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Mike and Elvis are going global. This time, the stakes are higher, the deadlines tighter and the motor transformations are more jaw-dropping than ever.
Mike and Elvis are going global. This time, the stakes are higher, the deadlines tighter and the motor transformations are more jaw-dropping than ever.
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MotorTranscript
00:00Well, here we are, mate, in Nice, the start of our French adventure.
00:07You're going to love this, because I've lined up some wicked transportation.
00:11I tread to think.
00:15Could you not have got off a better car?
00:17Well, I'm holding the favour of a friend.
00:23I'll be honest with you, though, when he sent me the pictures,
00:25they were black and white, and I can see why now.
00:28But no, I think it's great.
00:30I mean, look, we can touch the scenery around us.
00:33We can touch the grapevines. Look at them.
00:36And we're here in the south of France in an open-sided vehicle.
00:40With me, mate, going to see a classic car, it doesn't get much better than this.
00:45And the best thing is we don't look at all silly.
00:47No, we don't. We look really serious car buyers.
00:54After wheeling and dealing our way across the UK, fixing up hundreds of cars,
00:59it's time for a new challenge.
01:01Look at you.
01:02You had a mullet.
01:03At least they had coloured cameras when I did mine.
01:05Yours are still black and white.
01:06So we're setting off on a global adventure.
01:09to buy some of the world's most iconic cars.
01:15Listen to the sound!
01:17And with the help of local wheeler dealers...
01:19A funny, a Quattorote.
01:21Yeah, yeah.
01:22...rescue these national treasures.
01:24I'll tell you what, brother, she's pretty tidy under here.
01:27...and make a few euros or dollars.
01:29You got yourself a deal.
01:31Well done.
01:32And Lottie in the process.
01:33Oh, you've got a convertible! Look at that!
01:37This has been a boyhood dream.
01:39Look at this!
01:51Hey!
01:52We're just outside Montpellier in the south of France on the doorstep of Toulouse.
01:57We're in the rural area.
01:58It's just fantastic, innit?
02:00Amazing, mate!
02:01Oh, God, I'll take you away!
02:02It's beautiful, isn't it?
02:04I would love to know what we're buying.
02:07And we're in France, so I've got some guesses.
02:10It's going to be either a Citroen, a Renault or a Peugeot.
02:14It's probably one of those three, right?
02:16Down here, they love their little vans.
02:19So Citroen made the 2CV car.
02:22We're not doing a 2CV.
02:24No, we're not doing a 2CV.
02:26However, the Citroen 2CV also became a van called the Forgonette.
02:31It did.
02:33While Italy had the Fiat 500 and Germany the Beetle,
02:38in France it was the 2CV that mobilised the masses.
02:42It was brilliantly designed to be cheap, rugged and easy to fix.
02:47Which is just as well, with a target market of farmers
02:51who were still relying on a horse and cart.
02:54The Forgonette or van version only broadened the 2CV's appeal
02:58with its spacious load bay and distinctive corrugated sides.
03:02And the nation fell in love with the iconic little Citroen.
03:05A love that endures today.
03:09It's such a rare thing, especially back home.
03:11I mean, I'm not sure I've actually ever seen one
03:13other than being used at a festival for a coffee van.
03:16Exactly.
03:17In fact, 9 times out of 10, wherever you go to a city here in France,
03:21you'll see a coffee shop or a patisserie.
03:24And parked outside will be a little Citroen,
03:27either a HY van or a Forgonette outside promoting their business.
03:32So I'm hoping that we can buy one, fix it up a little bit
03:36and get it sold here within region.
03:40We're on our way to meet a chap called Thierry,
03:43who's invited us to his understated little chateau,
03:46where he has a couple of Forgonettes on offer.
03:49Mate, I know how to deliver us in style.
03:56Hello.
03:57How are you, sir?
03:58I'm fine.
03:59I'm Mike.
04:00Very nice to meet you.
04:01This is Elvis.
04:02Nice to meet you, Thierry.
04:03Nice to meet you.
04:04Well, these look amazing.
04:05So we have a quick look?
04:06Yeah, of course.
04:07What are the age of the vehicles?
04:08That's 1973.
04:1073.
04:11It's beautiful, isn't it?
04:13So basic, aren't they?
04:14Never been restored.
04:16I can see it's totally original.
04:17Yeah.
04:18The size of the engine in this one?
04:19604.
04:20604?
04:21That's the big engine.
04:22I like that.
04:23That's the big engine.
04:24That's the Whopper.
04:25What's this one got?
04:26That's 425.
04:27How many horsepower?
04:2818.
04:31That's a 62.
04:32So this is an earlier car?
04:34Yeah, yeah.
04:35This has been restored partly.
04:36It looks like it's been restored.
04:38It's in nice condition.
04:39That's still the old number plate.
04:41That's fantastic, isn't it?
04:42I love the wheels as well.
04:43They're very good.
04:44I love the sort of corrugated nature.
04:46Give us that extra strength.
04:48Keeps the vehicle lightweight.
04:49It's great.
04:50Yeah, it's lovely, isn't it?
04:51Got a huge window on the side.
04:52I like that.
04:53Terry, do you have any paperwork for these cars?
04:54Yes, of course.
04:55Right, you have a look at that.
04:56I'm going to go and have a little look around the cars, alright?
05:00There we go.
