New Arrival – 1953 Ford Transit Van
September 2, 2020
An exciting delivery arrived at Bridge Classic Cars this afternoon. The team got to meet one of the first ever Ford Transit Vans, introduced originally
September 2020
Bristol Cars Secret Stash
September 2, 2020
A predicted £1m worth of classic cars has been discovered in an old garage belonging to Bristol Cars Ltd, according to an article by The
The Riley’s Getting Flashy
September 2, 2020
Classic Car Technician Tom has been rewiring the indicator relay on the 1936 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs. “I had to remove the old indicator box
The Engine’s Out!
September 2, 2020
The 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has had her engine removed this morning by our expert technicians Ady, Mauro and Tom. “The engine is the heaviest
BMW M3 Before And After Paint Job
September 2, 2020
The Bridge paint team Darren and Chris were excited to get their hands on the beautiful 1989 BMW M3 E30 last week to give her
The E-Type’s Getting In Gear
September 1, 2020
The very special 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 race car has had Kath’s magic touch today receiving a bespoke leather gear shift gaiter. “There was
Triumph TR6 Trim Transformation
September 1, 2020
Our trim shop team were in for a real treat last week when we received a request for a full interior transformation on a 1973
Bonnet And Bodywork On The Jensen’s
September 1, 2020
The 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s were treated to custom made bonnet supports last week. Along with this, they had their recently restored wings and
The Jensen 541R Can Breathe Again
September 1, 2020
Work continues on the full nut and bolt restoration of the 1960’s Jensen 541R. Replacement air filters were fitted by expert technician Paul last week.
Unusual Cars UK – September 2020
September 1, 2020
Thank you to Unusual Cars UK for sharing our 1962 Jensen 541S to their 144,000 followers.
Temperatures Are Soaring For The Scimitar
September 1, 2020
Dave, one of our expert technicians, discovered a faulty temperature gauge on the 1966 Reliant Scimitar last week. “The sender unit needed replacing” he describes,
The Jensen 541R Has Clutch Trouble
September 1, 2020
The clutch on the 1960 Jensen 541R hasn’t been working properly. So, our expert technician Dave has built his very own easy-bleed component to get
The Jensen’s Get New Grilles
September 1, 2020
Both the 1957 Jensen 541R and the 1961 Jensen 541S have been treated to fully repaired bonnet grilles this week, courtesy of our expert technician
New Arrival – 1953 Ford Transit Van
September 2, 2020
An exciting delivery arrived at Bridge Classic Cars this afternoon. The team got to meet one of the first ever Ford Transit Vans, introduced originally in 1953 as an FK 1000 but later as a Taunus Transit from 1961.
It’s one of only three others in the world, one of which is at the Ford Heritage Centre in Essex. This one is particularly special because of it’s window surrounds, the only one of it’s type. It may remind you of the VW Transporter, which it was designed to rival.
It’s owner has tried everything from new carburettors to new coils, but it still just doesn’t run. “We’re going to take a closer look and find out what’s going on” explains our workshop manager John. “I predict the fault may be electrical.”
We’re hopeful that the Bridge Classic Car’s magic touch will have this special van on some great British road trips again very soon!
Bristol Cars Secret Stash
September 2, 2020
A predicted £1m worth of classic cars has been discovered in an old garage belonging to Bristol Cars Ltd, according to an article by The Daily Mail Online.
Amongst the discovery was a 1982 Bristol Fighter, a 1964 Bristol 409 Bullet Speeder and a 2016 Bristol bullet, all prototypes that never made it to market. A spokesperson for Bristol Cars referred to the stock as ‘junk’ but classic car valuers think the lot could bring up to £1m in total. What a find!
Since 2018, Bristol Cars had been working on a new prototype they called the ‘Bullet’ having not focused on automotive builds since their last liquidation in 2011. But faced another liquidation this year following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bristol Cars, who at their peak produced 100 hand-built cars a year, were the last independent hand-build car manufacturer left in the UK.
Here at Bridge Classic Cars we had the privilege of working on this 1971 Bristol 411 earlier this year. We just hope we’ll get the chance to see more of these beautiful cars in the future, maybe even some from their secret stash.
The Riley’s Getting Flashy
September 2, 2020
Classic Car Technician Tom has been rewiring the indicator relay on the 1936 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs.
“I had to remove the old indicator box as the wiring was unsafe” says Tom. “I’ve redone the wiring and restored the flashing indicator relay to get it back to it’s original look.”
There’s been clear blue skies over the Pettistree workshop today, so Tom and some of the team have been working out in the sunshine. Bright indicator lights, bright sunshine and what is sure to be a bright future ahead for the Riley Merlin!
The Engine’s Out!
September 2, 2020
The 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has had her engine removed this morning by our expert technicians Ady, Mauro and Tom.
