Friday Snapshot
December 4, 2020
Another busy week was flown by again, with lots of new drop-offs to the workshop and big progressions on current projects! Grey 1957 Jensen 541R
News
Spitfire hood repair
December 3, 2020
We’ve been repairing the hood frame on our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. This involves straightening out the linkages and then drilling out old pop rivets. Once
Black Jensen bits and bobs
December 3, 2020
Many of the jobs that are done on our cars seem like very small insignificant elements but if you look at the bigger picture, every
Tr6 fully covered
December 3, 2020
Our trim shop expert, Kath, has been busy making multiple covers for the magenta Triumph TR6. The hood and tonneau now have covers that have
The Amphicar’s switch around
December 3, 2020
Two bilge pumps have been added to the Amphicar. The original bilge pump remains in its original position in the engine bay and is still
Nissan 300ZX update
December 3, 2020
The Nissan is on the home straight in its restoration journey. It should be done before Christmas all being well! It has just had its
From Russia with love
December 3, 2020
We welcomed another new car to the workshop yesterday. This 1984 Lada 1200 Estate was brought in with signs of rust in the sills and
The Not so Nippy, Nippy
December 3, 2020
We’ve just welcomed this beautiful 1934 Austin Seven Nippy into the workshop for some engine repairs. The current diagnosis is that it needs an engine
Workshop Walkabout
December 2, 2020
Our week has been very busy with two photoshoots at the start of the week and new projects arriving in the workshop. Tr6’s new hood
Mr Setter – Plymouth
December 2, 2020
“Bridge classic Cars are doing a fantastic job by brightening up our lives with the chance of winning something amazing. I buy tickets for your
Opinion: Which cars will graduate to the hall of classics?
December 2, 2020
We’ve been discussing which modern cars we think are going to age like fine wines and which might fade into the history books. There are
Hat Trick Winners
December 2, 2020
Last week, we had a hat trick give away! Three cars and three winners certainly kept the live draw exciting. A big congratulations to James
Lotus Esprit Turbo Water Pipe
December 2, 2020
The original water pipe on a Lotus Esprit is made from Aluminium and over time the Aluminium starts to deteriorated creating very small holes in
Friday Snapshot
November 27, 2020
We’ve been very busy this week with winners and photoshoots as well as ongoing works to our current projects! Check out the news section of
A Unique Arrival
November 26, 2020
Although we’re a classic car company, sometimes we get our hands on other unique transportation devices, such as this late Victorian bath chair that Gordan
The RS Turbo Story
November 26, 2020
Our 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo has had quite the interesting back story. Originally from the sunny south of France, it was picked up and
Workshop Walkabout
November 25, 2020
There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far. Range Rover Sport
Life In The Fast Lane
November 25, 2020
We’ve recently acquired what we believe to be an original 1972 Chevron B20, one of just 7 ever made and raced for Formula 2. The
Jensen Bodyshell Preparation for primer
November 25, 2020
As we progress to the final stages of our 1960 Jensen 541S body preparation the next major step is to fully assess our fibreglass work,
Good As New
November 24, 2020
Our beautiful BMW Z3M has recently had a full gold valet by our friend at Viper Auto Valet. You can see the post here. Doesn’t
Raving Mad For Rovers
November 24, 2020
Recently we’d looked at buying these two Rovers P5B’s as seen below. Could a few new rovers be on our horizon? We certainly wouldn’t be
Morris Minor Has Its Wires Crossed
November 24, 2020
The Morris Minor 1000’s indicator stalk had some soldering that our technician Adam found to have perished with age. It was originally covered in tape
Amphicar’s New Electrics
November 24, 2020
Our Electrics specialist, Adam, has recently replaced the fuse box and propeller control switch in our 1965 Amphicar. Here are the before and after shots:
The Mystery Stopper
November 24, 2020
Some drama in the engine workshop! All was seemingly well with the engine re-build however, unbeknown to us, the dipstick tube had previously broken off
Top And Tail
November 23, 2020
Our new 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI is getting some top to bottom TLC, starting with the top! The ceiling cloth was in need
Moves like Jaguar
November 23, 2020
From purring to roaring, we’ve seen this Jaguar E-Type race car grow from start to finish. The project itself has been the epitome of Bridge
Meet The Team: Tom
November 23, 2020
Tom is our level 3 apprentice, studying classic car mechanics with the aim to graduate as a fully-fledged classic car technician. Growing up, Tamas enjoyed
Trim time for the 500SL
November 21, 2020
Now the exterior colour of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been chosen we are now on to the decision of our interior. All interior components
Friday Snapshot
November 20, 2020
Ford Escort RS Turbo Photoshoot On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We
Morris Minor Is Full Steam Ahead
November 20, 2020
Kath has recently refurbished the sun visors in the Morris Minor 1000 as the old ones had deteriorated. This freshening up included drawing around the
Friday Snapshot
December 4, 2020
Another busy week was flown by again, with lots of new drop-offs to the workshop and big progressions on current projects!
