Brian is our lead in-house trimmer at Bridge Classic Cars. From our Suffolk HQ, Brian and Lydia create handmade, bespoke interiors for our customer’s restoration
The in-house Trim Shop at Bridge Classic Cars can create just about anything. This time, our lead trimmer Brian has been trimming the armrests for
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration team have been busy cleaning and cataloguing the parts for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL which is in with ourselves
This stunning 1986 420SL has just come in for a re-commission. Our technicians will take a look over this classic to evaluate what needs to
This stunning modern classic arrived recently and is being prepared to be launched soon. After its had a thorough clean and a service, the team
The trim shop has started on Craig’s 1987 Mercedes 500SL trim which is being done in a Claret red. Kath has been painstakingly pouring over
Lydia has been focusing exclusively on Craig’s 500SL Mercedes interior restoration. Over the last week or so shes been working on the seat covers, re-working
Lydia has been making the second front squab seat cover for our 1987 Mercedes 500SL. This included taking the cover off the frame which is
Lydia has completed another seat cover using the same process as before. Brian and Kath have also been working at creating a cover for the
Lydia has continued the work with Craig’s 1987 Mercedes 500SL. Here we can see her sewing the piping on to the skirt for the seat.
We’ve been working on a plastic speaker panel for Craig’s Mercedes 500SL that needed to be stitched back together. This was done by attaching the
This weekend we welcomed a stunning red 1996 Mercedes 320SL into the workshop. This lovely modern classic is set to be one of our next
Lydia, one of our trim shop technicians, has been working on preparing and creating the interior for Craig’s 1987 Mercedes 500SL. A while ago Craig
Brian is our lead in-house trimmer at Bridge Classic Cars. From our Suffolk HQ, Brian and Lydia create handmade, bespoke interiors for our customer’s restoration projects which are well and truly world-class.
Today on Brian’s table is the armrest covers of the 1987 Mercedes R107 500SL. Lydia and Brian have worked together to create these pieces for the ’80s luxury convertible. The covers were hand-cut and sewn for the best fit possible around the original armrests themselves. Tailored perfectly to suit each component. Brian, using his years of skill and craft, carefully stretched and moved the leather around every curve to get it laying just right. Then, with the minimal amount of heat possible, he began working the leather into place across the adhesive behind it.
After both the covers were finished with their bright new chromework, Brian could begin work on the next stage of the interior of the R107. The door caps, these pieces were carefully stripped back to their core and assessed by Brian to see if they were reusable. They were actually in fantastic shape!
The in-house Trim Shop at Bridge Classic Cars can create just about anything. This time, our lead trimmer Brian has been trimming the armrests for the 1987 Mercedes R107 500SL.
Beginning with the original piece, Brian hand-made a template for the new pieces which would find their way onto the armrest of the handsome R107.
Carefully careful traced his patterns onto the same stunning red leather that the rest of the car has been trimmed in. Then, with millimetre precision, Brian cut out the templates ready for when they will be stitched and finished by hand.
Expect to see much more on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
The Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration team have been busy cleaning and cataloguing the parts for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL which is in with ourselves for restoration. Our in-house restoration technician Tamas has been meticulously going through every component which was removed from the car to evaluate and note its condition and part number if needed.
Some of these pieces will be sent out to specialists for refurbishment or refinishing but others will have particular treatments and processes done to them in-house.
To see all of the parts our technician has gone through, see the gallery below!
This stunning 1986 420SL has just come in for a re-commission. Our technicians will take a look over this classic to evaluate what needs to be done. At a first glance there are some serious signs of rust on the lower sills, worn and torn interior, paint bubbling, chips and blemishes as well as cracks in the glass. We’re looking forward to getting this charming classic back on the road and looking healthy again.
This stunning modern classic arrived recently and is being prepared to be launched soon. After its had a thorough clean and a service, the team can begin preparing all the visuals surrounding the launch. Watch this space!
The 2000 Mercedes CL600 V12 is often referred to as a super-coupé and has the drive and delivery to wow any driver. With a comfortable and stylist interior, it rivals its plush competitors over at Bentley.
The trim shop has started on Craig’s 1987 Mercedes 500SL trim which is being done in a Claret red. Kath has been painstakingly pouring over the dash, making sure the intricate details of the holes and curves are perfectly catered for and covering in bespoke fabric, which has been pulled taught and glued back by hand. Dashboards are one of the interior details that many people forget about in their car but is the most likely to show signs of wear and sun damage. Being exposed to the sun and regularly act as a shelf for all kinds of ornaments, car dash’s can take quite the beating in their lives and often need re-covering to give it a new lease of life. Kath made a paper pattern first which she followed up by making a mock-up out of black vinyl before cutting and fitting the leather.
Brian has been working on removing the old covers from the rear quarter panels. Brian started at the end of the panel, glueing the leather cover onto the panel. He worked along with the panel slowly, glueing down parts one bit at a time to make sure the leather was pulled tight. Brian also had to work around details such as the speaker hole where he had to sand the edges of the board so it was smooth before applying the glue. Once it was sanded down, he glued the leather onto the back of the panel, sewing on flaps, fasteners and rivets to finish.
