Marketing Manager
Some of you may have seen the Houndstooth pattern on our limited edition T-shirts but do you know why we chose the iconic pattern which
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been finishing up their work on the 1991 Nissan Figaro’s roof. But, while they have access to
Bridge Classic Cars are in the Daily Mail! Our adverts have been up on the Daily Mail website recently for everyone in the UK to
One of our clients stopped by last week to catch up with the team and have a look over their project which is currently in
Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this trio of British classics! There’s a 1972 MG Midget, a 1969
The Bristol 405 restoration is on its way with our Trim Shop carrying out several bits of work on both the front and rear seats
The Bridge Classic Cars trim team have also focused on the trims in the 1957 MGA Roadster in our workshop. Over the years, several of
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have installed the all-important rear window rubber into place on the 1991 Nissan Figaro. The team have carefully
The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI has been moved into the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body preparation area for the team to being colour
The stunning dark silver 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop this morning for the team to work on. The striking
This is the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions car! This stunning 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12. It all began on a beautifully sunny day out in
Bridge Classic Cars have received our new tow vehicle! It’s a beautiful 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The car was prepared for us by local dealership
Leading Experts in Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance – East Anglia at the SME UK Enterprise Awards 2022. An amazing honour to have been selected.
We’ve been sent some incredible photos by the owner who commissioned our 1975 Tunda Green MG B Roadster of the car in France. The owner
With the competition selling out just before the draw time of 7PM, the Bridge Classic Cars team got together to find out who the lucky
The interior technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have recreated several key parts for the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405. To begin with, the team
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have worked with our body team to remove the collapsible roof on the 1986 Daimler
The workshop team have been working on making progress on the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona that is in our workshop. The team began work on
The freshly painted 1987 Daimler Double Six has been in the paint preparation area for the Bridge classic Cars paint and body team to begin
The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on completing the repairs to the bodyshell of the 1978 MG B GT in with
Bridge Classic Cars welcomed this 1997 Rover Mini to our Suffolk HQ. The classic Mini will be inspected and assessed by the various restoration teams
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have got the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI into the in-house paint booth for some of
The Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop has been working on the crucial repairs to the drivers side rear inner arch of the 1969 Morris Minor
The saying attached to Lotus and it’s core DNA, Simplify, and then add lightness. That is what the Lotus Elan personifies. The low slung, lightweight
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the restoration of the 1905 Riley 9HP at our Suffolk HQ. The magneto is the
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have performed the first test fit of the new driveshafts in our 1905 Riley 9HP. They have been fit
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on stripping down the front seats of the 1954 Bristol 405, in our Suffolk
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the final stages of the paint journey on the 1987 Daimler Double
The workshop team have been getting the new inner and outer sills fitted to the 1978 MG B GT which is in for restoration with
Some of you may have seen the Houndstooth pattern on our limited edition T-shirts but do you know why we chose the iconic pattern which has its roots going back over 1500 years and has been used in some of the most sought-after interiors? Well, we thought we would talk to you about it.
The history of houndstooth begins in Scotland with wool weavers in around 400AD. A little-known fact about the timeless pattern is that it’s apparently considered a form of tartan. Known as the ‘Border Tartan’, Houndstooth was connected to a band of settlers along the English/Scottish borders but is more widely associated with its boom in the late 19th-early 20th century. It’s also a form of camouflage! Being part of the inspiration for World War 1 dazzle paint schemes due to its angular and intersecting lines, it can make an object appear smaller or further away than it truly is.
But, where did it all start in terms of being used in modern fashion and ultimately in the interiors of some of legendary sports cars?
In the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, the Houndstooth pattern was adopted by the upper classes as a form of ”country clothing” alongside the ever-popular Prince of Wales Check and the now infamous Tweed. After somewhat falling from favour, in the late 1940s Christian Dior would use the historic pattern in a modern way which inspired others to find its uses and applications. Houndstooth would find its way from interior design, footwear and overwear for the next 25 years in high fashion across the world. This makes sense when you think about a certain German sports car maker who wanted a more modern interior for their newest model.
In terms of its use in car interiors, the first widely accepted use of the pattern (or actually a variation on the design) was by Porsche during the production of the 356. Porsche had a series of variants of the classic houndstooth look for their interiors. This series of Houndstooth styles would be used all the way from the 1950s until the early-1970s with the famous Pepita Recaro seats. The houndstooth style inserts for Porsche would see a massive resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s, with their ”Dazzle” patterns so synonymous with the decades of excess and statements.
