Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop is working flat out on multiple projects recently. So, we thought we would show you what our Suffolk HQ’s restoration workshop looks like at full capacity!
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their magic on the interior carpet in 1957 MG A Roadster. The carpet set on the 1957 MG A had areas where the binding had begun to separate and fray quite
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked on perfectly tailoring the new tonneau and hood cover for the 1932 Lagonda Tourer. To begin with, our trimmer Lydia made paper templates to create a rough pattern to work from
The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth for a key part of its restoration. The classic Aston Martin has now been painted in its final colour! The team have spent hours
The 1978 MG B GT is having some of the final stages of its metal work carried out by the restoration workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. Rob, one of our technicians, has carefully been cutting out the corroded areas
The Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop have worked on repairing the inner sill and frame of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible in with us at our Suffolk HQ. The team have worked on removing the corrosion from the key structural
The 1961 Austin Healey 3000 in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have had its work completed by our restoration workshop. Our technicians have fitted up the reconditioned wiper motor under the scuttle/dash of the classic Austin Healey. After it was
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the 1968 Morris Minor Van at our Suffolk HQ. Firstly, the car was fully serviced and the valves and tappets were adjusted to specification. After this, the team began
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the 1991 Nissan Figaro but this time, underneath it. The team have been tasked with some work needed on the brakes and suspension of the classic Nissan. Firstly, the
The team at Bridge Classic Cars recently spotted a collection of vintage Alvis’s at Ufford Park, close to our Suffolk HQ. Although the weather wasn’t ideal, it’s always a beautiful sight to see such a group of vintage pre-war cars
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of stripping down the body of the 1986 Daimler DS420 ahead of its restoration. It was noted during the trim and component removal that there were some
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their magic on the 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo in with us for some paint repairs. The team began by sanding back the area where the scratches were. Taking the
The gorgeous 1961 Austin Healey 3000 has arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for the team to carry out a relatively small job on the classic sports car. The car has come in for the team to replace the
Just arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster. The classic Jaguar is in for our workshop team to carry out a series of jobs on the car. Firstly the
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the foldable roof on the 1991 Nissan Figaro at our Suffolk HQ. To begin with, the team had to remove the old roof from the rails and mechanisms.
The breath-taking 1932 Lagonda Tourer has arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration teams to begin work on the car. The first team will be our in-house trim shop, which has been tasked with hand-making a tonneau
The 1972 Chevrolet El Camino is back with Bridge Classic Cars following a small leak from its automatic gearbox. The El Camino recently had work done to its transmission by our trusted automatic gearbox specialists so when the owner called
The Lotus Elan – An iconic piece of British design which has inspired and helped to form its competition since its introduction in 1962. Lotus is known for lightweight, nimble and beautifully handling sports cars which the Elan has come
The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been continuing with the metal repairs to the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration. The team have been working on the right-hand side of the car to remove the
The 1963 Morris LD which has been at Bridge Classic Cars for our workshop team to do carry out some mechanical reconditioning work, is having the final few jobs ticked off its list. The team have been working underneath the
This beautiful 1991 Nissan Figaro arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ just before the Bank Holiday weekend. The classic Nissan has come in for our interior trim team to take a look at the
The bodyshell of the 1975 Jensen Interceptor Mk3 has arrived back at our restoration workshops after being sent away for ProStripping. After a series of chemical treatments, the bodyshell has been stripped off all loose corrosion and any fillers or
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars are continuing their work on the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration by the team at our Suffolk HQ. The trim team have been carefully dismantling the interior
The 2007 Jaguar XKR and 1985 Porsche 911 have left the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ bound for their new homes with their excited new owners. The cars were collected and delivered straight to the doorsteps of
Last night, Bridge Classic Cars went to find out who the lucky new owner of our 1980 Supercharged Mini Van was. At 7PM live on our Facebook page, we welcomed our followers watching along to our competition build which houses
With the workshop team focusing their attention on the teardown of the 1986 Daimler DS420, the team have begun the process of stripping down the internals of the doors and the wiring in the classic Daimler. The team began by
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars is starting the journey of stripping back the interior on the 1954 Bristol 405 as it begins its restoration across our various departments. Brian, one of our trimmers, has been working on carefully
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have sealed the inner wings of the 1987 Daimler Double Six which is in for restoration. The team sealed the inner wings using a product called Raptorguard. This is a hard
The 1985 Porsche 911 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to have the last small bits and pieces done on the car before it is delivered to its new owner. The workshop team have gone through the process
This 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee will soon be arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Once it arrives, the team will carry out the full inspection and then… this may become our new tow vehicle! Keep a look out on
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop is working flat out on multiple projects recently. So, we thought we would show you what our Suffolk HQ’s restoration workshop looks like at full capacity!
