17x08 - 1987 Renault 5 GT Turbo

[bunniefuu]

This time, after 17 years
of searching, we finally

get our hands on the
ultimate 80s hot hatch.

A Renault 5 GT Turbo!

But it's not come through the
last three decades unscathed.

Looks like this car's been backed into the
make everything blue and go faster shop.

And performance wise, it's less GT Turbo.

Hello, what's going on here?

More GT tortoise.

No, it's stalled.

But if we're able to
restore this pocket rocket.

Look at that!

This is my hard work here.

Absolutely, but this is where we need a
professional to finish the job off for us.

What on earth is that?

It's a bumper, isn't it?

It's a scrap bumper, look at it.

Give 100 quid for that.

It's 100 quids worth of rubbish.

It'll bring out the boy.

You would have put this on pole!

You would have put this on pole!

All-girl racer in everybody.

What are you doing woman?

Oh, I love it, love it, love it.

I'm Mike Brewer and I've been buying
and selling cars for nearly 40 years.

It's rattling, it's noisy,
it's utterly wonderful.

Now, I'm set up shop in Britain's
motor inheritance heartland near Oxford.

I've got to stop smiling.

Along with ex-formula one
mechanic, Mark Elvis Priestley.

Come on, hurry up.

Together, we're going to buy.

I love these, mate.

Turn away.

And fix up.

You alright down there, eh mate?

Yeah, I'm fine.

The most iconic and
exciting cars on the market.

Why is it on a trailer?

It hasn't run for 30 years.

Thirty years?

With Elvis' engineering skill.

Oh my goodness, what a mess.

And my car-dealing clout.

I think you're being a bit
cheeky with your pricing.

We should be able to
make ourselves a tiny profit.

Another happy customer, mate.

Another happy customer.

Hello Elvis, morning mate.

Alright buddy, stick the kettle on.

We ain't got time for that,
can I borrow you a second?

Do you remember the arms
race of hot hatches in the 1980s?

Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault
5 GT Turbo, Mark 1 Golf.

Well I've done a Peugeot 205
GTI, done a Mark 1 Golf GTI,

never done a Renault 5
GT Turbo for good reason.

Can't find them, they're really rare.

Yeah, only a few hundred
left on the UK road.

And the ones that I have found in
the past have been rock boxes, right?

But, Charlotte from Top Cats Racing
around the corner, you know her?

I do.

Her husband Warren bought
her one for her birthday years ago.

No way, she's still got it.

She's still got it and I've been
pestering her for a long time

seeing as she'd sell it and
of course she'd never sell it.

Yeah, well I ain't surprised.

But guess what?

On my way in this morning, she's
rung me and said to me and you,

want to wander round and have a look at it.

You're joking.

No, I'm not joking.

Let's go.

Yeah, grab your coat,
let's go and have a look.

VW's Golf GTI kick-started the
hot hatch arms race in the 1980s.

Peugeot retaliated with the 205 GTI,

but the Renault 5 GT had the
all-important turbo badge on the boot.

We're here to test the astonishing
acceleration of the new Renault 5 GT Turbo.

Renault successfully pioneered
the use of turbos in Formula 1.

Putting one into a hatchback
was equally inspired.

And there we have it.

There'll be another
commercial along in a minute.

Meanwhile, here is some music.

Oh yes, look at that.

Shark nose.

Very nice.

And that Corvette.

Little red Corvette, can't go wrong.

The 5 GT Turbo I found
is owned by Charlotte.

She and her husband Warren
maintain performance cars for a living,

specialising in TVRs,

and I'm often popping round
there for advice and spare parts.

Charlotte and Warren are also
both semi-professional racing drivers.

Hello.

How are you guys?

I only called you five minutes ago.

You're keen.

Oh no, don't muck around.

When you say there is a
potential deal to be had,

I'm here like a shot.

Even Elvis hasn't had
time to catch his breath yet.

They met and married on the racetrack.

Did you really?

And, rather embarrassingly,
he bought her a GT Turbo for

her birthday, which is what
I've come round to show you.

I got Michelle some socks.

Oh dear.

Warren bought this about six years ago,

and the boys from our race
team rolled it onto my front lawn.

the night before my birthday.

I woke up the next morning, opened the
curtains, and there she was on the front lawn.

Wow.

Nuts, isn't it?

Can I pull it out here?

Yeah, we've got a couple of cars to move,

but we can certainly get it out.

Yeah, go for it.

Let's jiggle some cars around.

I'll give you a hand.

Do it.

I'll just guide.

It's best if I don't touch anything.

If I touch something, I'll break it.

I can drive the Lamborghini, though.

I don't mind driving a Lamborghini.

You've got to get in there, Mike.

Yeah, so I reckon if that one
goes there... Nicely done, Mike.

Thanks for the help.

