- 19 hours ago
Bangers Cash Restoring Classics S08E01
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00:05Mathewson's auctioned more than 700 classic cars, bikes and trucks every month.
00:10If you can't find something in here, you don't want one, do you?
00:13Lovely, ain't you?
00:14At their garages in Yorkshire, our television crews have been trying to understand their business.
00:21You'll get the hang of it soon. You've only been around us for five years.
00:24I'm going to have to educate them a little bit.
00:26But that hasn't stopped us taking a risk on classics close to our hearts.
00:35It hasn't got a plan, but it's gone exactly how it always does.
00:39She's about knackered. Technical Yorkshire term, is that?
00:43That's how the cookie crumbles.
00:45So far, the experts have done us proud.
00:48It's the best I've ever seen, to be honest.
00:50Encouraging stuff.
00:51I love it. I absolutely love it.
00:52You have to start somewhere.
00:54Absolutely brilliant.
00:55But buying and selling these iconic cars isn't getting any easier.
01:00Oh, I'm feeling really sick.
01:02I'll stop after this.
01:03I think we can make money.
01:05The worst thing you can do is think that you're going to make any money out of it.
01:08You're saving another vehicle.
01:09You're performing a public service. It's the only way you can look at it.
01:11You've actually kept a bit of originality there.
01:14Well done.
01:14Well, we're in five pounds.
01:16This is going to be painful.
01:26This week, two cars that couldn't be more different.
01:30The first...
01:31Oh, it's a 126.
01:33126!
01:34A benchmark for basic.
01:36Get in, Will.
01:38Very little space.
01:40And in a class of its own when it comes to ride quality.
01:44Oh, jeez!
01:46We're going to make it look faster than it'll ever be.
01:50Whereas the second...
01:52Oh, my God.
01:53A 200-mile-an-hour footballer's favourite.
01:57In its day, costing well over 100 grand.
02:00Every now and then you're getting something and you just feel happy, innit?
02:03These Bentleys are that for me.
02:05But only one causes an upset at the auction.
02:09It's a catastrophe.
02:16At more than 3,000 square miles, North Yorkshire is England's largest county.
02:21And the Mathewson's garages are situated next to one of its most expansive areas of open countryside.
02:27The North York Moors.
02:29In the showrooms, an enormous choice of classics waiting to be auctioned.
02:34And for some, you'd need a sizeable garage.
02:38But what about the other end of the spectrum?
02:41Do good things really come in small packages, too?
02:45Well...
02:46No.
02:48Obviously, snake-like figure and six foot and a little bit.
02:52I've built for a Mini, aren't I?
02:54Probably the smallest car that I've really enjoyed has been a Frogeye Sprite
02:57that I owned for a couple of weeks before I sold it.
02:59But in general, small cars, I've never had a great deal of time for them, really.
03:04But we think there might be fun and beauty in a tiny classic,
03:08which is why we've become very interested in this extremely compact unit.
03:13A Fiat 126.
03:20The story starts with a car that could not be more Italian, the Fiat 500.
03:26Launched in 1957, it had a 480cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine in the back
03:32and was the first true city car.
03:35They sold 4 million of them.
03:38But in 1972, Fiat launched the 126 as its successor.
03:43It was still cute, had a bigger engine, and it sold well.
03:47But that was mainly thanks to Poland, where most of the 4.6 million were made.
03:53Over 30 years, the car became part of Polish folklore,
03:56with locals nicknaming it Maluks, or the Little One.
04:03We're eyeing up this 1991 water-cooled 700cc beast model,
04:09which means Encore in Italian.
04:12A little washing machine.
04:14Oh, inside's nice.
04:16Headlining's dropped, look.
04:17What's gluing back up?
04:19They're great, aren't they?
04:20They're quirky little things.
04:21A little bit of rot down this side, look, where it traps water.
04:24You're a little bit on that screen there, look.
04:27You've got to paint it.
04:28On the upside, you only need three quarters of a litre, don't you?
04:31You know.
04:32Tiny, isn't it?
04:34I think it's a great little car.
04:35Don't get giddy and overbuy it, though.
04:37Because it wants to be, like, mid to late teens, does it?
04:41Something like that.
04:43Just to clarify, that's Paul saying hundreds, not thousands.
04:46Or at least we hope it is.
04:49The little 1, 2, 6 biz.
04:50There you go, you've got your name all over that.
04:52£1,000 we've got, £1,100, £1,200 bid.
04:55At £1,200 we've got, at £1,200, then at £1,200, £1,300.
05:00I love a £1,300 car.
