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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
00:00This is not the test ride we were hoping for.
00:15What a horrible experience.
00:18Welcome to Poland, a country which, during the communist era,
00:22wasn't exactly a petrolhead's paradise.
00:25What was that like?
00:30What was it like? It was terrible.
00:32It's noisy, bumpy, brakes don't work.
00:35I mean, it's very uncomfortable and loud, and it smokes like a chimney.
00:39And if you'd wanted to buy one of these East German Trabants,
00:42you'd have had to join a seven- to ten-year waiting list.
00:46But getting old of a homegrown FSO polonaise was no easier.
00:50If you wanted the polonaise,
00:52you would have had to have saved up 47 months' wages.
00:57If you were the prime minister of this country,
00:59that was your presidential car.
01:02That was what you used.
01:03But there was an alternative to all of this
01:05because the Polish people, they needed a much more affordable car,
01:09and there was one choice out there on the market,
01:11and that's the car we've come to buy.
01:14After wheeling and dealing our way across the UK,
01:20fixing up hundreds of cars, it's time for a new challenge.
01:24Look at you. You had a mullet.
01:26At least they had coloured cameras when I did mine.
01:28Yours are still black and white.
01:29So we're setting off on a global adventure.
01:35To buy some of the world's most iconic cars.
01:38Listen to the sound!
01:41And with the help of local wheeler dealers...
01:43A funny, a quattorote.
01:44Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:46...rescue these national treasures.
01:48I'll tell you what, brother, she's pretty tidy under here.
01:50And make a few euros, or dollars...
01:53You got yourself a deal. Thank you.
01:54Well done.
01:55...and Lottie in the process.
01:57Oh, you've got a convertible! Look at that!
02:00This has been a boyhood dream.
02:02Oh!
02:12Here we are, in Poland, eh?
02:15Proper, proper hunting ground for us, this is.
02:22I don't think I've ever told you this before.
02:24I am actually fluent in Polish.
02:26Shut up. No, really?
02:27No, I haven't got a clue. I haven't got a clue.
02:30LAUGHTER
02:31Not a single word.
02:33Je ne dobre.
02:35Tak.
02:36You can say tak.
02:37Tak means yes.
02:39Je ne dobre is hello, or good day.
02:43Je ne quere is thank you.
02:45Or chinky is ta, thanks.
02:50Right, so we're about an hour and a half outside of Warsaw.
02:54And this town is called Łódź.
02:56Łódź?
02:57What, like W-O-O-J?
02:59Łódź?
03:00Well, no, it's L-O-D-Z.
03:03How do you know this stuff?
03:04Never mind that, but it is the perfect place to celebrate probably Poland's most iconic car.
03:11You're going to enjoy every minute of this, I've got something really tasty up my sleeve for us to get stuck into.
03:16Go on then, what is it?
03:17It's the Fiat 126.
03:20Yes, the humble little Fiat that Poland's made its own.
03:23During the communist era, the Polsky Fiat 126 was one of the few cars ordinary people could afford, and it was built and cherished in Poland.
03:32It's not a Polish car, it's Italian.
03:36I know.
03:37Why aren't we driving down the Riviera with a gelato in my hand right now?
03:41Because in Italy, they didn't really love the Fiat 126 as much as they did in Poland.
03:47It's become a cult.
03:49It's even got its own little nickname.
03:51They call it the Maluk, which means wee man or little guy or dude.
03:55More than three million were sold here, and even with today's thriving economy and rapidly expanding high-tech auto industry,
04:03there's a huge Maluk fan base that still celebrates this national treasure.
04:07I'm very excited about this one because it's a late one.
04:20It's a 1991, but it's only done 36,000 kilometres, so very low mileage.
04:26But it's not going to be easy, you know, because this car starts at a price point of around three grand.
04:31Top-end cars go for like five, six.
04:34So for us to buy a car and drag a profit out of it is going to be really difficult to do.
04:41The couple selling a car live on the outskirts of Łódź,
04:44but their English is only a bit better than Elvis's Polish.
04:48So my pal and fellow 126 owner Martin has come along to translate.
04:53Martin, how are you, buddy?
04:55Hello, hi.
04:56Good to see you, this is Elvis.
04:57Yeah, how are you doing?
04:58Nice to meet you.
04:59So this is your car, Martin?
05:00Nice wheels.
05:01This is it.
05:02It's similar to muscle car.
05:03A tiny little muscle.
05:04Yeah.
05:05A small little muscle.
05:06I'm just missing the V8 and that's it.
05:08You are missing the V8.
05:09But you've done some modifications, right?
05:11Yeah, it's increased capacity, different carburetor, a lot of smaller modifications and really loud exhaust.
05:17Right, shall we go and see this car?
05:19Yeah.
05:20Lead the way, Martin, where is it?
05:21This way.
05:25Front bumper's hanging off.
05:26I can see that from here, yeah.
05:27Well, at least it's got four round tires.
05:29You must be Arta.
05:30You must be Arta.
05:31Yeah.
05:32Dzień dobry.
05:33Dobry, Artur.