05:02It's just so basic.
05:05I mean, 90% of what's in this engine bay is actually the gearbox.
05:09The engine is tiny.
05:12It's down here where you often get the rust.
05:17Well, actually, it seems okay.
05:19Mechanically, they're generally pretty sound, these cars,
05:21and it's almost always the body work that's the thing that lets it down.
05:27OK, so this is the original registration document for this car.
05:31Yes.
05:321962?
05:33Yes.
05:34Can we have a minute just to discuss?
05:36Yeah, of course.
05:37Yeah, I'll let you.
05:38Lovely, thank you very much.
05:40Mate, what did you find out?
05:41Well, they both seem pretty sound in terms of the body work,
05:43and that's always the weak point on these cars.
05:45I mean, that one's unrestored, and it's lovely,
05:47but this one, it's the earlier car.
05:50I know it's got the smaller engine,
05:51but the most important thing is this.
05:54This was originally, when it came out of the factory,
05:56this was a four-seater van,
05:59which turns it into a passenger vehicle and a van.
06:02So it's much more desirable and usable.
06:05Let me just have a quick look in here,
06:07because there's obviously no seats in the back right now.
06:09That's why it's got this big window, you know, for the passengers,
06:13so they can see out either side.
06:15That's a good point.
06:16That makes this much rarer.
06:18OK, so a four-seater with only two seats and a tiny engine.
06:23Yeah, I can really see why the French fell in love with this car.
06:26Maybe it's more about the driving experience.
06:29I'll let you get in first,
06:31because we've got to do a suspension test.
06:33We just want to make sure that you're happy with that.
06:36It's like being on the high seas in a boat.
06:39It's great, isn't it?
06:40Time to feel the power of those 18 horses.
06:48I'm flat out.
06:49This is flat out.
06:50This is flat out.
06:51No way, is it?
06:52I could run quicker.
06:54Oh, we got overtaken.
06:56This is woefully underpowered.
06:58My first thought is this needs a bigger engine.
07:01This is ridiculous, honestly.
07:03It's barely usable.
07:05We've been overtaken again.
07:07Maybe there is a way we can make this engine perform better.
07:11Maybe we can open the engine up.
07:13Or even, dare I say, just change the engine.
07:16I don't know how anyone could ever use this.
07:18It's a museum piece like this.
07:19You can't use it to go anywhere.
07:21Let's throw it into this roundabout.
07:23Whip!
07:24Ha-ha!
07:25Whoa!
07:26I'm going to come out.
07:27I can almost feel the floor on my fingertips.
07:29Ha-ha!
07:30Whoa!
07:31That is ridiculous.
07:34It's crazy, isn't it?
07:35I reckon it could do in new bushes.
07:40You know, this is probably...
07:41It's old, isn't it?
07:42It's old, isn't it?
07:43Well, I think that's a fairly easy thing to do
07:45that will tighten everything up.
07:46It's probably a bit of a no-brainer.
07:48It's going to be cheap as well, isn't it?
07:49I've got to find some rear seats for it
07:51because I think that's going to be a big way to sell this.
07:53It's going to be a people carrier as well as a van.
07:56Find me in a bigger engine with more power, please.
07:58Bigger engine, a rear seat.
08:00Ha-ha!
08:01It's on me shopping list.
08:02Let's hope I can find the bits.
08:05Let's get back there and try and drive the price down.
08:08Yeah.
08:09You know, from the €14,000.
08:11We need to be edging towards, I reckon, €12,000.
08:14So, the closest we can get it to that,
08:16the better position we're going to be
08:18at the other end when we come to sell it.
08:24Right, what is the French for massive discount?
08:27Thierry, that was the world's slowest test drive.
08:32It's got a lovely feel about that car,
08:34although the engine is small and underpowered.
08:37In my idea, we'd put a bigger engine in it
08:40because then it's usable for more people.
08:42It becomes a more usable vehicle.
08:43Yeah.
08:44That's, of course, going to cost us money.
08:45So, how much did you want for it?
08:46I want €14,000.
08:48€14,000.
08:49What's the very best it could be?
08:52The best, best, best, €13,000.
08:55€13,000.
08:56€13,000.
08:57Yeah.
08:58Could you make it €12,000?
08:59€12,000.
09:00€12,500.
09:02€12,500.
09:03It is just about whether we've got enough scope in that price
09:06to buy those bits we need and get them all fit to the car.
09:09Yeah.
09:10You are right, mate.
09:11I think we need to stick it.
09:12Stick it €12,000.
09:14If you can make it work for €12,000,
09:16we'll have a deal and we'll drive it away.
09:18What do you say?
09:20Er...
09:21Yes.
09:22OK.
09:23Thierry, well done.
09:24Thank you very much.
09:25Thank you, Thierry.
09:26Oh, mate, how good is that?
09:27What a car.
09:28We own a 2CV Forgonette passenger van.
09:31And we've never said that before.
09:32No, never.
09:35Well, as the French say, Trayvon.
09:37Yeah.
09:38And they also say, mon dieu.
09:40I'm going to go ahead and find out just how big a job lies
09:43between our Forgonette and a decent profit.
09:46Mike has told me that he's found somewhere for us to work on the vehicle.
09:50It's a chateau, apparently, which sounds lovely, of course.
09:53I just hope it's got enough space for me to pull this apart
09:56and rebuild it again.
