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Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

Before and After – New vs Old Carpets in the 1952 MG TD

March 31, 2022

With the brand new carpet set fitted into the 1952 MG TD, we thought we would show you a comparison of the original carpets and the hand-made set made by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop.

Each of these pieces was individually cut and finished by our team and fit into the car to get the best fit and finish possible, as we have with all of our interior work.

Home Time – The 1965 Porsche 912 Paint Finished Ahead of It Heading Home

March 30, 2022

The paintwork of the 1965 Porsche 912 in the Bridge Classic Cars Paintshop is now complete!

With our part of this fantastic restoration project complete, it’s time for the classic air-cooled Porsche to head off for final assembly. The car arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop a few months ago, with a mismatch of different coloured panels which our in-house paint team have spent many hours correcting and perfecting. Alan, one of our painters, headed up the project and saw the car from its first steps into the preparation area to it being rolled out to be loaded into our enclosed transporter.

To mark this amazing project, we’ve put together a small gallery showing everything from the very beginning.

Headed Home – Team C Racing Mini Shell Heading Back for Final Build

March 30, 2022

The Team C Racing Mini has been completed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop and is headed back home to Team C for final assembly.

The Innocenti Mini arrived at our workshops a few weeks ago and has had many hours of work put into it in order to get it looking absolutely perfect for the project. The car has even had the underside of the shell completely prepared and treated with tint matched Raptor Guard to protect it from the elements.

It’s sad to see some of our projects leave us but this one has been a pleasure. And, there’ll be a new Team C Racing Mini for the Bridge Classic Cars team to start work on soon.

First Colour – 1969 Bentley T1 has First Round of Colour

March 30, 2022

The beautiful and elegant 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth to have its first layers of paint applied.

Chris and the paint team have worked hard to get the body of the classic Bentley into perfect shape before it headed into our paint booth. The Bentley is being repainted in the original Sage Green, which has been hand-matched by our paint department to get the colour just as it would have originally been done back in the late 1960s.

With this round of painting complete, the car will be taken into the preparation area and prepared to be finished.

Third Donation – Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal TVR S2

March 30, 2022

The latest round of DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal donations has been sent off from Bridge Classic Cars Competitions to directly help those affected by the recent invasion.

As many know, the car was donated by previous winner Jar Joyce to help fundraise for the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. So far, we have raised over £27,000 which will be used to help those affected and displaced by the conflict unfolding around them.

And you can help, by entering our 1989 TVR S2 competition. 100% of the proceeds of this competition will be donated weekly to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. You can enter now by clicking here!

More New Pieces – Handmade Pieces for the Interior of the 1952 MG TD

March 30, 2022

The interior of the 1952 MG TD had had several more hand-made pieces crafted by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop.

Lydia and Brian have been working on completely replacing the carpet set in the classic MG with new material in the closest colour possible to the original. Each of the pieces for the car has been measured and made from the original pieces as a template in order to achieve the best fit. Countless times each individual part was test fit into the car before being hand edged and bound.

Redone – Renewing the Carpet on the 1952 MG TD

March 30, 2022

The amazing trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on removing and renewing the interior of the 1952 MG TD.

Brian and Lydia have carefully stripped back the old interior of the car to make way for the handmade replacement that will be installed. Lydia has been remaking the carpeted gearbox tunnel section with its green leather handbrake cover incorporated into the actual piece itself.

Along with this is all new backings and edging to get the interior of the 1952 MG TD looking just right.

Painted – The Heater Box of the 1970 Bristol 411 Painted

March 30, 2022

The modified heater box of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be refinished.

Mauro has worked on getting the heater box prepared and then thoroughly cleaned down before each individual piece was hung in the spray booth and sprayed in durable black ready to be reinstalled in the engine bay of the left-hand drive converted Bristol 411.

Mirror Image – 1965 Porsche 912 First Polish

March 29, 2022

The 1965 Porsche 912 has just had its first polishing session completed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint team. With it in such great shape, we thought we would pull it outside and get some photos of just how good the Polo Red paintwork looks in the light.

Alan, one of our paint technicians, has been hard at work getting the glorious red paint inside and out to look absolutely perfect. Through several rounds of colour sanding and polishing, the body of this classic Porsche looks incredible. And, there are still a couple more rounds of polishing to go!

Keep a lookout on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the beautiful 1965 Porsche 912 very soon.

Visit – Friends from Holland Drop In at Bridge Classic Cars

March 29, 2022

It’s always nice when friends of Bridge Classic Cars drop in at the restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ. This time, it was our friend Hans who had his vintage Opel truck fully laden with all manner of pre-war goodies.

