1990 Austin Mini Thirty in the Trim Shop
Kath has been working her magic on one of our future competition cars, this lovely little Austin Mini Thirty. The interior of our Mini was
Kath has been working her magic on one of our future competition cars, this lovely little Austin Mini Thirty. The interior of our Mini was
Chris has done a superb job so far repainting our Ford Escort RS200. It’s had primer coats applied and is just about to get it’s
Pete, one of Bridge Classic Cars’ vehicle technicians has been working on our Nissan 300zx restoration. He has replaced the faulty water pump. He is
A future competition car, this SL55 is simply gorgeous. However, the wheels where the only area letting the car down. Not anymore. We’ve refurbished the
We could be looking at some new additions in the paint shop very soon as we are currently in discussion on a full respray of
Congratulations to Colin Dixon, winner of our 1966 Ford Mustang with ticket number 2795. To be in with a chance to win your very own
In the workshop today is our gorgeous 1937 Triumph Dolomite. Having worked on this car in the past we are very familiar with this vehicle.
We’ve been making wonderful progress on both of our Jensen 541R restorations. On our 1960 Black Jensen 541R, Paul has recently fitted the floor and
We’ve taken the engine out of our 1970 Fiat 850S as we discovered the core plug at the rear of the head was broken. Dave
Darren has now completed the final stages of painting our stunning magenta 1973 Triumph TR6. After masking up to protect the already painted inner sections
Thanks to James Bell of Giraviufocus for sharing some images of our Maserati Merak that he spotted recently at Bicester Heritage.
Our 1979 Ford RS2000 is now in the hands of Chris in our paint shop ready to be prepared and painted. The decals will be
Today we welcomed our 1995 Efini RX-7 Type R Bathurst. 1 of 500 produced for the Japanese market. Our RX-7 had 1 owner in Japan
We have freshened up the look of the wheels on our 1982 Porsche 911 by repainting the black centre piece. To refurbish the wheel costs
Darren has been tasked with completing the final trim installation on this Triumph Spitfire. A home restoration, this Spitfire was brought to us for paint.
Brian, one of Bridge Classic Cars Interior Trim Specialists has been hard at work on our 1957 Jensen 541R Interior. The door cards were fabricated
Mauro and Chris have been working on our soon-to-be-competition car, Austin Mini thirty. It’s had a thorough service and inspection from Mauro. Chris has repainted
Kath has had the E-Type Racecar in the trim shop this week. She’s making superb progress building up this interior from scratch. Take a look
Our 1998 BMW M3 Evoultion has returned to our hangar having been away touring the coast for a week. We have a few items to
Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist was called out to investigate an issue on this Jaguar SS1000. There was no spark so Ady has fitted
Arriving in our workshops this week we have our Arion S2 race car. Powered by a 900cc motorcycle engine that has unfortunately blown during a
Visiting our workshops this afternoon is our amazing Mercedes 500SL R107. As you can see, the driver’s seat has suffered from years of use. The
New arrival to Bridge Classic Cars, introducing our 2003 Mercedes SL55 V8. One of our newest cars to be released as a competition, although 2003
Ady has replaced the ignition system on our Triumph Tr3 as the distributor was worn out.
Kath has had our Austin Healey in the trim shop recently to lay carpets over the transmission tunnel and both footwells.
With our Mini shell now in its beautiful Surf Blue finish, we bid farewell as we hand the car over to Team C to be
A crazy busy week at Bridge Classic Cars HQ this week; lots of exciting projects on the go, cars coming in, going out. The truck
Before we look to cut the frame, alter the overall appearance to a cafe racer and start to piece together the bike with brand new
It was debatable whether we could rescue the original headlining of our 1982 Porsche 911. This was the preferred option by the customer so we
The new owner of this Fiat 750 has asked us to inspect the vehicle and asses the amount of work needed to get it back
Kath has been working her magic on one of our future competition cars, this lovely little Austin Mini Thirty. The interior of our Mini was in need of restorative works. Kath has done an incredible job on the steering wheel, dash and rear door pockets.
First up, Kath tackled the steering wheel. She masked up the black centre section and sanded down the leather to smooth it out. She then applied flexible filler, left the filler to dry and then sanded down.
