A 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE Discovered
February 10, 2023
A 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE with just 86 miles on the clock and seemingly untouched for decades, is proving to be something of a mystery.
news
UK Car Production At Lowest Level Since 1956
January 26, 2023
Car production in the UK fell by 9.8% in 2022 resulting in the worst production year since 1956. Having to deal with the aftermath of
Featured In East Anglian Daily Times
January 10, 2023
The East Anglian Daily Times recently published a list of the 5 major shows and events running in Suffolk in January 2023. The Bridge Classic
An Interesting Location
January 10, 2023
Obviously, everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars has a passion for classic cars. However, we love finding interesting vehicles of all varieties and, recently, we
More Space For Marketing
January 6, 2023
The marketing team here at Bridge Classic Cars are getting a bigger office! As the business continues to grow and develop, more space is needed
The Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I Is Going To Auction
December 22, 2022
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price
An Amphicar Comes To Bridge Classic Cars
December 5, 2022
It’s not every day that you get to see an amphibious car up close. However, we were lucky enough to do just that when a
A Visit From Ed Stafford
November 15, 2022
We were lucky enough to welcome explorer and adventurer Ed Stafford to Bridge Classic Cars recently. While he was here, Ed had a tour of
Something Exciting Is Coming…
November 15, 2022
At Bridge Classic Cars we like to be creative, innovative, forward-thinking, and we do our best to bring a modern take to the world of
A Hydrogen-Powered Car – Hyundai Nexo
October 31, 2022
As much as electric cars have gained in popularity in recent years, a key issue that has put some people off from making the switch
Supercars At The Beach
October 11, 2022
On Sunday, the seafront at Felixstowe (just down the road from the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop in Suffolk), was treated to a display of supercars.
Hitting The News
October 10, 2022
We were recently featured in an article by the East Anglian Daily Times. The article covers the story of how Bridge Classic Cars came to
Science Fiction Becomes Reality: Flying Cars Are On The Horizon
June 30, 2021
The future has arrived. A prototype of a flying car just completed it 142nd successful test flight which was a 35minute journey between two Slovakian
Jessica Hawkins Signed As F1 Aston Martin Driver Ambassador
May 19, 2021
W Series and Stunt driver, Jessica Hawkins has been signed as an F1 Aston Martin Driver Ambassador, announced today. Hawkins has said about the announcement;
Suffolk Wire Business Magazine – April 2021
April 12, 2021
The Suffolk Wire featured our latest competition winner, Matthew Sugden who received our 1949 Morris Minor Lowlight last week. Matthew tells us he’s already taken
Couple Builds Snow Ferarri
February 25, 2021
We all remember building snowmen and making snow angels as children in the snow but few of us can claim we’ve built a snow car.
Meet The Team: Chris
February 9, 2021
Chris is our classic car painter and fabricator. Whilst you can find him fabricating bodywork and smoothing down our cars ready to paint, you’re more
Bruce Springsteen’s Unifying SuperBowl Message Features The Iconic Jeep
February 8, 2021
Bruce Springsteen stars in Jeep’s Superbowl commercial with a heartfelt message of finding unity and peace. The video is in celebration of Jeep’s 80th anniversary
Top Tips For Driving In The Snow
February 8, 2021
With arctic conditions sweeping across East Anglia, those without 4×4’s or tractors might be wondering how to get to work or the shops. The short
Rolls Royce’s new Electric Venture
January 26, 2021
The silver lady may soon be totally electric powered in the form of a possible new model, the Silent Shadow. Rolls Royce has recently released
Sean Connery’s 1986 BMW 635 CSI Could Be Yours
January 15, 2021
Back in 2020, we lost an iconic 007. Sir Sean Connery sadly passed away last year but his 1986 BMW 635 CSI is now up
Electric Forecourt Opens In Essex
January 4, 2021
The UK’s first all-electric car charging forecourt opened in Essex in December 2020. It comes equipped with super-fast wifi and a selection of shops such
Opening Hours Over Christmas
December 23, 2020
We know this year has presented some challenging and difficult times for everyone but we wanted to say thank you to all our clients and
Spanners With Manners
December 15, 2020
Laura Kennedy founded London’s first all female garage, Spanners With Manners, in her endeavour to make the industry more inclusive.