“The engine is the heaviest we’ve ever dealt with here” explained Ady, our engine specialist. “We’ve had to source a heavy duty crane especially to lift it out.”
The car came to us as a non-runner, the engine was completely blown. Ady diagnosed a water leak from the bottom hose, causing the engine to completely overheat. It’s sadly spent many years not being driven.
Ady and Mauro carefully remove the heaviest engine we’ve ever had at Bridge Classic Cars!
The spare Jaguar V12 engine is currently being worked on by our specialist engine partners. Now the old engines out, it’ll be stripped for parts and whatever that can be salvaged will be, ready to be used on the new engine.
One way or another, our talented team will get this baby back on the road. We can’t wait to hear that engine roar!
BMW M3 Before And After Paint Job
September 2, 2020
The Bridge paint team Darren and Chris were excited to get their hands on the beautiful 1989 BMW M3 E30 last week to give her a full body paint job.
“She was in for a tidy up” Darren described. “She had stress fractures at the front in the fiber glass, lots of dents and scratches and even golf ball dents in the roof”.
Finished in a stunning Diamond Schwartz, she’s had all her dents corrected and been fully primed, prepped and painted. Doesn’t she look awesome!
We can’t wait for our photography extraordinaire Freddie to capture her in all her glory. Keep your eyes peeled for the professional shots to follow…
The E-Type’s Getting In Gear
September 1, 2020
The very special 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 race car has had Kath’s magic touch today receiving a bespoke leather gear shift gaiter.
“There was no original gaiter there for me to go by” explained Kath “I had to design a completely new pattern”.
A bold orange leather has been used to compliment the cars exterior paint work, while grey cotton stitching has been used in contrast but also to be in keeping with the newly painted centre piece also in grey.
Looking superb so far!
Triumph TR6 Trim Transformation
September 1, 2020
Our trim shop team were in for a real treat last week when we received a request for a full interior transformation on a 1973 Triumph TR6.
“We’ve stripped it all off” explained Brian. “The seats had lost their spring too, so we’ve not only done new upholstery, they’ve also got new foam inside”.
“I’m also doing some bespoke stitching work” Kath explains. It’s a distinctive double diamond pattern and so far, it looks absolutely stunning. Be sure to keep an eye out for more pictures in our next update!
Bonnet And Bodywork On The Jensen’s
September 1, 2020
The 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s were treated to custom made bonnet supports last week. Along with this, they had their recently restored wings and sills re-fitted.
“Both cars have had their sills and wings completely restored, including a fresh paint job.” Our talented technician Paul explains. “I’ve fitted the restored parts back onto the car and built and fitted their new bonnet supports too, to keep the bonnet steady”.
Both Jensen’s are really starting to return to their former glory now, it’s great progress from the Bridge team.
The Jensen 541R Can Breathe Again
September 1, 2020
Work continues on the full nut and bolt restoration of the 1960’s Jensen 541R.
Replacement air filters were fitted by expert technician Paul last week. “The original inlet manifold and carburettor didn’t fit” he described. “I’ve replaced them, so she should now have more torque and perform better”.
Paul also replaced the top coolant hose and the bottom hose, both needed cutting to the correct size.
She should sound even sweeter now – good work Paul!
Unusual Cars UK – September 2020
September 1, 2020
Thank you to Unusual Cars UK for sharing our 1962 Jensen 541S to their 144,000 followers.
Temperatures Are Soaring For The Scimitar
September 1, 2020
Dave, one of our expert technicians, discovered a faulty temperature gauge on the 1966 Reliant Scimitar last week.
“The sender unit needed replacing” he describes, “and the wiring was a mess, there were lots of splits and poor joins”. So, along with a replacement sender unit, the wiring has also been redone and thus the temperature gauge is working once more.
The Jensen 541R Has Clutch Trouble
September 1, 2020
The clutch on the 1960 Jensen 541R hasn’t been working properly. So, our expert technician Dave has built his very own easy-bleed component to get it back up and running.
“You can buy these parts online.” Dave explains, “but I’ve made my own so I can do the work sooner and not wait for parts to arrive”. A great example of the proactive attitude our team have here at Bridge – awesome job Dave!
The Jensen’s Get New Grilles
September 1, 2020
Both the 1957 Jensen 541R and the 1961 Jensen 541S have been treated to fully repaired bonnet grilles this week, courtesy of our expert technician Dave.
“These aluminium hooks can be flimsy and snap off”, Dave explains, snapping one of them off with ease. “So, I’ve custom built stronger ones to replace them”. Dave then welded the new hooks onto each grille to keep them snug and secure in the centre of the bonnet.
One of many finishing touches that will contribute to the final look of the Jensen’s iconic bonnet.
