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1959 Jensen 541R

Watercolour – Artwork of our 1959 Jensen 541R From Helmingham

August 16, 2022

Local artist Paul Seymour has sent us in this beautiful watercolour painting of our 1959 Jensen 541R that he sketched at our stand at this years Helmingham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival.

We brought along the 541R which is in the early stages of its restoration with us.

We’ve even got some photos of Paul at work while he roughed out the sketch which you can see below and head over to his website and check out some of the other amazing artwork he has done and the tuition courses he offers.

Headed Off – The 1959 Jensen 541R Off to Blasting

August 12, 2022

The 1959 Jensen 541R ‘Hepburn’ has been completely stripped back to a bare shell by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop as part of its restoration and to prepare it for blasting.

The bodyshell has been loaded onto a rotisserie for media blasting so that every part of the frame and body can be got to and exposed with the carefully selected blast media. The bodyshell was then loaded onto one of our trailers to be transported to a local trusted specialist to carry out the job.

Once complete, it will come back and be inspected and assessed by the restoration departments.

Helmingham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival 2022

August 8, 2022

This Sunday, the Bridge Classic Cars team were at the Helmingham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival 2022.

The team had set up our stand the day before and carefully positioned our collection of competition and restoration cars to show off to everyone walking past.

Our stand was instantly busy as the gates opened at 10 am on Sunday. Crowds and lines of people waiting to get their tickets for our competition cars or to talk to the team about a project they have. In front of us, the rows of concourse cars laid out an incredible sight.

From an original Lamborghini Countach Anniversary to an Mk2 Jaguar with a leopard print interior. Included in those rows of incredible machinery was a 1960 Jensen 541S – It was Peony Red, the car we had restored for its proud owner on display and mentioned as a finalist in the Best in Show later that day.

In the multiple fields and paddocks, all manner of cars were on show. From new supercars to rarely seen and incredible classics from every corner of the automotive world. There was also amazing food, dancing, bands and stands for everyone to look at.

Families lined the shaded driveway, nestled under a long row of oak trees as the sun grew higher throughout the day as the concourse cars would do their exhibition runs. Filling the Suffolk countryside with every type of engine noise imaginable.

At the Bridge Classic Cars stand, the line of people didn’t stop. We love seeing our friends, new and old, so it was always a pleasure for the team to have a chat and enjoy the atmosphere.

As the afternoon went on, it was time to do our annual live draw from the Heveningham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival. This time, it was for our beautiful 1971 MG B Roadster.

Molly and Freddie went live on our Facebook page to find out who the lucky new owner of the classic sports car. With the tickets having sold out several days before and the entry list being live, it was time to fire up the Google Random Number Generator. As Molly and Freddie hit the button, the future of the MG B was decided. The winner was Richard Hancox with ticket number 1027.

To check out the full gallery from the 2022 Helimgham Hall Classic & Sports Car Festival 2022 have a look below:

Coming Out – Teardown Continues on the 1959 Jensen 541R

August 5, 2022

The 1959 Jensen 541R in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been stripped down even further in pursuit of the car’s total restoration.

This time, our technicians have been working on completely clearing out the engine bay. To begin with, all of the simple and easy pieces were removed from the car to be inspected and catalogued. Then, with everything out of the way, the straight-six engine and its gearbox could be gently removed from the car.

Every single piece that comes off the car has been safely put into storage.

Getting Ready – Preparing to Remove the Engine on the 1959 Jensen 541R

August 3, 2022

The engine from the 1959 Jensen 541R is due to come out of the frame any day now as part of the restoration of the car by Bridge Classic Cars.

For this, the team have been preparing all the surrounding areas to make sure the engine cannot get hung up or caught on anything on its way out of the classic GT car.

Taken Apart – Disassembling the 1959 Jensen 541R

July 22, 2022

The teardown of the 1959 Jensen 541R continues at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ.

Our restoration technicians have been methodically stripping down the classic GT car to assess and inspect any of the parts which have been taken off the car. One technician, Paul, has been working on stripping down the rear end of the car such as the boot with all of the accompanying fittings and hardware being removed and catalogued.

At the same, Jon has been working in the engine bay of the car. He has been carefully removing the various pipework which runs along the firewall and bulkhead of the car. All of this will be catalogued and reported on its condition.

Stripped Back – Stripping Down the Bonnet and Windows on the 1959 Jensen 541R

July 11, 2022

As part of the restoration journey, the 1959 Jensen 541R has had its bonnet and windows stripped back by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team.

The restoration technicians have got everything back to its core components in order to evaluate their condition and operation. Anything that can be refurbished will be worked on to make the pieces as good if not better than new.

Everything removed from the car has been carefully catalogued and put into storage for later in the restoration process.