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their magic on the interior carpet in 1957 MG A Roadster.
The carpet set on the 1957 MG A had areas where the binding had begun to separate and fray quite badly. So, our in-house trim team have stepped in to get it looking better.
The team have replaced the binding around the edges of the carpet as well as sewing a new set of floor rubbers into place.
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked on perfectly tailoring the new tonneau and hood cover for the 1932 Lagonda Tourer.
To begin with, our trimmer Lydia made paper templates to create a rough pattern to work from before was transferred onto black vinyl as part of the drafting process. This allowed the trim team to refine the pieces more and more until it was a perfect fit across the interior and the hood frame of the classic Lagonda.
With these templates now where the team needed to be, they can work on creating the final pieces for the beautiful pre-war tourer.
The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth for a key part of its restoration. The classic Aston Martin has now been painted in its final colour!
The team have spent hours preparing the beautiful 1950s GT for this stage of the work to make sure every surface, panel and piece of the car is in perfect shape. Once the team had built up the colour layer by layer, it was then left in our oven to cure completely before it will be moved into our preparation bay to begin colour-sanding.
This is a huge step in the project and we’re excited to show you the next stages of the paintwork on the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI.
The 1978 MG B GT is having some of the final stages of its metal work carried out by the restoration workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars.
Rob, one of our technicians, has carefully been cutting out the corroded areas of the bodyshell to be replaced with hand-made and high-quality patch panels from specialists.
Rob has replaced the area in the rear drivers side pillar which at the base has corroded all the way through itself. For this, he made sure to inspect the piece entirely and form a panel which will fit tightly and also add strength into the area before welding it in.
Then, he could move onto the rear quarter panel. This had a few areas requiring work, some with small handmade patches and others (like the forward section) having high-quality sourced replacements installed into the bodyshell.
The Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop have worked on repairing the inner sill and frame of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible in with us at our Suffolk HQ.
The team have worked on removing the corrosion from the key structural areas of the classic Morris Minor with this stage focusing on the drives side rear inner sills and sections of the frame. The work began with carefully removing the affected areas and inspecting just how far the corrosion went into the underside of the Morris Minor.
Piece by piece, the areas were removed and carefully repaired with new replacement or handmade panels to make sure the underside of the convertible was structurally sound and safe.
The 1961 Austin Healey 3000 in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have had its work completed by our restoration workshop.
Our technicians have fitted up the reconditioned wiper motor under the scuttle/dash of the classic Austin Healey.
After it was installed and the various mechanisms hooked up to the arms and tested, all was ok.
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the 1968 Morris Minor Van at our Suffolk HQ.
Firstly, the car was fully serviced and the valves and tappets were adjusted to specification. After this, the team began to test the classic Morris Minor. Then, upon further inspection further tasks were found.
Firstly, the team discovered a small oil leak coming from the front cover. This was removed from the front of the engine and inspected on the bench for any distortion or cracks which could cause the cover to not seal correctly. Looking further, the team discovered there was a leak coming from the front main seal of the 1000cc engine so a new one was ordered and the front cover’s gasket was stripped back and all the surfaces prepared.