09:57And, unfortunately, this has no sat-nav, so...
10:00Just hope I can find it.
10:03The Occitan region is probably the best place in the world
10:06to be fixing up our Forgonette.
10:08This suburb region adores its two CVs.
10:11There's a thriving club scene, events galore,
10:14and, fingers crossed, a bountiful supply of spare parts.
10:20There we go.
10:23Pretty sure this is it.
10:24Does look quite grand.
10:27I probably should have told Elvis
10:29I've only borrowed the garage space to work our magic,
10:32not the chateau.
10:36Well, speaking of magic, for my first trick,
10:38I'd like to make that underpowered 425cc engine disappear.
10:44Fortunately, removing the engine, side panels, and front wings
10:47involves little more than loosening a few 10mm nuts.
10:53Then, I just need to get the bonnet out of the way.
10:55So, the last thing I want is for that to fall on me.
10:58So, what I'm going to do is tie a bit of string to it
11:01and then lash it right over the top to the back of the car
11:03so it can't fall in the head.
11:04This is proper Boy Scout stuff, this, isn't it?
11:14Disconnecting all the electrics and linkages is a little more fiddly.
11:19That's seen better days.
11:20That's the little bush that sits in the top of the gear linkage.
11:23Even so, the simplicity of design makes stripping the engine a straightforward job.
11:28Right.
11:29There we go.
11:30That's the final engine mount undone.
11:32We should now be ready to lift this tiny little underpowered engine
11:35out of the engine bay.
11:37Now, while Elvis works to get the old engine out,
11:40I need to find a new, more powerful one to put in.
11:43So, I've come to the picturesque town of Kottingyak
11:46to meet a local contact.
11:49He's an expert on all things 2CV.
11:52His name's Jack.
11:54Apparently, what he doesn't know about these cars isn't worth knowing.
11:57Hopefully, I can tap into his network of contacts.
12:00We can use that to finish ours.
12:02Jack, how you doing? I'm Mike.
12:03Nice to meet you, Mike.
12:04Nice to meet you.
12:05Yeah, and you see you brought a nice bit of British down for me.
12:08Got to keep the British heritage.
12:09Yeah, you certainly have.
12:10So, you are an expat living down here in the south of France.
12:13I certainly am, yep.
12:14What's it like?
12:15It's fantastic.
12:16It's the best move I ever made.
12:17I'm hoping that you can help me out
12:19because whilst I've been down here,
12:21I managed to buy myself a 1962 Forgonette.
12:24There's a few bits and pieces we've got to do to the vehicle,
12:26but the main thing is when we drove it,
12:29it was woefully underpowered.
12:30So, first and foremost, we thought, let's change the engine.
12:33You're going to need to forget about that.
12:34Why?
12:35There is so much legality in France about changing engines in cars.
12:38Lots and lots of red tape.
12:40But the most important thing is, is the purity of the car.
12:43As soon as you change the engine in that, it's going to devalue it.
12:46Okay.
12:47Well, that does cause me a problem.
12:57Hello, mate.
12:58Elvis, my man.
12:59How are you doing, buddy?
13:00Yeah, really good.
13:01Listen, I've just met up with this guy called Jack.
13:03He's the expert when it comes to all things 2CV in this region.
13:07Yeah.
13:08He has told me because of the paperwork and the law behind it,
13:13we should not change the engine.
13:15So whatever we do, don't remove the engine.
13:18Are you joking?
13:19No, I'm not joking.
13:21I cannot tell you how bad your timing is.
13:36Our wheeler dealer, World Tour, has brought us to the south of France
13:39with its sun-drenched landscape and cafe culture.
13:43Bonjour, monsieur.
13:44I'm going to try my best French.
13:46Café Elonghi?
13:48Elonghi.
13:49Elonghi.
13:50Elonghi.
13:51Almost there.
13:52Espresso?
13:53That's Italian.
13:54Espresso and espresso is Italian.
13:56Sounds exactly the same.
13:57Mate, he got it.
13:58He got it.
13:59Oh, that's cheating.
14:00That's a pass in the GCSE, isn't it?
14:02It is a pass.
14:03Break time over.
14:04I need Elvis to focus on his GCSE foregonet.
14:10But reviving this 50-year-old national treasure
14:13feels more like an A-level job.
14:15And if I'm not allowed to replace the engine,
14:17I'm going to have to find a few extra horses out of the original motor.
14:22This little engine was perfect for the 2CV.
14:24It was tiny, lightweight, really fuel efficient.
14:27It's only got two cylinders, so two conrods, two pistons.
14:31There's nothing to it.
14:32Horizontally opposed and air-cooled.
14:34It really was genius in its simplicity.
14:3818 horsepower was barely enough back in 1962,
14:42but the engine's so simple there aren't many options for adding more punch.
14:46One of my first thoughts is that this little carburetor is tiny.
14:52So we could definitely think about either upgrading or even replacing it.
14:57And it's not just the carburetor that needs attention.
14:59The fuel-air mixture is sucked into each cylinder through an inlet manifold.
15:03And ours, well, it's seen better days.
15:05This is the inlet manifold here, but also attached is the exhaust manifold
15:09with this heat exchanger in the middle.
15:11And on the underside, yeah, they have a little drainage hole here
15:14for just bleeding off excess fuel.
