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MotorTranscript
00:00I'm Ant Anstead. I've been fixing cars since I was a teenager and I've set
00:11myself the task of restoring and selling eight crumbling old cars for
00:22profit. It's the ultimate road cruiser and the stakes are high because it's
00:30personal. The cow room is now the bathroom. Okay, everything I make is going
00:36towards this 500 year old farmhouse. She goes today, which means big hammer, that
00:42I've bought for my mum and dad to retire in. So what's gone wrong there, lodged?
00:46But it's a total wreck. How far away from collapse is this? A really good storm could
00:52cause a problem. Let's do it. With my family by my side. Feels like a proper
00:58brake pedal now. And some help from my engineer mate Darren. Are you joining me to
01:03the ride? Yeah, why not? I've got the best team around me.
01:08As I take on eight wrecks on wheels. Perfect. And a house that's falling apart.
01:15What, the whole thing is being kept up by chicken wire? Pretty much. It's a massive
01:20gamble. Come on, breathe. I am losing sleep over this. I'll be honest, I have no idea what's going on.
01:40This is workshop setup day. This is the big part of the business model. Workshop in here, find cars, fix them, flip them, sell them, take the profits, stick it in the house.
01:48Sounds easy if you say it really quickly. But I can't do it all on my own. Darren! Yo!
01:55So my best mate Darren's here to lend a hand. This is our new perfect workshop space.
02:02Perfect workshop. Okay. I'm going to turn the home storage facility, which is this barn, into an actual working workshop.
02:10Uh-huh. We fill this barn with restoration projects, take that margin, and we stand a fine chance of finishing the house.
02:19Okay.
02:24Darren used to work for Rolls-Royce. He's an incredible mechanic. And a bit glass half empty.
02:31I've known him a long time. He comes up with these marvellous ideas. I have to kind of make those ideas work and rein him in occasionally.
02:41While Darren sorts out the barn.
02:48Oh.
02:50Or maybe just knocks it down.
02:52Mum and Dad have dropped by to see how the work on the farmhouse is going.
02:57Come on, let's check it out. How are you doing?
02:59Hi son. How are you doing? Good to see you. Let's go, this way. What have we got?
03:07Right, come and check it out.
03:13Oh my goodness.
03:15What have you done with the ceiling?
03:17No, what have you done with the walls?
03:19It's a huge job. We're not moving in here next week.
03:22Yeah, it's a bigger project than I thought.
03:24I love the character. I am just a little bit shocked.
03:28And the state it's in.
03:30This is like a hundred times worse than I thought it would be.
03:33But I'm absolutely committed to getting it done.
03:35He's going to wait till we die. And then he's got it.
03:38Do you think?
03:39Well, if he's staying here any longer, he'll probably fall on it.
03:44Flipping cars can't start too soon.
03:47I'm headed deep into the Hertfordshire countryside to scope out a rare British saloon
03:52that could be just the money spinner I need to kickstart the renovation.
03:56A friend of a friend has put out feelers knowing I'm looking for projects and has found me a triumph.
04:02And of course, I'm a British car guy.
04:04Triumph? Boom. Tick.
04:07It's a Dolomite.
04:08Bang on my era of car.
04:10I'm a late 70s kid. So, Dolomite was around about that period.
04:15The problem is, Dolomites don't command huge value.
04:18So, to do a viable restoration project that's going to make decent money, it has to be halfway there.
04:23Right, I think, I think it's here.
04:38Hey. Hi, morning.
04:39Hiya. Morning.
04:40I'm assuming you're Dave, right?
04:41I am, yeah. Nice to meet you, mate.
04:42So, I understand there's a potential triumph for sale.
04:46Yes. So, in my garage, there's a 1980 Triumph Dolomite.
04:50It's actually my brother's. I'm selling it for him.
04:53Your brother knows it's for sale.
04:54He knows it's for sale.
04:55I'm not going to get in the middle of some family feud, am I?
04:57Absolutely not. No, no, it's all good.
04:58Would you like to have a look?
04:59Yeah.
05:00It's my favourite moment in car buying.
05:04Here we are.
05:06Oh, yeah.
05:07Oh, it's a sprint. Is it a real sprint?
05:09Yeah, yeah.
05:10It's a genuine sprint.
05:11Genuine.