05:34Hi, Elvis.
05:35Cześć, Artur.
05:36OK, Arta.
05:38I was told it's done 36,000 kilometers.
05:41You sure it's not 136,000 kilometers?
05:44It's not 136,000.
05:46It's 136,000.
05:49The car was bought.
05:51He promises it's...
05:5236,000.
05:53OK, just had a very...
05:54Hard life.
05:55Yeah, it's had a hard life, isn't it?
05:57I don't know what that is.
05:58Is that paint or oil?
05:59It's crying.
06:00That's tears.
06:01It is crying.
06:02They're tears, they're black tears.
06:03Right then, Martin.
06:04Could you ask if it's OK if we look at the engine bay?
06:08We're so sorry.
06:14Oh.
06:15Yeah.
06:16We broke it.
06:17We broke it already.
06:18Sold.
06:19Sold.
06:20Yeah.
06:21I mean, you've touched one thing, Elvis.
06:23One thing.
06:24You've touched a mirror.
06:25Just leave it alone.
06:26Add that to the list.
06:27Yeah.
06:28Jeez.
06:29There's oil leaks all over it.
06:31Everywhere.
06:32Poland may love the 126, but this little maluk seems to have been loved to within an inch
06:37of its life.
06:38Hopefully, things will improve as we dig deeper.
06:41Actually, the underneath looks pretty good, I've got to say.
06:44It's one of the first places that these cars rust is right across the floor tray,
06:48sort of underneath where the seat mounts are.
06:50But although there's a tiny little bit of surface rust, nothing to be too worried about.
06:57Inside, it's not so bad, is it?
06:59I mean, look, the seats are good.
07:01Do you know what?
07:02The seats are the best part that I've seen so far.
07:04Yeah.
07:05Well, let's take the positives.
07:07Let's take the positives.
07:08It's got a nice interior.
07:11Can we fire it up?
07:12Yeah, you've got a key, innit?
07:13Give it a turn.
07:14Hold on.
07:21That sounds right.
07:22Engine's free.
07:23Look at that.
07:24Fires right to life.
07:26Oh, come on.
07:27Keep it going.
07:28There we go.
07:29Listen to that.
07:30Listen to that.
07:31Listen to that.
07:34I've got no oil light, so there must still be some oil in the engine, which is a positive.
07:37See?
07:38It's all starting to make sense, isn't it?
07:40And it sounds smooth, doesn't it?
07:42That engine sounds smooth.
07:43It's not vibrating badly.
07:44Turn it off.
07:45Yeah, turn it off.
07:46Yeah, turn it off.
07:47Right, now.
07:48Step out, because I want to just address a slight bit of optimism I may see.
07:55Right, is it me or is this Malouk, this little buddy, wee man, is it not calling out to us?
08:03And it's asking us, it's begging us to save it.
08:06It needs someone to save it.
08:07I think, look, the positives are it doesn't look like there's too much rust.
08:11You know, I can't actually see any, so that is a real positive, because these things do rust, and that looks okay.
08:17It's got all the issues we can see.
08:19I mean, the problem for me is, yes, there's a lot of work to do.
08:23Is there enough scope with the price that it's up for sale for to still make a profit?
08:27And to make that profit, what do we do with it?
08:29Sure.
08:30I don't know.
08:31Shall we let the car tell us we can take it out for a test drive, and then we'll find out on the road?
08:37Yeah, I'm quite excited to drive it.
08:39You are?
08:40OK, good.
08:41Oh, dear.
08:52Right then, fella.
08:54Here we go.
09:01Is this your first 126?
09:04This is hilarious.
09:05It is my first 126.
09:07Is it everything you dreamed it would be?
09:09No!
09:14You've got 652 of your finest cc's, pushing this car down the road.
09:200-60, you're going to love this, 45 seconds.
09:29That is hilarious.
09:32So come on, then.
09:33You now need to tell me what you think is wrong with it.
09:35The suspension, I don't know what they were like when they were new, but it's very wallowy.
09:41Yeah, it should be tighter than this.
09:42And we already know it's got issues around the outside.
09:45The bumper's hanging off, the wing mirror's falling off.
09:47Come on, look, there's smoke coming out of the dashboard.
09:53Look at that.
09:54But the lights, I kid you not.
09:55Oh, yeah.
09:56Oh, yeah, look, it's run off.
09:57The actual switch is on fire.
10:06A little bit of an issue, gang.
10:08If it catches fire, don't worry about saving us.
10:11Just get the footage.
10:12Just get the film.
10:13We'll be all right.
10:14Because you will get 250 quid out of...
10:16It'll be all right on the night, or whatever it's called.
10:22Oh, hi.
10:34So, after all of that, we really want to buy it, don't we?
10:38What are we doing?
10:43What are we doing?
10:44Hold on to your app.
10:46We can buy this car 15,000...
10:49Not pounds, thank God.
10:5115,000 Zloty, which is about three grand.
10:55Which sounds like madness.
10:57Three grand.
10:58Oh, God, that hurts.
11:01We are likely to sell it here if we do it right.
