On 18th February 2004, Bridge Auto Sales began selling cars by the railway bridge in Colchester, Essex.
At the time, it was a small operation built around buying and selling cars. There were no workshops, no competitions, no Driver Magazine, and no kids’ program.
Bridge Auto Sales did exactly what its name suggested: it simply sold used cars.
Twenty-two years later, quite a lot has changed!
2004 – The Beginning in Colchester
Bridge Auto Sales was launched on 18th February 2004. Gordon and Craig Ranson, a father and son from Suffolk, were the creators of what would eventually become the Bridge Classic Cars you see today.
Today, the old Bridge Auto Sales site is still being used for car sales. It is no longer with Gordon and Craig though, but it seems fitting that even after all this time, the foundations of Bridge Classic Cars is still heavily involved in the car world.
A move to a new facility in Newton Green followed before another change came.
Deben Road, Ipswich
The move to Deben Road in Ipswich was a big turning point for the business.
This is where classic car restoration became a focus. With Asa, our only technician at the time, attention shifted from selling cars to preserving them and keeping them on the road for future generations to admire.
Shortly after, Bridge MOT and Servicing arrived, and business continued to grow and evolve.
2018 – The Move to Pettistree
In 2018, Bridge Classic Cars moved to its current premises in Pettistree, Suffolk.
The new workshop had huge amounts of space and opened up the opportunity to bring even more classic cars back to life. It has continued to expand, and the site now has multiple units made up of a paint and body shop, fabrication, and a main workshop, which now extends over two connected units.
The business has gone through its biggest evolution here, as it has seen the launch of the Bridge Classic Cars Members Club and the opening of The Classic Lounge, Driver Magazine, online automotive news features, MyClassics, Competitions, and, most recently, Bridge Classic Cars Kids.
Along the way, there have been award nominations and wins, hundreds of classic car projects, events, and team growth from the early days of just Gordon and Craig at Bridge Auto Sales to our current team of twenty.
Bridge Classic Cars Competitions
In recent years, competitions have opened classic car ownership to a much wider audience.
Cars that may have once been considered impossible to own by some people have now become accessible to thousands of entrants across the UK. Bridge Classic Cars Competitions has allowed more people to experience classic car ownership, often for the very first time.
Driver Magazine
Driver Magazine launched at the end of 2024 and has grown into a genuine automotive publication that features car reviews, interviews, automotive news stories, history articles, and so much more.
Driver has become a big part of the Bridge Classic Cars media offering.
The Members Club & The Classic Lounge
The Bridge Classic Cars Members Club, based at The Classic Lounge, gives our members discounts, exclusive access, and special automotive events.
MyClassics
MyClassics is a completely free car sales platform. Anyone can buy and sell a car with no charges and no fees. This seems like a nice nod to how everything at Bridge Classic Cars started back in 2004.
Bridge Classic Cars Kids
Perhaps one of the most important developments in recent years has been Bridge Classic Cars Kids.
Through our upcoming children’s book, theatre-in-education, child-friendly news stories, and videos, we are encouraging younger generations to be introduced to classic cars, engineering, and automotive heritage in an engaging, accessible way.
Media
The media side of Bridge Classic Cars has become a huge part of the business. We have worked with brands such as Lotus and Caterham, interviewed some highly influential people throughout the industry, and our content is seen by around 4 million people every single month!
22 Years of Bridge Classic Cars
From Bridge Auto Sales in Colchester, to beginning restorations in Ipswich, to a multi-unit site in Pettistree with competitions, media, events, storage, and education initiatives…
Bridge Classic Cars has come a long way in 22 years… here’s to the next 22.
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