Opinion: Which cars will graduate to the hall of classics?
December 2, 2020
We’ve been discussing which modern cars we think are going to age like fine wines and which might fade into the history books. There are
A 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE Discovered
February 10, 2023
A 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE with just 86 miles on the clock and seemingly untouched for decades, is proving to be something of a mystery.
Not too much is known about the classic vehicle at this point in time, other than it was purchased brand new by a man known only as Mr Milner.
Despite being found around 10 years ago, following Mr Milner’s death, its history is still mostly unknown by the car’s current owner, The Great British Car Journey Museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire. When it was discovered in a locked garage, it was found that its bodywork had been oiled and a lot of the interior had been covered in polythene to protect it. Empty fuel canisters, spare parts, and a 1974 Haynes manual had also been placed in the boot.
Staff at The Great British Car Journey Museum have been trying to find out more about the mysterious Vauxhall Victor. Documents found with the car show that Mr Milner purchased the car on April 12th 1974 from Mercury Garage, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire when the car was brand new. The documents also show that Mr Milner had rust-proofing applied to the car six years after he purchased it.
It was only when Mr Milner’s estate was being cleared after he passed away that the car was found. A collector purchased the mysterious Victor from the estate before the museum went on to buy it last November.
When it was found, the chrome and the lights had been removed and stored in the car. There doesn’t seem to be any friends or family of Mr Milner to ask about the car’s history so the museum has started their search for information about the car and why the owner only covered 86 miles in it before storing it.
Current speculation from people on social media include the theories that Mr Milner bought the car, didnโt like it so confined it to storage; the odometer is broken; that it was Bullyโs Star Prize on the 80s gameshow Bullโs Eye, and even alien abduction of the owner!
More information can be seen here.
UK Car Production At Lowest Level Since 1956
January 26, 2023
Car production in the UK fell by 9.8% in 2022 resulting in the worst production year since 1956.
Having to deal with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a worldwide semiconductor shortage, the car manufacturing industry as a whole has taken something of a beating. However, in the UK, factory closures have only added to the problems facing the industry.
The Numbers
In 2022, 775,014 cars were produced in the UK. This was around 1.3 million less than pre-pandemic levels. Leaving the EU has seen a consistent fall in UK car production with numbers falling every year since the decision to leave in 2016.
Car manufacturers are hopeful that the industry will pick up again but they are concerned that this can only happen with high levels of investment and more car makers moving into the country. As the UK continues to fall behind in car production, it seems that without government assistance, British car manufacturing may soon be a thing of the past!
A further drop is expected by some following the American government’s announcement that they plan to offer subsidies worth billions of dollars to car manufacturers who can create electric vehicle supply chains throughout the US. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is concerned that this will absorb a lot of international investment resulting in another hit to the UK industry.
More Issues For UK Car Production
In addition to the pandemic and supply chain issues, the closure of Honda’s factory in Swindon in July 2021 followed by Vauxhall ceasing Astra production at Ellesmere Port in April 2022 has also caused a decrease in the level of British car production.
2022 was a challenging year for UK car manufacturing. However, it is worth keeping in mind that the UK did make more electric vehicles than ever before.
Another blow came when the battery start-up firm, Britishvolt, collapsed recently after running out of money when planning to build an electric car battery plant in Northumberland. As it currently stands, the UK only has one Chinese-owned battery manufacturing facility which is based in Sunderland.
The Future Of UK Car Production
The future may seem uncertain for UK car production right now. The UK government seems to be confident that better times are coming though, suggesting they are determined to make sure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for automotive manufacturing.
Time will only tell if this is possible but, looking at the current situation, this could be an extremely challenging goal to achieve if things don’t change very soon.
Featured In East Anglian Daily Times
January 10, 2023
The East Anglian Daily Times recently published a list of the 5 major shows and events running in Suffolk in January 2023.
The Bridge Classic Cars New Year’s Car Rally was included in this list which we are very excited about.
Our rally was a great success and we had a lot of fun spending time with everyone who took part.
The full article can be read here.
