Projects

Amphicar Progress

Our 1964 Amphicar 770 continues to make progress through its restoration here in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Classic car technician Alan has taken some

Read More ยป

Electric Window Repair

After noticing that the electric windows weren’t working correctly on our 1986 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet, classic car technician Jonn has been working on repairing

Read More ยป

Interior Progress

Classic car technician Brian has continued to make great progress with the interior of our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5. The boot boards have been

Read More ยป

Cobra Test Run

We have recently started up our AC Cobra for its first test run. Anytime a project like this gets started, it’s always an exciting time

Read More ยป

Just Arrived

We have welcomed a new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1990 Mini Cooper. Now that it is here,

Read More ยป

More Progress

More progress has been made on the restoration of our 1984 Suzuki GSX 400T. The switch has just arrived and is very flat across the

Read More ยป

Going Home

Our 1967 Austin Healey 3000 has gone home! After being in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a few weeks, it is now ready to

Read More ยป

A New Arrival

We have recently seen the arrival of our 2000 TVR Chimera 450 into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It will now go through a workshop

Read More ยป

A New Mirror

Classic car technician Steve has been working on our beautiful 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3. He has fitted a new passenger side wing mirror

Read More ยป

Transit Repairs

Classic car technicians Steve and Monty have been working on the restoration of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII. Steve cleaned the glove box and sprayed

Read More ยป

Refurbished Wheels

After the wheels of our 1958 Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite were refurbished, classic car technician Mauro put them back onto the car. Refurbished wheels make

Read More ยป

No More Cowboys

Since our 1977 Lambretta Jet 150 came into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, there has been a lot of discussion about whether the vinyl cowboy

Read More ยป

A New Arrival With An Unknown Future

We recently saw the arrival of our 1934 Morris Eight into the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop. This is currently going into our personal collection, however, this isn’t necessarily the finalised plan for this beautiful classic car.

At the moment, we aren’t sure whether it should become a competition car through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions or not. In the very near future, we will be reaching out to you to find out what you think….but, for now at least, we will enjoy having our Morris Eight with us in the workshop.

Win Our Porsche Cayman

Our 2007 Porsche Cayman S is live now on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Most 987 Caymans are seen in Silvers, Greys, Blacks, and Blues. However, this one is a bit more special as it was ordered new in PTS 8C6 Orange. These types of cars donโ€™t become available very often, so this is a fantastic opportunity to own a Cayman in a factory PTS colour.

Entry is now open (with a special bonus draw too!)

Amphicar Progress

Our 1964 Amphicar 770 continues to make progress through its restoration here in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Classic car technician Alan has taken some photos of some of the work that has been completed on the car as it prepares to move another step closer to being able to go back home to its owner in the future.

Work Begins On A New Arrival

Our 1963 Bentley S3 Continental Coupe has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Although we know this is a classic Bentley, you’d be forgiven for not being able to immediately recognise it as such from its current state.

Despite only arriving at the workshop a couple of days ago, Chris has already started work on the restoration of what will be a beautiful classic by the time it is complete.

It will stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop for a little while before it is ready to move on to the next stage of its restoration.

Rebuilding A Classic Jensen

Since the chassis of our 1960 Jensen 541R returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, classic car technician Rob has been completing repairs.

However, recently, Rob progressed to starting the long process of putting our 541R back together again. The main body is now back on the chassis and the whole thing is starting to look much more car-like.

There is, of course, still a long way to go before the car is anywhere close to being ready to leave us but, it’s always great to see progress being made on restoration projects like this.

Electric Window Repair

After noticing that the electric windows weren’t working correctly on our 1986 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet, classic car technician Jonn has been working on repairing the issue so everything is working as it should be when it is eventually won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Jonn stripped the doors and removed the nearside electric window motor and regulator. While the doors were stripped, Jonn made weather shields for both sides of the car. Once the motor and regulator had been checked, the doors were reassembled.

The next job was to drill out the door button lever so the connecting rod fit before the door panel was refitted and the door button was fitted.

Jonn went on to sort the electric window wiring. He cut and soldered the old wiring ready for new switches. Before the new switch panel went into the car, it was painted to make it look as good as possible before it was fitted.

Painting Our Sierra

Our 1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 has been in our personal collection for a little while but, that will soon be changing, as it is set to become a competition car through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

In preparation for that to happen, it has been in the paint shop with classic car technicians Chris and Mauro.

After the car was prepared for paint, it spent some time in the paint booth while it was painted in its great looking red.

Good Day To Run The Bike Out

Now that the weather has been much more summery as of late, there have been some great biking days and, Bridge Classic Cars Director, Craig recently took his 2017 Ducati Scrambler 800 Cafe Racer out for a ride in the nice weather.

As you can see from the photos below, the bike looks incredible and was undoubtedly an exciting ride out.

