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The Pursuit of Perfection – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL in Colour

April 1, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been moved from the preparation area at Bridge Classic Cars into the paint shop and then, into our in-house paint booth/oven.

The paint and body team, along with the fabrication shop, have spent a lot of time getting the classic R107 ready for its date with the paint booth making sure each part, panel and piece was perfect before beginning the painting process.

The car is being finished in a classic Mercedes colour, Selenet Grey. Most notably seen on the classic 280SL Pagodas, it was chosen to compliment the beautiful burgundy red interior that the trim team have made for the car.

So, with the car ready it was time for Alan and Nick to go into the booth with the car and lay down the first coat onto the body of the SL. Starting with the engine bay.

Alan began under the transmission tunnel and worked his way up and across the firewall making sure every inch was covered to give each coat an even and flowing look. The inner wheel arches and front core support finished off the first stage. Then, Alan began to work getting the scuttle panel and windscreen surround shot in the dark, deep grey and worked his way back towards the boot on the classic Mercedes.

The rear quarter panels and rocker panels were coloured line by line. Each gently overlapping on the previous to give the consistent and uniform look needed to achieve the flawless finish that comes with Selenet Grey. But with the car having its first coat complete, it was time to let it settle and get the paint mixed for the next round.

The 2nd coat was done in the same order as the first. Alan making sure to get every exposed piece of bodywork coated properly for the uniform look. Again, it was all about consistency and movement in order to achieve the finish on the classic R107. And once the 2nd layer had flashed off, Alan waited for the prescribed time and then shot the 3rd coat to finish off the car.

With that, it was left in the ovens to completely cure and harden. Once it has completely hardened, it will be carefully transferred back to the preparation area in order for polishing and preparation for the next stage.

Handmade – New Glovebox for the 1970 Bristol 411

April 1, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411, which is having a LHD conversion carried out, has had a brand new glovebox insert made by our incredible trim shop.

Because of the change around in placement, the original insert conflicts with several brackets behind the glovebox itself. So, Brian has made one entirely from scratch built specifically for the car by hand. He took measurements from the car in our workshop to get the best fit possible and also keep it the same volume inside as the original.

It’s a beautiful piece for this unique and special project.

Update – Bracing the 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible

April 1, 2022

The bodyshell of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible has been braced by the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication team in preparation of the repairs to begin.

The team have braced and strengthened the bodyshell to ensure that not of the panels move out of alignment when they’re removed and to allow our fabricators to measure them up correctly and accurately to get the best possible fit and finish.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1966 Jaguar MkII & 1970 Morris Minor

April 1, 2022

Last night, the 31st March 2022, the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions team welcomed our largest ever studio audience to find out who the lucky winners of the 1966 Jaguar Mk2 and 1970 Morris Minor 100 were.

We had put out an open invitation to attend this live draw, as we have done in the past, and the response was amazing. Lots of classics braved the unpredictable weather to make the journey to the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ to watch the draw and some to find out if they were going home in the same classic they turned up in!

With everyone in, we could begin the live stream to the Bridge Classic Cars Facebook page where the rest of our guests had virtually joined us.

Hayley and Freddie took everyone on a tour around the competition building where we store mostly our competition but also a few personal projects as well as certain customer restorations. Working their way around, giving all those watching a few clues as to what is coming up next with Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Then, it was time for the main event. Finding out who had been assigned the winning numbers. As always, the entry lists to each competition are published at 630pm the day of the draw before the live stream at 7pm sharp. The number is decided at random using a Google Random Number Generator.

To begin, we always do a test run to make sure that the generator is working correctly. Everything was working just as it should, so now it was time to spin the wheel and see who the lucky pair were.

First up was the 1970 Morris Minor 1000. Hayley input the criteria of numbers for the generator to choose between and with a click of a button and a flurry of numbers rushing past on the big screen, the new owner of the Morris Minor had been chosen. 1250 – the ticket allocated to Neil Brinson.

Next was the turn of the 1966 Jaguar MkII. Again, the ticket number was to be selected from one of the tickets published on the entry list. This competition had entirely sold out several hours before the draw, so after resetting the Random Number Generator it was time to find out who had won this classic Jaguar. Hayley input the numbers to be selected from and just like that, we found the Jaguar’s new owner. Ticket 3500 which belonged to Anthony Roberts.

Fit and Finish – Finishing the Interior of the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier

March 31, 2022

Our in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has finished the interior overhaul on the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier that arrived from South Africa a couple of months ago.