11:06And if we can get it up to, I don't know, 5,000 pounds,
11:10so whatever that is in Zloty,
11:13it's...
11:14I think it's worth it.
11:15I think it's worth the gamble.
11:17This feels like one of the maddest things we might have ever done.
11:20It's great, though, isn't it?
11:21Isn't it good?
11:22Let's do it.
11:23Let's do it.
11:24Right, let's get back.
11:25Let's get the car ball.
11:26Let's get the car ball.
11:27Let's rescue it.
11:28All we need to do now is bargain hard.
11:31But that looks like it might be easier said than done.
11:38It's good fun.
11:39Now, you must be...
11:40Natalie.
11:41Natalie.
11:42Susanna.
11:43Hello, Susanna.
11:44Amazing, just one week old.
11:46Yeah.
11:47Congratulations.
11:49I think me and Elvis have got our little buddy here
11:53talking to us and saying that we should rescue it.
11:56There's quite a lot of work to do to the car,
11:58but, I mean, I can see it's nothing compared to the work
12:01you have in front of you, so...
12:02No.
12:03I'm not looking to, you know, take money away from you.
12:06Don't do those eyes.
12:07That's terrible.
12:08Come on!
12:09Don't do it.
12:10It's a really good trick that you've pulled in.
12:12It's a really good trick.
12:14Erm...
12:1514,900 Zloty.
12:19Yeah, it's okay.
12:20It's okay?
12:21Yeah.
12:22You got yourself a deal.
12:23Thank you very much.
12:25Thank you, Arthur.
12:26Well done, Martin.
12:27Now, if you have a Fiat, you can visit a meeting
12:30that marks the end of the production and...
12:32No way.
12:33There's a lot of Fiats over there.
12:34Really?
12:35We are expecting close to 300 cars.
12:36Really?
12:37Yeah.
12:38Well, get me the details, because I'll go along to that.
12:39Yeah, fantastic.
12:41Whilst the car may need a lot of work,
12:43the legendary status of the 126 means there's no shortage
12:46of parts or specialist advice across Poland.
12:49And about three hours away on the outskirts of Krakow,
12:53Mike's lined me up with some garage space.
12:57This is supposedly it.
12:59And this is exactly where Mike's told me to go.
13:04It looks like an old abandoned shipyard or something.
13:09What a weird place.
13:12Well, this is supposedly it.
13:15Hop in and have a look.
13:17Oh, look.
13:18There's a person over here.
13:19Let's go and ask this gentleman.
13:20Let's hope he speaks English.
13:23Hi.
13:24I'm Elvis.
13:25Hi, I'm Marcin.
13:26How are you?
13:27Yeah, good.
13:28Although I'm not sure if I've lost.
13:29Really?
13:30I was given this address as a place where we could potentially
13:31work on our little Fiat.
13:32Yes, I think you are lucky, because this is just the right place.
13:34Really?
13:35Because it doesn't look like a car workshop.
13:36It was the old factory where in the early 80s, the people used to produce the fuel tanks for Fiat 126.
13:41In here?
13:42Yes, in here.
13:43That's right.
13:44Exactly.
13:45We bought this place a few years ago with my colleague from the club, 126 Evolutions.
13:48Ah.
13:49And we are repairing these cars just right here.
13:50That's amazing.
13:51Well, can I see the workshop?
13:52Yes, please, of course.
13:53Follow me.
13:55Please meet Pavel.
13:56Hey, Pavel.
13:57Nice to meet you.
13:58Nice to meet you, too.
13:59So, this is the place where, you know, the old factory was the old factory, where in the
14:02early 80s, the people used to produce the fuel tanks for Fiat 126.
14:05In here?
14:06Yes, in here.
14:07That's right.
14:08Exactly.
14:09We bought this place a few years ago with my colleague from the club, 126 Evolutions,
14:12and we are repairing these cars just right here.
14:13That's amazing.
14:14Well, can I see the workshop?
14:15Yes, please, of course.
14:16Follow me.
14:17This is the place where owners of the Fiat 126 from the club can come in and work on
14:21a car?
14:22Yes, exactly.
14:23We are doing here all the repairs of our cars.
14:25And I can borrow some tools?
14:27Yes.
14:28Fantastic.
14:29And maybe you can give me a hand?
14:30You can help?
14:31Of course.
14:32I love that.
14:33This workshop has everything I need to get cracking.
14:35First up, those worrying-looking oil leaks.
14:40This has got to be one of the dirtiest, oiliest, grimiest engine bays I've ever seen.
14:46I think what I'm going to do is get the engine out of the car to determine whether these
14:50oil leaks are normal oil leaks or something more serious.
14:53Our world tour has brought us to Poland.
15:00The trams.
15:01I'm just thinking that.
15:02I'm just turning you down there.
15:03The tram goes...
15:04Straight into us.
15:05We've taken a whopping punt on a pint-sized national treasure, the Fiat 126.
15:06Our little guy needs a lot of love, and the work to transform him would bring a tear to
15:10anyone's eye.
15:12So while Elvis gets his hands dirty in the workshop, I've stayed in the city of Łódź, where I'm
15:19hoping to find the perfect look for our 126.
