Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
The 1984 Lada 1200 has been worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration technicians as part of getting the car into perfect working order.
The 1969 Morris Minor Convertible has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth to have its next stage of primer laid down. After many
The Dodge Viper – One of the most iconic, raw and visceral supercars of the 1990s. But, why was it so barebones and hardcore? Well,
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on several key pieces of the 1978 MG B GT in for restoration with us
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have welcomed our latest arrival – a 1968 Triumph TR5. The workshop will be carrying out a full inspection and
This 1972 MG Midget has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop for our team to carry out a few jobs on. To
As part of the Porsche Club GB events calendar, Sunday the 25th of September saw the celebration of classic Porsches from 1948 to 1973 at
There’s a new face at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ! We would like to introduce you all to Molly. Molly has become the new
The latest competition from Bridge Classic Cars, our 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10, has been featured in the East Anglian Daily Times recently. Previously, our 1948
The 1984 Lada 1200 is in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop for the teams to carry out several jobs on. Firstly, the team have
While the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have been working on the mechanical side of the 1984 Lada 1200, our in-house trim shop took the
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on stripping back more interior pieces from the 1958 Jensen 541R. Lydia, one of our
The restoration workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been working on getting the various mounts, brackets and hinges into place on the 1956
Just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ is this wonderful 1968 Morris Mini 850 MkII with an incredible story.
The morning began with a haze. The rain from the night had settled into a fine mist as the team arrived at The Hangar. As
Recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ deep in the heart of the Suffolk countryside is this glorious 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco Storm. The classic
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on getting a few bits and pieces from the 1968 MG B GT in the
As part of the wiring clean-up on the 1979 Porsche 911, the Bridge Classic Cars team have replaced a set of relays in the classic
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been methodically fitting the new chrome trim around the roof and windows of the 1968 MG B GT.
The time had come. As the glorious 8-litre V10 fired into life, the rapturous noise bouncing off the walls of the legendary Bentwaters Hush House
The fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk restoration HQ have begun to look deeper into the corrosion on the bottom of the 1986
The workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have begun the process of getting the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 following its in-house LHD
The paint and body team are working on refining the 2005 Suzuki Everyvan in with Bridge Classic Cars. Our body and paint tech Alan has
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been making good progress on the 1956 Jensen 541 at our Suffolk HQ for restoration. To begin with,
Our technician Jon has been carrying on with getting all the wiring of the 1979 Porsche 911 Targa finished up and ready to head off
The paint and body have been working on a small repair to the door of the 1984 Lada 1200. After the panel itself had been
Recently, the Bridge Classic Cars team have been doing their training for their forklift license. Earlier this week, it was time to actually take the
As part of the pre-delivery work on the 1979 Porsche 911 Targa, the workshop team have cleaned up some of the unneeded wiring under the
The 1986 Daimler DS420 in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration has been in with our fabrication team to have its arches and sills repaired.
Held in association with the Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiasts Club (SVEC). Over 7,000 people attended the 2021 festival. Over 1000 vehicles attend, representing the last 10
The 1984 Lada 1200 has been worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration technicians as part of getting the car into perfect working order.
To start with, the team have replaced the engine mounts which had begun to crack and perish. The replacement pieces are slightly taller than the previous units but are a much closer match to what would have originally been fitted. These were fitted and secured down to the frame before the engine was put back perfectly into place.
After discovering the crack in the top tank of the radiator, the team have carefully removed the radiator from the core support of the classic Lada. This has been sent off to a local, trusted specialist to be repaired.
The 1969 Morris Minor Convertible has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth to have its next stage of primer laid down.
After many hours of prep, the classic Morris Convertible has had several layers of high build primer to help build up the surface before it is eventually finished in colour and clear. This stage of primer will also be gently and carefully rubbed back to ensure a perfect surface for the next phase of work.
The Dodge Viper – One of the most iconic, raw and visceral supercars of the 1990s. But, why was it so barebones and hardcore? Well, to answer that we have to look back further into the early 1960s.
It all begins with one word. Another car which would become synonymous with its generation – The Cobra. Developed by Carol Shelby in the early 1960s, the Cobra would bring European styling and handling combined with American Muscle thanks to its new heart, a small-block Ford V8 which now sat in the nose of the nimble sports car.
