01x07 - Ford Thunderbird: American Icon

[bunniefuu]

I'm Ant Anstead.

I've been fixing cars
since I was a teenager.

And I've set myself
the task of restoring...

Yes! Come on!

...and selling eight
crumbling old cars for profit.

It's the ultimate road cruiser.

And the stakes are high
because it's personal.

The cow room is now the bathroom.
Okay.

Everything I make is going towards
this 500-year-old farmhouse...

She goes today
which means big hammer.

...that I bought for my mum and dad
to retire in.

What's gone wrong there?
Bodged.

But it's a total wreck.

How far away from collapse is this?
A really good storm
could cause a problem.

Let's do it.
With my family by my side...

Feels like a proper brake pedal now.

And some help
from my engineer mate Darren.

Are you joining me for the ride?
Yeah, why not?

...I've got the best team
around me...

Ant. Watch out!

...as I take on eight wrecks
on wheels. Perfect.

...and a house that's falling apart.

The whole thing's been kept up
by chicken wire?

Pretty much.
It's a massive gamble.

Come on, breathe.
I am losing sleep over this.

Honestly, no idea what's going on.

They're the satisfying bits.
When it comes off in one big chunk.

Over the summer months,
the house has been transforming

as we returned the front to
how it would have looked originally.

Don't make too much mess.
We haven't got a wheelbarrow.

Why have we not got a wheelbarrow?
Ollie filled it with concrete. Look.

It's wet concrete though, is it not?
No.

Is it set?It was covered
in, like, a centimetre of rainwater.

It set.

Dad needs to go get
another wheelbarrow though.

There's plenty
to keep us all busy here

but for lucky old Darren,
it's his day off.

He's on a busman's holiday
at a car show in Chichester,

in silly socks and a hat.

Oh, it's cool, isn't it, sir?
It's a great place.

Darren's always on the lookout
for cars for us to restore.

He's a sucker for an American car.

But anything he looks at
needs to make a profit.

Oh, it's for sale.

Sometimes when you look at a car,
you get a gut feeling for that car.

And I'm getting warm, fuzzy feelings
over the Ford Thunderbird.

Yo.
I'm at this car show, mate,

and I think I've found us
another car.

What car is it?
Uh, it's American.

That's all I wanna say
at the moment.

Cause I live in America,
doesn't necessarily mean
we should get an American car.

Yeah, the trouble is,
I like things you don't like.Right.

So, I'll check it all over
and If it is a goer,

then I think potentially
we've found our car.

Yeah. Don't go buy
anything ridiculous.

Yeah. No. No, I won't. I won't.
I'll see you later, buddy.

Cheers.Thanks.Bye, bye.

Morning.
Is this your car?

It is.
Oh, it's wonderful.

Can I hear it run?
Of course, you can.

Wow.

That sounds all right, isn't it?
Pretty sweet

Fantastic. Can you pop the hood?
No problem.

Oh, wow. So it all looks pretty,
uh, pretty original under there.

All original, doesn't overheat.

I drove from Hayling Island
this morning. Lovely car.

Ford launched
the Thunderbird two-seater

as a personal luxury car in 1955.

Subsequent versions
gained a rear seat,

and the Series Four,
known as the JetBird,
arrived in 1964.

It had a 300 hp, 6.4L V8 engine.

It had power steering
and a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic,

which was an automatic transmission

designed for a smoother
driving experience.

The '64 model's
lavish and futuristic interiors

were designed with aircraft
inspired elements.

The Landau was distinguished
by its vinyl-covered roof

and simulated S-bars,

and today it still presents
as a luxury all-American icon.

Okay. So I see
it's the Landau model.

Yep.But it hasn't got a vinyl roof.
Nope, It needs replacing.

It was split on the seam,
and the water was getting in.Okay.

What kind of price were you--
I'd like £9000 for it.

Would you take six and a half?

No, it's a bit too low. Um...

Eight.
Eight?

It's a Landau,
and it's missing the roof,

which is kind of
what they're all about.

and I do see a hole in the override,

which kind of worries me
about anything else

and I'm buying this
on behalf of somebody else.

So would you meet in the middle
at, say, seven and a half?

Yeah, that's, that's okay with me.
Yeah?