15:21Ah!
15:22Look!
15:23I've landed in the right spot.
15:24Isn't this brilliant?
15:25This Maluk extravaganza has been running every year since production ended back in the year
15:302000.
15:312000.
15:32It's like a mecca where they all get together and they celebrate everything that's great
15:38about 126s, and there's all different flavors here.
15:45You can see modified colors, and there are all different flavors here.
15:47You can see modified colors, and there's all different flavors here.
15:52You can see the modified colors, and a good color.
15:56It's the same thing.
15:57It's the same thing.
15:58And there's all different flavors here.
15:59You can see modified cars, original cars, hot roddy cars.
16:03This one's got a camping trailer on the back of it.
16:05I mean, somebody is taking it really seriously.
16:08If I said to my wife, we're going to go camping in a 126, divorce immediately.
16:13Hello.
16:14Hello.
16:15How do I say 126 in Poland?
16:18126.
16:19No way.
16:20Say that again.
16:21Slow it down.
16:22100.
16:23120.
16:24120.
16:256.
16:266.
16:276.
16:286.
16:296.
16:306.
16:316.
16:326.
16:336.
16:346.
16:356.
16:366.
16:376.
16:387.
16:397.
16:40The sheer variety of cars is amazing.
16:42Some original, some modified, and some in need of a, well, a bit of light engineering work.
16:48So this guy's got a problem with his gearbox.
16:52Nobody's got a trolley jack here, so they've all decided, well, we'll just lift it.
16:56So, er, go on then boys, go for it.
17:00Right, that's how they're going to do this guy's gearbox.
17:02They're literally just going to roll it over on his side.
17:05And he's dived underneath, he's gone underneath.
17:07Elvis, you take inspiration from this.
17:09That is incredible.
17:10Are you available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to come away for me?
17:12That's brilliant.
17:13Well, yes.
17:14Don't try this at home, kids.
17:15Now, back to trying to find the right look for our 126.
17:20What's your name?
17:21Janek.
17:22Janek, nice to meet you.
17:23John in English.
17:24John in English.
17:25Now, this is interesting, Janek, because your car is more original.
17:27In my opinion, the best-looking cars are stock, but with some little modification.
17:40I've signed Jeremy Clarkson.
17:43What I'm finding interesting is the, well, just the amount of variations there are in
17:50the cars.
17:51I mean, people have, you know, look at this.
17:52This is almost an original car, but with a lovely interior, but a nice set of wheels
17:57that come off a Fiat.
17:58But then there's cars like this, you know, this one's been wrapped.
18:02But then my brain's going, what do me and Elvis do?
18:04Because some people, look, you've got the rubber bumper models, which are these.
18:08And then, hiya, excuse me.
18:09And then, look, for the more original look, you've got the chrome bumper models.
18:16Jink where?
18:17I hope Elvis is working hard.
18:28That gearbox mount is broken.
18:30That's going to need replacing.
18:32And that gator as well, that's split.
18:35Good to see me, the job list's getting longer by the second.
18:38But my main concern is finding the source of all those oil leaks.
18:42There are pools of oil around the rocker cover, and that's not a good sign.
18:53Ah, okay.
18:55That is not great.
18:56That's definitely where the oil's leaking from.
18:58That is one of the oil seals from either the top or bottom of these pushrod tubes.
19:03Now, they have oil flowing up and down them to lubricate the pushrods.
19:07But they should be kept in with these rubber seals, top and bottom.
19:10And that one, at least, has fallen out.
19:12That's completely deteriorated.
19:14The problem with that is the only way to change these is to take the head off the engine.
19:19Together with all the other things I've just found, this is becoming an even bigger job list than the car itself.
19:26While Elvis gets his spanners in a twist, in which I'm no closer to working out the look we should give our 126.
19:37There's just too much choice.
19:39I think I need some friendly advice.
19:45I recognise this car.
19:46Look at this.
19:47How are you, buddy?
19:48See you.
19:49Martin, I'll be honest with you.
19:50I'm really blown away by the amount of cars here.
19:54But the one thing that I've got a bit of dilemma or trouble with is that I'm thinking about our car.
20:00Do I keep it stock or do I modify it?
20:03What way do I go?
20:04It's a very sensitive topic.
20:06Because keeping the car stock is an easy road.
20:10You can't be offended because you have a stock car.
20:13It's a stock car.
20:14But if you modify it right, then you are in the spotlight.
20:17Because it brings attention.
20:19You are standing out of the crowd.
20:21But it must be considered done in a good taste.
20:24That's the hardest thing.
20:25Thank you, buddy.
20:26Always good to see you.
20:27Bye.
20:30Oh, you've got a convertible.
20:31Look at that.
20:32You don't see many of them, do you?
20:34Nice one.
20:35I like that.
20:37Having seen just about everything that can be done to a Fiat 126,
20:40I reckon I should follow Martin's advice and keep our car standard with a few choice additions.
20:49Look across the roof of these cars.
20:51Look.
