After a year of hard work bringing a whole range of classic vehicles back to life, the entire team at Bridge Classic Cars are celebrating our success, and the festive season, as we all head out for our Christmas meal.
Just down the road from the workshop is the Ufford Crown. This is the host of our celebration where the staff there will have the challenge of feeding a team of hungry technicians, marketers, accountants, painters, trimmers, and more.
After spending a few hours together, enjoying some great food (and a few drinks), we will all be heading home to spend Christmas and New Year with our loved ones.
As we close the workshop doors for the last time this year for a well-deserved break, we are looking forward to seeing what 2024 has to bring.
At the end of each year, the workshop undergoes a deep clean to ensure that it is a pristine environment for more classics to be restored in next year.
The workshop team have spent the last 2 days cleaning every inch of the workshop floors, walls, rails, tools, ramps, and anything else that you can think of. This includes the trim shop and paint shop too!
As we come towards the end of our last working day of the year, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is looking incredible and is getting ready to welcome even more classic vehicles in January.
As many know, we have become somewhat of a Jensen 541 specialist. But today, was a special day at our Suffolk HQ as our very first Jensen 541 project made its way back to our workshops for the team to begin work on.
This 1961 Jensen 541S was the one of the first, if not THE first, restorations of the unique and rare sports car which was undertaken by our team in 2015, back in our original workshops in Deben Road, Ipswich.
This car, which played such an important role in the early history of our work, will be carefully assessed and then worked on by our talented team very soon. So, keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for updates very soon.
December 15, 2023 3:53 pmPublished by Nick Skinner
Some marques offer rarity, luxury, or performance but very few offer all of these in one single form. One of those, is Alpina. Combining comfort, pace and exclusivity into a beautifully engineered road car is what Alpina have been doing for over 50 years in cars like this, our 2002 Alpina B10 V8S.
With just 145 2002 B10 V8S’s made worldwide this Bavarian Bruiser is a rare sight but with only 42 right hand drive cars made and believed to be one of only 6 remaining in the UK, this is car number 76 of the entire production run and is known within the Alpina Register.
Alpina have been connected to BMW since the early 1960s, gaining a reputation for crafting hand built, fast and sophisticated luxury cars. With bespoke packages for their clients, each car is individual and unique to their owner.
Not to be confused with the 4.6-litre ‘Standard’ B10, our V8S features a 4.8-litre V8 made specifically for this car. At Alpina’s facility in Buckloe, Germany their team of engineers increase the capacity of the base BMW engine for the B10 to produce more torque rather than making it a big horsepower car.
With stunning metallic silver paintwork and a sophisticated and luxurious grey leather interior, our B10 V8S has the good looks to match its performance completed with the signature 20 spoke ‘hollow’ wheels.
Supplied new by Sytner BMW in Nottingham on the 8th of July 2002, our B10 V8S’s history file contains multiple invoices from BMW main dealers throughout its life as well as some work being carried out by independent specialists.
The side mouldings have now been fitted, this involved James making the tapered ends and ensuring they were a snug fit and secured in place to the back of the trims before being fitted to the car. Then the centre seats were cut to length and fitted after all the fixings were checked and sealed.
December 8, 2023 11:21 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Alan has applied a DTM gloss black to some of the suspension parts. DTM or Direct To Metal paints are created to provide your metal substrate with protection from corrosion, yet provide a good cosmetic finish at the same time.
The internal joints have also been seam sealed and are now ready for colour.
December 8, 2023 10:01 amPublished by Craig Ranson
As our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle nears the end of its restoration, with only a few small bits to do, we though we would take it into the Atelier and set up a photo shoot for the car before it leaves our Suffolk HQ to head back home to its excited owner.
‘Delilah’, as the car is affectionately known, came to us at the beginning of 2023 to begin its restoration journey. This wonderful piece of automotive sentiment has received the love and car from each and every department here at our Suffolk HQ like any of our restorations to make sure that we deliver a car which will last well into prosperity for its owner to enjoy and Delilah is one of those. The team have also tried to preserve her unique and personal history with the retention of the window stickers and other original pieces which make ‘Delilah’ a one-off to her owner.
