The Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I Is Going To Auction
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price
Marketing Manager - Bridge Classic Cars
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price
It’s not every day that we get to see two classic Daimlers. It’s even more rare to see two classic Daimlers that are the same
Our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona recently visited Hangar 111 to make use of their rolling road. This was the best way for the 6 carburettors
After noticing a minor fuel leak on our 1971 Jensen FF MKII, classic car technician John replaced the fuel pipe and clips. This stopped the
Classic car technician Rob has begun the welding work on our 1968 MGB GT. As you can see from the photos below, Rob’s welding has
Our 1972 Rover P6 3500S will soon be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Before it goes live and is ready to win,
You can now win our 1987 Volvo 240 GL. Entry is open for the draw that will take place on Thursday 5th January 2023. Our
After checking the levels on our 1975 MGB GT V8, classic car technician Steve found an oil leak coming from the sump plug washer. This
As classic car technician Steve has been spending a bit of time with our 1959 Austin Healey 3000 lately, he has noticed a few issues
After working on our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 for the last couple of weeks, classic car technician John has been busy reassembling this
After having an award-winning summer at a number of classic car shows, our 1960 Jensen 541S has returned to us. Before being put into storage,
Our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8 has recently had its new boot floor panels painted by classic car technician Scott. That wasn’t the only work completed
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have continued their work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3. The metalwork of any car restoration tends to be
It’s fairly obvious that our 1940 Morris C8 Gun Tractor (Quad) is a very interesting vehicle. It is certainly very different to most of the
Progress has continued on our 1959 Jensen 541R over the last week. After previously painting the chassis, classic car technician Mauro continued his work painting
Nigel Bromley is the Head of Brand Marketing for Lotus and a very good friend of Bridge Classic Cars. We recently had the chance to
We recently launched a brand new feature on the Bridge Classic Cars website called Talking Classics. As this is a new (and quite different) project
We recently welcomed another new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1972 Rover P6 3500S. This is the manual
The time has come when we have to say goodbye to our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible. We have loved seeing this beautiful classic car
Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars has spent a lot of time around Jensens. Considering how rare 541’s are, we have had several in the
As much as we love seeing restored classic cars leave our workshop to be enjoyed by their owners, we can’t deny that we love seeing
Considering our 1905 Riley 9HP likely hasn’t been started since the 1940s, classic car technician Dave has been working extremely hard to get it back
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have continued their work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3. They have been busy fabricating a range of different
Our 1971 Jensen FF MKII recently had a new fuel tank installed. Workshop manager John has been modifying the breather pipes on the new fuel
Our 1970 Ford Cortina MK2 1600 GT had its thermostat housing removed by classic car technician Paul recently. Once Paul had removed the housing he
To gain access to the leaking rocker cover gaskets, classic car technician Scott had to remove various parts of our 1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible. Once
Our team of classic car technicians continue to work on our 1959 Jensen 541R. Lydia has been stripping the old foam, leather, and vinyl off
Our 1973 Triumph TR6 will soon be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Before it goes live though, a few points were highlighted
Our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 has had new manifolds installed by classic car technician Jon. There was lots of stripping and refitting to
Classic car technician Brian recently installed the glovebox radio in our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. He started by making the cardboard patterns for the inner
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price of £100 000 – £150 000.
It has recently been restored to an extremely high standard, with King Charles III rumoured to have helped fund the restoration after recognising the vehicle a few years ago.
Queen Elizabeth II received the Land Rover at Balmoral in 1953. It was later purchased by its former owner in 1966 who ended up storing it for a number of years. During its time in storage, its condition deteriorated until a complete restoration was needed.
Now fully restored, the Land Rover is in exceptional condition. It still features its production chassis number despite being considered a ‘pre-production build’ that was made specifically for the Royal Family. The original features of this very special vehicle include some unique options that you won’t find on any other similar model, including twin rear doors.
Sales Director of Silverstone Auctions, (who will be auctioning the Land Rover), Rob Hubbard said that
“It’s not often that a vehicle with such impressive Royal provenance like this is offered publicly for sale. Its special features and Royal connections make it exceptionally interesting. This Land Rover would doubtless have been used extensively on the Balmoral estate where we know the Royals loved to picnic. It would have been a familiar and much-loved part of Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s private lives.”
