Richard Hammond's Workshop (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Episode #1.6 - full transcript
Richard's new state-of-the-art workshop is finally open but nearly a quarter of a million out of pocket, the business has got to start paying for itself.
This time...
Cogs assemble!
..our doors are finally open
for business.
Oh ho! I love it already.
This is like car heaven
really, innit?
But the business...
Is it going to break even?
Not yet.
..is running on empty.
You've loaned 226,400.
Brilliant.
I tried to raise some quick cash.
Third and final time.
Genuine nerves.
And boost morale.
Oh, yeah.
He's probably screaming.
And I'm still learning the business.
The hard way.
There are some flaws
with this design, aren't there?
Yeah.
Cars have been my life.
Give it a bit more!
Talking about them...
This is a force of nature.
Thrashing them.
That's not what I wanted to see!
And crashing them.
But now...
Don't panic, I'm here.
..I'm fulfilling my lifelong dream
and starting my own
classic car workshop.
Should I get my overalls on?
Restoring some of the finest
classic cars in the world.
Heavenly automotive lord.
With father and son team
Neil and Anthony Greenhouse...
We're trusting him
on our reputation.
Look away. Botching in process.
Oh, you son of a...
..I'll be learning how
to be a businessman.
What you need
is The Smallest Cog.
To be honest,
you've got my attention a bit now.
And getting my hands dirty.
I'm gonna swallow this screw
in a minute and die!
Do it quietly.
It will test my bank balance.
We could ruin the business
quite easily.
And my relationships.
You'll enjoy it.
Will I?
As I take my obsession
to a whole new level.
It's the best game I've ever played,
and the most terrifying.
I've got two words on my mind
as I commute in
in the morning to work
and they are 'I'm first.'
I can prepare my smug face
for when they get in.
So far, my cathedral to classic cars
is a little underpopulated.
I've got to fill
this place with work.
That's...
Simple as that.
That's the cold, stark light
of reality there.
Coming in.
I say empty,
we've got Dean's Land Rover.
There's not a lot of profit in that
but it's bait
because if we make
a good job of that,
Dean might give us
a crack at his Bentley,
and we've got the RS
which will be profit in that
when we sell it, and in the spirit
of speculate to accumulate,
Neil's brother Andrew
is now joining us properly
which means we are fully armed
with talent and skill,
so when the work does come along,
we're gonna be ready for it.
So, there is stuff happening.
Kettle.
Wealthy car collector Dean
has asked us to sort out
a few minor paintwork issues
and a dodgy door
on his 1967 Series 2 Land Rover.
I thought it would be
a pretty straightforward job.
But Neil's already spotted
a big problem.
If you look at the door,
the distance from there to there
is the same.
The distance from the bottom
of there to there is the same.
So the hinges on both sides
are symmetrical, yet the door isn't.
There's something fundamentally
wrong with it all.
Who knew such a simple car could be
so bloody complicated?
I've got some fishing line,
I'm gonna go fishing,
fishing for bent Land Rovers.
This is how you measure if this tub,
which is this bit at the back,
is straight.
So you put a piece of string
across that quality to that corner,
and that corner to that corner,
and they sort of touch in the middle.
If they don't,
it's because it's twisted.
See, it's not far out but it is out.
With this Land Rover,
we want to do a good job
because hopefully we'll get to do
his Bentley R Type
which we want to do,
so we're trying to use
a little bit of fishing line
to land a trawler's worth of fish.
We're hoping to catch Moby Dick.
Nothing is in the right place.
You only need one bit out
and it just chases
all the way along the car.
Net result is the doors don't shut.
You can either shim the door
to fit the car,
which wouldn't be perfect
but it would make it work,
or you want to disassemble it,
reassemble it properly
and make all the bits
in a jigsaw equal.
But that's a huge difference.
Yeah, massive difference.
We can make it as good
as we want to make it
but you can't make it
a concourse Land Rover
for 35 quid.
This job is all about sending
it back to Dean and him saying,
"Yeah, great, like what you've done,
you can restore my Bentley."
He needs to trust that we're not
gonna run away and go berserk,
but neither are we gonna
cut corners and say,
"Yeah, that's done," when it isn't.
According to that,
you can drive a double decker bus
through here,
and a fag paper through there.
Well, they do say necessity
is the mother of invention,
and Neil is nothing
if not inventive.
He thinks he might be able
to realign the body
using some simple ratchet straps.
It's a bit like the story with
the man with a hammer, you know.
You're paying for the knowledge,
not how long it takes.
There we are, we've got that
and under tension,
so what we'll have to do
is slacken all the bolts off
and then this tub
will be where it should be.
While Neil checks
if his clever fix has worked,
Anthony's got to fettle the Escort
to make sure we get top money
at the upcoming auction.
Now we've got to make a checklist
of all the stuff
we didn't get done in time
for Hampton Court.
Got brake lines to sort. And bleed.
And I've got to get Andrew
to finish a few little touches off
to make it extra special
for the auction.
These hinges are too low
so we'll elongate these holes,
eighth of an inch. It'll lift
the door eighth of an inch,
and we should be able
to get it square
so the door will open
and shut like it should do.
The Land Rovers
need to go to the dentist.
I have a filling saw.
I've adjusted these as much
as I can without going mad.
Going to drop the door back on,
tighten the bolts up
and see if it shuts.
Now is the moment of truth.
Perfect.
Last time we tried
to shut this door,
you would go to there
and it would pinch,
and you had to slam it,
and then of course,
you're driving down the road
and the door bounces open,
very dangerous, but now, perfect.
I'm happy with that.
So far, it's been
a good first morning.
(PHONE RINGS)
I haven't mentioned
that I've got a cold, have I?
Hello.
Well, where are we with money?
What is the situation, how bad is it?
OK, so loans to date,
you've loaned 226,400.
Around quarter of a million.
Brilliant.
Obviously, we've got
increased overheads,
plus our rent's gone up
considerably.
It is this really terrifying phase
at the moment
where everything's gone up
in cost massively
and we can do nothing to meet it.
What is our monthly spend now,
just to tick over?
Just overheads alone, 15,000.
Right.
I think we should be looking
at 20,000 a month to cover hours,
rent, insurance,
then at least we've got buffers.
So, we need to be billing for 20,000.
That's the hours, not the material.
Exactly, yeah.
You're gonna need more money from me
before the end of this month.
We're hoping to sell
the Escort soon, next week.
That will be money coming back in.
What's the estimated
selling price on that one?
I'd like it to get over 40.
Let's say 40. Right. Yes.
I will talk to you very soon.
Thank you for that today.
Alright, talk to you soon.
You take care, OK, bye.
Cheers, bye.
I do like her, she's great,
but talking to her is often
far from a breath of fresh air.
It is a bit of a wake-up call.
The message from my accountant
is pretty clear.
The Land Rover and Escort
won't keep us going for long.
Just to break even and pay the bills,
we need some big restoration jobs.
Right, you are
in charge of navigation.
I'm hoping an old customer of Neil's
might have just the thing.
So you know this guy?
Michael Fenton, yep.
Known him for 30 years plus.
And what does he want us to look at?
He's got, in his collection,
an Alvis TA 21.
Do we know what state it's in?
I know it's been in his barn
for years and years and years.
So, in a way, this is a barn find.
It's not like we're finding it.
You know it's there,
he's knows it's there, but...
It's exactly what a barn find is,
he's put it in the barn
to keep it dry,
keep it out the elements.
And that's what everybody wants now.
Barn finds are...
That's the thing
because you know
it's not been touched.
That's it, yeah.
Hello.
Good afternoon, how are you?
Hello, Michael.
How's the new home?
It's starting to feel
a bit more homely.
Oh, this is a proper barn.
Look at that.
Ooh! How long has it stood here?
About 15 years.
I'm the third owner.
Had it since 1975.
It's been to the South of France,
it's been all over the place.
So it's had peaks and troughs.
It's had rather a larger trough.
I'm gonna say it's in a trough.
It's in a trough as we speak.
It's troughing.
So how far do you want
to go with this?
It sounds like...
It would be nice to bring it back
to good, usable condition.
So you want to drive this around?
Yes, it would be fun to drive.
They were known as
the sporting man's Bentley.
Oh, that's reason enough
to want to recommission it.
Just...
Can you think of a better excuse?
I'll be outside. I shall be in
the silver sporting man's Bentley.
So, the plan would be
we'll have a proper look
and build a proper plan.
The actual bodywork, we could
work that out quite quick
and work out a price to do that.
Good, right, that's the plan.
That's really exciting.
Terrific.
The greenshoots of new business
are starting to sprout,
but we need money in the bank now.
With any luck, we'll get
a big injection of cash today.
Are we agreed it is done,
it is better than we were
going to make it?
We'll have a sweepstake
on what we think it's gonna raise.
Pick a number.
Pick a number? 36.