05:02£1,400 in Shropshire.
05:04£1,400, £1,500.
05:06I knew you were saying you love a £1,300 car.
05:08£1,500, £1,600.
05:11Fresh bid.
05:12£1,600, £1,700.
05:14At £1,700, £1,800.
05:16And £1,900 with Moreland.
05:18There you are.
05:18Hey, what?
05:19I just looked at him.
05:21How does that work?
05:22Never wink at the auction here.
05:24At £1,900.
05:25I blinked.
05:26£2,000 in Nottingham.
05:27£2,000.
05:29£2,200 in Nottingham.
05:30At £2,200.
05:32£2,300.
05:33Oh, Jesus, Mr J.
05:34Oh, hang on.
05:35He's been overruled by the big white chief.
05:38How about that?
05:40He's back in at £2,400.
05:42£2,400.
05:43Andy's waving £2,500.
05:44£2,500.
05:45At £2,500, I'm going to sell it today.
05:48Is that us?
05:48Yeah.
05:49Well, either us or Andy.
05:51£2,500.
05:52Hammer's gown.
05:53£2,500.
06:02£2,500.
06:03We're going to send this one to our friend Kel Muir's in Croft, near Darlington.
06:08Because he and his mechanics, Woody, Don and Will, have had such a nightmare with our other projects.
06:14If this was a horse, you'd be calling a vet to put it out of its misery.
06:18We wanted to reward them with this week's mystery vehicle.
06:22Spurs.
06:24Oh, it's a 1-2-6.
06:261-2-6?
06:27Oh, my God, he really hit.
06:29With a flat side.
06:34Hey, I like it.
06:36Just to polish the surface and send you it back, then, eh?
06:39We can't see any rust.
06:42That's different, isn't it?
06:44Is it a J-redge?
06:45I don't know, there's no number.
06:46We'll play out in the front.
06:47Did I mention there's half a tonne of wires hanging out the dashboard?
06:51And it stinks.
06:53Will has some suggestions to make it more desirable.
06:57Wide arches, slam it, more bike engine.
06:59Have you been by slam it?
07:00Drop it on the floor.
07:01Pin it white, debumper it, and put the Fiat Rally stickers on it.
07:07So, how does it look at me?
07:08Small.
07:10Do you know one of the things we can't do in a car like this?
07:12We can't even see what it drives like.
07:15There's not enough space in there for two people.
07:18Now there's a challenge.
07:20I'll go in the back.
07:21Well, I'll have to be in the back.
07:23Oh, I can't get my feet in.
07:26Sort of.
07:27Oh, Christ.
07:29Get in, Will.
07:33Yay, we're in.
07:35Starts, Will.
07:37Go.
07:38Go.
07:39Go.
07:42Go.
07:44Go.
07:51Go.
07:57Go.
07:58Go.
07:58Go.
08:04Go.
08:05It sounds very claustrophobic.
08:08Yeah, it's all right. We fit well in there, didn't we?
08:13Our microscopic Fiat is best known for cheapness and its ability to rust.
08:19Other features include a curious decision to have shock absorbs as the rear suspension,
08:25but old-school leaf springs on the front.
08:28Comfort wasn't really a priority, but things still don't seem quite right.
08:37The shock's a shot.
08:39They're there, but they're not doing anything.
08:41Is that a petrol tank? Yeah, that's a petrol tank.
08:44Very small. You're not going to get far with that, are you?
08:47It's not like it drinks much.
08:49I think there's scooters that use more fuel than this thing.
08:52I found the first hole.
08:54Yeah, that's the hole.
08:55Lost the carpet there.
08:57Oh, that's just four little bits.
08:59Wouldn't be right if we didn't have some welding to do.
09:02The exhaust isn't great.
09:05It's not meant to have exit holes in the side of it.
09:09I mean, the rest of it, it's just a little bit of flaky under-sale.
09:15Better than I expected.
09:16Yeah.
09:17So that's good.
09:18It is, because less welding means more time finding ways to add value to this basic vehicle.
09:41KEL and Woody are weighing up what to do with our 1991 Fiat 126.
09:48If it was me, I'd be keeping it all standard, repainted, same colour, keep it right.
09:54But everybody said, no, let's change the colour to something funky, take the bumpers off, big exhaust, make it look
10:01special.
10:03White one with the tricolor down the side.
10:06Sounds good, but it would be a bit more work, and of course, cost.
10:11If we keep it the same colour, we're still going to take everything off it, but we wouldn't have had
10:16to paint inside it.
10:17Where if we're changing the colour, you're better off doing the inside as well.
