Our Lotus Europa – Delivered
December 21, 2023
Earlier this week, we delivered our 1970 Lotus Europa to lucky winner Timothy Chapman. Timothy was randomly selected as the winner during the live draw
classic lotus
Lotus Europa Check Over
December 8, 2023
On, what we thought would be, our final drive of the Lotus Europa prior to it leaving us for its new home, John heard a
A 70’s icon… with a twist! Our 1970 Lotus Europa
November 23, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa is now live! The Lotus Europa is without doubt one of the quirkiest and individual sports cars of the 1970s. A
Another Competition Car
November 17, 2023
We have had several competition cars enter the Bridge Classic Cars workshop lately and this is the latest one, our 1985 Lotus Excel. Once the
Almost Ready For Competition
October 23, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has continued his work on our 1970 Lotus Europa in preparation for it to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions
Europa Steering And More
October 19, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa has been in the hands of classic car technician Jonn. He drilled and fitted a new washer jet. Jonn then drilled
Lotus Europa Repairs
October 12, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has been carrying out a further inspection of our 1970 Lotus Europa and carrying out any repairs that were needed. He
A New Heatshield
October 6, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician Jonn who has been making and fitting a new heatshield. Jonn
Back To Original
October 4, 2023
Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager John has been working on our 1970 Lotus Europa. He has been returning the wiring of our classic Lotus back
Elise Investigations
May 2, 2023
Our 1998 Lotus Elise S1 has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician John to investigate a couple of issues that the car
A Lotus Elise Arrives
March 23, 2023
A very special Lotus Elise has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1998 Lotus Elise S1 comes from only one previous owner
This Just In – 1987 Lotus Excel
September 6, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have welcomed this seldom seen and rare 1987 Lotus Excel. The workshop team will soon begin
Coming Soon – Banks Lotus Europa
August 3, 2022
Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ is this rare and unique Banks Lotus Europa. The Banks Europa’s have a redesigned chassis from
Cleaned Out – Stripping and Cleaning the Carburettors on the 1972 Lotus Elan +2
June 15, 2022
Whilst having its pre-delivery inspection, the 1972 Lotus Elan +2 developed a slight running issue. So, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have taken the
Daily Driver – Lotus Emira Driving Experience Winner’s 2005 Lotus Elise
June 13, 2022
It’s great when our friends send in photos of their cars! The winner of the Lotus Emira Driving Experience competition on Friday has sent us
Secured – New Engine Mounts for the 1972 Lotus Elan
April 5, 2022
The 1972 Lotus Elan +2 which arrived from South Africa recently at the bridge Classic Cars workshop has had its full inspection completed and now,
Lotus In For Service
May 7, 2021
Our Lotus has come back in for a service before the owner takes it out on a road trip. We’ve attended to the engine cooling
New Jobs At Norfolk Lotus
January 27, 2021
With the launch of Lotus’ new Type 131, the company are investing £100m into its state of the art facilities in Norwich. Along with the
Cars You Don’t See Anymore – September 2020
September 18, 2020
Our 1971 Lotus Europa was spotted near Debenham this morning by some eagle-eyed classic car fans while being transported to our workshop in Pettistree. It
Anything but mellow…
September 18, 2020
Our eye-catching bright yellow 1971 Lotus Europa arrived with us at Bridge Classic Cars HQ this morning and is anything but mellow. Designed as the
Our Lotus Europa – Delivered
December 21, 2023
Earlier this week, we delivered our 1970 Lotus Europa to lucky winner Timothy Chapman.
Timothy was randomly selected as the winner during the live draw with his ticket number 784.
Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars loved this car and we are very happy to see it at home with its new owner. We all hope that Timothy enjoys it for many years to come.
Lotus Europa Check Over
December 8, 2023
On, what we thought would be, our final drive of the Lotus Europa prior to it leaving us for its new home, John heard a slight knocking noise coming from the front so he now needs to do some further investigations to diagnose and repair what is creating this noise.
A 70’s icon… with a twist! Our 1970 Lotus Europa
November 23, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa is now live!
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:
Another Competition Car
November 17, 2023
We have had several competition cars enter the Bridge Classic Cars workshop lately and this is the latest one, our 1985 Lotus Excel.
Once the car has been inspected and assessed, it will be available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
Almost Ready For Competition
October 23, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has continued his work on our 1970 Lotus Europa in preparation for it to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions very soon.
After working out where he was going to route the choke cable and how it would operate, Jonn drilled the dash route cable and secured it in the dash. He then connected it at the carburettor end and tested it.
The electric window switches were fitted to the centre console and wired in as Jonn refitted it. He then cable-tied the DLC cable up under the dash, refitted all trims and cleaned everything up.
The wiring to the offside door in the kick panel area was fitted along with grommets to the jacking holes in each sill. Jonn finally tightened the water hoses at the rear of the engine.