An Interesting Location
January 10, 2023
Obviously, everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars has a passion for classic cars. However, we love finding interesting vehicles of all varieties and, recently, we found another.
On our travels, we got to experience Bassenthwaite Lake Station. This is a cafe in a restored railway station on the former Cockermouth to Keswick line. What we were most interested in was the full-size replica steam train that looks incredible.
Bassenthwaite Lake Station is situated opposite the scenic Dubwath Silver Meadows nature reserve and is in a beautiful part of the country.
As you can see from the photos below, it is certainly well worth a visit if you share our love of classic and interesting vehicles.
More Space For Marketing
January 6, 2023
The marketing team here at Bridge Classic Cars are getting a bigger office!
As the business continues to grow and develop, more space is needed to help us operate as effectively and as successfully as possible.
As you can see from the photos below, the office extension is making good progress. With the floor going down in the next couple of days and the windows being installed shortly after, it won’t be too long until the larger marketing office space is ready for business!
The Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I Is Going To Auction
December 22, 2022
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price of ยฃ100 000 – ยฃ150 000.
It has recently been restored to an extremely high standard, with King Charles III rumoured to have helped fund the restoration after recognising the vehicle a few years ago.
Queen Elizabeth II received the Land Rover at Balmoral in 1953. It was later purchased by its former owner in 1966 who ended up storing it for a number of years. During its time in storage, its condition deteriorated until a complete restoration was needed.
Now fully restored, the Land Rover is in exceptional condition. It still features its production chassis number despite being considered a ‘pre-production build’ that was made specifically for the Royal Family. The original features of this very special vehicle include some unique options that you won’t find on any other similar model, including twin rear doors.
Sales Director of Silverstone Auctions, (who will be auctioning the Land Rover), Rob Hubbard said that
“It’s not often that a vehicle with such impressive Royal provenance like this is offered publicly for sale. Its special features and Royal connections make it exceptionally interesting. This Land Rover would doubtless have been used extensively on the Balmoral estate where we know the Royals loved to picnic. It would have been a familiar and much-loved part of Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s private lives.”
If its Royal connections weren’t enough, the 1953 Land Rover Series I has also featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and led the Land Rover parade during the jubilee celebrations earlier this year. As the jubilee celebrations were watched by billions, Silverstone Auctions believes that this is “probably one of the most photographed Land Rovers in the world”
The Auction – Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I
The auction for the late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I will be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on the 24th – 26th of February.
Although the guide price is ยฃ100 000 to ยฃ150 000, this special vehicle will likely sell for much more than this. The last vehicle with royal connections sold by Silverstone Auctions was Princess Diana’s Ford Escort RS Turbo which sold for the world record price of ยฃ650 000 in August.
An Amphicar Comes To Bridge Classic Cars
December 5, 2022
It’s not every day that you get to see an amphibious car up close. However, we were lucky enough to do just that when a 1964 Amphicar 7-70 came to visit the Bridge Classic Cars workshop recently.
This is a very interesting car and it will likely be returning to us very soon so we can complete some work on it for its owner.
Seeing interesting vehicles like this in the workshop is always exciting so we look forward to welcoming this 1964 Amphicar 7-70 back very soon.
A Visit From Ed Stafford
November 15, 2022
We were lucky enough to welcome explorer and adventurer Ed Stafford to Bridge Classic Cars recently.
While he was here, Ed had a tour of the workshop, he spoke to some of the team about the work they do and some of the classic cars they have been working on, and he was also involved in one of our new projects which is coming very soon.
Everyone here really enjoyed Ed’s visit. He had lots of interesting stories to share, not only about his adventures, tv shows, and upcoming projects, but also about his 2015 Land Rover Defender 110 that was recently stolen and stripped.
Ed is currently working on rebuilding his Defender and, as there is still some cosmetic work to go, we hope to be able to help him out with this in the very near future.
We hope that Ed will be a regular face in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and we look forward to welcoming him back in the new year.
Something Exciting Is Coming…
November 15, 2022
At Bridge Classic Cars we like to be creative, innovative, forward-thinking, and we do our best to bring a modern take to the world of classic cars.
Part of that involves developing new ideas and making the most out of our facilities.