10:22To be decided.
10:24For now though, some simple diagnostics.
10:29You alright?
10:32What are you saying that for?
10:33You need to sit down.
10:34Right, because I've done too much already today.
10:38In the steering side of it, the track rod ends, solid, but the wheel bearing, you can feel it clicking,
10:49slightly knocking.
10:52The track rod ends connect the steering rack to a knuckle on each front wheel.
10:58When this joint gets worn, you get wandering steering from the unwanted side to side movement.
11:04The bearing, on the other hand, is part of the wheel's hub, and is a set of steel balls held
11:10in a metal ring, called a race.
11:12They reduce friction when the wheel spins.
11:16When they wear, wobbling occurs in an up and down direction, which is the knocking that Kel found.
11:25And another, more unusual problem has come to light.
11:30I don't know which one's the white bear.
11:31That one.
11:33Right, so you put the wipers on.
11:35Don't work.
11:37And then the minute you press your finger on the key, the wipers work.
11:41Everyone tells me about Italian wiring, and how bad it is.
11:45Yeah, this has sort of proven it.
11:48But, because we now like the idea of painting the whole car in white, everything, including the wiring, will need
11:54to be stripped out anyway.
11:56Look at that, it's just fell off.
11:58Mechanic George is back after a week in his flip flops, full of the joys of spring about the Fiat.
12:04It's not my cup of tea, but whatever.
12:09Things are expected to improve once his hands get oily again.
12:14What we're going to try and do is get the engine out today.
12:18Hey, look at that.
12:19Do I think I need to label them at all? Headlight.
12:21Do you think they'll know what it is?
12:23Is that okay? Rear bumper.
12:28Looks like this back panel here comes off, I think.
12:34That's it.
12:35Are you writing bonnet on there?
12:37I was going to put front seats just to confuse them a bit.
12:41Everything's got to come off, because I hate seeing, like, where people have masked off the rubbers and stuff like
12:46that.
12:48We're going to fix any corroded areas, and then only bare metal the exterior bodywork before paint.
12:54It should be straightforward.
12:57It's got that and a bit in the floor.
12:59The rest of it's just a little bit of surface rust steel in there.
13:01It's the most solid one you've ever brought was.
13:05That's not saying much, but it's still surprising for a 126.
13:10I don't think this has ever been out of here before.
13:15The engine has left the building.
13:21Look at that.
13:29Our little Fiat isn't the rot box it could have been.
13:32So now, feeling flush, we're in the market for something flash.
13:37And this time, we're also thinking big.
13:41No more, passengers sat in the fetal position, and luggage space larger than a shoe box.
13:47So with that in mind, it would be difficult not to notice this.
13:52Standing at 16 feet long, the Bentley Continental GT.
13:57Look at that.
13:59They're just lovely, aren't they?
14:04From the 1930s three and a half litre, all the way to the £150,000 Arnage,
14:10Bentley, under the ownership of Rolls-Royce,
14:13were known for hand-building elegant limos your chauffeur would thank you for.
14:18But when Volkswagen took over in 1998,
14:21they had to embrace the unseemly practice of mass production.
14:26The flagship for this brave new world was the Continental GT.
14:32Still super luxurious with an enormous engine.
14:35At £110,000, it was marketed as affordable.
14:40But it turned out that for many, the high price tag wasn't a problem.
14:45In fact, demand was initially so high, the factory crew could barely keep up.
14:52This one is a 2004 with only 51,000 miles.
14:57Every now and then you're getting something and you just feel happy in it and it fits you.
15:01I know that sounds really stupid, it's like your favourite pair of slippers.
15:04These Bentleys are that for me.
15:07At 550 horsepower, it's 20 times more powerful than our Fiat.
15:12I mean, look at that.
15:15You've got a massive motor in there, haven't you?
15:176 litres, 12 cylinders, turbo each side.
15:22I mean, what's not to like?
15:25Apart from the potential repair bill if there's anything scary.
15:28But it looks in good, Nick, so we're happy to take a punt.
15:31We've got number 744.
15:33One of the nicest Bentleys that we've had, I think, come through.
15:37And we have lots of these, don't we?
15:39Anyhow, more importantly, here we go.
15:40Right, so we've got £15,000 bid.
15:43£16,000.
15:44£17,000.
15:46£18,000.
15:47£19,000 with Andrew.
15:49£19,500.
15:50£19,500.
15:50£19,600.
15:51£19,700.
15:52You're out, Andy.
15:54£19,800, you're back in.
15:55Southampton, you're out.
15:56Hammer's going to drop down then.
15:58Sold.