Kath then cleaned the surface before applying specialist leather colour paint to the leather. This paint will not crack and is perfect for reconditioning high-wear surfaces such as a steering wheel.
Next up for Kath, the worn rear door pockets. She marked up the two new panel insets, cut to size and installed into the car for the perfect fit.
The dash of our Mini was also very well worn and in need of restoration. Kath started by making a rough template to mill a new dashboard from. She then marked out and scored the board to bend into shape. It has now been positioned in place. A air vent hole will need to be drilled and the air vent fitted when this arrives with us.
Superb work, Kath.
Chris has done a superb job so far repainting our Ford Escort RS200. It’s had primer coats applied and is just about to get it’s top coat. This lovely Escort RS2000 will be available as a competition very soon.
Pete, one of Bridge Classic Cars’ vehicle technicians has been working on our Nissan 300zx restoration. He has replaced the faulty water pump. He is also giving the engine a full service including new cam belt, spark plugs, fuel filter, oil filter and fresh oil.
Great work, Pete
A future competition car, this SL55 is simply gorgeous. However, the wheels where the only area letting the car down. Not anymore.
We’ve refurbished the wheels and refitted them to the car. They’re now looking as good as new.
We could be looking at some new additions in the paint shop very soon as we are currently in discussion on a full respray of a 1987 Mk1 Golf GTi. As you can see, someone has been at the body already so we will have lots of repairs that will need to be made. I would imagine a lot of repairs will have to be removed and new metalwork fitted.
Next up, we have our 1995 BMW 840. The owner uses the car everyday and is debating whether to sell the car and get into something new or carry out a sympathetic re-spray to bring it back to life and make it look absolutely beautiful once again. Mechanically, the car is in great shape so it is just the aesthetics we need to concentrate on.
Congratulations to Colin Dixon, winner of our 1966 Ford Mustang with ticket number 2795.
To be in with a chance to win your very own classic, head to bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/competitions
In the workshop today is our gorgeous 1937 Triumph Dolomite. Having worked on this car in the past we are very familiar with this vehicle. It’s been getting a lot of attention form everyone here at Bridge. We just love this lovely classic.
It’s in today with John as the water pump is weeping and there is a leak on the fuel sender unit.
To repair, we will firstly inspect the leaking area and fix where nessasary. We will also check the fuel tank seals and sender unit.
We’ve been making wonderful progress on both of our Jensen 541R restorations.
On our 1960 Black Jensen 541R, Paul has recently fitted the floor and brake and clutch master cylinder. The stainless steel exhaust has been custom made by exhaust specialists Demand Engineering and installed into the vehicle.
Paul will now be moving onto fitting the clutch pipe from the master cylinder to the gearbox slave cylinder.
In the trim shop, Brian and Kath have been trimming our Corvette engine powered 1957 Jensen 541R and 1960 Jensen 541R. We’re using Connoly Vaumol Leather. 891 Luxan grain chestnut in the 1957 Jensen and 8500 Crushed grain black in the 1960 Jensen. Brian has been covering the door cards in the specified brown and black leather leather.
Brian has trimmed the front arm rests and the rear seat divider in the Connoly Vaumol Leather.
Below you can see how Kath has trimmed the door card. Using the wooden panel that Brian has made, Kath cut the leather to size and has glued and stitched the leather in place.
Kath has applied carpeting to the door panels. She is now currently making the rear seats on the 1957 Jensen 541R.
Dave has custom fabricated this panel for Brian to trim.
We’ve taken the engine out of our 1970 Fiat 850S as we discovered the core plug at the rear of the head was broken. Dave has repaired the issues and re-fitted the engine ready for it it to return to the customer’s storage facility in Bristol.
Darren has now completed the final stages of painting our stunning magenta 1973 Triumph TR6. After masking up to protect the already painted inner sections of the body, Darren firstly applied primer to the prepared surface.
He then applied several layers of the sumptuous magenta colour coats.
Finally the paint is fully protected and sealed in with several layers of clear coat. Once the car is fully re-assembled, this clear coat can then be machined and detailed to a crystal clear finish.