From the sympathetic and careful metalwork done by Chris and Monty in the fabrication shop, to the fastidious and meticulous preparation and execution of Chris, Alan and Mauro in the paint department. Brian and Lydia turning their expert skills and attention to detail on the bespoke cream leather interior and handmade roof in the trim workshop all the way down to James getting the engine set up to run just how it should, Little Jon working on getting each system working correctly in the cabin and Big John installing the wonderfully subtle RetroSounds stereo unit into the original dash. Each department has proudly worked on Delilah to bring her back to life and back to being able to be enjoyed by her owner for many many years to come.
Now, it was up to me to try and capture in photos what the team here at Bridge Classic Cars have worked so hard on over the past 11 months – I hope I managed to show just how beautiful this Beetle turned out from the talented and skilled work our amazing team have put into this classic Volkswagen.
This morning, along with a few other new deliveries, we welcomed this gorgeous 1974 Mini 850 Van!
As we mentioned with our 1982 Bedford HA, we love a panel van here at Bridge Classic Cars and this is one of the nicest ones we’ve seen. Like the others, soon this pint sized workhorse will be headed into our workshop were our skilled technicians can inspect and assess the car to make sure it is ready for its lucky new owner.
Here at Bridge Classic Cars, we love a panel van. A solid, dependable and utilitarian workhorse for generations, the humble van at some point has played a role in everyone’s life.
This one though, is a 1982 Bedford HA Panel Van. And its previous owner has had commissioned to look like one of the original early 1980s British Telecom work vans.
The team will be bringing this into our workshop very soon to assess and inspect the entire car so keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon.
This morning we took delivery of a collection of new cars destined to be won by lucky winners for our competitions as well as our 1938 Vauxhall Wingham Cabriolet being brought back to us safe and sound.
The new cars included a Morgan Plus 4, a Mini 850 Van and a very yellow 1982 Bedford HA Panel Van safely tucked away in the trailer of our friends at EM Rogers.
One by one, these classics were unloaded and taken round to our usual photography spot for us to capture them before they begin their journeys. But, we do like to grab photos of the action!
Along with delivering our classics back to us, EM Rogers were also here to collect a very special car destined for its new owner.
The team have been readying the Riley Stelvio ahead of its journey and today was the day where it would leave our Suffolk HQ bound for a new life since arriving from South Africa earlier in the year.
The symbol of the prancing horse is an icon of power, elegance, and poise throughout the sporting world. The perfect representation of perfection from the vision of one man, Enzo Ferrari. Commendatore Ferrari would use this symbol to announce to the world that his cars meant performance and prestige.
Through the decades, the artisans at Maranello would craft some of the most elegant and striking road and race cars the world would ever see.
In the mid-1970’s, the design language would change to adopt the more angular and aggressive styles seen in motorsport throughout the world and give birth to a series of icons from the Ferrari family such as this, the Ferrari 308.
Bridge Classic Cars is giving you the chance to join the Scuderia with our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi.
Finished in the Ferrari signature colour of Rosso Corsa and recently retrimmed back to its original Crema leather, this 308 GTSi combines elegance and timelessness into a true 1980s icon.
With a 2.9-litre fuel-injected V8 and the signature ‘dogleg’ manual gearbox, our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi has the beating heart of a thoroughbred to match its sporting Pininfarina designed good looks.
Originally delivered to UK Ferrari dealer Modena Engineering Ltd through the legendary Maranello Concessionaires in Surrey in January of 1984, this 308 GTSi was built at the legendary Ferrari workshops in Maranello, Italy in November of 1983 after being ordered in July of that year– confirmed by Tony Willis of the Maranello Concessionaires Archive.
