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Bangers and Cash - Season 13 - Episode 02: Sunbeam Alpine/Daimler Sovereign
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00:05On sale this week.
00:07Sunbeam Alpine. What a car. It's going to make a right car, isn't it?
00:11We don't know where the key for this car is.
00:13I'm hoping it's in here, but I've not been able to get in
00:15because of all this other stuff that's in here.
00:181983 Damnest Dane, the sovereign.
00:20I know a lot of people are not going to like this.
00:23I'm not going to agree with me, but motor dealers will.
00:25And we used to say an XJ6 is the best driving car on the road.
00:30It's the Aviva GT. Complete time warp.
00:33An unbelievably rewarding project for someone.
00:36Well, it says it all, isn't it? Owned by the current owner for 36 years.
00:38They are. You can tell straight away.
00:41I thought I'd do this for a living, didn't I, really?
00:43Mercedes Unimog. Here we go.
00:45Drove one of these as a kid.
00:46Got fond memories. I love them to bits. I think they're brilliant.
00:50You've jumped up from Macclesfield this morning.
00:52I have.
00:52What's the journey like? Are you looking at your cruise control with me?
00:54Cruise control? No, you've just got to have a big right foot.
01:00The Matthewsons. A dynasty of classic car auctioneers.
01:05Fifty-five.
01:06The joys of an auction.
01:07Most people will go to a sale with something in mind, but come away with something different.
01:11The fun is the chase.
01:13We'll have a look and we'll advise you from there.
01:15You just don't know what's on the end of the phone, what you're going to find when you open them
01:18doors.
01:19This is a family's love affair with motors that have lived a life.
01:23Testing, testing.
01:24Most people will buy a car because they can relate to it. Maybe a car that dad had.
01:29You're selling dreams.
01:30Right, here we go.
01:47This is what comes to us all.
01:49You get to an age, you get to a time in life, you've somehow run out of free time.
01:54You've definitely run out of enthusiasm and energy, I can assure you that.
01:57And too many vehicles then start to become a liability, not a pleasure, a liability.
02:02So, consequently, there are times that you just have to have a clear out.
02:06We've just got a couple of bikes to get out from up there.
02:09I think there's four or five to get them down, I think.
02:11They went up on that old pallet there, so they'll come down on that old pallet there.
02:14Oh, they're all there.
02:15A fancy grip system on the bottom of the ladder.
02:19It's a bit of gaffer tape that's nearly rubbed off.
02:22With a firm grip on health and safety, it's time for Derek to let go of the past.
02:27Yeah, you hang on to her.
02:30You want to be forward a bit more yet?
02:32Just to clear this.
02:34It is a big decision for guys like us, you know?
02:36It's a bit like selling one of the kids, you know?
02:39You have to think about it a bit first.
02:41Couldn't be easier, could it, really?
02:43It turns out that I think we've added up as 43, I think, all told.
02:47And they're going to go.
02:48I mean, I haven't had my leg over one for five years, I should think.
02:52And I'm not over keen on the big, heavy ones anymore.
02:55For that reason, they're too big and they're too heavy.
02:58Shut up, dog.
03:00A mate of mine said, yeah, he said,
03:02you always feel better when you've got rid of a load of stuff.
03:04He said, it's a bit like constipation.
03:06He said, you know, you have a good clear out,
03:08and the next morning you feel different altogether.
03:11He's got a point, hasn't he?
03:13There's a 250 Peugeot, which is a really unusual little bike,
03:16a little four-stroke, which I fell in love with a long time ago and bought.
03:19Gerda Forks, rigid back end, real period 1930s machine,
03:23and a Peugeot, quite rare.
03:25Aerial arrow there, a golden arrow,
03:27got a right handerbar grip as well,
03:29look, red grips as it should have, and all the rest of it.
03:31They're the bike we wanted as a kid.
03:33When I was 13, 14-year-old, and the 16-year-olds were riding around on one of them,
03:38we thought, we're going to have one of them.
03:40Oh, man.
03:41There were so many old pre-war and just post-war British bikes run about in London,
03:47of course, everywhere.
03:48Every street had a load of them.
03:49But when you saw one of them, you thought, oh, this is like a spaceship,
03:53modern technology there.
03:54That thing there, that area, I've got no interest in it whatsoever, personally.
03:57I don't know why I've got it.
03:59But it's the era that I quite like.
04:01It's a BSA.
04:02It's an old version of an Empire Star, I believe.
04:05So it's sad to see that go, really.
04:07You do create an attachment to them, you do,
04:10because there's a story behind every one.
04:11And that's the sad bit, that it's almost like an end of an era.
04:16You've got to move on, and all eras come to an end.
04:19All good things come to an end.
04:21And I've got to face it, that my collection and bike collection days are over.
04:26Simple as that.
04:35Tomorrow, I've got a little road trip again.
04:37Who's going?
04:38Me and Rodders.
04:40What?
04:41Well, Charlie.
04:45So tomorrow, myself and Charles are going out to Northampton,
04:50where we're going to extract a Sunbeam Alpine and a Daimler Double Six
04:55that have been in the garage for some time.
04:57So that one's a bit tricky, because I did street view it,
05:00and I'm not sure we can get the lorry in the drive.
05:03It's tight.
05:04So we'll be off by somewhere between five and a half past tomorrow.
05:08Did you know that, Charlie?
05:09Yeah, I did.
05:09Oh, did you?
05:10Yeah, yeah.
05:11With an early start, we've got to get the truck prepped.
05:15So you can drive it in the yard?
05:16Yes.