Oh, that's low.
41.
I was gonna go 42.
I'll go 42.5.
OK, well, let's see what it does.
There's been some late nights
getting this car ready,
but hopefully,
when it goes to auction now,
everything will be done,
all the hours of hard work
that all four of us have put on it
will be actually worth it
and we'll get good money
back for it.
Uh. Whoa.
Can we buy a car, restore it,
and sell it
and make money over and above
what it genuinely cost us?
I don't know yet.
Oh, I'm scared.
I... Yeah.
Right, everything is online.
So I've got the online catalogue up.
Ooh, it's underway.
31, faraway.
There's my car.
Right, doing the sums.
Car cost me 26 at auction.
I limited them to 120 hours
of labour on it
so let's call it five grand costs,
plus six grand of parts,
so the thing owes me 37.
I think they've done a cracking job.
Obviously done lots and lots
of work with it.
I know they've invested
an awful lot in the car
so we've guided it at 35,000
to 40,000.
One never knows what a car is worth
but they have their own
intrinsic value
that the market decides.
29 bid here then, 30 I can go.
Oh, I'm terrified.
Because we're next.
Don't spend all your money,
save your money!
Don't spend it on that,
spend it on that!
If this sells well,
anything north of 37,
that will pay to keep
us running next month.
Third and final time,
selling faraway the Sierra Cosworth.
I've got that
churning stomach feeling again.
Oh, oh, oh. Genuine nerves.
Right, we're up.
Now, here's a special thing.
Lot 562 is the RS 2000 Mark 2,
and not just any old
RS 2000 Mark 2,
this was prepared and supplied
by Richard Hammond
of Top Gear fame.
It's his new business,
The Smallest Cog.
Just sell the bloody car.
Thank you,
we're straight in here now, 31.
Faraway at 31 bid.
Come on. Please bloody bid.
I'd buy it.
32 now bid.
At £32,000.
Bid three if you like.
At 32,000.
Bid, bid, bid.
500 if it helps in another place.
So, what do I do?
Don't miss it for £300.
32.8. Nod of the head.
Near to me, it's 33,000 against you.
Please let it have just stalled
and it's gonna pick up again.
Hammers up then,
ladies and gentlemen.
Final call. Are we all done?
33,200, yes or no?
33,000 first time.
It's 33,000 faraway second time.
Here's the hammer, are we all done?
The '79 Escort RS 2000 Mark 2
selling at £33,000.
Right, I'm gonna have
to go ring the guys.
A very sad result.
Hello, it's me.
Yeah, well, not brilliant.
I take it, were you watching?
It is.
My chin's taking
quite a lot on it at the moment.
It's feeling a bit sore.
Cheers.
Oh god. That is
a huge disappointment.
A real blow, that.
We had so much invested in that car
and a lot of hopes for it,
and it's not good.
It's not good at all.
It's a bloody heartbreak
because I really wanted
some good news financially
for the business.
I wanted to say to the guys,
"Yeah, look!
We've paid for all the hours
"and we made five grand
on top of that."
We didn't.
Buy at auction, everybody knows
what you paid for it,
and then they don't want to pay
much more than that.
No matter what you've done to it.
A big lesson learned here.
Right, there is only thing
to do right now
and it involves a brisk drive home
and a pub.
Once I get home.
OK, so I'm not much
of a wheeler dealer.
Back to plan A.
Attracting customers
with deep pockets.
But a sophisticated customer
is going to expect
a sophisticated setting,
and frankly,
our customer liaison area
is a bit, well, rustic.
I've been told to just come
and have a little look.
What is actually going to happen
is I'm gonna become
interior designer for this place.
Hello.
Hello.
Come on in.
So, I want you to have a look at all
the stuff we've got to do
to finish being here
because there is much to be done.
Don't be distracted
by the dog in the crate.
This is the sort of living space.
So, is that the entrance
for customers and anybody else?
Yes, and there'll be a counter there
with a lifting flap
so the guys can come in
from the workshop
and go straight into their room.
OK.
Straight away, that's an issue.
Because how wide
do you need this counter?
Doesn't have to be wide.
It's just to stop people,
to sort of arrive there.
Might have a telephone on it.
Box of lollipops.
Presumably you're going
to plasterboard there.
There won't be a board in front of...
That's the wall.
You can't leave that like that.
We're gonna paint it.
Workshop. I mean...
It's not a luxury spa weekend
you're arriving for.
So if somebody's waiting,
where are they going, upstairs?
Is there a waiting room upstairs?
Could be.
Are you planning to have
access up to there?
Steps, a posh lavatory for guests.
Right.
I think up to there is a nice,
pleasant sitting, meeting area,
and then from here up
could be storage.
But the loo is there,
so if you've got visitors
and they want to use the loo,
they've got to climb over the parts
or go through the parts.
Yes.
No.
There are some flaws
with this design, aren't there?
Yeah.
I just hope that he's actually
made space in the budget
for how much there is still left
to do because there's quite a lot.
Lesson in interior design over,
we've got a more pressing problem.
The next thing is now, we've got
to sort this paintwork out
on the Land Rover,
but unfortunately,
it's not that easy because if you
look at this vehicle closely,
somehow they've got three
different shades of green on it.
We're trying to get this job
as good as we can
without financially
ruining ourselves
because we want the bigger job.
We'd love to that Bentley
that Dean's got,
so we want him to be happy,
but we don't want it going back
looking like a patchwork quilt.
Just a bit worried now
that this Land Rover
is meant to be a quick
in and out job,
so I need to check Dad's log book,
wherever that's gone,
and make sure we're not overrunning.
The bulkhead is a different colour
to the bonnet.
The wing looks darker on the side
than what it is as the top.
Oh, look. Buried.
I think the best is to just aim
for what's got
the most colour on it,
paint the top of the wing,
paint that, paint that,
paint that, blend it in, paint that
and it's all the same colour.
There's no hours apart
from one, he's put five hours.
We need to have another
little chat, I think.
And this is where the father-son
relationship goes downhill.
This is alchemy.
We're going to produce
pure green in a minute.
Dad? Hours on the Landy.
Where are we up to with it now then?
Just have a quick look.
I'm worried 'cause it looks
like nothing is being done to it
and there's 15 hours
charged out already.
The trouble is, somebody's put that
door on it, it don't fit, does it?
So I've had to take it to bits,
put it back on, adjust everything,
move everything,
but that's the hours.
How long have you had on that,
mixing paint?
The actual of mixing paint
is 20 minutes.
But I mean actually working
out the colour.
But to get to that is three hours.
The problem is can you charge
in three hours?
The only thing that worries me
a little bit
is Dean specified he doesn't want
this to be a big job
so I don't want to be having loads
of hours
and then sending it back
with a massive bill.
I think what you got to do
is just take it on the chin,
don't bill him the hours
sorting the colour of the paint out.
And look for future business.
You'll get it back in the future.
Make sure you log every hour.
OK, I'll see you in a bit.
If you started charging
for every single hour,
you know, we're charging
for a phone call,
charging for everything,
then people think you're
taking the mickey out of them.
They don't understand
the amount of work that goes in
because it's a bit
like the Land Rover.
If I'd have rushed in to try
and get the paint mixed for that,
and mixed it wrong,
what do you end up doing?
You send the car back
as the wrong colour.
Worst thing you could ever do,
so it's better for us
to absorb the cost and make sure
the job is done properly,
and that's what I've always done.
Hours we don't charge on a small job
like the Land Rover
could mean losing
a few hundred pounds.
On a big restoration like
we're hoping to do on the Alvis,
unbilled hours
could run into thousands.
h ho! I love it already.
Look at this.
That don't look too bad.
Yeah, the old silver eagle mascot.
Alvis mascot silver eagle.
It's got that old car smell,
hasn't it?
This would have been cutting-edge
technology back in the day.
That would be your trafficators.
I think I might be thinking
of turning left today.
There we go.
Suicide door.
That's exciting.
Suicide door opens this way.
I love them.
Unless it comes open when you're
going along, then it's bad.
Do we know if he wants us
to do anything to the trim?
We're gonna have a look
and the guys are gonna give us
an idea of what scale of job
it's gonna be.
I think, actually, this could be
turned around pretty quickly
into something quite nice.
So that's exciting.
Also exciting,
very exciting actually,
we have our apprentice
arriving today,
and that's been central
to the whole dream of this.
The reason I want to do something
in classic cars is,
as an industry, it is based
on people and skills.
That's the heart of it,
so I've always wanted us
to have apprentices come in,
so we're trying one out today.
Good to see you.
Yeah, not bad. You?
Morning. Anthony, how are you?
So, this is our apprentice.
Yes.
So what are you apprenticing in?
It's all mechanical,
so it's all mechanical classics,
restorations.
So the oily bits?
Yeah. Messy, dirty hands bits. Yeah.