Yes, the Viper is the spiritual ancestor to the legendary Cobra. Even its name is a reference to the sports car/ racer of the 1960s…
In 1988, Bob Lutz was the president of Chrysler (the parent company of Dodge) and underneath him was his Chief of Design Tom Gale. Over a series of conversations, the pair formed an idea to make a modern interpretation of that legendary roadster. The basis was simple, an elegant but imposing exterior styling with the all-important manual gearbox fitted to a monstrous engine. The American contingent could handle the engineering underneath the car, but for the exterior it would need a European flair.
To create the visual flair of the Viper, Chrysler turned to the best in the business at cars with a huge presence. Lamborghini. At the time, Chrysler owned the supercar manufacturer so the job of creating the Viper’s curvaceous and ample proportions was done in Italy. Meanwhile, the engineering team had decided on the engine for the project. It couldn’t be a V8, by that point it was almost a given that ”real” supercars had more than a V12 but what could they use?
Well, Dodge mentioned they had a V10 they could use… and that’s how it happened. To give the car ”heroic proportions” the Viper would be fitted with an 8-litre V10 that had originally been developed for use in the upcoming Ram Pickup Trucks. The engineering team took this concept and remade it in aluminium to keep the weight off the nose of the car which would send all of its 400BHP and 450lb/ft of torque directly at the rear wheels of the supercar.
This was the basis of one of the most legendary supercars in its own right.
The first generation of the car would break cover in 1991 as the official pace car at that year’s Indianapolis 500. Then, in 1992 the car would be shown at the Detroit Auto Show (home turf of Dodge) to massive applause and carrying its official name of the Viper RT/10. The final car would harken back to the days of the Cobra with absolutely no frills whatsoever. A removable canvas roof (later cars could be ordered with a full hard-top), pop-out windows and no airbags… The Viper RT/10 was all business but still had a decent stereo.
The big draw to the Viper by potential owners? That engine. European performance with American reliability, it was the perfect combination. To add to the driver-focused, total performance attitude of the RT/10 engineers removed the anti-lock brakes and traction control to put the driver in complete and total responsibility of this fanged beast. When you add together the lightweight bodywork and its tubular spaceframe underpinnings, paired with the ferocious drivetrain – The Viper RT/10 could, in the right hands, be launched from a complete standstill to 60 miles an hour in under 5 seconds. In the early 1990s, that was only achievable by the most serious of racecars and the highest echelons of the supercar world. If you were feeling brave enough, your courage firmly placed in your right foot and in the right situation you would see over 160MPH on its speedometer placed perfectly in the driver’s view.
Our 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 comes towards the end of the production run – Just before the change over to 2nd generation. The original RT/10’s are regarded by many to be the most driver-focussed and emotive of all the generations of this Detroit supercar. And Bridge Classic Cars wants you to experience this rare and unique breed of the supercar.
Click here to get your tickets and enter the draw to win our 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10.
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on several key pieces of the 1978 MG B GT in for restoration with us at our Suffolk HQ.
Firstly, our technician Rob has made up an all-new rear bumper box section for the classic MG. This piece was heavily corroded so the team made a new piece which made up the rear bumper and crash structure in the car.
Next, the team got to work on the front cross-member. This, over time, had developed some hairline cracks in the thinnest areas near the mounting tabs. So, Rob has carefully and methodically rewelded these areas making sure to add in material to strengthen certain parts of the component.
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have welcomed our latest arrival – a 1968 Triumph TR5.
The workshop will be carrying out a full inspection and assessment on the classic Triumph convertible and reporting back their findings.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more updates on the 1968 Triumph TR5.
This 1972 MG Midget has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop for our team to carry out a few jobs on.
To begin with, the classic MG will have a full service before the team turn their attention to getting the roadster running properly. Also, they will carry out a full inspection and assessment of the car.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more updates.
As part of the Porsche Club GB events calendar, Sunday the 25th of September saw the celebration of classic Porsches from 1948 to 1973 at Hedingham Castle.
There aren’t many better ways we like to spend our weekends than at classic car shows, so the Bridge Classic Cars team spent some time at this event.
The cars we saw there looked incredible and the whole day was a really enjoyable experience (our photos below show just some of the cool cars we saw).
We look forward to returning again next time!
Click here to see more details!
There’s a new face at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ! We would like to introduce you all to Molly.