05:12Wow.
05:16Triumph was part of British Leyland.
05:19Their infamous strikes delayed the launch of the Dolomite until the London Motor Show in October 1971.
05:25In 1973, the two-litre sprint arrived.
05:30It was marketed as an elegant four-door family saloon with the hot performance of a sports car to rival the likes of the BMW 2002.
05:40The sporty sprints could reach 120 miles an hour.
05:44Priced at £1,740, less than 23,000 were ever made.
05:49And only 400 are still on the UK roads today.
05:52So, this one's caught my eye.
05:56So, give me the kind of skinny on the car then. What's the basic history?
05:59Okay, so, it was owned by a guy locally who spent a lot of money on it and my brother eventually bought it.
06:07Got it running.
06:08Right, how far did he get? At what point is it at the moment?
06:10Okay, so, the engine has been boosted to about 180 horsepower.
06:15Way more than it originally was.
06:16Love it.
06:17So, she starts now?
06:18Well, not at the moment. There's a slight issue with the start.
06:20Of course she doesn't.
06:21The slight issue is, well, there is no starter motor.
06:27Replacing it is a simple part purchase, but buying any car without seeing it run is a gamble.
06:33Because there could be a load of other unknown engine problems.
06:36I'll leave you to it.
06:37Top man. Thanks, buddy.
06:38Cheers.
06:39All right.
06:40Well, I've got to admit, I'm actually really pleasantly surprised.
06:43You know, the reality is I'm already in love with the Triumph Dolomite because they're cool cars,
06:47but the fact that it's a sprint makes it even better.
06:49But there are some clear issues.
06:51Rumour had it that in the 80s Triumph used poor quality steel.
06:56Whether they did or not, they have got a reputation for rust.
06:59The question is, how much?
07:02Ah, yeah.
07:04Now, this is this car's problem.
07:06That whole panel is gone.
07:08Yeah, that's actually quite a big welding job.
07:12Right, part the negativity of rust.
07:18Focus on this.
07:19The engine bay on this car is exactly what I want.
07:24The sprint is the one to get.
07:27Webber carbs, upgraded cooling system, stainless exhaust.
07:31This thing's going to go like stink.
07:35Webber carburettors are a premium performance upgrade,
07:38designed to let more fuel-air mix into the engine,
07:41giving it more power.
07:43A new Webber carb kit would set me back 1,600 pounds.
07:47So, as long as these are good, this is a result.
07:51That just leaves the interior.
07:55Oh, my God.
08:02I mean, the veneer is an obvious problem.
08:04It's got this weird kind of milky...
08:07Hopefully, it's just the varnish and the wood can be saved.
08:10I reckon it'll take about a grand to get the car back to its original condition.
08:16And that's just with the problems I can see.
08:18So now, it's all about price.
08:22Oh, lovely.
08:23There you go.
08:24Look at that. I can't believe that.
08:25It's been a while living in the US.
08:27I miss...
08:28Proper cup of tea, that is.
08:29Well, I'll judge it in a minute. Hang on.
08:31Yeah, it's actually really good.
08:32Well, obviously, there's a few issues that might seem small, but they're quite big red flags for me.
08:43Okay.
08:44So, we have rust issues, starter motor issues.
08:46I don't know where it runs.
08:47So, it boils down to numbers.
08:49Well, I've got my brothers back here, remember?
08:51And for us, it was a 10 grand car.
08:53I don't know what your thoughts are.
08:56I'll just be honest.
08:57Not a 10 grand car.
08:58Okay.
08:59I'm looking at, I mean, probably the six mark.
09:02What's the bottom line?
09:03What would your brother take right now in his absence going to make him happy?
09:07I think he'd love to see eight.
09:09Well, if I'm at six and you're at eight, let's go bang in the middle now.
09:14Seven grand.
09:15Seven grand.
09:16You got a deal.
09:17Yeah, go on.
09:18Go on.
09:19I know he'll probably never speak to me again, but I mean, I've done you a favour.
09:28A 7K deal and a helping hand on the trailer means my grand plan is up and running.
09:33So, when I go back and tell my dad, I've just bought a dolomite for seven grand, he's going
09:42to go, what's seven grand do to the house?
09:45You've just bought a dolomite for the porch or part of the new roof.
