More Paint Work For Our 541

April 26, 2023

Our 1956 Jensen 541 has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop as classic car technicians Chris, Al, and Mauro have been finishing off the painting of the body and other components.

Mauro has been painting various engine bay components black, while Chris spent some time polishing the newly painted body.

Finishing Touches

April 26, 2023

Classic car technician John has been putting the finishing touches to our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo. Before things were completed, John needed to replace the faulty fan. The initial plan was to use a fan we already had in the workshop, so John duplicated the bracket that was initially used on the old fan. However, even after modifying the slam plate, it became apparent that a slimline fan would be needed to fit the space for the fan in the Saab.

Once the new slimline fan arrived, John fitted it and reinstalled the radiator. Everything was put back together and the coolant was filled.

While on a test drive, John noticed that something wasn’t quite right with the vehicle. Upon investigation, he found split or perished vac hoses that needed to be replaced. After stripping and replacing all the hoses, John found that the vac accumulator was leaking. This was sealed up and refitted before our Saab got back on the road for another road test.

Finally, the body mouldings were put on the car bringing this restoration to an end. The future for our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo is still being decided but, whatever happens, it is leaving the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in fantastic shape!

A New Arrival

April 26, 2023

Our 1973 Triumph Spitfire has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It will now be assessed by the workshop team before eventually becoming a competition car on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

During our travels around the country picking up and delivering classic vehicles, we visited Paul Williamson Cars up in Scotland who had the Spitfire in the showroom.

We have had several Spitfires in the workshop over the years and this one looks to be a great example.

Just Arrived – 1989 Volkswagen Golf GTI

April 25, 2023

We have welcomed another new addition to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1989 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

During its time in the workshop, our team of classic car technicians will be fitting a new ceiling cloth, new sun visor clips, and a new DAB aerial.

We are looking forward to starting work on this classic Golf and can’t wait to see it complete.

Drive It Day 2024

April 25, 2023

Highlights of Drive It Day 2023 can be seen here.

Bridge Classic Cars are pleased to be hosting a Drive It Day on Sunday 21st April 2024.

National Drive It Day was created by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs in 2005. It celebrates the 65 cars that attempted to drive 1000 miles from London to Edinburgh and back again in 1900 to prove the viability of the motor car.

This epic journey began on 23rd April 1900 and ended on 12th May 1900 when 35 of the original 65 cars that began the journey successfully arrived back in London.

National Drive It Day has become even more than a celebration of this mammoth undertaking. It is now an event where classic and historic vehicle enthusiasts can get together to not only share memories and experiences of their own classic vehicles but also raise money for the NSPCC too.

More information on the origins of the event and how you can get your rally plates can be seen here.

Enjoy your drive in the morning and join us at our Pettistree workshop between 11am and 2pm. There will be Mediterranean food from Prestige Catering and the bar will be open for drinks.

Please register to let us know you are attending the event. To take part you must purchases a rally plate. Commemorative rally plates can be purchased from the official Drive It Day website with the money raised from the purchase providing vital funding for Childline.

For more information, please contact Lily via events@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk

Progress Continues

April 25, 2023

Rebuild progress on our 1959 Jensen 541R has continued recently with classic car technician Rob still working hard to bring this newly-painted classic back to life.

Rob has now fitted the left-hand wheel arch, and the sills and doors have also been put on. Inside the car, the handbrake lever has been installed too.

The wiper motor has been rebuilt and the rear bumper has been fitted too. The door quarter lights have been assembled and are in place and the dynamator has been fitted. Rob also installed the water pump and fitted the C post trims and lights.

Rebuilding Our Quad

April 25, 2023

Our 1940 Morris Gun Tractor has been the focus of classic car technician John once again recently.

Now that John has had this imposing vehicle running, he is happy to reassemble the front end and, as you can see from the images below, he has very nearly finished doing so.

John has run into an issue with the fuel delivery though. To try and resolve the issue, he removed the fuel canister to clean and check it. John found that this was full of dirt so he cleaned it out and rebuilt it ready to refit it later on.

Interceptor Progress

April 25, 2023

Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3 has continued its stay in the fabrication bay with classic car technician Chris.

Chris has been busy working on various areas of this interesting classic car. He began by replacing the floor and installing the sills too. He then went on to add the last little bits to the wings before test-fitting the doors and sorting out any panel gaps.

The steering column mount was repaired and new front inner wings were made before Chris added captive nuts to the radiator frame. The radiator was test fitted before the frame was welded into position.

Repairing the boot lid was next for Chris before he went on to fit up the rear quarter panel. He added length to the panel and checked the B pillar window frame. The boot lid hinges were stripped and sandblasted too.

The front end was then trimmed and fitted to the bumper.