Grey 1957 Jensen 541R
Our trim shop expert Brian has been working on our grey 1957 Jensen 541R. He’s been marking out the leather for the rear parcel shelf and then glueing leather.
When the fabric has been marked out and fitted, the next stay is to trim off the excess around the window edge. The leather for rear quarter panel pockets has also been cut out and glued into the pockets.
The same process has happened for the side window surround panel which included screwing the parts in place and fitting the ashtray.
Austin Nippy Engine works start
Our engine specialist Ady has taken about the engine on our 1934 Austin Nippy. We’ve identified that there seems to be an issue with the cylinder bores. After further inspection, Ady diagnosed the issue as possible broken or cracked piston rings. This is a relatively quick job and Ady told us he hopes it’ll be done in the next few days.
We often find that even after an issue is addressed, it may not be solved as it’s common to find teething problems afterwards. We hope this quirky nippy will be back to working order again soon!
Black 1960 Jensen’s TLC
Our black 1960 Jensen 541R has had another layer of fresh paint and imperfection corrections that it’s acquired from knocks and bumps in the workshop. Gaining imperfections like this are common when parts are regularly being fitted and moved.
Up close and personal with the Gold Jaguar E-Type
This beautiful gold 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 Series 3 had picked up some sort of contaminant that had rusted the inner engine and wheel components. Our skill technicians addressed the issue by applying acid rust killer and cleaning down all of the parts. They were then re-painted and reassembled. Some of the nuts and bolts were also completely replaced.
Morris Minor Pinstripe
Painted by hand by our bodywork technician Chris who taped the sides to guide his hand and carefully applied the red paint.
Two more new Jensen’s arrived
We’ve had two more Jensen’s arrive this week for restorations, adding to our already growing collection! We’ll be sure to let you know how these restorations develop!
This beautiful 1961 Navy Jensen 541S:
And this sleek silver 1959 Jensen 541R that’s in for some electrical works:
Spitfire hood repair
December 3, 2020
We’ve been repairing the hood frame on our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. This involves straightening out the linkages and then drilling out old pop rivets. Once these steps have been completed, we ensure it fits back on the car without any further modifications.
Black Jensen bits and bobs
December 3, 2020
Many of the jobs that are done on our cars seem like very small insignificant elements but if you look at the bigger picture, every single detail is just as important as the larger parts.
The black 1960 Jensen 541R has recently had its spare wheel carrier lowering mechanism altered. The original it came in with didn’t function properly so we’ve lengthened the mechanism in the workshop today.
We have also replaced the fixing bolts on rear bumpers which had become faulty due to damage. We’ve welded in new bolts carefully, making sure we don’t damage the chrome and paint inside.
Tr6 fully covered
December 3, 2020
Our trim shop expert, Kath, has been busy making multiple covers for the magenta Triumph TR6. The hood and tonneau now have covers that have been created out of black vinyl. Velcro has been sewn on and all the individual parts are then sewn together. Kath has also made a bag for the jack which followed a similar pattern to the tool bag.
The Amphicar’s switch around
December 3, 2020
Two bilge pumps have been added to the Amphicar. The original bilge pump remains in its original position in the engine bay and is still in working condition. The old pump still has its wires connected and can be connected at any point in the future, however, it is currently disconnected from the car. The old pump has been kept in for peace of mind.
Nissan 300ZX update
December 3, 2020
The Nissan is on the home straight in its restoration journey. It should be done before Christmas all being well!
It has just had its wheels refurbished, new wing mirrors, a thorough clean by Viper Auto Valets, the exhaust manifolds replaced to solve the leak as well as new exhaust studs. The next step is to piece it all back together and get it checked over for a final service.