09:50But I'm confident that our dolomite's going to make profit.
09:53And he who laughs last, laughs longest.
09:58I hope it's not my dad.
10:03It makes me very nervous when he goes out to buy a car and I don't know what he's bringing
10:14back.
10:15I'm quite apprehensive of what he's actually committed us to.
10:20You're going to wear that broom out?
10:26Oh, hello.
10:27Do you want to give me a hand?
10:28I mean it doesn't run.
10:30Bring that as well.
10:31Nigel!
10:36Hey, what have we got?
10:37We've got a car we've got to push.
10:41A dolomite!
10:42Oh, wow!
10:43Oh, excellent!
10:44Okay, has he got an engine?
10:48I hope he's got an engine.
10:51All right, let's leave her right here.
10:54I'm going to show you the glorious dolomite sprint.
10:57Come on, initial reaction.
10:59It's a little bit crusty.
11:02What's he going to find?
11:03A big hole.
11:05Oh, yeah.
11:10This one's okay.
11:12What happened to the other side?
11:13Yeah, that side's been dumb.
11:15But it's the groundbreaking four-cylinder 16-valve overhead cam engine that makes this car worth
11:21restoring.
11:22Oh, yes.
11:23That is the look of a man who sees twin Webber carburettors.
11:27So why doesn't it run?
11:30There's no starter later.
11:31There's no starter motor.
11:32I know you need one of those.
11:34But I'm going to propose very quickly, it's a triumph part.
11:39We can get a starter motor quite swiftly.
11:41We put it in the car and try it, make sure there's really no engine problems.
11:45My gut tells me this is a solid drivable car that has a starter motor issue.
11:50Okay, well, let's...
11:51In which case, and here comes the bad bit.
11:54There's more.
11:55Now open the door.
11:56Every single panel that has wood in it will have to be removed off the car
12:00and tackled by hand, panel by panel.
12:03That's a specialist job.
12:06So what would you say?
12:07This car fully finished, turn the key, drive it away, would be worth?
12:11It's got to be mid-teens upwards.
12:13We will have a very, very saleable car.
12:16Oh, it'll be a saleable car when it's done, but we've got a bit of work to do.
12:21All right, I'm going to go buy a starter motor.
12:24I've bought a centuries-old farmhouse for my mum Sue and my dad Nigel to retire him.
12:42It's got to be fantastic when it's done.
12:4416th century, restored house.
12:4617th century.
12:48Oh, somebody told me it was 16th.
12:511600s is 17th century.
12:54Okay.
12:55Either way, unless some work is done on it sharpish, it won't be standing much longer.
13:00Hopefully, my 1980s dolly sprint can pull in some cash.
13:06I picked up a starter motor from a Triumph specialist.
13:09It set me back £117 and is a modern equivalent of an original part.
13:17This is the starter motor.
13:19This big chunk of metal here is fitted underneath the exhaust manifold on this side
13:24and quite clearly you can't get this bit of metal down through that hole.
13:28So the only way I can fit a starter motor on this is from the underside out.
13:36It's a fiddly way to fit a starter motor and the dolly's cramped engine bay makes it even harder.
13:47It's going, but it is quite tight.
13:51When you turn the ignition, the starter motor engages with the flywheel using a small gear called the pinion.
13:57This turns the engine over, sucking in air and fuel.
14:01The spark then ignites the mixture and if all goes well, the dolly starts.
14:07They will fight.
14:09They will never win.
14:11Okay, she's in.
14:15But tightening the bolts is a real killer.
14:17The space is so limited my ratchet's got about five teeth's worth of leverage.
14:27Right.
14:28This is the last nut.
14:31Now you have to do it super tight because the motor's under a great deal of pressure.
14:39Okay.
14:40Wires.
14:42The wires are in here already.
14:44Attaching it to the battery means I can test it, but I have to be careful.
14:49I can't risk the old degraded fuel that's been sat in the tank being pulled into the system,
14:54as it could damage those Weber carbs.
15:00Now, under here,
15:04this little thing here, this is the electric fuel pump.
15:06So if I disconnect that, that means no fuel is going to be pumping towards the engine.
15:16So I'm going to do a little cheat.
15:18I'm basically going to fill these carburetor chambers with fuel.
15:21It means that the engine will be able to run or not.
