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 were incredibly lucky with the weather as it managed to stay dry and clear throughout
Our latest addition to the Bridge Classic Car family is this lorry! Although it looks rather plain and underwhelming now, when designed, it’s going to look great as our new transporter! We still have our covered vehicle transporter trailer however
More work has been done on our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S. The latest instalments are the seat covers and pockets that have been made by our trim shop. This involved marking out the leather for the seats, sewing the
Our new 1994 Land rover – Range Rover TDI has just joined the family but needs some TLC before its ready to go. These refurbishments include carpeting the floor, replacing the ceiling cloth, refurbishing the back quarter panels, re-painting the
We’ve welcomed another beautiful Jaguar E-Type for a check-up at Bridge Classic Cars, this week. This one is a 1973 Series 3 V12 E-Type. Upon further inspection, our technician Pete discovered that both the Clutch Slave Cylinder and the Power
The Peony Red Jensen 541S has had its engine rebuilt. Our engine specialist has been working to refurbish and rebuild the old engine. No one ever claimed that rebuilding engines were easier, nor pretty… Ady cleared out this huge sludge
Our trim shop is not only incredibly unique but it is also relatively new! The trim shop, as a functioning entity has only really existed since this year. Although we’ve had a trim specialist before, we never had a specific
Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its colour transformation initiated with a prep mask being applied in the engine bay. It then continued to have prime and topcoat added. Soon it’ll have a whole body of fresh paint.
Our specialist technicians have been working hard on the 1960 Jensen 541S restoration. The latest refurbishments include smoothing and correcting the doors by filling any holes, taking out rust and installing custom made metal pieces. Our engine specialist Ady carried
We’ve got another new kid on the block and this time it’s a unique 1979 Morris Austin Mini Clubman with bespoke finishing! This beautiful Mini is set to be an upcoming competition car, so keep your eyes peeled for its
One of our technicians, Paul, has made an aluminum mount for the fan in the black 1960 Jensen 541R. This has been handcrafted from a sheet of aluminum in our workshop. The mount allows for the fan to sit in
Our 1974 De Tomaso Pantera features in Alison Hammond’s recreation of Kylie Minogue’s iconic music video ‘Can’t get you out of my head’. Last week the team took our restored De Tomaso Pantera up to the ITV studios to meet
Our new competition car is a smart 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged in a moody navy blue and could be yours for under £10. Don’t let the Jaguar’s elegant styling fool you, this performance machine packs a hell of a punch.
It’s another Meet The Team Monday! This Monday we’re pleased to introduce our Paint Shop Manager, Darren! Darren started his career with cars in a similar way to many of our technicians did, by studying an apprenticeship, “I’ve always been
Our 1963 Morris Minor has had its oil seal removed and refurbished, engine rewired, new clutch added and an engine stabilizer installed.
Whether it’s a specific design or a certain fit, we can make it. All of the work done in the trim shop is made by hand and designed perfectly for your motor. One of our clients is making the hard
Our 1972 Blaze Orange MGB Roadster recently had its refurbished wheels fitted by our team of specialist classic car technicians. Darren, our paint shop manager has recently cleaned down, re painted and refurbished the wheels as well as painting parts
Its always nice to get positive feedback from clients but even nicer when they send their vehicles back in for more refurbishments! The owner asked for some extra alterations so we cracked on right away! We created a custom made
New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto the Jensen’s fan. These have been made from a sheet of metal which Paul has
Our 1967 Black E-type Jaguar had its final re-wiring before we sent it off purring back to its owners yesterday. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, this E-Type came in way back in 2016 for a full restoration. We’ve worked on her
You’d be right in saying that this isn’t a red 1960 Jensen 541S. But with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work from our specialist technicians, this car soon will be a beautiful Peony Red. However, that’s
The 1972 Peugeot 504 has hit a ground-breaking moment in its restoration: it now has an engine! Our engine specialist has replaced all serviceable parts such as spark plugs and belts, replaced any worn hoses and plummed the engine back
We had Colin from Wherry boatyard on behalf of CC Marine and Industrial Supply come in to survey our 1965 Amphicar. As a BSS (Boat Safety Scheme) Examiner, its Colins job to tell us what is needed to make the
Our Triumph TR6 was struggling to change gear when it came in, but there’s no job too small or fiddly for us here at Bridge Classic Cars. We’ll get it back to its old chirpy self in no time. Our
Local charity, GeeWizz has partnered up with Ed Sheeran’s parents, John and Imogen to host the Ed Sheeran ‘Made In Suffolk’ Legacy auction. It aims to raise funds for children and young adults from Suffolk and Norfolk who suffer from
Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments. Scott has been working on the window and door mechanisms. He’s fitted new rubber for the window seal, tested and installed new window winder
Our 1960 Jensen 541R has had another round of interior fittings measured up, made, and installed by our talented team in the Trim Shop. This time it’s the Jensens boot that’s been fitted. Each piece of the boot carpet has been
Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its primer and flattening completed by our technicians Ant and Chris. This stage allows the bodywork to be perfected and smoothened and allows the next layer of paint to stick. This is the last
As of November 5th, 2020, England is entering another 4 week lockdown. We’d like to reassure our clients that we are still open and working on our cars however we are not accepting members of the public into our workshop.