That's great. Thank you, indeed.
Seven and a half.Thank you.

Thanks very much.
Thank you.

Yeah, I just hope Ant likes it.

Morning.

How cool is this?

You didn't buy it though, right?
Of course we bought it.

It's got the 390 motor in there.
300 horsepower.

It was called the JetBird
from the Jet Age. How cool is that?

My experience
with these American cars

is they get out of control
financially very quickly.

These are great cars.
All we've got to do is

that final little finish
on this car,

and this is going to be
an awesome car.

Is their profit?Of course,
there's profit.Look me in the eyes.

Ant, there's profit in this.

Tell me the worst things about it.

Well, obviously, it should have
the vinyl roof or the Landau roof,

which is the whole raison d'etre
for this model of car.

Do we have that?
No.

The parts are gonna
have to come from America.

Yeah, but I know somebody
that can get parts in America.

Yeah, I have a funny feeling
he needs me.

So at the front,
we've got two bumper guards

or we call them overriders here
that need replacing.

All right,
what's it like under there?

Oh, it's really neat under here.

Have a look at that.

I mean, we don't need
to do much under here.

Okay, to give Darren his dues,
the car seems mechanically sound.

So the key to this restoration

will be making the most
of that glorious 1960s design.

All right.
What's wrong in here?

Okay, gear selector.
It jumps in and out of gear.

Really quick fix.

Just look how cool the seats are
in the back of this car.

It is pretty cool in there.
Yeah, I thought you'd like it.

I'm starting to understand
why Darren bought this.

But the UK market for
left-hand drive American Classics
can be volatile.

So it's hard to predict
the profit on this one.

Oh, my God. Look at the size of it.

Right. So tidy this up,
maybe repaint the floor.

Yep.And actually,
it's gonna be a quite nice boot.

Exactly.

All right. Let's talk about cash.
Mm-hmm.

What did this cost?

Seven and a half.Seven and a half?
Seven and a half.

Um, what about margin though?
Good one in the UK.

It's sort of between 12,000-15,000.

And in fact, they're worth
more in the US than they are here.

They are a bit of
a fish out of water here.

Is it going to fit in the barn?

I didn't think about that.
I bet it doesn't fit in the barn.

It's not a buffet, is it?

The good news is our
T-bird's engine runs like a dream.

Let's go, buddy. Come on.
She does sound pretty cool.

But she needs a facelift.

A new vinyl roof, new over riders
and a trunk overhaul.

and the cheapest place to get parts?
It's America.

I'll do it, I'll do it.

Luckily, I'm about to make
a trip back to the USA for work.

I'll have a good look
around the car.

I'll do you a list of all bits
that I think you might be able

to get ahold of
while you're out there.

I'm only gonna make
for a short trip.

Real easy to get parts.
It won't take long.

I mean, surely we're
gonna save loads of money.

All right.
Cool.

Before I head back to California,

I wanna make sure
work continues on the house.

My Auntie Maria is on a mission
to fix the fallen down front wall.

It looks like I'm on
an archaeological dig

at the moment, but I'm not.

With this huge Ivy root,

it's actually grown
underneath this wall.

The bricks have actually come away
and are leaning to the right.

Auntie Maria
is a talented garden designer

so I'm incredibly lucky
she's agreed to help.

So I've exposed this root.

Once this is all cleared,
we can then rebuild the wall.

Is that the
all over?Yes.

And lifted the step.
All right.

I'm gonna be in the barn
fixing some cars.

All right. Go and have fun.

The T-bird looks great
on the outside,

but the trunk, which, by the way,

Ford claimed contains
694L of air, lets it down.

And the problem is what's written
under all these panels.

Ford introduced this deep well trunk
in the fourth generation T-birds

after customers complained
about a lack of luggage space

in the previous model.

You only need
to look at the trunk sill

to realise why the trunk cavity's

so much worse
than the rest of the car.

'Cause the rain hits
the body of the car

runs down the shot line
of the trunk,

pulls inside the trunk
because this has failed.

Now, generally,
this boot is actually quite solid,

although it has a load
of surface rust...

...it's pretty robust
and it's amazing how massive it is.

Before this trunk can be repainted,

there's a few holes
that need repairing first,

And when I'm done welding,

it will be as tough
as the day it was made.

