Projects

Flash Sale

Our 2007 Land Rover Defender 110 is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. What makes this even more exciting is that, until

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More Painting

Mauro has been working on our 1976 Triumph Spitfire in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. He has painted the seat frames in DTM satin black

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Prep And Polyfan

Chris has had our 1963 Bentley S3 in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop. He has been rubbing down the polyfan in preparation for more

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Zephyr Repairs

Jonn has been completing some repairs on our 1964 Ford Zephyr 4. Here is what he said: Clean block around drive core plug. Looks OK.

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Competition Prep

Before our 2007 Land Rover Defender 110 goes live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions tomorrow, technician Neil has been giving it a checkover.

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SS100 Lights And Signals

The indicators weren’t working correctly on our 1939 Jaguar SS100. They were stripped and checked and diagnosed as needing a new flasher control unit. This

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Door Card

Lydia made an internal door card for the opening door on our 1905 Riley 9HP. She first made a template from paper to ensure the

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C-Type Door Card

Lydia has recently been making a pretend ‘door card ‘ to balance out the interior of our 2022 Bridge C-Type Replica. There is only one

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Chassis Rebuilding

Recently, we have started to refit the suspension and steering, and some brake components that have either been new parts or refurbished original parts that

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Things Are Happening

The near side lower corner of our 1960 Jensen 541R has been repaired by Alan. He also replaced both quarter-panel window rubber holders. Once all

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An E-Type Arrives

Tony recently collected our 1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster. When it arrived, James carried out a service/appraisal. He put the battery on charge and carried out

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More Jensen Progress

The heat shield on our 1956 Jensen 541 has been finished and the throttle pedal has been fitted. The vacuum valve and heater pipes were

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Appraisal

Workshop manager John recently conducted an appraisal of a 1968 Jaguar 240. Now that the car has been assessed by John, we look forward to

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Now Available To Win

Our 1976 MG Midget 1500 is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. It has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that is capable of

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Pre Delivery Inspection

Our 1982 Bedford HA has been undergoing its pre-delivery inspection with technician Jonn. While doing this, he put the jack and wheel brace in the

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Spitfire Repairs

Jonn has been working on our 1978 Triumph Spitfire in preparation for it to be won very soon through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Here’s what

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Flash Sale

Our 2007 Land Rover Defender 110 is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

What makes this even more exciting is that, until 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday 6th March), you can enter the draw for just £5.00

The 24 hour flash sale has begun…

More Painting

Mauro has been working on our 1976 Triumph Spitfire in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop.

He has painted the seat frames in DTM satin black as well as painting the rocker cover and air filter box in DTM silver.

Prep And Polyfan

Chris has had our 1963 Bentley S3 in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop. He has been rubbing down the polyfan in preparation for more to go on.

Once this was done, Chris then applied more polyfan to make sure everything was nice and straight.

Defenders don’t always have to be industrial looking

My Land Rover Defender is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned…at least that’s what I think right now.

Yes it’s industrial, yes it’s loud and bumpy but it’s great fun!

Having owned the car for a little while now I do my very best to keep on top of the general wear and tear that the Defender gets. I’ve sealed and treated the underside, I’ve corrected some paint imperfections, tidied a couple of areas in the rear compartment to make it more family friendly and less ‘workhorse’ and then recently I noticed that the centre hubs were starting to show signs of surface rust.

Not too big a job to fix and a huge difference to the overall kerb appeal. Great work from Mauro today, cleaning up the hubs and coating in a fresh layer of black DTM.

Zephyr Repairs

Jonn has been completing some repairs on our 1964 Ford Zephyr 4. Here is what he said:

Clean block around drive core plug. Looks OK. Leave and recheck in a bit. Upon rechecking there were signs of a small weep. Drain engine block and radiator. Flush rad with water. Clean block and fit new core plug with wellhead applied. Clean block drain tap and refit with PTFE tape.

SS100 Lights And Signals

The indicators weren’t working correctly on our 1939 Jaguar SS100. They were stripped and checked and diagnosed as needing a new flasher control unit. This was fitted and all the lights were tested fully, then the interior trims and carpets were refitted and checked.

Painting A Spitfire

Our 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 has recently been painted in the Bridge Classic Cars Paint shop.

Austin Devon Gear Box

Mauro has been prepping the gearbox of our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup for dtm black paint.