We believe the interior to have been redone at some point in its life but there were a few details on the car which the team just weren’t happy with so the plan was hatched to redo them. The trim team have been working on both the dash and the centre console to get the perfect fit for the car.

Along with that, Brian has made a new glovebox liner entirely from scratch to fit perfectly into the existing dashboard.

Progress – Harness and Steering Arms Installed in the 1970 Bristol 411

March 31, 2022

The left-hand drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411 is pressing ahead with the wiring harness and steering arms fitted back into the classic GT car.

Paul has been working on getting all the pieces needed for the left-hand drive change. The first being the wiring harness has been fitted up into the dashboard of the car. The wiring harness has been extended and rerouted to work around the change-over.

Also, the steering arms are back from a local trusted specialist to be remachined for use on the car. These were precisely measured and engineered to be able to work alongside the other pieces needed for the left-hand drive conversion of the classic Bristol.

Soundtrack – Fitting the Stereo and Speakers to the 1968 MGC Roadster

March 31, 2022

The 1968 MGC Roadster in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has had its new stereo and speakers installed into the interior of the classic convertible.

Jon has been working on carefully running the wiring throughout the car from the rear pillars under the carpets and inside of the centre console to the new head unit for the stereo. With all of the wiring run, Jon could work on getting the head unit into place and wired up to the speakers to begin testing it.

Before and After – New vs Old Carpets in the 1952 MG TD

March 31, 2022

With the brand new carpet set fitted into the 1952 MG TD, we thought we would show you a comparison of the original carpets and the hand-made set made by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop.

Each of these pieces was individually cut and finished by our team and fit into the car to get the best fit and finish possible, as we have with all of our interior work.

Home Time – The 1965 Porsche 912 Paint Finished Ahead of It Heading Home

March 30, 2022

The paintwork of the 1965 Porsche 912 in the Bridge Classic Cars Paintshop is now complete!

With our part of this fantastic restoration project complete, it’s time for the classic air-cooled Porsche to head off for final assembly. The car arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop a few months ago, with a mismatch of different coloured panels which our in-house paint team have spent many hours correcting and perfecting. Alan, one of our painters, headed up the project and saw the car from its first steps into the preparation area to it being rolled out to be loaded into our enclosed transporter.

To mark this amazing project, we’ve put together a small gallery showing everything from the very beginning.

Headed Home – Team C Racing Mini Shell Heading Back for Final Build

March 30, 2022

The Team C Racing Mini has been completed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop and is headed back home to Team C for final assembly.

The Innocenti Mini arrived at our workshops a few weeks ago and has had many hours of work put into it in order to get it looking absolutely perfect for the project. The car has even had the underside of the shell completely prepared and treated with tint matched Raptor Guard to protect it from the elements.

It’s sad to see some of our projects leave us but this one has been a pleasure. And, there’ll be a new Team C Racing Mini for the Bridge Classic Cars team to start work on soon.

First Colour – 1969 Bentley T1 has First Round of Colour

March 30, 2022

The beautiful and elegant 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth to have its first layers of paint applied.

Chris and the paint team have worked hard to get the body of the classic Bentley into perfect shape before it headed into our paint booth. The Bentley is being repainted in the original Sage Green, which has been hand-matched by our paint department to get the colour just as it would have originally been done back in the late 1960s.

With this round of painting complete, the car will be taken into the preparation area and prepared to be finished.

Third Donation – Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal TVR S2

March 30, 2022

The latest round of DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal donations has been sent off from Bridge Classic Cars Competitions to directly help those affected by the recent invasion.

As many know, the car was donated by previous winner Jar Joyce to help fundraise for the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. So far, we have raised over £27,000 which will be used to help those affected and displaced by the conflict unfolding around them.

And you can help, by entering our 1989 TVR S2 competition. 100% of the proceeds of this competition will be donated weekly to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. You can enter now by clicking here!

More New Pieces – Handmade Pieces for the Interior of the 1952 MG TD

March 30, 2022

The interior of the 1952 MG TD had had several more hand-made pieces crafted by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop.

Lydia and Brian have been working on completely replacing the carpet set in the classic MG with new material in the closest colour possible to the original. Each of the pieces for the car has been measured and made from the original pieces as a template in order to achieve the best fit. Countless times each individual part was test fit into the car before being hand edged and bound.

Redone – Renewing the Carpet on the 1952 MG TD

March 30, 2022

The amazing trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on removing and renewing the interior of the 1952 MG TD.

Brian and Lydia have carefully stripped back the old interior of the car to make way for the handmade replacement that will be installed. Lydia has been remaking the carpeted gearbox tunnel section with its green leather handbrake cover incorporated into the actual piece itself.