05:17You can't drive it on the road because you're not old enough?
05:19Yes.
05:20And I'm not a capable enough driver, John.
05:24Even though you're some sort of world rally champion.
05:27No!
05:28Wrong person.
05:29That's Colin McRae.
05:39I have a lot of memories of this car when I was very young.
05:42Because if you ever saw another Sunbeam Alpine,
05:44you always used to flash your lights.
05:45I remember that quite vividly.
05:48In Northampton, Richard McGill is preparing to say farewell
05:52to two rather different cars.
05:54A 1960 Sunbeam Alpine and a 1983 Daimler Sovereign.
06:00Both belong to his late father,
06:02an aircraft engineer who dabbled in antique dealing.
06:07He was an engineer on Comet's VC-10s.
06:10He ended up as a flight engineer on 747 Jumbos.
06:14The flight engineer is the person who basically controls the engines.
06:19They don't exist anymore.
06:20It's just a computer these days.
06:21But he was one of the last generation of human flight engineers.
06:27Did your dad tend to collect?
06:30Yes.
06:31When I opened the boot of the Daimler,
06:33there was a 19th century Japanese doll's house in parts,
06:37in boxes there, which I had to kind of assemble,
06:39which was rather ridiculous.
06:44My dad bought the Alpine, I think probably in about 1970.
06:48It's never been out of the garage since about 1973, I'm afraid,
06:52which is why it's in the state it's in here,
06:54which is rather dusty and the tyre's very flat to the ground.
06:57As you can see, it's got a hard top,
06:59but the hard top comes off.
07:00When we were out in it,
07:01it was always with the hard top off and the soft top down.
07:04It was always sunny days.
07:05It always came with a hard top.
07:07I think these on their own are quite valuable, I think.
07:09Quite rare, obviously,
07:10because most sunbeams, you see, will just have the soft top.
07:13I think this is probably quite hard to make, a new one.
07:16My dad really loved it.
07:17I suppose one of the first kind of things he bought for sheer pleasure,
07:20really, when he was an engineer.
07:25The Routes Group's answer to the MGA and the MGB,
07:28the Alpine was known for its rally car speeds and stylish good looks,
07:33with a wraparound windscreen, wind-up windows,
07:36retractable hood and plush interior.
07:40Styled by the Americans and characterised by a pair of flashy fins,
07:44this was all about the aesthetic, not the aerodynamics.
07:48The Alpine was unlikely to blast you into orbit,
07:51but roof down, this nifty two-seater would require a headscarf and hat.
07:57But before Bond put Aston Martin on screen,
08:00007's vehicle of choice was a Lakewood Blue Sunbeam Alpine Series 2,
08:05driven by Sean Connery and Dr. No on location in Jamaica
08:08and sealing its 60s Brit-style legacy.
08:16If you look inside the car, there's the remains of a second engine,
08:20so I'm guessing there's that kind of issue.
08:23I suspect it may have been that it just, you know,
08:26he'd found a problem with it and then it just never got fixed.
08:29We've got, I think, a gearbox here.
08:33I think that's a gear stick there.
08:36All sorts of stuff.
08:39We've also got another window from the back, the same as this.
08:42We don't know where the key for this car is.
08:45I'm hoping it's in here, but I've not been able to get in
08:47because of all this other stuff that's in here.
08:49The Daimler's got keys.
08:51The Sunbeam, we're not sure, so hopefully once we're in here
08:53and we're clearing this stuff out, it'll be in the ignition.
08:58I suppose the Daimler's a more niche thing
09:00because it's not got that sexy, cool aspect of the Jaguar.
09:03I suppose it's kind of like a Jaguar minus the sex appeal, I guess.
09:06It's got this really, really pristine Connolly leather in it
09:09and this beautiful walnut dash.
09:12It's nice seeing kind of analogue dashboards these days
09:15with so many different dials.
09:17We're not heavy on dials in cars these days.
09:20It's got quite an early computer in,
09:22but all it really would do is tell you
09:24how many miles per gallon you were doing,
09:26and it was really scary
09:28because the most you ever got was about 12,
09:30but quite often you'd be seeing it doing,
09:31you'd be doing four miles per gallon, six miles per gallon.
09:34It's a 4.2.
09:36I suppose it's a lot bigger than most cars these days.
09:38With the Daimler, I don't think it'll make a lot.
09:41I mean, people were sort of suggesting like 500 to 1,000.
09:44That's, you know, it's not to be sneezed at.
09:47The Alpine, although they're an old car,
09:49and, you know, they're very attractive,
09:51they don't hold super value,
09:53so I suspect with that, you know,
09:55maybe 2,500, 3,000.
09:57I think even when it's done up,
09:59it's not going to be worth a tonne of money,
10:01but hopefully somebody will love it.
10:03It's going to be a challenge today.
10:05The street outside is quite narrow.
10:07The driveway is quite narrow down the bottom,
10:10so I'm anticipating we could have a few problems.
10:13The tyres are flat to the ground on both cars.
10:16Hopefully they'll take some air
10:17and we'll be able to pull them out,
10:18but we'll see.
10:19It's going to be a bit of an adventure, I think.
10:36Can you park an alpaca?
10:38Aw.
10:40I'm loving this, this is brilliant.
10:43Look out the window.
10:44Which window?
10:45Office window.
10:47Back in Pickering,
10:48it's not just full-sized classics turning heads.
10:51Sometimes, the tiniest wheels
10:53create the biggest thrill.
10:56Oh, with you.
10:57Oh, that's reverse.