I'm here for a trial period
of a couple of days,
just to gain a bit
of experience for...
Well, personally, for me,
and see if the garage wants an
apprentice.
'Cause it's quite a big thing
to take on as an apprentice.
There's a lot of work involved.
It's going to be really exciting.
Really exciting to see that start.
This is our little prep room.
And at that age,
I would have been just all over this.
I'd have loved it.
OK, you have a go now.
Trying to follow the shape of the...
That's it.
We've got to be realistic
about how this works.
The apprentice is not joining us
straightaway full-time.
We're sort of trying one out.
Quick as you can,
and just go...
That's easier said than done.
I know, you've got it.
I've always wanted
to have a good apprentice
who wants to learn bodywork,
because it's such a very,
very skilful thing to learn.
Very time-consuming,
but it's a skill
that I really would like to pass on
to somebody else.
And that's as good as I would do it.
I'm very happy with that.
That's very good.
Michael, the owner of the Alvis
is coming in
to discuss our estimate for the job.
It's a big moment
for The Smallest Cog.
If he agrees to the price,
it will be our first
full restoration.
Anthony!
Time to have a look at the car
and make a plan.
Come on in, don't trip over anything.
Fall over anything?
It'll be health hazard
and I'll have to fill in forms.
Here it is.
Now, we've all stood around
and the chaps have poured
their various expertise on it.
And come up with I think...
Do I need to sit down?
We can sit down later.
In my luxuriously appointed,
not-finished office.
Terrific.
So purely for body,
back up to scratch,
assuming there are no horror stories,
where do you reckon that will be?
Well, we've looked at it,
with two people on it,
10 days to strip it down
to a totally bare shell.
Get it to paint stage,
you know, 10 days with two people.
From my side of it, mechanically,
I'd want five days,
so in total 18,400 plus VAT.
But, obviously,
because you've been a customer
of mine and dad's for so long,
we'll give you 20% discount on that.
So it takes it down
then to a figure of 15,664.
OK.
Sounds good. OK.
Sounds like barnstorming
up the alps next year.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(LAUGHING)
When I was at my old garage,
it would have taken me six months.
Yeah.
Or a lot more to do it,
because you'd be stopping,
doing a bit, stopping, doing a bit.
And the whole point of this place
is to not do that,
it's to say, let's get on with it.
Is there a padlock on the kettle?
No.
(LAUGHING)
There would be nobody at work
if there was.
Right, I'm making tea,
how'd you like it?
A splash of milk.
What they've told me so far,
it hasn't completely terrified me.
I think it's a job.
(STRING MUSIC)
This is an exciting day.
It really is.
It was Neil's birthday
the other day.
And his lifelong dream
has been to fly in a Spitfire.
And his family have sorted it
for him as a birthday present.
Put it this way,
he cried when they told him
that was what he was gonna do today.
Have you ever seen a machine
that looks more alive
even when it's just sitting there
still?
What a beautiful, beautiful thing.
It's a bit different
to my airfix model when I was a kid.
But, the thing is,
if it wasn't for you,
I would be with here, would I?
Well exactly.
Well, we used her car.
(LAUGHING)
To be honest,
just to look around this
is a day out for me.
To actually go into the thing
and go for a fly
is just unbelievable.
Because my wife is disabled
and she's struggled with MS
for years,
she knows that I would never,
ever spend the money to do this.
Because I know that something
medical is going to happen.
She's an inspiration
because she never moans,
she just keeps going
and I think "Well,
"if she can get through
and struggle and get things done,
"what excuse have I got?"
Yeah, I say, old boy.
OK red leader, ready?
(LAUGHING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Wait a minute,
if he's flying it...
..is he going to come back down
and claim to be a Spitfire pilot?
Oh, yeah, guaranteed.
"Did I ever tell you
about the time I was flying..."
"Yep, you did."
Oh.
Oh, his little face right now,
that is amazing.
He's gonna loop.
Oh, yeah.
You have the biggest grin
you have ever seen in your life.
Oh, don't get upset.
Aw.
Hey, don't get upset.
Well I tell you what,
it's not the first time an old lady
has made my heart go fast.
Oh, thank you.
It's the first time that one's
took me to the edge of heaven
and bought me back safe.
(LAUGHING)
That man has put his family
and everybody else in front of him
all his life.
Properly.
And continues to do that
and all is well.
But for them all to get together
and just treat him, was just great.
Top gun's landed.
What you think of my flying?
Brilliant.
It was properly moving,
because hard-working bloke
is enjoying a few moments
realising a dream.
I really am very, very lucky.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's alright.
He's shut down his whole business
and gone into business with me.
It really matters to me
that, you know,
Neil and Anthony and Sandra as well,
benefit from this.
If I mess that up,
I've ruined his career.
I want to fly all day.
Oh god, he's gonna be giving it
banking left.
Banking left.
You know you can't loop in that?
Yeah.
Right, take him home.
Back to the workshop,
we've got work to do.
Thank you very much.
After much agonising
over green paint.
Neil is finally ready
to respray the Land Rover.
It's also our apprentice Ed's
last day.
There you go mate.
Put that on first.
Cheers. Thank you.
Ed's helped prepare the car,
but it's way too important a job
for him to have his first try
actually applying paint.
We've got Dean's Land Rover in,
so as much as I'd love
to let Ed have a go on it,
we can't take the risk,
but I can let him have a go
on a spare panel
and just, you know,
see if he gets a feel for it.
Right, so what you want to do,
is be in the middle like that,
so get in the middle like that.
Just gently go across the panel
from the far end.
That process going on in there,
passing the skills
from that older man
to the younger bloke.
That's what needs to happen
in this industry and others,
its absolutely key, isn't it?
If that doesn't happen,
you can have all the fancy ovens
in the world,
but you wouldn't have anybody
that knows how to use it.
He's actually doing really well now,
because he's listening
to what I'm telling him.
I reckon he's done a good job.
Well done.
Thank you.
The good thing about that
is we can see ourselves in there.
There's so much of a reflection,
you can wave at yourself.
I wonder if Neil
can actually talk him to death.
Oh, he's actually painting now.
Neil just apparently walks in
and waves the gun about
and then it's all covered evenly
in paint.
It's not easy.
Now coming over there,
following the curve round.
Oh, he's getting the full treatment
from Neil there.
We're not trying to get it
like a sheet of glass,
we're just getting it shiny
and all the same colour.
The master returns with pupil.
So, how's that?
Really enjoyed it, to be honest.
I think I learnt a lot, as well,
which is the main thing.
Has it taken into different areas
from what you've normally done?
Yeah, definitely.
It's sort of widened my search
of what I want to do when I'm older.
Well in that case,
it's worked in both directions.
Yeah.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed it,
and we hope to see again.
Yeah, I want to come back,
to be honest.
Well it would be great
to have you back.
You're more than welcome,
and it's something,
I think we will formalise
an apprenticeship programme here,
we will do that.
I feel all good and wholesome,
we're educating a new generation.
Right, preening and polishing.
It's almost like getting ready
for a dog show, isn't it?
Except it's a car.
I have here, an invoice.
It's a proper one and everything.
Bargain.
Something going on
inside the window, look.
Inside is it?
It's been cleaned, hasn't it?
Have you been licking in there
again?
Hey?
Give me the cloth.
I'll do all the work.
Do you want a bit of glass cleaner?
Here you go, Dean, I did it for you.
There.
You haven't done a bad job there.
Fair play.
Best bit of the car, that.
He'll be pleased.
Right, we have got to hope
that he is pleased.
We've addressed everything.
Yep.
Have a good look round it,
see if there's anything
you don't like.
But what am I going to...
It's a bit late isn't it.
Just have a look.
The only problem is,
I haven't got a covered trailer,
so it's going to get rained on.
Let's get it gone.
Yeah.
Let's get some money in the bank.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
This is always the thing
when you hand a car back,
you can never judge
what the owner's going to be like.
You know, you've done the best
you can,
and made it really good,
and as far as I'm concerned,
done a really good job.
But it's never complete
until that bloke looks at it
and says, "I'm happy with that".
Right.
Neil, what's your one tip
for when we're handing over a car
back to its owner?
Just be courteous.
Courteous.
OK.
No going back now.
Mostly because I'm not reversing
between those gates.
(LAUGHING)
Little old Land Rover's
wagging her tail,
she's happy to be home.
Or was that your driving?
That's my diving.
Right.
Where is the man himself?
Here is the man himself.
Hello Dean.
Hello.
How are you today?
I did get a little bit
of sunshine out for you.
OK, thank you, that's very kind.
I thought, you know,
if we have a little bit of sunshine,
it's more favourable.
Yes.
To looking
at the fantastic piece of work
that you're bringing back.
You haven't seen it yet.
Well, here it is.
The door was a big issue.
It was indeed, I remember.
It now fits.
Oh, I can see that.
