During the disassembly of the suspension components of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 that is in at Bridge Classic Cars for restoration, our restoration technician
Kath, one of our amazing in-house trim experts, has been working on the seats for the 1956 Jensen 541 that is currently in with Bridge
The gauges and dials in the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 are some of the most beautiful out there. Simple black Smiths units with white lettering
Hidden in the back roads of Norfolk lies one of the greatest automotive manufacturers and most successful racing teams of all time. Lotus Cars. Recently,
It’s the special details on the Bridge Classic Cars restoration projects that make them bespoke to each of the owners. Take for example this storage
Bridge Classic Cars take pride in that our in-house restoration technicians will go the extra mile to make sure that all of our restoration work
During the disassembly of the suspension components of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 that is in at Bridge Classic Cars for restoration, our restoration technician Mauro found some hairline cracks in a few of the pieces.
The pieces that Mauro found were the rear suspension brackets. Along with our workshop controller, John, the parts were recorded and a plan being worked out how to move forward with these particular parts before sandblasting.
Kath, one of our amazing in-house trim experts, has been working on the seats for the 1956 Jensen 541 that is currently in with Bridge Classic Cars for a full restoration.
Last we saw Kath working her skill on the front of the seats, creating new padding and covers for the fibreglass buckets. Now, Kath is applying the same level of attention and detail to the back of the seats. Methodically, Kath has used traditional techniques to carefully remake the seatbacks in matching red leather.
The base of the seat has also been lined in preparation for the base padding which is currently being worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team.
The gauges and dials in the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 are some of the most beautiful out there. Simple black Smiths units with white lettering and easy to see layout. This style of dial is so synonymous with classic sportscar that anything else would look amiss in such an elegant and deserving car.
The rest of the car is currently undergoing a full restoration at Bridge Classic Cars but these units are being sent away to a specialist to be rebuilt and entirely refurbished to match the high level of fit and finish our in-house restoration teams will be doing to the car.
Once the dials are back from their refurbishment, they will be carefully stored until our in-house trim team is ready to fit them into the stunning dash and get them securely placed in the car.
Hidden in the back roads of Norfolk lies one of the greatest automotive manufacturers and most successful racing teams of all time. Lotus Cars.
Recently, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions joined forces with both Norwich City Football Club and Lotus Cars to help raise money and awareness for the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation. Thanks to a massive group of very generous people, the total raised for the Foundation was £100,000! and each of the entrants wanted a very special car.
Lotus had given Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and Norwich City the first VIN of the 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition. The first car from the last production run of the iconic, enthusiast led sportscar as it comes to an end after 26 years. Alex got hold of the car by being issued ticket number 4970 after buying an entry that went straight to benefiting young people in Norfolk that have different abilities or backgrounds to get into sport.
On Tuesday, November 15th, the teams from Norwich City, The Community Sports Foundation and Bridge Classic Cars convened in the recently finished and redesigned Customer Experience Centre at Lotus Cars for Alex to meet his new sportscar for the first time.
However, Lotus had a very special day planned for Alex and his son Louis.
Lotus put together a full experience day for our very lucky competition winner. A guided tour around not only the factory and experience centre at Hethel but a tour of the collection at the fabled Classic Team Lotus stable located just down the road.
Gratefully, Lotus also included us here at Bridge along with representatives from Norwich City Football Club and the Community Sports Foundation to come along on the whole day. First up, the original Lotus building.
Lotus had begun work on the first building shortly after their move to Hethel in the mid-1960s. This now housed the engine preparation rooms, subframe assembly area and the body shop. Lotus takes great pride in their cars being for true enthusiasts, they create harmonious packages that work with the dynamics and personality of each of the cars that form their sportscar lineup.
Lotus were proud to show the winner Alex around the facility to demonstrate the level of engineering and care that goes into each individual car, including his very own 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition.
The tour took Alex and Louis through the entire build process much like their Elise would have gone through earlier this year. Showing Alex every step of the process from the crate engines arriving all the way to the finished cars taking their all important laps on the track for sign off. Then it was over to the fabled Classic Team Lotus. Where a collection of some of the most important Lotus racing cars is stored and lovingly cared for by some of their original mechanics.
After that, Lotus and Norwich City had organised a very special afternoon for Alex. A lunch with Delia Smith. A key owner of Norwich City Football Club, of which Alex is lifelong fan. Then, it was downstairs to begin the handover process. Norwich had also brought in the chairman of Norwich City Community Sports Foundation Jake Humphrey to present Alex and Louis with a signed shirt and to say his appreciation for being involved in this amazing charity.
Then, to give Alex his certificate of authenticity to prove the provenance of the 2021 Final Edition Elise he had one was Lotus Cars MD, Matt Windle. Followed by Delia Smith handing over the keys to Alex’s new Hethel yellow sportscar. During all of this, two surprise guests appeared in the atrium. Formula One legend Jenson Button followed by mechanic and engineer extraordinaire Ant Anstead. They stopped to chat with Alex about the car and congratulate him on his win.
The day wasn’t over yet. To coach Alex on how to get the most out of his new Lotus was former Lotus Formula One Driver and long time Lotus driving coach Martin Donnelly, who took Alex out onto the Hethel test track in an identical Elise to put him through his paces.
We wish Alex all the best in the future with his very special Elise and a huge thank you to everyone who entered and helped raise a staggering amount of donations and awareness of the great work of the Community Sports Foundation.
It’s the special details on the Bridge Classic Cars restoration projects that make them bespoke to each of the owners. Take for example this storage cubby made by our incredible in-house trim team for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster. It was completely built and upholstered by our in-house expert Brian to match the rest of the car.
Starting from scratch, Brian created the wooden shell for the storage box that is designed to specifically fit around the car without getting in the way of its owner while out enjoying their amazing Fern Grey roadster. Then after Brian had test fit the piece into the interior, he had the job of trimming this bespoke piece to match the rest of the interior.
Every single piece on the storage box is covered in the deep green leather that flows throughout this iconic sportscar.
It looks absolutely incredible and is a perfect piece to add a little bit extra to the driving experience.
Bridge Classic Cars take pride in that our in-house restoration technicians will go the extra mile to make sure that all of our restoration work is done to a world-class standard. Take, for example, these suspension components on the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 that is in at Bridge Classic Cars for complete restoration.
Our restoration technician Mauro has been carefully taking apart each of the suspension components down to their bare bones before these parts are sent off to be sandblasted. All though these could be simply cleaned up and repainted, this DB2/4 Mark 1 is having the full treatment that Bridge Classic Cars is known for. Piece by piece, Mauro took apart every component to be inspected for any damage or defect and then catalogued.
Every bearing or bushing was pressed out of the housings before it goes off to be stripped all the way back to bare metal.
Expect to see more on the DB2/4 Mark 1 very soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars blog.
Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.
