News

The Mystery Stopper

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

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Top And Tail

Our new 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI is getting some top to bottom TLC, starting with the top! The ceiling cloth was in need

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Moves like Jaguar

From purring to roaring, we’ve seen this Jaguar E-Type race car grow from start to finish. The project itself has been the epitome of Bridge

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Meet The Team: Tom

Tom is our level 3 apprentice, studying classic car mechanics with the aim to graduate as a fully-fledged classic car technician. Growing up, Tamas enjoyed

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Friday Snapshot

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

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New Addition

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

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Sitting Tight

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

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Amphicar Updates

Our trim technician Kath has made and fitted the convertible roof hood cover that can be placed over the roof when its collapsed down. Making

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Welcome Back Home

Craig’s Suzuki GSX400 Custom has come back from Demand Engineering where the exhaust was being fitted. It was a tough decision between a short or

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Tweaks And Tidy Ups

Our new 1994 Land rover – Range Rover TDI has just joined the family but needs some TLC before its ready to go. These refurbishments

Read More »

New Arrivals

We’ve recently welcomed a 1994 Land Rover – Range Rover TDI into the Bridge Classic Car family. There’s a lot of work to do on

Read More »

Feeling Blue

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

Read More »

Recent Photoshoots

We’ve done two mini photoshoots recently up at the hanger at Bentwaters. Check out the photos below! 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged 1979 Mini Clubman Estate

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Watertight

The Amphicar is getting closer to being water worthy! We’ve installed a bow light with a stern light also optional, which can be taken on

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Sky’s The Limit

Our Morris Minor 1000 has had its convertible roof repaired meaning the customer will now be able to enjoy the open sky or the comfort

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Morris Minor Has Its Wires Crossed

The Morris Minor 1000’s indicator stalk had some soldering that our technician Adam found to have perished with age. It was originally covered in tape which had begun to unwind.

To fix the issues, Adam re soldered and covered the wires with heat shrink covering to ensure no liquids or debris can interrupt the solder joints.

Amphicar’s New Electrics

Our Electrics specialist, Adam, has recently replaced the fuse box and propeller control switch in our 1965 Amphicar.

Here are the before and after shots:

The Mystery Stopper

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 inside the cylinder block. If Ady’s keen eyes hadn’t noticed, this would have led to a total engine strip and rebuild in the workshop later down the line!

Luckily he noticed and managed to remove it before it did too much damage. A new one has now been fitted.

The Peony Red Jensen 541S has had its engine refurbished by our engine specialist. A new steel tube has been installed as well as a distributor, water pump and oil filter housing.

Top And Tail

Our new 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI is getting some top to bottom TLC, starting with the top! The ceiling cloth was in need of some refurbishment, so Kath, one of our Trim specialists took it apart and re-glued that fabric.

Although the ceiling cloth didn’t need a total replacement, some of the fabric had come loose which meant that Kath had to peel back the fabric, pull it tight and then re-glue it.

After making sure all the fabric had been glued back down, Kath turned the ceiling fitting around and pulled the fabric over the edges to make sure it all stuck. The end result was a smart refurbished ceiling cloth. Good as new!

Moves like Jaguar

From purring to roaring, we’ve seen this Jaguar E-Type race car grow from start to finish. The project itself has been the epitome of Bridge Classic Cars, to prove what we can do.

This 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 Series 1 came in in 2016 as nothing more than a beaten up shell that had been sat in a barn. After a full nut and bolt restoration, a lot of hard work and planning from the whole team, it now resembles a beautiful custom race car.

You can read its full story here.

Then:

Now:

The underbelly of the beast:

The significance of the number 17 on the side is that the project started in 2017. Its been a long road but we’re excited to see this stunning car come to life.

Now the car is finished, it will have a full photoshoot and will be auctioned off to be sold. Keep your eyes peeled for its official photoshoot!

Meet The Team: Tom

Tom is our level 3 apprentice, studying classic car mechanics with the aim to graduate as a fully-fledged classic car technician.

Growing up, Tamas enjoyed restoring modern classics with his brother. From there, his fascination with engineering and classic restorations began.

“I’ve always been around cars and interested in how they work.”

When Tom came to the UK, he started a course in Classic Car Restoration in Leeds which set the foundations for a growing career in the classic car world.