That's a good place to put it.

Good morning, guys.

Round it comes.

That's it.

I reckon that'll do.

Yeah, this is nice.

Charlotte, the big surprise.

Why have you changed your mind?

It hasn't really turned a wheel in years,

and she needs a bit of work doing,

but I just don't have
the time at the moment.

We're so busy in the workshop.

As you can see, we've got cars everywhere,

and I really wanted to see her
brought back to how she was originally.

It's got a silly corner at
the front, a bumper done.

It's not got the right wheels.

I'd like to put the Renault
5 turbo wheels back

on, and I think it'd
look great with the blue

if we put a little bit of soft
gold colour on there, perhaps.

I didn't see it.

I love it.

It's just never going to happen,

and if I can't do it, then I'd
rather see you guys do it,

and maybe somebody else will appreciate it.

Oh, that's really nice.

Well, this is absolutely our wheelhouse.

This is the kind of car we love.

Let me and Elvis have a
good look around the car,

and I'll tell you what
we think of it in a minute.

Yep, brilliant.

Okay, see you in a bit.

Thanks.

I love these, mate.

So do I.

I always wanted one as a
kid, but I could never afford it,

or more importantly, I
could never afford the

insurance, so I had one
of the Renault 5 GTXs.

You know, the 1.7 thing?

She dressed it up like a GT Turbo.

It was just not quite the real thing.

Well, listen, I've been
chasing one of these for years.

This is a real surprise that Charlotte
said that she's willing to do this,

but they do have their problems,

and already I can see some things.

Number one is number
plates are in the wrong place

because of this giant
intercooler up the front.

It's been a bit boy-racer, hasn't it?

It has.

I like Charlotte's idea of putting
the original bumper back on.

Let's pull the bonnet.

Wow.

It looks like this
car's been backed into

the make everything
blue and go faster shop.

Look at this.

Aftermarket bits everywhere.

Look at these hoses and filters.

My goodness.

Oh, mate.

This is not good.

The driver's seat is threadbare.

Not only on the shoulder,
but on the bolster as well.

Nice and sharp down at the rear.

Yeah, I like that.

Good starter up, Sis.

You're far into life.

There you go.

Warren, can we take them a quick drive?

Yeah, no problem.

Just help yourself.

Lovely. Thanks, mate.

Nice.

I'll tell you what, it feels great to
be behind the wheel in one of these.

It just makes me feel like a kid again.

You look like a kid.

I mean, the puffer
jacket, the baseball cap.

Take it off.

First impressions, what's it like?

I mean, it's running rough as a roughing.

I can hear tap-it noise,
which isn't very good.

It's stuttering and coughing.

I'll just let it warm up a little
bit, and then I'll give it some.

I want to know if the Renault 5
Turbo has still got a turbo that works.

Essentially, that's
what this thing is, isn't it?

It's a pocket rocket.

Go on, son. Pin it.

Let's see what it's got.

It's got lots of beams, isn't it?

You know, the old-fashioned turbo
has had so much lag, and you can feel it.

You hit the throttle,

and then there's like a five-minute
delay before you get the punch.

But it's definitely got the punch.

If we was to buy this car,

we're looking at doing the front bumper,

re-modifying the engine, as in making
it a bit more standard under the bonnet.

Dare I say, I think that's for the period.

It's sort of that Max power period,

and that's what people don't want today.

People want a lot more
originality in their cars,

and that's why I think most of that nonsense
under the bonnet has got to come off.

Plus, it's going to need
some serviceable items

like tyres, where it's
been sat around for years.

It's quite a bit to do to this.

Mate, there are so many things
about this that would say to the purist,

just don't buy it.

But I love it.

He was going to say that.

I can see it written all over your face.

You'll love it.

OK, boys, so what did you think?

His face says it all.

Look at it.

I can't help it.

I used to look like that when I drove it.

No, we really like it.

The problem is the
car has got quite a long

list of things that need
doing, from bumper,

the engine needs work, all
that nonsense under the bonnet.

That's just what we can see.

Well, that is it.

That's my biggest worry.

When I start really digging into this,

what else are we going to find?

OK, so what are we saying?

Well, because of the amount
of work that we can see,

we feel that its market
value today is £6,000.

But we'd be happy to buy it at that.

But if you don't want to sell
it, we completely understand.

I really want you guys to do it,
and I think I'm going to say yes.

Yes!

OK?

Fantastic! How about that?

Just bought myself a Renault
5 GT Turbo... Right, right, right.

Stop me there.

We have just bought
ourselves a Renault 5 GT Turbo.

You've got my line.

To be honest with
you, I'm a little bit guilty

because I know how emotionally
attached to this Charlotte was.

It wasn't present from Warren, after all.

You know, we're going to
do the right thing by this car.

Yeah, which is ultimately
what they both want for it, really.