Doors And More

April 25, 2023

Classic car technician Scott has continued his work on our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4. After getting the engine back into this rare classic car, Scott turned his attention to the doors. He fitted and built up the doors before fitting the glass, handles, and trim.

On a car that is as rare and as beautiful as this, jobs like this are equally as important as the larger parts of the restoration. The attention to detail that the workshop team have to have is extremely high and, as you can see from the photos below, Scott has demonstrated this perfectly with his recent work.

Scott also finished off the brake lines of our DB2.

Rolls-Royce & Bentley Enthusiasts Visit Bridge Classic Cars

April 25, 2023

On Sunday, 16th April we welcomed the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Enthusiasts to Bridge Classic Cars.

Having such a fantastic collection of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars parked outside the workshop was a great sight to see on a Sunday morning. The event was extremely well attended with around 50 members of the club visiting us and enjoying refreshments from The Atelier bar, as well as taking a look behind the scenes with a tour of our state-of-the-art workshop.

At Bridge Classic Cars, we are in the very privileged position of restoring and working on some of the most recognisable and sought-after classic cars in the world. With a range of classic vehicles coming into the workshop on a regular basis, it can be easy to take for granted just how beautiful these machines are.

Over the years, we have seen several Rolls Royce and Bentley motor cars pass through the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Some have been with us for an extended period, while others have come and gone in seemingly no time at all. Despite the differences in the amount of time we spend with these vehicles, there is one common occurrence – the buzz and excitement of seeing a truly special British classic up close.

The Visit

Molly and Freddie were on hand to welcome club members to The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars. They were available to make drinks, talk about all of the current projects we have ongoing, and, of course, admire the stunning array of Rolls-Royce and Bentleys that were parked just a few metres away.

The club visit lasted a few hours and, both Molly and Freddie had a great time getting to know as many members as possible. Freddie particularly enjoyed the round of applause he was given at the end of his tour of the workshop!

After leaving us, it was on to a local pub for some lunch and more car chat – a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

We Hope To See You Again

Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars would like to extend our thanks to all who attended this event. We very much enjoyed hosting the club meet and we hope to see all of you (and more) again very soon.

Drive It Day 2023 – Over £2000 Raised For The NSPCC

April 25, 2023

On Sunday 23rd April, Bridge Classic Cars hosted Drive It Day.

Starting at The Hangar, at Bentwaters Parks, around 150 cars arrived and were put on display. Tea and coffee were available and there was plenty of time to admire the wide variety of vehicles in attendance.

At midday, we all travelled, in convoy, to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, in Pettistree – a journey of approximately 7 miles. Once here, there was musical entertainment from The Buskateers, food from Suffolk Fried Chicken and Otis Breading, and The Atelier bar was open too.

The whole day was a lot of fun and it was great to see so many classic car enthusiasts turn out and spend some time with us (despite the poor weather at times!). However, it wasn’t all about fun and cars – Drive It Day helps raise much-needed funds for the NSPCC, specifically Childline.

Our Drive It Day was a great success and more than £2000 was raised over the course of the day.

Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars would like to thank everyone who came along and we hope to see even more of you at our future events.

Entry Now Open – 1971 Ford Escort RS Mexico Recreation

April 24, 2023

Our 1971 Ford Escort RS Mexico Recreation is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Starting its life as a standard Ford Escort in Maroon, it was rebuilt from its shell between 2010 and 2014 and is now a fantastic recreation of an Escort Mexico.

Finished in Le Mans Green, it has had all of the type 49 shell additions to make this a true Mexico replica.

A streak of Tigers

April 24, 2023

We’ve all been there; when you’re driving along the road and someone comes passed you driving the same car as you. Do you smile and acknowledge the fact it’s the same car or do you pretend you haven’t seen it?

Well imagine pulling up at the hotel for the night in your Sunbeam Tiger and you’re greeted with an ambush of them.

Sadly, what you don’t see in the photo is parked the opposite side is two more. If only the SLK had been given the memo not to park there.

Taken outside Ufford Park Hotel and Spa, Woodbridge the morning after Drive It Day 2023. This looks to be one of the Sunbeam driver’s clubs enjoying a good catch up.

A New Roof Cover

April 21, 2023

Our 1990 Nissan Figaro has spent a short time in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It came in for our team of technicians to fit a new hood.

Classic car technician Brian started by undoing the roof and folding it back before removing the rear window inner trim. He then undid the headliner at the back of the car and removed the rear window panel. The front weather seal also had to be removed before the rear edge of the roof was undone too.

Brian removed the rear edge panel in order to repair the rust which was then painted black by Monty. Brain repaired the broken side wires and riveted them back on before glueing the front and rear edges. He went on to remove the cover from the rear window panel and found rust that needed to be repaired. There were a few areas of rust that had to be repaired during the work being completed.

New material was glued to the rear window frame and a hole was cut out for the window. The inner window surround was repaired before the frame was put back in.