Hans was on his way back to Holland to organise having all his recent acquisitions shipped onto New Zealand. He had an Austin 7 body, 1920s Rolls Royce Body, Pre-War touring frame and a very early engine from a Standard to name but a few gems strapped down in the back of the Opel.

A lot of our friends at Bridge Classic Cars are true enthusiasts through and through, it’s always a pleasure and a joy to see them and what they turn up in!

Featured – Bridge Classic Cars Competitions in the Daily Mail

March 29, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars Competitions was recently featured in the Motoring section of the national newspaper, The Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail featured our beautiful 1966 Jaguar MkII and Ukraine Appeal 1989 TVR S2 to explain just what we do giving everyone the chance of owning their dream classic car for a few pounds.

Handmade – Replacement Grilles for Jensen 541

March 29, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars is excited to announce that we can now supply beautifully hand-made stainless steel Jensen 541 front grille replacements.

These are handmade to exactly match the openings and shape of the original grilles of the car. The replacement grilles offered by Bridge Classic Cars are uncut and come without any supports or bracketry, these will need to be transferred over from the original pieces or mocked up on the car itself to ensure the best possible fit.

Finished in high-grade stainless steel, these pieces will remain bright and vibrant for longer than regular steel. A beautiful finishing touch to any Jensen 541 restoration.

Recent Visit – Winner of the 1952 MG TD Visits the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop

March 29, 2022

The recent winner of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions 1952 MG TD stopped by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to check out his new car.

Alan and his partner Danusia made the trip from just North of London to our Suffolk HQ to have a look a the classic MG which Alan had won on the previous live draw but also to try out the fitment of the car. The TD’s aren’t the most spacious of cars and with Alan being well over 6ft tall he wanted to double-check he could actually fit in his new classic.

After meeting Gordon, our director, who showed him around the car Alan tried out his 1952 MG TD for the first time. And unfortunately, he didn’t fit in the car. So, we are advising him on what to do with his new car and benefits both himself and the beautiful car.

Collection Day – Collecting the 1959 Jensen 541R

March 29, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars team took a trip over the weekend to head north and collect the 1959 Jensen 541R from its resting place and bring it back to our Suffolk HQ.

It was an early start with our new van hitched up to our enclosed trailer to make the journey to the north of England to collect the most recent of our 541’s. This car was offered to us for sale because of our long-running history of restoring the Jensen 541 family to the very highest of standards.

Once the team had reached the home of the 541R, and some seriously skilful trailer driving by our director Gordon, the car was carefully pulled out of its garage and out into the open for the first time in several years. The car is remarkably complete with most of the pieces removed from the classic sports car stored back inside the body.

Gordon and Eva inch by inch loaded the 541R into the enclosed trailer, safely secured it and then began the long journey back home with the latest addition to the Bridge Classic Cars family.

Behind the Scenes – Shooting our 1974 Alfa Romeo Series 2 Spider

March 29, 2022

The beautiful 1974 Alfa Romeo Series 2 Spider is the latest car from Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and it’s recently been out for its photoshoot after being given a clean bill of health from the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop.

The weather was perfect for capturing this iconic 1970s Italian convertible in its natural habitat, revving happily along in the bright sunshine. As Hayley got behind the wheel and fired up the fabulous 1.8-litre twin-cam 4 cylinder, the soundtrack matched the visuals. The car pulled away down the runway towards its photoshoot location.

The engine pulled strong and revved away to itself underneath the sun. It wasn’t just Hayley smiling while around this stunning Alfa Romeo, the rest of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions car couldn’t help but be pulled in by its charm and character.

This will be available to enter on the 29th March 2022 over on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions Website which you can get by clicking here!

This Just In – 1974 MGB GT V8

March 29, 2022

This stunning 1974 MGB GT V8 has just arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ.

The car has come for various bits and pieces such as an oil change for both the engine and gearbox, a coolant flush and an MOT. But the team have also been asked to have a look into some electrical issues with the car which cause the car to suddenly lose power.

The team will look into the electrical issue to begin with on the car and assess the entire car to make sure everything is 100% on such an iconic classic sports car for its owner.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the 1974 MGB GT V8.

Nostalgia – 1957 MGA Roadster in the 2000 Monte Challenge

March 28, 2022

We’ve been sent in these amazing photos of our 1957 MGA Roadster as part of its previous life.