If its Royal connections weren’t enough, the 1953 Land Rover Series I has also featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and led the Land Rover parade during the jubilee celebrations earlier this year. As the jubilee celebrations were watched by billions, Silverstone Auctions believes that this is “probably one of the most photographed Land Rovers in the world”
The auction for the late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I will be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on the 24th – 26th of February.
Although the guide price is £100 000 to £150 000, this special vehicle will likely sell for much more than this. The last vehicle with royal connections sold by Silverstone Auctions was Princess Diana’s Ford Escort RS Turbo which sold for the world record price of £650 000 in August.
It’s not every day that we get to see two classic Daimlers. It’s even more rare to see two classic Daimlers that are the same model with sequential number plates. It’s even rarer still to see two Daimlers like this that belong to a husband and wife.
That’s exactly the story behind the two latest additions to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 2 1964 Daimler V8s have come from a married couple who bought them in two separate purchases but ended up with two almost identical cars.
With number plates reading WVG 564 and WVG 565, these 1964 Daimler V8s seemed destined to follow each other throughout life. When one was purchased by the couple, residing in Lowestoft, they fell in love with it and decided they wanted another.
When their second purchase was complete, they saw how similar the two cars were. It seems fitting that these two cars, so close in registration, ended up with a married couple for most of their lives.
After being put into a garage many years ago, both of the cars will need lots of attention before they resemble anything close to their former glory. However, the story behind them is an interesting one that you won’t hear too often.
The Daimler V8 250 is a luxury classic car very similar to a Jaguar MKII and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for these two cars that seem destined to be together.
Our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona recently visited Hangar 111 to make use of their rolling road.
This was the best way for the 6 carburettors to be correctly set up.
Our Daytona is a very eye-catching car and it always draws lots of attention from any visitors we have to the workshop.
Lots of progress has been made on our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona and we look forward to seeing it returned to its owner very soon.
After noticing a minor fuel leak on our 1971 Jensen FF MKII, classic car technician John replaced the fuel pipe and clips. This stopped the leak and resolved the issue.
However, when John started the car, the oil pressure gauge showed low pressure. After speaking with the owner of the car, it was confirmed that the gauge normally displays a pressure of around 60 psi. John wanted to know if the issue was a faulty pressure gauge or if there was a bigger issue causing a drop in pressure.
The oil filter was removed and John ran a test using a gauge that he knew was working correctly. Without the oil filter fitted, the gauge showed 50 psi. After John put the oil filter back in and ran the test again, the working gauge again displayed 50 psi.
This was enough to tell John that the gauge in the car was the issue rather than a more serious issue which was the best outcome in this situation.
Work continues on our 1971 Jensen FF MKII and it won’t be too much longer before it is returned to its owner to enjoy again.
Classic car technician Rob has begun the welding work on our 1968 MGB GT.
As you can see from the photos below, Rob’s welding has already gone a long way in improving the condition of this well-known classic car.
Once Rob has completed all the welding work, another assessment will be conducted to work out the next step in our MGB GT’s journey with us here at Bridge Classic Cars.
Our 1972 Rover P6 3500S will soon be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Before it goes live and is ready to win, classic car technician Brian has been doing some work on the interior of this eye-catching classic car.
The areas of focus for Brian were the rear armrest, driver’s seat, and rear seats.
Brian started his work by removing the rear seats and armrest. The driver’s seat was then removed too.
Work continued with Brian undoing the base cover of the driver’s seat so he could repair the damaged cover. Once the repaired rear armrest was re-fitted into the car, the top of the rear seats could then be repaired.
After re-fitting everything back into the car, our 1972 Rover P6 3500S is one step closer to being ready to find its new owner in a future live draw.
You can now win our 1987 Volvo 240 GL.
Entry is open for the draw that will take place on Thursday 5th January 2023.
Our 1987 Volvo 240 GL is in exceptional condition and has only been owned by one family from new. It was going to be part of our personal collection of classic cars but, as so many of you asked for it to be a competition car, it is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.
You can enter the draw to win this beautiful classic car here.
After checking the levels on our 1975 MGB GT V8, classic car technician Steve found an oil leak coming from the sump plug washer. This was replaced with a new plug and washer which stopped the leak. The oil and oil filter were also replaced.
Steve went on to check and clean the brakes as well as fabricating a new number plate holder as the previous plate was stuck to the bumper of the car.