As you can see from the photos below, once the repairs were complete and the new roof cover was fitted, our 1990 Nissan Figaro looks great and is ready to go back to its owner.

A Visit From An Oscar Winner

April 21, 2023

On Wednesday, we welcomed Oscar-winning Writer and Director, Mat Kirkby to The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars.

Mat sat down with Craig to have a chat, and it was great to hear all about his work, his Oscar win, and his upcoming projects.

As an added bonus, Mat actually brought his award with him and it was exciting to see it up close. Some of the team even got to hold the 24-carat gold statue and pretend, at least for a minute or two, that we were award winners!

You will see more of Mat’s visit very soon…

Engine Back Together

April 21, 2023

Classic car technician Scott has been putting the engine of our 1964 Amphicar 770 back together again.

Now that is rebuilt, it will soon go back into our amphibious vehicle which continues to progress through its restoration journey in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

First Look At A New Colour

April 21, 2023

Work is still ongoing for our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8. After the prep work was complete and after having primer applied, the first few parts of the car have been painted Deep Carriage Green.

As you can see from the photos below, the new colour looks great and we know that once the whole car is painted, it is certainly going to be an attention-grabber.

A new belly plate has also been made for our AMV8.

Gun Tractor Comes Back To Life

April 20, 2023

Since the engine has gone back into our 1940 Morris Gun Tractor, classic car technician John has continued his work on our Quad in order to get it up and running for the first time in a while.

John rewired the solenoid and starter switch as there must have been a broken wire inside the loom. Once this was completed, the engine cranked and, after 5 minutes of cranking, the oil pressure had reached 20psi.

The sound of our Gun Tractor coming back to life is an exciting thing to hear and we are looking forward to this military vehicle continuing to make good progress.

Thunderbird Repairs

April 20, 2023

Classic car technician Steve has continued his work on our 1956 Ford Thunderbird. His recent work began by fitting a new battery tray before also fitting new power steering rams.

Steve went on to clean the sump and engine gasket faces as well as painting the sump and oil pump. After painting, these were also fitted back onto the car.

The brake pipe going to the near-side front wheel was found to be crushed so this was replaced.

Our 1956 Ford Thunderbird is a stunning car to look at and it’s great to know that Steve’s work is helping to keep it on the road for its owner to enjoy into the future.

Saying Hello To Our TR6 Again

April 19, 2023

We have recently welcomed an old friend back into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1973 Triumph TR6.

It has come to us for a full service and some paintwork. While it is with us, our team of technicians will also be fitting new bushes and adjustable trailing arms.

We are pleased to see one of our former projects return to us, and our yellow TR6 certainly stands out in the workshop.

Dodge DA – summer ready

April 18, 2023

With the amazing news that the DVLA have finally registered our 1929 Dodge DA, we have transported the car from The Hangar back to the workshops ready for the new plates to be fitted and the full recommission to commence.

We already have a diary packed full of amazing summer shows so we look forward to taking our very special Dodge out and about very soon.

Biking into the sunset…

April 18, 2023

Last weekend felt like the first weekend of summer. The sun was shining, the roads were dry and everywhere I went I saw the groups of bikers out enjoying some fresh air.

So I took the opportunity for my first solo ride out of 2023 to one of my favourite destinations.

Here is my Ltd Edition 2017 Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer. A bike I have owned for a couple of years now.

It was a Saturday evening, around 6pm and the sun was starting to fall over the stunning Bawdsey coastline. Other than a couple that had pitched up for the night with their VW camper I was all alone…it was simply beautiful.

I am very lucky to call Suffolk my home…

The DB9 returns…

April 18, 2023

Just before Christmas 2022, Molly made a call to Nick Jones with the amazing news that he was now the very proud owner of our 2005 Aston Martin DB9 with ticket number 1643.

In front of a live studio audience the Bridge Classic Cars Christmas party saw us give away not only my personal (Craig) Aston Martin but our 1985 Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet.

Soon after Nick was handed the keys to his Aston he became a fully-fledged member of the Aston Martin owner’s club and had a special set of bespoke Aston Martin colour-coded luggage commissioned too.

Unfortunately due to personal reasons, Nick contacted us with the sad news that he would need to let the car go but had thoroughly enjoyed his time with her. Originally planned to head to an online classic car auction Nick notified us out of courtesy to let us know of these plans. I gave it some thought (not for too long) and decided to make him an offer to have the car back.

The car is now back with me and I’m looking forward to another summer full of shows with my DB9 back!

Ready To Go

April 14, 2023

Our 1981 Triumph TR7 V8 has, once again, been in the care of classic car technician John. He has been fitting a new core plug and he also put coolant back into the car.

After passing its MOT, our TR7 is now ready to leave the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and be returned to its owner very soon.