Molly has become the new presenter for Bridge Classic Cars. Along with that, she is also part of the 1940s-inspired vocal trio – The Three Chordettes.
We’re excited to have Molly as part of the team here at Bridge and can’t wait to bring you new and exciting shoots and content.
The latest competition from Bridge Classic Cars, our 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10, has been featured in the East Anglian Daily Times recently.
Previously, our 1948 Morris Minor MM Lowlight was featured in an article by EADT and was won by Matthew Sugden who is an Ipswich local! So, with this competition, the team at EADT have run the story of how we’re giving someone the chance to own one of the most iconic supercars of the 1990s for just a few pounds.
You can get your tickets here or read the full article here.
The 1984 Lada 1200 is in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop for the teams to carry out several jobs on.
Firstly, the team have fully serviced the classic Lada before performing a complete and thorough inspection of the car. During that, they found the top tank on the radiator had split and was causing a coolant leak.
Next, they noted several rubber bushes including the ball joint rubbers have split or perished.
While under the car, our technician Jon replaced the steering idler while replacing the split ball joint rubbers and then removing the seat which was taken upstairs to our in-house trim shop to be repaired.
While the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have been working on the mechanical side of the 1984 Lada 1200, our in-house trim shop took the opportunity to repair one of the seats.
The rear of the seat base had developed several tears in the material, so our trimmer Lydia began by removing the seat cover and inspecting the damage. While apart, Lydia put a new layer of modern foam on top of the seat foam for added comfort.
Then, using small pieces from the underside of the seat she carefully put them into place covering the holes while also repairing some of the piping that surrounds the base.
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on stripping back more interior pieces from the 1958 Jensen 541R.
Lydia, one of our trimmers, has carefully been taking apart the original pieces all the way back to their core components in order to inspect and assess the structure underneath. Each of the pieces was taken off and visually checked over individually.
The restoration workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been working on getting the various mounts, brackets and hinges into place on the 1956 Jensen 541.
To begin with, our technician Rob made new arch filler panels which bridge the gap between the frame and the fibreglass body, blending the two together for strength and alignment.
Then, he could turn his attention to the various hinges around the classic GT car. At the front, Rob made a new strengthening bracket which sits behind the fibreglass for the bonnet hinges. The brackets are welded into the firewall and chassis for rigidity and to take the load of the one-piece clamshell bonnet.
At the rear, the workshop team mounted the boot hinges in place and use the boot lid for mock-up to adjust the placement of hinges to make sure the panel fitment is just right for the car.
Just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ is this wonderful 1968 Morris Mini 850 MkII with an incredible story.
The car is coming in for our restoration teams to inspect and assess the entire car to compile their condition reports on the car – checking everything mechanical and aesthetic.
The story of this car is brilliant:
The car is one of 90 believed to still be on the road from the 206,000 Morris Mini MkII’s built.
Built on the 20th of June 1968, by the 26th of that month the car was on its way to C D Hay & Son in Cyprus for its new owner where the car would spend the next 41 years. In 1974, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the car was locked away until being uncovered in 2015 where it was then handed over to a restoration specialist on the island to bring back to its former glory.
Due to it being hidden away not long after its build, the MkII still has its original, matching numbers 850cc engine and gearbox to this day – Leading us to believe the displayed 10,354 miles are genuine.
In 2017, the beautiful little MkII was brought back to the UK.
The morning began with a haze. The rain from the night had settled into a fine mist as the team arrived at The Hangar. As the early morning sun rose higher, and the cars made their way out of the ex-aircraft hangar the stillness was broken by the sound of friends.
Friends driving everything from the latest supercars to the most humble of pre-war saloons and everything imaginable in between.
The crowds grew larger as the blanket of rain eased off and row upon row was filled with eclectic machines. This was the starting point for the 2022 Bridge Classic Cars Classic & Sports Car & Bike Show.
Our friends, which came out in their masses, walked around and checked out not just our own cars but others. Familiar faces greeted new arrivals bringing them into the community which sits at the core of all petrolheads. The clock got closer to 10 AM, the point at which all of us would leave the airforce base start point on a 13-mile tour of the surrounding areas towards the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at Pettistree where the rest of the team excitedly awaited their arrival.
As the line of cars stretched as far as the eyes could see in either direction, the Pettistree team organised everyone into their spaces.