The team also noticed a small issue with the carburettors on the classic Morris. After removing the needle, our team found some corrosion on the end on the needle which was causing the running issue so that was rectified and put back into the carburettor.
The team also replaced several radiator hoses as part of the new heater valve fitted to the back of the engine before the front of the Morris Minor was all put back together.
The car was then thoroughly road tested and inspected by the team who were happy to report all the issues had been resolved.
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the 1991 Nissan Figaro but this time, underneath it.
The team have been tasked with some work needed on the brakes and suspension of the classic Nissan.
Firstly, the team have replaced both rear shock absorbers due to the shock bodies themselves leaking. Then, they could turn their attention to the brakes on the car. Firstly, the rear brake shoes were replaced and adjusted before the team moved on to replacing the front brake pads.
Lastly, the team replaced one of the front lower arms.
The team at Bridge Classic Cars recently spotted a collection of vintage Alvis’s at Ufford Park, close to our Suffolk HQ.
Although the weather wasn’t ideal, it’s always a beautiful sight to see such a group of vintage pre-war cars gathered and especially so local to us here!
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of stripping down the body of the 1986 Daimler DS420 ahead of its restoration.
It was noted during the trim and component removal that there were some areas of corrosion on the body of the classic Daimler so the team have begun to look into just how far these extend and the repairs needed.
There is also evidence of previous damage repair to the near side rear door which will need to be addressed by the team as part of the car’s journey with ourselves.
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their magic on the 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo in with us for some paint repairs.
The team began by sanding back the area where the scratches were. Taking the panel back to bare before building it back up with minimal filler. The majority of this was sanded away to create a perfectly smooth and flat surface to the team to prime ahead of paint.
Once the primer had cured, the car could be taken into the spray booth. The whole panel, which stretches from the rear quarter up and over the passenger door, was sanded back for the team to then shoot the colour matched paint.
This was blended into the existing paint for a perfectly seamless transition and looks incredible.
The gorgeous 1961 Austin Healey 3000 has arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for the team to carry out a relatively small job on the classic sports car.
The car has come in for the team to replace the wiper motor for the car.
But, it’s always lovely to have another one of these in our workshop.
Just arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster.
The classic Jaguar is in for our workshop team to carry out a series of jobs on the car. Firstly the car will be given a full service alongside a gearbox oil change to the upgrade 5-speed transmission. Then the team have been asked to replace both the differential oil and to drain and refill the coolant system for the V12.
The team will also carry out a full inspection and assessment on the E-Type for its owner and report back any of their findings.
Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the beautiful 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster.
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the foldable roof on the 1991 Nissan Figaro at our Suffolk HQ.
To begin with, the team had to remove the old roof from the rails and mechanisms. Also, the team had to remove the rear window which is bolted to the frame and folds down into the cubby with the covering.
Before removing the roof, the team masked up the edges so as to avoid any damage to the paint on the car.
Once everything had been removed and inspected, with several pieces cleaned up at the same time, the team could begin to get the new roof and window back into place. The rear window frame was bolted into the frame to act as a guide for the new soft roof covering to be test fit against.
The breath-taking 1932 Lagonda Tourer has arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration teams to begin work on the car.
The first team will be our in-house trim shop, which has been tasked with hand-making a tonneau cover for the classic pre-war Lagonda. The team have also been asked to create a bespoke hood envelope for the foldable roof of the car.
Then, it will be handed over to the paint and body team to address some scratches in the bodywork of the classic Lagonda.
Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the 1932 Lagonda Tourer.
The 1972 Chevrolet El Camino is back with Bridge Classic Cars following a small leak from its automatic gearbox.
The El Camino recently had work done to its transmission by our trusted automatic gearbox specialists so when the owner called to say he had discovered a small leak we got the classic American muscle car booked back in to have the transmission revisited by Automatic Transmissions in Essex.
The team loaded up the car onto the trailer and strapped it down ahead of its journey south.
