AC Cars has announced a new 2.0-litre performance-focused engine option that will debut in 2026. This addition will complement the existing naturally aspirated and supercharged
Some weeks at Bridge Classic Cars we have a workshop full of customer’s car, other weeks we have a workshop full of our own competition
Broad Arrow Auctions will be offering a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider with Scaglietti coachwork, chassis number 1451 GT for sale during its
Honda and Nissan, two of Japan’s largest car manufacturers, have announced plans to merge, potentially forming the world’s third-largest automaker by sales. Mitsubishi Motors, a
See all the current winners of the Bridge Classic Cars Advent Calendar 2024 Winning a classic car for just a few pounds is always an
AC Cars has announced a new 2.0-litre performance-focused engine option that will debut in 2026. This addition will complement the existing naturally aspirated and supercharged V8 models in the GT Roadster and GT Coupe lineup.
The new engine, designed in collaboration with a leading global powertrain developer, will be tailored to the high-performance potential of AC Cars’ advanced GT platform. It will come in two power configurations, with outputs reaching up to 390bhp. The lighter weight of this engine compared to the V8 models will allow for additional carbon fibre elements in the chassis, further enhancing performance and efficiency.
To accompany the new engine, AC Cars will offer a dual-clutch gearbox, ensuring smooth and responsive performance. Customers will also have the option of a six-speed manual transmission.
“This is a key step in our programme of growth, yet allows us to stay true to what define us. Offering clients a wider choice of performance engines will broaden the appeal for our exclusive sports cars, and means we can reach the markets that impose higher taxation of large displacement engines.”
David Conza, CEO of AC Cars
Reservations for the new AC Cobra GT models are now open, with prices starting at £235,000 (including VAT). Full specifications and final pricing are set to be revealed in spring 2025.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit AC.Cars or contact the company directly at info@ac.cars.
Some weeks at Bridge Classic Cars we have a workshop full of customer’s car, other weeks we have a workshop full of our own competition cars. No two weeks are the same and heading into the final week of 2024 we were busy as always working on both.
If you watched our recent Torque Show you’ll see that Jon is the man in charge of our competition vehicles, making sure they are all in tip top shape for shoot day, draw day and delivery day.
Check out our Torque Show on YouTube where Molly digs a little deeper into Jon’s roles and responsibilities here at Bridge Classic Cars:
Here is a little sneak peak at what Jon’s been up to this week, on his final full week in the Bridge Classic Cars workshops before we pack up for Christmas.
1987 Maserati BiTurbo
We’ll start off with the Maserati. We’ve fitted the new bonnet rams and boot rams. Then moved on to work on the choke. We’ve remove the old choke cable, drilled out the end of the new cable to take a 5mm bolt. Prepared for fit but the cable is different from the existing one we’ve had to modify it.
Then we’ve route through the dash and out into engine bay before securing it to the control lever mount, connected it to the lever and tested.
1987 Mercedes 500SL
Then on to my own Mercedes 500SL. Jon spends his weekends (before Ipswich Town kicks off) progressing with my 500 SL. He has now attend to the heater. The clips are now here for the heater box. We’ve worked out how controls fit and fixed both side controls to the heater. The bolts have been cut to length and secured the controls into position. He’s then fitted the top vent outlet and vacuum controls.
1975 Volkswagen Beetle
Then on to our Volkswagen Beetle 1303. Time for it to go on to the ramp to be fully inspected and appraised. We’ll then carry out a full report of what work is required.
1969 Daimler 250 V8
And as we briefly spoken about previously. Our 1969 Daimler 250 V8, although is an absolutely beaut of a car, it seems to be struggling with running so it’s now time for Jon to attend to this issue.
Fit 8x visual spark checkers and run up. We have viewed the sparks to see if they drop out at point of rough running and all appear good. So we’ve now stripped and removed the carburettors starting with nearside first. Strip, clean and inspect but nothing seems to be wrong so we have cleaned, reset and refitted.
Jon then repeated this procedure for offside carb and again nothing seems wrong. We reassemble after cleaning and refit.
Check for leaks with ignition on and all is ok. We run up to temperature, test again and it’s still the same. We’ve ordered a set of points to convert back to points from electronic ignition system to see if this makes a difference.
1968 Ford Lotus Cortina
We’ve discovered a large split in inner arch where bonnet mounts so Jon has called upon the skills of welder Pete to tackle this one for us!
Whilst Jon gets on with stripping the offside rear brakes and fitting new handbrake contact pad into the lower shoe. Refitted the wheel and torque up.
Once Pete had completed the weld repair, Jon could then refit the bonnet and align before running up to temperature and carrying out a road test.
Jon has found no gate between 1st gear and reverse gear and the car is holding back, not pulling as it should so we’ve had to return to the workshop.
Strip and remove under dash shelf and centre console.
We have then removed the gearbox remote gear shift to inspect. Found new ball/fulcrum has been fitted and is too tight to lift the lever and select reverse.
Strip and grind out ball socket until ball is loose enough in socket for lever to lift before greasing and refitting.
Grind away at nylon gate until lever will no go into reverse position without being lifted.
Refit nylon gate to bottom of the lever.
Next up, we’ve refitted the cover for the remote gear lever before refitting the centre console. Tested all gears and all ok.
Strip down, remove the top and all jets. We’ve then inspected and cleaned, blown out and reassembled. We’ve repeated this process for rear carbs before reassembling. Lastly for this one, Jon cleaned and refilled both air filters.
1960 Austin Healey 3000
This week, we also saw the welcome return of our 1960 Austin Healey 3000. Last with us in 2020 having some remedial paintwork carried out, the owner has decided to let the car go and offered it to us as potentially a future competition car.