15:59£19,000.
16:01We've bought a Bentley.
16:02Yes.
16:03It's like we've joined an exclusive club, or be it on the bottom rung.
16:08But as befits our new status, we've decided to take it to our friend Ray Hillier
16:13and his mechanic, Chris Leith, in Buckinghamshire.
16:16Go on, go on, you're right. Go on, keep going.
16:19They work on some of the best Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in the country.
16:23We just hope they're as excited as we are.
16:28An element of trepidation.
16:29Oh, is there? Why?
16:31Because we're wondering what you're going to bring us, basically.
16:34Suspicion it might be a GT. I hope it's not.
16:39A GT.
16:42Ray definitely prefers pre-2003 Bentleys.
16:46We were used to an era where we could get parts for a Mark VI, an R-Type,
16:51but there's a lot of parts now for these cars that are just not available.
16:56So it's actually easier to work on an older car.
17:00It is, yeah.
17:01I mean, you could have a gem on your hands.
17:03If we look underneath and it's all in really good nick, then you've swum the channel.
17:06I mean, let's face it, it's a Volkswagen and an Audi.
17:11It's a W12 from the Volkswagens.
17:12Good, dependable engines.
17:13We've got one on nearly 200,000 miles now.
17:17Yes, very true.
17:18Travels backwards and forwards to Germany.
17:19It's never had head gaskets, never had a gearbox.
17:22In the eyes of some people, these represent incredible value for money.
17:28You could get an absolute bargain, but get an absolute money pit.
17:33Here's hoping it's the first one.
17:42Back with our well-preserved Fiat 126,
17:45we're nearly ready for some costly, time-consuming welding.
17:48So it's lucky there's hardly any to do.
17:51Just the bottom bit coming out now.
17:53There we go, see?
17:55Oh, look at that.
17:57Underneath the rubber.
17:58A bit of grime and grizzle.
18:00Get in.
18:01More money.
18:04The dollar signs are going up.
18:06But it hasn't stopped us in our quest to pimp this thing up with some well-chosen mods.
18:12We're going to make it look faster than it'll ever be.
18:18The new bad-boy exhaust.
18:20Look at that.
18:22That is a definite 26 horsepower now.
18:25And there aren't many lawnmowers that could beat that.
18:31Do you know, I sat here, I'm thinking,
18:33I'm going to get my feet on this wind and try and see if I can pop it out without
18:37breaking it.
18:41Kel has never let George forget what happened with our Golf GTI a few years ago.
18:47I'll just push it.
18:49You can try it.
18:52You know.
18:54Heavy, heavy-handed.
18:56I hardly touched it.
18:58Put it somewhere safe.
19:01Today, it's Kel's turn to show us how it's done.
19:08Oh.
19:15That wasn't me. That was him. That was nothing to do with me.
19:21At least Woody can get on with the bodywork now.
19:25Over the next few days, he skilfully fabricates separate pieces of steel for each corroded section.
19:32What I can do is work on more than one area at a time.
19:35So while one area is cooling down, I can be working on a separate area on the car.
19:40The offending bit is cut out.
19:43And the new metal is welded into place.
19:48The little Fiat will soon be back to full strength.
20:07Near Darlington, George is preparing to give our Fiat's two-cylinder engine an overhaul.
20:15The beating heart.
20:16It is a bit cleaner.
20:18It's got Lancie written on there, look.
20:20And then it's got Made in Poland on there.
20:22A bit of all sorts engine this.
20:24What we're going to do, we're just going to strip a load of the bits off.
20:27Give them a clean.
20:28Give it a good service.
20:30Put it all back together.
20:32So that should just lift off now.
20:35That's the alternator, that bit.
20:36That's what makes the electric for the car.
20:39We're going to go and we'll take the fan belt off as well.
20:41So what we're going to do is take these six bolts out in here,
20:44because this is the oil pump behind here.
20:47And part of this unit cleans the engine oil.
20:49But it's an unusual design.
20:52It must be a cheaper way of doing it.
20:54See, most little engines would have a screw-on oil filter.
20:57Screw it on and screw it off and throw it away.
20:59But this one has got a centrifugal oil filter.
21:02When this spins round with the engine,
21:04all the little bits of debris and muck and whatever else
21:07fly to the outside and stick to the outside.
21:11See all this mud there?
21:14Collecting little compartments.
21:17It's cleaned and reassembled.
21:22Take the carburetor off.
21:26And this little inlet manifold should wiggle off now, hopefully.
21:30This will have to come off to get the cylinder head off.
21:36So I think that's a waterway that in there, look.