15:16And what can often happen is that rusts away and the hole gets bigger.
15:20But actually, I'm pretty sure, yeah, in this case, it's actually blocked.
15:25And if that's been blocked for years, there's less air flowing through the system.
15:29So that would need cleaning out.
15:31But what I've also discovered, look here, it's actually broken.
15:35It's got a crack in it, which someone has done a sort of temporary repair in the past.
15:39The upshot is this needs replacing.
15:41And on that note, I might see if Mike can even find me a bigger one,
15:44which might help with that power output.
15:47Un grand manifold.
15:48Sounds achievable, especially with Jack's local knowledge and those for two CV parts.
15:54Well, I do have this now utopian shopping list.
15:57It would be lovely if I can achieve all of it today,
16:00which would be the rare, rare seats.
16:02The Sophie's got some of those.
16:04The other thing is, as well, I remember...
16:07Well, I've sold a few old two CVs in my time,
16:10and I can remember that they used to be really frugal in terms of petrol
16:14because they had this three-wheeling clutch.
16:16The one that we've got hasn't got that.
16:18Well, OK, what you're talking about is called the traffic clutch,
16:21which was an aftermarket part that was fitted to the two CV.
16:26And what that was designed to do, the reason they called it a traffic clutch,
16:29it was designed if you was in town,
16:31you didn't need to keep pushing the clutch down every time you stopped.
16:34Right, but you just said some key words there.
16:36You said it was an aftermarket part.
16:38It was an aftermarket part, yeah.
16:39Are you saying that we could fit one to our car, then?
16:41Yes, they're a very rare part, but if you do find one,
16:43you could potentially fit it to your car.
16:46And obviously, the carb improved the parts,
16:48you know, the bigger jets for the carbs.
16:50I mean, we'll go down there and we'll have to have a look in their workshop.
16:55We're heading to a place called the Mahari Club in nearby Cassie,
16:59which, Jack assures me, is an Aladdin's cave of all things two CV.
17:05Oh, no way!
17:07Hey.
17:08OK.
17:09This is Cedric.
17:10Cedric, how are you?
17:11Hi, my friend.
17:12Cedric, how are you?
17:13I'm Mike.
17:14Very nice to meet you.
17:15This vast site has warehouses full of two CV parts,
17:19plus a huge workshop area where they can restore cars
17:22to original factory spec.
17:28So you do everything in-house.
17:30You've got your paint booths, your paint shop.
17:32Exactly.
17:33Everything's...
17:34Every area is dedicated to, yeah,
17:36every kind of job we need to do on the cars, so...
17:38I love it.
17:39I absolutely love it.
17:41They've even been given decades-old factory machinery
17:44by Citroën, who are also keen to keep these iconic vehicles
17:48on the road.
17:49So mostly the green machines you would see
17:52are the ones we got from Citroën back in the days.
17:55Yeah.
17:56That's really nice that Citroën themselves
17:58want to see the heritage continue.
18:01I'm starting to get a feeling of just how important
18:05the two CVs is to the French.
18:08I mean, you clearly adore and love this car, don't you?
18:11Totally.
18:12They produce millions of these cars,
18:14and just totally the emblematic car of the French people,
18:17especially here in the south of France.
18:19We enjoy them a lot.
18:21So, fingers crossed, we can find the parts we need.
18:26Here's the secret room.
18:28Oh, now we're talking.
18:30Look at this.
18:31It's like Indiana Jones and the lost two CV.
18:34This is incredible.
18:36Wow.
18:37I mean...
18:39It's incredible.
18:40You nailed it.
18:41When you said I'm going to take you to a par store,
18:42you absolutely nailed it.
18:44So, one of the bits that I'm hoping you would have
18:47would be that central fugal or traffic clutch.
18:50These are quite rare parts.
18:51Right, okay.
18:52Yeah.
18:53Add in the traffic clutch,
18:54we'll give our rare fourgoner another important USP
18:57come sale time.
18:59Right, central fugal clutch.
19:01So, let's see what we have in here.
19:03The flywheel might be the...
19:06Okay.
19:07Correct, please.
19:08Now we're talking.
19:09Now we're talking.
19:10Lovely.
19:11Nice one.
19:12This is exactly what we're looking for.
19:14That might be.
19:15Oh, get it.
19:16It's almost been repainted.
19:18Tell me if it fits.
19:21Look at that, look.
19:23That's gone straight on.
19:24Like the magic slippers Dorothy.
19:25That is fantastic, Cedric.
19:27So, that's the part we need.
19:28That's exactly what we need.
19:31Superb.
19:32Next on the list, a new card for our wheezy fourgonette.
19:35These ones are a little bit bigger than the ones that you have.
19:38And looking at this one,
19:40you can see it's already been modified in the past.
19:43Jack's found a couple of carbs that have seen better days,
19:46but crucially, they have the bigger jets we'll need
19:49to upgrade our carb.
19:51Wow.
19:52That is what we can put in the car to improve it.
19:54That can give them more performance.
19:55Elvis is going to love me.
19:56That is fantastic, Jack.
19:58Well done.
19:59That's the engine mods ticked off.
20:01Just one last crucial item to find,
20:03the rare rear seat.
20:05That was unique to the fourgonette.
20:07Onto another vast room,
20:09housing a dedicated trim department
20:11with a huge stock of seat frames and fabrics.