20:52Roof rack, roof rack, roof rack, roof rack, roof rack.
20:54Roof racks are everywhere.
20:56So, I definitely think we should go for a roof rack.
21:00Ah, great cars, great people.
21:02And I've got some cracking ideas how to make our 126 more saleable.
21:08Right, better segue back to Elvis and tell him what I've learnt.
21:13Okay, follow me, everybody.
21:14Follow me.
21:16This is the best form of transportation.
21:20This is the only way to get around here.
21:24At least one of us is working hard.
21:28Down here in Krakow, I've given our oily engine a clean and removed the cylinder head so I can access the leaking pushrod seals.
21:36The pushrods inside transfer movement from the camshaft to the valves so it's vital they stay properly lubricated.
21:45All right, here are our 10 brand new pushrod tube seals and if you compare to one of these old ones, you can very clearly see there is no way that that is going to stop oil from coming out of those pushrod tubes and therefore they have to be replaced.
22:03Before I put the cylinder head back on, I'm also going to fit a new head gasket and with the head and the rocker shaft back on, I can replace the leaky rocker cover gasket as well.
22:12Right, there we go, brand new rocker cover gasket, got a few more gaskets that came in the kit to fit but then finally this engine should be oil leak free.
22:26I've certainly put the hours in today but at least Mike's back in town now and he's promised me a cold Polish beer.
22:33There he is!
22:38Hi mate!
22:39Hello mate, how are you doing?
22:40I'm all right.
22:41Yeah, I've got you one lined up as promised.
22:43Cheers!
22:44Well, listen, I've had quite an exciting day actually.
22:47So what do you think you've learned then?
22:48The cars that were getting the most attention was this backdated look.
22:52It's like, take the plastic bumpers off, go chrome bumpers and put a roof rack on it with fake luggage in the roof rack and people really like that.
23:00And as we need to sell the car and we need to find a route to market, I'm thinking that this is possibly the way to go with it.
23:07Well mate, I love the idea so if you can find the bits, I'll get them bolted on, I mean I'll add it to my list.
23:12Well you're going to have to because there is another sort of event that we can go along to, we can take our car to it, potentially find a customer.
23:21I know what the next thing that's going to come out of your mouth, you're going to tell me it's like tonight.
23:26It's a couple of days away, it's not tonight. Can we do that?
23:30Yeah, we can do it, but we've got to get cracking.
23:32I could buy you a pint.
23:33Alright, we'll get cracking tomorrow.
23:35We're in Poland, a nation that's head over heels in love with its homegrown hero, the Polsky Fiat 126.
23:56The car is of my husband.
24:00Oh, this is your car? And that's your husband's car?
24:03Yes, it's Mad Max style and this is the beautiful.
24:07But with a chance to show our Malouk to potential buyers tomorrow, I'm in a race to get it finished.
24:13Next on the agenda is the car's soggy suspension, which has been softened by 30 years of bumps and potholes.
24:19One of the things that the 126 inherited from the Fiat 500 was this unusual front suspension setup.
24:28It's a transverse leaf spring.
24:30Typically back then you'd have one on either side, one on each corner, but of course that takes up quite a lot of space.
24:36This is a tiny package of a car, so using one transverse spring that's acting on both corners at the same time is actually very clever and really quite efficient when it works.
24:46The simplicity of components like this leaf spring suspension made the 126 relatively easy to fix with just a few basic tools.
24:55It's part of the reason the car proves so popular here in Poland.
25:01Here we go.
25:02So these are the now separated five steel leaves that make up our leaf spring.
25:08Now I've drawn a line of how they looked when they were all clamped up under tension before we took it apart.
25:14My theory is that over time that arc has changed.
25:17It's flattened out and in doing so it's changed the stiffness or that pretension that's on the spring.
25:23There are a number of ways you can overcome that.
25:25You could buy a brand new spring.
25:26That's perfectly doable, but of course it costs money.
25:28You could heat this up and then reform it in a jig.
25:31Another perfectly viable solution.
25:33Or you can do it the Polish way.
25:36Oh goodness me, that is heavy.
25:41I've fitted and modified hundreds of suspension systems in my time, but never quite like this.
25:47Thank goodness I've got Pavel to help.
25:49Right, where do we start?
25:53We start starting in this place and you must push very slowly.
25:59So I move along like this very slowly?
26:02Yes, it's perfect.
26:03Okay.
26:06Yes.
26:14You must hold strong.
26:16I'm trying.
26:17I mean effectively what we're doing here is by hammering the metal we're stretching it by a tiny amount just on one side.
26:28And that's allowing one side to be elongated putting the extra curve in.
26:32So we are actually changing its shape here, although it looks very brutal.
26:36Okay.
26:37Do you want to try?
26:38Yeah, go on then.
26:39I'll do the hammering.
26:40You can hold onto it.
26:41Okay.
26:42You hold it strong, yeah?
26:43Yes, I hold strong.
26:45Okay.
26:46So just hammer here?
26:47Yes.
26:48Okay.
26:49Yeah?
26:50Maybe that.
26:51Flat.
26:52Okay.
