We have so much going on at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions right now; cars coming in, cars going out, cars finding new homes, cash alternatives flying about all over the placed. It’s difficult to keep up!
So I thought I’d do a weekly round up of all competition car updates for you. I’m really sorry if you come on to read about one specific car (which I know a lot of you do) but I just thought I’d be a bit different today. Normal updates will follow…
2024 MG Cyberster
Our 2024 MG Cyberster, one of the very first models to arrive in the UK was won last week by Paul Butcher. Paul opted for the cash alternative of £45,000 which is an incredible sum of money just before Christmas. Being one of the first MG Cybersters to arrive on UK soil and being one of the most important EV’s to be released, this car is certainly set to be one for the future. A very special car indeed and now in the hands of EMG MG to sit as pride of place in their Ipswich showroom.
Available now if you want to get the keys to your own Cyberster in time for Christmas! Contact EMG MG for more information.
1987 Maserati BiTurbo
We can not wait for this car to be ready. The Maserati has been in our possession for many many years and is a genuine 11,000 mile car. Since taking ownership of this incredible car the values have soared, especially in the hard top models.
We are currently recommissioning the car and as it has been standing for some time this is not a 5 minute job, but will be well worth it when it’s complete.
We have stripped and cleaned the plenum chamber, inlet manifold and rocker covers ready for painting.
The carburettor has been removed from the inlet, we’ve cleaned out the float chamber and freed off the needle valve. Blow out jets and reassemble.
The rest of the parts have been removed from the manifold. to be degreased.
Make new seal with O-ring kit and refitted the manifold bottom water chamber.
We have flattened and polished the car.
The badge and lettering is now back on the car as well as the rear light and number plate.
Jon has finish preparing the parts for painting. He has cleaned the throttle and choke spindles.
The manifold has been masked up before being given to the body shop.
1968 Ford Lotus Cortina
Next up, our 1968 Ford Lotus Cortina in for a full appraisal on the workshop floor.
Swap wires from coil and ballast. Electronic ignition fitted and wired to coil 12v. Coil wired through ballast at 6v. We’ve swapped the wires from ballast to coil to 12v feed. Tighten steering idler bolts.
Next up, we’ve put the car up on the ramp to continue with our assessment.
The rear rear wheels have been removed to check the brakes. Nearside rear wheel bolts loose and wheel holes now elongated and won’t tighten so requires a new wheel.
We’ve fitted smaller nyloc nut to nearside trailing arm so bolt actually goes into nyloc.
There is a fuel leak from fuel tank sender area so we have drain the fuel. We’ve used the fuel pumps on the car to empty the tank. Next up, we’ve remove the sender, cleaned and tested. Removed the spark plugs and cleaned out holes. Cleaned and regapped before refitting the plugs.
Remove battery from boot and start to re-route the fuel pipes to pumps.
Continue re-routing the fuel pipes to pumps in the boot area. Drill and fit p-clips to floor, to hold pipe in place.
Refit battery and secure. We have slackened the alternator belt and checked waterpump and all is ok. Unbolt pulley and refit fan blades. Refit alternator belt and adjust. Remove driver’s seat and carpets. Fit fibre washer to ignition barrel and secure. Strip and fit new rear shoes but clip missing from offside so unable to finish.
Next, we have tested the repaired fuel sender and all seems to be ok.
Remove passengers seat and carpet. Start stripping to remove heater box.
Still more to do on our Cortina in preparation for filming. We have drain the coolant, remove some extra items attached to dash so we can finish removing the heater box.
Once removed, we have strip the heater box and removed the heater radiator.
Tested the radiator and found a split in the seam causing it to leak. With it removed, we are now able to tidy up the area.
And for now, we are up to date on competition cars!
December 10, 2024 10:52 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Tickets WON’T be discounted, we don’t believe in that. We do believe in extra special treats though.
From 9am this morning, on the hour, every hour we will be running extra special draws just for those who have already entered our Cyberster draw. One lucky person, every hour, will have their previous order doubled for FREE. So if you already have 1 ticket, we’ll give you another. If you have 5 tickets, we’ll give you another 5.