The Lotus Elan – An iconic piece of British design which has inspired and helped to form its competition since its introduction in 1962.
Lotus is known for lightweight, nimble and beautifully handling sports cars which the Elan has come to personify. Beginning production in the early 1960s, the Elan became a favourite of enthusiasts and racers alike. Its single-minded approach to pure driving enjoyment is what has stood the test of time for generations of drivers.
The early cars were built at the old Cheshunt factory before the move to the birthplace of our 1972 Elan +2, the legendary Hethel. The base of operations for Lotus since 1966 where everything from the Elan to the brand new Emira and all-electric Evija hypercar is built.
The Elans were built deep in the Norfolk countryside in the earliest iteration of the Hethel facility. The cars, which were assembled in then modern workshops, were tested in and around Hethel to make sure they are up to the driving standards that were set for a Lotus, and that still remains true to this day. Each Lotus is taken out from final assembly to be driven around the in-house test track which also served as the test track of Formula 1 and GT racers all the way back to the 1960s.
But what makes the Elan so special and have a following which spans across the globe? With cars being recorded in over 30 different countries.
The fibreglass body sat atop a steel backbone which formed its chassis. This process, which began with the Elan, would be the order of business for the next 30 years in Lotus road car production. This simple but effective way of creating a driving platform, allowed its creators (including the legendary Colin Chapman) to work on developing what many have claimed to be the benchmark of sports car handling.
The Elan’s 4-wheel independent suspension was paired with a 4 wheel disc brake set up to keep the beautiful twin-cam engined sports car settled and confident. The steering on the Elan was so legendary in fact, it has been set as the standard against which some truly incredible machines have been measured. Light and talkative, the steering in the Elan is just what you would want in a small, fun British sports car.
Such a machine has to be experienced to be understood. The lightness of touch, the purpose of expression and the visceral feeling of being at one with a car.
And, you could still win it! Click here to enter the Bridge Classic Cars 1972 Lotus Elan +2 competition.
The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been continuing with the metal repairs to the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration.
The team have been working on the right-hand side of the car to remove the areas of corrosion to key parts of the bodyshell. This begun with cutting out the corrosion at the rear of the car in the valance. These were cut out of the car to create new templates for replacements, so the team could make the new pieces as close as possible to the originals.
Then the team could move on the car’s windshield pillars which had areas of corrosion at their base. This was peeled back to expose just how in-depth it had gone into the piece before the team replaced it.
Along with this, some pieces at the top of the inner wing was also replaced due to corrosion and to allow for the best fitment of the new wings which have been test fitted to the body to check alignment.
The 1963 Morris LD which has been at Bridge Classic Cars for our workshop team to do carry out some mechanical reconditioning work, is having the final few jobs ticked off its list.
The team have been working underneath the classic Morris van to fit up all the new hydraulic lines to the wheel cylinders and installed the new clutch slave cylinder before hooking the metal pipework to that component to complete the circuit. The whole system was then bled and checked before the team could move on to another job.
Next, the team made new mounts for the wiper motors. These were installed in place with the switch hooked back up and tested.
Finally, before taking the classic van on a road test the team noticed the speedometer cable wasn’t working as it should. Upon inspection, the team noted an internal break in the cable itself. The original speedo cable was coiled up and on the customers request, not replaced.
With all of this work now complete, it was time for the wonderful Morris LD to head back home with its owner.
This beautiful 1991 Nissan Figaro arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ just before the Bank Holiday weekend.
The classic Nissan has come in for our interior trim team to take a look at the retractable roof on the car to get it sorted for the owner.
After its inspection and assessment, the team will get to work on making this wonderful Figaro as good as new.
The bodyshell of the 1975 Jensen Interceptor Mk3 has arrived back at our restoration workshops after being sent away for ProStripping.
After a series of chemical treatments, the bodyshell has been stripped off all loose corrosion and any fillers or sealants for the team to inspect and assess the pure condition of the classic Jensen GT car.
