Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL
October 23, 2024
Shooting the Mercedes was a real treat, I had been desperate to get behind the wheel of this 1985 classic since I first laid eyes
October 23, 2024
Our Defender Has Been Won – Behind The Scenes
October 23, 2024
Yesterday, Garry Smith was randomly selected as the lucky winner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. His ticket number of 2534 was the one
AC Ace Investigation
October 23, 2024
Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager, John has been working on our 1957 AC Ace. He has been investigating why it was listing to one side
Suffolk Tractor Light Parade – The Classic Lounge Bridge Classic Cars.
October 23, 2024
Join us in The Classic Lounge on Sunday 15th of December 2025 as we get ready to watch the Suffolk Tractor Light Parade pass by
Restoring One Of The Oldest Surviving Buses
October 23, 2024
A fantastic local organisation, the Ipswich Transport Museum has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £100,000 to help them restore the oldest surviving Eastern
Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL
October 23, 2024
Shooting the Mercedes was a real treat, I had been desperate to get behind the wheel of this 1985 classic since I first laid eyes on it!
It’s my favourite car in the workshop at the moment and it did not disappoint. It’s a wonderful drive – perfect for road trips in any weather.
It is live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website now!
2 responses to “Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL”
Definitely be entering , Remember even as a kid having quite a few sl matchbox cars . My favourite since then and still is , Turned 50 this month and this could be the time 😎⭐️🙏. So I will be in it and might just win it 🫰
Just to say absolutely stunning colour and best interior bridge team .
Our Defender Has Been Won – Behind The Scenes
October 23, 2024
Yesterday, Garry Smith was randomly selected as the lucky winner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. His ticket number of 2534 was the one that made him the new owner of this off-roading beast.
During the live draw, we also found out that Richard Jones was the winner of our fast-selling Spitfire Gin with ticket number 177.
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AC Ace Investigation
October 23, 2024
Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager, John has been working on our 1957 AC Ace.
He has been investigating why it was listing to one side (the near side was sitting lower than the rest of the car). As he was investigating, no apparent cause could be identified so John had to dig a bit deeper into the car to find out what was going on.
The springs were removed so they could be refurbished as this was identified as a potential solution. However, as John was removing the springs, he found one of the studs that hold the spring onto the chassis had sheared off.
While it is good news that this has been identified as a potential cause, it does now pose quite a big challenge as access to this part of the car to replace the bolts is significantly limited. In fact, it may be the case that the body of the car will have to be removed to rectify the problem which, of course, is a much bigger job than was first expected.
John will continue to explore options to see if there is another way to get this beautiful classic back on the road but, at the moment, it looks like it might need quite a bit of attention.
Suffolk Tractor Light Parade – The Classic Lounge Bridge Classic Cars.
October 23, 2024
Join us in The Classic Lounge on Sunday 15th of December 2025 as we get ready to watch the Suffolk Tractor Light Parade pass by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Doors will open at 4 pm, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy a glass of mulled wine, a selection of coffee and soft drinks, or try some of our no and low-alcohol options (wine, beer, etc will also be available).
When the time comes, you’ll then be able to head out to watch the Tractor Light Parade as it passes by.
The parade begins just down the road from us at Clarke and Simpson Auctions so you should be able to find a good spot to get a great view of the festive vehicles.
Please RSVP below to let us know if you will be attending. This is a FREE event (drinks will need to be paid for at the bar) but it would be useful to know how many people we are expecting beforehand.
Restoring One Of The Oldest Surviving Buses
October 23, 2024
A fantastic local organisation, the Ipswich Transport Museum has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £100,000 to help them restore the oldest surviving Eastern Counties bus. The vehicle in question is known affectionately as the “Tinkling Tillings” due to the distinctive noise it used to make when it was moving.
‘We think the body of this vehicle was made in 1921 or 1922, and is the oldest surviving part of an Eastern Counties bus in
Museum volunteer and project leader Owen Phillips
existence. We have already raised over £40,000 to enable the project to progress to the stage where we have a solid-tyred chassis which runs and drives. Funds raised so far will also also pay for some of the body restoration. We need to raise enough to finish the job, including rear tyres, glass, lights, seats, upholstery. railings, stairs, paintwork, signwriting and a myriad of other parts which will make it a complete vehicle’
‘The body of the bus was open topped and has an open-air staircase too. Ransomes built this particular body as part of batch for Eastern Counties Road Car Company at their works in Ipswich, which makes it very important to the Museum. It is another example of the many things Ransomes designed and built locally. The body survived as a storeshed on a farm in Witnesham, and we were able to acquire it a few years ago. There are still traces of red paint here and there’
Museum volunteer and project leader Owen Phillips
The body restoration work is expected to begin in late 2024 or early 2025. Once completed, the bus will be featured in the museum’s collection and used for demonstration rides at special events.
The volunteers who run the museum have completed ambitious restorations like this before so this is a project they can certainly bring to life. They have previously completed major restorations of an 1880 Starbuck horse tram and 1903 Ipswich Electric Tram, and are currently restoring a 1930 Ransomes trolleybus.
‘The Tilling Stevens Bus Project aims to recreate a typical Eastern Counties bus of the early 1920s. The chassis and running gear was built by Tilling Stevens of Maidstone. Unlike the electric trams in Ipswich, which drew current from overhead wires, these buses had to run outside
Museum volunteer and project leader Owen Phillips
the borough, so they used a petrol engine to drive a dynamo and electric motor. These ‘petrolelectric’ buses were in effect early hybrid vehicles – ahead of their time really. They established bus services across Suffolk and brought affordable mobility to many rural places for the first time
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