The 1950s was one of the most prolific periods of automobile design. Aircraft technology developed during the war, aerodynamics, and new engine technology were influencing automobile designs all over the world. In addition to the growing technology, communication between countries also expanded as new ventures and fledgling start-up companies combined American performance pioneers with Italian coachbuilders and British manufacturers. A decade before Shelby American built their first Cobra, Franco Scaglione, Bertone, Bristol, and an unlikely American industrialist built one of the most beautiful roadsters ever conceived.
One of the earliest Anglo-American mergers of international motoring, Arnolt-Bristol was the brainchild of Stanley “Wacky” Arnolt, an innovative American enthusiast, industrialist and businessman who leveraged his US-based MG distributorship with Italian coachbuilder Bertone to build 200 special bodies for the MG TD chassis, creating the MG Arnolt. With sales slowing on the MG concept and plans for an Arnolt-Aston thwarted by Aston Martin, the team shifted their interests with Bertone to develop a shortened 404 Bristol chassis, powered by a 2.0 liter Bristol inline-6. A key element to the success of this new venture was the gorgeous hand-formed roadster body penned by aerodynamicist/designer Franco Scaglione, who also penned the Bertone B.A.T. cars among numerous important cars from this prolific period. Scaglione, a native of Italy and well-versed in fashion design brought his use of fabric and drapery to the fluid forms and sensual undulations of his organic forms. Highly influenced by aquatic themes and skilled in aerodynamics, Scaglione excelled as a master of sculptural drama with body designs that seemed to always be in motion.
The beautifully designed Arnolt Bristol was available in competition “Bolide” and road-going Deluxe versions. With FIAA homologation, Arnolt-Bristols raced extensively including the formidable Sebring 12 Hour Race finishing first, second, and fourth in the Sports 2000 class. Though just 140 examples were built, these cars were highly influential in design and engineering becoming one of the most memorable sports cars of this era.
One of the most impressive aspects of this design is the way Scaglione accommodated the tall profile Bristol engine. Much like the Aston six-cylinder engine in the first Scaglione iteration, the 2-liter Bristol engine sits tall while the carburetors and air cleaners make the side view even more pronounced. With so most of the visual mass above the wheel center, the engine could very easily have dictated an awkwardly tall package – not something favorable in a sports car designed for high speeds and agile cornering. But Scaglione embraced this challenge and treated it as an asset. By cleverly pulling the center of the cowl up, Scaglione created a V shaped taper draping off from the top of the cowl, Scaglione centered the high point of the cowl, but dramatically dropped the body line into the inside front fender valleys.
Once clear of the engine height, the body dips down and rises up to form the crease lines of the front fenders. The scalloping of the inboard fender sections is so pronounced that Scaglione was able to pull the outboard fender line up to match the top of the hood scoop, a feature that also reduces the frontal cross section. The hood scoop was added to create a flat area to house the air cleaners but also disguises the crowned centerline as it enters the cowl. This feature is so clever, so beautifully articulated, and so smartly tailored, but it is all the more impressive when viewed in person, the proportions are so well done that the entire design feels natural from every view.
The dramatic front view clearly shows how much the V theme carried forward from the cowl to the grille line, which is very evident in the floating hood cut line. For the grille, Scaglione chose to pull the opening inboard with no fussy trim or accessories, concealing the headlights inside the grille and offering a very simple central screen mesh grille shape to balance the hood scoop. The slim A-posts for the curved windscreen are canted inward, following the curved front fender shape as it forms the crease line. Just as the rest of the car, there are no unnecessary cuts, seams, inlets, or trim to detract from the pure forms. Much like Scaglione’s fashion designs of the times, he draped the chassis with an elegant sense of movement unlike any other shape before.
As if the front of the car was not dramatic enough, the profile of the undulating fender line is a stunning statement of elegant classic transformation into a wholly modern car. The tall front fender pulls from the top of the wheel center back in a gradual door dip and up again to create the gently bobbed tail. Though classic as a fender idea, the forms are blended into the body with seamless elegance. Even the subtle side vent is unadorned by trim, rather it simply recesses into the body much like gills on a fish. The rear fenders are further accentuated by the lowered wheel opening adding more visual mass to the rear haunches and an elongated elliptical rear wheel opening that pulls the eye back, making the rear of the car appear longer and more visually streamlined. The resultant visual impression is that this small car appears far more elongated and powerful than the short wheelbase measurements might suggest.
Cleverly designed and uniquely informed by a rare confluence of international partners, the Arnolt-Bristol continues to be recognized as one of the most dramatically designed and engineered sports cars from the golden age of sports car development. Regarded as one of Franco Scaglione’s finest roadster designs, the rarity, stunning body lines, and competition history make it a memorable and uniquely sculpted example of excellence in automotive design.
