1997 Rover Mini

A piece of Bridge Classic Cars at Virginia Auto Show 2024

Back in July 2022 we surprised David with the amazing news that he had won our 1997 Rover Mini. Soon after, he visited our Suffolk workshops in person to see the car for himself.

Almost 2 years on, as I scroll through my feed I recognised a familiar car pop up in a post on the ISMOC Facebook page. That’s our Mini…currently parked up on display at the 2024 Virginia Auto Show and the story has been posted by David! It’s always a joy to see or hear that our competition cars are being used, showed and enjoyed.

And even more lovely to see comments from admirers all over the world. Our competitions are being seen and enjoyed from all over the world, how amazing is that?

If you want to be our next winner, check out Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and maybe we’ll soon be calling you, just like we did for David.

Catching Up With A Winner

Back in July last year, David Renn was the lucky winner of our 1997 Rover Mini through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

We recently heard from David who had taken his Mini to a car show in his local area. As you can see from the photos below, not only does the Mini look great, David’s Bridge Classic Cars t-shirt looks very cool too.

We love to see past winners enjoying their classic cars and we hope David continues to enjoy his 1997 Rover Mini.

Winners Circle – Winners of the 1997 Rover Mini Come to Meet Their Car

We welcomed David and Bonnie to the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ to meet their new classic! The 1997 Rover Mini.

We couldn’t wait to see their reaction to meeting the bright red Mini in the flesh and it didn’t disappoint.

We want to wish them both many happy and safe miles with the little Mini and can’t wait to see the adventures it goes on.

Fitted – Work on the 1997 Rover Mini

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been working on the 1997 Rover Mini for its new owner.

The first job was to replace the tie-bar bushes. The old ones had perished and begun to knock slightly so the team have gone through and replaced the old ones with brand new pieces.

The next job was to track down and fix a small coolant leak which the team tracked down to a small cut in a coolant hose which was immediately replaced and the system topped up.

The final job was to solve the slight knock from the front-end which was caused by a worn-out subframe bushing. The team have swapped that our for a brand new piece and secured down, road tested and then given the green light.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1957 MG A Roadster & 1997 Rover Mini

Last night the live draw of the 1957 MG A Roadster and the 1997 Rover Mini from Bridge Classic Cars.

The Mini was so popular it had sold out by Wednesday morning!

Going into the live draw though, there were still quite a few tickets remaining on the classic MGA. But, as the live stream began at 7pm on our Facebook page people were still getting their last-minute tickets before the competition closed at 7:10.

As always, the team gave all of our viewers a look around the other classic cars in our new competition building. Including some very special upcoming competitions… make sure to sign up to our mailing list to get the inside scoop on what’s coming!

But, it was time to find out who our very lucky winners were!

As always the entry lists are published beforehand on the website. The Mini list had been up for several days, so as we waited for the MGA list to go live, the team ran the draw for the 1997 Rover Mini.

We use a google random number generator to pick a winner. Hayley at the controls of the laptop, made sure that everything was working just as it should do with a few tests and the commenters gave the team that the stream was coming through nice and clear. So, the team set the numbers between 1 and 3999.

And just like that, the winner had been decided. 2228 – A ticket which had been allocated to David Renn.

As the fate of the Mini was being decided, the entry list for the MG A went live.

Next, we had to find out who had won our amazing 1950s sports car. Not all of the 6666 tickets had sold when the competition closed, so as the team again used the random number generator to find a winner – it took a couple of tries to land on a number which had been allocated to one lucky person.

That happened to be Stephen Walton with ticket number 6294.

We want to wish both winners congratulations on their new dream classics.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1993 Land Rover Defender 90

Slightly out of synch with the usual competition calendar this week. The Bridge Classic Cars team are bringing you two live draws! This Thursday the 1957 MG A Roadster and 1997 Rover Mini will be won at 7pm on our Facebook page. But last night, we found out who the lucky new owner of our 1993 Land Rover Defender was.

At 7pm exactly, the team went live across the internet. In the hour previously, it almost looked like the Mini was going to be drawn too! But, while we waited to see if this was going to happen Hayley and Freddie took all our amazing followers on a look around the stable of stunning classics which are kept safe and dry in our new competition building. Some of these are customers’ cars which have either been finished by our restoration workshops or are in storage while parts are on their way to our Suffolk HQ.

But, a few of them may or may not be upcoming competition cars…

After going around the eclectic mix of incredible machines, it was time for the team to find out the future of the 1993 Land Rover Defender 90. The competition had actually sold out early that day, so just like all of our competitions the entry lists are published on our website with every ticket number that had been bought with the corresponding name.

To find out who would be getting this stunning Corris Grey off-roader delivered directly to their door, the team use Google Random Number Generator. So, after testing that everything was working correctly with numbers outside the criteria. Hayley entered for the programme to choose between 1 and 3499. With a single click of the button, we had a winner.

Ticket number 2525 – The lucky number allocated to David. As always, we do try to contact the winners live on the Facebook stream but we had to leave David a voicemail to let him know the amazing news.