They'd love to have it
and do it themselves,

but if they can't manage
to do that, we can.

We can.

And I think £6,000 is the
right amount of money for it.

I really do.

You've done well there.

Yeah, no, I'm pleased,
I'm pleased, I'm pleased!

Oh, hello, what's going on here?

This is one of the...
It's definitely not running smoothly.

It's not running smoothly at all, is it?
No.

Oh, no, it's stalled.

Go on.

Oh, God.

Our mission to restore a horribly
modded Renault 5 GT Turbo

to its former 1980s
glory... Oh, no, it's stalled.

...hasn't exactly got
off to a flying start.

This car's got one of
those common problems.

Hot start, yes, it's a hot start issue.

They definitely don't like being started.

They don't like being started hot.

Come on!

We'll get it back.

OK, right.

Go on, rev it, rev it, rev it.

Can I say, your sense of
direction is absolutely awful.

It is.

How on earth do you get
to work in the morning?

It takes me at least three days.

We are 500 yards from our shop
and you've got lost three times.

I'm just enjoying myself here on the wheel.

I'm lost in the emotion
of driving this car.

When I first got my driving licence,

this was the hot hatch to own,

which is why I absolutely love Mike's idea

of returning this Renault to
the way that it used to look

when it was on the cover of my
car magazines at 17 years old.

One of the things that was
really clear from the test drive

was that the engine
wasn't running smoothly.

It was lumpy, it wanted to cut
out every time we went to idle.

It's got a carburetor on this car.

It's not uncommon for a problem like that

to have come from an air leak
around the induction system.

So I'm going to give it a complete
overhaul using a rebuild kit.

Oh, that is tight.

There we go.

I'm really hoping it's a fault in the carb

that's causing our
engine to splutter and stall.

If the problem lies
elsewhere in the engine,

it could take me days to diagnose the
issue and hundreds of pounds to fix it.

Now, this is the top of the carburetor,

and here is the float
valve, which works in a very

similar way to the cistern
on your toilet at home.

The fuel comes in through this pipe here,

drops down through a
little needle valve inside,

and fills up the float chamber,

which is like a reservoir
for fuel for the carburetor.

As that level rises, it lifts this float,

which eventually closes that needle valve

and stops the fuel from
flooding into the chamber.

If that failed, it would flood the
carburetor, making it run poorly.

But this float looks fine.

It's not to blame for our engine problems,

so I'll just fit the top
section with a fresh gasket

and turn my attention to
the float chamber itself.

I can already see there
is a huge amount of debris

sitting in the bottom
of that float chamber.

That's definitely a bad sign.

I'm going to clean that out.

I'm also going to change these gaskets too.

Now, this is the main
body of the carburetor.

It works by airflow passing
through this channel here

and then being fed into the engine, and
as the airflow goes through a narrow space,

it speeds up, and that draws fuel
out of this tiny little nozzle here,

and that then goes into the cylinder.

Now, that nozzle is fed by a
series of jets, and if any one

of those gets blocked by
even the tiniest piece of debris,

it will cause the engine
to be incorrectly fueled.

It might run lean, so they've
got to come out and be cleaned.

A quick blast of carb cleaner
will ensure the jets are clear.

The next item to check for faults

is the diaphragm that controls
the flow of fuel to the jet.

I think we've found the problem here.

This tiny little diaphragm
has a little split.

I mean, it looks like
nothing, but I tell you what,

I would almost bet my
mortgage on the fact

that that is what's
causing us the problems.

That we'll be messing up the
precisely balanced fuel and air mixture.

and causing the engine to run rough.

That's it. I think it's mystery solved.

What a relief.

No need for a lengthy and
potentially costly engine diagnosis.

I just need to fit a fresh diaphragm,
which only costs a few quid.

And that's it.

A fully refurbished carburetor
ready to go back on the car,

and hopefully then, no more
of those embarrassing stalls.

We need lots of spare
parts for our GT Turbo,

but new parts are hard to come
by and notoriously expensive.

So I'm bidding my hopes
on a guy I've tracked down

who looks to have the biggest collection
of used GT Turbo spares in the country.

Mate, this is the right place.
Look at that.

Glorious little thing.

Are you Mike? Mike, how you doing, mate?

Yeah, really well.

Really good to see you.

Nice to meet you, sir.

Thank you for having me down here today.

I really do appreciate it.

So why Renault 5 GT Turbos?
What makes them so special?

As a youngster, one of my
parents' neighbours had one.

On a Sunday morning, battery had
gone flat, sort of helped him get it going,

ran me round the block.
I was hooked. I had to have one.

That's fantastic.

Right, so I'm pleased I've found
you, because I do need some parts.

I've got myself a little
shopping list here.

So I need a set of GT Turbo
wheels, the standard ones.

No problem, yep.