In 2018, Tom then took up a job at a classic car restoration company that specialised in Porches and took up a level 2 apprenticeship in mechanics at the Colchester Institute. When Tom came to work at Bridge Classic Cars in September 2019, he started on his level 3 apprenticeship with the Colchester Institute.

Tom has the interest to further his career in electric cars which is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the world of engineering.

One of the biggest cars the year Tom was the McLaren F1. Celebrities such as Elon Musk, Rowan Atkinson and the Sultan of Brunei have owned the famous car. In 2017 Top Gear Magazine, listed it as one of the fastest naturally aspirated cars currently available in the world.

Trim time for the 500SL

Now the exterior colour of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been chosen we are now on to the decision of our interior.

All interior components are now down off the shelf and in the Trim Shop with Kath and Brian ready to be rebuilt to our bespoke specifications.

The colour will be chosen within the coming weeks, very little will be original and the interior will be completely transformed…so watch this space!

Friday Snapshot

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 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.

New Mustang In The Stable

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.

New Arrivals

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.

Competition Winner Delivery

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!

Chrome parts and guest cars

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.

Morris Minor Is Full Steam Ahead

Kath has recently refurbished the sun visors in the Morris Minor 1000 as the old ones had deteriorated. This freshening up included drawing around the old visors, swing the edge and across the top and then carefully hand stitching around the metal rod. Once finished, it was ready for Scott to fit as seen below.

Scott, one of our other technicians has been doing a lot of work on the Morris Minor such as:

  • Fitting the rear bumper
  • Applying a new seal on the differential and putting the prop shaft back on
  • Installing the gearbox tunnel
  • Adding door cards and interior handles
  • Fitting the carpet and rear seats
  • Bolting the front passenger seat
  • Installing new mirrors
  • Adding a new exhaust
  • Adding the wooden floor into the boot

Door panels for the 504

The door panels have been made up in the trim shop and fitted into the 504. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together with this project.

Fitting these door panels include measuring up the leather, allowing holes for the handles, buttons and window winders, adding in fluting and then fitting it all in place at the end.

The Peugeot has also had newly restored will installed from Wheelworx in Bury St Edmunds.

New Addition

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!

Sitting Tight

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.

Soft Spot For The Spitfire

We’ve had this beautiful 1971 Triumph Spitfire in for work before, so its nice to have it back in for another check-up! Unfortunately, the diagnosis is a blown gasket, but its no trouble for our skilled technicians. This red beauty will be back up and running in no time!

The blown gasket:

The new gasket:

Amphicar Updates

Our trim technician Kath has made and fitted the convertible roof hood cover that can be placed over the roof when its collapsed down.

Making this included measuring it up, attaching stud buttons, and finally fitting it in place.

Our technician Tom has fitted a radiator surround, air filter and pipe as well as refreshing the paint on the bumper brackets and refurbished the bonnet chrome pieces.

The Amphicar has had a new fuel out let pipe and tank vent pipe installed, with fresh welding in the fuel tank so the vehicle now complies with the regulations to allow it to go on the water. We ran some tests on the new pieces and all the welding held up fine however we discovered a leak coming from the fuel tank. In response to this, we removed the rust and retested for leaks. Once we ensured everything was good, it was sent to the paint shop!

Welcome Back Home

Craig’s Suzuki GSX400 Custom has come back from Demand Engineering where the exhaust was being fitted. It was a tough decision between a short or long exhaust but the choice was made to go for the shorter option.

It is now ready to be reassembled and the rest of the refurbishments made!

Tweaks And Tidy Ups

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.

New Arrivals

We’ve recently welcomed a 1994 Land Rover – Range Rover TDI into the Bridge Classic Car family. There’s a lot of work to do on it, such as fitting interior, refurbishing the ceiling cloth, repainting and servicing just to start!

We’re mulling over what colour we’d like to paint our new Range Rover but its likely to stick with the blue theme.

Once this work is finished, we have a decision to make… competition car? or re-sale? Stay tuned!

We teased this 1974 Lime Green VW Beetle when we bought it and after a long drive down from Buckie, Scotland, it’s now safely tucked up in our Hanger, ready to be photographed and launched very soon!

Centre Console Fitted In The Grey Jensen.

This week the centre console trims have been made and fitted in the 1960 Jensen 541R. The first step was to make the top piece, which was sewn and piped by our interior trim technician Kath, before passing it over to Brian.