It's lovely and flush.
Flusher than it was
when it left the factory.
Let me just try.
Yes.
Ah, perfect.
The main feat
was to get the colour right.
There was about sort of,
four different colours
of this vehicle, so we picked,
sort of, majority colour.
Yes.
And we had this paint scanned
with this new paint system we've got
and it matched it perfectly.
He has actually blended the paint
across panels
so that it does all fit together
and look like one car.
I like the finish now.
It's smoother. It looks smoother.
Yeah.
That is absolutely how I wanted it.
Just what your front right wheel
is a bit far off...
Now is not the time
to make a mistake.
Now left.
Get her left, Neil.
I mean it's Land Rover, to be fair,
you could just drive it off.
That's it. You're good.
Right, I've got one of these for you.
Yes.
Thank you.
You may have that.
It's fair and sensible
for what we did
but I haven't been...
We've been realistic.
That's what...
I will take care of it,
thank you very much.
You've done it to my expectations,
and that is a great steppingstone,
if you remember what
we were originally talking about.
Oh yes.
This is a milestone.
Thank you very much,
and we'll keep working
towards it,
one day we'll land that big fish.
(LAUGHING)
Let me enjoy this for a little while
and we'll see how we go.
My little baby.
Wonderful.
I reckon he was pleased,
it was genuine.
He liked the job.
I deliberately didn't want to
outline what my budget was
because I didn't want
any expectations to be created
until they've actually
done the work.
I look at this invoice now
and I say, this is fair
and I'm happy to pay it.
You haven't given him
the long drive syndrome.
The longer the drive the longer...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You just priced him
to what the job is,
not what he's worth.
And all we got to do
is hope that he lives with it
for a little bit, enjoys it,
and one day, rings us,
and says I've got this unique Bentley
that needs a full restore.
Right, small dog.
First, catch your dog.
And voila, right.
Hey, come on.
So how are things then
at the workshop?
Well, you know Dean?
Yeah.
His Bentley, he's got this...
Oh, that very, very rare Bentley?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, one of only two.
That's a possibility.
Oh, that's...
Also, coming up is a Goodwood Revival
which is,
that's the one
where everyone dresses up in costumes
and there's all the old cars.
Yeah, yeah I know the name.
I thought if I take the guys to that
as like a day out,
Neil's always wanted to go.
Ah, that's a very cool idea.
Also I've arranged a little surprise
because the XK150 that they did,
I've had it shipped there.
So that we can wander around
and they'll see their car
with all these magnificent...
You're not telling them it's going?
No.
Oh, that's cute.
It's just a thank you really,
because we all worry
that I'm gonna derail their careers
and ruin them.
But I do think about them.
I think it's really lovely
that attention has been drawn
to them
because I mean,
they are really, really good
at what they do.
Yeah, that's one of the things
I wanted to do with the workshop
is build them something
that was worthy
of their level of skill.
Yeah.
And if we get that Bentley job in,
that will get a lot of attention.
And people will say, "Who did that?"
And we can say, "They did".
So, how much work
is actually booked in now?
Well, some.
Is it sort of going to break even?
I'm going to be honest, not yet.
But presumably,
there is a business plan.
Yes, there is.
Well you're sort of quite vague
about it.
It's not a magic spell.
It's trying to...
Well, I have to...
..earn more than I spend.
You have to sort of
not spend the money
until you've earned it.
If I were to just grow at the rate
at which money is coming in
and the spare cash,
it would take 10 years.
I haven't got 10 years
to try and get the point
where that is a valuable,
functioning good business.
I need to push the pace of it.
Which is why I've had to
put in more money
than is bought in,
by quite a long way.
And that will keep happening.
OK.
What if I turned out to be quite good
at running a business?
That would be great.
She has no faith in me.
I'm going to write a book
about business
and you'll be able to buy it
in airports.
It won't sell.
(DOG BARKING)
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Hello.
Good afternoon.
Anybody home?
Hello, Dean, how are you.
There you are, good to see you.
Welcome to our little abode
once again, how are you?
Yeah, very good indeed.
To what do we owe this pleasure?
I thought I'd bring something
to show you.
Right?
Would you like to have a look?
Yes.
Please, come with me.
I recognise that,
I know what that car is.
Please come over here, gentlemen.
This is the moment in time.
You now have the responsibility
of the R type,
the Bentley Mulliner.
The ultimate restoration.
This is one of only two in the world.
Exactly.
So what do you think?
A joyous, terrifying moment.
(LAUGHING)
That is a big, big car.
It is the biggest one.
We're gonna need a bigger garage.
(LAUGHING)
Oh, god. No, it will go in there.
This is the jaws moment.
I had to think about it really hard
at the end, you convinced me.
I'm glad we convinced you.
You're going to get it done
and with absolute professionality.
I can't tell you
how much I want to get off there
and have a look at it.
Well that is exactly what we wanted
to get.
Where the guys get to work on
something really special.
Take it all the way.
And show off what they can do
to the nth degree.
That's going to keep them busy
for a while, that.
Steering wheel's split there.
Whether it still works or not,
we don't know.
Need to have a good,
good look at it.
This is a really important car
because there's only two,
so when they went this one rolls up
to an event,
everybody's going to want to see it,
everybody's gonna want to know
who did it, and it was us.
A car like that puts you on the map.
I would say they won't have seen
another one.
And even if you have,
that one will be better.
This is a stately home on wheels
and I had no idea at all,
that he was going to turn up
with this today.
It's just made my day.
That's the final piece
in this huge, complicated
jigsaw puzzle.
It's exactly what I wanted.
A customer like that,
with a car like that,
walking into our workshop
to say, "There you go,
"fill your boots."
Landing the Bentley R type
is a massive coup,
but the truth is,
our fledgling restoration company
still has a long way to go.
For now though...
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
I reckon we've earned ourselves
a works outing.
I bet we look dead tough
and menacing.
We need to go and see stuff,
get everything from today
that we can.
Today is a day out for us all,
it really is a treat for the lads,
for all of us.
We've worked really hard
to get the business to where it is
and we are celebrating that
by coming here.
Look at my guys, look at them.
They look like Peaky Blinders
meets the Ant Hill Mob.
Alpha. Maserati.
Oh, look at this.
(GASPS OF ADMIRATION)
That's Stirling Moss's car,
isn't it?
Imagine giving that a beam.
Yeah, imagine being able to.
This is like car heaven,
really, isn't it?
The smell, the sound,
the atmosphere.
It's actually mind blowing.
This paddock area is a showcase
for some of the most beautiful
and important classic cars
in the world.
And Monty.
My Jaguar XK150.
The first car Neil and Anthony
fully restored for me.
Oh there, look there's Monty.
Oh, there you are.
In the paddock
with all the Ferraris.
That is really like wow.
That's our little jag.
Seeing it in Goodwood,
in the paddock,
with all these Ferraris
and she's holding her own.
Unbelievable.
This car started it in a lot of ways
and largely
because it was the first time
I really realised how good
you guys were.
It's when this part had rotted out,
and your dad bought me into workshop,
and I thought he was going to say
"Forget it, it's ruined."
You can't buy that as a panel,
so what you gonna do? Make it.
He got a piece of metal,
and with them 15 minutes,
returns that whole piece, doink.
And then he threw it away,
and said, "I've rushed that one,
I'll do a the proper one."
You're good at that.
Exactly.
Look at this.
She's sharing a stable with Monty,
that Ferrari.
And she's looking good, isn't she.
She looks like somebody's
just gonna fire up and go for a lap.
To be honest it's quite emotional.
It's really like, yeah.
Rather pleased about that.
It's kind of circular.
I want to see some cars
going real fast.
I want to season cars.
Yes.
Where do we go?
How you doing?
Very well indeed.
Welcome to the drivers club.
Thank you very much, indeed.
That will do.
We're at Goodwood.
(LAUGHING)
It's just dawned on me, man.
How many times
have we watched this on TV?
I think this feels
like a just reward, this day out.
We've built our work shop,
and this is the world
we built it to be a part of,
and now we're part of it.
What's amazed me, is how quickly
the whole enterprise has gone
from being, "Hey it's me,
that bloke off the telly,
"that's a bit annoying
and crashes a lot."
To people actually listening to us
and saying "Yeah,
"no, that's a proper business,
"they're real."
We'll take our cars to them.
I like that one there.
I want to go.
I've worked with dad for 17 years.
And now, his work's actually
being appreciated by people
and I'm proud of him.
I'm so proud of what he can do.
It turned my world, sort of,
upside down.
You could say Richard Hammond
is my knight in shining armour.
A short knight in shining armour,
but he is.
I always thought,
they're amazing blokes.
And this is their jobs,
their livelihoods,
I'm messing about.
And if that had not worked,
well, I would never
have forgiven myself.
Well, do you know what, chaps?
