Rob Harvey

Marketing Manager - Bridge Classic Cars

Repairing Old Repairs

Since the chassis of our 1960 Jensen 541R has returned from sandblasting, classic car technician Rob has found some old repairs that need to be

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A New Spring

Classic car technician Dave has been looking at our 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 in preparation for it being delivered to our lucky winner. While checking

Read More »

It’s Going Green

Classic car technician Al has been giving our 1959 Jensen 541R a new coat of paint. After he prepped the freshly primed body, Al mixed

Read More »

2 Winners Found

Last night, we held the live draw of our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet and our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E. As always, it was

Read More »

Priming A Jensen

Our 1956 Jensen 541 has had the fibreglass on the inside and exterior of the roof completed. The body of the car had its coating

Read More »

Carb Jets

Our 1980 Triumph TR7 has been in classic car technician Rob’s experienced hands recently. Rob removed and stripped the carbs in order to replace the

Read More »

Sun Roof Repairs

Classic car technician Brian has been working on the sunroof of our 1987 BMW 635 CSI. He removed the frame from the roof of the

Read More »

Seat Base And Rims

Our 1959 Jensen 541R continues to make progress through its restoration journey here at Bridge Classic Cars. Recently, classic car technicians Mauro and Brian have

Read More »

Door Repairs

Our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle has been going through quite a transformation as of late. Recently, classic car technician Chris has been doing some repair work

Read More »

Almost Time For Paint

Whenever you take a car back to bare metal, you usually end up finding issues that need to be repaired. Unfortunately, that is exactly what

Read More »

A Visit From A Winner

During our Festive Live Draw, George Redpath was randomly selected as the winner of our REC Tourer Watch with ticket number 688. George recently came

Read More »

Coffee & Classics

We hosted our first coffee and classics in The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars this morning. Those who attended enjoyed a coffee, some cake, a

Read More »

New Inner Liner

Brian has been fitting a new inner liner to the roof of our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet. The process started by lowering the hood so

Read More »

Preparing For MOT

Classic car technician Steve has been working on our 1988 Toyota MR2 getting it ready for an MOT. Preparation work began with welding repairs on

Read More »

A Ford Cougar Arrives

We recently welcomed a Ford Cougar to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. These cars aren’t seen too frequently so we are very excited to have

Read More »

Jensen Progress

Our 1959 Jensen 541R has had more work on its interior completed recently. Lydia finished the base cushions for the front seats, covered the pair

Read More »

Repairing Old Repairs

Since the chassis of our 1960 Jensen 541R has returned from sandblasting, classic car technician Rob has found some old repairs that need to be cut out and corrected. These repairs have clearly been done at some point in the car’s life before it found its way into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Now that it is with us, and in Rob’s capable hands, the old repairs will soon be rectified and the chassis will be in much better condition.

Rob started with the right-hand rear wheel arch. He has been cutting out the bad repairs from previous work so he can then return the car back to its original condition.

A new wheel arch was made and welded in before more bad repairs were cut out and removed.

Work continues to bring our 1960 Jensen 541R back to life. The poor past repairs have provided an additional challenge to Rob and the rest of the workshop team but, once resolved, progress will continue to be made on this beautiful classic car.

A New Spring

Classic car technician Dave has been looking at our 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 in preparation for it being delivered to our lucky winner.

While checking over the bike, Dave fitted a new spring to the side stand.

Despite being a seemingly small part, it’s jobs like this that make sure everything is working as it should be when our vehicles leave the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Talking Classics With Stephen Norman

Stephen Norman had an extremely successful career in the automotive industry that spanned more than four decades.

After being MD for both Groupe Volkswagen France and Fiat France, Stephen was also MD of Vauxhall (as well as holding other influential positions). We were fortunate enough to ask Stephen some questions about the industry, his work, and classic cars.

You had a long and successful career in the automotive industry, how did it all start?