Included in the beautiful Burgundy leather bound history file (which has a highly polished plaque proudly displaying the cars chassis number) includes a copy of the cars original order form which includes the car being specified with optional air conditioning. Along with this wonderful piece of the cars story, is a detailed service history print out from the Ferrari Owners Club. The folder includes correspondence and invoices dating back to the earliest days of the cars life.
In 2023, various works were carried out Haynes Heritage Engineering which included repairs to the sills and several areas of paintwork being rejuvenated.
Yesterday and today, Lydia has been working on the rear seat of the Aston Martin DB2/4.
‘Chris has kindly painted the seat tray black for me, and stone chipped the underside, as this part actually forms the bottom of the car and is exposed to all the elements the road can throw at it. Firstly , I re-attached the foam that we removed, and this needed some remedial repairs as the top surface was uneven. Should I have left this, it would have shown through the new leather cover, and it would also have been possible to feel the imperfections beneath. I filled in the deepest dents with some thing scrim foam and then laid a complete piece on top before adding a layer of polyester wadding to ensure that the seats remained soft and comfortable. This also works well at hiding any last imperfections that may remain! Then, I applied the new leather piece which forms the part that the passengers sit on.’
The next part to complete was the backrests, which were a little more tricky. These have to have the fabric half fitted, then they get riveted to the seat tray, then the rest of the fabric is stretched up and over and glued to the seat tray.
Brian has already repaired the foam on these so Lydia added a layer of wadding to make them softer. The leather was cut in 2 parts and sewn together, then fitted to the seat with contact adhesive.
Using heat really helped to soften the leather and made it a lot easier to fit the covers on these.
The final piece is the board that rests on top. This is a simple piece of cardboard, with a thin layer of foam on , then covered in leather. Finally, a piece of piping is applied to the edge to close the gap between the board and the seat underneath.
December 6, 2023 12:29 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Chris has been working on stripping down the our 1969 MGC GT in the main workshop.
He has been working his way around and in the car to remove all of the various pieces of trim and mouldings to get the car ready to head into our body shop. The team use this time to evaluate and analyse all of the parts removed from the car to check for condition or any breaks/damage to items which can be recorded and if neccesary, replaced.
Chris has got the car back to a point where other members of the Bridge Classic Cars team can now help get this fantastic sports car ready for the next step of its journey.
The Bridge Classic Cars team have begun working on stripping down the internals and wiring of our 1975 Cobra Project.
This has been headed up by our technician Mauro ahead of the body and paint team beginning to work on the car in our in-house paint and body shop. The team have carefully gone through each system in the car to make notes for the cars reassembly after the work has been completed, such as wiring connections, as well as to make a note of any missing items for the project.
It has charm, character, and nostalgia. It’s been a workhorse, a celebrated classic and a family friend – The Morris Minor. In any configuration, from Traveller to Convertible, the humble Morris Minor is beloved by generations. From school carol concerts, sleepy nighttime drives after spending time with family or bringing home the Christmas tree, the Morris Minor has played a part in so many lives. The most practical and seldom seen, is the Pickup.
This charming Morris 1000 Pickup could be yours just in time for Christmas. Our 1968 Morris 1000 Pickup is the perfect classic Christmas gift for you or a loved one this year.
Finished in that timeless and festive shade of deep and glossy Almond Green, the perfect colour to compliment that festive jumper you always want to wear. With a simple cabin featuring a pair of soft newly reupholstered black seats, our Morris 1000 Pickup is as useful as it is stylish and charismatic with a wood lined cargo bay (with a beige hardwearing canvas tie-down cover) which as seen, can comfortably fit an 8ft Christmas Tree.
Having recent work carried out Morris Minor masters, Charles Ware, in 2018 – ‘The Pickup’ as it is aptly named in the postcard hidden in its glovebox had been meticulously cared for and restored since its reimagining in 2018.
During its time at the Bristol based experts, the car was upgraded with an uprated heater, electronic ignition, cut-off switch, halogen headlamps as well as a reconditioned engine and gearbox being carefully rehomed in the front of this nostalgic work truck.