From Russia with love
December 3, 2020
We welcomed another new car to the workshop yesterday. This 1984 Lada 1200 Estate was brought in with signs of rust in the sills and floor. A paint job and some fabrication work will be in order to address the rust issues.
Lada 1200’s were a heavily modified version of the Fiat 124 tailored for the Soviet Union and much of the Eastern Bloc. The Lada brand was built with hash Russian and Siberian conditions in mind. The suspension was raised to clear rough Russian roads and the bodyshell was made from thicker, heavier steel to make them more durable. These cars were later shipped around the world and used as police cars, taxies and other public utility vehicles.
The Not so Nippy, Nippy
December 3, 2020
We’ve just welcomed this beautiful 1934 Austin Seven Nippy into the workshop for some engine repairs. The current diagnosis is that it needs an engine rebuild as there seem to be some oil issues. Our aim is to troubleshoot the engine, identify the exact faults and advise the customer on what to do next.
The Austin Seven Nippy was the brainchild of Herbert Austin and Stanley Edge than run from 1922 to 1937. Despite only 682 models being made, the Austin Seven Nippy was responsible for helping motorise Britain, with the car providing the same footprint as a motorcycle and sidecar whilst still offering all the advantages of an automobile.
The Nippy clever abut simple engineering is based around an ‘A-frame’ chassis which is equipped with an all-round leaf-sprung suspension. The earlier models were fitted with just a three-speed manual gearbox whereas the later models, including ours, has a four-speed gearbox. This small and brisk sports car benefits from a lowered centre of gravity making it an amusing and ‘nippy’ drive.
It’s fun to see a car with a cranking handle such as what this Austin Nippy has. Although it was commonplace for cars at the time, it’s always interesting when we get one in the workshop. The cranking handle manually turns over the engine acted as a backup. It functioned much in the same way as bump starting the car. Cranking handles slowly phased out of car designs, often with the levers ending up in the toolbox as a last resort.
Workshop Walkabout
December 2, 2020
Our week has been very busy with two photoshoots at the start of the week and new projects arriving in the workshop.
Tr6’s new hood cover
Our trim shop has been fitting the frame to the TR6. This includes riveting straps to the frame bars, marking positions for fasteners around the rear of the hood and fitting those fasteners in position. The next step is to clip the front edge of the cover in place while the fasteners are riveted to the metal bar inside the hood.
Brian, one of our trim shop specialists the glued velcro to the sidebars and screwed in metal channels for the side rubbers. Once all the fasteners have been fitted, Brian could then fit the cover to the car.
Lotus Esprit
Our Lotus Esprit has had a new water pipe fabricated from stainless steel to replace the old aluminium one that had rusted. This was made by hand in our workshop.
Jaguar E-Type Race Car
Although finish, the 1967 Jaguar E-type series 1 race car is always an ongoing project with new alterations being done frequently. This week a new door latch and release cable was fitted.
Triumph TR5
Our 1965 Triumph TR5 has had its split dashboard repaired. Refurbished by hand in our workshop, its now ready to be re-installed.
Peony Red Jensen
The trim shop has added wadding to the rear-seat centre section, glued the cover at front & back down and turned the fabric around the hinge at the back. The seats have also had the sides glued and pulled tight. Wadding has been added as well as extra foam to the side section of the rear seat base.
Primer has been done and its now ready for the fiberglass to be smoothed and corrected and the colour to be applied.
1962 Gold Jensen 541S
The Gold and Burgundy Jensen 541S had an issue with its engine which Ady, our engine specialist soon diagnosed as a cracked oil way. Oil was leaking into the water pipe. To discover the issue, Ady had to fill the oil way with water and push air through the pipe to identify the issue.
Photoshoots behind the scenes
Both Monday and Tuesday were jam-packed for our marketing team with two photoshoots for our race cars, the Jaguar E-Type and the Chevron B20. We’re excited to share the results of these shoots. A big thank you to Ellough Park in Beccles for allowing us to shoot on their track and to Mark O’Connor who featured in the Jaguar E-Type photos. As an F1 test driver and stunt driver, he was the perfect person to get behind the wheel and model for the shoot!
Mr Setter – Plymouth
December 2, 2020
“Bridge classic Cars are doing a fantastic job by brightening up our lives with the chance of winning something amazing. I buy tickets for your competitions now rather than wasting money on the lottery as the odds are far better. Keep up the good work guys and roll on tomorrow at 7pm. 