10:58Oh, no, no, no, no.
11:00Oh, oh, oh, oh.
11:02Oh, yours is faster.
11:04Oh, no.
11:06I didn't want to crash into you.
11:09This has got, like, loads of power.
11:11I don't know why.
11:12I know.
11:15Oh, my God.
11:17Oh, my God.
11:20Grandad, do you want the ride?
11:21Go in the back.
11:22I love it.
11:22Speed bump.
11:26Iris, come here.
11:27Oh, no, straight off.
11:29That was really good.
11:30I mean, me and Emily are going to take these home, I think.
11:32Might take us a while.
11:34How long do you think?
11:3615 miles home, isn't it?
11:38Yeah, at about 10 miles an hour.
11:42Yeah.
11:51As the old saying goes,
11:53we're as muck as brass.
11:54And taking pride of place in the showroom
11:57is a barn find, Vauxhall Viva.
12:00It's the first time I've looked at this.
12:01Rare bit of kit, this.
12:03Bad's the potential.
12:04Those of you who are perhaps a little bit more observant
12:06will notice that there's a radiator missing.
12:09Apparently, that is in the boot.
12:10Oh, is it?
12:10That's quite clean in there.
12:12Look at all this, look.
12:13Still got stickers on there.
12:15I tell you what, someone spent some money on this.
12:17Oh, well, it says it all, didn't it?
12:18Owned by the current owner for 36 years.
12:20They are.
12:20You can tell straight away.
12:22It underwent an extensive and expensive restoration
12:24between the 80s and 90s.
12:25There you go.
12:27I ought to do this for a living, didn't I, really?
12:29Oh, this will do all right, this.
12:31What, a proper little car.
12:33It takes a fair bit to impress me.
12:35I wouldn't say I've seen it all,
12:36but I've seen a fair bit.
12:37And normally speaking, I'm disappointed
12:39because people's descriptions of their cars tend to be,
12:43they get a little bit romantic with them, don't they?
12:44And they get a bit personal with them.
12:46And then you grow old with them
12:47and you tend to forget what is actually out there and available.
12:52I tell you what, what a proper little car.
12:54I know she wants some paint.
12:55Look, she's all, she's on.
12:57But it's only surfaced up, isn't it?
12:58It's nothing major, is it?
12:59Honestly, I think it's worth...
13:00First impressions, I may be way out.
13:02I haven't even looked at the guide.
13:03I'll have a look at the guide after I've opened my mouth.
13:05I think 20 grand.
13:08But the current owner doesn't have diva demands for his Viva
13:12and has set the guide at half that price.
13:168 to 10.
13:17Really?
13:20I'm amazed.
13:21Oh, well, we'll see who's nearer on the day, won't we?
13:24I've just opened my big mouth and said 20, haven't I?
13:26Do you know what?
13:26£8,000 to £10,000, there should be an orderly queue of people
13:29waiting to see this car.
13:31You wait, I reckon that'll be a bit of a sleeper, that.
13:33Well, put it this way, if that comes at 8 grand,
13:35it's going in my garage.
13:36Going in my garage for 8 grand.
13:38We're all going to be lined up, aren't we?
13:39Right, anyone got 8 grand,
13:41everyone's hand's going to go like that, aren't they?
13:42Everyone in the production crew, all the office staff,
13:45all the guys that come in,
13:46and girls who come in on the telephones and the rest of it,
13:48even if they're not remotely interested in Vivas,
13:50if they've got any savvy, they're all going to go,
13:52whoa, aren't they?
13:53Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:02Father and son duo, Paul and Charlie,
14:05have arrived in Northampton
14:06to collect the Sunbeam Alpine
14:08and the Daimler that belonged to Richard's father.
14:12Hello.
14:13Hello.
14:14Right, mate, well, we're in.
14:15That was the hard bit.
14:16So, how long have they been stood then, mate?
14:18That's been there since 1973.
14:20No.
14:21Yep, that's been there since about 2002.
14:24A long time.
14:26We might have some sticky breaks then, eh?
14:28I would imagine so.
14:30Yeah, so would I.
14:32I'm hoping we can just pull it straight out, straight on.
14:36We might have to go this side
14:37and try and pull it away from the wall.
14:39Seeing how they're going to get it out is going to be interesting
14:41because that's been what I've been more worried about
14:44than anything, I suppose,
14:45is how you actually do it.
14:47How are you getting it, son?
14:48There's an engine and a gearbox
14:50and lots of stuff in there.
14:53Oh, yeah, it's busy in there, isn't it?
14:55It is.
14:56Just hold it this way, as it slides.
14:58Despite the flat tyres and sticky breaks,
15:01the Sunbeam finally sees, well, Sunbeams,
15:04for the first time in 52 years.
15:08Yeah, it looks really good.
15:09Bit of weekend work.
15:10Yeah.
15:13Fat tyre's a goner.
15:15I hope it clears.
15:21Put them on again, Charlie.
15:23They know what they're doing, don't they?
15:24Amazing.
15:26These are British Airways Light Crew shirts,
15:29probably from the 1980s, I would imagine.
15:33All empty.
15:40I think to say it's been in there
15:42longer than he's been alive,
15:45I think that's came out pretty well, to be fair.
15:47I think it kept well.
15:49It's not all rotten and horrible.
15:52Obviously, it's going to have a little bit in it,
15:53but it's not horrendous.
15:56It's not quite Mini Cooper S rotten.
15:58When you sell it,
15:59does it go looking like this, covered in dust?
16:02It'll sort of depend, really,
16:03on how much of that's left on it
16:05by the time I get back, you know?
