Hayley at F1 Silverstone

Our good friend Hayley (owner of Halo Entertainment) enjoying the sunshine and celebrations at this year’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

You may recognise Hayley from our 1951 MGTD Competition photo shoot at Priory Hall.

1951 MG TD Competition Abington MKII at Priory Hall, Hadleigh

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On Tuesday 20th September our completed 1951 MG TD Competition Abington MK II was taken to Priory Hall in Hadleigh, Suffolk for the celebratory photo shoot.

We were welcomed at the beautiful hall by owner Cyndy who showed us her own MG tucked away ready for the summer.

A special thank you as always to Jason at Sugar and Spice Photography for his incredible skills and thank you also to Hayley and Lauren from the 1940’s harmony trio The Bombshells for bringing a bit of glamour to the shoot.

If you would like to see more of The Bombshells you can visit their facebook page and  if you would like them perform at your event contact the team at Halo Entertainment who will be more than happy to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”7091,7092,7093,7094,7095,7096,7098,7099,7100,7101,7102,7103,7104,7105,7106,7107,7108,7109,7110,7111,7112,7113,7115,7116,7120,7123,7126,7127,7128,7129,7130,7131,7132,7134,7136,7137,7139,7140,7143,7145,7147,7148,7151,7153,7156,7158,7159,7161,7164,7166,7167,7169,7171,7172,7178,7181,7377,7379,7381,7383,7384,7385,7392,7393,7396,7397,7400,7402,7403,7405,7406,7407,7408,7411,7415,7414,7419,7420,7422,7423,7424,7425,7426,7421″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

New UK registration has arrived

It’s been a long time coming but the new V5 UK registration is now with us. The new UK plates have been produced.

Unfortunately it was a little too late coming so our wonderful photo shoot by Jason at Sugar and Spice Photography with Hayley and Lauren from Halo Entertainment took place at Priory Hall in Hadleigh on the old plates.

I’m sure you’ll agree, it still looks incredible.

Here are the new plates, you can imagine them being on the car in the photos!!

Behind the scenes at today’s MGTD Competition photoshoot…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With our incredible 1951 MGTD Competition now complete there is only one thing left to do…

A stunning Suffolk shoot!

As this little beauty is believed to be the only one left in the world it was only right for her to have a very special Suffolk shoot.

Firstly, we must say a huge thank you to Cyndy at Priory Hall in Hadleigh, a truly stunning setting and so accommodating. Thank you also for showing us your lovely MG, (just let me know when you’re ready to get her back on the road and we’ll take care of her for you.)

Here are some ‘behind the scenes’ photos taken by the non professional (Craig) on the non professional device (phone).

“I’m sure you’ll agree, these are by far the best photos of the day. I mean a photo of a photo on a camera, so artistic!!”

Here’s Hayley and Lauren from 1940’s Harmony trio The Bombshells, looking absolutely gorgeous in the car.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6686,6687,6688,6689,6690,6691,6692,6693,6694,6695,6696,6697,6698,6699,6700,6701,6685,6718,6717,6716,6715,6714″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”The Bombshells from Halo Entertainment”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

‘The Bombshells’ offer a fantastic nights worth of entertainment, featuring all time classics from a time a gone by. They recreate musical history with their incredible harmonies, similar to the Andrew’s Sisters. With this Trio you should expect full live vocals accompanied with their fun loving, bubbly personalities, which will only make you want to move your feet. Bringing old time classic songs from the 1940’s and present day hits in the boogie woogie style, makes The Bombshells perfect for all ages. The easy listening nature to their selected songs makes this trio perfect for a range of venues and style of events.

With such a buzz around this act, you need to get the bookings in fast, so not be disappointed! Click here for more information, videos, photos and contact details.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Just a few more days until we see the wonderful creations that photographer Jason from Sugar and Spice Photography in Felixstowe has put together for us…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Getting ready for our 50’s inspired shoot…

Another amazing photoshoot by Jason at Sugar and Spice Photography scheduled in the next few weeks and this time we are adding a bit of sugar and spice to the shoot with a little help from Halo Entertainment.

Here we are looking lovely, close to the Suffolk location where the shoot will be happening.

The roof is now complete

So that’s it…she’s almost complete.

The brand new double duck roof is now fitted and secure. We are just waiting back on the registration documentation so the new plates can be made and fitted and she’ll be ready to set off on the Suffolk roads.