20:14Surely, they've got what we need.
20:16OK, OK.
20:17Thank you very much.
20:21Good news?
20:22No.
20:23I'm sorry, guys.
20:24We don't have what you're looking for.
20:26OK.
20:27Well, that's going to make a bit of a challenge for us.
20:30Locating those rare seats is essential for getting the best price for our fourgonette.
20:35Back to the drawing board for little old moi.
20:39Over at Maison de Fourgonette, I'm turning my attention to the suspension.
20:48The 2CV was famously designed to cross a ploughed field carrying a basket of eggs without breaking a single one.
20:55To give it that super soft ride, it was fitted with a brilliantly simple suspension system.
21:00But on the test drive, ours felt unusually baggy.
21:03The front and rear suspension systems are interconnected with each other.
21:08There's an arm coming off both the front and rear trailing and leading arms
21:12which joins into this cylinder in the middle which has two springs.
21:15One for the front, one for the rear.
21:17If the rear end rises up, the whole cylinder moves towards the rear
21:22pulling on the front suspension
21:24and in turn pushing the front suspension down, keeping the car level.
21:28Over time, those joints can wear
21:31leading to unwelcome play in the system.
21:34Yeah, there you go.
21:35There's loads of play in that rod end on the end of the front lever arm
21:40which is connecting the cylinder to the front suspension itself.
21:44That's clearly why the car felt so loose on the road.
21:48So those old brass rod ends need replacing with tough modern steel ones.
21:53New rubber bellows will keep dirt and grime out of the joints
21:56and I'm not done yet.
21:58The next thing I want to check is the condition of the springs inside the canister.
22:02There's no real way to see them easily other than cutting the canister open
22:06and having a look yourself
22:07unless you've got one of these, which is a little mobile remote inspection camera
22:11which I can feed down inside the hole.
22:13It should show me if there's any corrosion inside that needs any further attention.
22:17If any of the springs are corroded, I'll have to cut open the top of the canister,
22:21replace them and then weld it all back up, which I'd rather avoid.
22:26Right, here we go. Now I can start to see the spring.
22:30Yeah, I can see the coils of the spring.
22:34Actually, they look pretty good.
22:36I didn't know what I was going to find, but that is a spring in pretty good condition.
22:41I can now get all the way, yeah, look at that.
22:44That's great.
22:45All the way down to the end cap, which also looks to be pretty good, which is great news.
22:52And Elvis' afternoon is about to get even better.
22:59I can't wait to show him my box of 2CB goodies.
23:02Rare items first and foremost.
23:04Got you a traffic clutch.
23:06That's heavy, isn't it? Look at that.
23:08How cool is that? That is great.
23:10The manifold. Oh, well done. It was broken.
23:12Yeah, excellent.
23:13This is good. Right.
23:15This carb here, got bigger jets.
23:17Perfect.
23:18One thing that's clearly missing, because it definitely doesn't fit in that box,
23:21are the two rear seats.
23:23Right, there goes the elephant in the room.
23:25They had fields full of four gunnets, no rear seat.
23:39We're in the south of France, where they love the Citroen 2CB
23:43almost as much as a certain wheeler dealer.
23:46Who's there?
23:47Thank you very much.
23:48Very good.
23:49But you want a picture of me, not you, Elvis.
23:51Yeah.
23:52Bonjour, monsieur.
23:53La mairie is my girl.
23:55Hold out your hands.
23:56Cheese!
23:57Cheese!
23:58You want a picture?
24:00Oh!
24:03Bon voyage.
24:04That's very nice.
24:06I think that means when you leave our town.
24:09Thank you. Au revoir.
24:10Au revoir.
24:11But the real star out here is almost as old as Mike.
24:14Our super rare four-seater 2CV for Gannett.
24:18And even with my years of wisdom, I'm struggling to find the rear seats that could add some serious
24:24value to our van.
24:25But I'm chasing the lead.
24:26Thank you very much.
24:27Appreciate it.
24:28I appreciate it.
24:29Merci.
24:30Yeah, of course.
24:31In the south of France, 2CV enthusiasts turn out even in the rain.
24:35It's just like back home.
24:38What is it about the 2CV that you love so much?
24:42Because since I have a driver's licence, I have a 2CV.
24:47Right, so...
24:48And what about you?
24:49Do you ever work on it?
24:50Do you ever take it apart?
24:51Yeah.
24:52And it's easy, right?
24:53Yeah.
24:54It's easy.
24:55But me, I'm not a real mechanic.
24:58No?
24:59No.
25:00More Z.
25:01No.
25:05Oh, look.
25:06A fourgonette.
25:07Oh, yeah.
25:08Yes.
25:09So that's what makes us special, it's the four-seater, because we've got the longer
25:14class and we've got rear seats as well.
25:16How long have you had this car?
25:18Fourteen years.
25:19Fourteen years, wow.
25:20Fourteen years.
25:21And you've driven, you drive a lot of miles?
25:23Yes.
25:24But my first car was a Citroën.
25:26Wow.
25:27Amazing.
25:29The love for the 2CV here is plain to see, which is good news for when we come to sell.
25:34We've got a 2CV fourgonette.
25:37As long as we can finish the job.
25:40What we're missing are the rear seats, and I can't seem to find any anywhere.
25:43Would you know where we can get rear seats?