Interior Progress

Classic car technician Brian has continued to make great progress with the interior of our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5.

The boot boards have been trial fitted and foam was added to the side sills. Vinyl and sound deadening were also fitted in the same area. Carpet has been fitted throughout the car too.

Brian needed to put a crease in the kick panels so they could be bent at right angles and installed. The rear seats have been fitted as well as various other panels inside the car like the wheel arch interior panels.

There has been a lot of interior work completed by Brian on our E-Type and, all being well, it will soon be ready to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Cobra Test Run

We have recently started up our AC Cobra for its first test run.

Anytime a project like this gets started, it’s always an exciting time and our Cobra is no exception. Progress will be continued to be made until our AC Cobra is ready to leave the workshop and get back out onto the road.

Just Arrived

We have welcomed a new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1990 Mini Cooper.

Now that it is here, our team of classic car technicians will inspect and assess it to make sure it is ready to eventually be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

More Progress

More progress has been made on the restoration of our 1984 Suzuki GSX 400T. The switch has just arrived and is very flat across the top. The speedo pops up 20mm and has a convex glass so you don’t have to be over it to read it with a fully digital display.

All of the controls are now sorted and a combined digital speedo and tachometer and rear light have been fitted, so just wiring to go.

The clutch issue is now solved, thanks to lots of mucking about with the sprocket and lift mechanism. The clutch lifter, when operating, moves toward the drive sprocket, with a 10mm offset sprocket and HD 520 chain they met at 1/4 lift.

Another lift mechanism has been sourced from a later model, which sits more flush on the inner case and gives 4mm extra lift, then another 3mm off the back of the sprocket and turned chain link to the inside and all is now fine with more than enough clearance at full lift.

Rebuilding An XK120 Engine

Rebuilding the engine of our 1954 Jaguar XK120 has begun which is an exciting part of the restoration.

After dismantling the engine, it was noted that the head has severe corrosion close to and within the sealing part of the head. This means that it is not serviceable but, fortunately, we have a good replacement that could be used.

There also appear to be some vital parts missing, which will need to be replaced such as the rev counter generator and blanking plate on the opposite side, the oil pipe from heads to block, the distributor, the oil distribution block and the oil filter housing, the dipstick, the pulley that bolts onto the crank damper, and the dynamo bracket/dynamo.

The heads have been prepared and are ready to be rebuilt and the block has been rebored to +40 along with 1 new liner as the piston was seized.

Our 1938 Vauxhall Wingham Cabriolet is headed to auction

1938 Vauxhall GY25 Wingham Cabriolet long wheelbase with coachwork by renowned coach builders Martin-Walter Ltd.

Martin-Walter have been crafting bespoke bodywork since 1773 and working for not only Vauxhall but also Rolls Royce motor cars during their history.

This particular long wheelbase Wingham Cabriolet that only became available in 1938 features the extended luggage boot, which according to original promotional material is โ€˜โ€™large enough to take suit-cases, golf clubs etc.โ€™โ€™ making this Wingham Cabriolet truly capable as a vintage touring automobile.

The car is certified by Vauxhall Heritage as having left the firms legendary Luton works in July of 1938.

Our 1938 GY25 Wingham Cabriolet was previously owned by Mr Anthony West, who started the restoration of this beautiful car in 1973 and was the cars custodian until to 2022 with an estimated ยฃ230,000 spent to restore the car to how you see it today.

Unfortunately, Mr West passed away before the car was complete and it sat for a time in a garage in Norwich, who had taken the car to around 98% complete.

The car was purchased from the executor by Bridge Classic Cars, who completed the final works, had the car MOTโ€™d and managed to get the original โ€œPaisleyโ€ Scotland registration retained.

The car has beautiful black paintwork with the famous Vauxhall chrome fluted bonnet as well as custom made hood and tan leather interior by Mooreโ€™s Classic Car Interiors.

The 3.2-litre straight-six engine runs strong and balanced and is akin to the wonderful Vauxhall 30/98 engine of the period in terms of performance.

Every part of this car has been painstakingly restored over the span of 40-years by teams of true enthusiasts and passionate craftspeople. From the bespoke wooden cappings to the quirky full opening chauffeur and bride doors, this 1938 Vauxhall Wingham Cabriolet celebrates the artisan nature of coach built cars.

The car will be offered at auction very soon on Car & Classic

Going Home

Our 1967 Austin Healey 3000 has gone home!

After being in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a few weeks, it is now ready to be returned to its owner and get back out on the road.

We have loved having this beautiful classic car with us and we are very pleased to see it go home and be enjoyed as it should be.