Dozens of neat rows stretched either side of the main entrance, and as far back as possible. The mixture of cars coming through the front gates was a wonderful sight, people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to celebrate the simple cause of everything automotive.
As our friends milled and ambled their way through the countless dozens of cars – The energy ramped up towards our workshop where the party was happening. The team had organised the amazing Powters to handle the food and coffee while the incredible Three Chordettes supplied the soundtrack to everyone’s morning.
The weather came in dribs and drabs but it didn’t change the atmosphere. The constant wave of people going through our workshops to talk to our restoration teams about things we’re doing or questions they had settled into a rhythm. The streams of people looking around our competitions building at our latest competitions created a buzz and extra excitement in the air.
Throughout the day, more cars came and went with the top fields and the concrete pads always filled with the sound of engines and the smell of slightly overrich carburettors.
Our shows are always a highlight of our year. In recent years, due to world events, we have missed being able to have all of our friends in one place. Since coming back last year, the Classic & Sports Car & Bike Show has grown from strength to strength with this year being the biggest attendance of all the years we’ve been doing it.
The whole team at Bridge Classic Cars would like to thank each and every person who came out to display, support or enjoy. We can’t wait to see you all next year!
Take a look at the full Official Gallery below:
Also, check out the various Instagram stories from our friends!
Recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ deep in the heart of the Suffolk countryside is this glorious 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco Storm.
The classic water-cooled VW has come in to be fully inspected and assessed by the team restoration teams who will compile their report on the classic coupe and report back.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco Storm very soon.
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on getting a few bits and pieces from the 1968 MG B GT in the right place.
The team have adjusted the door on the classic MG to perfectly line up on the request of the owner. Our technician Jon has got the two pieces of trim to meet perfectly and look uniform down the flanks of the classic sports car.
From there, Jon could move on to to replacing some of the rubber bushes in the suspension of the classic MG B. These had perished and begun to split, so were replaced.
The owner had noted the exhaust was hanging very low on the car. Upon inspection, Jon had found the exhaust itself was in good condition but the mounts and hangers had been fitted incorrectly on the car previously. After rectifying the problem, the exhaust was now neatly tucked up underneath the car.
As part of the wiring clean-up on the 1979 Porsche 911, the Bridge Classic Cars team have replaced a set of relays in the classic aircooled 911.
The team noticed the relays which control the horn on the 911 were intermittently working, so new ones were placed on order and fitted to the car as part of the wiring work the team have been doing to the car before it heads to its new home.
On test, all was working on the car after the replacements were fitted.
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been methodically fitting the new chrome trim around the roof and windows of the 1968 MG B GT.
Carefully, our technician Jon removed the old chrome trims from the car keeping them complete to use as reference. Systematically he worked his way around the sides of the car to remove them from the car and then once everything was off the car, cleaned up any debris which had gone into the cabin.
After that, he could begin to fit the new set of trims and making sure the all-important slip-clips lined up perfectly on the classic sports car.
The time had come. As the glorious 8-litre V10 fired into life, the rapturous noise bouncing off the walls of the legendary Bentwaters Hush House you could feel the excitement of the team build.
It was finally time, to shoot our latest competition – the legendary 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10.
After being inspected by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and cleared for filming, it was taken over to our secure storage facility, The Hangar, for the team to start work.
The Hush House, an old engine testing facility on the base, has been the background for several of our own photoshoots as well as a basis for photoshoots by major racing teams and manufacturers. The 2022 Williams F1 livery was revealed with the images of their F1 car in its extractor tunnel.
As Freddie, eased the Viper into the tunnel, the noise only grew in its ferocity and volume. The team then got the car perfectly into position before filming the all-important reveal sequence, giving you the first glimpses of this 1990s supercar icon. From there, Craig along with Freddie, eased the car down the ramps and out of the tunnel to get everything set up to let the Viper stretch its legs on the ex-American Air Base.
As Craig ran the Viper through the gears on the old turning circle, the supercar flexed its muscles. The sight and sound of this bedroom poster come to life was enough to have the whole team smiling as it accelerated past the camera car.
And now, it could be yours…
That’s right! Bridge Classic Cars are giving you the chance to own one of the rawest and most visceral supercars to have ever existed for just a few pounds. Head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website now and get your tickets for the 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10.
Or, to check out the full gallery and video have a look below!
The fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk restoration HQ have begun to look deeper into the corrosion on the bottom of the 1986 Daimler DS420.