Europa Steering And More
October 19, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa has been in the hands of classic car technician Jonn. He drilled and fitted a new washer jet.
Jonn then drilled out the panel in the offside front arch and routed the new washer pipe through into the car. He then connected it to the push switch on the dash and then from the switch to the washer jet.
The steering rack gaiters were stripped and removed and the ball joint rubbers were secured. Jonn fitted new rack gaiters and secured them before centralising the steering rack and refitting the track rod ends evenly.
After refitting the wheels and torquing up, Jonn carried out tracking checks and adjusted as needed. Finally, the steering was set to 0 degrees 20 minutes toe in.
Lotus Europa Repairs
October 12, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has been carrying out a further inspection of our 1970 Lotus Europa and carrying out any repairs that were needed.
He drilled out the broken boot striker plate and flattened it before re-riveting it to the boot lid and fitting new screws to catch and secure. Upon testing, the boot locks work as expected.
Jonn then went on to tighten the front suspension bolts before greasing all points. He then stripped the brakes and cleaned and checked them. He then delipped the drums, refitted and adjusted them. Once the wheels were re-fitted and torqued up, all the tyres were pumped up, including the spare.
The connections to the horn were repaired and new rear light lenses were fitted. Jonn investigated why the reverse lights were not working and, after tracing back to the loom, he was unable to find reverse light wires from the loom and the gearbox doesn’t have a reverse light switch anywhere.
Jonn then looked at the choke cable fitment and routing and ordered a long cable. The nearside door panel was removed to find out why the passenger door didn’t lock via the key. Jonn freed the locking mechanism and worked it back and forth. He tried to lock the car with the key and it now locks.
The fuel tank was drained and the return hose was replaced with new clips. The tank was then refilled and checked for leaks – none were seen.
Jonn is now waiting on parts to finish the prep work for this beautiful classic going live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
A New Heatshield
October 6, 2023
Our 1970 Lotus Europa has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician Jonn who has been making and fitting a new heatshield.
Jonn first made a mock-up of the heatshield from cardboard before making the alloy shield itself. He then went on to fit the new heatshield. While working on the car, Jonn noticed that the alternator wiring is in a poor state so this will need to be rectified before the car becomes available to win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
The fuel filter mount and filter were also secured in place.
Workshop manager John also did some wiring work inside our classic Lotus.
Back To Original
October 4, 2023
Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager John has been working on our 1970 Lotus Europa. He has been returning the wiring of our classic Lotus back to its original specifications. This is in preparation for the car to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions very soon.
Elise Investigations
May 2, 2023
Our 1998 Lotus Elise S1 has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician John to investigate a couple of issues that the car has been having.
The first issue to be resolved was the bonnet hinge bolts. John secured these in place before investigating why the gears were proving hard to engage during driving. He found that this was due to bushes in the cable ends being completely gone. New bushes have been ordered and will be installed once they arrive at the workshop.
A Lotus Elise Arrives
March 23, 2023
A very special Lotus Elise has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1998 Lotus Elise S1 comes from only one previous owner and has covered a little over 11,000 miles in its life.
If one previous owner wasn’t special enough, the one person who has owned this stunning car was Jeff Ward. Jeff was a longstanding member of the 750 Motor Club and was involved in motor racing for many years. He started racing in an Austin 7 before moving on to a 750 formula car (that he built himself) and then on to a Chevron.
Jeff was a founder of the London Special Builders Group and author of The Special Builders Guide and helped many racers progress up the motorsport ladder. Jeff ran a business making trailer lighting boards which were used by the AA and RAC – this certainly helped fund his car and bike collection.
Following Jeff’s sad passing in 2022, we are fortunate enough to take ownership of our 1998 Lotus Elise S1. It looks to be in great condition and we are very much looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this special Elise.
This Just In – 1987 Lotus Excel
September 6, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have welcomed this seldom seen and rare 1987 Lotus Excel.
The workshop team will soon begin to inspect and assess the entire classic Lotus with each department compiling their condition report on the car.
Our transport team collected the Lotus from the West Country late last week and brought it back to our Pettistree workshop.
Coming Soon – Banks Lotus Europa
August 3, 2022
Coming soon to the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ is this rare and unique Banks Lotus Europa.
The Banks Europa’s have a redesigned chassis from the standard Lotus style which adds rigidity and some adjustability in certain areas. This particular car has been modified and customised by its owner to suit their needs, fitted with a 2-litre transverse Vauxhall engine, it makes this Banks Europa even more of a rarified piece in that apparently very few were set up to run transverse engines.
This car will be coming into our Pettistree workshop later in the year for our technicians to carry out several jobs on the classic Banks Lotus.