2
I've headed back
to the USA for work.

But while I'm here,
I can pick up replacement parts

to give the 1964 Thunderbird
a facelift.

I just need Darren to get on
with the shopping list.

So far, it's not too bad.

The majority of the things are
small ticket items, which is great.

But they'll make a big difference
to the visual appearance of the car.

Hello, Ant.
Hey, how you doing?

Okay. You got a pen?
Yeah, yeah. Go for it,

Bumper overriders for the front.
Yeah.

And we need that vinyl roof kit.
Wait, wait. That's huge.

Yeah, you'll need another suitcase.

All right. Good luck.
Cheers, mate. Bye.Cheers.

Excellent.

On close inspection,
Darren's found out

that the heater matrix
isn't working,

but luckily for us,
the previous owner

left a brand new one
in the boot, uh, trunk.

So now it's time to reinstate it

and get some heat
back in the Thunderbird.

The heater matrix is a mini radiator
located deep inside the dashboard.

The engine's hot coolant
is continually pumped through it,

and a fan blows air
through the matrix,

warming up the cabin.

Well, I found the fan heater box,
and frankly, it's enormous.

With the inlet
and outlet pipes disconnected,

Daryn should be able to pull
the heater box from under the dash.

Well, in theory anyway.

That is one big heavy lump.

Meanwhile, over in California,
I've got my shopping list

and I found the perfect supply store
in the LA suburbs, right?

Larry's Thunderbird
and Mustang Parts.

This is the place.

Darren would love it here.

All right. Hi.
Hey. How are you?

How can I help you?Pleasure
to meet you. I'm Ant.I'm John.

I'm hoping that you're going to have
some Thunderbird parts for me.

All right. So let's take a look.
You ready?

Whoa!

And I think
we're on a winner.

At the workshop, Darren's fitting
the new heater matrix.

Perfect.

Last task is to manoeuvre the huge

heavy heater box
back under the dash.

This is the tricky bit.

Yeah, I wish I was there
to help you, mate,

but I'm a bit swamped right now.

All right.

Is it the right one?
Could be.

Oh, my God.
T-bird shopping? Done.

I'll miss you.
Appreciate it, buddy. Thank you.

Back at the barn, Darren's hoping
all the digging around

in the dashboard was worth it.

And after a few minutes...

We've actually got warm air
blowing inside the cabin.

So I'd say that's a right result.

I jetted back from the States
and I come bearing gifts.

And buy gifts,
I mean parts for our T-bird,

Is that thing finished yet?

You're back already?

Oh, and you've got
the stuff as well?

Dashboard top?
A good guess.

Got one overrider here.
Oh, brilliant.

Lovely vinyl roof kit.
Vinyl roof kit.

Yeah, you happy?
I'm ecstatic. That's brilliant.

Whether it's fixing cars
or fixing the house,

I'm always looking to save cash.

And my old Wheeler Dealer mate,
Mike Brewer, has some surplus bricks

I could use for the renovations.

So I've sent my dad and Michael
to Mike's house

to see if there's a bargain
to be had.

When we get there, you're gonna have
to strike this deal, right?

'Cause I don't
I don't even know where to start.

Okay, hang on a minute.

So, we don't know how much
we're paying for these bricks.

I'm a bit concerned if I've got to
negotiate with Mike,

because he's a seasoned negotiator.

He's a Wheeler Dealer,
for goodness sake.

I believe in you, Dad.

Mike knows you're not a pushover.

Here they are. Nigel, you've come up
n the world.Hey.Look at you.

Hey.Hey, Mike.
This sort of suits you.

Yeah? Hey, good to see you.
Good to see you, too.Yeah.

Long time, no see.Michelle.
Darling, lovely to see you.

You as well. How are you?
Good, good. Really good.Good.

My son, Michael.
Nice to meet you.Nice to meet you.

Ant's sent us on a mission.
Yeah.

Apparently you've had
a conversation about bricks?

Yeah, well, in amongst
our many chats about cars,

uh, he says that he has
a desire for bricks.

So me and Michelle, we've managed
to gather quite a few spare ones.

Uh, so are you interested?
Yeah, definitely. We'd like a look.

Let me lead the way.Go for it.
Right. So when we got the house,

it came with
an oversupply of bricks, Nigel.