The Jensen 541S has recently returned from Holland where it was visiting some power steering conversion specialists. Now back in the UK with the correct parts, the Jensen is ready to have its power steering installed by John and Tamas.
On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as it managed to stay dry and clear throughout the afternoon and with the addition of some artistic smoke grenades, our marketing team shot some stunning visuals. You’ll begin to see the photos and videos appear throughout our social media pages.
This beautiful 5 litre 2015 Mustang GT is the newest addition to our Hanger storage collection. We’re looking after this customers car for the winter so it’ll be tucked away as part of our storage services. It really is a stunning modern car.
This week we’ve welcomed a selection of new vehicles into the Bridge Classic Car family including the 1974 Lime Green VW Beetle, the 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI, our new Mercedes transportation lorry and an original Chevron B-20. The Range Rover and Beetle are set to be competition cars however we are yet to decide the fate of our exciting and rare Chevron.
This week we also delivered the Triumph TR4 to the lucky winner Adrian Harcus and wife, Aileen, in Aberdeen. We’re excited to see what plans they have for their new TR4!
Our friend and trust chrome specialist visited Bridge Classics HQ today to drop off some beautifully crafted chrome pieces for our recent blue Jaguar E-Type series 3. Tony Wyatt from his self titled polishing company works on providing us with the best and shiniest chrome parts for our restorations. Today when we arrived, we came in his stunning 3 litre Rover which itself has his handiwork on the front.
Our latest addition to the Bridge Classic Car family is this lorry! Although it looks rather plain and underwhelming now, when designed, it’s going to look great as our new transporter!
We still have our covered vehicle transporter trailer however it can only fit one car in at a time whereas this new lorry will be able to transport multiple cars and equipment!
Alongside using the lorry for our own vehicles, we aim to offer our own transportation services for other companies.
We can’t wait to get this lorry designed!
More work has been done on our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S. The latest instalments are the seat covers and pockets that have been made by our trim shop. This involved marking out the leather for the seats, sewing the piping and side bands on, making and sewing on the skirt, and then creating the pockets. Once all these elements have been carefully created, that can be put together.
Our engine specialist, Ady is in the process of rebuilding the engine. So far the bottom end is done and its awaiting the cylinder heads to be attached.
Our new 1994 Land rover – Range Rover TDI has just joined the family but needs some TLC before its ready to go.
These refurbishments include carpeting the floor, replacing the ceiling cloth, refurbishing the back quarter panels, re-painting the body work and servicing it.
So far, our technician Tom has replaced the carpets and ceiling cloth.
The back quarter panels have been removed and placed in the trim shop to be refurbished once we decide on a paint colour for the rest of the body.
We’ve welcomed another beautiful Jaguar E-Type for a check-up at Bridge Classic Cars, this week. This one is a 1973 Series 3 V12 E-Type.
Upon further inspection, our technician Pete discovered that both the Clutch Slave Cylinder and the Power Steering are both leaking fluid and will need to be replaced.
“It’ll fail its MOT if this isn’t addressed” Pete told us, standing underneath the car which had been raised onto one of our ramps.
Although the car is technically drivable, these issues would not only cause the car to fail its MOT, but could also lead to more series issues such as loosing control and access to the gears.
The next step to address these issues is to completely replace both the Power Steering and the Clutch Slave Cylinder.
The front bumpers are also going to be removed and replaced to give the Jaguar an extra shine.
The Peony Red Jensen 541S has had its engine rebuilt. Our engine specialist has been working to refurbish and rebuild the old engine.