16:06Yeah.
16:07That one will probably be better left like that.
16:10Yeah.
16:10Just as it was left.
16:12As a project, yeah.
16:13The sovereign, perhaps,
16:14that might be beneficial to have at Wash.
16:16While getting the sunbeam out was a doddle,
16:18there was an unfortunate casualty.
16:21He just destroyed the table.
16:22I made it woodwork when I was 12.
16:2512 years old when I made that.
16:27Is that right?
16:28Yeah.
16:31With what's left of the sentimental table safely stowed,
16:34it's time for the potentially dramatic Daimler departure.
16:39Why is this going to be tricky?
16:40Because it's a Daimler double six.
16:44Because if we're too high and it's going to bottom out,
16:45because you know how low they are.
16:47They're definitely not a compressor, isn't they?
16:49I have a shot.
16:50Basically, I'm not going to name any names, but Derek took the compressor out.
16:56So we've got to load it with flat tyres.
16:58But obviously with flat tyres, it's an inch and a half, two inch lower than it should be.
17:03What we're trying to do is make that back of the lorry as low as we can for less of
17:08an angle,
17:08so that that will go on there without bottoming out.
17:13It is free, actually.
17:15Yeah, yeah.
17:16Straighten up.
17:19Yeah.
17:23I think that's about your lot, mate.
17:26I don't think I want to be any more.
17:27The most interest, I think, is going to be caused by the Sunbeam.
17:31The old Daimler's lovely, but, as we all know, not massive money.
17:35Because it's the easier one to do, of course,
17:37but the more valuable one at the end of the day is the Sunbeam.
17:40A couple of grand a piece, I would have thought.
17:42I don't think the Daimler's going to do any more.
17:44Shame, isn't it, because it's a nice old car.
17:45And I don't think the Sunbeam's going to do any more either, to be honest.
17:48It's crazy seeing the car sort of hanging up in the air like that.
17:52We haven't got any low bridges, have we?
17:56Right.
17:57Well, I'll shut your hand now.
17:58Oh, thank you.
17:59It's been lovely.
17:59We'll be blocking the road again.
18:02Cheers, Paul.
18:03Cheers, Charlie.
18:04Thank you very much.
18:05It's the sort of start of the end of an era.
18:08Quite a strange situation.
18:23With the usual variety of lots on display,
18:25prospective buyers are taking the browsing business very seriously.
18:30What attracts you to it?
18:32I just want a project, really,
18:33and I'd want some of this fairly easy to do.
18:36And this looks like a good candidate.
18:38And you don't see many of these knocking around, are they?
18:40That's another attraction for it, really, you know.
18:43Say you were to buy it, what would be the first thing you'd do on it?
18:46I'd get it running, make sure it's pretty safe, and I'd use it.
18:49Not get it clean?
18:50Well, yeah, clean the smell, obviously, yeah.
18:561,600 pounds here, we're going to 1,600 pounds.
19:01The auctions are rattling through,
19:04and the dusty old Vauxhall is proving you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
19:08The Viva GT, complete time warp,
19:12an unbelievably rewarding project for someone.
19:1514,200, 14,500, 15,000, 15,500.
19:20Currently at 15,500 pounds.
19:23At 16,500, 16,500, 17,000 pounds.
19:29But look, it's got four exit tailpipes, look.
19:32That's just so you can lift it up like a wheelbarrow.
19:35How rude, how rude.
19:3817,500, 18,000.
19:41It's 18,000, so that's far surpassed what we thought it would do.
19:44I thought it'd do 15.
19:45I do rate that car, though.
19:47That's not a lot of money for a Viva, innit?
19:50Are we all finished, then?
19:51At 18,000, then, for the first.
19:5418,000 pounds for the second.
19:56And a quarter, 18,250, well, 18,250.
19:5818,250.
19:59Got it.
20:0018,250.
20:01Third and last time, are we all done at 18,250 pounds?
20:0818,250.
20:10Wowzers, there you go, I told you, I like that car, innit?
20:13There you go, it just proves it, doesn't it?
20:14Brilliant, well done.
20:19Next up, the multi-purpose miniatures.
20:22Pumpkin picking!
20:24It could be for Dave.
20:26There's my ability.
20:27Dave, do you want this?
20:29It's got your name on it.
20:30No, no, it's great, isn't it?
20:31You were driving it, though, weren't you?
20:33Yeah, me and Amy were sat on it.
20:35We test drove them, so we know the work, and the batteries are good.
20:39We're actually really shocked at how quickly they went, and they were, like, quite, like,
20:43they went straight away.
20:45The three-inch scale Sentinel steam wagon, battery-powered lorry with trailer.
20:50It's lovely, innit?
20:51What a cracking bit of kit.
20:53So I'm going on, £500 I've got, £500 away, then £550, £600, £600, £650, £700.
21:02And as for its party pal...
21:19The offer wasn't accepted, but it went on to sell at the timed auction for £650.
21:38Jack, you're not Derek.
21:39No, only to be started by Derek.
21:43Dare I start it?
21:45What's going to happen?
21:50Isn't Derek looking younger these days?
21:53God, younger.
21:54I mean, look at him, leaping out of that car like there's no tomorrow on me knee.
22:00Oh, God.
22:04With his ears burning, Grandad and his knee are outside in the yard.
22:09Well, here we have XJ6, Daimler version, top of the shop.
22:13Brilliant car.
22:14Oh, I love them.
22:15I just absolutely love XJ6s.
