Our 1959 Jensen 541R, which was delivered to its new owner a few weeks ago, has been collected by the Bridge Classic Cars transport team
Our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe is ready to head off to our safe and secure storage facility, The Hangar, in preparation for its
Our 1975 Jensen Intercepter Mk3 has been making massive progress recently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. With the car being prepared to go into
The Bridge Classic Cars team have been making progress on our 1956 Jensen 541 which is being built up at our Suffolk HQ at the
The paintshop at Bridge Classic Cars are always busy! But recently, the booth was cleared for our painter Chris to get some parts for our
Our stunning 1957 Triumph TR3, which belongs to our friend Karl, has made its way out of hibernation at our secure storage facility recently and
We’ve welcomed back an old friend to our Suffolk HQ, this beautiful 1964 Jaguar Mk2 3.8. It’s come in for our workshop team to have
The workshop team have been continuing on getting our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe back on the road after its decades long slumber. The
We’ve welcomed this stunning, vibrant red classic Triumph TR6 into the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ for the team to take a look at.
This month marks 60 years of production at the Ellesmere Port plant for Vauxhall. The Ellesmere Port facility, built in 1962 and operational by June
We are very excited to invite you to our wine-tasting event in The Classic Lounge at Bridge Classic Cars. Our wine tasting event is completely
Mauro has been continuing his work on getting our 1960 MGA Roadster ready to get back into colour! He first off finished several pieces of
After being won last week through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, our 1977 Triumph TR7 was loaded into our enclosed trailer for its journey as far
Our 1959 Jensen 541R, which was delivered to its new owner a few weeks ago, has been collected by the Bridge Classic Cars transport team to make its way back to our Suffolk HQ for a routine check up.
As with all of our ground-up builds, we like to see the cars back after completion to double check everything is as it should be. The car will make its way back to our Pettistree workshop for the team to take a look at the car.
Our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe is ready to head off to our safe and secure storage facility, The Hangar, in preparation for its excited new owner to meet it for the first time in the metal.
Before then, our transport driver Tony spent the morning cleaning the classic E-Type to get it ready to be put into its protective carcoon. But, before it leaves the workshops we had to take one last look at this stunning automotive icon.
Our 1975 Jensen Intercepter Mk3 has been making massive progress recently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. With the car being prepared to go into the spray booth for the final time, our fabrication team have cut the body from the frame jig so it can be more easily moved around before it heads into the spray booth. But before that, Chris has some more sanding to do…
Chris applied a thin layer of Polyfan to the car before sanding which acts as a guide coat to ensure that every surface is flat and even. When it is, the whole car should be a matte white finish and then it is ready to go into the spray both for its final coat of primer.
The Bridge Classic Cars team have been making progress on our 1956 Jensen 541 which is being built up at our Suffolk HQ at the moment.
First off, our painter Chris painted the door hinges on the car as soon, the doors will be test fit onto the car and the team begin to align the pieces onto the car to get the best fit possible. Meanwhile in the mechanical workshop – Paul has been working on getting the various systems in places and working properly with eachother.
This includes fitting up the fuel line to the carburetors and running the new throttle cable from the carburetors to fabricate the throttle cable mount and removing the dash in order to measure for the new speedo cable.
The paintshop at Bridge Classic Cars are always busy! But recently, the booth was cleared for our painter Chris to get some parts for our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe project painted.
These are running gear/suspension/chassis parts so Chris has sprayed them in a glossy, thick and hard wearing black.
Our stunning 1957 Triumph TR3, which belongs to our friend Karl, has made its way out of hibernation at our secure storage facility recently and back to our Pettistree workshop for the team to take check it over and get it running properly before it heads back out on the road for the summer.
Our technician Julian checked over every inch of the underside of the classic sports car and inspected each individual line for any corrosion or defect as well as inspecting the brakes thoroughly. When it came out of The Hangar, it was noted as to not be running as it should. So, Julian stripped down the carburetors to clean them out thorough as well as adding fresh fuel before setting up the car to run like a champ.
We’ve welcomed back an old friend to our Suffolk HQ, this beautiful 1964 Jaguar Mk2 3.8.
It’s come in for our workshop team to have a look at a few issues reported by the owner so keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon.
The workshop team have been continuing on getting our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe back on the road after its decades long slumber. The final piece of the puzzle was for Jon to diagnose and repair a fault with the speedo in the car.
Jon discovered that the drive from the gearbox (which goes through a 90 degree converter) was not spinning the cable. So Jon found another one we keep in stock and modified it to fit the car and tested the cable operation by hand, which began to work the clock inside of the speedometer. With that, he could get everything connected back up and test thoroughly before signing the car off.
We’ve welcomed this stunning, vibrant red classic Triumph TR6 into the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ for the team to take a look at.
This month marks 60 years of production at the Ellesmere Port plant for Vauxhall.
The Ellesmere Port facility, built in 1962 and operational by June 1964, initially produced the Vauxhall Viva. Over the years, it became home to recognisable models like the Vauxhall Chevette and, since 1980, has been the birthplace of seven generations of the hugely popular Vauxhall Astra. Since it first became operational, the plant has produced over a million Vivas, a quarter of a million Chevettes, and more than 4.1 million Astras.