26:53Flat.
26:54Got it.
26:58Harder.
26:59Harder?
27:00Harder, yes.
27:01Okay.
27:02It really is primitive.
27:10Well at least this is saving me a trip to the gym.
27:12And more importantly, it seems to be doing the trick for our springs.
27:17And a fresh coat of black paint should help provide some rust protection.
27:28All right.
27:29There we go.
27:30Proper old school Polish engineering at its finest.
27:34And look what's happened.
27:36We've clearly changed the shape of the arc.
27:38And that in turn has changed the stiffness of this spring.
27:41The best bit about all of this is all it's cost me is the price of these.
27:46A couple of new bushes for the end of there.
27:48And a couple of new rubber mounts.
27:50I love it.
27:51And I couldn't have done it without Pavel.
27:54Actually, where is Pavel?
27:59Sorry Elvis, I borrowed him.
28:04It's cold, huh?
28:05Oh, it's very cold.
28:06So you are a big fan of the Fiat 126?
28:11Yes.
28:12Or the Maluk as you call it.
28:14Yes, in Polish in Maluk.
28:15Maluk.
28:16The name is Maluk.
28:17Maluk.
28:18Maluk.
28:19Maluk.
28:20I'm saying it right.
28:21I'm a big fan of Maluk.
28:23I have maybe ten.
28:26What?
28:27You've got ten Maluk?
28:28Yes, ten Maluk.
28:29Maluk.
28:30Maluk.
28:31Maluk.
28:32Why do people here love the Maluk so much?
28:35Because Maluk is memories for Polish people.
28:39So although the Maluk is Italian, it's a Fiat,
28:43people here feel that it belongs to them.
28:46Yes.
28:47So there must be a demand for parts.
28:49I need to get some parts.
28:51Where are we going?
28:52We buy parts in the Scrab Yard.
28:55I need the bumpers, trim parts.
28:57I'm looking for a roof rack.
28:59Yes.
29:00Do you think he will have all this?
29:01In the Scrab Yard we buy...
29:03Anything.
29:04Anything.
29:05All right.
29:06Well, that's good.
29:07I'm armed with Pavel's optimism and a thick pair of gloves.
29:10And boy, have we come to the right place.
29:19Wow.
29:20There's everything you could possibly want here, isn't there?
29:23Located an hour east of Krakow,
29:25this whole Scrab Yard is dedicated to the Maluk.
29:28There are hundreds of them.
29:34Hello, sir.
29:35How are you?
29:36Sebastian.
29:37This is a big Scrab Yard, isn't it?
29:39We've got a lot of cars here.
29:40Is there any chance me and you can just disappear and have a look around?
29:44You can have a list.
29:45Right.
29:46So you go looking for bumpers.
29:47Yes.
29:48I'm going to go looking for a roof rack.
29:49Yes.
29:50And I'll let you get back to your business.
29:52Okay?
29:53Okay.
29:54Let's go.
29:59There's no roof rack there.
30:00Is there one under there?
30:01Is there one under there?
30:02There could literally be 150 roof racks, but they're all under snow.
30:12But there is one poking up, so somehow I need to work out how to go over there to get one.
30:18This reminds me of my really early days in the car trade.
30:22You can't do this anymore in the UK.
30:24Scrap Yards have tidied themselves up where they're sort of supermarkets, glamorous supermarkets, where this is proper.
30:31You have to dig yourself around the cars and then go and find the treasure you want and rip it off the car.
30:36It's quite good.
30:37Just need to work out how to get over there now.
30:58Now that looks alright, doesn't it?
31:00There's a rack.
31:03This is good, this one.
31:06I like the shape as well.
31:08It's got sort of that dish shape to it, so you can put stuff inside and it doesn't slide around and it's authentic.
31:13Oh, and it's...
31:15Oh, it is detached.
31:17It's detached.
31:19Oh, let's go and see Seb and see how much he wants for this one.
31:25This place is a proper treasure trove.
31:28So, having come all this way, make the most of it.
31:31PHONE RINGS
31:34Hello, mate.
31:35I'm standing at the scrap mountain of 126s.
31:40Honestly, you've never seen so many.
31:42Yeah.
31:43And whilst I'm here, is there anything that I might be missing?
31:46Anything that you think?
31:47The badges on the rear boot lid.
31:49We could do with some new ones of those, if we can find them.
31:51That would be good, because they're all faded.
31:53I don't know if you remember, but some idiot broke the wing mirror.
31:56Was that on the passenger side or the driver's side?
31:58Driver's side.
31:59And then just that headlight switch.
32:01Yeah, that just goes on the dash to the left of the steering wheel.
32:04Yeah.
32:05Well, you leave it with me and I'll be coming back to see you in a bit.
32:08See you soon, mate.
32:09Bye, bub.
32:10Bye.
32:11Right.
32:12Nice little bits to add to the shopping list.
32:14Whilst I'm here, let's grab them.
32:22This looks good.
32:23This looks really good.
32:25I'll tell you what, I might take both of those.
32:28Right, so that's badges.
32:30On to the next.