Cleaned Out – Stripping and Cleaning the Carburettors on the 1972 Lotus Elan +2
June 15, 2022
Whilst having its pre-delivery inspection, the 1972 Lotus Elan +2 developed a slight running issue. So, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have taken the carburettors off the car to look into the problem.
After removing the set of carbs from the classic Lotus our technician, Jon, could begin investigating what the issue was. In the carburettor bowls, he found that some sediment had built up and caused some small fuelling issues. So, the entire set-up was methodically stripped down to its base components before each individual piece was cleaned, inspected and tested before being put back together and refit to the car.
After this, the car was run up and then road tested, coming back with an all-clear from the workshop team ahead of its new life with its new owner.
Daily Driver – Lotus Emira Driving Experience Winner’s 2005 Lotus Elise
June 13, 2022
It’s great when our friends send in photos of their cars!
The winner of the Lotus Emira Driving Experience competition on Friday has sent us some photos of his daily driver. A 2005 Lotus Elise.
It’s amazing to see the winner is a true Lotus enthusiast and really excited to get behind the wheel of the brand new Lotus Emira very soon at Hethel.
Secured – New Engine Mounts for the 1972 Lotus Elan
April 5, 2022
The 1972 Lotus Elan +2 which arrived from South Africa recently at the bridge Classic Cars workshop has had its full inspection completed and now, the work can begin on the classic sports car.
The technicians noted that the engine mounts had begun to deteriorate and were moving around too much for our liking. So, the team sourced a new set of replacements to be fitted to the car. Putting the car up on the lift and carefully undoing the old mounts, Jon was able to support the engine from underneath and move the car slightly up and down to free the old mounts.
With these out, he could install the new pieces between the engine and subframe and tighten them down correctly. But before then, Jon had to make some modifications to the mounts as it now made the engine sit around 5mm higher in the engine bay. So, Jon removed the mounts and elongated the holes towards the top of the opening in order to give some adjustability and drop the engine down away from the bonnet.
Along with this, he also adjusted the bonnet catches to line up perfectly and take some of the stress away from the piece and fitted a new bitumen sheet to the underside.
Lotus In For Service
May 7, 2021
Our Lotus has come back in for a service before the owner takes it out on a road trip.
We’ve attended to the engine cooling fans which are working correctly, we’ve found no oil leaks, we’ve checked over the vehicle to identify any other faults, which we have not found and replaced the oil and filter.
New Jobs At Norfolk Lotus
January 27, 2021
With the launch of Lotus’ new Type 131, the company are investing £100m into its state of the art facilities in Norwich. Along with the major financial investment, Lotus are also opening up 250 new jobs.
With the UK unemployment rate rising to 5% as of the latest ONS (Office Of National Statistics) figures.
CEO, Phil Popham said: “Despite the continuing global challenges, Lotus has emerged from 2020 strong and on track.”
The jobs will be in engineering and manufacturing for Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, which is due to open in Warwick later this year.
This year also marks the death of the Elise, which began production in 1995. Exige and Evora models are also due to be cut later this year too.
You can view their press release here.
Cars You Don’t See Anymore – September 2020
September 18, 2020
Our 1971 Lotus Europa was spotted near Debenham this morning by some eagle-eyed classic car fans while being transported to our workshop in Pettistree. It was then appropriately posted on the Facebook Group ‘Cars You Don’t See Anymore’.
They’ve clearly got a keen eye, as not only did they spot straight away that she’s a Lotus, they also spotted that she’s in need of a good wash!
Well, we’re happy to oblige… So, next on the ‘to-do’ list is give this stunner a well deserved wash. Thereafter, we’ll be figuring out what work needs to be done to get her back on the road.
Anything but mellow…
September 18, 2020
Our eye-catching bright yellow 1971 Lotus Europa arrived with us at Bridge Classic Cars HQ this morning and is anything but mellow.
Designed as the optimal Grand Prix sports car, the Europa has a lightweight fibreglass body and super responsive throttle making it great fun to drive.
Our little beauty has been in the same family since new, passed down through generations and spent the last ten years or so in a barn in Suffolk.
Her latest owner, Dan Dew of Demand Engineering in Stonham Aspal, inherited the rare sports car from his Grandfather Lawrence Dew back in 2010. “It’s been mine inherently for some years now, but still stored in my Grandfathers barn” Dan tells us. “As he’s got older, I felt it was the right time to take her off his hands and get her restored.”
There was a real buzz in the workshop today as Bridge Classic Car owners, father and son, Gordon and Craig, gushed over their latest purchase.
“It’s not often I get excited” Gordon expressed, “but today, I’m excited. You can’t take the smile off my face.”
The team at Bridge Classic Cars plan get her cleaned up and the engine recommissioned, then plan what the future holds for this little sports car from there.
We’re excited to see the progress made on our idyllic Lotus Europa, we’re sure you are too!