A front bumper, the standard
intercooler, some black hoses,

because it's got all these
aftermarket hoses under the bonnet,

and yellow fog lamps, if you've got
those, and new fabric for the seats.

Not a problem.

Can we start with the wheels?

Yeah, come on, this way. I'll show you.

You've got Renault 5s everywhere.

These are the ones, that's it.
That's what I remember.

They're small, aren't they, these wheels?

Very much so. It's only a 13-inch rim.

A lot of people have
changed over to the 15-inch.

Michelin, the MXVs you can't
get any more, sort of faded away,

and it's been easier
to put bigger-sized

wheels and tyres on
that are readily available.

So they were a Michelin
tyre on a 13-inch rim.

That was a French brand
supporting another French brand.

And Michelin then stopped
making the tyre for it.

So where am I, then?

Can I get the tyres for
my new 13-inch rims?

Not a problem.

My mate Ben can supply you an Avon CR27,

just give him a call and
he'll sort them out for you.

So they're remaking them?

Yeah, they've remade them.

Yeah, there's an Avon they've remade.

Fantastic.

And then the other
thing is there, actually.

I need that pattern.

Yeah, it's a phase two.

Phase two, yeah, I want
some material like this.

OK, I haven't got any material
to hand, but I can get some.

It'll take a week or
so, if that's all right.

OK, yeah, we can do that, that's fantastic.

So then the next thing on my
list is going to be the front bumper.

I've got a shed full of bumpers.

Actually, we're going to have a look.

Take me to your shed.

Let's go to my shed, then.

Come on, then.

Oh, wow!

Look at that.

You've got the EU mountain of bumpers.

I can see lots of rears.

Yes.

No fronts?

Oh, yeah, there's a
couple of fronts up the back.

What about that one?

Can I have that one?

At the moment, I'm restoring one of my
own cars and those are going on mine.

Can you buy them new, these bumpers?

You can do, yes.

How much are they?

I've seen them go for in excess of £800.

£800 for a bumper?

Yeah, I know.

I've just paid £600 for
a new grille for mine.

Are you kidding?

Nope.

So in there somewhere
is a bumper that I need.

Yes.

So you can dig that out for me?

Yeah, well, do I get some friends to help
me empty it and I'll get it sorted for you.

Right, so that's good.

So I've got the bumper sorted.

You're going to get me the seat material.

Yes.

I'm still going to need the fog lamps

and I am going to need the hose kit.

It's all in another building.

Is it?

Yep, another building.

Mike, ain't your ordinary parts supplier.

I've got a feeling this
could take some time.

My carb repair should ensure our Renault's
engine no longer stutters and stalls.

Next, I want to get rid of the annoying
engine rattle we heard on the test drive.

And this is where it's coming from.

That's the sound of the rocker
rattling against the top of the valve stem

and that's bad because it
means the valve isn't opening fully

or getting the right amount of
air-fuel mixture into the cylinder.

That will reduce performance.

Now I can see that
valve number eight there.

has a gap that's just a little bit too big.

So by undoing that lock nut
and just turning the adjuster

I can close that up to the
manufacturer's specifications.

I keep tightening the adjuster
until the feeder Gauge is

gripped snugly between the
rocker arm and the valve stem.

Go through the entire lock.

We should get rid of that
annoying rattling sound.

It took a while, but I've left my
yard with most of the spares I need.

Problem is the 13-inch
rims are a little tatty.

What I need now is one of the
best wheel doctors in the business.

So I'm on my way to go
and see my friend Umar.

Now, because I've got to refurbish the wheels
I have got a chance here to change them

because they're silver at the moment and
I know they should be silver on the car.

But I really like what Charlotte said.

She said she always intended to
make the wheels, well, a little bit gold

as a nod to the Renault
sort of racing heritage.

And I like that idea.

Umar! Mike!

How you doing, buddy?
Not too bad, thank you very much.

Excellent. I've got a little
bit of a challenge for you.

Have you? Yeah, I bought these secondhand.

I need them refurbished.

I want to do something
halfway between the silver wheel

but with a light dusting of gold
just to give it a different look.

What do you reckon?

I think we can make something work.

Let's do it. Let's do it.

First the wheels are soaked
in acid to remove any old paint.

Then it's over to the sandblaster.

This is always my favourite
part of coming to a wheel shop

is doing the sandblasting.

You don't mind if I have a go?

I think you need to get
cracking on with this.

You might need to hold
it with the other hand.

Got it.

Oh, yeah, baby.

Look at that. Look at the difference!

Oh, yes!

Next, we're going to inspect
the wheels for any buckles.

Lovely.

And then after that, they
should be ready for powder coat.

Go for it. Let's go.

Right, so this is Zak. Yeah.

He's going to be using heat and hydraulic
presses to straighten out the wheel for us.