“
Opinion: Which cars will graduate to the hall of classics?
December 2, 2020
We’ve been discussing which modern cars we think are going to age like fine wines and which might fade into the history books. There are a whole host of current cars from run-abouts to super cars that have what it takes to become a classic car.
The conversation was triggered when a copy of the Garage Support landed on our desk in the marketing department, with the magazine open on an article that discussed the top 10 cars on the road over 3 years old. It got us thinking about how modern cars are ageing and which models will take centre stage for the next generation of sought after classics. Ellie, our marketing assistant was happy to see that her Toyota Yaris had made the cut for the top 10 cars, a small victory for a Wednesday afternoon.
Among the guesses made for future classics were the Ford Focus ST, VW Golf MK4, Mazda MX5, Toyota Starlet, Cupra Formentor, Fiat 124 Spider, F-Type Jaguar, Mitsubishi Evo VII and Aston Martin DB9.
The team had different reasons for their guesses, some suggested that much like the Beetle or Ford Escort that started its life as a simple first car, many of the common modern cars could also age well. It’s certainly a temptation to pick up a cheap car now with the foresight of a future classic!
Alternatively, we had some say that modern-day supercars such as Aston Martin DB9 and the Bugatti Veyron would make their way into the hall of classics, in much the same way as 1960’s sports cars such as the Jaguar E-Types developed into long-loved classics.
It’s certainly an interesting thought. Many of the cars we bought as cheap first cars have become sought after classics. But which cars will be the next selection of golden classics?
With the future of automotive engineering venturing into the world of electric motors and self-driving vehicles, will the classic manual petrol be a thing of the past?
We’ve found this lovely Mazda MX5 MK1 that had recently sold for just £1220 with 47,000 miles on the clock. Investing in a pre-1998 Mazda MX5 with low milage may just pay off in the future.
Hat Trick Winners
December 2, 2020
Last week, we had a hat trick give away! Three cars and three winners certainly kept the live draw exciting.
A big congratulations to James Colwell for winning our 1979 Mini Clubman with his lucky ticket number 850. The Mini will be making its way to Gloucester soon.
Our 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged was won by Sam Holmes with his ticket number 134. Our Jaguar will be prowling up to Cheshire to truly become the Cheshire Cat!
Finally, our 1999 Mercedes was won by Robert Read with ticket number 131. This lovely modern classic will soon be making its way down to Surrey!
Although Robert’s ticket number was selected, it wasn’t the first ticket number to be chosen by Google’s random number generator. The first ticket pulled was 183 was a number assigned to an unbought ticket. This just goes to show it’s worth buying those extra tickets as that could have been you!
We’ve got our 1972 MGB Roadster to give away tomorrow and with less than 400 tickets left, this beautiful Blaze Orange number is selling out fast!
This has been guaranteed for tomorrow so regardless, this car will find its new owner tomorrow! Could it be you?
Lotus Esprit Turbo Water Pipe
December 2, 2020
The original water pipe on a Lotus Esprit is made from Aluminium and over time the Aluminium starts to deteriorated creating very small holes in the pipework.
Water and holes tend not to agree with one another so a new pipe is required.
These pipes can be purchased but at £400 a the only supplier being in the USA it makes more sense for Dave to make us a new one at the workshops.
This has now been fabricated, fitted and the car runs perfectly once again. Great work from Dave and Pete to diagnose and fix the issue…
Friday Snapshot
November 27, 2020
We’ve been very busy this week with winners and photoshoots as well as ongoing works to our current projects! Check out the news section of our website for in depth exclusives on our current cars.
Live Draws and Winners
This week we aired to live videos! One being on Wednesday night as a Hanger walk around, teasing some of the cars to come which must have enticed some extra ticket buyers as all three competition cars were drawn and won last night!
A big congratulations to James Colwell for winning our 1979 Mini Clubman with his lucky ticket number 850. Our 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged was won by Sam Holmes with his ticket number 134. Finally, our 1999 Mercedes was won by Robert Read with ticket number 131. Although his ticket number was selected, it wasn’t the first ticket number to be chosen by Google’s random number generator. The first ticket pulled was 183, a number assigned to an unbought ticket. This just goes to show it’s worth buying those extra tickets as that could have been you!
