Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

Body Shaping Begins

Classic car technician Chris recently started the body shaping process on our 1986 Daimler DS420. Quite a bit of restoration work has already been completed

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A Classic Pinstripe

Along with its new interior, sun visors, and roof, our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has a new pinstripe too. Classic car technician Chris made

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Sending Our Condolences

Everyone at Bridge Classic Cars is extremely sad to hear about the unexpected passing of GenX Radio Presenter Tim Gough. Our director Craig was recently

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Prep And Paint

After recent repairs to its wheel arches and getting high build primer applied, our 1999 Vauxhall Omega went through its final preparations before receiving its

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A New Exhaust Fitted

A new stainless steel exhaust has been fitted to our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 by classic car technician Paul. While Paul was working

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Back For A Service

Our 1991 Nissan Figaro was back in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a service recently. Classic car technician Jon removed the centre console to

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E-Type Suspension

Classic car technician Paul has been working on the suspension of our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3. He installed new poly bushes to the

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High Build Primer

Following repairs to both rear wheel arches and sills, our 1999 Vauxhall Omega was given a coat of high-build primer. This will help provide the

Read More »

Wings Removed

Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have taken the front wings off of our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 to make way for the new ones

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Wheel Stickers

Our 1987 Volvo 240GL is coming towards the end of its restoration journey with us here at Bridge Classic Cars. It’s at this time when

Read More »

Body Shaping Begins

Classic car technician Chris recently started the body shaping process on our 1986 Daimler DS420.

Quite a bit of restoration work has already been completed on this classic car and things certainly aren’t slowing down as progress continues to be made.

A Day In The Life Of A Classic Car Technician

The classic car technicians here at Bridge Classic Cars spend their days working on a wide range of classic vehicles.

As quite a few of the classic cars that find themselves in the workshop are very rare, it’s not surprising that the technicians have to be creative, experienced, and highly skilled in what they do to make things come together as planned.

A classic car technician is able to look at a classic car in a seemingly ruined state and see beyond what is in front of them. They know how beautiful the shell of a vehicle once was and they know that they can return it to that condition again.

Working on such a range of classic cars provides a lot of challenges. From preparing a Jensen 541R for a repaint to trying to rebuild an ultra-rare 1905 Riley 9HP from pictures, each day provides new challenges, requires new skills, and a whole lot of passion for classic cars.

We are very lucky to have such experienced classic car technicians in our workshop. It’s only through years of experience that the team is able to restore some of the most beautiful, most challenging, and some extremely rare classic cars.

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop tends to be a pretty noisy place to be. Whether it’s the technicians sharing a joke, the body of a classic vehicle being worked on, or the sound of heated discussions about the best way of resolving one of the many problems that have to be faced every day. Whatever the cause of the noise, you can be sure it’s classic car related and that the classic car technicians are hard at work restoring a classic vehicle back to its former glory.

If you’ve never seen a classic car technician in action before, the below photos give just a little insight into what a “normal day” looks like for them.

Entry Is Open – Win Our 1992 Rover Mini Cooper 1.3

If you’ve ever wanted to own a classic mini, you have the chance to do just that over at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Entry is now open to win our 1992 Rover Mini Cooper 1.3.

With a higher compression engine of 10.1:1 and striking red paintwork, this is one classic mini that will not only get you to where you need to go, but will look good while doing it too.

All the information you need can be found here.

A Classic Pinstripe

Along with its new interior, sun visors, and roof, our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has a new pinstripe too.

Classic car technician Chris made sure the car was properly prepped before painting on the pinstripe.

The pinstripe may seem like a relatively small thing but, as you can see from the photos below, it makes a huge difference to the overall look of the car.

Sending Our Condolences

Everyone at Bridge Classic Cars is extremely sad to hear about the unexpected passing of GenX Radio Presenter Tim Gough.

Our director Craig was recently interviewed on GenX and found the team there to be a friendly and professional group of people. We would like to send our condolences to everyone at the radio station as well as to Tim’s friends, family, and listeners.

More details about Tim and his work can be seen on the GenX Radio website.