It's cheesy,
but I'm going to say it, cheers.
And here's to the future.
EVERYONE: Cheers.
And the past.
Cogs assemble!
..our doors are finally open
for business.
Oh ho! I love it already.
This is like car heaven
really, innit?
But the business...
Is it going to break even?
Not yet.
..is running on empty.
You've loaned 226,400.
Brilliant.
I tried to raise some quick cash.
Third and final time.
Genuine nerves.
And boost morale.
Oh, yeah.
He's probably screaming.
And I'm still learning the business.
The hard way.
There are some flaws
with this design, aren't there?
Yeah.
Cars have been my life.
Give it a bit more!
Talking about them...
This is a force of nature.
Thrashing them.
That's not what I wanted to see!
And crashing them.
But now...
Don't panic, I'm here.
..I'm fulfilling my lifelong dream
and starting my own
classic car workshop.
Should I get my overalls on?
Restoring some of the finest
classic cars in the world.
Heavenly automotive lord.
With father and son team
Neil and Anthony Greenhouse...
We're trusting him
on our reputation.
Look away. Botching in process.
Oh, you son of a...
..I'll be learning how
to be a businessman.
What you need
is The Smallest Cog.
To be honest,
you've got my attention a bit now.
And getting my hands dirty.
I'm gonna swallow this screw
in a minute and die!
Do it quietly.
It will test my bank balance.
We could ruin the business
quite easily.
And my relationships.
You'll enjoy it.
Will I?
As I take my obsession
to a whole new level.
It's the best game I've ever played,
and the most terrifying.
I've got two words on my mind
as I commute in
in the morning to work
and they are 'I'm first.'
I can prepare my smug face
for when they get in.
So far, my cathedral to classic cars
is a little underpopulated.
I've got to fill
this place with work.
That's...
Simple as that.
That's the cold, stark light
of reality there.
Coming in.
I say empty,
we've got Dean's Land Rover.
There's not a lot of profit in that
but it's bait
because if we make
a good job of that,
Dean might give us
a crack at his Bentley,
and we've got the RS
which will be profit in that
when we sell it, and in the spirit
of speculate to accumulate,
Neil's brother Andrew
is now joining us properly
which means we are fully armed
with talent and skill,
so when the work does come along,
we're gonna be ready for it.
So, there is stuff happening.
Kettle.
Wealthy car collector Dean
has asked us to sort out
a few minor paintwork issues
and a dodgy door
on his 1967 Series 2 Land Rover.
I thought it would be
a pretty straightforward job.
But Neil's already spotted
a big problem.
If you look at the door,
the distance from there to there
is the same.
The distance from the bottom
of there to there is the same.
So the hinges on both sides
are symmetrical, yet the door isn't.
There's something fundamentally
wrong with it all.
Who knew such a simple car could be
so bloody complicated?
I've got some fishing line,
I'm gonna go fishing,
fishing for bent Land Rovers.
This is how you measure if this tub,
which is this bit at the back,
is straight.
So you put a piece of string
across that quality to that corner,
and that corner to that corner,
and they sort of touch in the middle.
If they don't,
it's because it's twisted.
See, it's not far out but it is out.
With this Land Rover,
we want to do a good job
because hopefully we'll get to do
his Bentley R Type
which we want to do,
so we're trying to use
a little bit of fishing line
to land a trawler's worth of fish.
We're hoping to catch Moby Dick.
Nothing is in the right place.
You only need one bit out
and it just chases
all the way along the car.
Net result is the doors don't shut.
You can either shim the door
to fit the car,
which wouldn't be perfect
but it would make it work,
or you want to disassemble it,
reassemble it properly
and make all the bits
in a jigsaw equal.
But that's a huge difference.
Yeah, massive difference.
We can make it as good
as we want to make it
but you can't make it
a concourse Land Rover
for 35 quid.
This job is all about sending
it back to Dean and him saying,
"Yeah, great, like what you've done,
you can restore my Bentley."
He needs to trust that we're not
gonna run away and go berserk,
but neither are we gonna
cut corners and say,
"Yeah, that's done," when it isn't.
According to that,
you can drive a double decker bus
through here,
and a fag paper through there.
Well, they do say necessity
is the mother of invention,
and Neil is nothing
if not inventive.
He thinks he might be able
to realign the body
using some simple ratchet straps.
It's a bit like the story with
the man with a hammer, you know.
You're paying for the knowledge,
not how long it takes.
There we are, we've got that
and under tension,
so what we'll have to do
is slacken all the bolts off
and then this tub
will be where it should be.
While Neil checks
if his clever fix has worked,
Anthony's got to fettle the Escort
to make sure we get top money
at the upcoming auction.
Now we've got to make a checklist
of all the stuff
we didn't get done in time
for Hampton Court.
Got brake lines to sort. And bleed.
And I've got to get Andrew
to finish a few little touches off
to make it extra special
for the auction.
These hinges are too low
so we'll elongate these holes,
eighth of an inch. It'll lift
the door eighth of an inch,
and we should be able
to get it square
so the door will open
and shut like it should do.
The Land Rovers
need to go to the dentist.
I have a filling saw.
I've adjusted these as much
as I can without going mad.
Going to drop the door back on,
tighten the bolts up
and see if it shuts.
Now is the moment of truth.
Perfect.
Last time we tried
to shut this door,
you would go to there
and it would pinch,
and you had to slam it,
and then of course,
you're driving down the road
and the door bounces open,
very dangerous, but now, perfect.
I'm happy with that.
So far, it's been
a good first morning.
(PHONE RINGS)
I haven't mentioned
that I've got a cold, have I?
Hello.
Well, where are we with money?
What is the situation, how bad is it?
OK, so loans to date,
you've loaned 226,400.
Around quarter of a million.
Brilliant.
Obviously, we've got
increased overheads,
plus our rent's gone up
considerably.
It is this really terrifying phase
at the moment
where everything's gone up
in cost massively
and we can do nothing to meet it.
What is our monthly spend now,
just to tick over?
Just overheads alone, 15,000.
Right.
I think we should be looking
at 20,000 a month to cover hours,
rent, insurance,
then at least we've got buffers.
So, we need to be billing for 20,000.
That's the hours, not the material.
Exactly, yeah.
You're gonna need more money from me
before the end of this month.
We're hoping to sell
the Escort soon, next week.
That will be money coming back in.
What's the estimated
selling price on that one?
I'd like it to get over 40.
Let's say 40. Right. Yes.
I will talk to you very soon.
Thank you for that today.
Alright, talk to you soon.
You take care, OK, bye.
Cheers, bye.
I do like her, she's great,
but talking to her is often
far from a breath of fresh air.
It is a bit of a wake-up call.
The message from my accountant
is pretty clear.
The Land Rover and Escort
won't keep us going for long.
Just to break even and pay the bills,
we need some big restoration jobs.
Right, you are
in charge of navigation.
I'm hoping an old customer of Neil's
might have just the thing.
So you know this guy?
Michael Fenton, yep.
Known him for 30 years plus.
And what does he want us to look at?
He's got, in his collection,
an Alvis TA 21.
Do we know what state it's in?
I know it's been in his barn
for years and years and years.
So, in a way, this is a barn find.
It's not like we're finding it.
You know it's there,
he's knows it's there, but...
It's exactly what a barn find is,
he's put it in the barn
to keep it dry,
keep it out the elements.
And that's what everybody wants now.
Barn finds are...
That's the thing
because you know
it's not been touched.
That's it, yeah.
Hello.
Good afternoon, how are you?
Hello, Michael.
How's the new home?
It's starting to feel
a bit more homely.
Oh, this is a proper barn.
Look at that.
Ooh! How long has it stood here?
About 15 years.
I'm the third owner.
Had it since 1975.
It's been to the South of France,
it's been all over the place.
So it's had peaks and troughs.
It's had rather a larger trough.
I'm gonna say it's in a trough.
It's in a trough as we speak.
It's troughing.
So how far do you want
to go with this?
It sounds like...
It would be nice to bring it back
to good, usable condition.
So you want to drive this around?
Yes, it would be fun to drive.
They were known as
the sporting man's Bentley.
Oh, that's reason enough
to want to recommission it.
Just...
Can you think of a better excuse?
I'll be outside. I shall be in
the silver sporting man's Bentley.
So, the plan would be
we'll have a proper look
and build a proper plan.
The actual bodywork, we could
work that out quite quick
and work out a price to do that.
Good, right, that's the plan.
That's really exciting.
Terrific.
The greenshoots of new business
are starting to sprout,
but we need money in the bank now.
With any luck, we'll get
a big injection of cash today.
Are we agreed it is done,
it is better than we were
going to make it?
We'll have a sweepstake
on what we think it's gonna raise.
Pick a number.
Pick a number? 36.
Oh, that's low.
41.
I was gonna go 42.
I'll go 42.5.