ProStripping is the best way to safely remove any damaged areas as it does not have the impact or abrasion of media-blasting and allows the liquids to get into every area of the bodyshell to work its magic.
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars are continuing their work on the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration by the team at our Suffolk HQ.
The trim team have been carefully dismantling the interior of the classic Bristol in order to inspect and assess its condition and a plan for its restoration.
Once the team had stripped back the entire piece, they could see the condition of the framework underneath and support brackets. While the wooden frames will need attention, the metal brackets were in good enough shape for the team to sandblast and paint them in gloss black to renew them for the project. The foam will also be replaced along with the coverings which are being catalogued and stored for reference later in the project.
The 2007 Jaguar XKR and 1985 Porsche 911 have left the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ bound for their new homes with their excited new owners.
The cars were collected and delivered straight to the doorsteps of the winners.
We want to wish both of them many happy miles and years with their dream classics.
Last night, Bridge Classic Cars went to find out who the lucky new owner of our 1980 Supercharged Mini Van was.
At 7PM live on our Facebook page, we welcomed our followers watching along to our competition build which houses all of our competition cars and a couple of our personal cars and finished restoration projects. To begin with, we began our live stream from the inside of our new 1993 Land Rover Defender 90.
Then, Hayley and Freddie took everyone around the various cars which are held inside the building at our Suffolk HQ. Including the beautiful Saffron Yellow 1973 Triumph TR6 and the 1972 Lotus Elan +2. Of course, we couldn’t miss out on the car everyone was there for, the 1980 Supercharged Mini Van.
After the look around, it was time to find out who the new owner of this tiny terror was. The competition had sold out the day before so the entry list, as with all of our entry lists, is pre-published on our website for all to see. With 4999 tickets, we fired up the Random Number Generator.
With the parameters set, with one click of a button the fate of the Mini was sealed.
Its new owner was Peter with ticket 4529.
The team will give the Mini its pre-delivery inspection and one final check over before it is delivered straight to Peter.
Check out the live draw below:
With the workshop team focusing their attention on the teardown of the 1986 Daimler DS420, the team have begun the process of stripping down the internals of the doors and the wiring in the classic Daimler.
The team began by removing the lights and trims of the car so as to disconnect the wiring to these particular pieces for the purpose of removing the wiring harness from the car. Once these pieces were clear, the team could turn their attention to removing the door jam mechanisms and bonnet/boot latches.
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars is starting the journey of stripping back the interior on the 1954 Bristol 405 as it begins its restoration across our various departments.
Brian, one of our trimmers, has been working on carefully picking apart the hundreds (if not thousands) of small brass tacks which hold the material to the frames of the classic Bristol seats. Inch by inch, the material is freed from its bindings and once it has been completely undone, it is folded and stored ready to be catalogued and stored for reference.
Once each piece is stripped back, the team can assess the condition of the foam and adhesives, also inspecting any of the delicate frameworks which make up the seats for the rare saloon car. Every single piece of the interior is being carefully looked at and noted to build up the best picture for the plan moving forward during the car’s restoration.
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have sealed the inner wings of the 1987 Daimler Double Six which is in for restoration.
The team sealed the inner wings using a product called Raptorguard. This is a hard wearing urethane which will protect the inner arches and wing of the car from absorbing moisture from any dirt collected inside the panel. This is something we do on most of our restorations to protect the longevity of the pieces and ultimately the car itself.
The 1985 Porsche 911 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to have the last small bits and pieces done on the car before it is delivered to its new owner.
The workshop team have gone through the process of removing the original dust covers from the back of the brakes on the classic 911. These had corroded and begun to split, and are not a safety-related item for the car so the team have worked on getting them removed from the car. Replacement dust covers have been ordered and will be fitted to the car before it leaves our workshop bound for its new home.
This 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee will soon be arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Once it arrives, the team will carry out the full inspection and then… this may become our new tow vehicle!
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates.
