The dashboard and centre console of the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier have been removed from the car and taken up the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop
The bodyshell and bumpers for the 1965 Porsche 912 have gone back into the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be finished in matching
The left-hand drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been moving forward in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ. Paul
The 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has been taken into the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop to begin its teardown and inspection. The fabrication and
The 1969 Bentley T1 has entered the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth to begin its journey into colour. Chris and the team in the
Last night saw the draw of the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions prize, the 1986 Ford Capri Laser. But, to change things up we decided
For our latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions offering, we have teamed up with local motorcycle enthusiast and vlogger – Bike Like a Mum. Karina has
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the paint preparation area of the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop to have the latest round of primer
The 1989 TVR S2 generously donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which Bridge Classic Cars Competitions has been featured in the Car & Classic newsletter.
The 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible, which is in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ, has had its interior and convertible
The Team C Racing Mini, which has recently been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth, has been in the paint shop curing overnight. So,
The restoration workshop technicians at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop based out of our Suffolk HQ have been working on diagnosing and fixing the running
The 1975 Jensen Interceptor Mk3 is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshops at our Pettistree HQ for body and paintwork. The fabricator and restoration teams
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth has recently had the body shell of the Team C Racing classic Mini in to begin the process
Yesterday at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ we had an amazing visit from a rare sight around here. A beautifully patina’d 1946 Chevrolet Pickup.
The brand new heater matrix has been installed into the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda by the workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars. During testing, the
The 1989 TVR S2 Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal competition by Bridge Classic Cars has recently been featured on the Classic and Sports Car website! You can
This beautiful 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ to be assessed by
The stunning 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster in with Bridge Classic Cars has been photographed by the team here at Bridge ahead of being put up
The all-new steering rack for the 1970 Bristol 411 has been test fit into the car by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop. As part
The trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working on finishing up the interior of the 1968 MGC Roadster. Brain, one
The bodywork on the 1978 MGB GT which is in for restoration with Bridge Classic Cars continues while the rest of the car is being
Once the engine and parts had been thoroughly cleaned by our restoration workshop for the 1978 MGB GT in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration,
This gorgeous 1955 Austin-Healey 100 has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ for our technicians to look into
The paint shop inside of Bridge Classic Cars have sealed the bottom of the classic Mini for Team C Racing. The underside of the Mini
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has worked on getting the AC/Heater Unit fitted into the interior of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. Scott has
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541. Brian, one of our trimmers, has handmade
The Bristol 411 left-hand drive conversion is moving forward with new mounts and brackets being fabricated by the restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars
The underside of the Team C Racing Mini shell has been worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars body shop ahead of its appointment in
The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been busy rebuilding and cleaning up the distributor and carburettors of
The dashboard and centre console of the 1969 Sunbeam Rapier have been removed from the car and taken up the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop for repairs to begin on the pieces.
Brian carefully dismantled the pieces to perform the repairs needed. A lot of these issues were to do with the fitment and finish of the panels or inserts so mostly small adjustments or retrimming was needed but in other places, entire panels had to be remade and then retrimmed.
He entirely remade the centre console to take into the newly fitted USB socket for the classic Sunbeam. This was retrimmed in matching black vinyl to match the rest of the car.
The bodyshell and bumpers for the 1965 Porsche 912 have gone back into the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be finished in matching Polo Red.
The bumpers have been finished in the same paint texture as the exterior of the body and will be lacquered and polished along with the body. The interior of the classic Porsche along with the front bonnet and rear engine bay will be finished in a heavy-duty coating called RaptorGuard.
The bumpers were first and were shot in the stunning, bright and vibrant red and once dried, taken out into the preparation area to cure.
The bodyshell was then taken into the paint booth to be primed and then shot in tinted raptor-guarded. Alan, one of our painters, worked on preparing the bodyshell to be finished in the heavy-duty coating. Once the primer had flashed off, Alan could begin to lay on the raptor-guard into the shell.
The left-hand drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been moving forward in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ.
Paul has worked on building a new bracket that changes the angle of the steering column. This is needed for the steering column to be at the correct orientation and angle to meet up with the pinion of the new steering rack.
The wiring behind the dash has also been worked on as part of the conversion. Paul has worked on extending several key parts of the dash harness since its move in the car. These have been carefully cut, soldered and protected for future use.
The 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has been taken into the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop to begin its teardown and inspection.
The fabrication and restoration teams have been working alongside one another to get the classic Morris Minor taken apart to evaluate the overall condition of the car.
From what can be seen on the initial inspection, there are some areas of heavy corrosion. These will be further assessed by the team to come up with a plan to move forward with the car.
The 1969 Bentley T1 has entered the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth to begin its journey into colour.