22:19I know a lot of people are not going to like this and not going to agree with me,
22:22but motor dealers will.
22:24And we used to say an XJ6 is the best driving car on the road in the 1970s and 80s,
22:30no question about it.
22:31Nothing drove like an XJ6.
22:34Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, don't care what, nothing drove like these.
22:38And what I mean by that is that they drive as smooth as a Rolls-Royce,
22:41they drive as quietly as a Rolls-Royce,
22:43but they handle better than a Rolls-Royce.
22:46It's as simple as that.
22:46And a Mercedes.
22:48You can jazz them about, you can fly about with them,
22:50round the roundabouts, round the corners and that.
22:52Perfect for in London because you could jazz them about.
22:56They were just lovely.
22:57I love them to bits.
22:58I'll have another one one day if I live long enough to actually use an everyday car
23:02because I was fortunate.
23:03I used these four days a week going into London to auctions.
23:07The drive home and the unwinding of your mind and the relaxation
23:10was all down to one of these.
23:12So I can't speak highly enough.
23:14So what did Daimler add to it to make it such an amazing car?
23:20Oh, nothing.
23:20Nothing.
23:20It's cosmetic only.
23:22Cosmetic.
23:22Silly things.
23:23You know, better trim, slightly different grille and emblems
23:25and very little difference at all.
23:27The rumor has it that when it came to Mark II Jags,
23:30I can't speak for XJs,
23:31guys used to tell me that they'd pick about every one in ten Mark IIs
23:36off the line and turn it into a Daimler
23:38and they then refined them and they added on the Daimler extras
23:41and they became a Daimler, but the same car.
23:43It's all right.
23:44Nice straight car.
23:45Yeah, as soon as it came in,
23:46I thought that's a real honest level car.
23:48Look how nice and straight.
23:49Door skins are.
23:50Lovely.
23:50I mean, this could be 18 months old.
23:52You know, it's great.
23:54Interiors, lovely.
23:55Bit of wear on the driver's seat.
23:57Beautiful dashboard.
23:57Oh, to die for, isn't it?
23:59Yeah, it's got 07.
24:01It's probably been around the clock, 107,000.
24:03You wouldn't have thought so, would you really?
24:04But all this is all the same.
24:05So it makes no difference whether you buy a Jag or a Daimler.
24:08But I could live with this car.
24:09The more I look around it, it'll make a lovely car.
24:11Just see a speckling on the chrome.
24:12Look, it'll come off.
24:13Yeah, look, it's coming off.
24:15I've got rough fingers, don't I?
24:17Look, look.
24:17I've got fingers like a bit of wild wool, don't I?
24:19Look, there it is.
24:21If it was all cleaned up and presented as nice as it could be,
24:24I think the motor could fetch somewhere between four and five grand.
24:28As it at the moment, I think it's going to offer around the three grand mark.
24:32Three to four.
24:33Make a cracking car, that.
24:41Rumbling into Pickering HQ is Mick Newton's Teutonic Titan.
24:47Morning.
24:48Morning, how are you, Paul?
24:49All right, I'm going down memory lane, aren't I?
24:52I used to, in my youth, a long time ago.
24:56Not as long as mine.
24:57No, it isn't as long as yours.
24:59I used one, a fair bit, up at Langdale.
25:02I spent hours and hours and hours in it, running around the woods and stuff.
25:05I spent hours in it this morning, getting up here.
25:07Did you?
25:07Where have you come from?
25:09Cheshire, Macclesfield.
25:10Have you?
25:11Yeah, and now I'm ready for a sleep.
25:12Yeah, you'd be fed up with it, aren't you?
25:13Yeah, I am, yeah.
25:14Might be cheap now, then.
25:14Oh, gross, man.
25:18Yeah.
25:18What's it do, about 45?
25:20It's come up with a 64 at 45, yeah.
25:23How long have we had it then, Mick?
25:24About two years, I think.
25:26So what have you been doing with it, then?
25:27I've always liked them.
25:29To fund it, two tractors had to go.
25:31Yeah.
25:31And a Series 3 long wheelbase Land Rover.
25:34But it's a bit heavy for my ground, really.
25:37So it's just been a toy.
25:38It's been a toy.
25:38Yeah, that's true.
25:39But now I've got to cash the toy in.
25:41How are we valuing it, Mick?
25:42I think we'll discuss that later, eh?
25:43Oh, are we?
25:44Yeah, yeah.
25:44When you calm down?
25:45Yeah.
25:46And had a cup of tea, no doubt?
25:48Yeah, black.
25:48Leave the bag in.
25:49Well, I think it's grand.
25:51Good.
25:51Well, I think we ought to get the kettle on.
25:52When I'm sat down, you'll have to tell me how much it is, won't you?
25:54Yeah, that's right, yeah.
25:56Yeah.
25:56Definitely not good.
25:57All right.
25:57Do you have sugar?
25:58No, no.
25:59No.
25:59No, no sugar.
26:02Looking inside, I don't think I've ever seen one of these before.
26:05It looks fairly basic.
26:06Yeah, they are basic.
26:07They're a bit heavy going, yeah.
26:08But it is quite old.
26:10It's not like a modern thing, is it?
26:11What do they drive like?
26:13Very heavy.
26:14But good fun.
26:15You don't see them every day, do you?
26:16You certainly don't.
26:17No.
26:18You've driven up from Macclesfield this morning.
26:20I have.
26:21What's the journey like?
26:22Any cruise control, isn't it?
26:23Cruise control?
26:23No, no, you've just got to have a big right foot.
26:26No cruise control, I'm afraid, no.
