One of our technicians, Paul, has made an aluminum mount for the fan in the black 1960 Jensen 541R.
This has been handcrafted from a sheet of aluminum in our workshop. The mount allows for the fan to sit in the engine bay and be supported.
The metal sheet was then painted and fitted to the back of the fan. Paul drilled in an extra set of holes to allow for more ventilation as seen below.
The parts for our 1968 Triumph TR5 have arrived and our technician Mauro has set them all out to assess what’s there and If anything more needs to be ordered.
Within this pile of goodies, you can find brake parts, clutch, seat belts, chrome parts such as door handles, rubber for the windscreen, injector pump, radiator, fan, headlights, copper fuel, and brake lines as well as a huge host of other bits that will go towards making our TR5 whole again!
November 10, 2020 12:00 pm
Our beautiful 1973 VW T2 had its primer applied post acid bath.
Unfortunately, the process of removing the rust revealed a bigger than expected project underneath so the owner took the decision to store the VW and resume its work next year.
We’re excited to re-start work on this in 2021 as we know this T2 is going to look amazing when restored to its former glory!
Our 1974 De Tomaso Pantera features in Alison Hammond’s recreation of Kylie Minogue’s iconic music video ‘Can’t get you out of my head’.
Last week the team took our restored De Tomaso Pantera up to the ITV studios to meet director, Harry Bott. Harry went to great lengths to find the same model and colour De Tomaso that featured in the original music video. Fortunately, we had restored this iconic Pantera, and the owner was happy to help out.
If you’re looking for a certain car for your production, whether it be an old classic or a more modern vintage number, we can help you out! As a company, we’ve had a number of our cars feature in TV and Film.
The full video will air on This Morning on 12th November so keep your eyes peeled.
You can see the car’s history with us here.
Here is the final edit played out on ITV’s This Morning…
Our new competition car is a smart 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged in a moody navy blue and could be yours for under £10.
Don’t let the Jaguar’s elegant styling fool you, this performance machine packs a hell of a punch. The 4.0L Supercharged V8 engine catapults you to 60mph in just 5 seconds! The 380bhp XJR will pull hard, all the way to its limited top speed of 155mph.
These Jaguar’s were built to a very high standard and feel every bit a quality heritage British performance car
Full service in July 2020 at Jaguar Land Rover Stratstone Service Centre.
In February 2020, the XJR had the following new components: drive belt, water pump, rear shock absorbers, front disks and pads, brake fluid and rear wheel bearings. No expense has been spared on this car’s maintenance.
The current MOT expires in December 2020, however, we will be putting a fresh 12 month MOT on the vehicle before delivery to the winner.
You can enter this by heading over to the competition website or clicking here.
November 9, 2020 3:36 pm
Darren started his career with cars in a similar way to many of our technicians did, by studying an apprenticeship, “I’ve always been into vehicles since I was a teenager” Daren tells us.
Darren studied his apprenticeship at the formerly known Potters Ford dealership in Framlingham, Suffolk, and has kept it local ever since. Darren joined our team in January 2019.
During his time studying general mechanics, Darren was given the choice to specialise and took the option to focus on Strip Fitting. From there he progressed to working with the paintwork.
“I still prefer doing body and paintwork because you get to see the rewards at the end.”
As our Paint Shop Manager, it’s down to Darren to ensure that the paintwork on each of our cars is matched, made, and added, as well as overseeing all the work that goes on in our Paint Shop.
Fun fact: one of the most popular cars in Darren’s birth year was the Ferrari 1973 Berlinetta Boxer. When launched, it competed with the Lamborghini Countach to be the fastest supercar you could buy.
Our trim experts have taken apart the 1972 Peugeot 504’s back seats in order to make the new ones.
Kath, one of our trim experts has unstitched the old seats and measured up the old parts onto new leather. Once this is done, the new parts are stitched together and flute lines added.
The flute lines need to be carefully added so that they line up with the ones on the back squab cover as seen here:
Our 1963 Morris Minor has had its oil seal removed and refurbished, engine rewired, new clutch added and an engine stabilizer installed.
Whether it’s a specific design or a certain fit, we can make it. All of the work done in the trim shop is made by hand and designed perfectly for your motor.
One of our clients is making the hard choice between these 4 designs for the interior of their 1982 Porsche 911.
Its been a busy week, with once again, many cars leaving, lots making big milestones and photoshoots!
We were extremely lucky with the weather on Wednesday for our Rolls Royce Corniche shoot at Hintlesham Hall.
This stunning 16th Century Elizabethan hotel created the perfect backdrop to shoot the regal 1973 Rolls Royce Corniche with our friend Giles, who made the perfect model.