New On MyClassics.co.uk – 1969 Mercedes 300 SEL

If you like classic Mercedes, then the newly listed 1969 Mercedes 300 SEL might be a great car for you.

With lots of restoration work completed on this classic car, it has only done 1000 miles since the work on the engine and gearbox has been finished.

The car seems to be in great condition and, with a little bit of time and care, it could be back on the road before you know it.

Full details can be seen at MyClassics.co.uk

Prep And Paint

After recent repairs to its wheel arches and getting high build primer applied, our 1999 Vauxhall Omega went through its final preparations before receiving its top coat of paint.

During the prep work, all joints were sealed and the car was appropriately covered to ensure the paintwork looked as good as new.

As you can see from the photos below, the rust issues the car was suffering from are now resolved and our Omega is another step closer to driving out of the workshop and back to its owner.

Chassis Back In The Workshop

The chassis of our 1959 Jensen 541R has arrived back at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It has been moved from our storage facility, The Hangar, ready to begin the next stage of the restoration process.

Now it is back with us, our classic car technicians will carry out a thorough inspection of it before more parts of the main body are put back together.

The doors of this classic car have also been stripped down and sent off for sandblasting.

Just Arrived – 1977 Triumph Spitfire

There’s nothing quite like an eye-catching classic car arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire certainly fits the bill to be an attention-grabbing vehicle.

Not only does it stand out in its yellow colour, but it’s also a beautiful-looking classic car.

It has come in for our classic car technicians to investigate some running issues so hopefully, it won’t be too long before it is back out on the road where it belongs.

A New Exhaust Fitted

A new stainless steel exhaust has been fitted to our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 by classic car technician Paul.

While Paul was working on this classic car, he also removed the centre console to gain access to the gear selection illumination. He needed to do this in order to fit a new bulb which was required.

Looking Back On A Long Journey

It hasn’t been long since we saw the arrival of our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8. Now that it’s been in the workshop for a few days, we have been looking back on its long journey from America to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Suffolk.

The photos below show its arrival at Felixstowe docks ready to begin the last leg of its journey to us.

Even sitting at the docks like this, you can see how nice this classic car is and we are very excited to see it once its been through its restoration journey.

More Progress On Our 1905 Riley 9HP

Classic car technician Dave has been continuing work on our 1905 Riley 9HP.

He has recently added the wheel hub nuts and the nut locking ring. As work continues on this truly classic car, it has already come a long way since it first arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

With quite a bit of work still to do though, the whole team here are excited to see this car back in its original state and ready to head outside for its first drive in a long time.

Back For A Service

Our 1991 Nissan Figaro was back in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a service recently.

Classic car technician Jon removed the centre console to look into a potential issue with the gear lever but, as you can see from the video below, everything seems to be working as it should.

After reassembling everything, the Figaro was taken for a road test and performed exactly as expected.

Just Arrived – 1998 Mercedes E240

Another new arrival has made its way to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. This time it is our 1998 Mercedes E240.

This will become part of the Bridge Classic Cars personal collection for now.

Based on first looks alone, it seems to be a very nice car and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for it.

Machining Jaguar Pistons

The pistons of our 1954 Jaguar MK VII were machined recently.

As the pistons are such a vital component of the engine, it’s important that they are exactly right and, as you can see in the video below, care needs to be taken to make sure everything is perfect.

E-Type Suspension

Classic car technician Paul has been working on the suspension of our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3.

He installed new poly bushes to the front suspension which will absorb any bumps and knocks as well as reduce noise and vibration once the car is back out on the road.

Everything will be put back together and work will continue on this beautiful classic car.

Ready For All Weathers

Our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has a new roof to help keep its owner warm and dry when the weather isn’t suitable for having the top down.

However, classic car technician Brian also fitted the sun visors into the car for when the sun does come out and a summer road trip is in order.

Once Brian had finished the roof of this classic car, he turned his attention to the under-dash tray. He removed the old tray, along with some other parts to get full access, before painting the ashtrays and front rail, making the new tray, and finally installing it in the car.