Chris and the team in the Bridge Classic Cars body and paint shop have worked tirelessly to get the classic Bentley ready to go into the spray booth for the first layers of colour to be laid down.
The T1 will go through the process of several layers of colour before finishing work begins.
Expect to see much more on the beautiful 1969 Bentley T1 very soon.
Last night saw the draw of the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions prize, the 1986 Ford Capri Laser.
But, to change things up we decided to start it off a little bit differently. Those following along with Bridge Classic Cars Competitions will know that we also have just released our newest competition, a 2021 FB Mondial 300.
So, we had our friend and local motorcycle vlogger Karina (AKA Bike Like a Mum) ride it into our new building. This bike can be won along with £1000 to go towards either getting your license or new riding gear! You can enter the competition now just by clicking this link.
After Craig had a chat with Karina about her motorcycling story and go through some of the details on the bike, it was time to have a look round some of the other classics in our new Competitions building.
The 1966 Jaguar MkII and 1970 Morris Minor are scheduled to be won next Thursday with tickets still available on both. Along with that was an update on our 1989 TVR S2 competition in aid of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which as of last night went over the £25,000 mark with amazing support coming from all corners of not only the automotive media and industry but also from enthusiasts alike.
Then it was time for the main event, to find out who the lucky new owner of the 1986 Ford Capri Laser was. As with all of our competitions, once the ticket entries close at 630PM the entry lists are published ahead of the live stream at 7PM. Using the Google Random Number generator, Craig did some test runs to make sure that everything was working just as it should.
With that, Criag put in the parameters for the number generator and then with the click of a button and a whir of numbers, the future of the Capri was decided. 1384.
That was the ticket number selected by the random number generator. Cross referencing the pre-published entry list it was found to belong with Matthew Mitchell. The lucky new owner of the 1986 Ford Capri Laser.
For our latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions offering, we have teamed up with local motorcycle enthusiast and vlogger – Bike Like a Mum.
Karina has been a friend of Bridge Classic Cars for quite a while and this was the perfect project to team up together for. The 2021 FB Mondial is that project.
It’s a retro-inspired sports bike that is low, comfortable and its 249cc engine gives enough power and grunt to be perfectly useable for either fun or for commuting. Karina’s story into motorcycling begins with her connection to several family members who had been involved in motorcycling throughout her life. As time went on, Karina decided it was time to get involved.
She went out and passed her CBT and bought her first motorcycle, a 125cc commuter which she has ridden all the way to Wales! So, she was the first person we called to try out the FB Mondial outside of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions team.
So, on a sunny winter’s morning, the whole team and Karina got together at our secure storage facility The Hangar. The plan was to shoot videos for both the latest Bridge Classic Cars Competitions offering, the 2021 FB Mondial and for Karinas series of videos across her social media channels under the name Bike Like a Mum.
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the paint preparation area of the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop to have the latest round of primer work sanded back.
The car has had the final stage of primer sanding done by hand in order to get the surface in perfect condition for the full respray of the classic Bentley. Mauro, one of our technicians, carefully worked his way around the entire car making sure to get into every curve and recess of the body.
With this now complete, the car could be cleaned down ahead of heading into the spray booth.
The 1989 TVR S2 generously donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which Bridge Classic Cars Competitions has been featured in the Car & Classic newsletter.
It’s absolutely incredible the amount of support across the industry and the community for this amazing cause where 100% of the proceeds are going weekly to help support the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal by the DEC. These funds go directly to those on the ground helping the people affected by and displaced by the conflict.
You can enter the competition too and support this wonderful cause by clicking the link below.
Click here for Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal 1989 TVR S2 competition.
The 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible, which is in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ, has had its interior and convertible roof removed ahead of its move into the fabrication shop.
Brian worked methodically through the classic Morris Minor to make sure that all of the interior panels and piece were removed as safely as possible to avoid any unnecessary damage before their inspection by the Bridge Classic Cars trim team.
With the interior removed, Brian could then remove the convertible hood mechanism and covering.
The Team C Racing Mini, which has recently been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth, has been in the paint shop curing overnight. So, with the weather looking perfect the team thought we’d grab some photos of it out in the sun.
This is the first stage of getting the classic Mini into colour. It still needs to be cut back and polished but it looks absolutely brilliant.
The restoration workshop technicians at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop based out of our Suffolk HQ have been working on diagnosing and fixing the running issue on the 1955 Austin-Healey 100.
The car came into us to look into a running issue once the car got up to temperature or if the weather itself was hot. Our technician Jon began by looking into the various systems in the engine bay such as the fuel system and intakes. He noted that the classic Healey was idling rather quickly so he rolled back the idle speeds on the carburettors to give everything a good baseline to work from. However, the carburettors are not the throttle stops so were bought down to a safe speed achieved from the screw. He did notice that the car would ”run on” after being switched off when hot but would start up near enough straight away afterwards.