Now, as you sit back and think about what you really want for Christmas this year, why not enter now for your chance to win our 1968 Morris 1000 Pickup, the ultimate Christmas classic.
And, just to give you a little bit extra this Christmas – we’re giving you £1000 in cash!
From all of us here at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, a merry Christmas to all! And to all… Good luck!
Take a look at a couple of the films that we’ve done with our very own Molly and our 1968 Morris 1000 Pickup.
And then, have a look at our very special Christmas film that we’ve made.
One response to “Just in time for Christmas – Win our 1968 Morris 1000 Pickup”
Patricia Greenwood
I would absolutely love this pickup . My dream from being a young girl . Fab x
We’ve got a new arrival at our Suffolk HQ today, with this beautiful 1969 MGC GT.
The car is just beginning its journey here at our restoration workshop so keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve welcomed a very special addition to the workshop. The third in a line of Aston Martin DB2/4’s which are being completely restored by our classic car restoration technicians at our Suffolk HQ.
This particular car, is a 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe and one of a rarefied few which remain. This car, which has yet to be named, has been commissioned by its owner for our highly-skilled teams to bring back to its former glory alongside the sister cars of ‘Claret’ and ‘Moonshadow‘.
Although work has already begun on this incredible piece of Aston Martin history, there is still a long way to go. But, like the sister cars, our team are excited and eager to get this wonderful restoration on the move and all of us are lucky enough to have 3 of these stunning DB2/4’s in the workshop.
November 24, 2023 4:20 pmPublished by Nick Skinner
H&H Classics is set to auction a stunning 1966 Aston Martin DB5, previously owned by motoring correspondent Andrew English from the Daily Telegraph. Widely rated as one of the UK’s best-driving DB5s, ‘GBO 500D’, will be available for sale at The Pavilion Gardens in Buxton on November 29th after being in Mr English’s possession for nearly three decades.
With an estimated value of £500,000 to £550,000, this DB5 carries a rich racing history. It has been registered with both the FIA and MSA, participating in numerous sprints, hill climbs, and rallies, and has been meticulously cared for by experts specialising in the marque.
Details
Chassis DB5/2035/R has the preferred ZF 5-speed manual gearbox and retains its original matching numbers, a detail authenticated by the factory build sheet. From its initial registration, it has displayed the UK number plate ‘GBO 500D’.
Undergoing a substantial refurbishment during the 1990s, the car received a Dark Navy Blue repaint and care from Nigel Barker at Davron Engineering. Enhancements include the tasteful addition of a Harvey Bailey handling kit and considerable recent investments to elevate both its performance and aesthetics. Its 4.2-litre engine delivers a lively drive and is complemented by an interior upgrade using premium materials valued at over £20,000.
Image: H&H Image: H&H
Julian Pinkster, motorcar specialist at H&H Classics, said: “The DB5 is an iconic symbol of British automotive heritage, thanks to its association with James Bond. The performance and history of this particular model, place it among the nicest driving examples of the DB5 to come to auction. It represents a rare opportunity for collectors to own a vehicle that for decades, has captivated the imagination of car enthusiasts and film fans alike.”
“Few cars can match the DB5’s heritage and cultural significance. We’re expecting strong interest and competitive bidding for this quintessential example of British motoring excellence.”
The DB5 comes with an extensive history file, including a current V5C, past registration documents, a comprehensive collection of MOT certificates, detailed invoices for both parts and services, and other important paperwork.
H&H Auction Of The 1966 Aston Martin DB5
This DB5 will be part of an auction featuring 150 classic, collectable, and performance cars. Viewing for all lots will be open from midday until 8pm on Tuesday, November 28th, and from 9am on the day of the sale.
The auction begins at 1pm on Wednesday, November 29th, offering various bidding options such as online, telephone, commission, or in-person bids.
Hailed as the modern successor to the legendary BMW E30 M3, the 1M took the world by storm on its release. This rare, straight-six powered miniature meanie is a rare sight to see, especially in the UK and in all black.
