The Mince Pie Drive
On 1st December 2023, we set off on a festive adventure across the Suffolk countryside – our first-ever Mince Pie Drive. The day dawned bright
On 1st December 2023, we set off on a festive adventure across the Suffolk countryside – our first-ever Mince Pie Drive. The day dawned bright
Our Christmas line up is being prepared as we speak. We have an amazing selection of competitions coming up between now and Christmas. Something for
Steve has stripped down the boot lock mechanism to get to a broken bolt. He has removed the lock clean and replaced with clean tumblers
The Suffolk Show is a big deal in the region and we were very happy that Bridge Classic Cars had the opportunity to attend this
Olympian turned celebrity coach, Greg Whyte, was in Ipswich recently. As this is so local to us, we felt that we had to go and
Bridge Classic Cars recently welcomed Martin and Ryan from Heart of Suffolk Distillery to The Atelier. As a local distillery, we feel that their gin
The television series ‘Magpie Murders’ (based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Horowitz ) has been picked up by the BBC and
Thanks to Joe from F&S Plastering for plastering our new office space. We are now looking forward to our new, larger space in the coming
Arriving earlier this week, our beautiful 1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible is in with us for a general check over underneath but more importantly it’s service
Bridge Classic Cars would like to invite you to our live draw on the evening of Thursday 10th November 2022 where someone will win our 1966 Ford Cortina
Join us at the workshops for an evening of entertainment and our Live triple draw. Molly and the team will be finding new homes for
Scott has now freshened up the carbs and refitted them. He has successfully run up the car and fitted in new spark plugs. He has
A new arrival this morning to the Bridge Classic Cars workshops. Working in conjunction with our good friend Lee at Autoshack. The 1972 Jaguar E-Type
Scott is making great progress with our 1969 Morris Minor rebuild. Various components are now back on the engine and the fit up of the
This Sunday, 1st of August, will be the annual Festival of Classic and Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk! Having had a year off
Yesterday saw the return of the Bridge Classic Cars Classic and Sports Car and Bike Show and what an amazing return it was! The two
James has been busy repairing one of the protective covers for the brake and fuel lines, which sits underneath the back of the Jaguar E-Type
Beach Street in Felixstowe had its official opening event this weekend to celebrate the opening of Felixstowe’s new food and artisan centre, all made from
Mauro and Craig re-visited Jensen Service Ltd in Winchester to collect our 1960 Jensen 541S restoration project. The car will soon be available for sale,
The Bridge Classic Car team headed down to Kersey Mill bright and early with a collection of our current classics, from the Bubble car to
A great article in the East Anglian Daily Times about one of our recent local winners, Matthew Sudgen and his 1949 Morris Minor Lowlight. “I
Thanks to Nick at Strattonย Motor Company and Aston Martin Heritage Trust for connecting us with Aston Service Dorset. Aston Service Dorset purchased the manufacturing rights
Here at Bridge Classic Cars, we like to give you all an incite into what goes on behind closed doors. We often show you the
2020 has been a challenge for us all. Nobody has been able to avoid the immense challenges that Covid-19 has presented. So how could we
Join us on the second instalment in our new series: Behind The Scenes. Although we give frequent behind the scenes updates on our workshop, we
We’ve been repairing the hood frame on our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. This involves straightening out the linkages and then drilling out old pop rivets. Once
Our trim shop expert, Kath, has been busy making multiple covers for the magenta Triumph TR6. The hood and tonneau now have covers that have
We welcomed another new car to the workshop yesterday. This 1984 Lada 1200 Estate was brought in with signs of rust in the sills and
Some drama in the engine workshop! All was seemingly well with the engine re-build however, unbeknown to us, the dipstick tube had previously broken off
Ford Escort RS Turbo Photoshoot On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We
On 1st December 2023, we set off on a festive adventure across the Suffolk countryside – our first-ever Mince Pie Drive. The day dawned bright but extremely cold and icy. We decided to still venture out, albeit with a smaller convoy than first planned. The Bridge Classic Cars team wrapped up warm and headed out (special mention goes to our friends Garry Catchpole and Derek Rush for joining us).
