At Bridge Classic Cars, all preparation and painting is carried out in-house by our experienced team. From minor scuffs and scratches to complete bare-metal repaints, every stage is handled with the same care and attention to detail.
Our body and paint shop uses our Dalby booth. This controlled environment allows the team to achieve the high-quality finish our restorations deserve, ensuring consistency, durability, and a finish that complements the work carried out on the rest of the vehicle.
Alongside this, we have comprehensive paint mixing facilities, including a specialist vehicle colour matching service.
Traditionally, paint colours are mixed using original factory colour codes. While this provides a starting point, it is not always the ideal solution. Over time, paint naturally fades due to exposure to sunlight and weather conditions. Paint technology has also evolved significantly, meaning modern materials can produce subtly different finishes compared to those originally applied decades ago. In addition, variations between paint suppliers can result in slight tonal differences. In many cases, achieving the perfect match ultimately relies on experience and a trained eye.
To support this process, we use Automatchic Vision, a revolutionary digital colour matching system developed by AkzoNobel. This advanced technology allows us to precisely measure and match the existing colour on any area of a vehicle.
The system combines two key elements: the Automatchic Vision handheld device, which digitally analyses the colour of the surface, and Automatchic Smart Search software, which retrieves the optimum matching formula. The compact device uses the latest digital technology to deliver accurate and reliable measurements, even on curved panels that have traditionally been more challenging to read.
The team have welcomed a new arrival at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ – this 1990 Jaguar XJS. Our logistics team were out bright and early to collect the car and bring it back to our Suffolk workshops to begin the appraisal of the car.
Last night I spent an evening in the company of one of the UK’s most successful broadcasters. His podcast is listened to by millions, all over the world and he has sat down with some of the most influential people of our generation to hear their life stories; all very real and quite often, very […]
As the Bridge Classic Cars team continue onwards with the recommision of the 1967 Austin Healey 3000, our technician Jon is charging his way through the job list on the classic British sports car. ‘Strip carbs and clean. Set jet depths and re build. Swap studs from old air filters to new ones and fit. […]