The car took part in the Monte Challenge, a classic rally much in the spirit of the original Monte Carlo rally organised by the CRA but now part of the HERO calendar of classic car events.

The results postings for the 2000 edition show that number 47, the number was worn by our 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster, was run by Philip Swain and Frank Lyons in the 2000 edition of the rally. From this results book, we can see that the car managed 45th place overall with a little over 2hrs in accumulated penalties.

It’s always amazing to see the lives of some of the cars in our care before they found their way to us here at Bridge Classic Cars and seeing an MGA used in the way they would have been in period.

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Remember, you can send in your classic car stories! Drop us an email with some photos and your story to marketing@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk

New Van – Our Brand New 2022 Vauxhall Vivaro

March 28, 2022

It’s not every day at Bridge Classic Cars that we get new things! But on Friday we got our brand new Van.

It’s a 2022 Vauxhall Vivaro which is going to be used by our in-house transport team alongside our enclosed transport trailer for collecting and delivering the amazing projects and competition cars that we have come in and out of our Suffolk restoration workshops.

We’re looking forward to getting to know more about our new workhorse!

Coming Soon – 1999 Alfa Romeo Twin Spark

March 28, 2022

Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this beautiful 1999 Alfa Romeo Twin Spark Spider heading to us all the way from Europe!

The car will be completely checked over and assessed by the in-house team here at Bridge Classic Cars and they will compile their reports on it.

Keep an eye out here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more very soon on the beautiful modern classic Alfa Romeo Spider.

Industry News – Barons Auctions Moves to Online

March 28, 2022

Good friends of Bridge Classics Cars, Barons Auctions have recently announced a slight change in the way they will be conducting auctions in the future.

Barons will be changing to a live online auction platform from their new facility near Southampton. The new system will allow bids to be placed either online or by phone, which also allows commission bids. The schedule for their auctions remains on the last Friday of every month as it did at the original Sandown Park location.

It’s always been a pleasure for Bridge Classic Cars to attend their auctions as both a seller and buyer so we wish them all the very best of luck with this exciting new format of classic car auctioneering.

Old & New – Finishing the Front Seats and Stripping the Rear Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

March 25, 2022

The interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop to have the front seats completed and begin the strip-down of the rear seat.

The front seats for the Jensen 541 have been completed and finished in a beautiful bright shade of red. Lydia has meticulously been working on getting these seats into the incredible shape that you see here completely from scratch.

With the front seats complete, the trim team could begin carefully dismantling the fragile rear seat to use as a template for the brand new rear seats being made. Every piece of the rear seat had to be slowly unpicked in order to preserve each panel to be used later on in the process.

Prepped and Ready – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL Masked and Ready for Paint

March 25, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had all its fabrication work completed by the fabrication team at Bridge Classic Cars and been moved into the paint preparation area.

The car has had several crucial pieces of the car’s metalwork repaired by the fabrication shop. The paint and body team then worked on getting the car reprepared for the spray booth by sanding down the panels and masking the car ready for its date with the spray booth.

This Just In – 1985 Jaguar Sovereign Double Six

March 25, 2022

This beautiful 1985 Jaguar Sovereign Double Six has just arrived at the Suffolk restoration workshops at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ.

The car has been amazingly cared for by its previous owners but will be completely inspected and assessed by the in-house restoration teams to see if there is anything that this big classic Jaguar needs or wants for.

Remove and Repair – Repairing the Dash and Centre Console of the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier

March 25, 2022

The dashboard and centre console of the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier have been removed from the car and taken up the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop for repairs to begin on the pieces.

Brian carefully dismantled the pieces to perform the repairs needed. A lot of these issues were to do with the fitment and finish of the panels or inserts so mostly small adjustments or retrimming was needed but in other places, entire panels had to be remade and then retrimmed.

He entirely remade the centre console to take into the newly fitted USB socket for the classic Sunbeam. This was retrimmed in matching black vinyl to match the rest of the car.

Prepped and Ready – Painting the Bumpers and Interior of the 1965 Porsche 912

March 25, 2022

The bodyshell and bumpers for the 1965 Porsche 912 have gone back into the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be finished in matching Polo Red.

The bumpers have been finished in the same paint texture as the exterior of the body and will be lacquered and polished along with the body. The interior of the classic Porsche along with the front bonnet and rear engine bay will be finished in a heavy-duty coating called RaptorGuard.

The bumpers were first and were shot in the stunning, bright and vibrant red and once dried, taken out into the preparation area to cure.