Front Wing And Servo

John has made the mesh to go on our 1959 Jensen 541R front wings, as requested by the owner of the car.

While John was doing that, James replaced the brake servo as, on a recent test drive, it was noted that the brakes were not quite as good as they could be. A replacement unit was fitted and the brakes were bled.

A Recent Photoshoot with our 1975 MGB GT V8

A cornerstone of the British sports car world. A car recognised and loved by so many for its usability, practicality, and it’s gorgeous looks. We are proud to offer for sale our 1975 MGB GT V8.

The most sought after of the MGB GT’s. Its elegant, sophisticated looks paired with the glorious rumble of the small block V8 are a recipe for a thrilling driving experience.

Our 1975 example is one of the 2591 V8 cars produced by MG between 1973 and 1976 and is one of the very best MGB’s we’ve had through our workshop. Finished in vibrant Maroon Red with Black accents, it is a classic and classy colour combination. The Rover sourced small-block V8 delivers 137BHP which was more than enough to get this small, nimble, and iconic sports car on the move quickly.

Interestingly, the V8 used in the MGB GT was the lightest V8 engine available at the time, so the V8 took 20 kilograms off the nose of these wonderful British cars compared to the 4-cylinder engine.

This car has a well-documented history with invoices from parts specialists as well as extensive MOT histories dating back to the early 1990s. The file also includes photos from its bare metal rebuild in the early 2010s with photographs of its journey for its next owner to pour over.

This car also features a fold back sunroof for those warm summers days where you can roll back the top and go out for a blast to enjoy that intoxicating V8 rumble and the playful dynamics of the MG’s handling.

One look at its famous slender grille and you can’t miss that glorious badge staring straight back at you with the simple “V8”. The car also features the multi-piece wheels which were a signature of the V8’s and special editions that came out during the cars production run.

This car was recently sold through our good friends over at Car & Classic.

Door Card

Lydia made an internal door card for the opening door on our 1905 Riley 9HP.

She first made a template from paper to ensure the correct shape, and then she cut this out from card. She then made her own design based on the pinstriping on the paintwork of the vehicle. She will affix this door card to the door when she has finished staining the wood, and the door handle has been altered and fixed on.

C-Type Door Card

Lydia has recently been making a pretend ‘door card ‘ to balance out the interior of our 2022 Bridge C-Type Replica. There is only one door, with a very small area that Lydia has made a covering for, so she had to work out something that would look good on the other side too. She first made a template from paper and checked this for size. She then used this to make the card shape and cut it out from leather. Then she marked the diamond pattern to mirror the other side and sewed this. The door card was finished with a piping edge to give it a nice finish.

Chassis Rebuilding

Recently, we have started to refit the suspension and steering, and some brake components that have either been new parts or refurbished original parts that we have overhauled to our 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4.

Things Are Happening

The near side lower corner of our 1960 Jensen 541R has been repaired by Alan. He also replaced both quarter-panel window rubber holders.

Once all the repairs on the underside of the body were complete, Alan masked out the parts that need sealing when they are attached to the body frame. He then blacked the whole underside of the body.

Bentley – Inspection and Repairs

Jon has now completed the inspection on our 1993 Bentley Turbo R. He’s carried out the necessary repairs which included; sorting the connections on the nearside headlight and main beam. He’s stripped the nearside door panel and repositioned the electric window switch.

The car has been taken off the ramp and a road test has been carried out.

It returned to the workshop with a belt squeal and steering is out to the right.

We have tightened the alternator belt.

The steering has been adjust and we’ve inflate all tyres to the correct pressure.

Fuel has been added and now the car is ready for the draw!

A New Competition Car

We have recently welcomed another car into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. This time it is our 1964 Ford Zephyr 4, which will soon go live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Jonn has been looking at our new arrival and here are his notes:

Top up gearbox and axle oils. Strip brakes and inspect. Remove offside front calliper.

Thoroughly degrease calliper and clean all components. Remove piston from calliper and found it badly pitted and unserviceable. Check rear brakes to find cylinders weeping, shoes contaminated and hub seals weeping. Order parts….. refit wheels and drums until parts arrive. Remove fuel tank sender. Strip and lubricate and free off. Refit and test, ok. Tidy wiring under bonnet.