32:38Seatbelts.
32:39Mirrors.
32:42Review mirror.
32:43Wing mirror.
32:47That's the same, innit?
32:48I mean, that will do it, won't it?
32:50Look at that.
32:51That's okay, so I've got badges, mirrors.
32:53Well, let's go and find Pavel and see how he's getting on.
33:00Here they come.
33:03Oh, I think he's actually found bumpers.
33:08So, you have bumpers?
33:11Yes.
33:12It's like a...
33:13Brand new.
33:15Like new old stock?
33:16Yes.
33:17They're perfect.
33:18They're absolutely perfect, Sebastian.
33:20And the brackets.
33:21Okay.
33:22Switch.
33:24Alright, well, that's great news.
33:26Thank you very much for that.
33:27We just need to know how much with the rack as well, with my roof rack.
33:32How much it all comes to.
33:34There's everything with these parts.
33:36The rack, the bagage, the bagage.
33:38You have this one.
33:40It's 1,550.
33:411,550.
33:441,550.
33:461,550.
33:48He's a rich man.
33:501,550 is, er...
33:53Well, it's around £300.
33:56Yeah.
33:57But that's bumpers, all the trim parts, and a roof rack.
34:00Yeah.
34:01Dump time.
34:02Deal.
34:03Deal.
34:04Fantastic.
34:05Right, should we load these up in my truck and I'll get you paid?
34:07Okay.
34:08Get in.
34:09£300 for everything on our list.
34:11But we've got to get all these parts fitted before tomorrow.
34:15So I'd better get back to Elvis ASAP.
34:22At our wintery 126 workshop, there's another modification I need to make to ensure that,
34:27unlike Mike and I, future owners won't need a push start by the side of the road.
34:31There are one or two things that you can do to improve almost any classic car to make
34:36it easier to live with.
34:37And one of those is electronic ignition.
34:42It basically comprises of a new cover, a new crankshaft pulley, a sensor, electronic
34:47control module, new coil, and a wiring harness.
34:50This upgrade means better reliability and less maintenance in the future.
34:56The replacement front cover is actually basically the same piece.
34:59It still contains the oil pump.
35:00I've put a new oil seal in there as well.
35:02But importantly, it's been machined out to fit these two dowels in.
35:06And they are crucial because they are used to mount this.
35:10It's a magnetic hall effect sensor, which effectively replaces the old mechanical point
35:15system that we had before.
35:17And the way it works is this.
35:19The new crankshaft pulley has these three little tabs cast into it.
35:22And as that rotates, those tabs pass through the magnetic field coming from our sensor here.
35:28And it's that that triggers the system via the electronic control unit plus the coil to send
35:33that spark along the HT leads and into the spark plugs inside the cylinder itself.
35:37And although we're tight on time, this is a pretty fast fix.
35:41Once I've replaced the old distributor and refitted the covers, all I need to do is mount the electronic module into the engine bay.
35:47Right.
35:48There we go.
35:49That's our electronic ignition system now fitted.
35:50And the best part is it costs me only 500 Zloty, which is just around 100 pounds because everything's second hand.
35:59With potential buyers to meet tomorrow, I'd better get the engine back in the car quick before Mike turns up with even more jobs.
36:08Oh ho ho ho ho. Hey up fella.
36:23Here he is.
36:24Look what I managed to find.
36:25Oh, look at those.
36:26New old stock bumpers, chrome.
36:28Amazing.
36:29That's exactly what it needs.
36:30The roof rack, which I think is all important for that look we wanted.
36:35It's cool, isn't it?
36:36Suitcase to go in the roof rack to give it that authentic we're on the road going somewhere look.
36:42Love it.
36:43And then.
36:44Yes.
36:45You want your little thing.
36:46Perfect.
36:47The mirror you broke when we see the car.
36:49And we've got to get a bit of a jog on me and you because tomorrow we're going to meet a bunch of mega fans.
36:54They are obsessed with these cars and hopefully in amongst them all there might be somebody who shows a bit of interest and wants to buy it.
37:02Yeah, well it's probably our best shot, isn't it? So we should crack on and get these bits on.
37:05Yeah.
37:06Right. Bumpers.
37:07I'm going to start with a nice easy one like the mirror.
37:09Certainly came off easily.
37:11These finishing touches will make the world of difference when we come to sale.
37:15As long as we can get them all on in time.
37:17Right, if I hold on to all these brackets, can you get that nut on?
37:24No.
37:25You got it?
37:26Hold on.
37:27Give me a sec.
37:38We're braving the sub-zero temperatures of a Polish winter on a mission to restore this little Fiat 126.
37:47And we've given it all the love this little guy had been missing.
37:53Mate, I can't believe the transformation in this car.
37:56It was old.
37:57It was tired.
37:58There was basically nothing appealing about it.
38:00Now look at it.
38:01It looks incredible.
38:02Yeah.
38:03We paid 14,900 Zloty for it.
38:05We've spent around 5,000 Zloty with all the bits on it, which is nearly 20,000 Zloty.
38:11That ends up being in Stirling just £4,000.
38:14Yeah.