With that in mind, there is something new and very exciting coming to Bridge Classic Cars. Work has begun and will continue over the coming weeks ready for our new idea to come to life. Once work is complete, it will open up the classic car community to even more people.
From classic car clubs to independent enthusiasts and everyone in between. We have big plans and everyone will be welcome!
In the meantime, the photos below show some of the progress being made in our very exciting new project.
A Hydrogen-Powered Car – Hyundai Nexo
October 31, 2022
As much as electric cars have gained in popularity in recent years, a key issue that has put some people off from making the switch over is their long charge times. Hyundai has come up with the next generation of more environmentally-friendly hydrogen-powered cars in the form of the new Hyundai Nexo.
Technically, the Nexo is an electric car. However, what makes it different to other electric vehicles is that it has an onboard fuel cell generating its power, rather than a big battery pack.
Using Hydrogen to feed the fuel cell means that you can completely fill the tank of the Nexo in around 5 minutes. This is substantially quicker than you can fully charge standard electric cars. What is potentially even more impressive is that, after a Hydrogen refill, you can expect a range of over 400 miles before you’ll need to top-up again.
When it comes to the Nexo’s environmental impact, you can drive knowing that you are keeping your emissions as low as possible. Hydrogen-powered cars, like the Nexo, produce emissions in the form of purified air and water. This is obviously much more environmentally friendly than petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.
What’s Different About The Hyundai Nexo?
There have been hydrogen-powered systems before but Hyundai has engineered the one used in the Nexo to make sure interior space isn’t sacrificed for the sake of powering the car. It does seem that the brand has been pretty successful in this too. The boot of the Nexo isn’t too far away from that of a petrol or diesel-powered SUV and there is a decent amount of space for passengers in the back of the car as well.
As the fuel cell and everything that goes with it have been so efficiently built into the Nexo, it has enough space to be used as a practical family car which is important considering its price.
The Price
Hyundai is expecting to sell the Nexo in large quantities. While this seems like an obvious thing to say, the price tag of a little under ยฃ70 000 might be too much for the vast majority of motorists to afford.
Is This The Future Of Motoring?
The Nexo certainly seems to have the potential for laying the foundations for the future of the motor industry. A practical car that drives well, has plenty of space and produces zero emissions does tick a lot of boxes of what a future-proof car looks like.
However, the cost, the low number of hydrogen filling stations, and the current popularity of electric cars could make it a challenge for hydrogen-powered cars like this to completely take over.
Supercars At The Beach
October 11, 2022
On Sunday, the seafront at Felixstowe (just down the road from the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop in Suffolk), was treated to a display of supercars.
Everyone who had chosen to visit the beach for the day got to enjoy the sight of 15 supercars travelling together. The cars had actually driven in convoy through several parts of Suffolk including Sproughton and Woodbridge before heading to Felixstowe.
The event was organised by members of The Drivers Union which is a supercar owners club. As they lived locally, it made complete sense that they should treat their home town to all the joy and excitement that comes from being up close and personal with a supercar.
The full story can be read in the East Anglian Daily Times article.
There were several supercars that took part including some older Ferraris and Porsches. It’s a shame the Bridge Classic Cars team were not in Felixstowe at the time as we would have loved to see the cars in all their glory. Instead, we will make do with looking at the below photos of some of the classic Porsches we have worked on in the past.
Hitting The News
October 10, 2022
We were recently featured in an article by the East Anglian Daily Times.
The article covers the story of how Bridge Classic Cars came to be, what we do, and what we hope to achieve in the future. It also includes some great photos of the workshop as well as a detailed explanation of some of the processes involved in restoring a classic car.
The full article can be read here.
Science Fiction Becomes Reality: Flying Cars Are On The Horizon
June 30, 2021
The future has arrived. A prototype of a flying car just completed it 142nd successful test flight which was a 35minute journey between two Slovakian cities.
AirCar is a hybrid vehicle designed to be both driven on the roads and flown however it does need a runway to take off. Its able to fly about 600 miles and can transform into an aircraft in just under 3 minutes.
Klein Vision, who have developed have said that the BMW powered vehicle can get to a maximum cruising speed of 118mph thanks to its 160hp engine.
Two people can ride in the AirCar as long as the total weight is under 200kg.