Inside Work – Stripping The Interior of the 1959 Jensen 541R

July 4, 2022

The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working with our workshop to carefully and completely remove the interior from the 1959 Jensen 541R as part of its restoration journey.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has removed everything from the inside of the 541R. All of these pieces will be stored to use as a template and if anything can be reused or refurbished for the car. Everything from the headliner to the seat runners have been taken out of the car for the team to carefully look through and assess.

Teardown – Stripping Down the 1959 Jensen 541R

July 1, 2022

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of carefully stripping down the 1959 Jensen 541R ahead of its restoration beginning.

The workshop team have worked alongside our trimmers to remove everything from both the inside and outside of the classic GT car. Even under the front clamshell, the wiring and various hoses have been removed in preparation for the 4 litre straight-six engine to be pulled out.

Once this is complete, the team can begin to remove the bodywork from the frame to assess and inspect the running gear move thoroughly.

To see some more detailed shots from our workshop on the teardown of the 1959 Jensen 541R, check them out below:

First Fire – Firing Up the 1959 Jensen 541R for the First Time

June 28, 2022

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have fired up the ‘Barn Find’ 1959 Jensen 541R for the first time in several years.

The team used a small electric fuel pump to feed the carburettors, cleaned up the spark plugs and it fired up first time! The 4-litre straight-six ran absolutely perfectly with our workshop manager Jon at the wheel and our senior technician Dave handling the fuel.

Take a look at this amazing moment at our Suffolk HQ.

First Steps – The 1959 Jensen 541R Begins its Inspection

June 24, 2022

After arriving this morning at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ, the 1959 Jensen 541R has already made its way onto the ramp for the team to begin assessing and inspecting the 1950s GT car.

As with all of our restorations and projects, the car will go through a full inspection and assessment by the various departments (both aesthetic and mechanical) to compile a report and come up with a plan for the restoration of the unique British grand tourer.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more updates on the 1959 Jensen 541R.

This Just In – 1959 Jensen 541R

June 24, 2022

The 1959 Jensen 541R which has been up for sale and stored at our secure storage facility, The Hangar, has been transferred over to our Pettistree restoration workshop to begin its journey.

The classic Jensen has been commissioned to be built by our workshop from the ground up for its new owner.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon on the 1959 Jensen 541R.

Trimmed – Foaming the Seat Base of the 1955 Jensen 541

May 25, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on completely revamping the seats for the 1955 Jensen 541. Beginning with the bases…

Lydia, one of our trimmers at Bridge, has carefully wrapped the stripped back and refurbished seat base for the 541 ahead of the team making the new leather covers.

Back to Basics – Stripping Back the Seats of the 1955 Jensen 541

May 20, 2022

The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their way through the teardown of the front seats on the 1955 Jensen 541

With the seats in such a delicate condition, the team had to approach this task with a meticulous and thorough approach to get the classic Jensen’s bucket seats stripped all the way back to the fibreglass cores. The team made careful note of every fixing location and took detailed measurements and notes for the seats reconstruction later down the line.

The Jensen 541R – a controversial clean

April 28, 2022

Years and years of dust, debris and muck has collected on this unique barn find.

As much as a lot of people would say ‘it is best to leave it alone’ we just felt a good blast to clear off the muck wouldn’t do any harm.

The sun is out so that’s exactly what we’ve done. Now the car is back in the Hangar ready for a new owner and a new lease of life.

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.

A Unique Opportunity – 1959 Jensen 541R

March 22, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars are excited to announce the latest Jensen 541 to be joining our stable. This 1959 Jensen 541R was previously owned by Neil Hepburn, an engineer with a passion for his 1959 541R.

Neil had owned the car since 1974 but unfortunately passed away several years ago leaving his beloved Jensen to his family. The details that are known of the car is that during its life it had several upgrades done such as a disc brake conversion as well as a chassis rebuild.

All of this work had been done to a very high standard under the guardianship of Mr Hepburn and the small number of custodians of this 541R.

Across its 63 years, the car is reading as covering just 40,000 miles which is believed correct. The engine has not run for several years but previously, although put away into storage and up on stands, the car was run regularly with the carburettors fed by tube using premium fresh petrol.

The car also comes with its original V5 logbook which shows previous owners including several members of the Palmer-Tomkinson family.

Barbra Hepburn, the wife of Neil, would like her late husband’s car brought back to its former glory as she has many happy memories and photographs of the car being used by herself and her late husband in years gone by.

This 1959 Jensen 541R is coming to join its sisters here at Bridge Classic Cars to await the commissioning of its full concours restoration. This 541R is offered for sale with the condition of a restoration carried out in full by our restoration workshop who have extensive experience restoring Jensen 541’s to the very highest of standards which these special cars deserve.

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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