A New Arrival

We have recently seen the arrival of our 2000 TVR Chimera 450 into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

It will now go through a workshop assessment and inspection before it becomes a competition car through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Behind The Scenes Of Our VW Type 2 Van Live Draw

Earlier today, Molly, Freddie, Craig, and Nick headed down to The Tide Mill in Woodbridge (just down the road from the Bridge Classic Cars workshop) for the live draw of our 1977 Volkswagen T2 Van.

The Tide Mill is one of the few remaining mills in the world that still produces flour and has been on the same site for more than 850 years.

During the live draw, lucky winner Alistair Keates had his ticket number, 3015 randomly selected as he became the new owner of this classic VW Van.

To give you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes of one of our ‘on the road’ shoots, the photos below will show you what goes on!

A New Mirror

Classic car technician Steve has been working on our beautiful 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3.

He has fitted a new passenger side wing mirror to our classic E-Type which will be with us for a few more weeks until its owner arrives back from France to pick it up.

We look forward to seeing the car and owner reunited very soon.

Removing An MGA Engine

Our MGA hasn’t been in the workshop for very long but it has already been in the care of our new classic car technician, Nigel.

Nigel has been hard at work taking this beautiful classic car apart and removing the engine and gearbox.

It hasn’t taken Nigel long to settle in and get stuck into restoring classic cars here at Bridge Classic Cars and, as you can see from the photos below, he has jumped straight into it!

Transit Repairs

Classic car technicians Steve and Monty have been working on the restoration of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII.

Steve cleaned the glove box and sprayed the corner brackets as well as cleaned and sandblasted the gear lever. He also sandblasted the steering arm ready for painting.

While Steve was working on the interior components of the transit, Monty was working on repairing some of the panels that needed attention.

Improvements To Our AMV8

Classic car technician Steve has been making some improvements to our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8.

Steve fitted new spark plugs, new wiper blades, and a new fuel filter too. Once this was complete, Steve moved on to fit new top wishbone bushes and new flexy brake hoses too.

The story of our 1976 AMV8 is soon to continue with a new owner as we look to sell this beautiful classic car in the very near future.

Pre Delivery Checks

Our 1962 Hillman Minx is live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website and will be won very soon.

Before it goes to the lucky winner though, classic car technician Jonn has been giving it a pre-delivery inspection to make sure it is ready to go when the time finally comes for it to go to its new home.

Jonn drained some of the coolant from our Minx and replaced it with neat anti-freeze to raise the protection level.

The nearside front door opening quarter window has also been freed up and now opens as it should.

Pre Delivery Inspection

Our 1973 Reliant Scimitar was won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions a little while ago now. However, the lucky winner has been out of the country so we have been looking after the car on his behalf.

Now that delivery is fast approaching, classic car technician Jonn has been giving the car its pre-delivery inspection to make sure everything is as it should be.

Jonn was pleased with our Scimitar so it is now ready to go to its new home.

Delivering our 1972 Triumph Stag to its lucky new owner

Last week, Tom and Nick went to deliver our 1972 Triumph Stag to its new owner Dudley.

Dudley had won the car the previous week through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and was excited to take delivery of his new pride and joy.

Upon meeting Dudley and finding out a bit more about his story, his incredible life with aircraft and cars, we also found out about his personal connection to our current charity partner, East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Dudley has been an avid supporter and advocate for the amazing work that the charity do to help people in serious situations either in the air or on the road with the incredible live saving team since he found himself in need of their help one day while visiting family.

Take a look at the moment Dudley met his 1972 Triumph Stag for the first time and more on this amazing gentleman’s story below.

You to could be just like Dudley and win a dream classic of your own while also supporting a very worthy charity by entering our 1973 Triumph Spitfire charity competition, with 100% of the profits of this competition going directly to help East Anglian Air Ambulance continue to save lives.

Inspecting A Competition Car

Our 1986 Golf GTI Cabriolet has been in the care of classic car technician Jonn, as he has been inspecting and assessing the car before a new owner will be found through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions very soon.

Jonn cleaned and inspected the rear brakes before making some adjustments and refitting the drum. While working on our Golf, Jonn noticed that there was some interesting wiring in the car and some faulty relays too. This was likely put in when the aftermarket headlights were fitted by a previous owner but is now sorted thanks to Jonn.

The electric windows have not been working correctly since our Golf arrived so Jonn investigated this. He found that the switches were faulty so resolved this to make sure the windows were working as they should.

A new timing belt and tensioner were also fitted in preparation for our 1986 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet to be won.

Austin Healey Progress

Quite a bit of work has been completed on our 1967 Austin Healey 3000 over the last week. While classic car technician Jonn was working on our classic Healey, he fitted a new connector block which is used to join the wires from the regulator to the Dynater.

The old regulator needed to be bypassed, and the new connector was used for this. Once this was fitted, the car was run and the charge was checked which Jonn was satisfied with.

