LANCE and Merlin look at two Aston Martins in very different conditions. One is a rare V8 Vantage X-Pack 580X, one of only a few hundred made, which despite only having 30,000 miles on the clock is having some engine trouble. The other is a shell of a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 which Lance will be using as the base for a Zagato replica, an 18 month project that will test his skills as one of the country's leading metalwork experts. The engine is being built by Aston Martin around $125,000, and the finished car should fetch over $1.25 million.
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00Master Craftsman Lance McCormack owns one of Britain's best classic car restoration
00:05businesses, Romance of Rust. Helping him manage it is his son Merlin, the cutting-edge salesman,
00:12who also runs his own classic car dealership. Together they turn Rust to riches.
00:18Today, Lance and Merlin look at two Aston Martins in very different conditions, demonstrating
00:24the extremes of work they do, from tweaks and tune-ups to full rebuilds. And this first
00:30project will test Lance's skill as one of the country's leading metalwork experts.
00:34Right, what we've got here is an Aston Martin DB4, or at least the platform chassis and the
00:39superstructure of one. We've removed all the aluminium panels. We're going to be creating
00:44a Zagato replica. What you've got here is, along with the roof lines, possibly the only
00:51identifiable piece. This is where the grille would be, the DB4 grille, in here, and you
00:56can see the classic Aston shape. All steel, and it's called a platform chassis. So it's
01:01all folded box section, and that's for lightness. Everything about this was lightness, lightness.
01:08Launched in about 1958-59, the DB4 was an instant success. It went through various guises, you
01:17know, series, one, two, three, four, five. Then the five came out, which we know as the
01:21James Bond car. But this is where it all came from. And in fact, like this, there's very
01:25little to tell between that. It's only the outer panels that really gave it the James Bond
01:31shape, you know, that we know and love. Zagato were quite a flamboyant coachbuilders, very notable
01:38for making beautiful cars. And the DB4 Zagato was sanctioned by Aston Martin, who sent them these
01:46type of bodies, and they converted them and put beautiful sculptural bodies on them. They clothed
01:52them in aluminium, you know, even more flamboyant than this car was. Those cars are worth about five
01:58million. Our one finished would be just over a million pounds, but it'd be a faithful replica
02:03of a Zagato. You know, I've even got the engine being built by Aston Martin at a cost of a hundred
02:09thousand, and it with a GT twin plug head. So once I've completed the Zagato conversion, it would be
02:15unrecognisable. As exciting as the conversion process is, Lance has a lot of work ahead of him.
02:21Now, I do the metal work, the panel work. A friend of mine supplies me with the aluminium skins
02:26in a very crude form, that's the outer panels. I have to be responsible for the augmentation of
02:32this body, the closing up of the wheelbase by five inches, so we're about to make a fixture that
02:36allows for that to be measured once we've put the cuts in exactly the right place. These here,
02:41this is like the rib cage, this is a sill section that would all come off and be replaced with a
02:45metal of course. It's not going to be like an absolute facsimile. That's not the requirement
02:50of the customer. I mean, the rear axle will look correct from underneath, but we'll house a DB7
02:55axle, a better axle. There'll be improvements along the way, but essentially the silhouette,
03:00the general feel, the ride will be a bit better because obviously we progressed a bit on suspension
03:05technology. So there's a year and a half's work here for me. Not solid year and a half, but this will be my
03:10friend, enemy, confidant for about a year and a half. Outside, Lance joins Merlin to take a look
03:16at a rare Aston Martin, in much more recognisable condition. This one's special. So this is an 89
03:23V8 V8 X-Pack, 580X. There's only a few under them made. How many miles has this done?
03:30It's done 30,000 miles from you. 30,000. And that colour? If this wasn't an X-Pack, we'd be looking at a value of
03:37about 90,000 to 100,000. But in its current state, as an X-Pack, 240,000 to 150,000. Pop the bonnet and see
03:46if there's something gone wrong with the actual linkage itself, yeah? But despite its low mileage,
03:51the car is experiencing engine trouble. If something idles, it's showing that not all is wrong.
03:59You know, if there's something seriously wrong, you won't get it idling. Idling is a delicate little
04:04phase. But on the acceleration there, it could be that the points have just closed up. It's
04:09simple as that. Or it could be a diaphragm has gone on the fuel pump or the carburetor.
04:15But what we do with that, because, you know, I'll go as far as I can with looking,
04:19and if it's something I can manually do. But what we tend to do at this stage is give it to our rolling
04:24road man, who has computer diagnostics. He sticks probes up the exhaust and, like,
04:29sensors on the engine and the computers don't like, generally speaking.
04:33I don't think this screwdriver is going to cure that.
04:43It's not terminally ill, but it needs diagnostics. Wednesday, she will dance again.
04:49Next time on Rust to Riches.
04:51This is a genuine 396SS, of which there really are only a handful in the country.
04:59It's clear to me that this one has been a huge number of GUYs.
05:02With the highest number of GUYs ofEu wastewater, it's not a huge number of GUYs.
05:03You can see it inside the lake, somewhere you've got a huge number of GUYs.
05:04Whatever you do with this one has been a DJ, a big number of GUYs.
05:06I mean, it's great.
05:07It's weird.
05:08It's great to see it on you.
05:09I love you.
05:10But personally, I love you.
05:13Yes, guys.
05:14I love you.
05:15Love you.
05:16Love you.
05:17Everybody lives.
05:18I love you.
05:19I love you.
05:21Love you.
05:23I love you.
05:24I love you.
05:24I love you.
05:25I love you.
05:26I love you.
05:27I love you.