I was always interested in what we would call Mobility these days – bikes, then motor bikes then cars. At the same time, as a child I spent most weekends in my father’s offices in Walton-upon-Thames walking the corridors whilst he typed up his sales reports, with two fingers on a typewriter! I used to look into the Marketing Manager’s office at the point-of-sale material, thinking that that was better than typing reports. So, combining cars and marketing became an obvious choice and I stayed with it for 46 years and six months, virtually to the day! My first job was as a petrol pump attendant at Barnard Motors in Grayswood, Haslemere, a JRT sub-dealer of no fewer than three different BL dealers, one per franchise. No regrets since then, or very few indeed

You were MD of Vauxhall, what was it like leading a well-known car brand?

I had been MD of Groupe Volkswagen France and Fiat France before, so the job of MD was not daunting. But you are right, for a Brit to be given this opportunity to direct a 120-year-old British Brand was an honour and a privilege. Technically the Vauxhall team was the best I have worked with in my entire career, bar none, and I have worked in five global groups, and lived and worked in five countries. In terms of the dealer network, only in the UK do you find the same level of expertise although I did see similar in Germany at the end of my career. I do think that we underrate the retail car business in Great Britain, it is really incomparable.

Vauxhall is a great Brand, also underrated although it is changing now. Making high quality cars and vans for the man and woman in the street at a mainstream price is both essential and rewarding. I have no time for people with money to burn or to show, or both! To persuade someone to buy a Vauxhall instead of another Brand is at the heart of Marketing, and a measure of success and failure.

Where did your interest in cars come from?

From my Dad. He was also interested in planes, and we spent many hours on the perimeter track at Heathrow watching take-offs and landings on 28R! I can still remember the names of the propeller planes, mostly British in the 1960’s. Modern planes turn me cold. Look at an Airspeed Ambassador or an American Lockheed Constellation to see how design has deteriorated since then! When the VC10 came out we thought we had it made. And then you realise that there is more to it than being British and looking good! Motor bikes and cars followed the same path, as you know…

Are there any cars you are particularly fond of at the moment?

We all have our decades, I think. For me and cars it is the 1970’s. I have dipped in and out of classics since 1987 and having once sworn never ever to return, I now own an MGB, a TR6 and a v12 E-Type! But there are so many I like just as much. In fact, I think I prefer the unloved ones the most. Extreme example – I always wanted an Austin Champ with the Rolls-Royce engine. Or a Berkeley …. Not sure I could fit into a Berkeley today, or pay the petrol in a Champ.

What do you think the future has in store for the automotive industry?

Personal mobility requirements will ensure the stability in demand, if we look at decades at a time. Within decades, demand is cyclical. Depollution will drive the change to pure electric and then hydrogen. Technically Europe has to recover some supremacy over Asian countries if it is to retain production capacity and employment. This is even more true in Britain, where we gave up hope on volume production with the steady decline of British Leyland from the 1980’s. With some notable exceptions that are laudable – Nissan, JLR, Mini. But I fear for these too just now. Vauxhall is a pioneer in electric in the UK, something again that is often overlooked!

I think that we will go through a period of perhaps less passion in the personal expression of new-car motoring individuality and to compensate, no reason why the classic car sector cannot step up, subject to electrification too of course.

The retail sector has a massive transformation to do too, if the various Brands persist in basically badge-engineered underpinnings, that were so decried in the British Leyland days! What hypocrites we are!

How do you think this predicted future will impact car manufacturers like Vauxhall?

It is a good question and a tricky one! Vauxhall of Luton speaks to me, but I am 68 years old. For recent generations it speaks perhaps not less but differently. The Job in hand is to retain the British trick of just as good if not better, and British, with a customer service second to none. 

Are you still involved in the automotive industry?

