stanley “Wacky” Arnolt. He made his fortune building marine engines during World War II, and, seeing a market for sports cars in America during the early 1950s, cut a deal with Bristol to use an updated version of its 400 chassis, designated the 404, to build a sports car. Bertone supplied the bodies, and the Arnolt Bristol went into production in 1954.

The racing version, called the “Bolide,” did not come with a top, carpeting or adjustable seats, and windshield wipers were optional. “DeLuxe” models had all of those features and a different dashboard design with the instruments in front of the driver. A coupe completed the model line-up, though just six were built before production ended in 1961. Only 142 Arnolt Bristols were constructed in total, 12 of which were destroyed in a Chicago warehouse fire. An estimated 75 cars survive to this day....