Closer look at the Chevron
We released some details about our new Chevron B20 earlier in the week. Here’s a closer look at our new race car. We’re planning on doing an official shoot for this iconic vehicle next week, so stay tuned!
New arrival of an Austin Nippy
Yesterday we welcomed this 1934 Austin Nippy to the workshop. This little car is visiting us for an engine rebuild. We’ll be uploading more details about the car and its restoration soon!
Finishing touches on the Jaguar
As you may have seen in our previous blog, our beautiful 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car project has finally been completed. This has been in progress since 2016 and this week we saw the finishing details such as these pinstripes added.
We can’t wait to start it up and photograph it! Keep an eye out for its full story and photoshoot coming next week!
A Unique Arrival
November 26, 2020
Although we’re a classic car company, sometimes we get our hands on other unique transportation devices, such as this late Victorian bath chair that Gordan has purchased!
We’re not sure of the exact history of this wheelchair, however, we know its roughly late victorian, otherwise, its history is an open book!
Gordan originally purchased it as a possible decoration piece for his house but has since decided it would make a great quirky signature piece at our hanger!
Bath chairs themselves were originally designed by James Heath of Bath in 1750. Mainly designed for the elderly in its former years, this wheelchair device later became popular at the seaside. The design enables it to be pushed from the back and steered via the rod at the front.
The RS Turbo Story
November 26, 2020
Our 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo has had quite the interesting back story.
Originally from the sunny south of France, it was picked up and restored by its second owner Sean Swift who also bought the white escort pictured below but found it was in such a poor condition that restoring it would leave him at a loss.
Sean then brought them back to the UK where he started his beautiful renovation of the grey RS Turbo which made its way to us, with very few miles on the clock.
Unsurprisingly we’ve had multiple offers from the team to run it in…
This is how the RS used to look before is renovation:
And this is how it looks now, after Sean’s clever handiwork and a photoshoot with our marketing team:
Workshop Walkabout
November 25, 2020
There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far.
Range Rover Sport 2016
One of our directors, Gordon, had his Range Rover Sport’s tyres refurbished, ready for the cold winter months ahead. Now fully refurbished, Gordon’s Range Rover is ready to take on the elements.
Jaguars New Stripes
As seen in our blog yesterday, the 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car has now been finished! This has been an incredibly exciting project that has been in progress since 2016. Over the last few days, the finishing touches have been added such as the pinstripes on the bonnet and fine-tuning the engine. The bonnet itself has also be re-installed to make sure it fits after the recent engine works.
Craig’s Mercedes 500SL
Our other director, Craig, is in the process of choosing the leather for the interior and the spray finish for the fuel tank. It’s deciding details like this that make classic cars so personal to their owners.
Morris Minor
One of the more notable updates on the Morris Minor 1000 is the new hood. The trim shop has done a fantastic job yet again to make the perfect custom hood, allowing this Morris Minor to be more usable throughout the changing seasons. Our technician Scott has also been trying to figure out the reason for the play in its front wheels. The mystery is yet to be solved…
The front suspension has also been tightened, the curtesy light wiring is being installed and Adam is troubleshooting the electrics.
Grey Jensen 541R
Lots of little updates for the Grey Jensen 541R such as preparing the door rim before it goes to the trim shop, stripping the bonnet ready for paint, made the curtesy light switch by hand, installed the hand brake cables and panhard rod as well as the speedo drive.
Triumph TR5
Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is awaiting its interior but it has had its heater installed!
Blue E-Type
Our blue 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 is awaiting on a new steering rack, clutch slave cylinder and bumper to be fitted. The parts have been ordered so the E-Type should be looking good as new in no time!
Ford Transit
This lovely 1953 Ford Transit is almost ready to leave us now. We’re just waiting on some new 6 volt bulbs for the headlights and then it’ll be ready to go!
Blue Jensen
We’re giving the blue Jensen a general nut and bolt service. It came in to have its clutch, exhaust and breaks replaced which have been or are in the process of being fixed.
Peony Red Jensen
The Peony Red Jensen 542S has had its seats made up. The next step is to complete the set and install them. Our trim shop never fails to impress us with their stunning interior projects.
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 has now had all its interior trim completed. The last few pieces include making and fitting the hood which had to have the leather glued to the frame once made up.
Black Jensen
The black Jensen is visiting our paint shop for some touch-ups and corrections in the paintwork.