Remove air filter and fixed throttle linkage. Cut small pieces of wood to use as battery security. Make small strap from alloy to hold down battery and cover in sticky back foam. Drill out inner wing and bolt up strap. Clean out washer bottle and top up and test. Adjust washer aim. Test dynamo charging. Remove dynamo and regulator to send for repair. Remove exhaust completely and take to Fab shop for repair. Suck out old fluid from both master cylinder reservoirs and top up with new.

An E-Type Arrives

Tony recently collected our 1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster.

When it arrived, James carried out a service/appraisal. He put the battery on charge and carried out a full inspection of the car. All the brakes and tyres were checked, including the pressure of the spare. The brakes were all good so James removed the carpet and inspected the plug to check the gear oil. This was ok, as was the rear diff oil.

James noticed slight oil leaks from the engine, high up and the rocker covers are showing signs of weeping. He checked all of the lights, washers, wipers, and signals. The horn was not working.

There was a small drop of oil on the rear diff and gearbox. The spare tyre was flat but the tyre and wheel rim were new with no visible puncture.

James went on to grease the rear suspension and drive shafts. The offside rear outer suspension arm was cracked slightly and the grease nipple was loose. The exhaust front pipe was slightly damaged on the lower edge which James thinks could be due to height.

The oil and filter were drained/replaced along with the air filter and spark plugs. Then James investigated the horn not working. The relay that controls the horn was checked, and the horns worked when powered separately. The earth from the steering wheel switch was checked as ok, but there was a live feed missing from the relay. This was traced back to the fuse box, there was no continuity through the fuse despite it looking to be in good condition. A replacement fuse was fitted, and the horns worked, the old fuse was found to be broken internally despite its external appearance.

He then moved on to the oil leak. Both rocker covers were removed, along with the camshaft end plates (these can leak too). All residue of excess sealant was removed from the old seals and mating areas, and then the correct sealant was added to the cylinder heads and rocker covers. New gaskets were fitted, the the covers were installed with new copper sealing washers and tightened. The oil residue was cleaned from the engine, and then new oil was added and the car was run up to recheck for leaks from the rocker covers area and new oil filter.

All maintenance points were greased and levels checked and topped up, tyres checked for pressure and depth, and lights and wiper operation confirmed ahead of an MOT test. The battery was charged but appears low still, so replacement is recommended. Visual inspection of brake and suspension components was all ok.

A busy week of deliveries

Tony’s had a busy week on the road this week. As I sit here writing this he is currently heading up the A65 on his way to the north of Scotland for the weekend to collect 5 (potentially 6) classic motorcycles.

But earlier in the week he delivered the incredible 1992 Rover Mini Italian Job to one very happy Brian. Brian has been waiting patiently for the winning car as we discovered a slight vibration during the Pre Delivery Inspection and we did not want him to have the car until we had resolved the issue.

James accepted delivery of his 1982 Bedford HA van. Although James resides some distance from us here in Suffolk he has a vehicle storage facility close to our door so the journey we were expecting to have ended up a few hundred miles shorter. James is an avid collector of classic cars and we are lead to believe this win is the 16th classic he has in his collection. Enjoy the car James.

But the Alfa Romeo, recently won by double winner Lee is staying with us in our Hangar for a little while as Lee prepares his home for the new arrival. Lee would rather not see his Alfa sitting on the driveway whilst his building works continues so has instantly opted to have the vehicle dry stored with us and we expect to rearrange the delivery for early May.

Inspection And Repairs – E-Type

Classic car technician has been taking a look at our beautiful 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5

While working on the car he refitted the nearside front bumper trim and swapped the spare wheel with the offside rear and knocked it up tight. He then cleaned and reglued the boot seal.

Jonn also tightened the nearside rear front shock absorber top bolt before checking all fluid levels (these were fine).

He went on to fit new exhaust nuts to the downpipe flange. After adjusting the washer jets, Jonn fitted O rings to the bonnet rear grille and secured them.

The road test of our E-Type went very well and Jonn was happy with the result.

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.

More Jensen Progress

The heat shield on our 1956 Jensen 541 has been finished and the throttle pedal has been fitted. The vacuum valve and heater pipes were also fitted.

Paul removed the handbrake mounts before painting and refitting them.