The bodyshell was then taken into the paint booth to be primed and then shot in tinted raptor-guarded. Alan, one of our painters, worked on preparing the bodyshell to be finished in the heavy-duty coating. Once the primer had flashed off, Alan could begin to lay on the raptor-guard into the shell.

Support and Extend – Progress on the Left-Hand Drive Conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411

March 25, 2022

The left-hand drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been moving forward in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ.

Paul has worked on building a new bracket that changes the angle of the steering column. This is needed for the steering column to be at the correct orientation and angle to meet up with the pinion of the new steering rack.

The wiring behind the dash has also been worked on as part of the conversion. Paul has worked on extending several key parts of the dash harness since its move in the car. These have been carefully cut, soldered and protected for future use.

Teardown – Stripping and Inspecting the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible

March 25, 2022

The 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has been taken into the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop to begin its teardown and inspection.

The fabrication and restoration teams have been working alongside one another to get the classic Morris Minor taken apart to evaluate the overall condition of the car.

From what can be seen on the initial inspection, there are some areas of heavy corrosion. These will be further assessed by the team to come up with a plan to move forward with the car.

Ready for Paint – The 1969 Bentley T1 Ready for Colour

March 25, 2022

The 1969 Bentley T1 has entered the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth to begin its journey into colour.

Chris and the team in the Bridge Classic Cars body and paint shop have worked tirelessly to get the classic Bentley ready to go into the spray booth for the first layers of colour to be laid down.

The T1 will go through the process of several layers of colour before finishing work begins.

Expect to see much more on the beautiful 1969 Bentley T1 very soon.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1986 Ford Capri

March 25, 2022

Last night saw the draw of the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions prize, the 1986 Ford Capri Laser.

But, to change things up we decided to start it off a little bit differently. Those following along with Bridge Classic Cars Competitions will know that we also have just released our newest competition, a 2021 FB Mondial 300.

So, we had our friend and local motorcycle vlogger Karina (AKA Bike Like a Mum) ride it into our new building. This bike can be won along with £1000 to go towards either getting your license or new riding gear! You can enter the competition now just by clicking this link.

After Craig had a chat with Karina about her motorcycling story and go through some of the details on the bike, it was time to have a look round some of the other classics in our new Competitions building.

The 1966 Jaguar MkII and 1970 Morris Minor are scheduled to be won next Thursday with tickets still available on both. Along with that was an update on our 1989 TVR S2 competition in aid of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which as of last night went over the £25,000 mark with amazing support coming from all corners of not only the automotive media and industry but also from enthusiasts alike.

Then it was time for the main event, to find out who the lucky new owner of the 1986 Ford Capri Laser was. As with all of our competitions, once the ticket entries close at 630PM the entry lists are published ahead of the live stream at 7PM. Using the Google Random Number generator, Craig did some test runs to make sure that everything was working just as it should.

With that, Criag put in the parameters for the number generator and then with the click of a button and a whir of numbers, the future of the Capri was decided. 1384.

That was the ticket number selected by the random number generator. Cross referencing the pre-published entry list it was found to belong with Matthew Mitchell. The lucky new owner of the 1986 Ford Capri Laser.

Behind the Scenes – Photoshoot with the 2021 FB Mondial 300

March 24, 2022

The latest addition to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions line-up is this amazing 2021 FB Mondial 300. A retro-inspired sports bike that looks as good as it rides.

After being inspected by the workshop to check over each and every system on the bike, it was time to get it out to our filming location to get everything ready for the next competition.

This photoshoot was unique, in that it involved multiple riders. For this competition, we teamed up with the awesome Bike Like a Mum. Karina is a friend of Bridge Classic Cars who began her journey into the world of motorcycle riding and is documenting it across her social media channels.

Karina was the first rider. Although she had countless hours on her loyal 125cc, we got her to grab the 249cc sports bike by the scruff of the neck to film with. Throughout her time with the bike, she noted just how easy and long-legged this particular bike was and just how easy it was for a beginner rider to get to grips with and build up their confidence.

After that, it was time for Hayley’s turn on the FB Mondial 300. She jumped straight on and within a minute was comfortable with the motorbike to begin filming. During the shoot, Hayley also noted just how smooth and easy the bike feels going down the road for any rider of any experience.

Finally, our director Craig put his leathers on and had a go on the jet black retro-motorcycle down the runway of our filming location. And just like everyone who had ridden it, he came back smiling.

Check out Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website to enter now for this unique opportunity that Bridge Classic Cars Competitions is offering along with this gorgeous motorcycle.

Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.

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