No one ever claimed that rebuilding engines were easier, nor pretty… Ady cleared out this huge sludge ball from the Peony Red’s engine. This rather dubious-looking ball of sludge is made from hard water and dirt caught up in the engine. Its all part of the job…
Our trim shop is not only incredibly unique but it is also relatively new! The trim shop, as a functioning entity has only really existed since this year. Although we’ve had a trim specialist before, we never had a specific team and workshop dedicated to it until 2020! Both Kath and Brian have joined the Bridge Classic Car family this year and have been invaluable.
It’s rare to have an in-house trim shop at a classic car restoration workshop as many companies prefer to outsource, which comes with its own problems and communications. We, however, are very lucky to have ours in-house which not only saves time and miscommunications but also means everything is made to fit and can be fitted and tested immediately. This makes for swifter restorations and ultimately a better workflow. Anything that’s needed can be made and modified as needed.
Vibrant and talented, Kath is one of our Trim Shop Trio.
Kath describes herself as arty and crafty, with always having a creative background. Kath holds a selection of qualifications from Interior Design to Spatial Design and history in painting and decorating as well as previous car trim work. Kath then joined the team in January 2020.
“I’ve always enjoyed making things and being creative. I like being hands-on.”
Kath loves VW’s and has always had a soft spot for them. She’s done up her own VW campervan before but currently owns a beautiful red VW Beetle which is her pride and joy.
Kath says she enjoys working in an in-house trim shop rather than outsourcing it as she did before, as you get more of a personal connection with the projects, “You’re never doing the same thing twice!” Kath tells us, “I love everything here, it’s so satisfying learning where everything fits and seeing it being installed.”
Brian was the second Trim Shop specialist to join Bridge Classic Cars who started in March 2020.
Brian originally started working on Micralite planes but later moved to trim work and interior car design. Brian also worked with Kath at their previous workplace outsourcing interior trim, so made the perfect team when they both moved to Bridge Classic Cars!
Brian has always worked with interior trim and really enjoys being a part of the team.
“It’s great to see cars go from parts to being roadworthy. You have such a big part in keeping these old cars going.”
Brian says he’s always loved hot hatches but currently has a new mini but has his sights set on buying an original mini to do up too. “Working with cars like these, at some point you want to get your own!” Brian tells us.
The third and final member of the Trim Shop is Cockerpoo puppy, Rosie!
As an invaluable member of the team, Rosie offers morale and team spirit for not only the trim shop but for the whole of the Bridge Classic Cars team!
Rosie is now 9 months old as she was born on Valentine’s day. She certainly has a talent for spreading the love!
Rosie’s favourite part about being in the trim shop is getting visits from other members of the Bridge team who frequently give her cuddles and attention, she’s a real team player!
Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its colour transformation initiated with a prep mask being applied in the engine bay. It then continued to have prime and topcoat added.
Soon it’ll have a whole body of fresh paint.
Our specialist technicians have been working hard on the 1960 Jensen 541S restoration. The latest refurbishments include smoothing and correcting the doors by filling any holes, taking out rust and installing custom made metal pieces.
Our engine specialist Ady carried out a full engine rebuild and has modified the piston holes by making sure the edges are bevelled at an angle rather than a sharp 90 degrees angle. This ensures the pistons fit in neater.
The rest of the engine rebuild has included the rocker fingers being refaced and re-boring with bigger pistons
We’ve got another new kid on the block and this time it’s a unique 1979 Morris Austin Mini Clubman with bespoke finishing! This beautiful Mini is set to be an upcoming competition car, so keep your eyes peeled for its release!
The mini had been with Roger Moorhouse from Roger Moorhouse Classic Car Repairs in Norwich for 15 years where no expense had been spared in its restoration.
This beautiful forest green Mini Clubman holds bespoke details such as the gold alloy wheels, wood vinyl interior, and pristine green and cream interior furnishings. A fun yet practical drive for family outings and roadtrips!
It’s had to have a few interior touch-ups to get the leather looking perfect. Our Trim Shop specialists Kath and Brian have been handling those refurbishments which include a new gear stick gaiter, gluing vinyl back onto the rear board pannels, and fixing any loose material.
One of our technicians, Paul, has made an aluminum mount for the fan in the black 1960 Jensen 541R.
This has been handcrafted from a sheet of aluminum in our workshop. The mount allows for the fan to sit in the engine bay and be supported.
The metal sheet was then painted and fitted to the back of the fan. Paul drilled in an extra set of holes to allow for more ventilation as seen below.
Our 1974 De Tomaso Pantera features in Alison Hammond’s recreation of Kylie Minogue’s iconic music video ‘Can’t get you out of my head’.