The idea behind our Mince Pie Drive was to take classic cars to several local residential care homes to bring nostalgia and festive cheer to the residents and staff. There were mince pies, kindly provided by The Bakehouse Bakery Woodbridge, and carol singing from Molly and me (sorry about that folks!)
We went first to Highlands in Woodbridge before making our way to Bucklesham Grange Care Home, where we were greeted by the lovely Amanda-Jane Frank, who introduced us to the residents. Several came out to have a look at our cars, with Derek’s BMW proving to be a favourite here. Luke Deal from BBC Suffolk came along to chat with us and see what we were up to. You can listen to that interview here.
Next, we headed to Glebe House in Hollesley. The residents were just having their lunch, and talk about a meal with a view! The mince pies were a very welcome dessert! Lastly, whilst chasing the last hour of daylight, we popped to our neighbours at Lehmann House in Wickham Market.
We are so humbled by all the lovely residents and incredible care workers we met on our Mince Pie Drive. It was so wholesome to be able to remind them of yesteryear by bringing along a spectrum of cars. There really was something for everyone.
We can’t wait to do more events like this in future.
Our Christmas line up is being prepared as we speak. We have an amazing selection of competitions coming up between now and Christmas. Something for everyone I’d say. Our incredible 2015 Jaguar F-Type is currently going through it’s inspection and assessment. We have replaced the spare remote key battery and tested. Reset the service indicator. Torque wheel nuts and put locking wheel nut key back in boot. This was due to having recently refurbished all 4 allows to factory new!
We have carried out a road test and ok, The tyre pressure gauge has been reinitialised and we’ve checked and adjusted the tyre pressures.
Steve has stripped down the boot lock mechanism to get to a broken bolt. He has removed the lock clean and replaced with clean tumblers ready for refit.
Whilst working on the Scimitar Steve has gone ahead and fitted a new fuel filter too.
The Suffolk Show is a big deal in the region and we were very happy that Bridge Classic Cars had the opportunity to attend this year.
We worked alongside our friends at East Anglian Air Ambulance and enjoyed seeing the thousands of people that made the trip to Trinity Park over the two days.
There was a huge range of activities and exhibits for all the family to enjoy. These included:
A great two days were had by myself and Freddie, we had the opportunity to meet lots of new people. The Triumph Spitfire proved to be very popular to all ages and when we popped the bumper up we dazzled hundreds with the sparkling clean engine. The feelings of nostalgia sparked in many show why this is a great and timeless classic car.
The Suffolk Show is run and managed by the Suffolk Agricultural Association. As a charity, the SAAโs core purpose is to promote the importance of food, farming and the countryside to the economy and character of Suffolk through the Suffolk Show itself and a series of education programmes aimed at young people in schools and colleges.
Video highlights of the 2022 show can be seen below:
Olympian turned celebrity coach, Greg Whyte, was in Ipswich recently. As this is so local to us, we felt that we had to go and listen to him speak at the Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club, hosted at local restaurant Venue 16.
Greg spoke to a large audience of local business leaders and professionals about raising funds for SportsAid.
According to their research, SportsAid has found that, before becoming a household name, talented athletes will spend 10,000 hours and thousands of pounds to make it to elite level. Without funding and support from SportsAid, this simply would not be a feasible option for many promising sports stars of the future.
SportsAid Suffolk has already raised and distributed more than ยฃ300,000 to support young people in the county.
The Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club was founded in January 2015 and is sponsored by six businesses based in Suffolk โ Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers, Ensors Chartered Accountants, Ellisons Solicitors, StrategiQ, Handelsbanken, and Beckett Financial Services.
Bridge Classic Cars recently welcomed Martin and Ryan from Heart of Suffolk Distillery to The Atelier.
As a local distillery, we feel that their gin could be a great addition to our licenced bar so it was an exciting visit.