Klein said that the recent test flight has turned ‘science fiction into a reality’ with experts predicting flying cars will be on the market as soon as 2030.
Jessica Hawkins Signed As F1 Aston Martin Driver Ambassador
May 19, 2021
W Series and Stunt driver, Jessica Hawkins has been signed as an F1 Aston Martin Driver Ambassador, announced today.
Hawkins has said about the announcement; โI am incredibly excited to be joining Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team as its new driver ambassador, and I am really looking forward to working withย Lance Stroll,ย Sebastian Vettel,ย Nico Hรผlkenbergย and the rest of the team. In fact, although it will surely be a hell of a lot of hard work, it is a dream come true for me. Besides, I am definitely not afraid of hard work.
I also want to pay tribute and say thank you to W Series, which is a brilliant championship without which I would simply never have got this unbelievable chance to work within such a great Formula One team.
I would particularly like to say a big thanks to W Seriesโ three most senior people, Sean Wadsworth, Catherine Bond Muir and Dave Ryan. Without their amazing efforts to put W Series on the motorsport map in such a brilliant way and in such a short time, female drivers like me would never have found our way onto the radar screens of the likes of Otmar Szafnauer, to whom I should also say a massive thank you.โ
Jessica Hawkins stands as a fantastic representative and athlete for women in the sport as she strives to increase the diversity of the sport.
Read more here.
Suffolk Wire Business Magazine – April 2021
April 12, 2021
The Suffolk Wire featured our latest competition winner, Matthew Sugden who received our 1949 Morris Minor Lowlight last week.
Matthew tells us he’s already taken out his new classic a handful of times and is loving it! We’re delighted to hear he’s enjoying his Morris.
You can read the article here.
Couple Builds Snow Ferarri
February 25, 2021
We all remember building snowmen and making snow angels as children in the snow but few of us can claim we’ve built a snow car.
A husband and wife from Lithuania decided to re-create a Ferrari LaFerrari out of snow. Every detail was covered from the colour (done in an environmentally friendly paint) to the aerodynamic shape. It took two days of dedicated craftmanship from the couple to create the iconic red beast. At the end of the masterpiece, the wife, Donata Bugiene, said โNow no one can deny that there is a Ferrari in our yard.โ
The Ferrari is a real size, made to the dimensions of the original Ferrari LaFerrari,” said Bugiene.
The life-size replica of Ferrariโs LaFerrari supercar (image taken Jan. 31, 2021. (Photo credit: Donata Bugiene)
Meet The Team: Chris
February 9, 2021
Chris is our classic car painter and fabricator. Whilst you can find him fabricating bodywork and smoothing down our cars ready to paint, you’re more likely to find him suited up in the paint shop. He’s recently been working on turning the Peony Red Jensen, peony red, a long-awaited and much-anticipated metamorphosis.
Chris’ expertise in fabricating comes from experience when he worked at a friend’ father’s body shop. There he worked with a wide variety of cars all whilst learning on the job. It’s there he found his love for it, “I enjoy the hands-on aspect of it.”
Chris tells us he has a love both fabricating and painting but wants to learn a bit more about engines and electrics of cars, “I’d like to learn a bit more about the engines, I know a lot of the other bits but I’d be interested in learning more about the electrics and engines”.
In his spare time Chris enjoys spending quality time with his family and when the weather allows, playing cricket and golf. Chris’s dream car is either a 1967 Mustang or a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hard Top Estate.
Bruce Springsteen’s Unifying SuperBowl Message Features The Iconic Jeep
February 8, 2021
Bruce Springsteen stars in Jeep’s Superbowl commercial with a heartfelt message of finding unity and peace. The video is in celebration of Jeep’s 80th anniversary and a call for Americans to find a ‘common ground’.
In the film entitled ‘The Middle’, Springsteen drives a 1980 Jeep CJ-5 convertible, and seen stationary is a 1965 CJ-5, still present with its ‘Willys’ badge.