We’re currently selling the Rolls Royce, so if you’d like to look this suave, head over to our website to see more about it!
You can see our Behind The Scenes video on our Instagram Reels!
Our ray of sunshine, the Yellow 1973 Triumph TR6 has just left the workshop!
It came in with some issues concerning the gearbox so we swiftly replaced the clutch slave cylinder and it was back up and running in no time!
It was delivered back to its owners this morning.
We’ve recently received another Jensen to restore. Although it’s currently a dull white, it will soon blossom into a beautiful Peony Red! This is a really exciting project for us as it’s going to be an amazing transformation!
Earlier in the week it had its fiberglass body worked on, smoothing down the exterior and adding a layer of stone chip to the inside. You can see that here.
Since then, our technicians Chris and Ant have tidied the metal plate work by welding and smoothing the exterior to make it all uniform. A primer has been added and a DTM satin paint applied on top.
The chrome pieces for the Jensen have also been sourced and cleaned, ready to be applied.
The doors have been refurbished with rust and holes corrected and parts of the inner door having been refurbished.
We’ve recently bought a 1974 VW Beetle for a near future competition car! We cant wait to get started on this beautiful green vehicle!
We’ve also had a lot of work on our other cars such as new trimmings for the Grey Jensen, custom window wipers and pump for the Nissan, new wheels on the MGB, new seat belts on the purple TR6.
November 6, 2020 12:17 pm
The Purple 1973 Triumph TR6 has recently had seatbelts and tyres installed making by our team.
New seatbelts were installed on our TR6! There may be a few pieces missing but at least it’s now a safe drive!
It also had its first start-up today, but to get it running perfectly, we’ll be handing it over to our engine specialist Ady.
You can trust here at Bridge Classic Cars that your car will get full attention from our team of specialist technicians, and the proof is in the pudding!
A brand new windscreen has also been recently installed.
The owner of our TR6 specially requested for the original tyres to be fitted, so we ordered a set of original TR6 Michelin XAS tyres from Longstone Classic Tyres.
We understand that some people want their cars fitted with modern refurbishments and some prefer to keep the originality intact. Both are great options when restoring a classic car and equally have their own pros and cons, however its never too much trouble to acquire or make original custom fittings to make sure the car is just right. Its all in the finer details!
Our 1972 Blaze Orange MGB Roadster recently had its refurbished wheels fitted by our team of specialist classic car technicians.
Darren, our paint shop manager has recently cleaned down, re painted and refurbished the wheels as well as painting parts of the engine.
Its always nice to get positive feedback from clients but even nicer when they send their vehicles back in for more refurbishments!
The owner asked for some extra alterations so we cracked on right away!
We created a custom made window wiper bracket for the Nissan as well as replacing a water pump.
We’ve got a number of new cars gracing our workshop soon. Keep an eye out on our social media pages and website for their grand arrival.
We’ve got an exciting new competition vehicle coming in soon. Currently residing in Scotland, this beautiful Lime Green Beetle will be up for grabs in the near future!
Watch this space..
We’re proud to represent a 1972 Chevron B20 Formula 2 race car. Although this, unfortunately, won’t be a giveaway car, it will be up for sale sometime in the near future on our website!
This beautiful vintage vehicle was originally designed as a single-seat racer for Formula 2.
We can’t wait to have such a unique vehicle in our workshop.
New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R
Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto the Jensen’s fan. These have been made from a sheet of metal which Paul has measured, shaped, drilled and painted, ready to be bolted onto the final product.
Craftmanship like this means that all our projects are bespoke and personal and fit the car which enables a perfect match.
The brackets and fan were then later fixed together. This will now be inserted into the engine.
Not long after, the fan had been fitted into the Jensen’s engine and was ready to purr.
Our 1967 Black E-type Jaguar had its final re-wiring before we sent it off purring back to its owners yesterday.
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, this E-Type came in way back in 2016 for a full restoration. We’ve worked on her over the past 4 years for regular maintenance and repairs.
She’s come a long way from the total rebuild we received in 2016! It’s always a pleasure to have such an iconic vehicle in the workshop.
November 5, 2020 10:49 am
You’d be right in saying that this isn’t a red 1960 Jensen 541S. But with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work from our specialist technicians, this car soon will be a beautiful Peony Red.
However, that’s a few stages away. It’s currently with our technician Chris who is carefully working on the fiberglass body.
With fixings added, holes filled and a black stone-chip applied on the inside of the body, this Jensen is getting closer to its new colour makeover. These alterations are made to make sure the body of the car is aesthetically uniform and ready for the next stage of works.