Even to this day, a modern Porsche 992 can be ordered with a ”houndstooth” interior, harking back to its earliest days with the pattern gracing the seats of true driving machines. World-class artisans Singer Vehicle Design also has the ability for clients to spec their bespoke 911s with a houndstooth pattern in their own unique colour.
So there you have it, the history of Houndstooth and its role in the interiors of Porsches. And now, it’s part of our history too with our limited edition Houndstooth T-Shirts.
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been finishing up their work on the 1991 Nissan Figaro’s roof. But, while they have access to certain places they took the opportunity to get it all looking and fitting perfectly.
The team took the chance to clean up the rear window surround for the customer to blend into the new roof covering on the classic Nissan.
Now with this done, the car has been handed over to our Paint and Body team to begin machine polishing the car.
Bridge Classic Cars are in the Daily Mail! Our adverts have been up on the Daily Mail website recently for everyone in the UK to see that it is possible to win your dream car.
For your chance to win your dream classic, just head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website for your chance to enter now!
One of our clients stopped by last week to catch up with the team and have a look over their project which is currently in with our trim shop.
It’s always nice to see what else our clients have in their garages!
Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this trio of British classics!
There’s a 1972 MG Midget, a 1969 Morris Minor 1000 and a 1971 MG B GT which will all be coming for the in-house restoration teams to inspect and assess.
Keep a look out here on the news page very soon for more about these classics!
The Bristol 405 restoration is on its way with our Trim Shop carrying out several bits of work on both the front and rear seats for the classic 4 door saloon.
The Bridge Classic Cars trim team has remade the elastic webbing which sits beneath the front seats in the classic Bristol. These have been secured onto the refurbished seat bases and the hand-cut foams placed in to check for fitment and alignment.
Next, the team worked on repairing some of the wooden arches of the rear seats in the car. Our trimmer Brian carefully cut out some previous repairs from the piece to securely fix the piece ahead of moving onto to replacing some of the woodwork needed for around the cushion openings.
The Bridge Classic Cars trim team have also focused on the trims in the 1957 MGA Roadster in our workshop.
Over the years, several of the leather-wrapped trim panels in the classic sports car have begun to loose their adhesive and curl round to the front of the panels or began to fall away from them. So, the trim team have gone through each of the pieces to reglue and secure them adding that little extra touch to the amazingly storied interior of the car.
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have installed the all-important rear window rubber into place on the 1991 Nissan Figaro.
The team have carefully cleaned the area before using specialist adhesives and taping the seal down to let the glues cure.
The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI has been moved into the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body preparation area for the team to being colour sanding the car.
The process of colour sanding is key in the visual aspect of the restoration of the classic Aston Martin to make the paintwork match the incredible work that each and every panel has had done to it by the team.
Our painter Chris, who painted the car, has headed up the colour sanding of the Aston Martin. Using finer and finer abrasives to remove any imperfections and even out any areas of the car.
The stunning dark silver 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop this morning for the team to work on.
The striking GT car has come in for our paint and body teams to take a look at a few marks on the Maserati in order to get it looking 100% perfect.
The team will also inspect and assess the whole car as part of any arrival process. Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more.
This is the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions car! This stunning 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12.
It all began on a beautifully sunny day out in the Suffolk countryside.
Hayley, Freddie and Nick all loaded up their gear and headed out to the filming location with the beautiful long-legged Jaguar after the car had been completely inspected and assessed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration team. The only work needed was a small leak from the radiator of the classic Jaguar which was repaired and thoroughly rested.
The supple and wonderfully smooth ride helped the team glide down the rough roads of the former airbase we use for filming. As the classic Jaguar floated across the airbase, we all knew this was going to be an amazing experience for the team.
The V12 providing the soundtrack for the team and the weather giving us the best background in which to shoot this classic icon of luxury against. The team had an absolute blast driving the classic Sovereign in the early summer sun – and now, we cannot wait for you to experience the power, the prestige and the purpose of this classic Jaguar.
Click here to enter now for the Bridge Classic Cars 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12.
And check out the video below!
Bridge Classic Cars have received our new tow vehicle! It’s a beautiful 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The car was prepared for us by local dealership John Banks who also fitted the new tow bar for our transport team to help collect and deliver either restoration projects or delivering dream classic cars around the country.
