The perfect pre-war racer – 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’
November 14, 2023
Our stunning 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’ is now live to be won on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. The humble Austin 7 – The
prewar cars
Check Over – Inspecting the 1929 Dodge Brothers DA
January 13, 2022
Bridge Classic Cars have got this incredible pre-war 1929 Dodge Brothers DA in our Suffolk workshop to begin the inspection of this beautiful dark blue
A Flick of a Switch – Fitting the Battery Cut Off to the 1930 Packard 740
January 7, 2022
The 1930 Packard 740 Waterfield Convertible has been in with Bridge Classic Cars recently for several jobs to be completed on the stunning prewar tourer.
The perfect pre-war racer – 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’
November 14, 2023
Our stunning 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’ is now live to be won on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.
The humble Austin 7 – The car which played a pivotal role in getting Britain on the move would form the basis of some of the earliest homegrown racing efforts across this green and pleasant isle.
In the early decades of motor racing, the only way to be competitive was to pay your way to the top. Granted, there were notable exceptions, but the pre-war years were dominated by the likes of Bugatti, Mercedes, Auto-Union, Alfa Romeo and Bentley. These were the playthings of the ultra-rich and the elite, seen to be out of the grasp of mere mortals. However, smaller firms who built ‘standard’ saloon cars decided to get involved in the blossoming sports of club-racing and hillclimbing. One of those, was Austin.
In 1929/1930, Austin would field a group of cars in the Tourist Trophy at the Ards Circuit in Northern Ireland. After their success, the Austin 7 Sports Special would gain their infamous name and inspire countless homages – the ‘Ulster’.
This beautiful example of an ‘Ulster’, with bodywork by Rod Yates Coachbuilders, is finished with the elegant and traditional boattail rear end and presented in its stunning combination of deep green with a saddle brown bench seat. Originally built as a box saloon in 1932, its conversion to an ‘Ulster’ was carried out in the late 2000’s along with its introduction to the fabled VSCC (Vintage Sports-Car Club). With the car being awarded its eligibility to compete, after a thorough and detailed inspection by the club in April of 2009.
In 2011, the 4-cylinder 747cc engine was sent to Vince Leek Specialised A7 Engineering for rebuild and upgrades which included a new Phoenix crankshaft along with upgraded Honda pistons (to which the block was rebored) and the cars connecting rods ‘remetalled’ and machined to fit the new crankshaft. Along with the internal work, the block was resurfaced and new guides, new seats cut and fit new valves.
The car features an extensive history file including multiple receipts for work undertaken on the car over the last nearly 20 years, as well as handbooks for the Austin 7, conversion manuals for the ‘Ulster’ specification racer, along with period promotion and maintenance materials.
All of this specialist and skilled work, combines to make one of the most charming and elegantly simple pre-war sportscars out there. And now, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions wants to give you the chance of experiencing what so many pioneers of motorsport lived with our 1932 Austin 7 ‘Ulster’.
Enter now and win this nostalgic bite-sized racer!
Full Gallery:
Check Over – Inspecting the 1929 Dodge Brothers DA
January 13, 2022
Bridge Classic Cars have got this incredible pre-war 1929 Dodge Brothers DA in our Suffolk workshop to begin the inspection of this beautiful dark blue tourer.
Our in-house restoration technician Paul has been busy giving this classic a full check over to highlight any areas that will need attention for it to be safely driven and mechanically reliable. Paul noted that the fuel system will need attention along with the brakes. Apart from that, the Dodge is in remarkable condition for its age.
With this, our in-house teams are currently sourcing either new parts or specialists at the top of the field in refurbishing units needed.
A Flick of a Switch – Fitting the Battery Cut Off to the 1930 Packard 740
January 7, 2022
The 1930 Packard 740 Waterfield Convertible has been in with Bridge Classic Cars recently for several jobs to be completed on the stunning prewar tourer. One of those jobs was to fit a battery cut off switch to the car which is exactly what our in-house restoration experts have done.
Our technician Tamas worked on getting the killswitch into the right place where it is easily accessible but also somewhere it isn’t easily knocked or damaged. This was going to be under the dashboard between the dash and the floorboards.
Carefully, Tamas moved the carpet to get access to the firewall where the switch would be mounted. Then, using a template he carefully made a tight-fitting hole in the firewall. After firing the component through the firewall and secured in place, Tamas then began wiring up the killswitch to the battery and then onto the ignition switch. The wiring for this component is crucial, so Tamas used high-quality wire and connectors with the appropriate shielding as it came near the exhaust manifold.
Once in place, Tamas checked that the cut off switch was working correctly and all fit nicely on the inside of the car. Another level of security and safety on this icon of pre-war American engineering and design.