The next stages will entail grinding out any imperfections and cracks so it can be prepared for the paint-shop.
November 5, 2020 10:16 am
Much like any good festival, our Grey 1957 Jensen 541R also needed a headliner.
In car terms, this just means the fabric fitting that coats the ceiling and gives it that finished look.
Our trim shop experts Kath and Brian have recently applied the headliner. First off they installed metal beams and padding to alleviate any rattling inside the vehicle. After this was fitted, the headlining fabric was installed, pulled tight, heated, and glued in place leaving holes for the interior lights.
The Jensen has also had foam padding added to the parcel shelf, vinyl glued into the front A posts, vinyl added to the dashboard, and holes left for the air vents.
We had Colin from Wherry boatyard on behalf of CC Marine and Industrial Supply come in to survey our 1965 Amphicar. As a BSS (Boat Safety Scheme) Examiner, its Colins job to tell us what is needed to make the Amphicar water worthy.
It’s a bit like an MOT but for boats and it’ll allow our Amphicar to be one step closer to getting its tires wet.
The amends includes relocating the battery cut-off switch changing the fuel entry removal system from a bottom to a top entry, replacing rubber hoses with copper pipes to allow a 2 hour 100 degrees safety bracket, installing a fire extinguisher, modify the main battery wiring, replacing the fuel arrester to the fuel tank, general labeling, adding an override switch to the dashboard and installing a modern Bilge pump and float switch.
Our Triumph TR6 was struggling to change gear when it came in, but there’s no job too small or fiddly for us here at Bridge Classic Cars. We’ll get it back to its old chirpy self in no time.
Our technician Pete managed to replace the clutch slave cylinder so the TR6 should now run smoothly!
Local charity, GeeWizz has partnered up with Ed Sheeran’s parents, John and Imogen to host the Ed Sheeran ‘Made In Suffolk’ Legacy auction. It aims to raise funds for children and young adults from Suffolk and Norfolk who suffer from life-threatening conditions, disabilities, or Cancer
The money raised from the auction will help fund the children’s equipment, care and education as well as providing important support for the families.
The auction includes ‘money can’t buy’ prizes from local businesses. A day of recording or mixing for a band at Decoy Studio, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars VIP Tour with lunch for 4 people, and a VIP visit to Classic Team Lotus in Norfolk are among the prizes.
You can visit the website to learn more here.
Among the sponsors is local business Tru7. CEO Guy Nicholls has pledged his company to be the main sponsor. Guy is passionate about East Anglia and helping local children.
You can see his pledge video below.
Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments.
Scott has been working on the window and door mechanisms. He’s fitted new rubber for the window seal, tested and installed new window winder mechanisms as well as repairing and cleaning the window winder motors.
As well as new window winder motors, the doors have also had some TLC to make sure they lock and shut nicely.
Scott has fitted new door handles to accompany the new door locks, striker plates and door check straps. All of which have been cleaned, repaired, re-greased, and fitted.
The new striker plates allow for the doors to align and shut efficiently.
Brian has been tending to the latest interior instalments for the Peugeot.
The leather for the door panel arm rest has been glued to the metal section, trimmed and turned over to give a neat finish. The door handle slots had also been cut and measured.
The leather has been glued to the foam backing for the back seats and is ready for sewing. Lines have been marked on each piece to indicate where the stitching will sit.
The front door panels have been cut out of hardboard, holes drilled into them for the armrest and door handles.
When ready, the leather is applied and the edges are pulled around the side of each piece to ensure a neat finish. The leather is hog ringed to the frame as this guarantees that the leather will be held in place and allows for a tight application.
Below you can see the armrest door panel and part of the back seats being fitted together.
Our  1960 Jensen 541R has had another round of interior fittings measured up, made, and installed by our talented team in the Trim Shop. This time it’s the Jensens boot that’s been fitted.
Each piece of the boot carpet has been measured by hand, stitched, and fitted in a bespoke pattern. No trim is ever the same.
Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its primer and flattening completed by our technicians Ant and Chris.
This stage allows the bodywork to be perfected and smoothened and allows the next layer of paint to stick.
This is the last stage before the colour paintwork begins.
November 2, 2020 4:24 pm
As of November 5th, 2020, England is entering another 4 week lockdown.
We’d like to reassure our clients that we are still open and working on our cars however we are not accepting members of the public into our workshop.
If you have a car already with us, the restorations will continue as usual.
We are operating under COVID secure conditions as it is our first priority to ensure the safety of our clients and employees. This includes social distancing and daily body temperature checks for anyone entering our site.
We are still contactable via our phone line, email and social media accounts.