The washer motor of our 1975 MGB GT V8 was also replaced.
As classic car technician Steve has been spending a bit of time with our 1959 Austin Healey 3000 lately, he has noticed a few issues that needed to be addressed. Over the last week, Steve has been working to resolve these issues ready for it to be driven to Hampshire by its owner very soon.
The first task Steve completed was to fix the driver’s side door check strap back into place. Once this was done, he went on to fit a new rear fuel filter.
A small oil leak was found from a previous sump repair. Steve removed the sump and it was cleaned and welded to resolve the minor oil leak.
Steve also cleaned the carburettor pistons and float bowls too.
Our 1959 Austin Healey 3000 continues to be prepared for its upcoming road trip. It won’t be too much longer before we say goodbye as we watch it drive out of the workshop and back out on the road again.
After working on our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 for the last couple of weeks, classic car technician John has been busy reassembling this beautiful classic car. Once everything was back together following the fitting of a hidden battery isolator, John conducted some tests and was pleased with the results.
While he was working on our E-Type, John noticed that there was a minor blow on one side of the exhaust. He resealed the exhaust to solve the issue.
The carburettor float bowls were stripped as the carbs were flooding at idle speed which indicated sticking needle valves. Each bowl was full of dirt and the needle valves were found to be covered in dirt too when they were removed.
The carb bowls were cleaned, blown out, and refitted. The last carb needed a gasket made for the float bowl as the old one was torn.
A new fuel filter was fitted near the tank and the sight glass was clean and free from dirt which made John think it could be the fuel lines themselves causing the issues. He stripped and blew out the fuel lines from rear to front. A lot of dirt came out before everything was reassembled and tested.
Our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 had a good clean and, as you can see from the pictures below, looked extremely good afterwards.
In preparation for our E-Type leaving the workshop, John went on to check and adjust the tracking before turning his attention to the reverse lights that were not working. When they were powered up with the power probe, they worked fine which indicated that the bulbs and wiring were all ok. John stripped the centre console to access the switch. He removed the switch and found this was where the fault was. He lubricated the switch and refitted it without spacer shims before reconnecting it. After testing, John was satisfied that everything was working as it should.
After having an award-winning summer at a number of classic car shows, our 1960 Jensen 541S has returned to us.
Before being put into storage, classic car technician Ryan swapped the fog and spot lights over on this beautiful classic car.
While Ryan has been looking at the lights, Dave was busy working to resolve an alignment issue with one of the door windows.
We have always known that our 1960 Jensen 541S is a beautiful and very special classic car. We love having it back in the workshop with us and the team here is enjoying being up close and personal with it preparing it for its time in storage.
Our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8 has recently had its new boot floor panels painted by classic car technician Scott.
That wasn’t the only work completed on this classic car last week though. John conducted a check of the tracking and found that it was way out from where it should be. John adjusted the tracking to bring it back within specification.
While working on our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8, John also noticed that the top suspension arm nut was loose. He tightened this nut which resolved the issue.
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have continued their work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3.
The metalwork of any car restoration tends to be the part of the project that takes a lot of time. This makes sense when you think that the bodywork is the foundation of the vehicle. The metalwork needs to be completed to an extremely high standard as the rest of the car will be built on and around this.
As Monty and Christian are fabricating a strong foundation that the rest of this classic car will be built on, their work will continue until they are completely satisfied that it meets their high standards.
Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 has definitely made progress as of late and, as more panels are made and as more welding is completed, the car is becoming more and more recognisable to its final form.
It’s fairly obvious that our 1940 Morris C8 Gun Tractor (Quad) is a very interesting vehicle. It is certainly very different to most of the other classic cars we have in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
With that in mind, it makes sense that finding parts for it can be quite challenging.
The water jacket cover of this heavy-duty machine was recently found to be rotted through. As sourcing a new one wasn’t an option, a replacement was fabricated instead.
This type of classic vehicle presents interesting challenges to our team of classic car technicians. Luckily, they are highly skilled and experienced so finding a solution doesn’t usually take them too long!
Progress has continued on our 1959 Jensen 541R over the last week. After previously painting the chassis, classic car technician Mauro continued his work painting various components that will eventually be re-attached to the newly painted chassis.