Last week the team took our restored De Tomaso Pantera up to the ITV studios to meet director, Harry Bott. Harry went to great lengths to find the same model and colour De Tomaso that featured in the original music video. Fortunately, we had restored this iconic Pantera, and the owner was happy to help out.
If you’re looking for a certain car for your production, whether it be an old classic or a more modern vintage number, we can help you out! As a company, we’ve had a number of our cars feature in TV and Film.
The full video will air on This Morning on 12th November so keep your eyes peeled.
You can see the car’s history with us here.
Here is the final edit played out on ITV’s This Morning…
Our new competition car is a smart 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged in a moody navy blue and could be yours for under £10.
Don’t let the Jaguar’s elegant styling fool you, this performance machine packs a hell of a punch. The 4.0L Supercharged V8 engine catapults you to 60mph in just 5 seconds! The 380bhp XJR will pull hard, all the way to its limited top speed of 155mph.
These Jaguar’s were built to a very high standard and feel every bit a quality heritage British performance car
Full service in July 2020 at Jaguar Land Rover Stratstone Service Centre.
In February 2020, the XJR had the following new components: drive belt, water pump, rear shock absorbers, front disks and pads, brake fluid and rear wheel bearings. No expense has been spared on this car’s maintenance.
The current MOT expires in December 2020, however, we will be putting a fresh 12 month MOT on the vehicle before delivery to the winner.
You can enter this by heading over to the competition website or clicking here.
Darren started his career with cars in a similar way to many of our technicians did, by studying an apprenticeship, “I’ve always been into vehicles since I was a teenager” Daren tells us.
Darren studied his apprenticeship at the formerly known Potters Ford dealership in Framlingham, Suffolk, and has kept it local ever since. Darren joined our team in January 2019.
During his time studying general mechanics, Darren was given the choice to specialise and took the option to focus on Strip Fitting. From there he progressed to working with the paintwork.
“I still prefer doing body and paintwork because you get to see the rewards at the end.”
As our Paint Shop Manager, it’s down to Darren to ensure that the paintwork on each of our cars is matched, made, and added, as well as overseeing all the work that goes on in our Paint Shop.
Fun fact: one of the most popular cars in Darren’s birth year was the Ferrari 1973 Berlinetta Boxer. When launched, it competed with the Lamborghini Countach to be the fastest supercar you could buy.
Our 1963 Morris Minor has had its oil seal removed and refurbished, engine rewired, new clutch added and an engine stabilizer installed.
Whether it’s a specific design or a certain fit, we can make it. All of the work done in the trim shop is made by hand and designed perfectly for your motor.
One of our clients is making the hard choice between these 4 designs for the interior of their 1982 Porsche 911.
Our 1972 Blaze Orange MGB Roadster recently had its refurbished wheels fitted by our team of specialist classic car technicians.
Darren, our paint shop manager has recently cleaned down, re painted and refurbished the wheels as well as painting parts of the engine.
Its always nice to get positive feedback from clients but even nicer when they send their vehicles back in for more refurbishments!
The owner asked for some extra alterations so we cracked on right away!
We created a custom made window wiper bracket for the Nissan as well as replacing a water pump.
New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R
Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto the Jensen’s fan. These have been made from a sheet of metal which Paul has measured, shaped, drilled and painted, ready to be bolted onto the final product.
Craftmanship like this means that all our projects are bespoke and personal and fit the car which enables a perfect match.
The brackets and fan were then later fixed together. This will now be inserted into the engine.
Not long after, the fan had been fitted into the Jensen’s engine and was ready to purr.
Our 1967 Black E-type Jaguar had its final re-wiring before we sent it off purring back to its owners yesterday.
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, this E-Type came in way back in 2016 for a full restoration. We’ve worked on her over the past 4 years for regular maintenance and repairs.
She’s come a long way from the total rebuild we received in 2016! It’s always a pleasure to have such an iconic vehicle in the workshop.
You’d be right in saying that this isn’t a red 1960 Jensen 541S. But with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work from our specialist technicians, this car soon will be a beautiful Peony Red.
However, that’s a few stages away. It’s currently with our technician Chris who is carefully working on the fiberglass body.
With fixings added, holes filled and a black stone-chip applied on the inside of the body, this Jensen is getting closer to its new colour makeover. These alterations are made to make sure the body of the car is aesthetically uniform and ready for the next stage of works.
The next stages will entail grinding out any imperfections and cracks so it can be prepared for the paint-shop.
The 1972 Peugeot 504 has hit a ground-breaking moment in its restoration: it now has an engine!