25:45I'm sorry.
25:46For a 2CV, we can find.
25:48But for a fourgonette, it's hard.
25:50So the rear seat, we can't find it.
25:53Would he have to know anyone where we can get it?
25:55It's very difficult to find the rear seats.
25:57The rear seats were only two seats.
26:02So there's only two seats originally.
26:04Is that what you're saying?
26:05Yeah.
26:06Yeah, ours on the registration is a genuine 4CV.
26:10Yes, absolutely.
26:12So it makes it rare and special.
26:15Very rare.
26:16We're struggling to find rear seats for it.
26:18They're missing.
26:19You were struggling all your life.
26:21It seems like every other park, there's so much supply.
26:24Stuff.
26:25There's so many parts everywhere.
26:26You can get everything apart from those.
26:27Yes, but that was done by a special company, so...
26:31OK, well, look, we're going to carry on looking.
26:33So that makes your car very rare.
26:35Yeah.
26:36Well, it is rare because at the moment we've got a four-seater that's only got two seats in it.
26:40It doesn't get much rarer than that.
26:44We've certainly bought ourselves a very unusual fourgonette, but the search for those seats continues.
26:52I'm going to leave Inspector Breuer on the trail while I investigate the mysterious traffic clutch.
27:00After huge success with the French farmers, Citroën designed this ingenious automatic clutch to increase the 2CV's appeal to urban drivers,
27:08along with the car's small size and tiny turning circle, the traffic-friendly clutch made the 2CV a hit in the city as well.
27:19All right.
27:20That's the gearbox.
27:21What we're going to end up doing is replacing this flywheel with the flywheel that incorporates the traffic clutch that Mike bought me,
27:28and that should give us that centrifugal clutch to make it much more usable in traffic.
27:33All right, let's have a look at this contraption.
27:36The actual friction plates don't look in too bad condition.
27:40I could give them a little bit of a clean-up, I'm sure.
27:43The other thing to inspect and check is the sort of spring tension.
27:47Do you know what? That's not great either.
27:50And that spring feels really weak.
27:52My best bet is to replace the clutch plates and Mike sourced some new old stock.
27:58This is the way it works. It has a flywheel in the sort of conventional sense on the back here,
28:03but bolted to it are a series of friction plates on the springs.
28:07Now with the old one, it was those springs that were really quite light and had failed to the point where they had almost no springiness left in them.
28:15These new ones with a little bit of a leverage there, you can see really quite stiff exactly as we need them to be.
28:22Now what happens is under centrifugal force those friction plates move out and make contact with the corresponding friction surface on this half.
28:29You can demonstrate it here with this very simple screwdriver and a couple of sockets tied to the piece of string.
28:36As they're hanging down there, you can see a very narrow profile to that whole setup.
28:42If I spin it, as it gets faster and faster, the sockets will move out into a much wider radius like that.
28:49There you go. And that is centrifugal force at work.
28:53The same thing is applying here.
28:54As engine RPM builds up and these friction plates move out, because they make contact here and that friction builds,
29:01then the second half of the flywheel also begins to spin at engine RPM.
29:07Importantly, in the middle of all of that is the conventional clutch friction surface.
29:13Now that clutch plate sits in there and of course it's the clutch that connects the engine to the gearbox to then drive the wheels of the car.
29:20Now that is of course not turning when this centre part of the flywheel isn't turning either.
29:25So when the friction plates make contact and the whole thing begins to spin, so does the clutch plate,
29:31therefore transmitting drive through the gearbox and on to drive the wheels of the car.
29:35It's literally brilliant.
29:36And for a little car like this, a potential delivery vehicle where it's going to be constantly stopping and starting,
29:42it's perfect.
29:44All I've got to do is get it back in the car.
29:46With Elvis racing through the oily jobs and with no leads as yet on those rear seats, I'm turning my attention elsewhere.
29:55We're in this region of France which is famous for artistes and pottery,
30:00but I'm on my way to meet a young lady called Susan,
30:03who's carved herself out a niche of not only being a potter, but also restoring proper old number plates and painting them up.
30:11And I'm excited to meet her.
30:14Like Jack, Susan is an expat who's fallen for the charms of this corner of France.
30:20Susan, are you here?
30:22Yes, here.
30:23Hello.
30:24Hello.
30:25How nice is this?
30:26This is lovely, isn't it?
30:28What a place.
30:29It's very nice to meet you.
30:30So, first and foremost, I know I've sent you the number ahead since you've made a start.
30:36Come on, tell me, what do you think of those?
30:39Mmm, well...
30:41The one thing that got me about this, when I first see this on the car, is that's legal.
30:49So, you can literally paint over an old registration number and paint white letters on it?
30:56Unvintage, yes.
30:57It's for cars which are over 30 years old or cars which are no longer made.
31:01Ah, right.
31:02So, what's going on here?
31:03Yeah, well, all I do is I just sort of attach the numbers...
31:06Right, yeah.
31:07..and then I outline them and take them off and then paint within the lines.
31:12OK, all right.
31:13Hi.
31:14Well, I'm hoping I can join in...
31:15Yes, please.
31:16..you know, and do a bit of painting.
31:17Yeah, I need some help.
31:18I did get A-level, I'll have you know.
31:21Oh!
31:22A-level art at school.
31:23Oh, really?