BMW M, or M Division, was created in the mid-1970s as BMW’s in-house performance wizards. They took ordinary, everyday road cars and created some of the most sought-after and legendary performance cars until today – with the likes of the M1, M3, M4, M5, M6 etc. In the late 2000’s, M would take the humble 1 series coupe and essentially grafted in elements from the M3 and M4 to create the 1M (not to be confused with the late 70s supercar, the M1).
With only a few hundred of these rare coupes arriving in the UK, most were ordered in colours like Orange and Blue. But this one was ordered in Black with Black leather, making it one of only a handful of cars to be specified like this – making it even closer to its forefather, the fabled E30 M3, whose most common colour was black.
Although we mainly work on classic and vintage vehicles, all of us at Bridge Classic Cars have an appreciation for modern cars which try to rekindle that old-school analogue feel – the 1M being one of those rare machines. Thank you to Chris for bringing it over and lighting up our late afternoon here at the Suffolk HQ.
Although it has been in a workshop for a little while now, and our restoration teams have begun the process of bringing this wonderful early DB2/4 back to its former glory, we never did get to take some of usual arrival photos with the car.
On a Friday evening, our entire Suffolk HQ down tools to clean up all of our workshop and offices ready for the week ahead. This involves moving some, if not all, of our incredible restoration projects outside to safely clean our restoration workshop.
So, I took the chance to grab some photos with this stunning GT car. This is one of the cars that not only cemented the Aston Martin name into automotive history as one of the most illustrious and well-respected names, but also would bring the fabled DB name into the limelight and on wards into the future of the brand.
All of us, both in the workshop and in the team behind them, see it as an absolute pleasure and honour to be able to preserve and cherish these wonderful piece of automotive history and document their rebirth.
November 23, 2023 4:16 pmPublished by Nick Skinner
The Lotus Europa is without doubt one of the quirkiest and individual sports cars of the 1970s. A low slung, mid-engined, racecar inspired drivers’ cars which has garnered a following amongst marque enthusiasts and classic car fans across the world.
The Europa, with its slab back design, would become a precursor to later performance cars like the Elise of the 1990s. But what if you took that classic style and gave it a modern performance heart? That question is answered with our 1970 Lotus Europa and it could be yours…
This beautiful pale yellow 2-seater has been retrofitted with a legendary Toyota 4AG-E engine, giving this retro silhouette modern day performance. Converted to be run on carburettors and then taken onto a rolling road to be fully set up ready for that backroad thrash or an easy cruise to your local car show.
Recently imported from South Africa, the car has been recommissioned for road use and registered in the UK.
Bridge Classic Cars Competitions is giving you the chance to win this unique and stunning sports car and experience all the classic cool with added modern performance – Enter now for your chance to win our 1970 Lotus Europa.
Watch the film with our unique 1970 Lotus Europa here:
November 23, 2023 3:57 pmPublished by Nick Skinner
The restoration of our one-of-a-kind 1905 Rilep 9HP has been something of a labour of love and dedication. With very little reference material to work from, bringing this piece of automotive history back to life has been challenging, to say the least. However, the project has made even more progress recently, as its wooden body has been trial-fitted to the 118-year-old chassis.
Our 1905 Rilep 9HP is a great example of the craftsmanship and innovation of early automobile engineering. Its uniqueness lies not only in its design but also in its rarity as a prototype for the first car to ever have fully removable wheels. The workshop team has worked extremely hard to find any kind of record of how this one-off car should be put back together to honour its legacy throughout the restoration process.
After the wooden body recently returned to the workshop, following its time with Ashbocking Joinery, classic car technician Steve temporarily put the body back onto the chassis in a trial fit to make sure everything goes together as he would like it to. As well as the body going back on the chassis, the impressive radiator has also taken its place on the front end of this incredible classic car.