38:15So I've looked out there in the marketplace.
38:17I reckon we should pitch this at the base price at 25,000.
38:20Shows us a 5,000 Zloty profit if I can get it.
38:23Yeah, about a thousand pounds.
38:24About a grand.
38:25Feels right, doesn't it?
38:26Feels good.
38:27Yeah, love it.
38:28It just goes to show you don't always have to spend a fortune to rescue a classic.
38:34And because this car's so simple, we've managed to revamp that oil splattered engine for very little cash.
38:40A good old-fashioned scrapyard rummage came up trumps, with some backdated bargains to give it some personality.
38:50And we've completed the look with a snazzy new set of alloys. All we need now is a buyer.
38:56It's time for this little guy to hit the big country.
39:05And the Oytouf National Park, famed for its epic landscape and winding roads.
39:11It's just such a nice thing to be able to drive on this wonderful winding road with the snow around us.
39:21I absolutely love it. I think it's wicked.
39:26In our little red car, now that it's shiny and polished with its lovely chrome bumpers,
39:30it must just pop against this beautiful snowy backdrop.
39:41It's just really had a proper freshener.
39:43I mean, we've sold all of those leaks.
39:45We've got the up-rated electronic ignition kit on it.
39:48Oh yeah, that's gonna help, isn't it?
39:49Absolutely.
39:50And that suspension that was so soft, the spring, that big leaf spring, it flattened out and lost a lot of its stiffness.
39:57Yeah, but now it feels completely and utterly different.
40:01It's quieter, it's more refined, it's comfortable.
40:04It's a different car.
40:06It really is a different car.
40:07And it goes to show in the limited time we have here in the workshop space, what is achievable is absolutely blooming brilliant.
40:17Wherever we go in the world, me and you, everyone has their national car,
40:20and they bring it into their culture, into their society.
40:23And although this is a Fiat, but made here in Poland, the Polish people love this car so much,
40:30they bring it in to the point it becomes a member of the family.
40:34Well mate, if you look over your shoulder, this is the gathering that I was talking about.
40:45They want to get their cars out, they want to show them off and celebrate the 126.
40:49I'm kind of hoping that when we gather together and we look at each other's cars,
40:54somebody back there fancies this car enough to make an offer for me and you and we get it sold.
41:01Well, it's exactly the right audience to put it in front of, isn't it?
41:03I mean, what a sight that is, it's amazing.
41:05It makes me very happy.
41:07There's no way our car's that small, isn't it?
41:09We look exactly like that, yeah.
41:11This lot clearly love their malutes, but will any of them love our little guy enough to park with the 25,000 Zloty we need?
41:21There's only one other car that's got the chrome bumpers, but doesn't it look good?
41:24Yeah, I think that's, with that lime interior as well, it's really nice.
41:28Yeah, that interior is fantastic, isn't it?
41:33Really?
41:34I like it.
41:35I love it, yeah.
41:36You can imagine it just sort of wrapped you.
41:38It's like a cuddle.
41:39It is like a cuddle.
41:41Like a cuddle.
41:42That's very sweet.
41:43And it looks like Elvis may have found somebody that wants to cuddle our 126.
41:49Oh, wow.
41:50Yes.
41:51Hey, you know, Martin, this is Sonic.
41:54Sonic, really, really nice to meet you.
41:56What do you think?
41:57You like it?
41:58I like the color, you see.
42:00It's almost the same.
42:01You wore the right jacket for me.
42:03Yes, most definitely.
42:04If you like the 126s, you have one or two?
42:07It was my first car.
42:08Your first car.
42:09It was a car where my mother said, that's the car I allow you to drive when I was 16.
42:14Wow.
42:15I did the driver's license with it.
42:17So, I love it.
42:18Yeah.
42:19Well, listen, we do need to sell this one.
42:21You're the first guy to look at it with some kind of interest.
42:25We're just looking for 25,000 gelotti.
42:28We think it's worth every penny.
42:30Maffa, what do you think?
42:31I think the same.
42:32Yes?
42:33Deal done.
42:34Oh, man, that was fantastic.
42:35Sonic.
42:36Well done, Sonic.
42:37Does it have electric window?
42:39It doesn't, no.
42:40That's an extra.
42:41Oh.
42:42It's too late to ask.
42:43It is.
42:44Well done.
42:45Congratulations.
42:46Congratulations.
42:51This whole experience has been incredible.
42:53We've immersed ourselves not only with the 126 community, but the whole of Polish culture.
42:59And I've loved it.
43:01I've loved the whole thing.
43:02It's been fantastic.
43:03We've been welcomed into the 126 family, haven't we?
43:05And it turned out a great little car.
43:07So good, in fact.
43:08They want to put it in the car club.
43:10Yeah.
43:11I'm really pleased.
43:12A little bit of money.
43:13A little bit.
43:14That's all we needed.
43:15Spredan.
43:16Huh?
43:17Yeah, it means time to get to the airport now.
43:19Come on.
43:20Come on, then.
43:21Yes, I think it's safe to say our work here in Poland is done.
43:42.
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