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1967 Jaguar MkII

In today we have our 1967 Jaguar Mk II 3.4. We are looking to fit a brand new stainless steel exhaust system along with some

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1960 MGA: 26 yrs stored in a barn

Having been stored away for 26 years in a barn in the midlands we were expecting the worse when we went up to collect the car. After pumping up the tyres and making a pathway it was relatively straight forward to wheel out which was great news.

With the car all loaded up as well as the boxes of extras we headed back down the A14 ready to welcome the car to our Woodbridge workshops.

Re-trimming our TVR dashboard

Our 1962 TVR Grantura interior is starting to take shape with Donna now working on rebuilding the existing seats, dash and side panels.

We have chosen Poppy Red as the interior colour. Against the blue exterior this will be a beautiful colour combination.

The dash is now re-covered so it is now over to Brian to refit the refurbished dials whilst Donna can move on to the seats.

Re-designing our 1962 TVR Grantura Interior

Donna has now began work on stripping our TVR Grantura interior trim and prepare the frames ready for the new design. The framework will be cleaned up and refurbished ready before Donna builds back up with new cushions and leather work.

The existing dash will be stripped down and replaced with new leather and refurbished dials.

1956 Ford Consul – now in colour

Our 1956 Ford Consul is now once again finished in the beautiful Sarum Blue finish. Mauro is busy piecing it back together with all of the refurbished bright work and components earlier removed for restoring.

Jensen brightwork ready for refit.

We have now stripped back, cleaned and plated the seat runners and bonnet stays.

We have also received delivery of our brand new rear brakes, hubs and caps ready for refit too.

3x Suzuki SC100 ‘Whizzkid’s’ and a ‘real’ McCoy)

Stored away somewhere in Suffolk we have 4 very rare finds indeed. In need of some serious TLC we have 3x Suzuki SC100 ‘Whizzkids’ and a very rare McCoy, believed to be 1 of only 100 every produced.

The Suzuki SC100 ”Whizzkids’

Produced for export, Suzuki transformed the Cervo into the SC100, first introduced in April 1978. The SC100 was known in the UK by the nickname “Whizzkid”. The three-cylinder engine was replaced by a rear-mounted 970 cc four-cylinder F10A engine (later used in the SJ410) developing 47 PS (35 kW). Top speed was 142.8 km/h (89 mph) in a contemporary test. The body differed from the Cervo’s in that the windshield was not as steeply raked, necessitating a different doorframe and side window as well. Square headlights were used in European markets, with either round or square ones used elsewhere. In European markets the grille incorporated the chunky indicator lenses, which were normally positioned in a space underneath the bumper – these openings were blanked with plastic grilles.
In the UK it was only available as the lavishly equipped SC100 GX, while in other countries it was also offered as a CX or the more luxurious CX-G. The GX, with a cigar lighter, reclining front seats, and independent all-round suspension.

The McCoy

The McCoy was a Mini-based version of the Clan, made in 1984 by Arthur Birchall, another of the original company founders. The car used a Mini engine and other parts and was thus front-engined and front wheel drive. The body too underwent some changes, with different glazing and a reworked rear-end.

The Mini’s tall A series engine also necessitated a modified, bulkier front. Much of the original Clan’s sleekness was lost, but the McCoy still looked less awkward than many other Mini-based specials. The McCoy means that Clans and their derivative automobiles have been marketed with the engine mounted in the rear, front, as well as midships.

Refurbishing our TVR parts

Working through the assortment of TVR parts in need of restoration. The bonnet springs and runners have now been blasted, painted and ready for re-fit.

1977 MGBGT: Restoration Complete

We were first introduced to our 1977 MG BGT at last year’s Bridge Classic Cars Classic and Sports Car Show. The current and ONLY owner purchased the car brand new in 1977 and due to unforeseen circumstances the car was tucked away in the 80’s not to be used there after.

…until now.

We heard of the story back in August 2018 and agreed to take on the sympathetic restoration/recommission of this wonderfully original car.

This was a very enjoyable restoration project with the majority of the build being the original parts cleaned and refurbished.

The engine was removed in order to refurbish and gave us the opportunity to tidy the engine bay. We carried out the relevant welding tasks and prepared the body for paint. Whilst all of these tasks were being carried out we refurbished the components we had removed from the car including the bright work, Rostyle wheels and cleaned the original interior.

The car was finished in the original factory specified Flamenco Red.

A little under 12 months have passed and we have successfully completed the build and are now able to reunite the car with its owner in time for a milestone family celebration.

A fantastic story and a beautiful end result.

The final photo shoot took place within the grounds of our Woodbridge workshops by world renowned automotive photographer Matt Woods.

Automotive photographer Matt Woods of Matt Woods Photography has built up a reputation for exceeding client expectations and excellent customer support.

He has been commissioned by leading brands and magazines around the world.

Matt has a passion for cars hence why he specialises in automotive photography. Saying that, Matt regularly takes other work for commercial and business customers.

Throughout Matt’s career he’s had over 250 and counting Magazine Front Cover shoots for a wide variety of publication.

1975 MGB Roadster: Restoration Complete

Back in 2018 we were commissioned to source an MGB Roadster for the Managing Director of one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, who had such a car as his first Management Car Plan car and wanted it recreated as was. We understand that he is delighted with the result.

Originally sourcing the car was somewhat of a challenge due to the specific criteria that was involved.

The car must be an original car, with a factory specification finish of Tundra Green. The car must also have the original engine present so all numbers matching.

We tracked down the car in Kettering, looking very sad and untouched and parked up under a tree.

The car has now undergone a full and thorough nut and bolt restoration. No stone has been left un-turned. The complete project can be found within the projects section of our website.