While Mauro was painting, Brian continued work on the car’s interior. Although none of the interior components are actually inside the vehicle at the moment, preparation has already begun for things to be installed later on in the restoration process.
Brian fitted the metal brackets to the front and rear door cappings as well as fitting metal brackets to the rear quarter panels too.
Classic car technician Rob was also working on our 541R by bolting the roof frame back onto the chassis. Rob also bolted the body back onto the chassis as well. This has gone a long way in bringing the frame of our 1959 Jensen 541R back together and it is now much more recognisable.
Another big milestone that was achieved this week was the fibreglass work being finished on the car. Once this was done, Chris was able to apply epoxy and inside seal the body. Chris went on to remove the old paint from the bonnet, as well as paint more components, before moving on to putting the panels back onto the chassis ready to be panel levelled.
Chris ultimately put the body of this rare classic car back together and it is now ready for final gapping and panel levelling before moving on to the next stage of its restoration journey.
Our 1959 Jensen 541R has come a long way this year and, as 2022 draws to a close, we are very excited to see progress continue in the new year. By this time in 2023, this classic car will look very different to how it does now (and extremely different to how it did when it first arrived in the workshop).
Nigel Bromley is the Head of Brand Marketing for Lotus and a very good friend of Bridge Classic Cars. We recently had the chance to pick Nigel’s brain about all things Lotus and classic cars.
Nigel has been in the automotive industry for a long time so it was great to also hear his thoughts on the future of the industry and where classic cars might fit in.
I am really lucky to have a fascinating role at Lotus, I work with amazing people and I enjoy virtually everyday. I start about 8am, I’m not a good morning person and need several cups of tea to get going. I tend to finish about 6pm and go for a walk with my wife and our dog. And then I might return to a few emails after supper. But everyday is different – a combination of our day to day activity, progressing projects, and liaising with colleagues in other departments and our global colleagues. What is great is to feel the passion for Lotus from colleagues as far afield as Dubai, to Michigan to Shanghai. When you work with our design teams, or our engineering and manufacturing teams, you want to do their efforts and ideas justice.
A spring day in 1976, when my Father returned home from a new job in his new company car, an Alfa Romeo Alfasud. In the beige wasteland of the mid, when everyone had Allegros and Avengers, it was the most beautiful and exotic thing I had ever seen. It was a massive improvement on the outgoing car, which was a Morris Marina estate, which even as a young child I knew was pretty terrible.
This was an award that we were delighted to receive and it was a genuine honour to collect the award on behalf of Lotus.
Perhaps the best way to sum up would be the citation from the judges, who included a number of highly respected motoring writers and commentators, who praised the Lotus Emira as “not just brilliant to drive but also marks a new chapter in the manufacturer’s history as its final petrol car. And while Lotus has a fine history of making true drivers’ cars, the Emira marks a quantum leap for the brand in terms of technology, comfort and refinement.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!
We are evolving from a UK-based sports car company into a global performance brand. So, it’s a thrilling time to be at Lotus.
Some at Hethel have referred to Lotus as being a 74 year old start-up, by which we mean the mentality of the people here being extraordinarily creative, flexible, and quick at doing things. We will be able to look back on this period with pride that we were all part of the revolution at Lotus and will help rethink the motor industry, just as we have done over the years. What does the future hold? Well we are half way through our strategic plan, Vision80, which will see us deliver in total six all new models by 2026. We are on track as we have launched or unveiled three of them already and so there are another three to come in the next 36 months. That focuses the mind…!
I have been lucky enough to own a few classics such as TVRs and Classic Range Rovers – so I must like V8 engines that never (ahem) breakdown! When I’m not talking about cars at work, I often go to classic car meetings and enjoy the fantasy of dreaming about other cars I’d like to own, often with some of my friends who are lucky enough to own classics of their own – Tony Bourne its all your fault! I’m not answering the question am I? I’d like an AlfaSud for nostalgia reasons, a P38a Range Rover Holland and Holland because it’s so bad it’s brilliant, a Series III Land Rover because it’s heroic, a Ford Fiesta XR2 (Mk2) because I had one as a young man, a Lotus Elan Plus 2 because it’s underrated, a Mini Cooper because its cool, Aston Martin DB7 Vantage because of Andrew Noakes’s book. I’d also like an Esprit and an Elise Mk1. Only things stopping me are lack of money and lack of space. And I’ve singularly failed to win a car with Bridge Classic Cars…come on Molly I thought that Scirocco was mine!
