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The original Bristol, the 400, was fitted with a 550-16 crossply tyre. Bearing in mind the sporting nature of the car (capable of 94mph in an era when that was very much not the norm), it's advisable to check that the speed rating of any period style tyre you fit excedes this.
A radial tyre can be fitted to replace the original crossply, suitable sizes being 550R16 or 165R16.
For such a British manufacturer, Bristol's car manufacturing origins are very much tied to BMW's prewar designs. After the war, the Bristol Aeroplane Company took BMW's designs for various models and its straight-six engine as war reparations. Bristol also had a controlling share of Frazer Nash, which had been BMW's UK importer, and had a prewar license to build BMWs. Putting all this together, Bristol built a car company offshoot that began construction of the 400 in 1947. It was an amalgam of BMW's best prewar engineering and styling (hence the kidney-shaped grill), breathed on by Bristol's engineers. It was pretty successful for an expensive model in period, it set the tone for Bristol's future development, and its engine became a stalwart of British sporting cars for decades to come.