21:39It's the water going around the engine to keep it cool.
21:42It's all blocked up with all gunge.
21:45It's the old water and antifreeze mix, isn't it?
21:47So she'll overheat all the time.
21:52We'll get the exhaust manifolds off now.
21:59So that comes off like that, look.
22:02So that's another bit off.
22:06The engine wasn't big on power even when it was new,
22:09but age has, shall we say,
22:12significantly reduced the number of horses in the stable.
22:16They run away, they go on holiday, don't they?
22:20George is like a mechanical cowboy.
22:22If it is only 26 brake horsepower,
22:25it'll be nice to get them all back again.
22:28There we go.
22:30This is a 700cc flat twin,
22:33which means the pistons move horizontally.
22:35It saves space so you can cram it in the boot.
22:40George doesn't really mind what type it is, though.
22:43Yeah.
22:44I love mucking about with engines, I love them.
22:46I've mucked about with them all my life.
22:48When I was a kid, I had an escort,
22:50and you used to break it,
22:51and then you had to fix it before I could go out in it.
22:54So it was a case of hand-do when you were younger.
22:59It doesn't always go as planned, though.
23:01Removing the bolts on the cylinder head can be tricky.
23:06I'm not going to want to come out of there, that.
23:09It feels very tight, that.
23:12If they break, they'll have to be drilled out
23:14and the threads re-tapped.
23:16It's a time-consuming process.
23:24That's tight, that.
23:26I'll get it three-quarters of the way out, then it'll snap on it.
23:30I bet if you got Kel to come and help, then it would.
23:35So, step away from the bolt.
23:38So, he said, I'll come over and try and undo it.
23:41If it stops, it's my fault.
23:43I've already placed the windscree, because it was my fault.
23:49See ya.
23:53George has just given himself a bit more work.
24:03Back in Buckinghamshire...
24:05Good nick on the exhaust. Pipes are good.
24:08Ray and Chris have been giving our Bentley a more detailed once-over.
24:13So, just checking the brake pad depth.
24:16Yeah, loads of material.
24:19So far, the only concern is the tyres.
24:242005. 2005?
24:25Tyres are 20 years old.
24:28I mean, we would recommend replacing them.
24:31Yeah, this car will do 200 miles an hour.
24:33The last thing you want is a blowout.
24:36The Continental GT has always been firmly in the prestige bracket.
24:40But just like run-of-the-mill cars, it has its own particular weak spots.
24:46Suspension.
24:46Because they're an airstruck, they'll give up.
24:48We do get a lot of cars that suffer from vacuum leaks on the engine.
24:53We've noticed recently power steering lines have started to fail now.
24:56The trouble with these cars is they're quite labour-intensive.
24:58You've got an awful lot crammed into a small space.
25:01With a silver shadow or a silver cloud or something like that,
25:04you can see what you're looking at and you can work on it.
25:06These, you have to dismantle a lot of stuff before you can actually get to the bit you want to
25:10inspect, let alone change.
25:12But underneath, I have to say, as a president of the British League of Cynics,
25:19this actually looks like an okay car.
25:23To be certain, Ray needs to drive this beast.
25:26But first, a quick test for hidden problems.
25:29Which on a relatively new car like this, means hooking it up to a computer.
25:34Michael is the resident expert here.
25:37So I'm going to interrogate every control module within the car.
25:41It should come up with a list of fault codes.
25:43At the moment, it's looking really good.
25:46There's no fault codes in the engine management and transmission at the moment.
25:50So just the basic setting on the driver's seat.
25:53There is an anomaly though, showing that diagnostics aren't perfect.
25:58A warning light on the dash relating to the rear spoiler that flips up when over 70 miles an hour.
26:04So this part is a spoiler, but I've got no fault codes for that.
26:08But the light's on?
26:10But the light's on the dashboard.
26:12We'll be sticking to speed limits, so for now, it's not an issue.
26:17So apart from Ray not being able to move the seat properly, there's nothing to stop this car going out
26:22on the road?
26:22No, no, no. The seat will work, it's just the seat memories may not work.
26:27This, and a few other bits like the sound system, just need a reset. It's a surprisingly good result.
26:34I normally get three pages of fault codes.
26:38Cleared for takeoff.
26:43Ray hops in for his quick test drive.
26:46Seeing if it performs correctly, any noises, any suspension or rattles, knocks.
26:54This GT should be capable of reaching 60 miles an hour in less than five seconds.
27:06Er, it goes then, Ray?
27:08Yeah, they do go. You know, I mean, they've got plenty of poke.