It’s not too late to enter. Our Cyber Monday bonus draws will take place between 9am and 9pm on Monday 2nd December and you have up until the next draw to be in with a shot.
Before Tony delivered our 1970 MGC GT, Jonn gave it a final checkover and made some minor repairs.
Here are his notes:
Remove car from Classic lounge. Carry out full Appraisal. Adjust bonnet secondary catch. Attend to offside rear axle strap. Rethread broken stud and fit new nut and washer and apply loctite. Grease all points. Fit split pin to nearside top suspension Taunton castlated nut. Remove wheels and clean and check brakes.
Check and inflate all tyres and knock up tight all wheels. Fit sticky back foam behind rear number plate and secure. Sort earth for nearside number plate light and test. Align and test washers. Cut back electronic ignition wires and crimp on terminals. . Secure fuel feed pipe at nearside chassis and air filter with p clips. Cut split carburettor overflow pipe. Join with small plastic fuel pipe and refit. Top up engine oil. Put Jack and hammer in boot.
Free off both track rods. Lower to floor and drive back and forth to settle suspension. Check tracking. Toe out 2 degrees as expected due to tyre wear. Adjust to 0 degrees , 30 minutes toe out and lock up track rods. Carry out road test, ok. Carry out pdi.
Tony has been very busy lately delivering a number of our competition cars to the lucky winners (and now the new owners!
Andrew Graves took delivery of his 1970 Jaguar E-Type Series 2, Garry Smith is the very happy owner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90, and Stephen Chesters can now drive our 2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage whenever he likes!
Congratulations to all of our winners and, if you want to join them, all of our current competitions can be seen on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.
2 responses to “Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL”
Stephen
Definitely be entering , Remember even as a kid having quite a few sl matchbox cars . My favourite since then and still is , Turned 50 this month and this could be the time 😎⭐️🙏. So I will be in it and might just win it 🫰
Just to say absolutely stunning colour and best interior bridge team .
Yesterday, Garry Smith was randomly selected as the lucky winner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. His ticket number of 2534 was the one that made him the new owner of this off-roading beast.
During the live draw, we also found out that Richard Jones was the winner of our fast-selling Spitfire Gin with ticket number 177.
Filming this MGC GT was a pleasure as always. When getting to shoot with the picturesque Pettistree House as a backdrop it always elevates the beauty of the car. You could win this very classic, grab your tickets from the competitions section of the website now.
The first is our 2013 Land Rover Defender 110 and, as you can see, it is quite the beast! After our 90 went into competition, it was decided that this is the one that will take its place.
The next to arrive was our 1961 Austin Mini 850.
Everyone here loves a classic Mini and this one looks to be in great shape. We are very excited for this to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions in the very near future.
Another future competition car arrived in the form of our 1960 Triumph TR3.
Again, a beautiful classic that someone is going to win very soon.
After all these arrivals, we also said goodbye to one of our projects. Our 1966 MG Midget left the workshop to be delivered back to its owner.
You have the opportunity to win our 2007 Caterham Seven Roadsport 120 or, for the first time, a cash alternative of £15,000.
Caterham models are known for their interiors being extremely sparse, offering only the essential instruments needed for driving. There’s little in terms of comfort or technology, but that’s by design and is exactly what you would expect from a car meant for a pure and very raw driving experience.
This particular example has been in the ownership of a long-time customer and friend (and former MD of Vauxhall, among other high-profile jobs within the automotive world) of Bridge Classic Cars since 2008, so we know it has been very well looked after. Since arriving at the workshop, we have completed some minor paint repairs and our 2007 Caterham Seven Roadsport 120 is ready to give the lucky winner a driving experience to remember!
The two Johns have been completing the preparations for our 1973 MGB Roadster to be delivered to its new owner very soon.
John replaced the heater valve and heater control cable before replacing the heater knob too. He also topped up the coolant before cleaning the connections to the rev counter.
Jonn carried out the pre-delivery inspection and made a note of a couple of small jobs he would like to do before signing the car off to be delivered.
Tony recently loaded up our 1960 Royal Enfield 250 and delivered it to Dave Emmett, who won it through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions with ticket number 1356.