The car is in absolutely stunning condition inside and out, and the team are looking forward to putting it to work.
Leading Experts in Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance – East Anglia at the SME UK Enterprise Awards 2022.
An amazing honour to have been selected.
We’ve been sent some incredible photos by the owner who commissioned our 1975 Tunda Green MG B Roadster of the car in France.
The owner has had 3 cars built by the Bridge Classic Cars team. Along with the 1975 MG B Roadster is the 1973 Magenta Triumph TR6 and the soon to be completed 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster ‘Fern Grey’.
Soon, the E-Type will be joining the stable which spend their time between here in the UK and France, where they will get to enjoy and experience these absolutely stunning views!
With the competition selling out just before the draw time of 7PM, the Bridge Classic Cars team got together to find out who the lucky new owner of our 1973 Triumph TR6 was.
The gorgeous Saffron Yellow TR6 was front and centre in the new Bridge Classic Cars building, surrounded by upcoming and some previous competition cars while a few of our personal collection are dotted throughout.
After having a look around and letting you all know about some very exciting competitions which have just gone live (the first ever driving experience of the Lotus Emira at the legendary Hethel test track) it was time to move on to what everyone was here for, finding out who had won the TR6.
As the team fired up the random number generator, and the entry list (published ahead of time due to the competition selling out early) up on the screen. It was time for the magical click, as the numbers whirred passed on the screen the last few messages of luck flashed up on the live comments. And there it was, 3999. A ticket number which was allocated to Valerie Bale. The new owner of the 1973 Triumph TR6.
Afterwards, during our live stream we tried to ring Valerie but couldn’t get through so left a message but she did ring back later and is over the moon with her new dream classic!
The interior technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have recreated several key parts for the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405.
To begin with, the team have made brand new foam pieces for the front seats of the classic Bristol as part of its restoration.
Then, the team could keep stripping down the rear seat base of the car to get to the frame that lay beneath. The next part for the trim shop to look into was the foldable armrest. Stripped back to its core, the hinge and piece itself could be assessed and then remade.
From there, the team could use the baseboard as a template to make a new piece entirely from scratch. Transfering the main shape to new wood, the trim shop soaked the ends in water so as to allow the wood to bend into place without snapping or cracking in any way before being pinned to the framework to rest and dry into the needed shape.
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have worked with our body team to remove the collapsible roof on the 1986 Daimler DS420.
The team needed to remove this as part of the vehicle’s restoration as to inspect and assess the condition of each component as well as the inner and out coverings to use as templates.
Each piece had to be removed gingerly and extremely carefully so as to not damage any of the pieces or mechanisms to best assess each part of the roof.
The workshop team have been working on making progress on the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona that is in our workshop.
The team began work on making the new instrument panel for the classic Daytona replica. This started as a card template which could be refined further and further until it was the perfect shape to fit behind the dash cluster. From there and using reference photos, the team could begin laying out the various dials and lights needed for the Daytona. Then, it was transferred to the aluminium sheet and carefully cut out and cleaned up before being put into the car with its dials in place.
The next job took our technicians to the engine bay of the Daytona replica, and more specifically the AC pump. The team had to create a new handmade bracket to orientate the AC bump for the belt system to work and also to allow for the unit to line up better with the other pulleys in the engine bay. Once in place, the team could then make up the crucial high-pressure lines which will hold the coolant.
The freshly painted 1987 Daimler Double Six has been in the paint preparation area for the Bridge classic Cars paint and body team to begin getting the car into bright, gleaming condition.
The team began by gently and evenly cutting back the freshly cured paint with progressively finer abrasive pads to safely remove any nibs or other pieces caught in the clear coat of the car. After this had all been taken back to an even ”flat” state, the team could begin bringing back its shimmer.
Using various compounds and polishes, the team built up the beautiful sheen across the body of the classic Daimler until it was like a deep blue mirror.
The perfect finish.
The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on completing the repairs to the bodyshell of the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration.
The team have been carefully removing all areas of corrosion on the classic MG from front to back in order to get it into the best condition possible before it heads to our body shop for further refinements ahead of paint.
Each piece that has been removed from the car was used to template some of the handmade pieces which had to be created in order to fill the gaps caused by the corrosion. These were then welded into the car delicately so as to not create any warpage or movement in the surrounding areas.