Both Ryan and Martin are big car fans too so, obviously, a visit to The Atelier at Bridge Classic Cars would have been fun for them too. Our 1973 Audi 100 Coupe S caught their eye during their visit!
We hope to welcome the team from Heart of Suffolk Distillery back soon.
The television series ‘Magpie Murders’ (based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Horowitz ) has been picked up by the BBC and will be shown on BBC One later on in 2023.
The series was filmed in a few places around the county including Kersey and Ipswich.
Magpie Murders is a six-part murder mystery based on the character of Susan Ryeland. Susan is an editor who receives a tattered manuscript. The manuscript is from a local author who seems to be telling a different story within the main story being told.
After it was decided that the novel would be turned into a TV series, it was filmed in 2021. During filming, The Bell Inn, in Kersey, was renamed The Queens Arms and the film crew recreated the streets of London in different parts of Ipswich too.
In the series, there are various classic cars seen including classic MG’s and more.
It’s always great to see Suffolk on TV and it’s even better to see classic cars in Suffolk on TV so, if you haven’t seen Magpie Murders yet, it will be on BBC One and iPlayer very soon.
Thanks to Joe from F&S Plastering for plastering our new office space. We are now looking forward to our new, larger space in the coming weeks.
Arriving earlier this week, our beautiful 1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible is in with us for a general check over underneath but more importantly it’s service is due.
The car has been undersealed so the owner is interested to see the integrity of the sealant and whether any additional work is required.
The car will also undergo a full service with an overhaul of the brake fluid too.
Bridge Classic Cars would like to invite you to our live draw on the evening of Thursday 10th November 2022 where someone will win our 1966 Ford Cortina MK1 1500 GT.
During the evening, our workshop will be open for people in attendance to look around and some of the team will be on hand to share information about the cars being restored. There will also be live music from local band The 3Buskateers, food from Woodbridge Mobile Pizza Company, and coffee from Carmello’s.
The main event of the evening will be our live draw at 7 pm, where one lucky person will win our 1966 Ford Cortina MK1 1500 GT.
You can win this classic car by entering the draw at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions
It would be amazing to have the winner in our live audience so make sure you enter the draw to be in with a chance of that person being you.
The live stream will begin at 7 pm, but everyone is welcome from 6 pm.
Come along and enjoy our musical entertainment and spend some time talking classic cars with us.
The live draw will take place at Bridge Classic Cars, The Nursery, Main Road, Pettistree, Woodbridge IP13 OHH
Enter Suffolk Plant Centre and continue up to the gates where Bridge Classic Cars can be seen on the left.
We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 10th November 2022 at 6 pm
Join us at the workshops for an evening of entertainment and our Live triple draw. Molly and the team will be finding new homes for 3 more amazing machines!
Bridge Classic Cars, The Nursery, Main Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 0HH
Our 1961 Mini Deluxe, 1970 MG C and our 1994 Ducati 750 Supersport are all guaranteed to be drawn on the night.
We’ll also have live music from Molly and her 1940’s vintage trio The Three Chordettes.
As well as food by The Miller’s Kitchen and coffee (and cake) by Carmello’s
Our gates open from 6:00pm and we’ll be live for the draw from 7pm. The event is free to attend and everyone welcome.
If you plan on joining us, simply send us your name and the number of people who will be coming with you to events@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone!
Scott has now freshened up the carbs and refitted them. He has successfully run up the car and fitted in new spark plugs.
He has continued to work on building up the bonnet and now fitted it to the car. The doors are also now built up and all of the electrics have now been completed.
A new arrival this morning to the Bridge Classic Cars workshops. Working in conjunction with our good friend Lee at Autoshack. The 1972 Jaguar E-Type V12 you see below belongs to a customer of Lee’s having very recently been purchased from the The Classic Sale at Silverstone 2022 hosted by Silverstone Auctions.