Congratulations again to Dave and we hope you enjoy your new bike.
Jon has continued his work on our 1979 Ferrari 400 GT. Here are his notes:
Continue repairs where I left off. Boot release cable. New cable is too short so work out how to join cables at rear. Make bracket to support both cables in boot. Route cables and join at rear.
Not functioning as intended with joined cables at rear. Find new long bowden cable and use inner which will reach to boot lock in old outer cable. Route and mount and join to lock. Adjust and test. Keep adjusting until operates lock.
Finish boot release cable. Adjust and test, ok. Refit boot trims. Restick carpet to offside quarter panel. Resecure boot floor. Tighten connections to boot light, ok. Remove fuel rrturn pipe from filler neck to fuel pump. Fit new pipe and conne t. Fit 2 p clips to chassis to secure pipe. Refit boot carpets. Resecure box with boot and fuel cap release handles next to drivers seat. Hoover out and refit carpet.
Attend to drivers seat runner. Seat base broken. Get captive nut welded to plate to fit inside seat base to secure runner. Tighten runner and refit drivers seat. Investigate door locks not working via key. Lube and eventually get drivers door lock working ok. Strip passengers door and remove handle. Found striker actuator on rear of key barrel broken. Strip and make new piece fron alloy to fit and try.
It may be more modern than our usual competition cars but, every now and again, when we see a car as nice as this, we make an exception to give you the chance to win a modern sportscar.
Jonn has been working hard to get our 1981 Austin Vanden Plas ready to be delivered to its lucky new owner. Here are his notes:
Remove rear wheels. Remove rear wheel bearings and drums. Strip and remove brake shoes and cylinders. Remove flexi hoses and fit new hoses. Manufacture barke pipes from glexis to wheel cylinders. Clean re usable components. Clean and lubricate backplates. Fit new wheel cylinders and connect. Fit new shoes and secure. Remove rear seatbase and de adjust handbrake cable. Clean and delip drums. Fit drums and adjust wheel bearings.
Torque wheels and refit wheel trims. Top up brake fluid. Refit rear seat base. Carry out pdi. Resecure front grill
Strip and remove rear axle support mounts for welding.
Strip and remove nearside rear axle mount for welding. Mount had completely separated
To overcome the problem with the new axle mounts rubber bushes collapsing it was decided to solid mount the axle ends. First the rubber is removed and then a steel plate of the same thickness is cut. The original mounting are then welded to the steel packer to create a solid mount which will locate the axle more securely.
Refit modified rear axle mounting brackets. Align and secure. Refit rear wheels and torque up. Refit wheel trims. Using suspension pump lower suspension at rear. (Hydrogas not hydrolastic). Lower by approx 2 inches. Remove lift pump again as still has a leak. Clean and inspect all mating surfaces and spacer block. All appear fine. Make 2 x new gaskets and refit using derko sealer. Secure and leave to go off.
The Austin 7 is a true icon in British automotive history, playing a key role in getting the country on the move and introducing a generation to the joys of driving.
Produced from 1923 to 1939, the Austin 7, affectionately known as the ‘Baby Austin,’ was so popular that it was built under license in countries around the world, and it quickly became a global favourite.
After World War II, many Austin 7s were transformed into ‘specials’ by a new wave of drivers who would go on to shape modern motorsport. Among these were legends like Bruce McLaren and Colin Chapman!
Our Austin 7 is a stunning Maroon Box Saloon, a small but elegant 2-door model built in 1933. It’s equipped with a sturdy and reliable 4-cylinder engine paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox – making it the perfect time machine to transport you back to the early days of British motoring.
We have known and looked after this car since 2019 so we are looking forward to seeing it go to its new home with someone who can enjoy it for many miles to come.
Steve has removed the engine and gearbox of our 1978 MG Midget so he was able to gain access to repair the gearbox leak as well as the engine front cover and sump leaks.
Our 1958 Austin Healey 100/6 has been undergoing its pre-delivery inspection with technician Jonn.
Here are his notes: Adjust handbrake cable and rear shoes. Remove windscreen and frame ready for replacement. Clean contact areas and polish top dash pad. Order new gaskets for screen to body. Hoover out mess inside car and under both seats.