Ouch. How many bricks?

Uh, well, we think
when we first got the house,

it was probably about 55,000,
of which we've used some.

So there's probably
about 40,000 left.

We're not moving
40,000 bricks, are we?

You can take as many
or as little as you require.

1000 initially. Wait till I get
my hands on Anthony.

Where is he?

He's not here. He's left us
to do this job.Typical.

Well, in terms of price,
actually what me and Michelle,

'cause we love you
and we love Ant, free.

That's really kind.
Well, good luck, boys.

Oh, God,
what have they let us in for?

Nigel, Michael.
Unfortunately for those two lads,

they've got an afternoon
ahead of them,

so it's kind of a big job for 'em,

but I'm pretty sure once
they're getting the flow of it,

they would just get through it.
You need to treat it like exercise.

While Dad and Michael
sought out the bricks.

I've taken the T-bird
over to the paint booth

to get the trunk looking like
it came out of the factory
60 years ago.

What I'm gonna do is
actually primer it first.

Then I'll do the seam sealer layer,
make it look pretty,

then hit it with a spray of white.

Yeah, this is gonna look like
a brand new trunk.

'Cause you can't say boot anymore.

An American car.
We have to say trunk.

I mean, the volume
of paint inside here

is about your front end
of a British sports car.

On the outside.

Now, It's amazing how good a
condition is for a 60-year-old car.

So do this properly,
this car will last another 60 years.

Now for the messy bit.

Oh, my gosh, that boot is so big.

A few minutes to flash off,
seam sealer on,

and I'm going to hit it
with a fresh layer of white.

While the paint dries on the T-bird,

there's plenty to be getting on with
back at the house.

Okay.

Oh, well. Glad that's done.
We're here.Oh, hiya.

What do you think?
This is awesome.Good, aren't they?

765, I think.

765? What did he charge?

He's given them to us for free.

Has he really give you free?
Yeah.

He's a top dude that, Mr Brewer.

So who's going to unload this lot?
You guys.

I've got to go.
I'm sorry. I can't stay.

Good luck.

The vinyl I brought back
from the States

is gonna transform
the T-Bird's Landau roof.

But she's a rare beast
on British soil

and needs expert handling.

So I've sent her down to Hampshire,
where specialist car upholsterer

Stewart James and his team
will take the very best care of her.

We very rarely work
on big American cars.

When the Thunderbird
was dropped off,

I thought, "Here comes a challenge.

Any imperfections
will be highlighted
by the vinyl roofing

so the surface
needs to be blemish free.

Next, the roof area
needs to be measured carefully.

This is the most important
measurement of the job. Go on.

Marking the central line
of the roof with precision

will make sure the vinyl
goes on completely straight.

What?
What's that there?

So these are the lines
that we've measured on the roof

from scene to scene,
which makes it a lot easier

when we're sticking it on.

That's it. Lovely.

All right. Nice and flat.
There she is.

The best thing about this roof -
they've welded the seams.

Eliminates any damp
getting into it at all.

Let's get it over.
Yeah.

The roof measurements
need to be mirrored on the vinyl.

Measurement there, great.

This seam line will match
the seam line on the car

when we're gluin' it
and stretchin' it out.

That way you can get it
straight as possible.

It's all in the prep work.

Oh, look at that.

Ready to go.

Little bit towards me. That's it.

Centre line's on there.
Yeah.

The vinyl roof on the '64 Landau
was a signature design feature.

It was all about the aesthetics,
giving the car a luxury field

by mimicking
the look of a convertible.

Basically, roof's on,
ready to glue it up.

The adhesive sets quickly,
so the roof needs to be

carefully glued
one section at a time.

This is a a piece of ash
'cause it's chamfered,

you can just gently rub it

and it will take all the
air bubbles out if you've got any.

Gonna push this in along the gutter.

So all that's left to do now
is to trim around all the edges,

all the apertures,
and get the chrome trim back on.

It's gone really well
to transform the car,

so ready to go back to Ant.

2
What a difference.

What difference that makes.
Looks great.

Yeah, this car's edging closer.

Oh, look at that.
Check it out.

Oh, you've got
the vinyl roof kit fitted.

I'm going to leave you
for a second to drink it in.