OK, well, let's see what it does.
There's been some late nights
getting this car ready,
but hopefully,
when it goes to auction now,
everything will be done,
all the hours of hard work
that all four of us have put on it
will be actually worth it
and we'll get good money
back for it.
Uh. Whoa.
Can we buy a car, restore it,
and sell it
and make money over and above
what it genuinely cost us?
I don't know yet.
Oh, I'm scared.
I... Yeah.
Right, everything is online.
So I've got the online catalogue up.
Ooh, it's underway.
31, faraway.
There's my car.
Right, doing the sums.
Car cost me 26 at auction.
I limited them to 120 hours
of labour on it
so let's call it five grand costs,
plus six grand of parts,
so the thing owes me 37.
I think they've done a cracking job.
Obviously done lots and lots
of work with it.
I know they've invested
an awful lot in the car
so we've guided it at 35,000
to 40,000.
One never knows what a car is worth
but they have their own
intrinsic value
that the market decides.
29 bid here then, 30 I can go.
Oh, I'm terrified.
Because we're next.
Don't spend all your money,
save your money!
Don't spend it on that,
spend it on that!
If this sells well,
anything north of 37,
that will pay to keep
us running next month.
Third and final time,
selling faraway the Sierra Cosworth.
I've got that
churning stomach feeling again.
Oh, oh, oh. Genuine nerves.
Right, we're up.
Now, here's a special thing.
Lot 562 is the RS 2000 Mark 2,
and not just any old
RS 2000 Mark 2,
this was prepared and supplied
by Richard Hammond
of Top Gear fame.
It's his new business,
The Smallest Cog.
Just sell the bloody car.
Thank you,
we're straight in here now, 31.
Faraway at 31 bid.
Come on. Please bloody bid.
I'd buy it.
32 now bid.
At £32,000.
Bid three if you like.
At 32,000.
Bid, bid, bid.
500 if it helps in another place.
So, what do I do?
Don't miss it for £300.
32.8. Nod of the head.
Near to me, it's 33,000 against you.
Please let it have just stalled
and it's gonna pick up again.
Hammers up then,
ladies and gentlemen.
Final call. Are we all done?
33,200, yes or no?
33,000 first time.
It's 33,000 faraway second time.
Here's the hammer, are we all done?
The '79 Escort RS 2000 Mark 2
selling at £33,000.
Right, I'm gonna have
to go ring the guys.
A very sad result.
Hello, it's me.
Yeah, well, not brilliant.
I take it, were you watching?
It is.
My chin's taking
quite a lot on it at the moment.
It's feeling a bit sore.
Cheers.
Oh god. That is
a huge disappointment.
A real blow, that.
We had so much invested in that car
and a lot of hopes for it,
and it's not good.
It's not good at all.
It's a bloody heartbreak
because I really wanted
some good news financially
for the business.
I wanted to say to the guys,
"Yeah, look!
We've paid for all the hours
"and we made five grand
on top of that."
We didn't.
Buy at auction, everybody knows
what you paid for it,
and then they don't want to pay
much more than that.
No matter what you've done to it.
A big lesson learned here.
Right, there is only thing
to do right now
and it involves a brisk drive home
and a pub.
Once I get home.
OK, so I'm not much
of a wheeler dealer.
Back to plan A.
Attracting customers
with deep pockets.
But a sophisticated customer
is going to expect
a sophisticated setting,
and frankly,
our customer liaison area
is a bit, well, rustic.
I've been told to just come
and have a little look.
What is actually going to happen
is I'm gonna become
interior designer for this place.
Hello.
Hello.
Come on in.
So, I want you to have a look at all
the stuff we've got to do
to finish being here
because there is much to be done.
Don't be distracted
by the dog in the crate.
This is the sort of living space.
So, is that the entrance
for customers and anybody else?
Yes, and there'll be a counter there
with a lifting flap
so the guys can come in
from the workshop
and go straight into their room.
OK.
Straight away, that's an issue.
Because how wide
do you need this counter?
Doesn't have to be wide.
It's just to stop people,
to sort of arrive there.
Might have a telephone on it.
Box of lollipops.
Presumably you're going
to plasterboard there.
There won't be a board in front of...
That's the wall.
You can't leave that like that.
We're gonna paint it.
Workshop. I mean...
It's not a luxury spa weekend
you're arriving for.
So if somebody's waiting,
where are they going, upstairs?
Is there a waiting room upstairs?
Could be.
Are you planning to have
access up to there?
Steps, a posh lavatory for guests.
Right.
I think up to there is a nice,
pleasant sitting, meeting area,
and then from here up
could be storage.
But the loo is there,
so if you've got visitors
and they want to use the loo,
they've got to climb over the parts
or go through the parts.
Yes.
No.
There are some flaws
with this design, aren't there?
Yeah.
I just hope that he's actually
made space in the budget
for how much there is still left
to do because there's quite a lot.
Lesson in interior design over,
we've got a more pressing problem.
The next thing is now, we've got
to sort this paintwork out
on the Land Rover,
but unfortunately,
it's not that easy because if you
look at this vehicle closely,
somehow they've got three
different shades of green on it.
We're trying to get this job
as good as we can
without financially
ruining ourselves
because we want the bigger job.
We'd love to that Bentley
that Dean's got,
so we want him to be happy,
but we don't want it going back
looking like a patchwork quilt.
Just a bit worried now
that this Land Rover
is meant to be a quick
in and out job,
so I need to check Dad's log book,
wherever that's gone,
and make sure we're not overrunning.
The bulkhead is a different colour
to the bonnet.
The wing looks darker on the side
than what it is as the top.
Oh, look. Buried.
I think the best is to just aim
for what's got
the most colour on it,
paint the top of the wing,
paint that, paint that,
paint that, blend it in, paint that
and it's all the same colour.
There's no hours apart
from one, he's put five hours.
We need to have another
little chat, I think.
And this is where the father-son
relationship goes downhill.
This is alchemy.
We're going to produce
pure green in a minute.
Dad? Hours on the Landy.
Where are we up to with it now then?
Just have a quick look.
I'm worried 'cause it looks
like nothing is being done to it
and there's 15 hours
charged out already.
The trouble is, somebody's put that
door on it, it don't fit, does it?
So I've had to take it to bits,
put it back on, adjust everything,
move everything,
but that's the hours.
How long have you had on that,
mixing paint?
The actual of mixing paint
is 20 minutes.
But I mean actually working
out the colour.
But to get to that is three hours.
The problem is can you charge
in three hours?
The only thing that worries me
a little bit
is Dean specified he doesn't want
this to be a big job
so I don't want to be having loads
of hours
and then sending it back
with a massive bill.
I think what you got to do
is just take it on the chin,
don't bill him the hours
sorting the colour of the paint out.
And look for future business.
You'll get it back in the future.
Make sure you log every hour.
OK, I'll see you in a bit.
If you started charging
for every single hour,
you know, we're charging
for a phone call,
charging for everything,
then people think you're
taking the mickey out of them.
They don't understand
the amount of work that goes in
because it's a bit
like the Land Rover.
If I'd have rushed in to try
and get the paint mixed for that,
and mixed it wrong,
what do you end up doing?
You send the car back
as the wrong colour.
Worst thing you could ever do,
so it's better for us
to absorb the cost and make sure
the job is done properly,
and that's what I've always done.
Hours we don't charge on a small job
like the Land Rover
could mean losing
a few hundred pounds.
On a big restoration like
we're hoping to do on the Alvis,
unbilled hours
could run into thousands.
h ho! I love it already.
Look at this.
That don't look too bad.
Yeah, the old silver eagle mascot.
Alvis mascot silver eagle.
It's got that old car smell,
hasn't it?
This would have been cutting-edge
technology back in the day.
That would be your trafficators.
I think I might be thinking
of turning left today.
There we go.
Suicide door.
That's exciting.
Suicide door opens this way.
I love them.
Unless it comes open when you're
going along, then it's bad.
Do we know if he wants us
to do anything to the trim?
We're gonna have a look
and the guys are gonna give us
an idea of what scale of job
it's gonna be.
I think, actually, this could be
turned around pretty quickly
into something quite nice.
So that's exciting.
Also exciting,
very exciting actually,
we have our apprentice
arriving today,
and that's been central
to the whole dream of this.
The reason I want to do something
in classic cars is,
as an industry, it is based
on people and skills.
That's the heart of it,
so I've always wanted us
to have apprentices come in,
so we're trying one out today.
Good to see you.
Yeah, not bad. You?
Morning. Anthony, how are you?
So, this is our apprentice.
Yes.
So what are you apprenticing in?
It's all mechanical,
so it's all mechanical classics,
restorations.
So the oily bits?
Yeah. Messy, dirty hands bits. Yeah.
I'm here for a trial period
of a couple of days,
just to gain a bit
of experience for...