31:24Yes, many, many years ago, so hopefully the skills are still there.
31:27Take it away.
31:28Right, so it's just a case of just gently scribing around the letter.
31:33Yes.
31:34Well, I would say that's not the straightest line in the world, but it will do.
31:40Right, now the tricky part, painting.
31:41Super.
31:43Susan uses a tough enamel paint that can cope with the high summer temperatures
31:47this region enjoys.
31:51You've done this before.
31:52I have...
31:53Well, I've never actually painted a number plate before.
31:55I'm going to be honest with you.
31:57But, you know, I've painted a few Airfix model kits before.
32:01When you're painting Fokker on the side of an aeroplane, you want to make sure you get it right.
32:07Yes.
32:08Actually, when I look at what you've done and what I've done, I've not done too badly, have I?
32:14No, no, I said you've done this before.
32:17I haven't.
32:18I can see that.
32:19This is my very first ever number plate.
32:24While Mike shows off his steady hand, I'm continuing my quest to give our Fogernet some more va-va-voom.
32:31Having cleaned up and now stripped the carburettor that I've taken off our engine, I've managed to get to the three jets on the inside that I'm going to replace with slightly bigger ones that should give us a little bit more performance from this second-hand carburettor that Mike managed to find me.
32:47So what I'm going to do is strip the top off this one.
32:51This is the main jet that sits in the bottom of the chamber there.
32:54It actually supplies the majority of the fuel under normal engine conditions, but it's not particularly accurate.
32:59It tends to supply more fuel than is required at different engine operating conditions.
33:03And so we have this, an air correction jet, which sits in the top here and compensates by allowing more airflow in at different stages to make sure the mixture's always accurate.
33:14It's a very clever, yet very simple system.
33:17Right, that's the second one.
33:19And then there's another one just in the side here.
33:22This is the idle jet.
33:23Now this one here just allows a tiny amount of fuel to just flow through when the engines are tick over and that's what keeps things at idle.
33:31Right, that's actually all I need out of that second-hand carburettor.
33:36So these three jets here are very, very similar.
33:40There's almost no discernible difference, but I can promise you the holes in the end are the tiniest amount of fuel.
33:46And that's all we need to let more fuel in.
33:51As it's only the inside of the jets that's larger, the new one slots straight into position.
33:55A brilliantly simple upgrade.
34:00Right, there we go.
34:01Our carburettor is upgraded with larger jets, giving us that tiny bit more performance, but crucially, it's keeping the originality of the original piece on the car and that should keep the official authorities happy.
34:13And, happily for me, all that remains is to start putting the car back together.
34:17But I still have some unfinished business without two CV.
34:22After literally exhausting every single person I've met in France to try and get the seats for this four ganets, somebody has finally come through.
34:34I think I may have some rear seats, and I can't beat my luck. Hopefully, this call isn't going to be too good to be true.
34:43Hello.
34:45Bonjour.
34:47Er, it's Mike. You just sent me a message.
34:50We're on a mission to rescue a rare two CV four ganets in the south of France.
35:05That's flat out.
35:06This is flat out.
35:07This is flat out.
35:08No way.
35:09Is it?
35:10I could run quicker.
35:11While I've taken on the mechanical makeover, I've turned detective to track down what might be just the rarest set of seats known to man.
35:22Bonjour, er, un, er, citron presse, and, er, un, er, espresso.
35:30And after days of searching, I've summoned Elvis for an urgent tete-a-tete.
35:35Hey, mate.
35:36Hello, fella.
35:37Fancy meeting you in another cafe, eh?
35:39Yeah.
35:40This is where the thinking happens.
35:42I've ordered you a drink.
35:43I've actually ordered you a citron presse, because it's a squeezed citron, which is exactly what we got.
35:50So how are you getting on?
35:51Er, yeah, I think most of the big mechanical jobs are done.
35:54All really I've got to do is to start reassembling it.
35:57Cool.
35:58How about you? How'd you get those seats? The missing seats?
36:00And you know that two CV meet we went to?
36:02Yeah.
36:03Well, I was asking everyone, weren't I, for a set of chairs?
36:05Everyone said you can't get them.
36:06But you're talking to me.
36:08Have you found some?
36:09If you go and look underneath the back cloth.
36:11No way.
36:14Oh!
36:18Look at that.
36:19Fantastic.
36:20No way.
36:21The unicorn has arrived.
36:22Finally found them.
36:23I don't think I've ever been so relieved to find a set of seats, and with a matching set of cupboards for the front, the whole lot comes in at less than 400 euros.
36:34So now we've got a proper four-seater.
36:36Four-seater.
36:37Look at that.
36:38That is your Citrum Presse.
36:39Exactly.
36:40Merci.
36:45Oh, it's like drinking lemon juice.
36:47Try and do that, and keep a straight face.
36:50Exactly.
36:51Look, I've also been asking the local businesses and trades if anyone here would be interested in buying a Citrum, because this is a rural area, and these are the people we'll likely sell the car to.
37:04Yeah, perfect.
37:05It's a great advertising hoarding for a shop, and I've landed us a gig.
37:09What sort of gig?
37:10You're going to like this.
37:11So me and you, we're going to go and deliver some bread for a boulangerie.
37:16Well, we've got to see if it works.
37:17When are we going to do that?
37:18Tomorrow morning.
37:19No, really?