Upon inspection of the points inside the distributor, Jon discovered the car fitted with electronic ignition which helps with the diagnostic as it is one system that would not need adjustment and could be relied on as a baseline.
Along with that, Jon checked and read the spark plugs on the classic Austin-Healey. After very slightly adjusting the spark plug gapping, he installed them back into the car to move on to the timing. With the timing, Jon managed to slow down the idle speed a little more. Then, he could begin road testing the car.
After numerous tests and adjustments, Jon has got the car’s engine into a good place. Although he has noted that when coming to stop at a junction it will momentarily go towards stalling, the road performance of the classic Austin-Healey is exceptional and pulls very well through each gear. The car will continue to be road tested and adjusted to get it just right for its owner.
The 1975 Jensen Interceptor Mk3 is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshops at our Pettistree HQ for body and paintwork.
The fabricator and restoration teams have been working together in order to strip apart and teardown the shell of the classic Interceptor. The shell and many of its associated parts from the suspension need to be completely dismantled in order to be sent off for either sand-blasting for some of the components and acid-dipping for the shell.
Piece by piece, the big Jensen was taken apart while being catalogued and boxed up ready to be sent off to the various specialists to get this project moving forward.
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth has recently had the body shell of the Team C Racing classic Mini in to begin the process of getting the car into colour.
Chris, along with the rest of the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team, have been getting the body shell of the classic Mini into the best shape possible before it heads into the booth. Every surface on the car, from top to bottom, has been meticulously prepared and cleaned down before being moved into the booth.
Coat by coat, Chris built up the layers of deep brown on the inside and outside of the shell of the Mini. Then, he could turn his attention to the roof of the car. For this, he had to re-mask the rest of the car before re-priming and laying down the white which gives this Mini its classic look.
Yesterday at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ we had an amazing visit from a rare sight around here.
A beautifully patina’d 1946 Chevrolet Pickup. Bought in Arizona and road tripped extensively throughout the US by its owner before being shipped back to the UK and used throughout the country towing all manner of classics and rock’n’roll bands.
It’s always a pleasure and exciting to see cars like these pop into the workshop for our team to look over and learn about them.
The brand new heater matrix has been installed into the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda by the workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars.
During testing, the original heater matrix was found to be leaking so the Bridge Classic Cars team sourced a new replacement. This was fitted in behind the dash by the workshop team and the various pieces of the dash assembly secured around it.
Now with the heater matrix in place inside the classic Mercedes, the workshop technicians can begin testing the car once again.
The 1989 TVR S2 Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal competition by Bridge Classic Cars has recently been featured on the Classic and Sports Car website!
You can read it here: Click here to read the Classic and Sports Car Article
Or to enter the competition here: Click here to enter the 1989 TVR S2 Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal competition
This beautiful 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ to be assessed by the teams.
The restoration teams will each inspect and assess the car directly related to their areas of speciality. Once this is done, the technicians will report back with their findings on the car.
Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible very soon.
The stunning 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster in with Bridge Classic Cars has been photographed by the team here at Bridge ahead of being put up for sale on our new online classic car sales platform MyClassics.
With the weather near enough perfect, Nick set out to shoot the classic MG Roadster at our secure storage facility The Hangar. The vintage Roadster was brought out of The Hangar and moved into position on the pad for its photoshoot.
The car is even more beautiful in person. Finished in vibrant red with its contrasting white hardtop and sitting on wire wheels with disc brakes on the front and drums on the back it looked perfect in the late winter sunshine. The interior is one of the most characterful we’ve come across. The seats show age cracks and the red has darkened over time to give a beautiful contrast against its exterior. The beige harnesses that drape across the leather make the car feel as racy as it looks and being fitted with a later 5-speed gearbox helps this MGA become a car for all occasions.
The car has been entirely inspected by our restoration workshops, where only a minimal carburettor set-up was required to have it running perfectly. The car was restored in the late 1990s and bought by its previous owner after searching for what he deemed to be the most perfect MGA in the UK, and was found at a Lotus Main Dealer in Henley. The optional white hardtop is in good condition and allows that extra level of confidence should the weather turn on a Sunday blast or to cut down the wind noise on a cross-continent jaunt however the beige soft top on the car is in fine condition with minimal marking and little to no tears or fraying.
The car is now for sale on the all-new Bridge Classic Cars online sales platform MyClassics. An online sales platform where there are no fees for buying and no fees for selling your classic inside a community of like-minded enthusiasts.
To view the beautiful 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster for sale by Bridge Classic Cars on our MyClassics platform, simply click the link below.