1988 Nissan 300ZX
Ady our engine specialist has taken apart both exhaust manifolds on the Nissan 300ZX.
Amphicar
The fuel pump has been rewired, two bilge pumps are set to be added, the brakes have been bled, the grease nipples re-greased and the heater has been ordered.
Range Rover TDI
A new gear stick gaiter has been made and fitted by the trim shop. Our range rover is making steady progress to be completed soon.
Black Spitfire
Although we don’t have the Black Spitfire back with us, we do have the task of replacing the half shafts. We’re hoping we can order in new pieces however we may need to take these apart instead and refurbish them ourselves.
Life In The Fast Lane
November 25, 2020
We’ve recently acquired what we believe to be an original 1972 Chevron B20, one of just 7 ever made and raced for Formula 2.
The original owner of this B20 was one of the partners of Chevron, who recently passed away. His son then took on the car and has come to us for Bridge Classics to sell it on his behalf. We’ll be selling the Chevron just as it is, no modifications made.
We believe that this car was re-built in 1972 after it was crashed on the track.
The engineers who built this particular B20 was Steve and Nial from Chevron who now own their own company called Red Rose Racing.
History
This vehicle has had quite a dramatic life. It’s been raced by Peter Gethin who won at Pau in 1972. It was also raced by Vic Elford and John Watson with a 1900cc Cosworth FVC in the Rothmans 5000. It was then believed to have been leased by Ed Reeves for David Morgan to race in the Torneio in Brasil at the end of 1972 however Morgan, unfortunately, crashed it in practice. It’s said to have been “extremely badly bent” as a result of hitting the barrier head-on, with Morgan unhurt but having to be cut out of the wreckage.
Interestingly in the naming of Chevrons cars, there were no recurring master numbers such as 11, 22, 33 etc. This was due to a superstition held by founder Derek Bennett who had been in an accident where the number 11 kept being linked to the crash. From then onwards, he made the decision to avoid naming his cars after those master numbers. However, this didn’t spare our B20 from its serious crash in 1972.
Keep your eyes peeled for the official photoshoot coming soon!
Jensen Bodyshell Preparation for primer
November 25, 2020
As we progress to the final stages of our 1960 Jensen 541S body preparation the next major step is to fully assess our fibreglass work, to ensure we have covered all grounds before coating the full body shell in a primer ready for paint.
Good As New
November 24, 2020
Our beautiful BMW Z3M has recently had a full gold valet by our friend at Viper Auto Valet.
You can see the post here.
Doesn’t it look great!
Raving Mad For Rovers
November 24, 2020
Recently we’d looked at buying these two Rovers P5B’s as seen below. Could a few new rovers be on our horizon? We certainly wouldn’t be complaining…
Morris Minor Has Its Wires Crossed
November 24, 2020
The Morris Minor 1000’s indicator stalk had some soldering that our technician Adam found to have perished with age. It was originally covered in tape which had begun to unwind.
To fix the issues, Adam re soldered and covered the wires with heat shrink covering to ensure no liquids or debris can interrupt the solder joints.
Amphicar’s New Electrics
November 24, 2020
Our Electrics specialist, Adam, has recently replaced the fuse box and propeller control switch in our 1965 Amphicar.
Here are the before and after shots:
The Mystery Stopper
November 24, 2020
Some drama in the engine workshop! All was seemingly well with the engine re-build however, unbeknown to us, the dipstick tube had previously broken off inside the cylinder block. If Ady’s keen eyes hadn’t noticed, this would have led to a total engine strip and rebuild in the workshop later down the line!
Luckily he noticed and managed to remove it before it did too much damage. A new one has now been fitted.
The Peony Red Jensen 541S has had its engine refurbished by our engine specialist. A new steel tube has been installed as well as a distributor, water pump and oil filter housing.
Top And Tail
November 23, 2020
Our new 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI is getting some top to bottom TLC, starting with the top! The ceiling cloth was in need of some refurbishment, so Kath, one of our Trim specialists took it apart and re-glued that fabric.
Although the ceiling cloth didn’t need a total replacement, some of the fabric had come loose which meant that Kath had to peel back the fabric, pull it tight and then re-glue it.
After making sure all the fabric had been glued back down, Kath turned the ceiling fitting around and pulled the fabric over the edges to make sure it all stuck. The end result was a smart refurbished ceiling cloth. Good as new!