These days, our wheels are stronger,
worse, weaker than they were before.

We see a lot more buckled wheels.

In our experience, wheels
seem to be getting weaker.

I think they're just using different types
of alloys and trying to make them lighter.

Don't forget, now cars
have 19-, 20-inch wheels

where before they
used to be a lot smaller.

So that plays a massive part.

Once the wheels are completely true,

they're cooked at 220 degrees for 45 minutes
to allow any trapped gases to escape.

Then a powder coat primer is applied.

That is fantastic, and
it's a nice even finish.

Right, we'll get this back in the oven.

We'll let it bake for
another 15, 20 minutes

and we'll be ready to
put the color coat on.

Heating the rims causes the
powder coat primer to melt,

creating a perfectly smooth finish.

Look at that!

This is my hard work here.

Absolutely, and you've done a smashing job,

but this is where we need
a professional to come.

and finish the job off for us.

The professional is Hector.

Gold is a bold choice.

I just hope Elvis likes it as much as I do.

How many wheels does Hector do this to?

You know, on a weekly basis?

On a weekly basis, about 200 wheels.

Really?

Yeah.

You're not really going for it?

On a good week, 250.

The gold wheels go back in
the oven for 40 minutes to cure.

before getting a protective
coat of clear lacquer.

and going back in the oven
for a fourth and final time.

Umar certainly has the Midas touch.

They've transformed
the look of these wheels.

They're just going to look epic once
they get screwed to that GT Turbo.

Let's get back to the workshop and
see what Elvis thinks of my color choice.

I've done well hunting
down GT Turbo spares.

I've even had Mike's mate fit my
gold alloys with period CR27 tires.

I expect Elvis has been busy too.

Hello, mate.

How are you and our little
Renault 5 getting along then?

Good.

Really? So you've sorted out
the tappets and the carburetor?

Exactly. All done and dusted.

Oh, fantastic.

Sounds like you've
been working really hard.

Well, just to let you know,
I've been working hard too.

Oh, look at those.

You like these bad boys?

I love the gold.

Yeah, and against the blue paintwork,

it's going to make the car pop, isn't it?

Really, really good.

And you've got some new boots as well.

Yeah, because Michelin
don't make the tires anymore,

but there is a company now remaking
the old style tire in the same profile.

And get this, same tread
pattern, so it's all authentic.

Good work, mate.

Well, let's get it all in.

Right, you take a wheel.

I'll get the heavy stuff.

You're going to be all right with those.

It's heavy.

While Mike was away tracking down spares,

I ordered a very special item of my own,

which should fix the last
remaining problem with our engine.

This car's got one of
those common problems.

Hot start, yes.

It's a hot start issue.

They definitely don't like being started.

They don't like being started hot.

The problem stems from Renault packing
so much kit into such a tiny engine bay.

It means that everything
gets very warm in there,

and our carburetor sits directly above
the extremely hot exhaust manifold.

Now, that's not a
problem when the engine's

running because fuel's
flowing through here,

oil's been pumped around the
engine, and everything works okay.

But when you turn it
off, or when you stall

it, the excess heat from
that exhaust manifold.

evaporates the fuel inside the carburetor,

and when you go to start
it again, nothing happens.

Hence the term hot start issue.

Now, Renault tried to
tackle this with their own

solution by putting fans
inside the engine bay,

but they became unreliable,
many even catching fire, and it

could well be the reason that
this car doesn't even have one.

So, I've come up with my own solution.

Oh, look at that.

That has come out really nicely.

This might look like a brand
new exhaust manifold, but it isn't.

It's exactly the same
one that I took off the car,

but I've had it ceramic coated,

a technique that we
used to use on the F1 cars.

It reduces the surface
temperature of the manifold

by up to 33%, and can lower the temperature
in the engine bay by around 50 degrees,

which is a significant amount.

The problem is that when I was
doing this back in my Formula 1 days,

well, I didn't have to pay for it myself.

It's not a cheap process, and
I've somehow got to explain to Mike

how I've spent 500
pounds on getting this done.

But look, it's going to
help with the hot start

issues and will help
to future-proof the car

because it has great
anti-corrosive properties too.

I just hope Mike sees it that way.

The inlet manifold goes back on next,

along with the newly
refurbished carburetor.

These black hoses look a lot
better than those nasty blue ones.

It's going to give us that
originality that we've been craving

and hopefully add value
to the car in doing so.

All right, Mike, that's brilliant news.

Well, thanks for that.

All right, no worries, bye-bye.

Elvis, you got a minute?

I've got some good news
and some crazy news, actually.

Excellent. Hit me with the good news first.

That was Mike from GT Spares,

who I got all the parts from Renault 5 off.

He's got us a front bumper.

Amazing.

Yes, I'm going to go and pick that up.