15:24Just for a second, I want to know if our car has life.
15:29Time to find out if I'm looking at a hundred quid for a new starter motor,
15:33or hidden engine problems that could cost me thousands.
15:37Darren.
15:39Hello.
15:40Do check it out.
15:41I'm just filling up because I'm going to crank it over for a second.
15:43I just want to see if it'll run.
15:44You ready?
15:45Yeah.
15:58Oh, come on.
16:00This is it.
16:01Come on, Dolly.
16:03It's trying.
16:04It's definitely trying.
16:12Yes!
16:13Come on!
16:25Oh, yeah!
16:33That's my girl.
16:34Yes!
16:44Excellent.
16:45Well done, girl.
16:48Cars I can do.
16:49Houses are more of a challenge, and the state of the kitchen roof on the back end of the house is worrying me.
16:55If my parents are ever going to move in, I need to find out just how bad things are.
16:59I've called in a structural engineer, Ben Blackwell, to help figure out a plan of attack.
17:05Lead on.
17:07Thanks.
17:09Right.
17:10I mean, I can clearly see that's a problem.
17:12Yeah, absolutely.
17:13I mean, this joist here is actually sheared completely in the past, and then the previous tenants have added another piece of timber to extend it.
17:22Bodged.
17:23Yeah, well, they've bodged it indeed, and that's actually stopped short as well, and that's not making it any more either.
17:28There are certain elements of this which have completely failed.
17:32Rotten timbers on the east and west elevations which are completely rotten through.
17:36So what's happening is the roof is pushing the walls out, and the walls are pulling the joists away from this central support beam.
17:43Eventually the hole wants to come down.
17:46The house was probably built first, and built as a house, whereas this area we think probably was built as a dairy or as stables.
17:53And, of course, we don't build out our structures quite as robustly for farm animals as we do for ourselves.
17:59How far away from collapse is this?
18:01A really good storm could cause a problem which causes another problem.
18:06So we're talking major construction?
18:10We're talking a lot of work, yes, absolutely.
18:13I think the roof is the big thing. You can see the dormers are falling in, the roof is starting to spread.
18:19Upshot is, my parents won't be moving into this part of the house any time soon.
18:24Everything from there backwards is written off in my mind, because that part of the house is condemned.
18:29But it's overwhelming.
18:31So the focus is the front of the house only, which actually is a humble home.
18:37It's two up, two down.
18:42To make the front of the house livable for my parents, I need to fix the leaky roof.
18:46It's going to cost thousands, so the dolly needs to turn a good profit.
18:49If I get it right, the dolly could sell for over 14 grand.
18:55So I've got to get the rust sorted first.
19:00Right. This is the big job on this Triumph Dolomite.
19:07Replacing the rusty sill.
19:09Most 70s cars corrode because they were not sufficiently protected.
19:14And dollies often rust in the sill area, which is a crucial part of the car's strength.
19:21Right. I'm in the sill zone.
19:24OK, I'm glad you are.
19:26I know, right? But look, I've got this lovely replacement panel.
19:29This is going to end up somewhere in there.
19:34Mm-hm.
19:35It cost me 130 quid from an online bodywork specialist.
19:39Without it, the car would become dangerously unstable.
19:42I think if we cut this out first and then we can have a good old look.
19:46Yeah, see where it goes.
19:47Mm-hm.
19:48Shall we take those off?
19:50Got it.
20:00So the way that Triumph made this car, this monocoque, is a section of metal jigsaw puzzles welded together to give us strength and structure.
20:09So the one that we're worried about today is this one.
20:12This sill section here.
20:14Now, worst case scenario is I've got to replace the entire sill.
20:16But my hope is that I'm going to get a little bit lucky because this panel looks quite good.
20:21So I'm going to let some paint off.
20:29Oh, gosh.
20:35So you're hidden under that first bit of black paint.
20:38A really bad rust hole.
20:46And another one.
20:51All right, okay.
20:52Yeah, it makes sense just to replace the whole panel.
20:55This is turning into a major surgery job.
21:01I need to slice from the bottom of the door right down to the base of the original sill to get the rusty section out.
21:12Oh, my God. Look in there.
21:13The problem is the structure of the monocoque, it has this panel in, the holes in, and you can see it's completely gone.
21:24So before I can weld that one in, I need to replace that panel as well.