26:29No electric windows?
26:30No electric windows?
26:32Not yet.
26:33Somebody will convert it, perhaps.
26:35Gone right off it with no electric windows.
26:37Hey.
26:38Oh, bloody hell.
26:39Yeah.
26:39Why don't you take it home, then?
26:40Well, you're here now, aren't you?
26:43You got a cup of tea in here, Mick?
26:44Oh, that'll do.
26:47Over a cuppa, an estimate of between 15,000 and 16,000 is agreed.
26:52Are you going to miss it?
26:53Yeah, I probably will, actually, yeah.
26:55Yeah.
26:56And I've got to go home on the damn bus, because I've lost my train pass.
26:59And my wife can't come and pick me up, because she's looking after our grandchildren today.
27:05So I've got to find my own way home.
27:06It's going to be a long day for you, isn't it?
27:08It is, yeah.
27:09All right, we'll have a beer when we get back.
27:19While Paul's been reacquainted with an old friend, another arrival turns out to be a buddy of Derek's.
27:26I love them.
27:27I used to love these when I was a lad, like.
27:28And the reason I loved them is because we couldn't afford to deal in MGBs.
27:32They were too dear.
27:32But we could afford to deal in Alpines.
27:34So they were a second-rate, cheaper sports car.
27:37But do you know what?
27:38They've remained that way all the way through, right till now.
27:40And it's such a shame, because they're a lovely car to drive.
27:43This is the last one with the high fins, which I like.
27:46When they went on to the next model, they cut the fins down.
27:48They were noticeably lower down, not so prominent as this, which actually went down very, very well.
27:54When a few years later they do the facelift model, it's even better.
27:58It would appear.
28:00People like it more, you know?
28:01They go out and buy it because it's the current model and that.
28:03But now, now, we all want the high fins again.
28:07Just about all American cars in the 50s, 60s and early 70s had fins.
28:12And, of course, we did, didn't we?
28:13You know, the PA Cresters, the Zephyrs and Zodiacs and all the rest of it, we all had fins.
28:18There was a craze in actual fact.
28:19In the mid-late 50s, if something like a Mark 1 Zephyr or Zodiac, which didn't actually have fins, it
28:25was rounded off,
28:26you could buy fins to stick on. And loads of people did. And, to be honest, they look pretty good.
28:33I can see them now. Dress them up.
28:34Quite a bit of partage in there.
28:36Yeah, yeah, we've got a fair bit. Yeah, there's a pair of carburetors in there I can see. Manifold and
28:41what have you.
28:42I can only assume it's all there. I'd love to get stuck into this. This is my sort of thing.
28:46This is a retirement project, but I've got so many of them, I can't ever take any more.
28:51But, oh, yeah, this is an easy job, isn't it? It's a dead straightforward easy job.
28:55Nice car. Got a lot of potential, this car.
28:57Who is going to buy this car?
29:00Almost certainly someone who had one in the 70s.
29:03It could even go as much as four, but I somehow doubt it. I think it'd be around the three
29:07grand mark.
29:08So, there you go. Got the makings of a nice car.
29:13Sunbeam Alpine. What a car. It's going to make a right car, isn't it?
29:17Here we go then. £2,700 we've got. £2,800 on sale and going £2,900.
29:22Lovely project that. £3,000. The one to have. £3,500 going and sold.
29:28Then are you all done then? Buckingall. £3,700.
29:30St Albans. Back to the north and the south here going on, Will.
29:34£3,700. St Albans winning at the moment. £4,000 for one.
29:39£4,100. St Albans. £4,200.
29:42Gould. On sale then and going. £4,700.
29:45Going to St Albans. £4,800. £4,900.
29:49Third and last time. St Albans.
29:51No. Gould. St Albans. St Albans again. £51.
29:56£5,100. Gould, you're out. £5,100.
30:00Sold and gone then. £5,100. Are you all done for the first?
30:03Second. Third and last time. St Albans.
30:06£5,100. There you go. Well done.
30:08£5,100. The Sunbeam Alpine is off to a novice mechanic in St Albans
30:13who's had it on his dream car list.
30:181983, damn this day, the sovereign.
30:20Me and Dad picked this up, came from the same stable as that red Alpine.
30:24Ah, yes.
30:25This has been stood since about 2000-ish.
30:28There you are. Charlie and Paul collected it the other day.
30:30Then it's a 4.2 there. Where are we going to be on that?
30:33We've got three, we've got four, we've got five, we've got £600 bid.
30:36£700, £800 at the back. £900 on the internet. I saw there Will.
30:40£1,000 then a bid on the internet, Dan.
30:43Jack, you're out. Internet's in at £1,000. I'm going to sell.
30:46That's about which money to be fair.
30:48£1,000. £1,000 and have we all done?
30:50£1,100. £1,200.
30:52Both bids on the net there. £1,200 on the net.
30:55£1,300 is Jack's telephone.
30:57£1,300.
31:01£1,300 a pound.
31:02Not a bad price for it, to be fair.
31:04If they say it's been stood all that time,
31:07when you look underneath, it's rusty and real.
31:11So that did well.
31:12It did well.
31:30Pickering Land, a place where dreams really can come true.
31:34And for Paul, a chance to relive his youth.
31:37Why are we so fond of them?
31:39Because in my youth, I don't know what I would have been.
31:43About 14, I think.
31:45And a guy called Andy created the Langdale Quest,
31:47which was the UK's largest off-road site.
31:51And he created an off-road driving school centre
31:55in 10,000 acres of Langdale Forest.