As I touched upon earlier, we have a global strategy that we are following, called Vision80, which outlines an ambitious growth trajectory, with significant achievements to date.
Of course. I firmly believe that there is a place for classic cars. It is our industrial heritage, and where the car has come from and where it is going is what makes this industry so interesting and exciting. Personally I can see both co-existing happily. People still ride horses don’t they.
We are closely aligned with Norwich City Football Club. We donated one of the last Lotus Elise to the Canaries’ charity – the Community Sports Foundation and it was a competition prize that was run by Bridge Classic Cars who managed the competition and conducted with us a very efficient and effective campaign for which we are very appreciative. £100,000 was raised to enable even more people in the region and from around the county to benefit from the wonderful work of the Community Sports Foundation which provides inclusive environments for people with disabilities. The car is unique with elements of the NCFC club crest on the bodywork and the club crest on the footwell mats on both the driver and passenger sides. It was won by a Lotus and Norwich fan which was perfect and a lovely send off for the iconic Elise which was in production for 25 years.
Our next few cars are stunning. Lotus has such an exciting future, just keep watching over the next few years. I will give you a clue – we have already launched the world’s most powerful and quickest hypercar, the Evija which is an EV, followed by the Emira, our last petrol car. We have unveiled the new hyper SUV, an EV called the Eletre. The next car, Type 133 is something very beautiful indeed.
We celebrated this wonderful and iconic sports car’s Diamond Anniversary with a very down-to-earth gathering of Elans at Hethel a few weeks ago, which was close to being 60 years on from the car’s unveiling. More than 60 examples gathered for a ‘Picnic at Hethel’. Cars from the early Series 1 through to the last of the Elans, the +2S 130, joined from all over the UK. It was great fun, a fitting tribute and one of the largest gatherings ever seen of solely Lotus Elans. It was a friendly and informal way to celebrate the legendary sports car that not only transformed Lotus, but changed the world’s sports car market forever.
Our website www.lotuscars.com and whichever social channel you enjoy we have an account from Instagram to LinkedIn – we are even the fastest-growing car brand on Tik Tok!
Take a look at the entire Talking Classics series for more interviews with other influential people.
We recently launched a brand new feature on the Bridge Classic Cars website called Talking Classics.
As this is a new (and quite different) project for us, you might have some questions regarding what it is all about.
Here’s everything you need to know about it:
Talking Classics is a weekly feature where we sit down and have a conversation with interesting and inspiring individuals and talk to them about their lives, their projects, and, of course, classic cars.
This is a feature that allows you to delve into these conversations and learn all about our incredible guests.
Our list of guests is constantly growing and we love talking to a wide range of people. Guests will include race drivers, TV personalities, classic car restorers, brand representatives, and anyone else who has an interesting story to tell, a love of cars, and a willingness to share their experiences with others.
We love meeting interesting people almost as much as we love classic cars. So our guest list is varied to say the least!
Mostly yes but we also have a range of filmed conversations with special guests from time to time.
Our guests are extremely busy people so it’s not possible for all of them to take time out of their schedules to film a conversation with us. However, we love showing you the conversations as they happen so, wherever possible, Talking Classics will feature filmed conversations too.
A new Talking Classics conversation will be live on the Bridge Classic Cars website every Friday. These will be shared on our social media platforms too.
All conversations with our guests can be found here.
We recently welcomed another new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1972 Rover P6 3500S.
This is the manual and most sought-after version of this classic car and it was truly advanced for its time.
With suspension and bodywork superior to anything else on the market at the time of its release, our P6 3500S really is an impressive vehicle.
Not only is it a luxurious car but it is also fast too so this is certainly one vehicle that is proving very popular in the workshop.
Our 1972 Rover P6 3500S takes its place as part of our collection of competition cars that will be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions very soon.
Before entry opens, it will go through a full inspection and assessment with our team of classic car technicians. Once they are satisfied, it won’t be long before a new owner is found at one of our live draws early next year.
The time has come when we have to say goodbye to our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible.
We have loved seeing this beautiful classic car progress through its restoration journey and we are extremely happy that it is now back with its owner being fully enjoyed as it should.