But the crazy news is I've had an email
from Warren, and it's a bit of a weird one.

Listen to this.

Hi, Mike.

Since Charlotte sold you the GT Turbo,

she's been talking about how she feels bad

for never getting round
to fixing it up herself.

I think she really misses it

and would secretly like to have it back.

We're racing at Donington
Park this Saturday,

which also happens to
be Charlotte's birthday.

No way.

It would make the perfect birthday
present if I could give her the car there.

Please let me know what you think.

Best wishes, Warren.

No way. He wants to buy it back.

We've got a customer for the car already.

That is unbelievable.

But Saturday...

This Saturday?

We have got loads of work to do, mate.

If we're going to get
that ready for Saturday,

I mean, we need to get our skates on.

I'd better go and get that bumper.

That's good news, though.

Yep.

Warren wants to give
Charlotte the Renault as a

birthday present for the
second time in just four days.

So while Mike's fetching the new bumper,

I'll deal with the last of
our aftermarket mods.

Now, the irony of this enormous intercooler

is it probably only had a minimal
effect on the car's performance.

The way that it works
is that air's forced in

from the turbo, passed
through these cooling vanes,

and then passed back
into the engine as colder air.

So whilst in theory this can have the
possibility of making a car go faster,

for this car, its value is
all about its originality.

This standard intercooler
will provide sufficient cold air

to feed our Renault's engine and doesn't
require a hole in the bumper to operate.

So now all we need is
that shiny new front bumper.

Hey up, fella.

Have a look at this, what I've got for you.

What on earth is that?

It's your latest gift.

Bumper, innit, from the Renault 5 GT Turbo.

Yeah, but it's a scrap bumper, look at it.

It's not scrap.

Give 100 quid for that.

What?

It's 100 quid's worth of rubbish.

Why don't you just buy a good one?

Because that's 800 pounds,

and that's what they sell
for second hand ones, yeah.

Serious?

Yeah, serious.

So I've got a cunning plan.

Grab our old bumper.

The plan is this.

Now look at the bits that
are broken on our old bumper.

Now look at the bits that are
broken on this one down here.

Look at the good bits.

Yeah.

We can swap them around,
make a good one out of the two.

Yeah, I mean, I see
where you're going with it.

See, hey, you're on board, ain't you?

You're really easy to convince.

Should have got one for 50 quid.

It's a lot trickier than
it first looks, this job.

It's not an easy shape to cut a piece from.

It's not flat, and the
key to it is going to

be accuracy in the
measuring and the cutting.

Otherwise, I'll be sending Mike
back out to find another one,

and that sounds expensive.

I begin by measuring and squaring
up the hole in our original bumper.

Next, I Mark out the corresponding
shape on Mike's donor.

I can't put it off any longer.

I'm going to use this mini disc cutter
to cut out the shape in the bumper,

and if you're doing this yourself, be sure
to cut the piece too big to start with.

You can always take
more material off as you go.

What you can't do is
add it back on afterwards.

This piece now needs
sanding and fettling to

perfection to make sure
that the fit is seamless.

I'm really pleased with that.

That's a perfect fit,
which means I'm now

ready to clean it up
and bond it into place.

I'm cleaning all the surfaces
with a solvent-based degreaser

and sealing up the gaps on the
front of the bumper with masking tape.

Now, if I was repairing a metal body panel,

of course I'd just fire up the
welder and tack this in place.

And actually, some plastics
you can weld too, but not this.

It's glass-reinforced plastic.

And so, I've got to use this
two-part adhesive instead.

Top tip.

To ensure the strongest possible
bond, lay strips of gauze along the joins

and soak them in the adhesive to
increase the surface area of the repair.

Right, here we go.

This is going off already.
I can feel it getting warm.

So I'm just trying to
smooth it into all the gaps,

make sure that it
completely covers this gauze,

and get the best possible bond.

Now, if you're concerned
that this kind of repair,

gluing plastic together, is
going to fail when you hit a kerb,

you don't need to worry.

Most of the big manufacturers
use this kind of technique.

In fact, they did a very
similar thing in Formula One.

So now that it's bonded in,
we can take the tape off this side

and see what we've got.

Oh yes, really pleased with that.

I've got full penetration with the glue
coming all the way through the joins,

giving us the best possible bond.

All it needs now is a tiny bit
of filling, a little bit of sanding,

and I'll get it round to the paint shop.

We've only two days to finish our GT Turbo,

and the old seats still need a new trim.

Renault no longer supply
the red pennant fabric,

but Mike at GT Turbo Spares
has come through yet again,

and sources some from a
specialist upholsterers in France.

Hey, look at these.

Hello, mate. All right.

The whole set of new seat covers, 500 quid.

That's brilliant. That is amazing.

I love the old school design.

I'm really pleased we managed to keep that.