Today, the Ellesmere Port plant is a key part of the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) production. Following a £100 million investment, it became the country’s first EV-only volume manufacturing facility, aligning with the current owners of Vauxhall, Stellantis, Dare Forward 2030 commitment to carbon neutrality by 2038.
Back in 1970, the Ellesmere Port site spanned over 350,000 square meters. Through several significant upgrades—including a new battery assembly shop, enhanced General Assembly, and a relocated bodyshop—the plant now covers 118,000 square meters. These changes have led to a 60% reduction in total site area, boosting both energy efficiency and productivity.
The transition to EV production at Ellesmere Port continues Vauxhall’s tradition of UK vehicle manufacturing, which began at the Luton plant in 1905, following its initial operations in London since 1903. Starting next year, Luton will also be producing medium electric vans for Vauxhall, Opel, Citroën, Peugeot, and Fiat Professional.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary were plant staff and local dignitaries, including Keith Tabiner, who was part of the production team in 1964 when the first Vauxhall Viva was made. Remarkably, his three sons—Mark, Mike, and Phil—are also part of the current workforce, contributing to a combined 152 years of family service at the plant. This reflects the deep loyalty, dedication, and long service of many employees over the decades.
Keith Tabiner said: “Having witnessed the first Vauxhall Viva roll of the production line in 1964, and worked at Ellesmere Port for a total of 40 years, it’s a pleasure to be back and see the plant going from strength to strength making the electric vehicles of the future. I’ve always driven Vauxhalls and with three of my sons following in my footsteps and working at the plant today, everything we have is thanks to Ellesmere Port.”
Diane Miller, Ellesmere Port Plant Director, said: “We are excited to mark such an impressive milestone, celebrating production that began sixty years ago with the Viva, and now continues into the future with electric vans from Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, Opel and Vauxhall. For six decades, Ellesmere Port has been a central pillar of the local area, and whose people have continually taken great pride in their work at the plant to provide millions of vehicles for the UK and beyond and now continue to do so in the transition to a more sustainable future.”
Maria Grazia Davino, Group Managing Director, Stellantis UK, remarked: “It is gratifying to celebrate six decades of vehicle production at Ellesmere Port, which continues to produce the latest generation of electric vans. Stellantis is the only OEM producing vans, including electric vans, in volume in the UK, and I would like to share my congratulations to the employees at the plant, who continue to work incredibly hard to produce the vehicles that will help to electrify businesses across the UK and in the more than 20 countries to which we export electric vans.”
We are very excited to invite you to our wine-tasting event in The Classic Lounge at Bridge Classic Cars.
Our wine tasting event is completely FREE.
We’ve teamed up with Smashing Wines, who are a fantastic local wine company, to bring you a large selection of their wine.
From Premier Cru Champagne to Bordeaux’s & Burgundy’s finest, it doesn’t matter if you’re a regular wine drinker or simply want to try something new, the Smashing Wines team will be on hand to answer your questions and give you a taste of the type of wine you’re looking for.
Delicious cheese and charcuterie will also be available to accompany the wines.
Smashing Wines is the creation of Rebecca and Clement.
Rebecca has a huge amount of experience in the food and drink world as she spent seven years running a Japanese kitchen knife company before becoming the Marketing Director for Jamie Oliver’s restaurant group.
Clement grew up in Bordeaux meaning he has always had an appreciation for great wine. He has also been involved in the industry for many years having run both a deli and wine shop in Bordeaux and Meribel before moving to England.
Smashing Wines is all about championing small, high-quality producers, with a focus on organic and biodynamic winemakers from across France. They now have strong relationships with a wide range of winemakers and UK exclusivity on many wines – a selection of which will be available to try on the day.
The Classic Lounge is a bespoke venue designed exclusively for our guests and is also home to the Bridge Classic Cars Members Club. It offers a stylish and comfortable space for petrolheads to enjoy a drink surrounded by rare and interesting classic cars.
Our bar has a strong focus on no and low-alcohol drinks so, even if you’re the designated driver, there’s plenty of choice for you too!
Attending our wine tasting event is completely FREE. However, we ask that you RSVP below so we know how many people to expect to make sure everyone has a great time.
The event will run from 12pm through until 5pm and you are welcome to arrive at any time and stay for as long as you like.
Thanks for inviting us to your wine tasting venue, and looking around the cars you have on show which has been a passion of mine since I was a boy, we have been to one of your classic carve venues and it was a great day so looking forward to this one Dave
Mauro has been continuing his work on getting our 1960 MGA Roadster ready to get back into colour!
He first off finished several pieces of trim with a light skim of filler before getting them into primer to be ready to shoot colour with the rest of the car.
With the trims and smaller panels in primer, Mauro could turn his attention to getting the larger panels and the body ready to head back into our spray booth to bring the MGA back to life in colour!
He carefully applied a sanding coating to show any possible low spots on the panel work, but after sanding each individual piece had gone back to the flat white colour which shows that the car is nearly ready for paint.
After being won last week through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, our 1977 Triumph TR7 was loaded into our enclosed trailer for its journey as far north as we could go.
Tony, our amazing transport driver, was tasked with safely delivering the classic sports car to its lucky new owner Andy. Not only was a trip all the way up England, but all the way through Scotland where Tony met up with Andy in the town of Thurso where Andy picked up the car before taking it home.
We want to wish Andy many happy miles with his new TR7 and a big thanks to our driver Tony for getting Andy’s pride and joy there safe and sound.
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.
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