Our 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible looks very different to how it did when it first arrived at the workshop and we are proud of what our team of classic car technicians achieved with this impressive restoration.
Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars hopes the owner enjoys their restored classic and that they enjoy seeing it every day as much as we did.
Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars has spent a lot of time around Jensens. Considering how rare 541’s are, we have had several in the workshop over the last few years.
One very special Jensen is our 1960 Jensen 541S which has recently returned to us.
After having an award-winning summer, the owner of this stunning car has bought it to us for storage over winter. However, before it goes into hibernation, our team of classic car technicians will be looking to re-align one of the door windows as well as doing some work on the lights too.
We love this very special car and, after a summer of awards being won, it’s earned a rest with us.
As much as we love seeing restored classic cars leave our workshop to be enjoyed by their owners, we can’t deny that we love seeing them again too.
Our 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 has come back to us to investigate a fault with the clutch.
Classic car technician Scott has already started work on this beautiful classic car and found the fault to be with the master cylinder. He has removed the clutch master and slave ready to install new ones that have been ordered.
While he was investigating the clutch issue on our E-Type, Scott also removed and flushed out the clutch reservoir before refitting it.
It probably won’t be too long before our 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 leaves us again but we will certainly make the most of seeing it every day until the time comes to say goodbye once more.
Considering our 1905 Riley 9HP likely hasn’t been started since the 1940s, classic car technician Dave has been working extremely hard to get it back up and running.
At more than 100 years old, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the days of our ultra-rare Riley HP running are long gone, but we are incredibly excited to say that this is not the case!
With some help from workshop manager John, Dave was able to bring our Riley back to life and managed to start it up recently.
Starting a car like this isn’t as easy as turning a key in the ignition, a lot of effort is needed to turn the crank to get things fired up and running as they should.
Long before Dave knelt down next to the car and started his effort to ignite it back into life, he spent countless hours getting it into such a condition where starting it up was even considered a feasible option.
It may have only been running for a few seconds but, at more than 100 years old, after being sat in place since the 1940s, and with only 3 of these stunning cars thought to be left in existence – those few seconds of running were more than enough to get everyone here very excited about what the future holds for our 1905 Riley 9HP.
Classic car technicians Monty and Christian have continued their work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3.
They have been busy fabricating a range of different panels and parts for this beautiful classic car. Areas of focus have been the inner quarter panels, the inner wing, the rear heat shields, and the rear rail.
As you can see from the photos below, more and more of the car is coming together.
As work continues on our Interceptor, everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars is looking forward to it moving on to the next stage of its restoration journey very soon.
Our 1971 Jensen FF MKII recently had a new fuel tank installed. Workshop manager John has been modifying the breather pipes on the new fuel tank.
While he was working on this, he found that the reason why the tank sender was not working was that the metal strip had corroded away.
Our 1971 Jensen FF MKII is a beautiful car that certainly holds the attention of everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars. Work will continue on our FF until the workshop team is completely satisfied that it is ready to be returned to its owner and get back out on the road.
Our 1970 Ford Cortina MK2 1600 GT had its thermostat housing removed by classic car technician Paul recently.
Once Paul had removed the housing he was able to drill out a broken stud before reassembling everything with new parts where they were required.
Our MK2 Cortina will go on to be a competition car at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Following the success of our previous Cortina, we are expecting this incredible example to be a very popular car.
To gain access to the leaking rocker cover gaskets, classic car technician Scott had to remove various parts of our 1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible.
Once he had access to them, he was able to remove the old gaskets and replace them with new ones.
After fitting new rocker cover gaskets, Scott began work on putting everything back together again. As he had removed the inlet manifolds, injectors, pipework, wires, and more, he had to reassemble everything before he could double-check his work.
Once Scott started the engine of our classic Jaguar, he looked for any leaks or other issues and was satisfied that the initial leaks had been resolved.
Our 1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible hasn’t been with us for very long but it has already been the focus of our classic car technicians. We are looking forward to seeing it back with its owner and out on the road very soon.
Our team of classic car technicians continue to work on our 1959 Jensen 541R.
Lydia has been stripping the old foam, leather, and vinyl off various interior pieces and prepping some of the metal work for repainting by sandblasting and sanding to remove rust, old paint, and glue.