1977 Ford Granada
Arriving this week, Gordon has a new toy! He’s been searching for a Ford Granada 3.0l Ghia for some time now and it looks as though he may have found one!
Full of praise from all of the technicians when the car arrived. Although most of the time the technicians have differing opinions of what they prefer this car seems to have gone down really well across the board which will please Gordon somewhat.
First to get his hands on the car is Pete, to give the car a full and thorough appraisal. In his exact words, he is what he has found:
That completes our round up of Bridge Classic Cars’ own vehicles signing off for 2024.
The final activity from everyone at Bridge Classic Cars HQ is to clean down the work space and get it ready for work to start again in a few week’s time. Over the Christmas period we’ll see new management offices being built and a lovely new extension to the paint shops. The entire workshops will have a fresh coat of paint.
For now, our benches are clean and we’re heading off to enjoy some quality time with our families.
Broad Arrow Auctions will be offering a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider with Scaglietti coachwork, chassis number 1451 GT for sale during its third annual Amelia Auction on March 7th & 8th 2025. This auction will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island in Florida, and the vehicle is estimated to sell for between $10 million and $14 million (around £8 million – £10 million).
The car is the second of just eight aluminium-bodied 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione models ever built. It carries an incredible history, including participation in the iconic Le Mans race. This was actually the first California Spider equipped with the competition-spec Type 128 F engine, producing 262.5 horsepower. It also features a Type 508 D ribbed gearbox, a 9.6:1 compression ratio, an external oil cooler, enhanced suspension, and a 35-gallon fuel tank with an external filler cap.
“This is the crown jewel of all open Ferraris and arguably the gold standard of desirability for any road-going collectible convertible. Chassis no. 1451 GT’s existence helps define the very essence of what makes the 250 GT California Spider so revered—a car equally capable of securing podium finishes at Le Mans and best-in-show awards on the world’s most exclusive show fields. The car’s stand-alone significance and combination of Le Mans and U.S. racing history make it a perfect fit for The Amelia weekend at the racer’s concours.”
Barney Ruprecht, VP of Auctions, Broad Arrow
Completed just five days before the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, chassis 1451 GT made its debut under the banner of Luigi Chinetti’s N.A.R.T. team. Driven by its first owner, American car dealer and racer Robert “Bob” Grossman, along with co-driver Fernand Tavano, the car achieved an impressive fifth-place overall finish and third in the GT class. This result remains the most successful competitive outing for any 250 GT California Spider.
After its racing debut, the car was returned to the Ferrari factory, where it was finished in its current metallic silver livery. Grossman continued to race it extensively in the U.S. throughout 1959 and 1960.
Under subsequent owners, chassis 1451 GT continued to shine in both historic racing and Concours events. It has been a regular feature at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for several decades, most recently appearing in 2024. Its status is further enhanced by its Ferrari Classiche certification, which confirms the preservation of its original components through multiple restorations.
Potential buyers can learn more about the vehicle at broadarrowauctions.com.
Honda and Nissan, two of Japan’s largest car manufacturers, have announced plans to merge, potentially forming the world’s third-largest automaker by sales. Mitsubishi Motors, a smaller partner in Nissan’s alliance, is also involved in the discussions. The move comes as car makers face the urgent need to adapt to the industry’s rapid transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous driving technologies.
Merger Details and Timeline
The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore unifying their operations under a joint holding company. Honda will initially lead the new company while maintaining each brand’s identity and principles. A formal merger agreement is expected by June 2026, with the combined company planned for listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by August of the same year.
The merger could create an automotive powerhouse worth over $50 billion based on the combined market values of Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. Together, the companies produced about 8 million vehicles in 2023, a long way off Toyota’s output of 11.5 million but significant enough to compete with other global giants like Volkswagen.
Opportunities and Challenges
The merger aims to reduce costs and accelerate progress in electric vehicle development. Nissan brings expertise in battery production, gas-electric hybrid systems, and large SUVs with body-on-frame designs, while Honda is known for its hybrid technology and global reach.
However, challenges remain. Honda President Toshihiro Mibe admitted there are still “points that need to be studied and discussed,” adding that the merger’s success is not guaranteed.
Nissan has faced financial and reputational struggles since the 2018 arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn on charges of fraud, which he denies. The company has since implemented significant restructuring, including layoffs and cuts to global production capacity. CEO Makoto Uchida, who took a 50% pay cut to address the company’s issues, said Nissan must become more efficient to remain competitive.
Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s credit outlook to “negative,” saying that profitability issues were made more concerning by North American price cuts. However, the company retains strong cash reserves of 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).
Stock Market Reaction and Industry Context
News of the merger has spurred positive reactions in the stock market. Nissan’s shares rose 1.6% on Monday, building on a 20% jump after the initial merger reports. Honda’s shares also saw a 3.8% increase.
The merger reflects a broader industry trend toward consolidation as automakers worldwide face rising costs, new technological demands, and the need for scale to compete effectively.
At a routine briefing, Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasised the importance of Japanese car makers staying competitive in areas such as battery technology and software development. “Measures needed to survive international competition will be taken,” he said.
Industry Implications
If completed, the merger would position Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to compete more effectively with global leaders like Toyota and Volkswagen. The combined resources could accelerate advancements in EV and autonomous driving technologies, helping the companies catch up to industry leaders in these areas.
Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi are already collaborating on EV components and autonomous driving research, an effort formalised earlier this year.
See all the current winners of the Bridge Classic Cars Advent Calendar 2024
Winning a classic car for just a few pounds is always an exciting prospect. However, imagine winning your dream classic without having to pay a penny.
The winner of today’s competition will receive £50 of site credit added to their account. This means they can buy tickets for any of our current or future competitions up to the value of £50 without using any of their own money!
The most up to date list of prizes in our advent calendar can be seen here
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