The Bridge Classic Car Show 2023 took place on Sunday 30th July and it was a great success. With around 800 cars in attendance, The Hangar, at Bentwaters Parks and the surrounding runways were packed with a huge range of vehicles spanning multiple eras, makes, and models. From a Ford Model T from 1912 to 2023 Aston Martins, there certainly was something for everyone to admire.
With the addition of a vintage fair, swing dancers, a live draw, and much more, our show more than doubled in size from previous years. The Bridge Classic Car Show 2023 was a definite sign that our show could very well be one of the biggest in the local area in the very near future.
The History Of The Bridge Classic Car Show
Since its debut in 2018, The Bridge Classic Car Show has steadily grown in size and popularity. Previously held predominantly at our Pettistree workshop, this year was the first time we hosted the entire show from our Bentwaters Parks facility.
With almost unlimited space, we were able to accommodate hundreds more cars and bikes. With the stunning backdrops of the former military air base, every car in attendance looked beautiful in this setting.
A Spectacular Display Of Automotive Elegance
We had several car clubs attend The Bridge Classic Car Show 2023 including Porsche Club GB, Clacton Classic Car Club, East Coast Mini Club, ISMOC, East Coast Japanese, and East Coast Retros.
The heart of the show was obviously the impressive array of classic and sports vehicles on display. The whole team loved seeing so many car owners and their cherished vehicles that have been meticulously cared for and lovingly maintained.
Visitors were treated to a snapshot of automotive history, with cars spanning several decades, each representing its era’s unique design language and engineering marvels.
An All-Inclusive Event
This year, we made a big effort to make The Bridge Classic Car Show an all-inclusive event. While classic car enthusiasts made up the core audience, the event catered to the whole family, including the four-legged variety!
Throughout the show, vintage DJ Nigel Woodhouse and his dancers from Simply Swing were entertaining the crowds with their impressive dancing skills. We also welcomed Sparkle Bar who applied glitter to many faces. The Heart of Suffolk Distillery offered some beautiful gin, while the Cheese and Pie Man added even more choice to the selection of food on offer.
Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars would like to thank all of the vendors who helped us make our 2023 show as successful as it was.
- Nigel Woodhouse
- Simply Swing
- Sparkle Bar
- The Cheese and Pie Man
- Heart of Suffolk Distillery
- Sally B Vintage
- The Cake Kitchen
- Alexandra Vintage
- Hannah Iris Vintage
- Le Keux
- Ace Auto Memorabilia
- Blue Pig Photography
- Ransomes Mobility
Our Charity Partner – East Anglian Air Ambulance
At 3:30 pm, our very special charity competition came to an exciting conclusion when we found out who the lucky winner of our 1973 Triumph Spitfire was in the live draw. All profits from this competition will be donated to East Anglian Air Ambulance to help them continue their vital life-saving work around the region.
By the time the competition closed, £40,000 was generated which is a result we are very happy with!
East Anglian Air Ambulance was a big part of our 2023 show by teaching children and adults the extremely important skill of CPR and AED use. With so many lives literally being saved with this knowledge, we are extremely proud to help them spread the message and continue their work.
A highlight of the show was a flyover of the EAAA helicopter which everyone seemed to enjoy.
Best In Show
Local radio presenter Mark Murphy MBE was the judge for The Bridge Classic Cars Best in Show 2023. He awarded the title to Bryn Jones for his Jaguar XK120.
The two runners-up were Martin Dawson for his Mustang and Derek Simonds for his Jensen 541R.
Testimonials
“Ideal location, good varied selection of cars from the man who restored in his garage, to the high end professional restoration, all unique in their own right. Nice atmosphere with the swing and jive music, and not a ghetto blaster. Would like to have seen more stalls generally, including an Autojumble, maybe weather forecast was to blame. Keep up good work, Look forward to next year. Jilly.”
“A great day , enjoyed seeing everyone’s cars. More stalls would be nice, perhaps some car accessory stalls (cleaning, detailing and gadgets). Nice to see everyone look forward to the next.”
“Excellent venue and show with great variety of cars and easily accessed. Look forward to next year.”
“Great day out lovely collection of cars and motorcycles.”
“Great show and people were so friendly. My son has autism/adhd and he loved it.”
On Social Media
The Bridge Classic Car Show
Following the great success of this year’s show, we have already begun plans for the 2024 show. More information on this will be available very soon.