Paul made a finishing strip for the rear shelf of our 541 to hide some holes where the suspension mounts poke through. Lydia used foam built up in layers to graduate the slope to the wooden bar. She also applied a very thin layer of foam to the shelf to smooth over any imperfections in the fibreglass. Next, this was covered with a layer of black leather. 

Latest cars for sale on MyClassics

We seen a few cars added this week to our ‘free to buy, free to sell’ website MyClassics.

First up, (and I do very much have a soft spot for these), is a lovely 2010 Fiat 500 1.2 Pop currently available from LRH Cars in Hadleigh, Suffolk. The car comes with a comprehensive service history and has also had its timing/cambelt and water pump replaced at 43778 miles on 17/08/2016.

It also has many supporting invoices for servicing including some not stamped in the book and this would be a fantastic little starter car or daily runner with the Insurance Group being just 5U.

For more information on the Fiat 500 contact LRH Cars.

Next up, a ridiculously rare 1988 Vauxhall Belmont Jubilee Edition, believed to be the only one left in existence and one of only twenty three Belmont’s left on the road. Available now, having just gone through the MOT after a light recommission.

Also, listed on MyClassics is a 1985 Austin Mini Mayfair (Berkeley). The car is a very rare Wood & Pickett Mini Mayfair ‘Berkeley’. It has a soft-top, bull-bars, walnut dash, Mountney leather steering wheel and Wolfrace alloys to name a few of the conversion parts. Covering just 29500 miles it has spent most of the last 25 years under cover in storage.

Steve Burkinshaw, the Mini Cooper Register coachbuilt Mini expert, has helped confirm the provenance and rarity as well as confirming that all of my information fits with it being a genuine W&P.

Regarding provenance and the vehicle’s story, we believe that only 3 of these particular Minis were commissioned or still exist. Henlys of Berkeley Square, who owned W&P at the time, commissioned a small number of these vehicles. The service book confirms that it was sold by Henlys with the dealers stamp and the original number plate of C121 BYW was confirmed as a London Reg. Likewise the additions on the vehicle such as the Wolfrace alloys and bull-bars were typical of W&P conversions.

It singles itself out however, as instead of W&P on the detail line around the car, it says “Berkeley”. It also has this on the boot lid. Steve Burkinshaw had only heard of 3 of these mini’s being commissioned so there is a chance for someone to own a particularly rare mini.

If you have a car or number plate to sell, MyClassics is our gift to you. No buyer fees or seller fees involved in any of the cars on our website. If you are looking to buy, simply log on and if you find a car you like you can speck directly to the seller. Alternatively, if you have a car or plate to sell, list it via MyClassics and get it seen my thousands of car enthusiasts.

Radio And speakers

Neil has been working on the radio and speakers of our 1968 Triumph Spitfire.

Appraisal

Workshop manager John recently conducted an appraisal of a 1968 Jaguar 240.

Now that the car has been assessed by John, we look forward to welcoming it back into the workshop to complete the necessary work very soon.

ABS Mounting Bracket

Mauro has been painting the ABS mounting bracket for our 1987 Mercedes 500SL.

Now Available To Win

Our 1976 MG Midget 1500 is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

It has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that is capable of delivering a driving experience that is both exciting and enjoyable. Paired with a four-speed manual gearbox, the Midget offers a fun and reliable drive.

Designed as a small, affordable sports car, the MG Midget was a popular choice for those seeking the thrill of open-top driving without sacrificing practicality, and now you can own this one!

All the information you need is available on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Pre Delivery Inspection

Our 1982 Bedford HA has been undergoing its pre-delivery inspection with technician Jonn.

While doing this, he put the jack and wheel brace in the van ready for it to be delivered to its new owner.

Spitfire Repairs

Jonn has been working on our 1978 Triumph Spitfire in preparation for it to be won very soon through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Here’s what Jonn did:

  • Drain oil and filter
  • Strip and fit new offside front wheel bearing
  • Fit new oil filter and refit sump bung
  • Fill with oil, run and test
  • Check and top up oil
  • Use electrical contact cleaner on the hazard switch and work back and forth until all working ok
  • Adjust both mirrors
  • Lube throttle and choke linkages
  • Carry out tracking, check and adjust

A Rare Vehicle Returns

Our very special one of one 1905 Riley 9HP has returned to the workshop after being handpainted.

As you can tell from the photos, it looks very different to how it did when it left, but there’s no denying it looks as good now as it would have done over 100 years ago.