Along with this is all new backings and edging to get the interior of the 1952 MG TD looking just right.

Painted – The Heater Box of the 1970 Bristol 411 Painted

March 30, 2022

The modified heater box of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be refinished.

Mauro has worked on getting the heater box prepared and then thoroughly cleaned down before each individual piece was hung in the spray booth and sprayed in durable black ready to be reinstalled in the engine bay of the left-hand drive converted Bristol 411.

Mirror Image – 1965 Porsche 912 First Polish

March 29, 2022

The 1965 Porsche 912 has just had its first polishing session completed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint team. With it in such great shape, we thought we would pull it outside and get some photos of just how good the Polo Red paintwork looks in the light.

Alan, one of our paint technicians, has been hard at work getting the glorious red paint inside and out to look absolutely perfect. Through several rounds of colour sanding and polishing, the body of this classic Porsche looks incredible. And, there are still a couple more rounds of polishing to go!

Keep a lookout on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the beautiful 1965 Porsche 912 very soon.

Visit – Friends from Holland Drop In at Bridge Classic Cars

March 29, 2022

It’s always nice when friends of Bridge Classic Cars drop in at the restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ. This time, it was our friend Hans who had his vintage Opel truck fully laden with all manner of pre-war goodies.

Hans was on his way back to Holland to organise having all his recent acquisitions shipped onto New Zealand. He had an Austin 7 body, 1920s Rolls Royce Body, Pre-War touring frame and a very early engine from a Standard to name but a few gems strapped down in the back of the Opel.

A lot of our friends at Bridge Classic Cars are true enthusiasts through and through, it’s always a pleasure and a joy to see them and what they turn up in!

Featured – Bridge Classic Cars Competitions in the Daily Mail

March 29, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars Competitions was recently featured in the Motoring section of the national newspaper, The Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail featured our beautiful 1966 Jaguar MkII and Ukraine Appeal 1989 TVR S2 to explain just what we do giving everyone the chance of owning their dream classic car for a few pounds.

Handmade – Replacement Grilles for Jensen 541

March 29, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars is excited to announce that we can now supply beautifully hand-made stainless steel Jensen 541 front grille replacements.

These are handmade to exactly match the openings and shape of the original grilles of the car. The replacement grilles offered by Bridge Classic Cars are uncut and come without any supports or bracketry, these will need to be transferred over from the original pieces or mocked up on the car itself to ensure the best possible fit.

Finished in high-grade stainless steel, these pieces will remain bright and vibrant for longer than regular steel. A beautiful finishing touch to any Jensen 541 restoration.

Recent Visit – Winner of the 1952 MG TD Visits the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop

March 29, 2022

The recent winner of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions 1952 MG TD stopped by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to check out his new car.

Alan and his partner Danusia made the trip from just North of London to our Suffolk HQ to have a look a the classic MG which Alan had won on the previous live draw but also to try out the fitment of the car. The TD’s aren’t the most spacious of cars and with Alan being well over 6ft tall he wanted to double-check he could actually fit in his new classic.

After meeting Gordon, our director, who showed him around the car Alan tried out his 1952 MG TD for the first time. And unfortunately, he didn’t fit in the car. So, we are advising him on what to do with his new car and benefits both himself and the beautiful car.

Collection Day – Collecting the 1959 Jensen 541R

March 29, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars team took a trip over the weekend to head north and collect the 1959 Jensen 541R from its resting place and bring it back to our Suffolk HQ.

It was an early start with our new van hitched up to our enclosed trailer to make the journey to the north of England to collect the most recent of our 541’s. This car was offered to us for sale because of our long-running history of restoring the Jensen 541 family to the very highest of standards.

Once the team had reached the home of the 541R, and some seriously skilful trailer driving by our director Gordon, the car was carefully pulled out of its garage and out into the open for the first time in several years. The car is remarkably complete with most of the pieces removed from the classic sports car stored back inside the body.

Gordon and Eva inch by inch loaded the 541R into the enclosed trailer, safely secured it and then began the long journey back home with the latest addition to the Bridge Classic Cars family.

Behind the Scenes – Shooting our 1974 Alfa Romeo Series 2 Spider

March 29, 2022

The beautiful 1974 Alfa Romeo Series 2 Spider is the latest car from Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and it’s recently been out for its photoshoot after being given a clean bill of health from the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop.