This looks absolutely stunning. Top work, Darren!
Thanks to James Bell of Giraviufocus for sharing some images of our Maserati Merak that he spotted recently at Bicester Heritage.
Our 1979 Ford RS2000 is now in the hands of Chris in our paint shop ready to be prepared and painted.
The decals will be replaced as part of the refurb and after completion we will fit with a brand new vinyl roof.
Today we welcomed our 1995 Efini RX-7 Type R Bathurst. 1 of 500 produced for the Japanese market. Our RX-7 had 1 owner in Japan before coming over to the UK and has since had 1 owner in the UK before we got our hands on it. The car is absolutely stunning condition and has covered just 7,500 genuine miles with incredible history to back it up. Believed to the only 1 of this kind in the UK and a truly stunning example, a real collectors piece and could soon be yours…watch this space!
We have freshened up the look of the wheels on our 1982 Porsche 911 by repainting the black centre piece. To refurbish the wheel costs a substantial amount of money, more than a traditional wheel refurbishment due to the material they are manufactured with. Traditional diamond cut will work but will give a shinier look so to the purist this is not the correct result.
So, to fresh up the look without a full refurbishment we have repainted the black centre inserts.
Darren has been tasked with completing the final trim installation on this Triumph Spitfire.
A home restoration, this Spitfire was brought to us for paint. Some of the paintwork was scratched and chipped when the Spitfire’s owner installed some of the exterior trim elements. Darren has repaired this paintwork and fitted the final few pieces of chrome trim.
Great work, Darren. The paintwork is looking perfect!
Brian, one of Bridge Classic Cars Interior Trim Specialists has been hard at work on our 1957 Jensen 541R Interior. The door cards were fabricated from new wood.
He’s rebuilt the door card inserts and trimmed in this gorgeous chocolate brown leather. Using the original leather as a template, Brian has designed the door cards as close to original as possible.
Great work, Brian. this will look stunning when it’s installed into the car.
Mauro and Chris have been working on our soon-to-be-competition car, Austin Mini thirty.
It’s had a thorough service and inspection from Mauro.
Chris has repainted the Mini. There were a few scuffs and bodywork issues so we decoded to treat this little mini to a full respray
We’ve now just got to fit new door cards and mirrors and this car is ready to be enjoyed by the lucky winner.
Kath has had the E-Type Racecar in the trim shop this week.
She’s making superb progress building up this interior from scratch. Take a look at the extensive gallery below to see all the details that have gone into this vehicles interior.
Sticking with the ethos of this build, we’ve kept the interior as minimalist as possible to keep weight to a minimum. Kath has designed bespoke leather inserts in place of traditional door cards.
Our 1998 BMW M3 Evoultion has returned to our hangar having been away touring the coast for a week. We have a few items to address on the car and then it will be put back in storage until the better weather returns.
Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist was called out to investigate an issue on this Jaguar SS1000. There was no spark so Ady has fitted a new distributor and coil. This classic Jaguar is now purring once again.
Arriving in our workshops this week we have our Arion S2 race car. Powered by a 900cc motorcycle engine that has unfortunately blown during a recent track event.
A replacement engine has been sourced and is on its way.
Hopefully like for like, we are optimistic that this may be a relatively simple engine swap with some essential plates being removed from the existing engine and fitted to the new/old replacement. Once these have been fitted and the engine tested we can refit and test.
Visiting our workshops this afternoon is our amazing Mercedes 500SL R107. As you can see, the driver’s seat has suffered from years of use. The customer has purchased the material brand new and is looking for the skills of our trim experts to recover the centres of both front seats.
New arrival to Bridge Classic Cars, introducing our 2003 Mercedes SL55 V8. One of our newest cars to be released as a competition, although 2003 is not considered classic status, the V8 SL55 is becoming a rare beast to find and most definitely a future classic.
Currently in our workshops to address some body work issues, the car will be released very soon and we think this will be a quick seller!
Ady has replaced the ignition system on our Triumph Tr3 as the distributor was worn out.
Kath has had our Austin Healey in the trim shop recently to lay carpets over the transmission tunnel and both footwells.