Jonn has been fitting the fans to the new radiator of our 2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage. He cleaned the pipe flanges before dropping the radiator into position. The pipes were then aligned and the transmission pipes were connected.
Following a successful trip to an auction recently, four more future competition cars have arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Once they have been thoroughly assessed by the workshop team, they will be added to our growing collection of classic cars waiting to be won by someone for just a few pounds.
1959 Ford Zephyr
1974 Triumph TR6
1978 MG Midget
1973 MGB Roadster
A Big Delivery
2 responses to “More Competition Cars”
David Wilson
Triumph 2000/2.5, my second favourite car after my Capri ❤️
When Karl Reiley won our 1957 Triumph TR3 through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, he stayed in touch and has become a good friend of ours.
Karl recently got in touch to tell us a lovely story about his TR3 and how it has recently been put to very good use. Karl said:
“You prepared my TR3 and XJS for me over the last few weeks, so I thought I’d update you. My TR3 was pressed into service as a wedding car again last weekend.
When I first won the TR3 it was immediately pressed into service for my sister’s wedding, and now again serving duty for my Son’s wedding. The new Mr & Mrs Reilly, aka Nathan and Jennifer, used the Triumph as transport and as the focus for their photos for the immediate family, but the bride insisted the roof be up to protect her hair do. At the reception, it received loads of attention, with a lot of guests wanting their photo with the car (and just a few with the Jag XJS too)”
Before our 1966 Daimler 250 V8 gets delivered, Jonn has been giving it a once over and found a couple of minor issues he wants to fix before it leaves us. Here are his notes:
Carry out pdi and minor items to attend to. Strip bonnet secondary catch. Reposition spring and resecure/test, ok. Remove driver sill cover. Remount brackets. Refit to car and drill out holes for brackets that hadn’t been fixed. Cut a section of new door seal and stick along sill edge.
A couple of weeks ago, James Webber won our 2011 Morgan 4/4 with just over 1000 miles on the clock.
Along with the stunning car, an optional 12 months of free storage was also part of the prize that James was lucky enough to win.
As James lives in London, he has decided to keep the car in our secure storage facility for a while. He has family in our area so at some point in the near future, he will visit his beautiful low-mileage car safely tucked away in a climate-controlled Carcoon.
Congratulations again to James on winning our 2011 Morgan 4/4.
Jonn has been continuing his work preparing our 1989 Daimler Double Six for someone to win it in the near future through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
Here are his notes:
Strip caliper. Remove all dust seals, pistons and seals. Clean thoroughly. Use new brake fluid to assemble with new seals and refit pistons. A couple of the pistons have corrosion but should seal after cleaning. Make new brake pipe from caliper to flexi hose.
Bend new brake pipe to rough shape of old pipe. Fit caliper and spacers to car. Fit new brake pipe and secure. Let gravity feed brake fluid into caliper. Refit pads and lubricate. Bleed caliper and test under pressure. No signs of leaks at this stage. Check brake operation and wheel spins freely upon release. Refit wheel and torque to spec.
Remove Aav from nearside engine. Clean thoroughly and attempt to free off. Test in hot water but valve slide inside seized. Requires new valve.
With just over 1000 miles on the clock, this car is essentially brand new. Low-mileage vehicles, particularly those as desirable as the Morgan 4/4, are highly sought after in the collector car market. The minimal wear and tear ensures that the car remains as close to its original state as possible, which significantly enhances its appeal and potential value.
To give the lucky winner the opportunity to keep mileage low on the car, 12 months of free storage at our secure storage facility is included with the car. If this option is taken, the car will be kept in a Carcoon – a climate-controlled bubble to ensure that it is kept in optimal conditions, protecting it from the elements and maintaining its condition. By keeping the car in a stable environment like this, its integrity and value are preserved.
Extremely low mileage covering just 1400 from new
1.6-litre engine with 5-speed manual gearbox
Finished in Sports Black with Saddle Brown leather interior
Sports recline seats
Sigma dash
12-months free climate-controlled storage included
Comes with a history file containing photos of the car being hand-built by Morgan
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