The weather was perfect for capturing this iconic 1970s Italian convertible in its natural habitat, revving happily along in the bright sunshine. As Hayley got behind the wheel and fired up the fabulous 1.8-litre twin-cam 4 cylinder, the soundtrack matched the visuals. The car pulled away down the runway towards its photoshoot location.

The engine pulled strong and revved away to itself underneath the sun. It wasn’t just Hayley smiling while around this stunning Alfa Romeo, the rest of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions car couldn’t help but be pulled in by its charm and character.

This will be available to enter on the 29th March 2022 over on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions Website which you can get by clicking here!

This Just In – 1974 MGB GT V8

March 29, 2022

This stunning 1974 MGB GT V8 has just arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ.

The car has come for various bits and pieces such as an oil change for both the engine and gearbox, a coolant flush and an MOT. But the team have also been asked to have a look into some electrical issues with the car which cause the car to suddenly lose power.

The team will look into the electrical issue to begin with on the car and assess the entire car to make sure everything is 100% on such an iconic classic sports car for its owner.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the 1974 MGB GT V8.

Nostalgia – 1957 MGA Roadster in the 2000 Monte Challenge

March 28, 2022

We’ve been sent in these amazing photos of our 1957 MGA Roadster as part of its previous life.

The car took part in the Monte Challenge, a classic rally much in the spirit of the original Monte Carlo rally organised by the CRA but now part of the HERO calendar of classic car events.

The results postings for the 2000 edition show that number 47, the number was worn by our 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster, was run by Philip Swain and Frank Lyons in the 2000 edition of the rally. From this results book, we can see that the car managed 45th place overall with a little over 2hrs in accumulated penalties.

It’s always amazing to see the lives of some of the cars in our care before they found their way to us here at Bridge Classic Cars and seeing an MGA used in the way they would have been in period.

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Remember, you can send in your classic car stories! Drop us an email with some photos and your story to marketing@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk

New Van – Our Brand New 2022 Vauxhall Vivaro

March 28, 2022

It’s not every day at Bridge Classic Cars that we get new things! But on Friday we got our brand new Van.

It’s a 2022 Vauxhall Vivaro which is going to be used by our in-house transport team alongside our enclosed transport trailer for collecting and delivering the amazing projects and competition cars that we have come in and out of our Suffolk restoration workshops.

We’re looking forward to getting to know more about our new workhorse!

Coming Soon – 1999 Alfa Romeo Twin Spark

March 28, 2022

Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this beautiful 1999 Alfa Romeo Twin Spark Spider heading to us all the way from Europe!

The car will be completely checked over and assessed by the in-house team here at Bridge Classic Cars and they will compile their reports on it.

Keep an eye out here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more very soon on the beautiful modern classic Alfa Romeo Spider.

Industry News – Barons Auctions Moves to Online

March 28, 2022

Good friends of Bridge Classics Cars, Barons Auctions have recently announced a slight change in the way they will be conducting auctions in the future.

Barons will be changing to a live online auction platform from their new facility near Southampton. The new system will allow bids to be placed either online or by phone, which also allows commission bids. The schedule for their auctions remains on the last Friday of every month as it did at the original Sandown Park location.

It’s always been a pleasure for Bridge Classic Cars to attend their auctions as both a seller and buyer so we wish them all the very best of luck with this exciting new format of classic car auctioneering.

Old & New – Finishing the Front Seats and Stripping the Rear Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

March 25, 2022

The interior of the 1955 Jensen 541 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop to have the front seats completed and begin the strip-down of the rear seat.

The front seats for the Jensen 541 have been completed and finished in a beautiful bright shade of red. Lydia has meticulously been working on getting these seats into the incredible shape that you see here completely from scratch.

With the front seats complete, the trim team could begin carefully dismantling the fragile rear seat to use as a template for the brand new rear seats being made. Every piece of the rear seat had to be slowly unpicked in order to preserve each panel to be used later on in the process.

Prepped and Ready – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL Masked and Ready for Paint

March 25, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had all its fabrication work completed by the fabrication team at Bridge Classic Cars and been moved into the paint preparation area.

The car has had several crucial pieces of the car’s metalwork repaired by the fabrication shop. The paint and body team then worked on getting the car reprepared for the spray booth by sanding down the panels and masking the car ready for its date with the spray booth.

This Just In – 1985 Jaguar Sovereign Double Six

March 25, 2022

This beautiful 1985 Jaguar Sovereign Double Six has just arrived at the Suffolk restoration workshops at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ.

The car has been amazingly cared for by its previous owners but will be completely inspected and assessed by the in-house restoration teams to see if there is anything that this big classic Jaguar needs or wants for.

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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