In a statement, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Stellantis, Olivier Francois, said, ‘The Middle’ is a celebration of the Jeep brandโs 80-year anniversary and, more timely, it is a call to all Americans to come together and seek common ground as we look collectively to the road ahead.โ
Top Tips For Driving In The Snow
February 8, 2021
With arctic conditions sweeping across East Anglia, those without 4×4’s or tractors might be wondering how to get to work or the shops. The short and easy answer is to stay at home and don’t venture out if you’re unsure, but for many, that might not be an option. Here are some tips for driving in the snow (according to RAC).
Before leaving:
Plan your journey to use only main roads that are likely to be gritted. Busier roads are also less likely to be as dangerous as back roads will be driven on less and therefore hold more snow. Leave plenty of time to de-ice the car and check your tyres. Always ensure you have a shovel, warm layers, appropriate shoes and a high-vis vest in the boot in case you break down.
When driving:
- Accelerate slowly, use low revs and change to higher gears quickly
- Some vehicles have ‘winter mode’ but if yours doesnt, taking off in second gear can reduce wheel spin.
- Leave plenty of stopping space
- If you start to skid, gently steer your car in the direction of the skid. For example, if the rear of the car is skidding to the left, turn your wheel to the left. Do not put your foot on the brake or accelerator, and do not take your hands off the steering wheel.
- If visibility is poor, turn on your fog lights.
- If roads have not been gritted, try to avoid driving in other cars tyre tracks as compacted snow is likely to be icier than fresh snow.
- Use the pedals and steer smoothly. Quick movements are more likely to increase the possibility of skidding.
If you do have to frequently drive in snow conditions, ensuring that your car is regularly cleaned reduces the possibility of the salt causing corrosion damage to your car.
You can see more about driving in deep snow, snow tyres and snow chains here.
Rolls Royce’s new Electric Venture
January 26, 2021
The silver lady may soon be totally electric powered in the form of a possible new model, the Silent Shadow.
Rolls Royce has recently released the prototype image of its new all-electric car. Whilst other brands have scrambled to produce an electric vehicle, Rolls Royce seems to have been playing it slow and steady. The new EV design may have a futuristic utopian flare but Rolls Royce has kept their signature royal boxy elegance.
This stunning Rolls Royce is set to be released to the public in 2022 and will mark the 2020’s with a flare of utopian opulence.
You can see more here
Sean Connery’s 1986 BMW 635 CSI Could Be Yours
January 15, 2021
Back in 2020, we lost an iconic 007. Sir Sean Connery sadly passed away last year but his 1986 BMW 635 CSI is now up for auction with estimations of its sale going for between ยฃ30,000 to ยฃ60,000. The current bid, (at the time of this article – 10:15 am) is sat at ยฃ31,250 but we expect that figure to continue to rise until bidding closes at 19:30 tonight.
This stunning BMW 635CSI would be the ideal motor so someone wanting to test the waters of the high performance modern classic car world.
It is believed that Sean Connery owned this BMW 6 series 1989/90 and then sold it in 1998 and the low mileage could be attributed to the fact that Mr Connery was rather busy staring in multiple Hollywood blockbusters during that time. Since then, the car has been stored in several storage units and made brief appearances under different dealerships.
We will continue to follow this auction so keep an eye out on our website and check the auction site linked below.
See the live auction here.
Although we haven’t worked on the exact same model, we have worked on this 1988 BMW 635CSI that came in back in 2018 for an interior trim freshen up!
The post-1982 BMW 6 series adopted the E28 chassis from the previous BMW 5 series which lead to improvements in the mechanics of the car as well as enhancements to its interior and exterior. This model also suits anything from the school run to tackling winding country roads. The reliability and graceful ageing of this car is all down to the solid and reliable engineering that the older models offer.
Electric Forecourt Opens In Essex
January 4, 2021
The UK’s first all-electric car charging forecourt opened in Essex in December 2020. It comes equipped with super-fast wifi and a selection of shops such as WHSmith and cafes to keep drivers entertained whilst they recharge their vehicle.
The forecourt offers 350kW of charging power which is enough to top up 200 miles in 20 minutes. There is space for 36 cars to be charging at the same time too, so no chance of a shortage of stations.
Gridserve, the company who has built the forecourt hopes to build more than 100 sites such as this in the next 5 years. The Braintree site is powered by clean energy from one of the UKโs first subsidy-free solar farms at Clayhill in Bedfordshire as well as overhead solar canopies.