Refurbished Wheels

After the wheels of our 1958 Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite were refurbished, classic car technician Mauro put them back onto the car.

Refurbished wheels make a big difference to the final look of a classic car and, as you can see from the photos below, our Frogeye wheels are no exception to this.

Our 1958 Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite will soon be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

No More Cowboys

Since our 1977 Lambretta Jet 150 came into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, there has been a lot of discussion about whether the vinyl cowboy stickers should be left on or removed before it goes live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

In the end, it was decided to remove them during the preparation process of the classic scooter. After the stickers were removed, classic car technician Mauro completed some welding repairs and some filler work before priming the side covers ready for paint.

Once the freshly painted panels go back on our classic scooter, it will be one step closer to going live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Ready To Go Back Together

Our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle is coming to the end of its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop. Before it leaves though, Chris has been finishing the painting of our classic Beetle known as Delilah.

After it came out of the paint booth and Chris had worked his magic, you can see from the photos below that the new coat of paint has made the already beautiful Beetle even more eye-catching.

We are certainly looking forward to seeing Delilah continue on her restoration journey with us and seeing her eventually go back home to her owner.

The Story So Far…

The story of our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8 has been long and interesting and is one that is heading towards the final chapter with us here at Bridge Classic Cars. To mark the occasion, we decided it was time to take a look back at the history of our AMV8.

We originally purchased it on behalf of a customer, with the plan of it undergoing a full restoration in our workshop. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, our customer was no longer able to continue with the project, so the car is now owned by Bridge Classic Cars. Despite only fairly recently becoming the owners of this car, we have actually had it with us since its arrival in the UK from America.

Where It All Began

Aston Martin initially planned to put its new V8 engine in the DBS. However, thanks to challenges faced during production, the DBS was actually introduced with the 4-litre straight six from the DB6. This version initially disappointed many as the DBS was bigger and heavier than the DB6 resulting in a reduction in performance.

This all changed in 1969 when the Aston Martin DBS V8 finally arrived. The estimated 315bhp produced by the 5,340cc four-cam engine meant that the DBS V8 could go from 0 – 100mph in under 14 seconds. That may not seem too impressive by today’s standards but, back in 1969, it was claimed this was the fastest production car in the world. The claim could be further believed thanks to a top speed of 160mph!

In 1972, the story turned in the direction of the car you see today when Aston Martin was taken over by Company Developments. As Series 2 went into production, it became known as the Aston Martin AMV8 and was recognisable from a restyled front end that gave a nod to the looks of earlier Astons.

The former Chairman of Aston Martin, Victor Gauntlett said that the V8 was “a stylish thoroughbred, beautifully built, luxurious, fast and immensely safe.”

Our AMV8

Before we purchased our 1976 AMV8 in March 2022, it looks to have led an interesting life.

According to copies of Aston Martin’s factory build records, it was hand built at Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell plant during the winter of 1976. At the time, it was fitted with a left-hand-drive steering arrangement and a 3-speed automatic gearbox.

Surprisingly, our AMV8 was initially finished in Cornish Gold with a black leather interior, black carpet, and grey headliner. An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr William S. Reiter from Los Angeles, California, was the very first owner when he purchased it on January 5th, 1977.

The story then goes dark for a while although it does appear that the car stayed in America eventually making its way from the West Coast over to the East Coast of the country. During this period, the car was repainted in Peoney Red and had a desirable 5-speed manual gearbox installed. In addition to the colour and transmission change, a radio head unit that looks to be from the late 70s was fitted along with a set of 5-spoke alloy rims which replaced the original wheels.

We have been able to pick up the story again from 2011 when the previous owner purchased the vehicle. During this ownership, our AMV8 was part of a static display and was not driven at all. This meant that when we bought it, it has been off the road for over 10 years.


Arriving At The Workshop

After a long journey, our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8 eventually arrived at Felixstowe Port where we collected it.

From there, it was transported over the last leg of its epic journey to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop here in Suffolk. It was at this point that our team of highly skilled technicians took over and started work on bringing this classic Aston back to life.

The initial investigations highlighted a few issues that would need address but, after some attention from the workshop team, the future started to look bright. Perhaps the biggest change that has happened since we have had the AMV8 is its colour. Our paintshop took the car back to bare metal before repainting it for the second time in its life – this time transforming into a stylish Deep Carriage Green.


What’s Next?

Our AMV8 is still in the workshop with work continuing by our team of technicians. The car has been put back together and is looking very good. While the car is not quite ready to leave us yet, it is very soon going to be put up for sale.

This classic Aston has already lived an exciting life over in America and it would be great to see it find a new home with someone who appreciates the work, time, and treatment that this vehicle has experienced over the last couple of years.

More information on the sale of our 1976 Aston Martin AMV8 will be available soon but, in the meantime, the full project details can be seen here.