27:12Erm, I have to say, it feels like a very decent GT. It is quite a nice car.
27:21And it'll be an even better one when we've fixed the odd glitch and given it the full Bentley service.
27:35Back with our 35-year-old Fiat, Woody has now carefully replaced most of the old corroded metal.
27:42But there is one section that needs a specific machine to fabricate it.
27:48The triangular trim in the door that the quarter-light windows sit in is a strange shape.
27:53And you can't buy them anywhere.
27:56So we've asked new man Jason to work his magic with a specialist press break.
28:02Such a brilliant tool, like, it saves a lot of time.
28:06The alternative would be to cut it and weld it, you know, slice it in loads of different segments.
28:12Jason worked on the Fast and Furious films.
28:14We had to build the stunt Range Rovers.
28:18And with McLaren F1, with the help of computer-aided design.
28:22I was a race fabricator, so I looked after the carbon bodywork.
28:26The approach for our Fiat is a bit more low-tech.
28:31That's a template I've got for it, so that's the angle it needs to be at.
28:36And that's just made out of your average cornflake packet.
28:40Yeah, cardboard-aided design, we call it.
28:42Cab?
28:43Yeah, that's our cad in here, yeah.
28:46That's, er, that's just about right.
28:51On the other side of the garage, George has something interesting on his trolley.
28:55So, over the last few days, I've stripped this engine to pieces.
28:59We've had the cylinder heads off.
29:00I've reseated the valves back in.
29:03Er, we've cleaned all the engine out.
29:05All the oil ways, all the water ways.
29:08New spark plugs in.
29:10So, I'm hoping I'm going to be able to start it now.
29:13I know it's not in the car, but I've wired it up, so hopefully it'll start now.
29:18So, I've just got a can of petrol, and this is like turning the ignition on on your car.
29:24So, that's live now.
29:26And then I'm going to use that wire there as the starter button.
29:29Fingers crossed, it should start.
29:31So, we'll touch that on there, and hopefully it'll start.
29:47So, it runs.
29:49It shakes like mad.
29:54George has probably got it back to full power.
29:58Not exactly a purring V8, but what it lacks in finesse, it makes up for in character.
30:06And, after a few days of filling and sanding, the painting gets underway.
30:11It won't be long before everything gets bolted back into place.
30:31In Buckinghamshire, our Bentley had the potential to ruin us financially.
30:35But, mercifully, we're now on the home straight.
30:38The plan for today is we're going to be doing a major service.
30:43Much of this, like changing the oil, is routine.
30:47They're sort of around 12 litres in total.
30:49That is actually relatively clean.
30:51I mean, if it had done any higher mileage, it would be a lot blacker.
30:56But a service on a car like this needs a trained eye like Chris's to detect any problems.
31:02Check all the wiring for the pad sensors, make sure nothing's ripped off or damaged in any way.
31:09I mean, yes, they are Volkswagen, Audi technology, but you need to know what you're doing because it's an expensive
31:17car.
31:17And if you get something wrong, you're going to get more expense in the future.
31:22And they do like to put up a fight.
31:26They also make it known when they're not happy.
31:29They call them Christmas trees because they've always got a warning light on the dashboard somewhere.
31:34And ours is currently to do with the active spoiler and its ECU, or electronic control unit.
31:42So under here, we have the active rear aerofoil motor and the control module with the ECU inside.
31:49And when the gear turns, it actually pushes these two drive cables inside this tube.
31:56It'll push them downwards, lifting the aerofoil up.
32:01Michael needs to check that the ECU is getting power.
32:05So I'm just going to connect this to the negative terminal of the battery.
32:09So I just need to check power up to this plug.
32:13What I expect to be there is voltage, the 12 volt, but I'm not receiving that.
32:18The reason becomes pretty obvious.
32:21Oh, voila.
32:23The wire has broken inside the loom.
32:26The opening and the closing of the boot.
32:29These wires will just flex and then they'll get fatigued.
32:33So, after a bit of new wire and some soldering, our Bentley was ready for the autobahn.
32:39Fairly straightforward.
32:41The car's behaved.
32:42Clearly been very well looked after by previous owners.
32:45So you've lucked in, really, on getting something that doesn't really need a lot doing to it.
32:51So you've done well.
32:54But can the same be said for the financers?
32:57Including tax and commission, it was a slightly up-market £21,582 to buy.
33:04Labour came in at £1,584.
33:08And parts cost £1,768.
33:12Bringing the total to a moderately regal £24,934.
33:20Given that this Bentley is still a lot of luxury for the price of a new Mini.
33:25We were curious about what it's like to live with.