“As we accelerate towardsย cleaner and greener transport, Iโm delighted to see the future of service stations being brought to life with the opening of the UKโs first all-electric forecourt.” Rachel Maclean, Transport Minister commented.
You can see the blog about our friends from Ransome Van Centre who visited it, here.
Opening Hours Over Christmas
December 23, 2020
We know this year has presented some challenging and difficult times for everyone but we wanted to say thank you to all our clients and followers who have continued to support us and keep up to date with our projects. With more areas in the South East going into Tier 4 soon, we hope everyone will keep safe.
With only 2 sleeps until Christmas, we want to let you know that our workshop will be closed from 24th December at 5 pm to 4th January 2021. You can still reach us via our phone number over the festive period if needed.
But until then, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, and healthy, new year! We’ll be back in the office bright and early on the 4th of January.
Spanners With Manners
December 15, 2020
Mechanics and engineering has always traditionally been a male dominated industry but Laura Kennedy from Spanners With Manners has broken the mould.
Laura founded London’s first all-female garage with the vision to make the industry more inclusive
Laura talks in her interview about struggling to be accepted onto apprenticeship schemes due to her gender and discovering unjust pay gaps despite her qualifications. โThereโs been a lot of sexism in the workplace,โ Laura explains.
When the owner of the car sales and repairs company that she worked for told her that he wanted to retire, she took the move to create her own inclusive all-female garage with the aim to create a space for female mechanics to learn and customers to visit.
Creating an environment for people to learn is an important part of progressing the car engineering industry as many parts of the trade would otherwise die out if skills weren’t passed down. Equally creating a friendly and open space for clients to feel that they are welcome is just as important. Taking this approach to engineering in turn encourages the clients to get more involved with their cars and the industry as it becomes more accessible.
You can see the interview with Freeda here: www.instagram.com/tv/CIq4t39jCjj/?hl=en and visit their Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/Spannerswithmanners/
Caroline’s Cars in Norwich was the first all female garage in the UK and took pride in being a female run and owned company. Although it has sadly shut down this year, it had been running since 2003 and strove to increase diversity and equality in the car engineering industry. In the Engineering UK report of 2018, it stated that 12.37% of engineers are women, with hopes that the figure will rise with more businesses like Spanners With Manners and Caroline’s Cars.
Opinion: Which cars will graduate to the hall of classics?
December 2, 2020
We’ve been discussing which modern cars we think are going to age like fine wines and which might fade into the history books. There are a whole host of current cars from run-abouts to super cars that have what it takes to become a classic car.
The conversation was triggered when a copy of the Garage Support landed on our desk in the marketing department, with the magazine open on an article that discussed the top 10 cars on the road over 3 years old. It got us thinking about how modern cars are ageing and which models will take centre stage for the next generation of sought after classics. Ellie, our marketing assistant was happy to see that her Toyota Yaris had made the cut for the top 10 cars, a small victory for a Wednesday afternoon.
Among the guesses made for future classics were the Ford Focus ST, VW Golf MK4, Mazda MX5, Toyota Starlet, Cupra Formentor, Fiat 124 Spider, F-Type Jaguar, Mitsubishi Evo VII and Aston Martin DB9.
The team had different reasons for their guesses, some suggested that much like the Beetle or Ford Escort that started its life as a simple first car, many of the common modern cars could also age well. It’s certainly a temptation to pick up a cheap car now with the foresight of a future classic!
Alternatively, we had some say that modern-day supercars such as Aston Martin DB9 and the Bugatti Veyron would make their way into the hall of classics, in much the same way as 1960’s sports cars such as the Jaguar E-Types developed into long-loved classics.
It’s certainly an interesting thought. Many of the cars we bought as cheap first cars have become sought after classics. But which cars will be the next selection of golden classics?
With the future of automotive engineering venturing into the world of electric motors and self-driving vehicles, will the classic manual petrol be a thing of the past?
We’ve found this lovely Mazda MX5 MK1 that had recently sold for just ยฃ1220 with 47,000 miles on the clock. Investing in a pre-1998 Mazda MX5 with low milage may just pay off in the future.