21:32I know.
21:34I know.
21:35I know.
21:36Should have got the inner panel as well.
21:37Oh, my.
21:39There's not a lot left of that, is there?
21:40No.
21:41Right.
21:42Okay.
21:43Better go get one then.
21:45Hello.
21:46I wonder if you could help me.
21:47I'm looking for an inner sill reinforcing panel for a 1980 Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
21:59Cheers, Darren.
22:00At 76 quid, a new inner sill is an expense I hadn't bargained for, so I just hope this dolly isn't hiding any more rusty secrets.
22:07Okay.
22:08John, the panel behind is really, really good.
22:14So the rust is isolated to the sill outer panel and the sill support panel, which is a win for us.
22:24So far, this dolly restoration owes me £7,320, so if I can sell it in the mid-teens, well, I'll be happy.
22:31Yeah, I mean, this is going to make this car super safe, solid, and a stronger car handles better.
22:41And this is a fast road, racy-style car, so it's all about handling.
22:46Stay.
23:00Stay.
23:02Now, this panel now fits beautifully within the gap.
23:09All lines up lovely.
23:12Now, the key is, is I can't actually fit this outer sill until I get the internal panel.
23:17We've come as far as we can.
23:19My Triumph Dolly Sprint has a serious rust problem.
23:33But Darren has managed to get his hands on just the part I need.
23:38Fitting the support panel is relatively easy.
23:41Once it's cut to size, it just needs to be welded securely into position.
23:44All right, mate.
23:50Check it out.
23:52Oh, that's heavy.
23:54Much better, mate.
23:55I know, right?
23:57This dolly knife is structurally sound once more.
24:00Getting the new outer sill fitted is a two-man job.
24:05Hit it!
24:06Hit it!
24:08Slowly, slowly catch a monkey.
24:10Nah, whack it.
24:11It's a dolly knife.
24:12It likes to be treated mean.
24:14Mm-hmm.
24:15Do we want to hang a door and check the line first?
24:17Yeah, for sure.
24:20And what we ideally want is the perfect shut line around the door.
24:24And the location of that lower panel would determine the shut line on the bottom of the door.
24:29When it comes to shut lines and panel gaps, there is only one way to do it, and that's to do it right.
24:36Boom!
24:38This shut line's nice, and this is, yeah, needs to go up.
24:41That is, that is the one.
24:43Mm-hmm.
24:45Right, this is it.
24:46Speak now, or forever hold your peace.
24:48Oh, look at that.
24:49Glorious.
24:50Now that sill is now structurally in, and the next stop needs to be the paint booth to blend it in and make it yellow.
25:06I only want to go to the paint shop once, but unfortunately my dolly needs some paintwork blisters repaired first.
25:15Question is, are they just surface, Russ, or worse?
25:19Yeah, it has penetrated the metal.
25:36Oh, man.
25:37This one's pretty bad.
25:38See, the rust has gone all the way through.
25:40There's only one way to deal with this, and that's to cut this section out and weld a new bit of steel in.
25:45To save some cash, I'm using a leftover portion of the sill panel.
25:53That's the flat piece of steel cut to size, but flat's not the shape I'm after.
25:58What I want to do is find something in the barn that fits that curve.
26:03See, look how nice.
26:14That piece of steel fits there now.
26:16I'm going to bend that on the old door rail.
26:18You know when the panel fits nicely, you don't have to hold it, it just rests in place.
26:37Now that is the patchwork done, and actually that represents the final part of the bodywork on the Dolomite.
26:57New sill, blisters all resolved, patchwork in.
27:01And actually the next thing for this car is to go to the paint booth.
27:05Because whatever the temptation is, don't try and paint a car in a dusty old barn.
27:16Thanks to its new inner and outer sill panel, my dolly is structurally safe.
27:20The same can't be said for the roof at the front of the house.
27:25To make that watertight, I've been quoted £12,000.
27:30Most people would do all the work under the cover of a temporary tin roof.
27:35But that would cost me another 20 grand, and no Dolomite would ever pay for that.
27:40Fortunately, though, I've got a brother in the roofing business.
27:43Timo is here.
27:49Right, this is the moment where you work out how many favours I accumulated as a child.
27:55Water!
27:57All right. How's it going? All right.
28:00I've got a solution.