Click here to view the 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster for sale on MyClassics.
The all-new steering rack for the 1970 Bristol 411 has been test fit into the car by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop.
As part of the cars left-hand drive conversion, the technicians have specced a brand new power-steering rack. Previously, the workshop has been busy making new plates and brackets for this moment.
With the new rack in place, the technicians can take measurements and double check tolerances for any interference which may happen.
The trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working on finishing up the interior of the 1968 MGC Roadster.
Brain, one of our trimmers, has been carefully cutting out a new hole to fit up the new clock into the dashboard of the classic and rare MGC. The panel had to be clamped down and the new wood veneer laid over the top to use as a template to mark out the piece.
Once the piece had been marked out, Brian carefully drilled out the new clock opening and finished it by hand. Now that this was complete, he could begin to secure the veneer to the panel.
After the adhesive had cured completely, he could fit the panel into the car and secure everything down into the car.
The bodywork on the 1978 MGB GT which is in for restoration with Bridge Classic Cars continues while the rest of the car is being worked on by the various other restoration departments.
The bodywork on the car has been worked on piece by piece, with any remnants of corrosion or rust completely removed from the shell of the classic sports car.
Using replacement patch panels, the areas were carefully cut out and the metal replaced piece by piece.
Once the engine and parts had been thoroughly cleaned by our restoration workshop for the 1978 MGB GT in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration, they could be transferred over to the paint shop to be refinished.
Chris and the paint team worked on getting each piece cleaned and prepared before being taken into the paint booth. Each piece was individually painted whether in the maroon heavy-duty paint or the deep, silky black for some of the accessories.
Once everything had correctly cured, they were taken back into the restoration workshop for the engine to be reassembled ready for when the time comes to be reinstalled into the restored body.
This gorgeous 1955 Austin-Healey 100 has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ for our technicians to look into a slight issue with the car.
The team at Bridge have been asked to look into a running issue with the car. The car had an intermittent fault where starting from particularly hot it would struggle. So, the team will be going through the various systems to check this over and diagnose the issue.
Expect to see more very soon on this incredible 1955 Austin Healey 100 on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
The paint shop inside of Bridge Classic Cars have sealed the bottom of the classic Mini for Team C Racing.
The underside of the Mini was hand sanded to make sure the surface was perfect before it was handed over to the paint team. Chris has tinted the RaptorGuard to match the colour intended for the rest of the body but is much harder wearing and more durable than normal paint.
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has worked on getting the AC/Heater Unit fitted into the interior of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona.
Scott has made brackets to adapt the mounts on the AC/Heater unit to the dash structure in the Daytona. The piece was carefully test fit into the car and bolted down before the freshly retrimmed dashboard was placed over it to make sure the fit and finish were perfect on the car.
Next, he turned his attention to the handbrake on the car. The lever has been fitted with a genuine Daytona cover and then the bracketry fitted onto the transmission tunnel, painted and bolted down. Then the necessary cables could be run to the rear brakes.
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on the interior of the 1955 Jensen 541.
Brian, one of our trimmers, has handmade a lot of these details for the interior of the car. Including the rounded bases of the rear quarter panels finished with hand-formed aluminium brackets. These pieces have been entirely made by the trim team and will be recovered.
The seat bases have also been worked on by the team and the wooden spars carefully cut by hand to give the best fit and finish needed for the bottoms of the seats.
The Bristol 411 left-hand drive conversion is moving forward with new mounts and brackets being fabricated by the restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Paul has made new glovebox brackets to reinforce behind the dashboard now the dash has rotated.
The biggest change has been underneath the car. Paul has made new plates that will be used to attach the all-new steering rack for the conversion. The pieces were cut to shape and then carefully refined to fit into the car.
The underside of the Team C Racing Mini shell has been worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars body shop ahead of its appointment in the in-house paint booth.
Mauro, our paint and body restoration technician, has been painstakingly sanding the underneath of the classic Mini. Each and every inch of the car’s top and the bottom has been worked on to ensure the work done by the paint shop is perfect.
The underside of the car is due to be raptor guarded to give the best durability to the bottom of the car against the elements.
The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been busy rebuilding and cleaning up the distributor and carburettors of the 1978 MGB GT.
Rob began by carefully disassembling the distributor on the classic MGB. The internals of the distributor was assessed and inspected, with the decision being to entirely rebuild the whole component and clean up the casing.
The next job was to work on stripping down the SU carburettors and manifolds to assess them. Once the assessment was complete, our technician Rob cleaned up each and every piece of the carburettors before beginning the process of rebuilding and recommissioning the vital intake components.
With these jobs complete, Rob could begin to prepare the engine block for refurbishment and paint.
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.