The fabrication team began by cutting a section of the bottom of the Offside Rear Wing which had corroded on the bottom before removing the outer skin of the wing around the entire arch all the way down to the sill.
At the sill, they have trimmed back the outer sill to expose the inner structure to check for any corrosion or damage to that area.
The workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have begun the process of getting the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 following its in-house LHD conversion.
The trim team recently installed the carpet set into the floor of the classic GT car, and from there the workshop team could start to put the seats and all other pieces into the car. Along with that, they can start to align all the panels as part of its aesthetic work and finish off getting the trims and wiring/plumbing routed in the engine bay.
The paint and body team are working on refining the 2005 Suzuki Everyvan in with Bridge Classic Cars.
Our body and paint tech Alan has been reworking the panels of the tiny campervan to make sure everything lines up perfectly but also each pieces flows correctly into the next while fairing out some of the compound curves at the front of VW look-a-like.
Soon, the microbus will go into the paint booth to be refinished.
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been making good progress on the 1956 Jensen 541 at our Suffolk HQ for restoration.
To begin with, our technician Rob, has made and welded in the new seat mounts into the specially made chassis of the classic GT car and ground them smooth to blend them into the cross member.
After that, Rob could begin to adjustment refine the fitment of the doors by carefully reshaping the front and rear wings to achieve a uniform door gap on both sides of the car.
Our technician Jon has been carrying on with getting all the wiring of the 1979 Porsche 911 Targa finished up and ready to head off to its new home.
He has wired up the new washer pump (along with the new wipers) and tested them to make sure everything worked correctly and they cleared the screen properly.
Then, Jon could turn his attention to some of the lighting system. The team noted that the signal light for the fog lights wasn’t working correctly, so Jon carried out a small wiring repair to the circuit before testing it and making sure it worked correctly for the new owner.
The paint and body have been working on a small repair to the door of the 1984 Lada 1200.
After the panel itself had been fixed and prepared, the paint team could begin the delicate process of blending the repair back into the cream paint of the rest of the car.
For this, the team used our paint scanner to perfectly match the existing paintwork on the classic Lada. Then, using our paint mixing software our team feathered in the match paintwork to the car.
Recently, the Bridge Classic Cars team have been doing their training for their forklift license.
Earlier this week, it was time to actually take the test! Well, the team passed with flying colours and we can now use our new forklift to help with storage and moving restoration pieces around our various workshops.
As part of the pre-delivery work on the 1979 Porsche 911 Targa, the workshop team have cleaned up some of the unneeded wiring under the bonnet of the classic aircooled 911.
Jon, one of Bridge Classic Cars restoration technicians, has carefully gone through each wire and system from the main fuse box to check the harness but also remove any redundant wiring to simplify the cars electrical system for its new owner.
After chasing the loom through the car, Jon reformed a couple of small wiring repairs to the main harness before testing each system individually and checking for continuity throughout the car front to back.
The 1986 Daimler DS420 in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration has been in with our fabrication team to have its arches and sills repaired.
The team have begun the process of stripping back and removing any affected metal to a solid starting point to build out from. The first piece was replacing the wheel arch which had corroded before then moving rearward along the bottom of the classic limousine.
A new handmade patch panel, which was shaped to perfectly match the gentle flair at the bottom of the arch was carefully made and fitted onto the car.
As the team began to inspect and assess the sills of the DS420, they noted the corrosion was quite deep in some areas and would require the area to be repaired and built back up in stages to retain the rigidity of the car.
Working from the rear, the team have begun to cut away any affected areas to gain more access to inspect and repair the sills and channels.
Held in association with the Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiasts Club (SVEC). Over 7,000 people attended the 2021 festival.
Over 1000 vehicles attend, representing the last 10 decades of motoring history, including many from Britain’s motoring heyday – marques on display included Alvis, Bristol, Jensen, AC Riley, Armstong Sideley, Lea Francis, Crossley, BSA, Lagonda, Lanchester and Gordon Keeble. The oldest vehicle seen on display was a 1914 Ford Model T and the latest sports car models have included the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang’s as well as Ferraris’ and Porsche.
Bridge Classic Cars will be there! Pop by our stand to meet the team and take a look at our 1971 MG B Roadster which will be won that afternoon.
Start: 10AM
Finish: 5PM