The description reads as follows:
A decade after the original Jaguar E-Type arrived, the design progressively matured through 1971 with the introduction of the Series 3.ย Designed to showcase the new smooth and torquey 5.3-litre engine, originally developed for Le Mans, the Series 3 cars were available as a Roadster or a 2+2 Coupรฉ. The Series 3 is easily identifiable by its large cross-slatted front grille, flared wheel arches, wider tyres, a larger bonnet bulge, updated bumpers, four exhaust tips, and a badge on the rear that proclaims it to be a V12. It also featured uprated brakes, power steering as standard and a large horizontal scoop added to the underside of the bonnet to assist with cooling. The interior was entirely new in the V12, with more comfortable seating, stylish new door panels and a smaller, dished and leather-rimmed steering wheel. Being slightly larger and altogether much softer in nature, the E-Type in Series 3 form had lost the wildness of its youth but gained the long-legged touring profile to which it was arguably better suited.
The United States was always the target market for the E-Type and the model evolved over a decade to cater for the needs of the American driver, a fact that has always been downplayed this side of the pond. The ‘Jagwar’ has always been held in high regard by the American enthusiast-driver that considered the homegrown muscle cars as too blue-collar and the precocious exotica of Italy as too expensive. The Series 3 had now evolved into a sports coupรฉ that offered a smooth automatic gearbox and rear seats. The iconic lines of the early car is still unashamedly British but capable of outperforming bloated V8 rivals with its smooth V12. According to the Heritage Certificate, this Coupรฉ, with automatic gearbox and air conditioning, was dispatched to British Leyland, New York on 10th April 1972 in Primrose Yellow with a Cinnamon interior. Our vendor informs us it was owned by one family from new in Louisiana, and it was imported to the UK and registered on the 1st December 2019.
Buying the car on the 1st December 2021 with the intention of reliving his E-Type owning youth as a racing engineer with the Le Mans winning Group 44 Race Team, our vendorโs ill-health sees the car regretfully offered to auction. The odometer reading of 23,393 miles, at the time of cataloguing is assumed to be genuine, although not warranted, whilst our vendor asserts that the family ownership prior to the 2019 registration in the UK is certainly persuasive. The colour was changed during restoration whilst the delightfully original Cinnamon leather shows lovely patina. Recently a new braking system was fitted to the front and new pads fitted to the rear. Our vendor, having worked on Jaguar V12 racing engines changed the oil himself, and the car will have a fresh MOT for the sale. The history file contains receipts, Heritage Certificate, importation documentation, handbook and V5C.
Residing overseas, the customer would like the car fully assessed and for a full service to be carried out. There also seems to be some issues with the cooling system and air conditioning which we would also like to look at.
Keep up to date with our progress as we get the car prepared and ready for it’s trip back home to Europe.
Scott is making great progress with our 1969 Morris Minor rebuild. Various components are now back on the engine and the fit up of the front end continues.
This Sunday, 1st of August, will be the annual Festival of Classic and Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk! Having had a year off due to the pandemic, it will be fantastic to see the vast array of cars again that so many enthusiasts and owners bring.
We’ll be there of course, along with all of our current competition cars, including our maroon 1959 Jaguar MK I. This will be won on the day and the draw for it will be live from the show at 4:00 pm.
So if you’re a Jaguar fan or simply want to add to your collection of cars, come and grab a ticket on our website this very minute, for your chance to win! If we haven’t sold out online, tickets will also be available on the day, on our stand, up until 3:00 pm. So why not come and say hi to us!
Here’s a link to the competition page on our website, which gives you all the information you should need about the car and how to purchase tickets. https://www.bridgeclassiccarscompetitions.co.uk/product/mk1-jag/
Here’s a link to the Helmingham Hall website page about the day, and how to buy tickets to the show. https://www.helmingham.com/events/the-festival-of-classic-sports-cars/
Yesterday saw the return of the Bridge Classic Cars Classic and Sports Car and Bike Show and what an amazing return it was!