Our engine specialist has replaced all serviceable parts such as spark plugs and belts, replaced any worn hoses and plummed the engine back into its rightful place.
The beating heart of this car is back in place after a successful engine surgery.
We had Colin from Wherry boatyard on behalf of CC Marine and Industrial Supply come in to survey our 1965 Amphicar. As a BSS (Boat Safety Scheme) Examiner, its Colins job to tell us what is needed to make the Amphicar water worthy.
It’s a bit like an MOT but for boats and it’ll allow our Amphicar to be one step closer to getting its tires wet.
The amends includes relocating the battery cut-off switch changing the fuel entry removal system from a bottom to a top entry, replacing rubber hoses with copper pipes to allow a 2 hour 100 degrees safety bracket, installing a fire extinguisher, modify the main battery wiring, replacing the fuel arrester to the fuel tank, general labeling, adding an override switch to the dashboard and installing a modern Bilge pump and float switch.
Our Triumph TR6 was struggling to change gear when it came in, but there’s no job too small or fiddly for us here at Bridge Classic Cars. We’ll get it back to its old chirpy self in no time.
Our technician Pete managed to replace the clutch slave cylinder so the TR6 should now run smoothly!
Local charity, GeeWizz has partnered up with Ed Sheeran’s parents, John and Imogen to host the Ed Sheeran ‘Made In Suffolk’ Legacy auction. It aims to raise funds for children and young adults from Suffolk and Norfolk who suffer from life-threatening conditions, disabilities, or Cancer
The money raised from the auction will help fund the children’s equipment, care and education as well as providing important support for the families.
The auction includes ‘money can’t buy’ prizes from local businesses. A day of recording or mixing for a band at Decoy Studio, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars VIP Tour with lunch for 4 people, and a VIP visit to Classic Team Lotus in Norfolk are among the prizes.
You can visit the website to learn more here.
Among the sponsors is local business Tru7. CEO Guy Nicholls has pledged his company to be the main sponsor. Guy is passionate about East Anglia and helping local children.
You can see his pledge video below.
Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments.
Scott has been working on the window and door mechanisms. He’s fitted new rubber for the window seal, tested and installed new window winder mechanisms as well as repairing and cleaning the window winder motors.
As well as new window winder motors, the doors have also had some TLC to make sure they lock and shut nicely.
Scott has fitted new door handles to accompany the new door locks, striker plates and door check straps. All of which have been cleaned, repaired, re-greased, and fitted.
The new striker plates allow for the doors to align and shut efficiently.
Brian has been tending to the latest interior instalments for the Peugeot.
The leather for the door panel arm rest has been glued to the metal section, trimmed and turned over to give a neat finish. The door handle slots had also been cut and measured.
The leather has been glued to the foam backing for the back seats and is ready for sewing. Lines have been marked on each piece to indicate where the stitching will sit.
The front door panels have been cut out of hardboard, holes drilled into them for the armrest and door handles.
When ready, the leather is applied and the edges are pulled around the side of each piece to ensure a neat finish. The leather is hog ringed to the frame as this guarantees that the leather will be held in place and allows for a tight application.
Below you can see the armrest door panel and part of the back seats being fitted together.
Our 1960 Jensen 541R has had another round of interior fittings measured up, made, and installed by our talented team in the Trim Shop. This time it’s the Jensens boot that’s been fitted.
Each piece of the boot carpet has been measured by hand, stitched, and fitted in a bespoke pattern. No trim is ever the same.
Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its primer and flattening completed by our technicians Ant and Chris.
This stage allows the bodywork to be perfected and smoothened and allows the next layer of paint to stick.
This is the last stage before the colour paintwork begins.
As of November 5th, 2020, England is entering another 4 week lockdown.
We’d like to reassure our clients that we are still open and working on our cars however we are not accepting members of the public into our workshop.
If you have a car already with us, the restorations will continue as usual.
We are operating under COVID secure conditions as it is our first priority to ensure the safety of our clients and employees. This includes social distancing and daily body temperature checks for anyone entering our site.
We are still contactable via our phone line, email and social media accounts.
If you’d like to read the new guidelines, you can visit the GOV.UK page here.
The Jensen 541S has recently returned from Holland where it was visiting some power steering conversion specialists.
Now back in the UK with the correct parts, the Jensen is ready to have its power steering installed by John and Tamas.
Due to the age of the car, it never originally had power steering. This new modification will make the Jensen an even more luxurious drive with easier steering.