Well, personally, for me,
and see if the garage wants an
apprentice.
'Cause it's quite a big thing
to take on as an apprentice.
There's a lot of work involved.
It's going to be really exciting.
Really exciting to see that start.
This is our little prep room.
And at that age,
I would have been just all over this.
I'd have loved it.
OK, you have a go now.
Trying to follow the shape of the...
That's it.
We've got to be realistic
about how this works.
The apprentice is not joining us
straightaway full-time.
We're sort of trying one out.
Quick as you can,
and just go...
That's easier said than done.
I know, you've got it.
I've always wanted
to have a good apprentice
who wants to learn bodywork,
because it's such a very,
very skilful thing to learn.
Very time-consuming,
but it's a skill
that I really would like to pass on
to somebody else.
And that's as good as I would do it.
I'm very happy with that.
That's very good.
Michael, the owner of the Alvis
is coming in
to discuss our estimate for the job.
It's a big moment
for The Smallest Cog.
If he agrees to the price,
it will be our first
full restoration.
Anthony!
Time to have a look at the car
and make a plan.
Come on in, don't trip over anything.
Fall over anything?
It'll be health hazard
and I'll have to fill in forms.
Here it is.
Now, we've all stood around
and the chaps have poured
their various expertise on it.
And come up with I think...
Do I need to sit down?
We can sit down later.
In my luxuriously appointed,
not-finished office.
Terrific.
So purely for body,
back up to scratch,
assuming there are no horror stories,
where do you reckon that will be?
Well, we've looked at it,
with two people on it,
10 days to strip it down
to a totally bare shell.
Get it to paint stage,
you know, 10 days with two people.
From my side of it, mechanically,
I'd want five days,
so in total 18,400 plus VAT.
But, obviously,
because you've been a customer
of mine and dad's for so long,
we'll give you 20% discount on that.
So it takes it down
then to a figure of 15,664.
OK.
Sounds good. OK.
Sounds like barnstorming
up the alps next year.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(LAUGHING)
When I was at my old garage,
it would have taken me six months.
Yeah.
Or a lot more to do it,
because you'd be stopping,
doing a bit, stopping, doing a bit.
And the whole point of this place
is to not do that,
it's to say, let's get on with it.
Is there a padlock on the kettle?
No.
(LAUGHING)
There would be nobody at work
if there was.
Right, I'm making tea,
how'd you like it?
A splash of milk.
What they've told me so far,
it hasn't completely terrified me.
I think it's a job.
(STRING MUSIC)
This is an exciting day.
It really is.
It was Neil's birthday
the other day.
And his lifelong dream
has been to fly in a Spitfire.
And his family have sorted it
for him as a birthday present.
Put it this way,
he cried when they told him
that was what he was gonna do today.
Have you ever seen a machine
that looks more alive
even when it's just sitting there
still?
What a beautiful, beautiful thing.
It's a bit different
to my airfix model when I was a kid.
But, the thing is,
if it wasn't for you,
I would be with here, would I?
Well exactly.
Well, we used her car.
(LAUGHING)
To be honest,
just to look around this
is a day out for me.
To actually go into the thing
and go for a fly
is just unbelievable.
Because my wife is disabled
and she's struggled with MS
for years,
she knows that I would never,
ever spend the money to do this.
Because I know that something
medical is going to happen.
She's an inspiration
because she never moans,
she just keeps going
and I think "Well,
"if she can get through
and struggle and get things done,
"what excuse have I got?"
Yeah, I say, old boy.
OK red leader, ready?
(LAUGHING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Wait a minute,
if he's flying it...
..is he going to come back down
and claim to be a Spitfire pilot?
Oh, yeah, guaranteed.
"Did I ever tell you
about the time I was flying..."
"Yep, you did."
Oh.
Oh, his little face right now,
that is amazing.
He's gonna loop.
Oh, yeah.
You have the biggest grin
you have ever seen in your life.
Oh, don't get upset.
Aw.
Hey, don't get upset.
Well I tell you what,
it's not the first time an old lady
has made my heart go fast.
Oh, thank you.
It's the first time that one's
took me to the edge of heaven
and bought me back safe.
(LAUGHING)
That man has put his family
and everybody else in front of him
all his life.
Properly.
And continues to do that
and all is well.
But for them all to get together
and just treat him, was just great.
Top gun's landed.
What you think of my flying?
Brilliant.
It was properly moving,
because hard-working bloke
is enjoying a few moments
realising a dream.
I really am very, very lucky.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's alright.
He's shut down his whole business
and gone into business with me.
It really matters to me
that, you know,
Neil and Anthony and Sandra as well,
benefit from this.
If I mess that up,
I've ruined his career.
I want to fly all day.
Oh god, he's gonna be giving it
banking left.
Banking left.
You know you can't loop in that?
Yeah.
Right, take him home.
Back to the workshop,
we've got work to do.
Thank you very much.
After much agonising
over green paint.
Neil is finally ready
to respray the Land Rover.
It's also our apprentice Ed's
last day.
There you go mate.
Put that on first.
Cheers. Thank you.
Ed's helped prepare the car,
but it's way too important a job
for him to have his first try
actually applying paint.
We've got Dean's Land Rover in,
so as much as I'd love
to let Ed have a go on it,
we can't take the risk,
but I can let him have a go
on a spare panel
and just, you know,
see if he gets a feel for it.
Right, so what you want to do,
is be in the middle like that,
so get in the middle like that.
Just gently go across the panel
from the far end.
That process going on in there,
passing the skills
from that older man
to the younger bloke.
That's what needs to happen
in this industry and others,
its absolutely key, isn't it?
If that doesn't happen,
you can have all the fancy ovens
in the world,
but you wouldn't have anybody
that knows how to use it.
He's actually doing really well now,
because he's listening
to what I'm telling him.
I reckon he's done a good job.
Well done.
Thank you.
The good thing about that
is we can see ourselves in there.
There's so much of a reflection,
you can wave at yourself.
I wonder if Neil
can actually talk him to death.
Oh, he's actually painting now.
Neil just apparently walks in
and waves the gun about
and then it's all covered evenly
in paint.
It's not easy.
Now coming over there,
following the curve round.
Oh, he's getting the full treatment
from Neil there.
We're not trying to get it
like a sheet of glass,
we're just getting it shiny
and all the same colour.
The master returns with pupil.
So, how's that?
Really enjoyed it, to be honest.
I think I learnt a lot, as well,
which is the main thing.
Has it taken into different areas
from what you've normally done?
Yeah, definitely.
It's sort of widened my search
of what I want to do when I'm older.
Well in that case,
it's worked in both directions.
Yeah.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed it,
and we hope to see again.
Yeah, I want to come back,
to be honest.
Well it would be great
to have you back.
You're more than welcome,
and it's something,
I think we will formalise
an apprenticeship programme here,
we will do that.
I feel all good and wholesome,
we're educating a new generation.
Right, preening and polishing.
It's almost like getting ready
for a dog show, isn't it?
Except it's a car.
I have here, an invoice.
It's a proper one and everything.
Bargain.
Something going on
inside the window, look.
Inside is it?
It's been cleaned, hasn't it?
Have you been licking in there
again?
Hey?
Give me the cloth.
I'll do all the work.
Do you want a bit of glass cleaner?
Here you go, Dean, I did it for you.
There.
You haven't done a bad job there.
Fair play.
Best bit of the car, that.
He'll be pleased.
Right, we have got to hope
that he is pleased.
We've addressed everything.
Yep.
Have a good look round it,
see if there's anything
you don't like.
But what am I going to...
It's a bit late isn't it.
Just have a look.
The only problem is,
I haven't got a covered trailer,
so it's going to get rained on.
Let's get it gone.
Yeah.
Let's get some money in the bank.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
This is always the thing
when you hand a car back,
you can never judge
what the owner's going to be like.
You know, you've done the best
you can,
and made it really good,
and as far as I'm concerned,
done a really good job.
But it's never complete
until that bloke looks at it
and says, "I'm happy with that".
Right.
Neil, what's your one tip
for when we're handing over a car
back to its owner?
Just be courteous.
Courteous.
OK.
No going back now.
Mostly because I'm not reversing
between those gates.
(LAUGHING)
Little old Land Rover's
wagging her tail,
she's happy to be home.
Or was that your driving?
That's my diving.
Right.
Where is the man himself?
Here is the man himself.
Hello Dean.
Hello.
How are you today?
I did get a little bit
of sunshine out for you.
OK, thank you, that's very kind.
I thought, you know,
if we have a little bit of sunshine,
it's more favourable.
Yes.
To looking
at the fantastic piece of work
that you're bringing back.
You haven't seen it yet.
Well, here it is.
The door was a big issue.
It was indeed, I remember.
It now fits.
Oh, I can see that.
It's lovely and flush.
Flusher than it was
when it left the factory.
Let me just try.
Yes.