It's beautiful.
Oh, that is so good.

It's what this car was all about.
It's cool. It's growing on me.

Oh, it's superb.
Hey, you think this looks good?
Check out the trunk.

It's brand new.
You know what? That's incredible.

Biggest problem
with a huge metal car

is dealing with metal work.

But a couple of patches here,
a couple of layers of paint,

it's transformed.

Yeah I mean, I'm speechless.
This is good as new.

It is.And it's 60 years old.
It's incredible.

How old are you?
Not as old as this.

How old are you?
You don't ask a man his age.

It looks better than both of us.

It does.
Even better with the panels in.

I haven't even unboxed them.
Let's open them.

So massive.
Look at the size of it.

It looks like the interior
for a British four-seater.

Just the trunk.
Just the trunk. All right.

The boot panels
set me back 270 quid.

They'll give the trunk
a neat factory spec finish

if we can get them to fit,
of course.

And that goes behind that.
How does that go in there?

It's going to go.

This is basically a jigsaw puzzle
for which the instructions
aren't that good.

That's that.That's it.
Let's glue it in.

Looks nice.
It's getting there, isn't it?

The front of the house
is also starting to take shape.

Something that hasn't escaped
my mum's attention.

Hi, Ant.

Anthony? I've brought you
and your helpers a cake.

An army marches on cake.

Hi, Mum.Lemon drizzle.
What do you think?

Doesn't it look great?
It does.

You did nice
with flower bed up either side.

You know what?
I was actually thinking.

Maybe like a trimmed privet?

No, flowers.
Or some flowers.Colour.

The whole point of this project

is to create a home
for my mum and dad.

So I want her to sign off
how we relay the stone steps.

Take your time.

'Cause that front edge
is going to be on display.

We either put it back how it was
with the smooth front edge.

Or we flip it around
and we have the rough front edge.

Pull me over.
Yeah. Don't tread on the concrete.

Smooth edge or rough edge?
Rough edge.

Got a bit of character to it,
a bit of wear.

Perfect. Ollie, do you want
a bit of cake before you lift that?

Just like fuel.
Yes, please.And Michael.

Oh, that is lovely.He's only
saying that 'cause you're here, Mum.

Did you have
breakfast this morning?No.

Why not?I was up really early.
So that's why you're eating cake?

There won't be
anything for anybody else.

Grab another one.
Man, that's good cake.

Fortified with Mum's cake.

Ollie and I just need
to get the step into position.

One, two, three.Oh, my God.
You okay with that?

Right. Just gonna
watch your fingers, okay?

I'm down. I'll take it off for you.

I've got that.

Yup.

We just need to...

But, yeah, your mum definitely
made the right decision.

Yeah, she is--
It's the natural look.

Yeah, mums are always right.

Step sorted.

so I now need to tackle
the T-bird's next challenge.

For a 60-year-old car, the Landau's
interior is pretty impressive.

But letting it down in a major way
is the cracked and worn dashboard.

Now, when you consider how well
the rest of the car presents,

we could never put it
into auction with that.

That will stand out
like a sore thumb.

All right, go one half for that.
Oh, right. Okay.

Oh, careful.

Oh, my God,
that is instant transformation.

I'll tell you what.
A bit lumpy there, though.

Yeah, I reckon
if we do a crater around there.

Yeah.One here as well...
Right.

...where those original splits are,
then this should fit a lot better.

Any lumps and bumps from the
original dashboard underneath

will spoil the new look,
so this dash needs some
drastic surgery.

You only get one shot at this,
you know that?

All right. You tackle your side.
Okay.I'll tackle this side.

You know what? Despite this
being scary, it's quite satisfying.

I know right?
Yeah, I think that's good.

The cap should now fit like a glove.
Well, in theory anyway.

Push it, push it your side then.

Yeah, it's pivoted.

We're fighting each other.

Know what we're gonna have to do?
We have to glue it in,
shut the doors, wedge it.

We're using a specialised
silicon adhesive

which can withstand
temperature changes

and remain flexible so the black
dash cover won't crack in the sun.

Yeah, this is now darkness.

The sun is setting.
So if you'll grab that...

Oh, that's falling
in there really nicely.

Yeah, feels pretty good.
We should put some wedges in there.