28:01If we can save costs by scaffolding the front section.
28:05Get the front section down in a window where the sun god shined down on us.
28:10Then relocate the scaffolding.
28:13Save some cash, but if it rains, you are totally screwed.
28:16Because that will be rotten in the rain.
28:18You put another year or two on the job.
28:20You need to get felt and battened, and you need to get them back on.
28:24Before it rains.
28:25You know I love taking risks.
28:26I know, but unfortunately we're in England, and no one does this job.
28:30No one without tender roofing it.
28:34Oh, now that you see you've described me.
28:36The minute you say no one does it.
28:39Yes, and I know you.
28:41My other genius penny-pinching plan is to try and reuse as many of the original tiles as possible.
28:49I think a lot of them are going to break, personally.
28:52Or what they call biscuit tiles.
28:54So they're fragile? Great.
28:55Yeah, they're biscuit tiles.
28:56Tread on them, they'll break.
28:57Put your knee on them, they'll shower.
28:58Dunk them, and they're tasty.
29:00So, providing they come out all right, because they're already hooked on.
29:04So they're held on by two nails, right?
29:06Only every sixth one.
29:08Every sixth one is held on by two nails?
29:10One nail.
29:11And then the rest of them are literally got two little lips on the back of the tile,
29:14and it just sits on the back of the tile, and it just sits on the back like that.
29:16It just hangs.
29:17Yeah.
29:18Oh, my God.
29:19I'm learning so much about homes.
29:20I need to teach you some car stuff.
29:23I hate cars.
29:24I don't think, personally, you'll get that off, felt and battened, cleaned and back on in a week.
29:30You're literally like the doom monger of all doom mongers.
29:32Give me one bit of positive news.
29:35Well, the positive news is I'm a scaffolder and I'm going to scaffold it for you.
29:38There you go.
29:39Yes!
29:41But nothing's free.
29:42I know that.
29:43It's two pints of Guinness.
29:44Taking a risk on the British weather and pulling in family favours saves me a lot of cash.
29:54But the roof is still going to cost me 12 grand.
29:57So I best get back to doing what I do best.
30:01Right, veneers.
30:03There's eight of them in the car and they've each suffered.
30:06The lacquer has completely gone.
30:07This kind of milky, failed, creamy colour.
30:11So they need to come out.
30:14There you go.
30:21And the wood itself's in great condition.
30:24It's literally just the lacquer that's failed.
30:34Right.
30:35Now at the moment that looks like a bit of a dog's dinner.
30:37But that's in the hands of a professional woodmeister
30:42is going to really lift and transform the interior of our car.
30:47And that's what's going to sell it.
30:51Veneering is a specialist skill.
30:53Which is why I'm sending the panels 150 miles northwest to Cheshire.
30:57The book price for getting them sorted would be a profit-busting 700 quid.
31:04But I've got an old friend to do me a cracking deal if I cover the cost of materials.
31:09Cheers, Jed.
31:10So what causes this milkiness is basically a car lacquer has been sprayed on top of this.
31:20The woodwork hasn't been primed so the lacquer has started to lift so then you get the milkiness.
31:25This process is a real labour of love.
31:33First step is to remove the old lacquer using a hot air gun.
31:38Next, the damaged original walnut veneer is sanded off to reveal the solid piece of ash beneath.
31:44On the Dolomite sprint, a thin veneer of expensive wood gave the car a luxury feel at a more affordable price.
31:56To achieve that Bentley feel on a triumph budget, a piece of straight grain real wood walnut veneer is cut to size and then glued onto the ash trim.
32:07Next, it's into the vacuum heat press for 20 minutes to bond the two together.
32:11Okay, the veneer is all bonded to the substrate with no damage. It's all solid as a rock.
32:34Then a light oak stain to bring out the beauty of the grain.
32:38Each piece of wood will get not one but seven coats of lacquer before being left to cure for at least a week.
32:51Then after the final sand and smooth, the last step, a good old polish.
32:56That's it. All the polishing's done and just look at that.
33:11Absolutely beautiful. If I had a triumph Dolomite, that's what I would want in it.
33:20Veneer's done and the paint's nearly done too. The sills have been coated with an authentic triumph inky yellow.
33:35While they dry out, I can get on with the roof with a little help from my big bro Tim.