33:28I've never driven it before.
33:31So our production team and their families...
33:34...did their own consumer test.
33:36Right, Frank.
33:38Here you go, Phoebe.
33:39Right, then this is the key.
33:42Oh, Phoebe, what do you smell?
33:43Lots of old rich men.
33:45Yes!
33:46This is a car with a distinctive image.
33:49All these people are waving or making rude signs at me.
33:54I feel like in the band they wouldn't let you go because you're in a Bentley.
33:59How do you think we look as a pair of people?
34:01I think born into old money.
34:04Oh, my God!
34:06It's got quite a lot of power.
34:08I can't see it.
34:11Well, it picks up all right.
34:14Woo!
34:14Jesus!
34:21Get it on the door handles.
34:24State-of-the-art tech.
34:25So many buttons there.
34:27Or at least it was 20 years ago.
34:30Daddy, what does this button do?
34:32What do they do?
34:34Don't press it.
34:35It might be an ejector seat.
34:36You know, the roof will open and you'll fly out.
34:38These sorts of cars, that's what they have.
34:40You can change your shock absorbers from...
34:44Why would I want to do that?
34:46It's not touchscreen.
34:48That wasn't around in the early 2000s.
34:51That's a car phone.
34:52Yeah, a car phone.
34:53It's like a Nokia.
34:54Size and visibility seem to be an issue.
34:57Has it got a camera?
34:59I don't know.
35:00Oh, my God.
35:03It seems like you're very close to that.
35:05I know.
35:06I'm close to the thing.
35:06Yeah, you really can't tell when you're going to hit something, I don't think.
35:10In conclusion, this bit is great.
35:15But this...
35:1623 miles per gallon.
35:186.5 miles per gallon.
35:20Not so much.
35:21Have we got any petrol left?
35:24Er...
35:25Ding!
35:26A5.
35:27A5.
35:28Supreme.
35:28Supreme.
35:33Back at the garage, there's not a lot Paul can say.
35:36Because apart from some new tyres, the car looks the same.
35:40But he does want to educate us on driving economically.
35:45Yeah, I ran one for a while.
35:47We also, at the same time, had a Discovery 4.
35:50And we were up and down the country a bit.
35:52And anyway, Discovery went wrong again.
35:55Come on, let's just go into Bentley, it's fine.
35:57It's going to cost an extra 20 or 30 quid in it.
36:00Er...
36:01It was £10 less.
36:03Point taken.
36:04Now, we need to get back almost £25,000.
36:08Lot number 264.
36:11Bentley Continental GT automatic.
36:14There we are then.
36:15£15,500.
36:18£16,000 bid.
36:20£16,500, I should think so.
36:23£16,600.
36:24I thought it was going to do 20 plus.
36:25I thought it was going to do 22.
36:27And I've had a £5 bet with him that it's going to do 22.
36:30Oh no, you're going to lose a fiver because you had a bet on it.
36:33Oh no.
36:34That's £16,600 then.
36:38Ooh, it's a catastrophe.
36:41It is for you.
36:46Hello, fiver.
36:53In Croft, it's now two months since George started work on our Fiat 126.
36:59With the respray done, we can now finish with some light pimping.
37:04We're taking the standard suspension out, these standard springs, and we bought a lowering kit for the car.
37:10If I just press that down now.
37:12I should be able to get that out.
37:15So if we stand them side by side, there's supposed to be about 25mm difference in them.
37:21So we're hoping it's going to sit in the arch a bit better.
37:25The idea...
37:26Push that in there.
37:28...is that a more contemporary image will add value.
37:32Well, we'll see when it's finished.
37:34Let's hope it's going to look good.
37:38Next up, putting the mighty two-cylinder engine back in.
37:42Now fuller restored with its 26 horses chomping at the bit.
37:48Well, hopefully it should be fairly straightforward.
37:50About six or eight bolts, that's about it.
37:55Kells arrived to help by pushing a button on the lift.
37:58Got far more important things to do.
38:01Right on.
38:03Down a bit.
38:05Touch mark.
38:10Is that the recommended method for getting an engine in one?
38:13I don't know. Give it a wiggle.
38:18Whatever it is, it seems to have worked.
38:21So the engine's in the hole.
38:23Just putting all the wires and the pipes and everything else back up now.
38:29Most of the original parts have been saved.
38:32The radiator has had a new core fitted.
38:35And the dashboard, not made of walnut in this case,
38:39just needed Woody to give it a quick clean.
38:42It's unusual to have a dash that's basically a cover.
38:46Maybe it's a 1980s airbag.