Yeah, that door being closed
has nicely wedged it.

I'm trapped.
Think you're gonna have to go

full Dukes of Hazzard.
Pick a window. You're leaving.

Yeah, gracefully done.

Let's leave that and have
our fingers crossed for the morning.

Yeah, let's hope it doesn't move.

I mean, this is a one hit.
This is either gonna...

...glue and stay or not.

I'm just banking on that working.

This is the morning of truth.

So this has had
the nighttime to cure.

Know what? It feels solid.
Feels like it's attached.

It worked.
It worked!

I'm actually loving
sitting in this c*ck

and now that the dash
is on there, it looks brand new.

With the interior looking
factory fresh,

there's only one thing left
to sort in here

and that's the gear selector.

At the moment, it's all sloppy.

If I don't manually hold it
into park, the key won't turn.

The ignition won't turn on.

Now, I did a little bit of research,
and it's actually
a known fault on this car.

This is quite common.

All right.

Now underneath the gear selector,
there's this little roll pin.

I just need to disengage it

from the selection linkage
on the steering column.

Yeah, this roll pin isn't moving.

In theory...
this should just pop out.

And sure enough,
there's the problem.

This is the hole
that roll pin sits in.

This is the pivot point,
and there where it's all worn away,

that's the reason
that our gear lever's so sloppy.

So all I need to do
is fill that with weld

grind it back flush,
and they'll be as good as new.

That really is it.

Well, that just goes back in.

No.

Mm-hmm. Right.

Now, before it was all sloppy,

but now, it perfectly sits
positively between all the gears.

I mean, that's such a simple fix.
It's transformed. It

2
My cool 1964 Thunderbird
is almost fully restored

back to her former status
as a beloved symbol of the Jet Age.

We just have
one more day in the barn

to make sure
she's ready for auction.

Well, I hate to say it.
It's really growing on me.

Looks amazing,
but with all the chrome on the car
and there's a lot of chrome,

there is one bit
that really lets it down.

The T-bird's overriders
are very visible,

and one of them is super rusty.

Yeah, I mean,
that stands out like a sore thumb.

Good job I brought a couple of
reclaimed ones back from the States.

Much better.

That's better.
Just needs a bit of a clean.

Right, do you want
to polish or unbolt?

Polish.

The 50s and 60s was
the Chrome Era of Stateside cars,

giving them a glamorous,
futuristic look.

But as well as
adding the wow factor,

chrome overriders
prevented expensive damage

in low-speed parking collisions.

It's the longest bolt in history.

How's that polishing going?

Is your back wet?

I've already decided.
Let's only change one.

Yeah, that is toast.

Look at the state of it.

I think I'll be recycling that.

Hey, come check it out.

That looks so much better.
Oh, yes.

Yeah, let's not change that one.
No, think that one's good actually.

When somebody looks at that,
they are going to go,
"That's how it should be."

How you getting on the chrome?
Yeah, it's a bit monumental.

It's never-- You bought a car
with the chrome.

So how about I jump on this side?
Yep.Can you run down that side?

Okay,

The handsome old T-bird
is finally ready for auction.

With the job ticked off my list,

I can check on the progress
next door.

My builder, Ollie,
has been widening the path

and laying reclaimed quarry tiles

I picked up for the bargain
price of 50 quid.

And just like the T-bird,
the visual improvement is dramatic.

Dude, that looks absolutely epic.

Yeah, it's looking really nice now.

What a difference.
Yeah, massive difference.

These steps are now straight,
the tree root's sorted,

these little dwarf walls
look amazing.

I'm so glad with these quarry tiles.

Look nice, don't they?
Everyone walking past us

has commented
and said how good it's looking.

I love that these tiles
would have lived

for a couple of hundred years
in another location.

Yeah. Yeah.
Now they're here.

Imagine when they were first laid.

Someone would have stood,
looking at them,

how they went down
and thought, "Wow."

And now, after all these years,
they've been pulled up, cleaned,

reclaimed and yeah.
Oh, my God, that's quite poetic.

To keep the house improving daily,
I need constant cash injections,

which means keeping a close eye
on those profit margins.

Of course,
our work on the car is free.

It's a labour of love.

But the parts, they ain't free.

Dude, I have run the numbers.