Before we can fit Mike's new seat covers,

we have to cut through
the hog rings that

are holding the worn-out
covers to the frame.

There's a lot of these clips, isn't there?

There might be another rig.

Yep, that's loose.

Yay!

Look at that.

As bare as the day it was born.

As they don't come in the
kit, we'll need to reuse the rods

that hold the seat covers
taut over the frame.

Right, here we go.

That's the back.

The rods are attached to the new
covers using a pair of hog ring pliers.

Nice.

Yes, look at that.

First step of rebuilding.

That is really good.

Looks fantastic.

This kit also comes with
a new set of seat bolsters

designed to hold the driver
and passenger firmly in place.

It's looking good, Elvis.

Looking really good.

That is nice.

Look at that.

It looks like a brand new one.

Doesn't that look good?

Do you know, that's going to
transform, I mean, not just the

look of the car, but it's going
to transform how it drives

because you're fully
supported now in the seat.

And it's going to make a difference
come sale time, let me tell you that.

When we bought ourselves
a Renault 5 GT Turbo,

it was clear the owner,
Charlotte, was sad to see it go.

She needs a bit of work doing
and it's just never going to happen

and if I can't do it, then I'd rather
somebody else would appreciate it.

After Charlotte waved
goodbye to her birthday present,

we got stuck in with all the
jobs she'd never had time to do.

We got rid of the
horrible aftermarket mods,

fixed the engine problems.

This tiny diaphragm has a little split.

That's it, I think it's mystery solved.

And gave the car a tasteful facelift.

Then, out of the blue,

we heard from Charlotte's husband, Warren.

We're racing at Donington
Park this Saturday,

which also happens to
be Charlotte's birthday.

No way.

It would make the perfect birthday
present if I could give her the car there.

We may have a ready-made buyer
lined up, but we've still got lots to do.

You hold it, I'll bolt it.

Lovely.

If we're going to get it finished...

Gently, if you lay it down, yeah?

Go left, left, left, left, towards me.

...in time for Warren
to give it to Charlotte

as a birthday present for the second time.

Don't move, don't move, don't move.

There you go.

Don't worry, son.

Are you going the right way?

Gentle.

Hey, look at that.

What a transformation.

That is amazing, isn't it?

Right, let's get the wheels.

You get two, I'll grab two.

I know.

They're small, aren't they?

They are diddy.

Do you know what?

Same size as a Formula One car.

Really?

30-inch rim?

Yep.

Come on, hurry up.

All right, we used to be in Formula One.

Luckily, restoring our 5 GT Turbo
hasn't cost Formula One money.

We paid six grand for the car.

Carbretta servicing kit, £42.

Black hoses and rocket cover, £55.

Elvis splashed out £500 on
ceramic coating, the manifold.

And I spent another monkey on seat covers.

Standard intercooler, £45.

Bumper repair, £120.

Yellow fog lamps, £250.

GT Alloys, £284.

Giving us a grand total spend of £7,796.

Still got that power, look at that.

It's still got that boost, hasn't it?

Oh, that's fantastic, isn't it?

And they're good.

That is.

I mean, for a car from back in the 80s,

this car really has got some get up and go.

Before it was coughing, farting, when
it went down the road, it was grumbling.

But it feels silky smooth now.

What have you done to it?

It's all down to that tiny little split

I found in the diaphragm,
buried deep inside the Carbretta.

So, fixing that has
transformed it, it really has.

Well, the hot side issue, did you fix it?

Does it work?

We did.

Fixing that exhaust
manifold has done the job.

So, it's finally a place to pull over.

Right, so in the past, if
you turned this car off,

and then went to turn it back on again,

it wouldn't, because it's got to cool down.

Let's have a go. Off she goes.

Oh, yeah.

Accommodated an arm system.

Still haven't figured it out, there we go.

Look at that.

Nice one.

Straight away.

Nice one, that is fantastic.

So, look, it was 500
quid, but it's done the job.

It's 500 quid welfare.

And it just goes to prove that you
can take a car that's been well beaten,

and you can wind the back
to where they should be.

So, now, in front of Warren,
when we present this car, it's done.

Everything is done.

We've even teased a little bit of what
Charlotte wanted with the gold wheels.

I mean, one thing I'm pretty sure is
that he's not going to be disappointed

in the way that it now looks and
drives, because sitting behind the wheel,

it's a completely different car
than the one that we picked up.

We were fortunate enough to get this car,

and Charlotte, she didn't want to tell it.

She really didn't.

And I guess it's also
there's that awkward

thing that we bought
it off them for a fee,

and we want to sell it
back to them for more,

but I feel like he's
going to totally get that.

He's going to get the value
we've added to this car.

Well, I hope so, because I've
seen these cars advertised.

between £10,000 and £20,000.

It's crazy.

I mean, they are just so
sought after at the moment.