Ah, perfect.
The main feat
was to get the colour right.
There was about sort of,
four different colours
of this vehicle, so we picked,
sort of, majority colour.
Yes.
And we had this paint scanned
with this new paint system we've got
and it matched it perfectly.
He has actually blended the paint
across panels
so that it does all fit together
and look like one car.
I like the finish now.
It's smoother. It looks smoother.
Yeah.
That is absolutely how I wanted it.
Just what your front right wheel
is a bit far off...
Now is not the time
to make a mistake.
Now left.
Get her left, Neil.
I mean it's Land Rover, to be fair,
you could just drive it off.
That's it. You're good.
Right, I've got one of these for you.
Yes.
Thank you.
You may have that.
It's fair and sensible
for what we did
but I haven't been...
We've been realistic.
That's what...
I will take care of it,
thank you very much.
You've done it to my expectations,
and that is a great steppingstone,
if you remember what
we were originally talking about.
Oh yes.
This is a milestone.
Thank you very much,
and we'll keep working
towards it,
one day we'll land that big fish.
(LAUGHING)
Let me enjoy this for a little while
and we'll see how we go.
My little baby.
Wonderful.
I reckon he was pleased,
it was genuine.
He liked the job.
I deliberately didn't want to
outline what my budget was
because I didn't want
any expectations to be created
until they've actually
done the work.
I look at this invoice now
and I say, this is fair
and I'm happy to pay it.
You haven't given him
the long drive syndrome.
The longer the drive the longer...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You just priced him
to what the job is,
not what he's worth.
And all we got to do
is hope that he lives with it
for a little bit, enjoys it,
and one day, rings us,
and says I've got this unique Bentley
that needs a full restore.
Right, small dog.
First, catch your dog.
And voila, right.
Hey, come on.
So how are things then
at the workshop?
Well, you know Dean?
Yeah.
His Bentley, he's got this...
Oh, that very, very rare Bentley?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, one of only two.
That's a possibility.
Oh, that's...
Also, coming up is a Goodwood Revival
which is,
that's the one
where everyone dresses up in costumes
and there's all the old cars.
Yeah, yeah I know the name.
I thought if I take the guys to that
as like a day out,
Neil's always wanted to go.
Ah, that's a very cool idea.
Also I've arranged a little surprise
because the XK150 that they did,
I've had it shipped there.
So that we can wander around
and they'll see their car
with all these magnificent...
You're not telling them it's going?
No.
Oh, that's cute.
It's just a thank you really,
because we all worry
that I'm gonna derail their careers
and ruin them.
But I do think about them.
I think it's really lovely
that attention has been drawn
to them
because I mean,
they are really, really good
at what they do.
Yeah, that's one of the things
I wanted to do with the workshop
is build them something
that was worthy
of their level of skill.
Yeah.
And if we get that Bentley job in,
that will get a lot of attention.
And people will say, "Who did that?"
And we can say, "They did".
So, how much work
is actually booked in now?
Well, some.
Is it sort of going to break even?
I'm going to be honest, not yet.
But presumably,
there is a business plan.
Yes, there is.
Well you're sort of quite vague
about it.
It's not a magic spell.
It's trying to...
Well, I have to...
..earn more than I spend.
You have to sort of
not spend the money
until you've earned it.
If I were to just grow at the rate
at which money is coming in
and the spare cash,
it would take 10 years.
I haven't got 10 years
to try and get the point
where that is a valuable,
functioning good business.
I need to push the pace of it.
Which is why I've had to
put in more money
than is bought in,
by quite a long way.
And that will keep happening.
OK.
What if I turned out to be quite good
at running a business?
That would be great.
She has no faith in me.
I'm going to write a book
about business
and you'll be able to buy it
in airports.
It won't sell.
(DOG BARKING)
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Hello.
Good afternoon.
Anybody home?
Hello, Dean, how are you.
There you are, good to see you.
Welcome to our little abode
once again, how are you?
Yeah, very good indeed.
To what do we owe this pleasure?
I thought I'd bring something
to show you.
Right?
Would you like to have a look?
Yes.
Please, come with me.
I recognise that,
I know what that car is.
Please come over here, gentlemen.
This is the moment in time.
You now have the responsibility
of the R type,
the Bentley Mulliner.
The ultimate restoration.
This is one of only two in the world.
Exactly.
So what do you think?
A joyous, terrifying moment.
(LAUGHING)
That is a big, big car.
It is the biggest one.
We're gonna need a bigger garage.
(LAUGHING)
Oh, god. No, it will go in there.
This is the jaws moment.
I had to think about it really hard
at the end, you convinced me.
I'm glad we convinced you.
You're going to get it done
and with absolute professionality.
I can't tell you
how much I want to get off there
and have a look at it.
Well that is exactly what we wanted
to get.
Where the guys get to work on
something really special.
Take it all the way.
And show off what they can do
to the nth degree.
That's going to keep them busy
for a while, that.
Steering wheel's split there.
Whether it still works or not,
we don't know.
Need to have a good,
good look at it.
This is a really important car
because there's only two,
so when they went this one rolls up
to an event,
everybody's going to want to see it,
everybody's gonna want to know
who did it, and it was us.
A car like that puts you on the map.
I would say they won't have seen
another one.
And even if you have,
that one will be better.
This is a stately home on wheels
and I had no idea at all,
that he was going to turn up
with this today.
It's just made my day.
That's the final piece
in this huge, complicated
jigsaw puzzle.
It's exactly what I wanted.
A customer like that,
with a car like that,
walking into our workshop
to say, "There you go,
"fill your boots."
Landing the Bentley R type
is a massive coup,
but the truth is,
our fledgling restoration company
still has a long way to go.
For now though...
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
I reckon we've earned ourselves
a works outing.
I bet we look dead tough
and menacing.
We need to go and see stuff,
get everything from today
that we can.
Today is a day out for us all,
it really is a treat for the lads,
for all of us.
We've worked really hard
to get the business to where it is
and we are celebrating that
by coming here.
Look at my guys, look at them.
They look like Peaky Blinders
meets the Ant Hill Mob.
Alpha. Maserati.
Oh, look at this.
(GASPS OF ADMIRATION)
That's Stirling Moss's car,
isn't it?
Imagine giving that a beam.
Yeah, imagine being able to.
This is like car heaven,
really, isn't it?
The smell, the sound,
the atmosphere.
It's actually mind blowing.
This paddock area is a showcase
for some of the most beautiful
and important classic cars
in the world.
And Monty.
My Jaguar XK150.
The first car Neil and Anthony
fully restored for me.
Oh there, look there's Monty.
Oh, there you are.
In the paddock
with all the Ferraris.
That is really like wow.
That's our little jag.
Seeing it in Goodwood,
in the paddock,
with all these Ferraris
and she's holding her own.
Unbelievable.
This car started it in a lot of ways
and largely
because it was the first time
I really realised how good
you guys were.
It's when this part had rotted out,
and your dad bought me into workshop,
and I thought he was going to say
"Forget it, it's ruined."
You can't buy that as a panel,
so what you gonna do? Make it.
He got a piece of metal,
and with them 15 minutes,
returns that whole piece, doink.
And then he threw it away,
and said, "I've rushed that one,
I'll do a the proper one."
You're good at that.
Exactly.
Look at this.
She's sharing a stable with Monty,
that Ferrari.
And she's looking good, isn't she.
She looks like somebody's
just gonna fire up and go for a lap.
To be honest it's quite emotional.
It's really like, yeah.
Rather pleased about that.
It's kind of circular.
I want to see some cars
going real fast.
I want to season cars.
Yes.
Where do we go?
How you doing?
Very well indeed.
Welcome to the drivers club.
Thank you very much, indeed.
That will do.
We're at Goodwood.
(LAUGHING)
It's just dawned on me, man.
How many times
have we watched this on TV?
I think this feels
like a just reward, this day out.
We've built our work shop,
and this is the world
we built it to be a part of,
and now we're part of it.
What's amazed me, is how quickly
the whole enterprise has gone
from being, "Hey it's me,
that bloke off the telly,
"that's a bit annoying
and crashes a lot."
To people actually listening to us
and saying "Yeah,
"no, that's a proper business,
"they're real."
We'll take our cars to them.
I like that one there.
I want to go.
I've worked with dad for 17 years.
And now, his work's actually
being appreciated by people
and I'm proud of him.
I'm so proud of what he can do.
It turned my world, sort of,
upside down.
You could say Richard Hammond
is my knight in shining armour.
A short knight in shining armour,
but he is.
I always thought,
they're amazing blokes.
And this is their jobs,
their livelihoods,
I'm messing about.
And if that had not worked,
well, I would never
have forgiven myself.
Well, do you know what, chaps?
It's cheesy,
but I'm going to say it, cheers.
And here's to the future.
EVERYONE: Cheers.
And the past.