Bridge Classic Cars welcomed this 1997 Rover Mini to our Suffolk HQ.
The classic Mini will be inspected and assessed by the various restoration teams here at our workshop. This is a later version of the Rover Mini with a fuel injected 1275cc engine and has been modified both inside and out but the team will go through the entire car to check over and compile their report.
Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the wonderful 1997 Rover Mini.
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have got the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI into the in-house paint booth for some of the final stages before colour begins.
The team sanded down the body and bonnet for the final time before it was prepared and pushed into the paint booth. There, the team laid down the final coat of primer onto the car before the colour is laid down onto the panels of the classic Aston Martin.
After the primer had settled and cured, the team brought the bonnet of the DB2/4 back into the paint booth to prepare and begin work on the underside. The team reprimed the underside before applying the hardwearing and durable Raptorguard to the bonnet of the DB2/4.
The Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop has been working on the crucial repairs to the drivers side rear inner arch of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible.
The inner arch is a cap for the frame rails on the classic Morris which had begun to heavily corrode in some key areas including the cross brace which holds the two rails together.
Along with that, several key mounts which form part of the inner arch were damaged/corroded and require replacements or repairs.
The saying attached to Lotus and it’s core DNA, Simplify, and then add lightness. That is what the Lotus Elan personifies.
The low slung, lightweight sports car looked incredible in the summer sun. Its bright red paintwork contrasted against the rich green of the pine trees that lined the south loop of our filming location. This is our 1972 Lotus Elan +2 and it’s the latest competition car from Bridge Classic Cars.
The legendary Lotus Twin Cam 4-cylinder provided the soundtrack for our days’ filming. The raspy billow found its way to every surface and bounced back for the world to enjoy. The nimble sports car is known for its characteristic handling and this example is no different. The small racing steering wheel feels directly connected to the front wheels which helps to perfectly place the slant nosed 70s sports car exactly where it is intended.
You can’t help but smile wildly while experiencing the Elan. It gives so much feedback to its driver that you truly become one with the machine, the intended purpose of all Lotus cars. The driver is at the centre of the world.
And now, Bridge Classic Cars wants you to experience this incredible machine and the theatre that surrounds it. It’s the latest competition car and it could be yours very soon.
Head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website and enter now for your chance to live and breathe this dream classic.
Or, check out the video of our 1972 Lotus Elan +2 below.
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the restoration of the 1905 Riley 9HP at our Suffolk HQ.
The magneto is the next item to be worked on by our technicians. Although this particular component was not originally fitted to the car, it was installed by a previous owner to help with starting the classic pre-war touring car. For this piece, the team have installed new HT leads to the magneto which are made to the specific lengths needed for the car.
Then, the team could get it bench-tested to make sure it was producing a strong blue spark and then got it fitted into the chassis and its drive chain put into place.
Check out the video we have of our technician Dave testing the Bosch ZEV magneto on the bench!
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have performed the first test fit of the new driveshafts in our 1905 Riley 9HP.
They have been fit into the antique, pre-world war 1 Riley to check for fitment and interference. Also, for the team to check the bearing clearances and ring-gear engagement.
There’s a fair bit going on at the moment with the vintage Riley at our Suffolk HQ so make sure to keep an eye on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more.
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on stripping down the front seats of the 1954 Bristol 405, in our Suffolk restoration workshop, before rebuilding the bases.
The team always take care when removing the original covers so they can be preserved for reference or pattern making later down the line. The cores of the seats are then stripped back to their most basic features and sanded/cleaned down before the restorative work can begin.
With the bases completely stripped back, the first job was to remake the wooden inner backboards using the originals as a rough template to work from. Once these were cut and refined, the team could create the outer backboards before foaming work could begin.
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the final stages of the paint journey on the 1987 Daimler Double Six’s panels.
The team have gently cut back the paint and clear-coat on the panels with finer and finer abrasives in order to create a uniform finish for the pieces. Then, they can be machine polished and buffed to a mirror finish.
The workshop team have been getting the new inner and outer sills fitted to the 1978 MG B GT which is in for restoration with Bridge Classic Cars.
The sills are being replaced by the team due to areas of corrosion and damage to the shell which had found their way into the sills of the classic sports car. The inner and outers were carefully cut out of the car before the high quality replacements were offered up and the area trimmed to accept them before being welded in.
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.