Still can't get my head around that.

I know, it's crazy.

So, I was thinking of asking
Warren £12,000 for it and being fair.

I mean, I think that is fair, you know.

If that's the market value,

I think that's a healthy profit
for us but a fair price for him.

Charlotte's competing in the
GT Cup at Donington today.

While she's busy out on the track,

Warren's arranged to hook up
with me and Elvis in the paddock.

Well, Warren said he'd be round
the back of the paddock, which is...

Yeah, well, these are
the garages just here.

Yeah, nice.

Look at this.

All the trucks lined up for the racing.

And there's Warren.

There he is.

Look at that.

Already got a smile on his face.

He has got a big smile on his face.

Well, let's hope he likes this.

Here we go.

Warren.

Oh, my God.

How are you?

I'm great. How are you doing?

How are you doing?

What do you think?

Wow.

It's good, isn't it?

I didn't expect that.

That's amazing.

Well, do you know what?

That's exactly the kind of
reaction we was hoping for.

We've put our heart
and soul into making this

the car we think it
should always have been

and we're really proud of
some of the work we've done,

particularly things like the interior.

It's lovely, isn't it?

It's all brand new.

It looks amazing.

This is red pennant, which is lovely.

It's got new bolsters on the seat,

so it's nice and tight
when you're driving it.

Brilliant.

It was good to do.

It was lovely.

And where did you find original wheels?

Yeah, so I managed to find the original
13-inch Renault 5 GT turbo wheels

and then get period correct tyres with
period correct tread pattern on them as well.

But the real piece of the resistance
was a mess that was on the front.

Now look at it.

That's amazing.

We've actually managed to repair
the original one, which looks great.

Oh, wow.

You wouldn't be able to tell.

You can't tell at all.

It's all brilliant.

Wait until you see the engine work.

Oh, you're going to like this, mate.

It was very blue.

Not anymore.

Look at that.

So all original now,
black hoses everywhere.

We've cleaned the whole thing up.

It looks great.

Sorted out the noisy tappets.

Honestly, it's a different
car to the one that you left us.

It certainly is.

It looks absolutely amazing.

What will Charlotte think of it?

I think she'll be blown away.

She'll be absolutely blown away.

It's all the things that,
you know, we were

going to try and get round to
doing, but just never managed.

Just think, you know, for a
birthday, it'll be just unbelievable.

Well, now comes the
sticky part, talking about

money, because you
know what we paid for it.

We got an idea of what
we think we could sell it for.

But what do you reckon, Warren?

I see it, really.

I mean, about 11.

11 grand.

I was thinking it was
worth maybe a bit more

money than that, but it
is Charlotte's birthday.

So, Warren, you just bought yourself a
Renault 5 GT Turbo for the second time.

Wow, that's fantastic.

Amazing.

Guys, could you just, one
little favour, can we just

run it round to the pit
Lane and show Charlotte?

Love to.

Yeah, can't wait.

I can't wait to see her face.

Charlotte's just won her
class in today's race, but the

trophy she's about to get is
not the one she's expecting.

Happy birthday.

Oh, my God.

Hello, Charlotte.

Oh, my gosh.

I am... What do you reckon?

Oh, my God, it's absolutely beautiful.

Bit different.

It's the same car.

Bit different, isn't it?

I was right about the wheels.

Yeah, you're the people that
go, notice the front bumper.

Got rid of that horribly big
hole with the cooler on the front.

Happy birthday.

Oh, thank you very much.

Happy birthday, Charlotte.

Thank you.

Very happy.

Yes, you're a good man, you really are.

Wow.

Start it up, get it going.

Come put it on pole position, Charlotte.

I warn you, if you want
to slow it down a little bit,

Charlotte, I know you've
just come off the race track.

You would have put this on pole.

You would have put this on pole.

You are a racing driver.

What are you doing, woman?

It's wicked, little thing.

That is wicked.

I'm tuned in, Mike.

I can see you're tuned in.

So you think we've done a good job?

I love it.

It just feels fantastic.

It feels smooth.

It's got plenty of pick up.

It feels like it should have done.

So it's better the second time round?

Absolutely better the
second the time round.

I don't know what to
say to you guys, really,

and, of course, my
lovely husband, Warren.

Pleasure.

It's amazing.

I really couldn't have asked
for a better birthday present.

Warren, you've made every man
in Britain feel absolutely useless.

Well, well done, guys.

You deserve it.

When I found this car, it was down a hill

and it had sat around and
been neglected for many years.

But thanks to the fantastic worth
that both myself and Elvis have done,

we've turned around an absolute cr*cker.

Not only that, we managed to make a profit
and we made a birthday wish come true.

If you want to see more iconic cars like
this being turned around by me and Elvis,

then join us again soon
on Wheel of Dealers.

Salut.