The two part event started off at The Hangar, home to Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and our showroom. Located in the beautiful RAF Bentwaters, Rendlesham, IP12 2TZ we saw hundred’s of cars turn up to get ready for one of Suffolk’s biggest classic car convoys!
From 10am we all set off together through the town of Woodbridge up to the Bridge Classic Cars Workshops, Main Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 OHH for drinks and lunch!ย
The event was completely FREE to attend and as weather was on our side we welcomed a huge array of cars to both sites.
Jake from The Original Friendly Classic Car Group and Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiast Club shared a fantastic assortment of photos from the day to his social platforms.ย
@bloomers_flying_shadow shared an image of the Shadow arriving home after the show.
@jasondale1980 attended with his lovely little Mini. We love a Mini here at Bridge Classic Cars.
Andy James posted a picture of his 1954 Ford Popular with the caption “the weather was much kinder than expected, the long slog from the Fens was definitely worth the effort. Thanks chaps”
Thank you for coming, was lovely to see so many cars and a lot of you travelled from far and wide so thank you even more!
Tony from Wyatt Polishing was present at both sites to enjoy and experience the convoy with us in his classic Rover.
Jay Baggott liked the look of our 1983 VW Golf Mk1
Local classic car enthusiasts Gary Farrow and John English shared some pictures to their feeds from our Bentwater’s site on the day.
Keep the images coming in. Was lovely to see lots of locals coming out of their homes to watch, video and photograph the convoy head through Rendlesham and Woodbridge.
Check out Craig and Freddie having a looking around the main workshops on the day!
James has been busy repairing one of the protective covers for the brake and fuel lines, which sits underneath the back of the Jaguar E-Type V12. This one had gone misshapen and had some corrosion, from moisture being let in along a damaged edge, which is why it needed work doing to it. The other one is in much better condition.
James fabricated and spot welded the corroded one to get it back into its former glory!
Beach Street in Felixstowe had its official opening event this weekend to celebrate the opening of Felixstowe’s new food and artisan centre, all made from shipping containers and decorated with fairy lights. Mike, our finance wiz, went down to the opening at the weekend and captured these lovely photos.
Mauro and Craig re-visited Jensen Service Ltd in Winchester to collect our 1960 Jensen 541S restoration project.
The car will soon be available for sale, either restored or unrestored. If you would like to know more about this car or any of our other 541 restoration projects please fee to contact the office on 01473742038 or email info@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk
The Bridge Classic Car team headed down to Kersey Mill bright and early with a collection of our current classics, from the Bubble car to our Rolls Royce. After securing a large pitch, we set up our cars alongside many other amazing and beautiful classics that other enthusiasts had brought. The show itself spanned over a collection of grass paddocks surrounding Kersey Mill, which lay in the background. From American police cars to British classics and even a steam engine, everything and anything was parked up at Kersey.
The show itself was to celebrate National Drive It Day, a day to celebrate classics and gather everyone together in the name of charity fundraising, raising awareness and funds for the NSPCC. It was fantastic to see so many families and children enjoying the day as well as the drivers.
Talking to those at Kersey, we heard many fond stories of days spent with their cars, restoring classics and enthusiasms over mechanics. At one stand was a father and son duo with their Series One Land Rover and a three-wheel Barkley that had made (almost) completed the Mongol Rally, just needing a little help and clever engineering from its driver at the end. They both spoke of their love for usable classics, explaining that for them, classics were there to be driven and enjoyed. Another man had bought along his 1934 Wolsey, for which was filled with original and timely artefacts from gloves to books, a pipe holder and an old camera. He told us about how, to him, it was all the extras like the tool kit and pipe holder that made a classic. He explained he was looking for the original pipe holder however the one he made and fitted, would have to do for now. The man who had bought along the steam engine told us that is was a former military vehicle that has spent most of its life around Suffolk and Colchester and had just finished restoring it. Kersey Mill was his first outing in a decade with the steam engine, however, he told us it took him 6 hours to get there from Colchester because of the slow speed of the vehicle.
Below you can see our photos as well as featured photos from others that we at Kersey yesterday.