I now know exactly
how much we spent.

Every penny, every dollar.
Yeah? Is it good?

Now, the good news is
because of my fortunate timing

of my trip to California, we saved,
I mean, £100s on shipping.Yeah.

But none of it means anything
unless we make a profit.

The vinyl roof kit
was around 300 quid.

The panel kit in the trunk,
about 270 .

The dash top,
which looks amazing, 320 quid.

The overriders, 45.

I've allowed a couple hundred quid
for "miscellaneous,"

just to capture other small bits.
Yeah.

£1950.67.

That's not bad.
Well, if you had

the purchase price,
we paid seven and a half grand.

but al-in, 9450.
Nine and a half grand.

Do you know what? That's a heck
of a car for that money.

Do you know I've still never
driven a Thunderbird.

Well, now's your chance.

This is great.
This is great.

And the driving experience,
it's like no other.

This thing
floats about like a barge.

There's a car that you just
want to stick some shades on

and drive ever so slowly

to incredibly cool
American rock music

Steering is absolutely effortless.

You don't get this driving
experience with European cars.

You just don't. It's just
a big chunk of metal on four wheels.

And it's glorious.

And that little repair
on the gear stick.

That's made all the difference.
It now positively shifts into gears.

So I have a newfound respect
for the Ford Thunderbird.

That was really beautiful to drive

You know, Darrin bought a car
that was mechanically sound.

We had an aesthetic
restoration to tackle,
and we've done that perfectly.

We spent barely any money
on sorting out the chrome.

The vinyl roof has absolutely
transformed the car.

Somebody opens that trunk.
I mean, she looks as good as new,

which is good
'cause it's going to auction.

Welcome back here to the
Classic Cars Auction, uh, Sale.

More than 150 classic cars
are going under the hammer today

at the NAEC Stoneleigh
in Warwickshire.

With our Wimbledon white
T-Bird Landau at lot number 766.

Oh, she looks so good.

You know, it stands out
as such a different car

in a huge hall of...
I mean, European cars.

There's two American cars in here.

But is the market big enough

to buy two American cars
in the same auction?

It's so hard to tell
because half of me

is looking around
for a guy in a Stetson.

We've done all we can,
but I can't help feeling tense.

23,000.
With you, Rich. 23,000.

Are you nervous?

Yeah, I'd be--
That little breath you took before--

I'd be lying
if I said I wasn't nervous.

29,000.Your car, Rich.
All right.

And onto lot number 766 then.

The rather splendid
1964 Ford Thunderbird.

It's the hard top Landau.
It's the Series Four for you now.

Right.
Owes us nine and a half grand.

What should we say for this?
Straight in.

Austria, your bid.
8500, the opening bid.

Eight thousand-five.
You're still in the negative.

For the Landau,
an eight thousand-five.

Going nine anywhere else now?

What a lot of car for the money
at eight thousand-five.

Eight thousand-eight...
Okay.

We're creeping closer.

Eight thousand, eight.
That's the offer.

Basically owes us nine and a half

so right now,
we're making 700 quid loss.

Are we all done and surely?
Any more bids now at 8800?

We'll sell the car then. All done.
8800 then.

Your car, eight thousand-eight.

Some, you win. Some, you lose.

Yeah, I've got to say that it's
the coolest car we've done so far.

We have just sold the car at a loss

and you're still standing by it?
Still stand by the Thunderbird.

They just-- They haven't got it.
The people in this room just
didn't get that car.

The crazy thing is,
I did do a little research.

That car, in America,
is probably worth $30,000.

More than double
what we just sold it for.

Sure, I'm not mad about it.

It's been--
No, it's been a great experience.

The Thunderbird looks amazing.

The new owner's
getting a really solid car.

Oh, gosh, yeah.Maybe England needs
more American cars on the road.

'Cause they're cool.
They're cool.Exactly.

The key is though I don't wanna
be the one paying for it.

American cars are
unpredictable in this market,

and looking at the auction room now,
it's not that busy.

It's full of European cars,
and that's the point.

You know,
auctions are unpredictable.

Turns out houses
are unpredictable as well.

And... there is no secret recipe.

Sometimes you just have to believe
in something and roll the dice.

And sometimes
the dice don't fall in your favour.