37:20Tomorrow morning?
37:21Yeah, we're going to do it tomorrow morning.
37:22I thought you said you finished the car.
37:25No, I said I've nearly finished the car.
37:26I've still got to reassemble it.
37:28Are you serious?
37:29Yeah, tomorrow morning, I said.
37:31You better drink up.
37:32You better drink up as well, because I need a hand to get, if we're going to get us all back together.
37:36Don't worry, don't worry, I've got this.
37:40God, that's strong.
37:41With less than 12 hours until our boulangerie showdown, we've got plenty to do, not least getting that engine running.
37:49Right, we've got oil, gearbox all, that's all connected.
37:54We're in neutral.
37:56I think it's time for the moment of truth.
38:02Yes!
38:03Oh, it sounds so good!
38:04Well, that is a relief.
38:05Unfortunately, the rest of the car bolts back together almost as easily as it came apart.
38:21Especially with some help from a glamorous assistant.
38:32The iconic 2CV is the car that got France moving.
38:36And our charming fourgonette has certainly given us the runaround.
38:41I had to use every trick in the book to try and give that twin-cylinder motor a bit more go, and make the car easier to drive in modern traffic.
38:52While I was hot on the trail of the ultra-rare rear seats, finally coming up trumps at the 11th hour.
38:58With a total spend of just under 1,000 euros, we've given ourselves a great chance of making a profit.
39:05But first, an early morning test drive for our 2CV, French style.
39:10We're actually on our way in a fourgonette to go and deliver some pan, some bread.
39:21I don't know about you, but I actually feel more French than I ever have done in my life at the moment.
39:26The only thing we're missing is like a couple of ferrets on our end.
39:29It's very true.
39:30And I've got to say, with all the work we've done, I think it looks amazing.
39:35It's given it a service. It's given it some longevity.
39:38It's given me peace of mind that all of those little jobs that get neglected on old cars like this have been done, you know?
39:45Our 2CV feels fitter than ever. Time to put it to work.
39:52Bonjour! You must be Louise.
39:55How are you? Very nice to meet you.
39:57Lead me to the bread.
40:00Right, here we go.
40:02Ha-ha! Look at that!
40:03Oh, Louise, that looks amazing!
40:06Fantastic bread!
40:10Get the back open, Elvis!
40:12Lovely, thank you.
40:14Lovely.
40:15Yeah?
40:16Oh, nice one, yeah. There you go, right over the top.
40:19Ha-ha! Look at that!
40:21Nice!
40:22It smells. If this was smelly bishop right now.
40:30Smells great, isn't it?
40:31I wonder how much of it is going to get to the other end.
40:36Whoa! The power!
40:39Ha-ha-ha!
40:41It nearly took my skin off.
40:42It's probably one of the slowest vehicles we've ever driven.
40:46However, I'm pretty sure you can notice the difference, you know.
40:50It does feel better somehow, doesn't it?
40:53Yeah, I mean, rejetting that carburettor, it was only ever going to make a small difference, but I do think it's made a difference.
40:58Yeah, it has made a difference, so you can definitely feel it.
41:01Yeah.
41:02I've loved it, because it's going so far back in time, so the most basic engineering, but do you know what?
41:07Some of the engineering principles are actually genius, you know what I mean?
41:11The traffic clutch, another brilliantly simple piece of engineering.
41:18For this kind of thing, if you are like Louise's little local boulangerie, and you're in traffic in town all the time, that's brilliant, isn't it?
41:26Constantly stop starting. So much easier, isn't it?
41:29It is so much easier. I love it. That's really good.
41:33This is a bumpy track on the way to a chateau.
41:37Yeah.
41:38And look!
41:39I was just going to say, is handling this terrain better than a 4x4?
41:42Of course it is!
41:43You know, this car was designed around having to take a basket of eggs across a plough filled without breaking an egg.
41:51That's why the suspension is so good.
41:53And across this rutted track, which is awful, this is like one of those ducks on the pond, isn't it?
41:59It's quite incredible.
42:00Nicely smooth up top, yeah.
42:01And going billio underneath.
42:07Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop it!
42:08But you can't eat the goods!
42:10There's loads of it!
42:11I know, but you can't eat the goods, mate. You've got to leave it!
42:14Louise wants her clients to wake up to the smell of warm baguettes, but probably not the sound of us two crashing around.
42:25There you go. That one.
42:27Sleeve on the table, yeah?
42:29Yeah, I think so, yeah.
42:30That's what she said.
42:31Nice one.
42:32Nice one.
42:35I think that was a stealthy success.
42:38It's passed its test.
42:39It's passed its test.
42:40When we sell this car now, we can sell it with confidence to say, yes, it does work.
42:49There's a proper delivery van, it's a genuine four-seater, it's got great suspension, it's got hand-painted number plates, it looks brilliant on the outside, the engine's been improved.
42:59I mean, this vehicle has got it all, in my opinion. It's the perfect classic.
43:03It's got to be as good as you can get out of one of these cars, and it's in the perfect marketplace, perfect part of the world, for this to be a really attractive proposition for somebody.
43:13I love it.
43:14There's really nowhere better to try and sell our 2CV than here, in its spiritual home, the south of France.
43:23And with any luck, it'll be snapped up before you can say warm, fresh croissants.
43:44I love it.
43:59I love it.
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