Removing the overspray on the hubs

Bizarrely, it seemed somebody had decided to paint the wheels of our wonderful little MGTD whilst they were still on the car.

We’ve been looking at these ever since she arrived with us at Bridge Classic Cars, all the way from Canada and today we decided to sort them out so we no longer need to look at them. We removed the wheels, removed the overspray and re-painted so they are now back to how they should be.

Not too much of a time consuming job for Sean and John but none the less, one well worth completing as I’m sure you’ll agree.

As you can see from image 2, John has a very laid back approach to painting the hubs 🙂

1951 MGTD Competition refitting the new roof

Our stunning 1951 MG TD Competition is almost complete, but not before the brand new hood is built and fitted…and today’s the day we get started on this fantastic and very rewarding job.

If you’re going for the traditional look in your classic or vintage vehcile restoration, then double duck is definitely the choice for you. Double duck is the traditional material used for trimming the hoods of pre-war and vintage vehicles. This tightly-woven canvas is a watertight as well as flexible cotton-type hooding solution, ideal for keeping the wind and rain out of vintage Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins, MGs, and more.

When our MG TD Competition arrived with us all the way from Canada, the hood was actually very good. Our original plan was to keep the hood as was but once we had resprayed the car the freshness of the new paintwork emphasised the imperfections in the existing roof.

And we don’t like imperfections at Bridge Classic Cars

…so a new roof was planned.

1951 MG TD Competition Touch Ups

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The reassembly task is almost complete on our 1951 MG TD Competition, so one last look over to assess for any imperfections in the paintwork.

One last trip to the paint shop we go…

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MGTD Competition Engine Repaint

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today, John has been busy working on fitting up more of the 1951 MG TD Competition.

We had a visit earlier in the week from Mike, owner of NTG Motor Services Ltd (MGbits if you know them online), Mike is a great friend of ours at Bridge Classic Cars. As the owner of one of the largest MG parts suppliers in the UK as well as the owner of a beautiful MkII MG TD himself we were only too happy for him to come and see the car.

As you can see from the image gallery, today, John has managed to fit the front lights, the step rails have also been fitted and the engine bay has been detailed with the original MG engine paint.

The final job for today was to tighten all round.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5824,5825,5826,5827,5828,5829,5830,5831,5832,5833,5834,5835,5836″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Our 1951 MGTD Competition is taking shape

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5803,5804,5805,5806,5807,5808,5809,5810,5811,5812,5813,5814,5815,5816,5817,5818,5819″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Work is now well underway reassembling our 1951 MGTD Competition.

Due to it’s rarity it is imperative that we make decisions that will compliment the car and preserve it’s history.

Some original components that were already fitted to the car when we collected her, although look aged, are so beautifully aged that it would seem crazy to replace with new.

Our original plan was to keep the hood and not do any work to the frame but now we have it back in our workshops, it’s looking stunning with it’s new paint job and it is quite clear to see that the hood will need to be replaced.

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Back with us at Bridge Classic Cars

Work is now underway on reassembling our beautiful and very rare 1951 MG TD Competition.

We have already had lots of interest in the progress of this restoration but we’d love to hear from you, if you would like to know more about this wonderful car or have information on her that you think we may be unaware of then please get in touch.

Here we are, back in the dry and warmth of Bridge Classic Cars.

We have already had a few visitors to the workshops, eager to see the car, both Steve and Jack love it, we love

…we just can’t wait for her to be built and on the road where she belongs.

Collecting our 1951 MGTD Competition from our Ipswich paintshop

It’s a beautiful  sunny day today here in Ipswich which is exactly what we wanted as today’s the day we collected our very rare 1951 MGTD from our paint shop in Ipswich and return her to our assembly workshop on Deben Road ready for the refit to begin.

Our 1951 MGTD Competition has been painted

This Wednesday we are due to see the return of our 1951 MGTD Competition from the paint shop.

She has been completely stripped, perfected and undergone a full respray.

Stripped and off to paint

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We expected the paintwork to be in slightly better condition that what we discovered so in true Bridge Classic Cars style…we’ll do it the way it should be done.

Today, Asa and John spent the day stripping the 1951 MGTD of it’s chromework and adjusted the position of the engine to ensure that the paintwork can be carried out to the condition that a car of this calibre should be.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”4573,4574,4575,4576,4577″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At Bridge Classic Cars, we find it very useful to take a lot of picture when working on a vehicle. Not only does this create a fantastic story for future owners so they can see exactly what work as been carried out and to what standard (exceptional I must add!). It also helps piece a car back together. It’s is easy to think you’ll remember where everything went but when you’ve slept on it for a few nights you may find yourself questioning a few things.