Over to the young generation now! I am a big believer in the young ones, my time is done. But I am often asked for advice. When I drive at night, I still test myself on my recognition of cars by their lights in my rear-view mirror or their rear lights ahead. But for the first time in my life, I see new cars on the road in daytime that I don’t recognise, as I don’t follow the new car press. No regrets there either! I saw a Kia the other day and mistook it for a breezeblock.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in the automotive industry?

It’s cumbersome and not very agile, but a great place to be. You only have to look through the window or step out of the door and your products, or those of your competitors are in front of your eyes! When you succeed, you see yours, when you fail, you don’t. No hiding! Maximum stress, maximum passion. Make your choice! But be careful, I have three stents on-board already!

You have had several classic cars, what do they have that modern cars don’t?

Character and unreliability. When you go out you pray that you get back on the road, not on a trailer.

I will do a couple of Jaguar tourist rallies and road trips this year. After that just keeping three 1970’s ex-BL cars on the road is virtually a full-time job! But I love it, and them! If some kind benefactor proposes me a concours Champ and or a concours Berkeley, I will take the plunge!

Enjoyed Talking Classics With Stephen Norman?

Take a look at the entire Talking Classics series for more interviews with other influential people.

It’s Going Green

Classic car technician Al has been giving our 1959 Jensen 541R a new coat of paint.

After he prepped the freshly primed body, Al mixed the paint using the paintshop scales to make sure the paint was exactly the right consistency to use on the car.

Once the paint was mixed, Al made sure the body was completely clear of dust and debris. It was at this stage that the paint began to be applied. After the first coat of paint was on and fully dried, a second full coat was added.

A drop coat was then applied to help get rid of any patchiness that may be present in the new paint. Finally, 2 coats of lacquer were applied (5 minutes apart) and the car looked great in its new green colour.

2 Winners Found

Last night, we held the live draw of our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet and our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E.

As always, it was a lot of fun finding out who the lucky winners were. The excitement levels are even higher when multiple winners are drawn on the same night.

Drawing Our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet

James Blocksidge was the winner of our Rover 216 with ticket number 1916. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get hold of James on the phone during the draw but, don’t worry, he will be finding out very soon that he is the new owner of our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet.

Drawing Our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E

The winning ticket number in the draw for our Mini City was 3662 which belonged to Adam Hutchinson. Amazingly, when Molly spoke to Adam on the phone, he said that he had only purchased his ticket around 40 minutes before the draw started!

Congratulations

Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars would like to congratulate James and Adam on becoming the owners of two very cool classic cars. We are sure you will have a lot of fun with them!

Delivery of both cars is coming very soon…

From Scrapped To Millions

A 1954 Aston Martin DB2 Vignale has gone up for sale for an eye-watering £3.6 million.

While the price tag may seem steep, the story behind this vehicle is certainly one that gives the car an interesting history. The car was commissioned by King Baudouin of Belgium in 1954. It was designed by Alfredo Vignale and was kept in the former Kings collection for a while.

Eventually, it was sold to a palace aide and, at some point after that, it was sold to an American soldier who purchased the car before selling it on one more time to a scrap yard in Virginia, USA as a non-runner.

When Aston Workshop owner, Bob Fountain, heard about the car, he purchased it from the scrap yard and had it shipped over to his workshop in Newcastle.

Bob and his team worked on restoring the rare Aston for 16 years, transforming it from a shell into the stunning car now worth more than three and a half million pounds.

During the restoration process, Bob used historic documents to handcraft the fawn leather interior to the exact specifications the King of Belgium had ordered back in 1954.

When asked about the project, Bob said “It’s always great for us to discover vintage Aston Martins in need of restoration, but when we found that this one had been specially commissioned by a king it added a real sense of excitement to the project”

It’s not every day you get to rebuild a royal Aston Martin but, after 16 years of hard work and commitment, this DB2 Vignale is looking better than ever and has earned its £3.6 million price tag.

More details and images can be seen here.

Priming A Jensen

Our 1956 Jensen 541 has had the fibreglass on the inside and exterior of the roof completed.