31:57As he got a little bit more established and bigger
32:00and all the rest of it, he bought a Unimog.
32:02And it was something that he always wanted.
32:04And I was pleased to say I was entrusted with it.
32:07Not everyone was.
32:08And I was very careful with it.
32:10And I loved it.
32:11You know, you were king of the road.
32:12It was a bigger one than this.
32:13Put three Jeeps on the back and I was gone.
32:16Brilliant.
32:17Loved every minute, every hour.
32:20Fabulous.
32:21And it just sets a seed, doesn't it?
32:22And then, you know, one comes along and you think,
32:25oh.
32:26And you probably shouldn't, because it's probably going to shatter dreams,
32:29isn't it?
32:29Because, of course, when you're 16, you don't mind being bounced about
32:32and you don't mind the horribleness and uncomfort and everything else.
32:36I'll risk it.
32:37With his rose-tinted glasses at the ready, Paul and the Unimog are reacquainted.
32:44Oh, look at that.
32:45Instant.
32:47Right.
32:47If I can remember what, leave it as what.
32:50The brakes are like all or nothing.
32:52I'm going to warn you now.
32:54I'm getting better at them.
32:55But they really are nothing, nothing, nothing than everything.
33:00They've got great big long toil springs on them.
33:03They're designed to soak up the bumps.
33:05Simple as that.
33:06And it does exactly that.
33:08Eight-speed box.
33:09Not the quickest thing in the world, but loads of gears to play with.
33:13And, yeah, there's something about a Unimog.
33:17There's just something about them, isn't there?
33:18They're iconic, aren't they?
33:19You know, we have Land Rovers over here.
33:22Germans have G-Wagons and Unimogs, don't they?
33:25You know, it's absolutely great.
33:27It's smashing.
33:29We're going to approach two to test, aren't we?
33:31Well, apparently so.
33:32Now, we have had monsoon-like conditions over the last couple of weeks, really.
33:38Certainly over the weekend, it's been really bad.
33:41So, I don't know how deep it is.
33:42I haven't even looked.
33:44But, let's be fair, it's not going to bother us, is it?
33:48Anyway, there she is, look.
33:49In a bit of flood.
33:52Oh, brilliant.
33:54How's it reacting?
33:56Like it wasn't there.
33:57It's just like a puddle.
33:59That's all.
34:00Oh, that was cool.
34:02What a dream.
34:03I like that.
34:04These are your first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth.
34:08And you forget where you are.
34:10Because, effectively, you've got four.
34:12You've got a four-speed gearbox with two ratios.
34:16So, you could soon forget.
34:18So, they put a light on for you.
34:20Yeah, you need the light to keep you clued up to where you are, really.
34:23Because you forget what gear you're in.
34:26Because there's so many.
34:27So, Mercedes, in their wisdom, put lights on.
34:30So, you know what range you're in or what line of gear you're in.
34:34Oh, we're bounding along.
34:36Oh, she's lovely.
34:37Is it as good as your remote, though?
34:38To be honest, kind of, first things first, I would have to do the steering.
34:44It's awful.
34:46It's just, it's tight.
34:47It's actually getting better the more I'm using it.
34:49But it's tight and it's, yeah, it's not nice.
34:52It's not nice.
34:53So, I would have to do the steering.
34:55The rest of it, if I'm honest, is probably as good or better than I remember.
35:01Gearbox is better.
35:02Yeah, I like it.
35:03You can go out.
35:04You can get muddy.
35:05You can go wherever you want within reason.
35:07They're just a great big clumsy toy, aren't they?
35:12I think she's a lovely old girl.
35:14I do.
35:15Oh, yeah.
35:16It's a uniform, isn't it?
35:18I rate the old motor.
35:19I think it's brilliant.
35:20And, yeah, there's plenty of life left in it yet for somebody, isn't there?
35:23That's the thing.
35:24Oh, my Lord.
35:28Oh.
35:38I've not really been a car person.
35:40I used to watch a lot of car programmes, but I've never really owned one.
35:43So, I only started driving during COVID.
35:46I was driving my kid's car.
35:47We bought them a Fiat Panda to learn to drive, and that's the one that I drove as well.
35:52That's all I've ever driven, a Fiat Panda, until I got the MG.
35:55He might be late to the starting line, but Min Eben's new hobby has turned into a bit of an
36:00addiction.
36:02I bought the MG.
36:03It's only just over a year ago.
36:05Since then, I've bought a Triumph GT6, and I've got a Series 3 Land Rover, and then the Sunbeam.
36:12So, it's all happened fairly quickly.
36:14I think I'm going to have to pause now while I financially digest what I've done.
36:19The purchase price is just the tip of the iceberg.
36:22It's just the romance of it.
36:23Taking a barn find and putting it back on the road, giving it another 20, 30 years' life is what
36:29I want to do.
36:30Needless to say, it's all been a bit of a learning curve.
36:34And the hunt for the perfect restoration mechanic landed two hours from home, in Kent,
36:40with fellow Sunbeam fan, Greg Theophanides.
36:44I'm in.
36:45Greg.
36:46So, what's happening?
36:47Just finished reassembling the engine, and should be about ready to start her up for the first time.
36:51Wow.
36:52So, having now looked at the car, it needs a fair chunk of welding doing.
36:55It's not terminal, only a stretch of the imagination.
36:58It is definitely a saveable car.
36:59It's going to need outer sills and some work on the inner sills.
37:02One of the outriggers needs some repairs and things, but on the whole, it's not terrible.
37:06It's certainly seen a lot worse.