If you’d like to read the new guidelines, you can visit the GOV.UK page here.
November 2, 2020 4:15 pm
The Jensen 541S has recently returned from Holland where it was visiting some power steering conversion specialists.
Now back in the UK with the correct parts, the Jensen is ready to have its power steering installed by John and Tamas.
Due to the age of the car, it never originally had power steering. This new modification will make the Jensen an even more luxurious drive with easier steering.
We always love to see our competition winners enjoying their new cars but the update from our TR3 winner Karl Reilly was even more special.
Last Thursday Karl drove his sister Claire to her wedding at Brasted’s lodge in Framlingham Pigot. Our TR3 makes for the perfect ‘Something Old’ and ‘Something New’!
“It was such a shame it rained all day, Karl tells us. “But it was still great fun to drive with the roof up.”
“My sister loved it, it really made her day! The owners of Brasted’s Lodge loved it too, it received a lot of attention!”
As it turns out, Karl had won the car a day after his 50th birthday. After a challenging year, our TR3 was the perfect birthday present for Karl and the perfect ride to Claire’s wedding.
Congratulations to the happy couple, Claire and Andy!
John has been working with cars his entire career, starting as soon as he left school. This interest blossomed from working alongside his father who also took a fascination with cars and frequently visited race car meets with each other.
Following his childhood with cars, John’s career led him to work with Vauxhall for 29 years. After a sufficient amount of time working as a technician there, John moved on to making sports car replicas with Suffolk Sports. John then came to Bridge Classic Cars where he’s been ever since, making him one of our longest working members.
John is our Workshop Manager, meaning his role is to oversee and troubleshoot any projects going on at Bridge Classic Cars. We know that projects are always in safe hands with John as his time with us is coming up to 10 years.
Back at home, John has a number of motorbikes as well as his dream car, a Ford Escort RS 2000 MKI. John tells us that he’s always been into having his own cars and restoring them, “I’ve always had two or three motorbikes and cars at home to tinker with”.
Fun fact: The car that was most popular in the year of Johns birth was the Nissan Datsun 240Z
This week we’ve had lots going on in and out of the workshop. Most notibly, our 1996 Nissan Patrol has been completed. We have worked on the full restoration from start to finish, we cannot wait for it’s owner to see her looking her very best once more.
We’ve had a 1977 Triumph Spitfire come in from our friend Lee at Auto shack that’s in need of a new hood. There’s no task too big or small for our classic car technicians. This Spitfire will enter the Trim Shop next week to have it’s new hood fitted.
We’ve also had two requests to value cars, one of which being a 1969 Mercedes 280SL and another being a 1986 Toyota Celica GT. We offer valuation services to inform customers on what their car is worth, be that for personal or insurance reasons.
There’s an exciting opportunity coming up with an Alfa Romeo Montreal that we’ve been asked to restore. Keep an eye out for updates on that when it comes in!
We’ve also got a 1980 MGB GT coming in soon. We took a look at it recently and replaced the adjusted the distributor as it was getting too hot but it seems to need some more TLC which we’re looking forward to doing!
Here at Bridge Classic Cars, we’re all about family and community. That’s why Gordan and Craig’s 2008 Range Rover Sport has been bought and passed onto our technician Pete. He took it out for its first spin earlier in the week to Milsoms in Ipswich. We’re glad to see it still lives on in the Bridge family.
We’ve had a gentleman enquire about us restoring his 1947 Norton motorbike which has been 50% built but just needs finishing. We don’t get many bikes in but its a real treat when we do!
This morning we went to our hanger at Bentwaters to do some filming. Our marketing team Freddie and Ellie shot some content which you will see going up on our website soon! In the meantime, take a look at some behinds the scenes shots below.
You can see the rest of the works done this week on our Triumph, Jensen, and Jaguar, here.
October 30, 2020 4:36 pm
The 1996 Nissan Patrol arrived at Bridge Classic Cars needing a thorough once over to restore its adventurous spirit.
Last week it had its primer completed, allowing the next stages of paintwork to commence. The Nissan has now had its DH6 Safari Nissan Green and Volkswagen Zing Grey paint applied as well as having its chrome bumpers completed.
The front and rear disks and pads required checking when the Nissan arrived. These have since been replaced.
During its restoration, the gears had been removed to allow for a full check-up. As detailed here, Pete added red paint to the pieces which allowed him to carefully assemble and realign the gears, making for a perfect and careful re-installation.
The Nissan has also had its tires refurbished, making it one stage closer to being road ready.
The next step in this Nissan’s journey is to receive its trim work for new carpets.
October 30, 2020 8:30 am