The body of the car had its coating of epoxy primer while the back of the doors were prepped ready to be fitted up too.

It’s always good to see progress like this being made and it will be an exciting time when the car is painted in the near future.

Carb Jets

Our 1980 Triumph TR7 has been in classic car technician Rob’s experienced hands recently. Rob removed and stripped the carbs in order to replace the waxstat jets with the earlier style fixed jets.

Once he had done this, Rob set up the carbs and road-tested the vehicle. While driving the car, it was noted that the previous issue of an erratic tick-over had been resolved so the road test was a successful one.

Just Arrived – 1964 Daimler V8 250

A recent arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is our 1964 Daimler V8 250. As it has been off the road and in storage since 2003, our team of classic car technicians will give it a full assessment and highlight any issues that are found.

The owner put the car away in 2003 after being called into action during the war in Iraq. With little notice to make plans, the vehicle was put in a garage and has remained there ever since due to work commitments keeping the owner from getting it back out on the road.

Our Daimler has been part of the current owner’s family since 1986. Prior to their ownership, the car was purchased from new by an elderly couple who had left it to a close friend after their death. Once the friend sold it to a classic car dealership, its current owner found it and took it home with them.

With a little over 36 thousand miles covered from new, our 1964 Daimler V8 250 is a beautiful example and we are very much looking forward to seeing it return to its former glory in the coming weeks.

Behind The Scenes Of Our Harley-Davidson Draw

On Thursday, the 9th of February, we held the live draw of our 2008 Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster. On the night, Sarah Janney was the lucky winner of this beautiful bike with ticket number 1246.

Live draws are always good fun and this one was no different.

If you have not seen one of our live draws before, the behind-the-scenes photo below should help give you an idea of what goes on. If you want to go a step further and experience a live draw in person, we regularly host live draw events where you can come and see us (and all of our current competition vehicles) in The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars.

The next date for this type of event is Thursday, 23rd February when we will be hosting a 1970s-themed evening with music, food, and drink (as well as the draw of 2 classic cars).

We hope to see you very soon as we find our next winner through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Sun Roof Repairs

Classic car technician Brian has been working on the sunroof of our 1987 BMW 635 CSI. He removed the frame from the roof of the car and cleaned the old glue and material from the sunroof frame. The rubber padding was also removed from the frame before Brian painted it.

While the new paint on the sunroof frame was drying, Brian removed the door carpets ready to make new ones.

Patterns for new kick carpets were made. To fit the new kick panel carpets, Brian had to remove one of the speakers from the car. Once it had been removed, he trial-fitted the carpet and cut out the hole for the speaker to fit into.

Brian was happy with the trial fit so he fitted the kick carpet into the car and reinstalled the speaker too. Brian repeated the process on the passenger side of the vehicle. A hole in the original carpet was also covered as well as new carpet being glued onto the door panels.

Headliner board was put in the car with Brian glueing around the sunroof opening. The cover of the sunroof frame was glued onto the frame and it will soon be back in the car.

Seat Base And Rims

Our 1959 Jensen 541R continues to make progress through its restoration journey here at Bridge Classic Cars. Recently, classic car technicians Mauro and Brian have been working on this rare vehicle.

Brian’s focus was on the interior of the car. Specifically, the front seats. Brian has been making the new front seat base frame wood sections. While Brian was doing this, Mauro was focused on the wheels of our Jensen 541R. The rims were given a coat of primer ready to be painted later on.

Door Repairs

Our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle has been going through quite a transformation as of late. Recently, classic car technician Chris has been doing some repair work on one of the doors.

Since arriving in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, our Beetle (Delilah) has been stripped of many of her components and some of her paint. This is all to bring one of the most popular cars of all time back to life.

As work continues on our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle, we are looking forward to seeing it continue making good progress.