Press Release: Drive It Day – Sunday, 23rd April 2023

April 14, 2023

Join Bridge Classic Cars In Celebrating National Drive It Day

As well as raising funds for the NSPCC, National Drive It Day celebrates the epic journey undertaken by 65 cars in 1900. These driving pioneers attempted to drive 1000 miles from London to Edinburgh and back again with the goal of proving the viability of the motor car.

Bridge Classic Cars are joining the celebration by hosting Drive It Day 2023. Beginning at The Hangar, in the impressive grounds of Bentwaters Air Base, there will be time to admire the wide range of vehicles in attendance. After a hot drink, we will travel, In convoy, to our main workshop in Pettistree. The route will cover approximately 7 miles.

Once at the workshop, you will be able to take a closer look at some of our current restoration projects as well as enjoying live music from local band, The Buskateers, food from Otis Breading and Suffolk Fried Chicken, and our fully licensed bar will be open too.

Drive It Day, hosted by Bridge Classic Cars, gives you the opportunity to get behind the wheel of your special vehicle, take in the sights of the picturesque Suffolk countryside, and raise vital funds for a very important charity.

National Drive It Day is on Sunday, 23^rd April. We will be meeting at The Hangar, Bentwaters Parks at 11 am with the drive to the workshop beginning at noon. You can then enjoy all the food and entertainment you like until things come to an end at 3 pm.

Commemorative rally plates can be purchased to help raise funds to support the NSPCC’s Childline service. With 90% of the charity’s income coming from donations and each call costing £4 to answer, the charity and the children and young people it helps, need our help now more than ever.

More information can be found on the events section of the Bridge Classic Cars website.

Wingham Improvements

April 14, 2023

It’s no secret that our 1937 Vauxhall 25 Wingham Cabriolet is a very interesting-looking vehicle. If you add its rarity to the mix, then you have a very special classic car that we have in the workshop.

Classic car technician Lydia has been working on our Wingham lately by making and binding the carpets. She has also made the cover for the spare tyre.

Lydia also made the corner covers for the bonnet of our Wingham.

Interceptor Repairs

April 14, 2023

Classic car technician Monty has been completing more repair work on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor MK3. This time, his attention has been on the floor, the inner sill, and the doors.

Repairing the metalwork of our classic Interceptor has been a long and challenging process but, both Monty and Christian have been doing a great job of keeping things moving in the right direction.

As the restoration of our 1975 Jensen Interceptor continues, we are looking forward to seeing the improvements being made until it is eventually ready to leave us and get back out on the road.

Priming Our AMV8

April 14, 2023

Al has, once again, been working on our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8. This time he has been applying epoxy primer to this eye-catching classic car. After prepping and priming the body, Al stripped the remaining components back to bare metal and prepped them for primer too.

Parts of our AMV8, like the bonnet, also went into high-build primer as it continues to move closer to new paint being applied in the near future.

DB5 Repairs

April 14, 2023

Our 1965 Aston Martin DB5 has come back into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop as its handbrake has broken. Classic car technician John gained access to the mechanism so he could remove it and make the required repairs.

As the seat had to be removed in order to fix the handbrake, while it was out, John noticed that the fixing was cracked. A plate was made to reinforce the mounting to avoid this becoming an issue in the future.

Our other John has also been working on our DB5. He replaced both rocker cover gaskets and carried out a flush of the cooling system. He drained the existing coolant before stripping, cleaning, and refitting the nearside rocker cover with a new cork gasket.

Once the nearside rocker cover was complete and reassembled, John went on to refit the lower radiator hose and fill the system with water. He removed the lower hose and drained it again whilst repeating the process on the offside rocker cover gasket.

Trim Work Begins

April 14, 2023

Classic car technician Brian has begun the trim work on our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer. The first step of this was to remove the front seats and base boards from the car. Brian then removed the rear axle cover so that it could be used as a pattern to make the rear seat base board.

These were cut out before Brian went on to remove the rear floor board to trim the sides in order to allow for the side panels to fit. The rear seat board was then fitted into the car and the backboard was cut out.

Brian made the pattern for the rear seat top edge and then cut this out. The rear seat board was trial fitted and the back edge was cut in line with the curve of the car body.

Rear quarter panels were the next focus of Brian. He made paper patterns and used these to mark out the panels on plywood. These were cut out and then fit into the car. The axle cover board was re-fitted before the rear base seat board was re-fitted too.

Brian went on to cut slots out for the rear squab board brackets and then fit the brackets in the car. He fit the squab board into the car before moving on to the door of our classic Riley. Once the door handle was removed, Brian made a paper pattern for the door panel and marked this out on wood. The door panel was cut out and a hole was made for the lock handle.

Brian fit the door panel to the car door and cut out the slot at the back for the lock. Paper patterns were made for the passenger side door panels.

News

The Visit

We Hope To See You Again