37:08The inner wheel arch is pretty good.
37:10A few little repairs under the back here, but nothing good, nothing too scary.
37:15We're going to try and be as sympathetic as possible with the restoration,
37:19to try and retain as much original paintwork and details and parts of the car.
37:24And they're only original ones, aren't they?
37:26So, that'll be the challenge.
37:27Doors themselves, they need some adjustment, as you can see.
37:32But they are solid.
37:33They don't appear to be full of filler, which is nice to see.
37:37It saves a lot of messing around.
37:38It's better than I thought.
37:40It's not bad.
37:41So, it's not bad.
37:42This is all good news.
37:43The main structure is pretty sound.
37:46Yeah.
37:46Brilliant.
37:47The last time this engine fired, Donny Osmond was flying high in the charts.
37:54Ready?
37:55Let's do it.
37:5752 years later, and with some expert fettling.
38:00Three, two, one.
38:06Wow.
38:07Oh, listen to that.
38:11I like it.
38:12I like it a lot.
38:14No knocking, no tapping.
38:16No nasty noises.
38:17Sounds great.
38:18It's not often you get people that are as interested as men in the actual workings of the car.
38:24You know, a lot of people just want the finished product,
38:27whereas he seems to want to be deeply involved in the whole process,
38:30and that's great.
38:31I wish more customers were like that.
38:33Can't wait.
38:34No, I can't wait to see how those.
38:36I'm learning a lot, and I'm learning a lot from you, Greg.
38:38This is a pleasure to me.
38:39Brilliant.
38:39It's fantastic.
38:50It's auction day, and Derek's still banging on about his motorbikes.
38:551928 Peugeot 250 motorbike.
38:57It's a Griffin.
38:58Rare bit of kick, this one.
39:00£2,100 provisional.
39:0668 Aerial Arrow.
39:08Third and last time.
39:102,4.
39:151937 BSA 250.
39:18Lovely little machine.
39:19Super little machine, that one.
39:21Going 2,600.
39:27Mercedes Unimog, here we go.
39:29Drove one of these as a kid.
39:31Got fond memories.
39:32I love them to bits.
39:33I think they're brilliant.
39:34We have got £10,000.
39:36£10,500.
39:37£11,000 bid here with me.
39:40£11,250.
39:41£11,500.
39:43For the third and last time.
39:45£11,500 provisional.
39:47A deal is done, and the Unimog sells for £12,000.
39:56I've never actually been in the car, because all the test runs Tim has done, I've ended up being on
40:01the end of the telephone in case of a breakdown, and having to go out and help push.
40:06So I've just watched it going in and out of the driveway and up and down the road.
40:10In rural Bedfordshire, Pauline Nola is getting ready for a moment she's been waiting for.
40:16A whole two years' wait, as it turns out.
40:20Along with husband Tim, they'll be taking the Vauxhall Viva GT out for Pauline's first spin.
40:27It is an exciting day for me, yes.
40:29I'm hoping it doesn't break down, and I'm sure it'll be absolutely fine.
40:34Interesting to see how fast it can go, actually, because I believe it's quite a quick car.
40:39Off we go.
40:40Your first ever drive in a Viva GT.
40:43Yeah.
40:44Wow, it really accelerates well.
40:46Wow!
40:48Come on, it's fast.
40:50Despite being on the lookout for a Magnum, it was the Viva GT that caught Tim's eye.
40:56When I first went to Mathewson's to view the car, I met Paul, and he said,
41:02ah, that's going to be the car of the auction.
41:05It was clear that it was going to make more than the guide price.
41:08But it was the car I wanted.
41:10I ended up paying just over £18,000 for it.
41:14I'm quite impressed by how smooth it is and how quiet it is, actually, for an old car.
41:19Some people may say that it wasn't worth anything like that,
41:22especially in view of how much work has had to be done on it.
41:27But I'd made the decision that that was the car I wanted to do next,
41:30so I just went ahead and bought it.
41:33That was it, really.
41:34And the brakes work.
41:42Tim didn't expect such an extensive rebuild.
41:46But along with Pauline's background in electronics engineering, they formed quite a team.
41:51Overall, we both enjoy the engineering side of it.
41:55I don't think you could do it without the support of your partner.
41:59There are many, many long hours spent outside,
42:04and it would be thankless if you were doing it alone without somebody being there helping
42:11and taking an interest in what it is you try and do.
42:13You're being very nice to me today.
42:16Well, it is true, though, isn't it?
42:18This is nearly full time, and late into the evenings, it would be lonely.
42:23And to be honest, I wouldn't do it.
42:24So this is the original Viva DT publicity document.
42:28It clearly shows a car exactly like this in Monaco white with all the detailing.
42:34All along, I've been trying to recreate exactly what this car should look like.
42:38It's easy to cut corners and fit things that people might say,
42:42well, yes, that's of the period.
42:44But wherever I can, I'm trying to rebuild the car
42:48to be the same as it would have been when it left the forecourt originally.
42:53Working on it together did have some difficulties.
42:56The wiring we've had problems with, we've had problems with the interior,
43:02but we've worked through them, and we've got a nice car.
43:05It deserves the work being done to it to preserve it for the future
43:09because these cars are really, really rare now.
43:13Looks like somebody appreciating it.
43:16Somebody was hating at the car.
43:18That's really good, isn't it?
43:20I tell you, it looks lovely. Everybody loves it.
43:22It's nice. People appreciate it.
43:25It makes it worthwhile.
43:38It's nice. People appreciate it. It makes it worthwhile.
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