Working On Our Interceptor

Classic car technician John has been spending quite a bit of time with our 1970 Jensen Interceptor lately. He has been investigating and resolving several issues with the car.

The first port of cool was a coolant leak. A small overflow hose was found to be loose so, once this was tightened, the leak was resolved. The reverse lights were not working so John spent some time investigating what could be causing this issue. He found a poor connection to the lights so cleaned and tightened the components forming the loose connection which sorted out the reverse lights issue.

The owner of the car had reported that the fuel flap light is always on even if the flap is properly closed. John found that the sensor for the flap was broken so, after replacing this with a new one, the light is now off.

John moved onto the brakes of our Interceptor to find out why the offside rear was binding. After stripping the brakes, John found that the large piston in the caliper had rusted and seized. The caliper was removed and the piston was freed. However, corrosion had badly eaten into the piston chrome making it unrepairable. A refurbishment or replacement will be needed.

While John was looking at the brakes, he was satisfied that the rear brakes were ok and the handbrake pads, although they are worn, they are still working as they need to at the moment.

Another issue that the owner of the car reported was that the vehicle keeps overheating and the fans keep blowing fuses. This was identical to the issues John had recently resolved on our 1971 Jensen FF MKII which is a very similar car to our Interceptor. As John knew what caused this on the FF, he was quickly able to diagnose that the fans needed replacing along with the wiring loom. These were ordered and John was confident that this would resolve the issues as it did on the FF. While waiting for the new fans and wiring loom to arrive, John cut out the old wiring and taped up the ends before securing them onto the main loom.

Our 1970 Jensen Interceptor went through a full service too. New spark plugs were fitted and the oil was drained. The filter housing was cleaned out. John found sludge in the bottom of the housing so this was removed.

The engine of our Interceptor was timed to top dead centre on cylinder 1 and the distributor was removed to fit new points and condenser before the distributor was refitted in the car.

Once the new fans had arrived, John started work on fitting them. He noticed that the setup was slightly different to the FF he had previously worked on but he was able to align the new fans and remount the housing. The wiring was secured and connected in the fuse box and the relays were mounted next to the fuse box (just as John did on the FF previously).

John’s work on our 1970 Jensen Interceptor wasn’t quite finished yet though as he fit new front wheel bearings and seals. While removing the old bearings, he noticed that there weren’t any seals fitted previously and the seal clamp was fitted the wrong way.

The ballast resistor was rewired next, as the old wires had gone hard with bare wire exposed.

John will continue his work on this beautiful classic car until he is completely satisfied that it is working as it should and is ready to be returned to its owner.

Almost Time For Paint

Whenever you take a car back to bare metal, you usually end up finding issues that need to be repaired. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened with our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo.

This project has been challenging and has taken a whole lot of time, effort, and skill but it is now almost ready to be fully prepared for painting.

It’s always great to see progress like this being made and we are excited to see what the future holds for our classic Saab.

New Footwell Carpet Fasteners

Brian has been fitting new fasteners to the footwell carpets of our 2015 Land Rover Defender 110.

After first fitting the new fasteners to the front footwell carpets, he put these in place before repeating the process on the rear carpets.

It is this level of attention to detail that make cars, like our Defender, look so good when they leave the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Entry Is Open – 1973 Audi 100 Coupe S

Our 1973 Audi 100 Coupe S is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

This rare classic car is extremely hard to find with only around 10 examples left on the road in the UK.

All the information you need about the car and how to enter can be found here.

A Visit From A Winner

During our Festive Live Draw, George Redpath was randomly selected as the winner of our REC Tourer Watch with ticket number 688.

George recently came to visit us at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in his 1999 BMW Z3M Coupe.

As you can see from the photos below, George, his car, and his watch are all looking great!

Congratulations again to George and thank you for coming to see us.

Coffee & Classics

We hosted our first coffee and classics in The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars this morning.

Those who attended enjoyed a coffee, some cake, a tour of the workshop, and lots of conversation about all things classic cars.