38:52It's definitely a basic car,
38:55but this rebuild stage can still be a challenge.
38:58Just trying to remember what the head goes where.
39:04Spending most of your time backwards in small areas.
39:11That's it.
39:15Our colour coded wheels get new rubber.
39:19They do look better in white, don't they?
39:20Yeah, definitely.
39:24Sexy or what?
39:25It was always clear what we wanted our 126 to be.
39:29A bit spicy.
39:30We found this picture on the internet and we thought,
39:32oh, wouldn't that be good if we sort of try and replicate that one?
39:36But Kel now realises things weren't quite as they seemed.
39:41Someone had sat and played with it on AI and we'd been copying off that.
39:44So we're basing our car on a fabricated picture.
39:49But I think we're getting pretty close to it.
39:51I think we've done absolutely bang on with this one.
40:01A few days later, our little fiat was all back in one piece and looking very good indeed.
40:07But how big was the bill?
40:08Well, including tax and commission, it was a pocket-sized £2,725 to buy.
40:16Parts were £3,356.
40:20But labour cost £21,419.
40:24Bringing the total to a distinctly extra-large £27,500.
40:37Back at the garage, we haven't told Derek how much we've spent, but he sort of knows.
40:42You've obviously given it a full house, as we say, so the chances of a profit is minuscule.
40:49But it really is beautiful.
40:52Everywhere you look, I've got a list of what they've done and it's got here.
40:56Engine strip down, well, it probably didn't need engine work.
40:59But if you're going to this length on a restoration, then I suppose it's a good thing to check it.
41:06New window frames, fabricated, plus new rubbers.
41:10By that, it's done a very good job there by the looks of it.
41:12I love these faded stripes.
41:14Looking at this sheet, at what you've done, I can't actually say you've wasted money.
41:19And I never thought I'd hear myself say that about a Fiat 126.
41:24We're particularly nervous about this one because good examples rarely go above five grand.
41:30296 is the Fiat.
41:32It's lovely.
41:33Yeah, Italian little colours on the side of it.
41:35I think it's great.
41:36Fantastic.
41:36Super little car.
41:37The lad who painted that knows what he's doing.
41:39There you go.
41:40You've heard it for yourself.
41:41Where are we then?
41:42I've got loads of interest here with me.
41:44Eight and a half thousand pound bid.
41:46Nine thousand pound bid then and away.
41:47Nine two, nine four, back at you.
41:49Nine thousand four hundred pound bid.
41:51Nine six in Selby.
41:53Nine eight.
41:53Ten thousand.
41:54Ten two fifty.
41:55Ten five.
41:56Ten seven fifty.
41:57Do they know what it is?
41:59Eleven in Selby.
42:00I'm going to drop the hammer down.
42:01Missing no one.
42:02Then eleven thousand pounds.
42:04This is worth a clap.
42:05For the first, second, third and final time.
42:08Eleven.
42:08Well done.
42:09Some good bidders there.
42:11That is an amazing price for one of those.
42:13But worth every penny to new owner Alan Symes from Selby.
42:18When you tell people what you paid, you think how much?
42:20But then when they see it, they can see the quality of the job that's been done.
42:24Everybody absolutely loves it.
42:26It's probably as good as it came out of the factory.
42:28Probably better.
42:29Paid job certainly.
42:32There's something nice about an engine in the rear as well.
42:35Similar to a Porsche I suppose.
42:37There we go.
42:38In all its glory.
42:41Alan already has a number of cars in his collection and there's a theme to it.
42:47The cars that I've got, a lot of them are quirky by the very nature that they were quite
42:50unloved when they were new.
42:52But not now.
42:54And the Fiat in particular more than delivers when it comes to character.
43:01It feels like quite an old car to drive.
43:03Tiny little engine, so you've got to rev them quite hard.
43:08Very noisy.
43:10Steering is actually disconcertingly light because there's no weight over the front wheels.
43:15So it feels like it's got power steering but it hasn't.
43:19I mean it's basic but it just makes me smile.
43:23It's got a charm and personality that resonates with me.
43:26It's a happy car is this.
43:37It's a happy car.
43:38It's a happy car.
43:48It's a happy car.
43:50It's a happy car.
43:51It's a happy car.
43:52It's a happy car.
43:53It's a happy car.
43:53It's a happy car.
43:54It's a happy car.
43:54It's a happy car.
43:54It's a happy car.
43:54It's a happy car.
43:54It's a happy car.
43:55It's a happy car.
43:55It's a happy car.
43:59It's a happy car.
44:01It's a happy car.
44:02You
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