Keep a good record![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”4578,4579,4580,4581,4582,4583,4584,4585″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

1951 MGTD arrived in Suffolk

It’s been a long time coming, with a long trip from Canada but our 1951 MGTD has finally arrived with us here at Bridge Classic Cars.

Here we are collecting her from Felixstowe docks. It was a beautiful sunny day and a lovely trip back from Felixstowe. As I sure you can imagine, we got a lot of admirers along the way.

Our MGTD is possibly the only one left in the world…

If you are as passionate about cars as we are here at Bridge Classic Cars, you’ll know yourself that it is always wonderful to hear the stories and the history behind these amazing classics we get to see everyday.

Just like their owners, all cars have a history. The new ones may just be starting their journey but one day, we hope they too have the stories just like the old ones do.

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of one of our latest classics to join the Bridge family, a 1951 MG TD MkII. We found her over in Canada and instantly fell in love with her.

Lucky for us, our good friend Bud lives over in Canada and agreed to collect her on our behalf which just left us to arrange the necessary paperwork to have her brought back to the UK. The great news is; she is now on her way and you’ll soon be able to see her here in sunny Suffolk.

Here’s Bud on collection day…

But that’s not all, as I said above we love a little story, and it’s even better if it’s a story that is completely unexpected!

So who in Britain doesn’t love a Royal story? Exactly, we all do, we’re British.

And how many of us can boast that we’ve had Royalty sitting in our car?  Here’s Prince Andrew having a go in our 1951 MG TD. At the rear of the car is his body guard and at the side if Frank Francis, manager of The Craven M Car Collection.

But AGAIN, that’s not all…as you may have noticed from the title of this post we have uncovered even more hidden gems.

“The early MG’s were built as a very basic automobile to be driven and maintained by their owners. Many of these owners entered their cars into rallies, hill climbs and races. Soon after the first TD’s were built, enthusiasts complained that they were not competitive with other cars in it’s class. The cry for more power promoted Abington to produce the Mark II. Although the appearance remained the same, the engine compression ratio was raised to 8 to 1, all ports and combination chambers were polished with larger inlet and exhaust valves fitted along with heavier valve springs and an upgraded camshaft. Higher capacity Lucas ignition equipment, an extra fuel pump and added shock absorbers were standard on the Mark II models. All of this, increased the weight to 2015 pounds and the horsepower to 60 at 5000 rpm with a maximum speed of about 85mph.

In 1951 there were only eleven Right Hand Drive Mark II’s built and all exported. I am one of these eleven. I was shipped to the South of Ireland where I was sold and a few years later brought back to England and was purchased in 1957 by Tony Bamford who took me to his home in Buckinghamshire. Mr Bamford renewed my chrome and had me painted in 1973 then sold me to Rothmans International, who brought me to Canada and displayed me in their Craven Foundation Car Collection. A year later I was bought by Roy Newton and put into storage until my present owner, George Merson rescued me and took me to his home on the shores of Georgian Bay where I get to travel the beautiful countryside and feel the wind on my fenders. I am the only 1951 MarkII Right Hand Drive in North America and possibly the only one left out of the original eleven in the world. So please be nice to me and touch me softly.”

Thanks

“Finnigan”

What an amazing story…

To see our previous posts on our 1951 MGTD click here

MGTD and Jaguar E-Type coming soon…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ll soon be welcoming in to the workshops 2 new classic car projects. They are currently en-route from Canada so will be hitting our shores in approximately 5 weeks time.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”1971 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Convertible”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The £125,000 cost shown in the ‘For Sale’ section of our site is for this rare E-Type Series 3, to be fully restored, to concours condition, depending on specification. As you will see by the pictures, Bridge Classic Cars restore any car to shown winning standards. This very rare car left the factory as a right hand drive and was later exported to California before being converted to left hand drive.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”3388,3387,3386,3385,3384,3383,3382,3381,3380,3379,3378,3377,3376,3375″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”1951 MGTD”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]British Racing Green with black leather. Also has connection to Prince Andrew.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”3400,3399,3398″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM5374F76Jo”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwl6lW8LbXg”][/vc_column][/vc_row]