The gear stick gaiter was also fitted helping to move the interior of this classic car along the restoration journey.

High Build Primer

Following repairs to both rear wheel arches and sills, our 1999 Vauxhall Omega was given a coat of high-build primer.

This will help provide the best possible surface for the top coat of paint to be applied.

With the arch and sills now repaired, and the car almost ready for painting, it continues to make good progress through the restoration process.

Investigation And Prep Work

Classic car technician Scott has been conducting an assessment of our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8.

After noticing some oil leaks, he removed the under trays so he could see where these originated from. While the under trays were removed, an assessment was able to be carried out to see where any welding might be needed on the floor of the car and also on the boot floor too.

Scott then looked at the fuel system in preparation for starting the engine. He found dirt in the fuel filter so a new one has been ordered and the filter housing has been sandblasted.

Next, Scott removed the air filter and inspected its condition. He did the same for the air intake plenum and removed the carb tops to clean out the float bowls.

Scott is now waiting for the new filter to arrive so the engine can be started.

Wings Removed

Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have taken the front wings off of our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 to make way for the new ones to be fitted at a later date.

They made sure everything was done accurately and safely so, when the new wings are ready, they will fit perfectly into place.

Behind The Scenes Of Shooting Our 1981 MGB GT LE

One of the classic cars you can win over at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions is our 1981 MGB GT LE.

To show you how cool this classic car really is, Molly and the team headed over to our Bentwaters location to take some photos of the car as well as to do some filming to show it in action.

The finished products look great and you can see them alongside all the information you need to enter the competition here.

Making these types of videos is always good fun and the below photos show just a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes.

Wheel Stickers

Our 1987 Volvo 240GL is coming towards the end of its restoration journey with us here at Bridge Classic Cars.

It’s at this time when it starts to look very recognisable as the classic car that it really is.

Classic car technician Mauro has recently been putting the wheel stickers in place to make sure that, when the wheels go back on the car, they help make it look as good as it should.

Epoxy Primer For Our 1956 Jensen 541

Classic car technician Alan has been doing more work on our 1956 Jensen 541.

After repairing the roof and bonnet of this classic car, Alan turned his attention to the doors. He removed the door skins from the frames so he could apply epoxy primer to both sides.

Epoxy primer was also applied to the front wings and sill covers too.

This is part of the preparation for the body to be repainted.

Winner Of Our 1961 Mini Deluxe ‘Little Eva’

Paul Mazey was the lucky winner of our beautiful 1961 Mini Deluxe ‘Little Eva’.

He won with ticket number 2772 at our live draw on 6th October 2022.

Paul visited the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to see his mini for himself. Congratulations to Paul and we hope you enjoy ‘Little Eva’ as much as we have.

Bridge Classic Cars At Imperial War Museum, Duxford For H And H Auction

Today, Bridge Classic Cars are at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford attending the latest H and H auction. There is a wide range of vehicles available and we are always excited to see which ones catch our eye.

One of the cars being auctioned is our 1934 Riley 9 Lynx so we are particularly excited about that.

The Imperial War Museum is an impressive venue to see all of these beautiful classic cars.

We are on the lookout for some competition cars for Bridge Classic Cars Competitions so, maybe your next car is in one of our pictures below.

Small Touches Making All The Difference

Classic Car Technician Mauro has been continuing to put our 1987 Volvo 240GL back together.

He has put the newly repaired and painted mud flaps back on, which are looking great.

Mauro also put the Volvo and the 240GL badges on as well as applying the appropriate warning sticker under the bonnet.

This classic car is really starting to come together and it likely won’t be too long until it is back out on the road giving its owner many more enjoyable driving miles.

Bridge Classic Cars On Gen X Radio

Bridge Classic Cars Director Craig was once again interviewed on the radio. This time it was by James Hazel on Gen X Radio.

Craig had a good chat with James and spoke about what we do, how Bridge Classic Cars began, and how, through Bridge Classic Cars competitions, we are giving everyone the opportunity to own a classic vehicle

The full interview can be listened to below.