June 12, 2024

A Jaguar Arrives

Earlier today, we welcomed our 2010 Jaguar XKR Supercharged into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Now that it is here, it will be thoroughly inspected

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MG B Roadster Inspection and Repairs

Steve is very impressed with the floor and chassis on our 1971 MG B Roadster.

“This is a very nice, clean and well protected floor and chassis.”

The brakes have been cleaned and checked and are in very good condition. Good news!

And a slight smart repair has been carried out on the body.

1954 Daimler Conquest Recommissioning and Repairs

Jon is working through some of the tasks required on the recommissioning of our 1954 Daimler Conquest. First things first, he has completed the assessment on the ramp and took the car out on a road test drive. We have compiled a list of parts required so now we begin to work on the tasks at hand.

The brakes have now been stripped; the front require cylinders, the rear is mechanical. We have stripped and cleaned the rear and removed the brake linkages from the rear axle.

We have drilled out the rear brake linkage and fitted 10mm bolts in place of worn pin.

The hose and sleeve brake actuating rod has been cut so not to hit the gasses. We have disconnected the poorly routed brake light wire from the switch and pulled through to the boot.

We have now started to re route the wire and securing as we go.

Finish securing brake light wire to battery cable inside offside chassis rail and secure other end from fuse box to switch.

Clinton has made up an exhaust pipe so Jon has fitted this up. The joints have been secured and the mounts have been tightened. We have replaced the fuel hose at nearside inner wing and fitted new inline filter.

A new fuel cap lock and key has been fitted and modified to get cap to secure shut. Fit foam buffers on underside. Sand down moulded large o’ring and used as a seal for fuel cap.

We have mounted a new cooling fan into grill, drilled and made up brackets to secure.

The terminals have been changed to spades, connected and tested. All ok.

Hybrid Toyota Corolla – New Police Cars

You might soon see new police cars on the road, in the form of Hybrid Toyota Corollas. Tailer-made for UK police, the Corolla is said to be reliable and durable as well as offering the fuel and emissions efficiency of hybrid power.

To celebrate the Corolla’s new role, Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) recently hosted the equivalent of a passing-out parade for the car at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, the production centre for all European Corolla models. More than 20 constabularies attended the “blue light” event to learn more about the qualities that make Corolla a strong addition to police fleets.


TMUK has worked closely with a number of police forces during the past two years to ensure the vehicle meets all the principal requirements for consideration when service fleets are being replaced or upgraded.

A dedicated team at Burnaston’s Special Vehicle Operations Division carries out the conversion work, ensuring the finished vehicles meet Toyota’s high-quality standards. Using TMUK’s state-of-the-art production facilities and with the benefit of the technicians’ expertise, the project has achieved significant economies of scale that help drive down costs. Production capacity is expected to expand to 15 vehicle conversions per week.

Key features of the police-specification vehicle include: –

  • Enhanced safety: built-in satellite navigation, parking sensors and a dog guard for the load compartment.
  • Roof-mounted lightbar, exterior and interior illumination
  • Secondary battery equipment and control systems built to withstand impact forces
  • Additional features include a siren, radio system support and livery options

To ensure the finished vehicle is fit for the job, the Police Authority Specification Corolla was subjected to extensive testing, including the Metropolitan Police’s own rigorous test programme, which it passed with flying colours. The vehicle is now available to police forces across the UK. Two versions of the Touring Sports hybrid model are offered: the 1.8-litre Active and the 2.0-litre Icon.

Richard Kenworthy, TMUK Managing Director, said: “We have worked with all divisions of Toyota in the UK and various constabularies, which has enabled us to build on their feedback and requirements. Ensuring that we applied standard Toyota practices for the work means we have been able to deliver a vehicle that meets the police forces’ stringent requirements. The adoption of Corolla by the police is testament to the efforts our employees invest in every vehicle that comes off our production line. We are proud that our Corolla is now one of the vehicles of choice for the police.”


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