Moves like Jaguar
November 23, 2020
From purring to roaring, we’ve seen this Jaguar E-Type race car grow from start to finish. The project itself has been the epitome of Bridge Classic Cars, to prove what we can do.
This 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 Series 1 came in in 2016 as nothing more than a beaten up shell that had been sat in a barn. After a full nut and bolt restoration, a lot of hard work and planning from the whole team, it now resembles a beautiful custom race car.
You can read its full story here.
Then:
Now:
The underbelly of the beast:
The significance of the number 17 on the side is that the project started in 2017. Its been a long road but we’re excited to see this stunning car come to life.
Now the car is finished, it will have a full photoshoot and will be auctioned off to be sold. Keep your eyes peeled for its official photoshoot!
Meet The Team: Tom
November 23, 2020
Tom is our level 3 apprentice, studying classic car mechanics with the aim to graduate as a fully-fledged classic car technician.
Growing up, Tamas enjoyed restoring modern classics with his brother. From there, his fascination with engineering and classic restorations began.
“I’ve always been around cars and interested in how they work.”
When Tom came to the UK, he started a course in Classic Car Restoration in Leeds which set the foundations for a growing career in the classic car world.
In 2018, Tom then took up a job at a classic car restoration company that specialised in Porches and took up a level 2 apprenticeship in mechanics at the Colchester Institute. When Tom came to work at Bridge Classic Cars in September 2019, he started on his level 3 apprenticeship with the Colchester Institute.
Tom has the interest to further his career in electric cars which is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the world of engineering.
One of the biggest cars the year Tom was the McLaren F1. Celebrities such as Elon Musk, Rowan Atkinson and the Sultan of Brunei have owned the famous car. In 2017 Top Gear Magazine, listed it as one of the fastest naturally aspirated cars currently available in the world.
Trim time for the 500SL
November 21, 2020
Now the exterior colour of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been chosen we are now on to the decision of our interior.
All interior components are now down off the shelf and in the Trim Shop with Kath and Brian ready to be rebuilt to our bespoke specifications.
The colour will be chosen within the coming weeks, very little will be original and the interior will be completely transformed…so watch this space!
Friday Snapshot
November 20, 2020
Ford Escort RS Turbo Photoshoot
On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as it managed to stay dry and clear throughout the afternoon and with the addition of some artistic smoke grenades, our marketing team shot some stunning visuals. You’ll begin to see the photos and videos appear throughout our social media pages.
New Mustang In The Stable
This beautiful 5 litre 2015 Mustang GT is the newest addition to our Hanger storage collection. We’re looking after this customers car for the winter so it’ll be tucked away as part of our storage services. It really is a stunning modern car.
New Arrivals
This week we’ve welcomed a selection of new vehicles into the Bridge Classic Car family including the 1974 Lime Green VW Beetle, the 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI, our new Mercedes transportation lorry and an original Chevron B-20. The Range Rover and Beetle are set to be competition cars however we are yet to decide the fate of our exciting and rare Chevron.
Competition Winner Delivery
This week we also delivered the Triumph TR4 to the lucky winner Adrian Harcus and wife, Aileen, in Aberdeen. We’re excited to see what plans they have for their new TR4!
Chrome parts and guest cars
Our friend and trust chrome specialist visited Bridge Classics HQ today to drop off some beautifully crafted chrome pieces for our recent blue Jaguar E-Type series 3. Tony Wyatt from his self titled polishing company works on providing us with the best and shiniest chrome parts for our restorations. Today when we arrived, we came in his stunning 3 litre Rover which itself has his handiwork on the front.
Morris Minor Is Full Steam Ahead
November 20, 2020
Kath has recently refurbished the sun visors in the Morris Minor 1000 as the old ones had deteriorated. This freshening up included drawing around the old visors, swing the edge and across the top and then carefully hand stitching around the metal rod. Once finished, it was ready for Scott to fit as seen below.
Scott, one of our other technicians has been doing a lot of work on the Morris Minor such as:
- Fitting the rear bumper
- Applying a new seal on the differential and putting the prop shaft back on
- Installing the gearbox tunnel
- Adding door cards and interior handles
- Fitting the carpet and rear seats
- Bolting the front passenger seat
- Installing new mirrors
- Adding a new exhaust
- Adding the wooden floor into the boot