With our Mini shell now in its beautiful Surf Blue finish, we bid farewell as we hand the car over to Team C to be fitted up.
An exciting journey awaits as we can now exclusively reveal that after refit, the car will be off to the guys at Electric Classic Cars to appear in Season 2 of Vintage Voltage.
Director Richard Morgan explains what’s next for our Mini; “Anything that will save weight, improve handling and brakes is a good idea as this is going to get 350hp of Tesla motor going in it. We may well need to de-tune that but we’ll play that by ear once we’ve got it on the road. We’re looking for cars to potentially have as feature cars in season 2 of our TV show Vintage Voltage. In case you’re not aware of it, this is a show commissioned by Discovery Channel that is airing in the UK on Quest and in the US on Motortrend, with international distribution by ITV.”
We look forward to next seeing the car on our TV screens…
A crazy busy week at Bridge Classic Cars HQ this week; lots of exciting projects on the go, cars coming in, going out. The truck and the trailer have been up and down the country.
Mauro has been our designated driver all week and one of his tasks was to collect our latest addition to the Bridge family. Sure to be a popular one, tucked away in this garage is our 1979 Ford RS2000.
Follow the progress of this incredibly iconic classic as we bring her back to life for one lucky person.
Before we look to cut the frame, alter the overall appearance to a cafe racer and start to piece together the bike with brand new components, we have taken the basic set up to our very good friends at Demand Engineering. Demand will be the next guys to get their hands on our bike as we look to design and manufacture the bespoke custom exhaust. A very different look to the original with the appearance and sound being absolutely critical to what we want the end results to be. We cannot wait to sit down with Dan and plan the next steps.
Introducing Demand Engineering:
“Demand Engineering makes exhausts, thatโs what we do, and thatโs all that we do.
Weโd like to think that weโre getting pretty good at it, but weโll let you be the judge of that.
Demand was formed in 2011 by two friends doing what a lot of friends do, finishing a conversation that starts with the immortal lines โwhat if you and Iโฆ..?โ they both happened to be Engineers, and they both had passion for all things noisy with wheels on.
Fast forward 7 years and weโve been involved with some pretty special projects, in a wide variety of vehicles, from GT40 race cars to irreplaceable classics. Weโve built exhausts for Boats, Bikes, Tractors, Buses, Supercars and even Aeroplanes. That doesnโt mean to say we havenโt done a fair few โnormalโ cars as well, Subaruโs, VWโs, Fords, and seemingly endless Motor homes. Thereโs been nothing I can think of that has phased us.
We work with all of our customers to give them what they want, Iโd like to think that was kinda the point. Weโve worked with Guy Martin on his Transit van, and with Universities with their โFormula Studentโ cars.
Side exit? No Problem. Lightweight, Carbon fiber Race Kart exhaust? Sure. Needless to say, if it has an engine, weโre bound to be interested! We can build and create manifolds, silencers, tailpipes and more, come and have a cup of tea and lets talk about what we can do for you.
Over the years, weโve also become pretty adept at exhaust development. We have designed, tested and manufactured exhausts for other companies, from specialist equipment to super cars. With computer controlled Tube bending equipment, combined with our fixture tables, we can precisely replicate any design, over, and over again.
One thing in common with all that we do, for every exhaust we make, from a tuned equal length manifold, to a rear silencer on a family hatchback, we offer the same level of care and attention, workmanship, materials and customer service.
Demand Attention and Performance. Itโs our name on the exhaust, and weโre proud of what that means.
It was debatable whether we could rescue the original headlining of our 1982 Porsche 911. This was the preferred option by the customer so we set to work seeing whether we could repair the tear and keep the original headlining.
With a bit of gentle persuasion, we managed to tighten the headlining and reposition. The slight tear, we managed to patch up using a special interior fill paste. Once set, we could colour match the area to enable to a good match to the patina.
Kath and Brian have done an incredible job on this one and the great news is, the car leaves us with the original headlining still in place.
Great work Kath and Brian #teamtrim
The new owner of this Fiat 750 has asked us to inspect the vehicle and asses the amount of work needed to get it back on the road. Ady and John have made a list of all of their inspection notes that need addressing.
Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.
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