While Lydia was working on the interior of our 541R, Al was continuing his work on the fibreglass bonnet. After his previous repairs on the underside of the bonnet, he cleaned the underside ready for the rest of his work to be completed. Once he had done this, he continued with his repairs. Al found some previous repair work that had been completed at some point in the car’s past. These repairs did not meet Al’s high standards so, despite making his repair work more challenging, he repaired the bonnet in full, including re-doing the previous bad repairs.
Mauro has also been working on our 1959 Jensen 541R. He has been refurbishing multiple components of this rare classic car. Alongside his refurbishing work, Mauro also painted the chassis too.
As work continues on our 541R, we look forward to seeing progress continue to be made as it moves through its restoration journey here at Bridge Classic Cars.
Our 1973 Triumph TR6 will soon be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Before it goes live though, a few points were highlighted in its initial assessment that need to be addressed.
Classic car technician Chris wasted no time in resolving the small areas of paintwork that needed attention.
After spending a bit of time in the Bridge Classic Cars Paintshop, our beautiful TR6 looks great and is one step closer to being ready to be won by whoever its lucky new owner will be.
Our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 has had new manifolds installed by classic car technician Jon.
There was lots of stripping and refitting to be done throughout the process but, the end result made all of the effort very much worthwhile.
While Jon was working to strip components to access the offside exhaust manifolds, there was a particular bolt that proved to be quite challenging. The problem was that the bolt was seized and, each time Jon tried to remove the bolt, it felt like it was going to snap. Fortunately, with lots of patience (and even more lubrication), Jon was able to successfully remove the bolt and continue his work on gaining access to the offside manifolds.
Once the manifolds were removed, Jon cleaned everything up in preparation for the new ones to be installed.
The new manifolds were put in place and secured before Jon reattached the engine to its engine mounts.
When the new exhausts were fitted and secured, the original front pipe was found to be too long. Classic car technician Monty stepped in to help at this point and shortened the pipe while Jon continued his cleaning and reassembling.
While Jon was putting our E-Type back together, he noticed that a small coolant pipe was completely blocked. He unblocked this and replaced the hose from the header tank to this pipe.
As they were disturbed during the process of installing the new manifolds, all of the fuel hoses going to the carburettors leaked. These were stripped and replaced, as was the braided fuel pipe as this had gone hard and leaked too.
Once everything was back together, Jon found no obvious leaks. He replaced the vac hoses before starting the car. It ran as expected and Jon was satisfied.
The coolant vac filled and held pressure as it should.
Jon wasn’t done with his work on our E-Type just yet though as he went on to fit a battery isolator. To do this, he removed the top pad of the dash to meet the criteria of the car owner who wanted this part to be hidden. The glovebox and trim were removed so Jon could make and install a bracket to hold the isolator behind the glovebox.
A safe route needed to be found to route the cables through the bulkhead. Once Jon had decided on the best route, he drilled the holes accordingly. The isolator was then wired up and secured before the glovebox and trims were refitted.
Jon has spent quite a bit of time with our 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 lately and lots of progress has been made. It won’t be too much longer before we have to say goodbye to this beautiful classic car as it returns to its owner to enjoy being back out on the road again.
Classic car technician Brian recently installed the glovebox radio in our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. He started by making the cardboard patterns for the inner section of the glovebox that would hold the radio.
He then cut out the base from mill board and the centre sections from plywood. To make sure everything was exactly the right size, Brian trial-fitted the front panel and radio before moving on to the next step in the process.
After a successful trial-fitting, Brian went on to fit the side panels of the glovebox as well as making and fitting the rear bracket. Once this was complete, he could cut and glue the Alcantara (a synthetic suede-like material that is referred to as a “material of the future”) to the front edge of the glovebox.
The radio was then put into the box and everything was ready to be installed in the car.
Once the glovebox and radio were in the car, Brian turned his attention to the glovebox lid. He first fit a piano hinge to the lid and screwed it in place before fitting this to the dashboard in the car.
The finished product of the glovebox and radio look very impressive and we are very pleased with the result.
Our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona is getting closer and closer to being complete and we are extremely excited to see this beautiful car drive out of the workshop and back to its owner in the very near future.
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.
We use cookies to deliver the best possible experience whilst visiting our website. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies, or you can manage your preferences by clicking the link below. You can manage your preferences at any time from out Cookie Policy page.