The Restoration Of Our Riley 9 Isn’t Done Yet
While our Riley 9HP may look much more car-like than it has since it first arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it will still need to be stripped down again once Steve is happy that the trial-fitting has been a success. Once stripped, it will then be painted before going back together for the final time. The next big milestone to reach though is getting the car to start. Although we have seen that it can start (we fired up the engine for a very short period of time last year), it has never been run without assistance and in its current configuration.
If all goes to plan, our 1905 Riley 9 restoration will be complete and the finished car will drive out of the workshop in the early part of 2024. Until then though, we are very excited to see it continue to make great progress in its restoration.
Our secure storage facility, The Hangar, has a wide range of vehicles safely tucked away inside.
We recently welcomed a Dodge Challenger into storage but, before it arrived, we gave The Hangar an extra clean to make sure everything is pristine for the owners of this wide range of classics.
Once cleaning had finished, we took a few photos of the cars in their protective Carcoons which helps keep them all in the perfect environmental conditions.
Our interior trim team have been stripping down our 2005 Honda S2000.
After removing the front seats and all plastic trim panels, Brian loosened the metal bar at the bottom of the roof before undoing the roof from the rear and removing the complete roof and frame from the car.
Brian then removed the clips for the base seat cover, removed the cover & foam, and added calico material to the side of the foam to add strength, before glueing the foam into the damaged section. The new foam was then trimmed to shape before Brian re-fitted the base cover & foam to the seat frame,
Our S2000 then moved into the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop where Chris removed the required panels and prepped the car for paint. Several parts of the car were primed, while rusty components were removed ready to be replaced.
Our stunning 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’ is now live to be won on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.
The humble Austin 7 – The car which played a pivotal role in getting Britain on the move would form the basis of some of the earliest homegrown racing efforts across this green and pleasant isle.
In the early decades of motor racing, the only way to be competitive was to pay your way to the top. Granted, there were notable exceptions, but the pre-war years were dominated by the likes of Bugatti, Mercedes, Auto-Union, Alfa Romeo and Bentley. These were the playthings of the ultra-rich and the elite, seen to be out of the grasp of mere mortals. However, smaller firms who built ‘standard’ saloon cars decided to get involved in the blossoming sports of club-racing and hillclimbing. One of those, was Austin.
In 1929/1930, Austin would field a group of cars in the Tourist Trophy at the Ards Circuit in Northern Ireland. After their success, the Austin 7 Sports Special would gain their infamous name and inspire countless homages – the ‘Ulster’.
This beautiful example of an ‘Ulster’, with bodywork by Rod Yates Coachbuilders, is finished with the elegant and traditional boattail rear end and presented in its stunning combination of deep green with a saddle brown bench seat. Originally built as a box saloon in 1932, its conversion to an ‘Ulster’ was carried out in the late 2000’s along with its introduction to the fabled VSCC (Vintage Sports-Car Club). With the car being awarded its eligibility to compete, after a thorough and detailed inspection by the club in April of 2009.
In 2011, the 4-cylinder 747cc engine was sent to Vince Leek Specialised A7 Engineering for rebuild and upgrades which included a new Phoenix crankshaft along with upgraded Honda pistons (to which the block was rebored) and the cars connecting rods ‘remetalled’ and machined to fit the new crankshaft. Along with the internal work, the block was resurfaced and new guides, new seats cut and fit new valves.
The car features an extensive history file including multiple receipts for work undertaken on the car over the last nearly 20 years, as well as handbooks for the Austin 7, conversion manuals for the ‘Ulster’ specification racer, along with period promotion and maintenance materials.
All of this specialist and skilled work, combines to make one of the most charming and elegantly simple pre-war sportscars out there. And now, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions wants to give you the chance of experiencing what so many pioneers of motorsport lived with our 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’.
Now that the wheels have returned from our good friends at Wheelworx having been re-coloured from red to silver, Jon has refitted them to make the car mobile once again. He has then removed the axle stands and dropped to the floor so he can knock all wheels up tight.
November 9, 2023 11:53 amPublished by Craig Ranson
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