33:40Anthony has actually come and helped me scaffold a couple of times when he was younger.
33:46But he's pretty scared of heights, so you can ask him.
33:50He is terrible with heights.
33:52What do you need?
33:58Well, you've got to help.
33:59Of course I'm going to help.
34:00Don't go up there.
34:03I don't want to go up there.
34:05What can I grab?
34:06Well, he's going to get some more of these, so...
34:08Well, do you want eight foot balls?
34:09Yeah.
34:10Done.
34:14It's going to cost him a lot of money, I think, in the end.
34:16But he's going to give it a go, isn't he?
34:20Where do you want it?
34:25Seamless!
34:26He's made my life harder, didn't he?
34:31Seems we've got all of us in to help him.
34:34Which he's quite lucky in that sense.
34:38This is a bit too big for him, really.
34:41I think he has been off more than he can shoot.
34:43He's a bit stupid, but fair play for him.
34:46He's a bit stupid.
34:54Yo!
34:55Santa time!
34:57This is way cooler than a pair of socks at Christmas.
35:04Look at that!
35:05That's amazing.
35:07That's a massive transformation.
35:11Now we just need to fit them.
35:13Is these sort of details, particularly at an auction,
35:16to make all the difference to the value of the car?
35:28Before the dolly goes to auction,
35:29the engine bay needs a final tidy up.
35:32You can see right here,
35:34the existing air filter is hitting the battery.
35:36You can see where it's all rubbed away.
35:38So...
35:40I've got myself a pair of new air filters.
35:4290 pounds for the filters, money well spent.
35:43That really neatens it up.
35:44Right, what's next?
35:45Damper.
35:46You want to do the damper?
35:47Yeah, why not?
35:48110 pounds for a new set of dampers.
35:49This new addition will really smooth out the car's ride, and most importantly, keep the tyres in contact with the road.
36:01Okay.
36:02I think we're there.
36:03Yeah, this thing's going to pop under the auction hall lights.
36:04I love the yellow.
36:06Thanks to my brother Tim, I've saved on scaffolding.
36:08But the roofing estimate is 12,000 pounds, so every penny of price is $100,000.
36:10It's $100,000.
36:11It's $100,000.
36:12It's $100,000.
36:13It's $100,000.
36:14It's $100,000.
36:15It's $100,000.
36:16It's $100,000.
36:17It's $100,000.
36:18It's $100,000.
36:20Yeah, this thing's going to pop under the auction hall lights.
36:23I love the yellow.
36:28Thanks to my brother Tim, I've saved on scaffolding.
36:31But the roofing estimate is 12,000 pounds, so every penny of profit counts.
36:36Question is, how much does the dolly owe us now all the hard work's done?
36:41Of course, the labour for that work is free.
36:43I've done it for love.
36:44And Darren, he's done it for a pint.
36:47Or three.
36:49Where do you think we're at, total-wise?
36:51I think we've spent about 1,500 quid.
36:53All right, well, I did a tally-up.
36:55Total, 866 pounds, 59 pence.
37:00That's not bad, is it?
37:02That is not bad at all.
37:03So, we paid 7,000 pounds.
37:07So, 7,866 and under is a problem.
37:12But I'm quietly confident.
37:15Yeah, me too.
37:16And do you know what?
37:18I'm just desperate to drive her.
37:20Oh, my gosh!
37:22This car is effortless.
37:24Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!
37:25Now, in terms of getting this car ready for auction, we have absolutely smashed it out of the park.
37:39The steering's on point.
37:40The brakes are amazing.
37:41But the thing that gets me the most about this car, the thing I love, is the throttle response.
37:44The way that those weather carburetors engage, you just want to hit that accelerator, and it reacts instantly, and it sounds unbelievable at the same time.
38:21It's emotional.
38:22So, against all odds, this car has been waiting to drive.
38:26It's almost like it's got freedom.
38:30Oh!
38:31What?
38:32Oh, my gosh!
38:33She's beautiful.
38:34Oh, my gosh!
38:35We have built a fantastic little Dolomite.
38:39I love this car.
38:47But getting her back on the road took some effort.
38:51So, the first job, you know, new starter motor, get the engine turned over, and then it was all about rust.
38:56It's a triumph in England.
38:58Of course it's rusty.