Our coffee & classics will be a regular occurrence that takes place on the second Tuesday of every month. If you would like to come along to our next coffee and classics, all the information you need can be found here.

Delivering Our 2006 Daihatsu Copen

We recently delivered our 2006 Daihatsu Copen to lucky winner Barry Pendleton.

Barry had winning ticket number 974 which was randomly selected during our live draw held on 2nd February 2023.

Molly and the team visited Barry and, as you can tell by the images and video below, he was very happy with his new car.

Congratulations again to Barry.

Just Arrived – 1996 Rover 220 Turbo

Another new arrival has made its way into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. This time it is our 1996 Rover 220 Turbo.

It will now go through a thorough inspection and assessment with our team of classic car technicians before a plan of action is created.

New Inner Liner

Brian has been fitting a new inner liner to the roof of our 1994 Rover 216 Cabriolet. The process started by lowering the hood so the front of the hood could be undone to fit the new liner.

The metal trim holding the front rubber seal in place was removed but the front edge of the hood was released. The headliner was then removed before the new liner was placed under the outer hood. Brian then glued the front edge of the new inner liner before glueing and riveting the rear flap to the frame.

The headliner was refitted and the front edge of the hood was glued to the frame while a new rubber seal was fitted too.

Preparing For MOT

Classic car technician Steve has been working on our 1988 Toyota MR2 getting it ready for an MOT.

Preparation work began with welding repairs on the driver’s side front chassis. Steve noticed that, unfortunately, the corrosion had spread to the front of the sill and inner sill as well as the inner skin of the anti-roll bar fixing.

Once the welding repairs were complete, Steve went on to replace the split steering rack boots. The brake fluid reservoir pipes were badly cracked so these were also replaced.

During his work on our 1988 Toyota MR2, Steve also found that the rear brake calliper pistons were corroded, had seized and were leaking.

A Ford Cougar Arrives

We recently welcomed a Ford Cougar to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

These cars aren’t seen too frequently so we are very excited to have it with us. For now, it will be part of our personal collection but we are excited to see what the future holds for our Cougar.

Amphicar Repairs And Paint

Classic car technician Chris has been repairing the door and rear arch of our 1964 Amphicar 7-70.

Once these were repaired, the car was moved into our paintshop where epoxy primer was applied ready for a new coat of paint.

After a recent visit from the owner of this interesting vehicle, some additional work has been planned for the restoration of our Amphicar 7-70.

With new parts being ordered from America, work continues on our Amphicar and we are looking forward to seeing it continue on its restoration journey in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Back From Sandblasting

The chassis and body of our 1960 Jensen 541R has come back to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop after their trip to the sandblasters.

Now they are back with us, the restoration of our 1960 Jensen 541R can continue.

Jensen Progress

Our 1959 Jensen 541R has had more work on its interior completed recently.

Lydia finished the base cushions for the front seats, covered the pair of rear quarters, made the headlining, covered the rear centre panel, and covered the glovebox door.

While Lydia was working on the interior of our classic Jensen, Al was conducting his final checks that the chrome surround and flap fit the repaired bodywork before putting it into primer. The sills and bonnet were also primed.

Chris was also working on our 1959 Jensen 541R. His focus was on the fibreglass roof.

Win Our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E

Entry is now open to win our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E.

Classic Minis are always popular at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, and we are expecting this one to be no different.

It passed its most recent MOT with no advisories and comes with lots of old MOT certificates and invoices.

Our 1989 Rover Mini City 1000 E is a beautiful classic car and we know that the lucky winner will think so too.

You can get your tickets to enter the draw here.

Our Morris Minor Goes Home

We recently said goodbye to our 1969 Morris Minor as it returned home to its happy owners.

This classic car wasn’t in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for very long but it is now ready for its owners to take back out on the road and enjoy once again.

We hope to see our 1969 Morris Minor again in the future.