A huge thank you to Matt Woods Photography for a wonderful photo shoot to mark the completion of this incredible restoration journey.

Automotive photographer Matt Woods of Matt Woods Photography has built up a reputation for exceeding client expectations and excellent customer support.

He has been commissioned by leading brands and magazines around the world.

Matt has a passion for cars hence why he specialises in automotive photography. Saying that, Matt regularly takes other work for commercial and business customers.

Throughout Matt’s career he’s had over 250 and counting Magazine Front Cover shoots for a wide variety of publication.

Bentley Continental Wheel Refurbishment

Our 2008 Bentley Continental is in our workshops for the split rim wheels to be refurbished. Whilst in, we will also look to carry out some remedial work to the rear seats and look over some paint defects.

Coming Soon: 1960 Morris Minor

Due in to our showroom and available for sale later this month we have our beautiful 1960, smoke grey Morris Minor.

This unique little classic has an impressive 1275cc engine with a five speed gear box so you have the honour of owning a classic but the enjoyment of keeping up with modern day traffic.

She’s already ready to jump in and enjoy this year’s summer show season.

Jaguar E-Type Race Car Ready For Paint

The time has come for us to wave goodbye to the white primer finish we have seen for so long on our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car. Next week we will be putting our body shell through the paint shop ready for the new finish that we have been trialling and testing for some time.

We can not wait to see it now and with our Classic & Sports Car & Bike Show just around the corner, we can’t wait to reveal the new colour.

Coming soon: 1974 Rolls Royce Shadow 1 and 1984 Ferrari 308GTS

Coming soon we have two fantastic classics for sale.

Firstly, we’d like to introduce you to our 1974 Rolls Royce Shadow I. Covering just 63,000 from new the car has had 1 previous owner. Although the log book does read 2, the car was originally registered to the company Director before he put the vehicle in his own name. The car has one final duty of taking a family member to her wedding and then she’s be in our possession ready for resale. This truly is a stunning example and we can’t wait to have our Shadow I available to see in our showroom.

Next we have our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS QV in Argento Silver.

Paris Motor Show,  1982, Ferrari launched the iconic Ferrari 308 quattrovalvole, literally meaning “four valves” in Italian. This upgrade was developed in both the GTB and GTS form. This change pushed the car up to 240 bhp, restoring some of the performance lost to the emission control equipment.

The 308 GTS quattrovalvole model could be recognised by the addition of a slim louvred panel in the front lid to aid radiator exhaust air exit, power operated mirrors carrying a small enamel Ferrari badge, a re-designed radiator grille with rectangular driving lights on each side, and rectangular (in place of round) side repeaters.

The interior received some minor updates, such as a satin black three spoke steering wheel with triangular centre; cloth seat centres became available as an option to the standard full leather. Available options included metallic paint, a deep front spoiler, air conditioning, wider wheels, 16-inch Speedline wheels with Pirelli P7 tyres, and a satin black roof aerofoil (standard on Japanese market models).

Our Ferrari 308 GTS is available now. Viewing by appointment only. Finance can be arranged by a third party. Office hours are Monday to Friday (Saturdays and Sundays can be arranged) 8am to 5pm. To arrange a viewing please call Craig on 01473 742038 or email info@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk

Rebuilding our TVR Grantura

The engine is now in and the components are now being fitted up by Ady.

Meanwhile Brian and Owen have been working through cleaning and polishing the light clusters and bright work.

The parts have been cleaned and blasted and treated to a covering of galvanising spray to protect them against future wear and tear.

Painting and fitting the new tank

The owner has supplied us with a brand new fuel tank for his 1937 Triumph Dolomite so having gone through our paint shop to be prepared and painted we have now fitted it to the car and tested.

Morris J wheels primed

The Morris wheels have now been built up and stripped back layer upon layer until the imperfections have been corrected. The wheels are now in prime and ready to paint.

1967 Jaguar MkII

In today we have our 1967 Jaguar Mk II 3.4. We are looking to fit a brand new stainless steel exhaust system along with some remedial works to carry out. The handbrake is not holding properly and we require Pete to carry out a pre-MOT inspection.

1974 Jaguar XJ6 paintwork

We welcome into our workshops today our 1974 Jaguar XJ6 for some bodywork correction.

The car is in exceptional condition all round and is an absolute credit to it’s current owner. We have a couple of very small blemishes that need addressing in the paintwork on the door and also corrosion has taken over the offside bonnet hinge which needs requires immediate attention.

As you can see from the gallery above, the bonnet is not able to close properly due to the metalwork issues around the hinge.

Polishing parts and painting our Ford Consul

Brian and Owen have been busy this week perfecting the existing bright work for our 1956 Ford Consul ready for the rebuild to commence.

Whilst the bright work has been worked on Chris has been busy next door in the paint shop painting to body shell.

Rewiring our 1936 Riley Merlin Nine

Our 1936 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs Body has returned to the workshops for a full re-wire.

The full loom has been manufactured to order by our good friends at Autosparks

The old loom has been fully removed (apart from the interior light) and replaced with brand new throughout.

We have also fitted a new/old stock clock to the dash and wired that up as part of the new install.

Where’s ‘my’ crane gone?

I have passed this magnificent machine many times whilst visiting Bentwaters Parks, thinking to myself, ‘one day, I’ll find out who owns her, see whether they’ll part with her and let me restore her.’

So I go on my holidays for 11 days and much to my disappointment I return to see my crane gone!

Let’s hope someone, somewhere has decided that it is time to get her back on the road…

A wise man once said to me…’don’t put off til tomorrow what you can do today’. In other words, if you want to know who owns the crane just ask…

So on that note…where’s the owner 🙂

Running up our V8 engine

Our V8 engine is now back in the car and Ady has successfully run up for the first time to check out for any abnormalities.