38:59It's had two new panels, completely re-welded, and at the same time tackled all the blemishes that had come through the paint, including a little patch of weld on the front.
39:09And then the only way to make a car look beautiful is to give it some paint.
39:13And then I think the pierce de resistance, the veneers.
39:17It's given a basic kind of road race car a bit of elegance.
39:21Whoever buys our Sprint, yeah, they've got a great car.
39:33There's only one place for the car to go now, and that's to auction, which is being held at the Silverstone Festival in Northamptonshire.
39:42From Ferraris to Lamborghinis, more than 140 collectible classics are going under the hammer today, including our Sprint as lot number 400.
39:55Great to see you all in here today. You're very, very welcome.
39:58We've got 140 or so cars to get through with you, so do make it enthusiastically.
40:03I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.
40:06If the dolomite doesn't make a profit, then it's going to have a huge impact on the farmhouse.
40:12Now the job is done, it's handed over to the auctioneer.
40:15There's no reserve. What she sells for is what she sells for.
40:18Again, often without reserve.
40:19Well-proven example is for you of the Dolly Sprint.
40:22False generation.
40:24Finishing that canary yellow.
40:27At 8,000.
40:28Go five anywhere else though.
40:30At 8,000 only.
40:31Five of you wait on line.
40:338,005 in Belper.
40:35Eight and a half.
40:36Eight and a half puts us into profit.
40:38Nine grand, yes.
40:41I wanted five figures.
40:4310,000 they do, they're at 10,000.
40:52Yes, it's 10,000.
40:53With your bidder, Harry, 10,000.
40:55Okay, we're into five figures.
40:56This is a good thing.
40:5711,000 back in pool now.
40:5811,000.
40:59It's 11.
41:00Come on.
41:0112,000 they do in pool at 12.
41:03Yes!
41:04Right on 12 grand.
41:05Well, 13,000 back in pool.
41:07Unlucky for some, but maybe not you there at 13,000.
41:10Come on, 13 grand.
41:1114,000.
41:12Not quite.
41:1314,000.
41:1414,000.
41:16At 14,000.
41:1714,500.
41:1814,500.
41:19They're back in at 14,500.
41:20Wow.
41:21Here on the telephone.
41:22Against your line.
41:23Selling them at 14,500.
41:25I am over the moon with that.
41:27Here at 14,500.
41:29Selling them to the telephone.
41:31Your car, 14,500.
41:33Well done, guys.
41:37And you'll be on the number there for me, Harry.
41:39Oh man, that was a real heart in the mouth moment.
41:41It's so wild.
41:42The Dolomite to make 14,500 pounds.
41:46I am over the moon.
41:47The Dolomite has done everything that we wanted to do and more.
41:51And we are...
41:52Yeah, we're having a glass of something sparkly tonight.
41:55Yeah.
41:56Yeah, but you're paying the bar bill.
42:05You know what?
42:06I'm really, really pleased with that.
42:07I mean, 14,500 is a great price for a Dolomite.
42:09It went to a phone bidder.
42:11And the quick math in my head means that we've made a profit over six and a half grand.
42:16Which straight away I'm thinking, well, at least that pays for half the roof.
42:20But before I get in my car and head back to the farmhouse, there is one more thing.
42:24As I stand here at Silverstone, there's a Dolomite and a racetrack.
42:28I mean, it seems reckless to not at least give it a spin and take someone with me.
42:34My dad.
42:48Seatbelt! Seatbelt!
42:49I haven't got the seatbelt on yet.
42:51You'll be okay.
42:54Blimey.
42:55Wow.
42:56Slow down.
42:58Slow down.
42:59All right.
43:00See, it's not bad, is it?
43:01For goodness sake, we're not going to race.
43:04Sheesh.
43:11All right.
43:12Watch out!
43:15For goodness sake.
43:16Whoa.
43:17She's going to get some drink.
43:20Oh, I love this car.
43:23I love this car.
43:28I love it!
43:29Emily has my face.
43:33All right.
43:34If you want it, I hope you like to go see it.
43:39In the end of the day, peace, be safe.
43:43See you on the topic.
43:44All right.
43:45See you in the next time.
43:46You will be aqui.
43:47See you in the next episode.
43:48I'll be back virtually.
43:49Bye.
43:50If you, see you out.