Once the leather top piece had been passed to Brian, our other interior trim technician, he added foam padding and made the rest of the centre console.

Now assembled, it can now be fitted into the Jensen.

Feeling Blue

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.

Opinion: Lewis Hamilton Deserves To Be Knighted

With his recent 7th Grand Prix win, Lewis Hamilton has now become the joint-most successful F1 driver of all time, drawing with Michael Schumacher.

Image Credit: Macau Photo Agency

His hard work and determination have already given him a career of 94 wins and 97 podium finishes. Hamilton’s success is clearly shown through the astonishing statistic that he has won more than 1 in 3 Grand Prix races he’s ever entered.

There are now strong calls for Hamilton to receive a knighthood for his sportsmanship. Hamilton did receive an MBE in 2008 after his debut championship race, however, he has so far been denied the higher honours among claims that Buckingham Palace is rethinking how titles are being given out.

With his great sporting achievements and amazing track record, fans hope for his name to be called in the New Years Honours list.

Lewis Hamilton has always and continues to stand as an amazing role model for children not only in the UK but around the world. In his comments as he crossed the finish line on Sunday, Hamilton said:

“Thank you so much, guys. That’s for all the kids out there who dream the impossible. You can do it too man! I believe in you guys! Thank you so much, everyone, for your support.”

Recent Photoshoots

We’ve done two mini photoshoots recently up at the hanger at Bentwaters. Check out the photos below!

1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged

1979 Mini Clubman Estate

Introducing the 1999 Mercedes 280SL

We’re still got our beautiful 1999 Mercedes 280SL up for grabs and tonight is the Double Your Odds draw!

You can check that out this evening on Facebook Live and head over to our competitions website here.

Take a look at the photos we shot below!

Jensen Owners Magazine – November

We were featured in the November-December 2020 issue of Jensen’s Owners Club Magazine for a Jensen 541S we restored a few years back for Ronald Everaert who recently wrote a piece for the magazine about his Jensen.

One of our favourite parts of restoring cars is being able to see the owners enjoy their pride and joys again, ready to make more memories in. It’s particularly lovely to hear from them via photos and articles such as this!

Watertight

The Amphicar is getting closer to being water worthy! We’ve installed a bow light with a stern light also optional, which can be taken on and off when needed. This means when the Amphicar is out on the water at night, other ships can see it!

Adam, our electrical specialist has also redone the connection block. This has been refurbished to make them easier to access if any repairs or tweaking has to be done in future!

With these fixes made, the Amphicar is steadily getting closer to completion after its recent boat MOT. You can see the check list we were provided below:

Peugeot 504’s Interior Make Over

There’s been a lot going on with our Peugeot 504, especially in the trim shop.

Our trim technician Brian has been working on applying new vinyl to the boot side panels which have been applied to the originals. The sills have been glued in place and new chrome pieces have been added to the door panels. Brian has also added deadening to the centre console around the gearbox.

Our other trim technician, Kath has also been working on the 504. Heres the before and after:

But all of that wasnt just at the click of a fingers! Here’s what happened:

  • The centre console was created
  • The mats were sized up to check they fit
  • The section under the front and rear seat was carpeted
  • Gear stick gaiter made and fitted
  • Hand break gaiter made and fitted
  • Sills made, fitted and edges bound.
  • Holes made in the footwell mat for the pedals, the mat is then glued in place.
  • Glue the centre console carpet and then the centre console is fitted.
  • Carpets and panels were fitted
  • The squab was then added back in and screwed into place
  • The hood was repaired, patching the holes and refurbishing the studs.
  • A tool bag was made and added to the boot.

The 504 has also received new refurbished window winder mechanisms.

The Jensen Reclaims It’s Voice

Black Jensen 541R has had its horns repositioned to ensure that they miss the radiator which has now been repositioned for the electric fan .

Then a new bonnet safety catch was fitted.

Sky’s The Limit

Our Morris Minor 1000 has had its convertible roof repaired meaning the customer will now be able to enjoy the open sky or the comfort of a closed top.

Our specialist electrical engineer, Adam, has also been working on the Morris Minor with a fresh loom installation.

It’s great to see our iconic Morris Minor making such big improvements, all thanks to our talented team of technicians!

Peony Red’s new motor

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…

Meet The Team: The Trim Shop

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.

Meet Kath

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.”

Meet Brian

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.

Meet Rosie

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!