Remember! You could win a dream classic again this week. Although the 1997 Rover Mini completely sold out overnight, there is still incredible odds on the 1957 MG A Roadster – Enter now and you could be the new owner of this beautiful piece of sports car history.

Or, to rewatch the live draw, check out the video below:

Behind the Scenes – Photographing the 1997 Rover Mini

It’s the latest competition car from Bridge Classic Cars! This stunning 1997 Rover Mini is now live and ready to be won.

The classic Mini happily made its way over from our workshop to The Hangar in preparation for filming after being given a clean bill of health during its workshop inspection by the team.

Then, it was time for the team to get to work on capturing this amazing Metallic Maroon driver-focused classic Mini for you to enter. The 1275cc 4-cylinder engine was the perfect soundtrack through the twin exhausts, paired with the clubman buckets, harnesses and the half-cage. This Mini takes advantage of the wider body arches with wider wheels finished in anthracite grey, giving you the confidence to keep pushing and reach its full potential.

The pint-sized bruiser couldn’t help but make each of us smile either driving it or seeing it. It was poised and purposeful, ready to take on anything a good B-Road could throw at it.

And now, it could be yours. This 1997 Rover Mini is now live and waiting to be won by one very lucky winner. Click here to enter now and get your tickets for this incredible classic Mini.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1968 Morris Minor Van

Last night, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions found out who the lucky winner of the 1968 Morris Minor Van was and as always, we live streamed it on our Facebook page!

Moments before the live stream started, the classic Morris van sold out completely!

The night began with a walkaround of our new competitions building with Hayley and Freddie showing everyone watching along what we’ve got coming up and what is currently live on our Competitions website.

Then, Hayley handed over to our director Craig for a brief tour around our restoration workshop to show you a very special moment where we had 3 Jensen 541’s in for work, all in different stages of their build. From a bare chassis back from sandblasting to a full rebuilt frame and then a finished and complete 541R.

But, it was time to give the audience what they had been waiting for. Finding out just who had won the classic Morris Minor Van. So, using our random number generator and pre-published entry list the team began the process.

As Hayley input the numbers between 1 and 4199 in the number generator the anticipation built. Messages of luck were shared between total strangers on the internet wishing each other well. Then with one click of a button, the new owner had been found.

Robert Cargill had been allocated ticket 1124 – The number that had appeared on the random number generator and checked against our entry list.

After finding his details, Hayley gave him a ring live on the Facebook stream with possible the best reaction we have ever had to a competition. Robert and his wife were absolutely ecstatic with their new classic Morris Minor!

Remember, you could be getting that phone call too! There are always new dream classics going up on our Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website for you to enter, head over there now and get your tickets!

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12

First of all, congratulations to David! He won the 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12 during last night’s draw with ticket number 2631 but, along with the live draw the team gave all of our audience a look around some of the other cars stored in our new building.

The Jaguar Sovereign V12 was the main event of the evening but it was surrounded by either current or possible future competition cars and some amazing restoration/customer cars we keep on site. Hayley and Freddie went all through the classic Jaguar showing everyone watching along on the live stream the fine details and modern luxuries which came as standard when the Sovereign V12 was new.

Then, Hayley handed it over to Nick who went through a little bit about our new online classic sales platform MyClassics. An overview of how, why, what and where it exactly is and that it sits with the enthusiasts at heart, whether that be buying or selling a classic it was designed just for them.

A quick look around the fantastic and eclectic mix of classics stored in our new building from a customers 1932 Lagonda Tourer in for our incredible trim team to work on all the way to a modern Triumph Street Twin motorcycle.

But, everyone watching along wanted to know the answer to the ultimate question which hung in the air. Who did the 1985 Sovereign V12 belong to? We also wanted to find out. Heading over to the screen, the team began that process.

Using our pre-published entry lists (these are generated after ticket sales close or the competition sells out) the team verified that the tickets were within the range of between 1 and 3333. Then, it was over to the Google Random Number Generator to let lady luck take control. Hayley set the criteria and as the screen became awash with whirring numbers, the anticipation rose.

Finally, it landed on a number. 2631.

Consulting the entry list, that particular ticket number had been purchased by David Graham. The new owner of the 1985 Jaguar Sovereign V12. So, as we do with all our live draws we gave him a ring to give him the good news.

When David answered, he was thrilled. He had entered for the Sovereign after always wanting a classic to join in with his friends who restore and enjoy classics up in Scotland and now he has his Jaguar V12 to get involved in the fun!

You can rewatch the live draw on the video below:

This Just In – 1997 Rover Mini

Bridge Classic Cars welcomed this 1997 Rover Mini to our Suffolk HQ.

The classic Mini will be inspected and assessed by the various restoration teams here at our workshop. This is a later version of the Rover Mini with a fuel injected 1275cc engine and has been modified both inside and out but the team will go through the entire car to check over and compile their report.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the wonderful 1997 Rover Mini.