18x03 - Ford Bronco

[bunniefuu]

this time oh yes look at that we're
taking on the high-class cousin of one

of the most unloved cars Britain
ever built but then Elvis step into the

office of the band and plough to see if
we can change people's opinion and prove

they've got it all wrong so you
start to fall in love of our little card

it well who loves a strong word
so can Elvis be this motors Prince

charming still be like trying to wake
sleeping beauty in it apart from the

beauty bit here we go get it wrong
and we'll be the laughing stock of the

automotive world but either we
haven't got a spark in each of the four

cylinders or that sparks not strong
enough that does not look right but get

it right and this car could get the
second life it deserves what do you

think about us age clock a fine wine
excuse me excuse me excuse me I love

you thank you so much for saying that
it's like holding on to a wild beast I'm

Mike Brewer and I've been buying
and selling cars for nearly 40 years it's

rattly smelly and it's
blooming brilliant now I've

Sam shop in Britain's
motor in heritage heartland.

oh yes along with ex-formula one
mechanic Mark Elvis Priestley so that

engine management light never put
you off then together we get to buy I think

you're the right man for it top
man and fix up look at the state of it

got spirit vexacy and everything the
most iconic and exciting cars on the

market this is gonna be epic bolt
a supercharger to it and you end up

with a car that does this with
Elvis's engineering skill and there it

is the offending article and my car
dealing clout he's gonna be over the

moon any Elvis back at the posh
tools ready we should be able to make

ourselves a tiny profit because
this is my job and I'd bloomin love it.

so right turn Clyde right
turn Clyde straight over.

morning mate put me out my misery
what is it we're gonna see this time

and why am I here well you won't
be misery let's put it that way but we're

gonna see an iconic car that really
yep from the 1970s okay yeah it's

British yeah and it's probably
the most unloved car of all time.

what an Allegro is it an Allegro so
it's an Allegro that's been to the plastic

surgeon it's the Vanden Pla 1500 what
do we want with an Allegro well actually.

they got really bad rap the Allegro
yes for a good reason they called it

an all Agro this one is all been
dressed up with the Vanden Pla stuff

it's got the big grill it's got the
walnut dashboard it'll have a leather

interior so it should be all right
yeah I mean look you're right but you

can put lipstick on a pig it
doesn't make it beautiful I've seen

beautiful bits I have hear me out
right because it's an Allegro there's a

strange movement of foot which is
people now appreciate in these unloved

classics and now having gatherings
are actually having meetings and getting

together and I reckon we can tap
into that market plus I don't think is

that bad a car I think they're actually
quite a good car and I'm gonna I want to

honor that and celebrate that I mean
tell me they're giving it away for not a

lot of money there the couple
that are selling it and they're called

Peter and Gwen Peter's unfortunately
not well so it's an unfinished project

but I know that he's really done some
good work to the car that's what his

wife tells me and hopefully if it's
good don't you ask him 1500 quid for

it we should be out wrestling away
and save it okay well listen you know me

I'm all about saving cars so let's
hope it's better than I suspect is it will

be released in 1973 the standard
Austin Allegro was born at possibly the

worst period in British car
manufacturing it suffered from terrible

build quality a questionable gearbox
and dumpy styling which is why it was

often touted as one of the worst
cars ever built however it's top of the.

range cousin which was primped and
preened by coach builders Van den Pla

was the spec to have inside and out
it was given a luxurious makeover that

included wall-to-wall carpet a big
chrome grille and picnic tables in the

back transforming it from an everyday
run around into something for the more

discerning motorists so I'm on a
mission to prove that the world is

wrong and that this version of
the Allegro doesn't deserve the poor

reputation it's had up until now we've
traveled to the suburbs of Epson for a

look at this motor and what Elvis hasn't
quite worked out yet is that I've not

bought him along for his conversational
skills you must be Gwen I am indeed when

how are you my name's Mike so how
long has the car been here about seven

years what just sat like that with a
cover over it yeah so why now what's

the decision to to sell the car
now well unfortunately Peter has got

dementia and he doesn't even know
the cars there let alone to do any work on

it so I guess you just love to see
somebody finish the job that he started

all that time ago yes well that's
what we do we try to you know restore

and recover cars back to where they
used to be so hopefully we can do that

with this right here we go then
Gwen let's have a look and that's

fantastic so he sort of started a paint
job but didn't finish it all marked up

ready to go let's get rid of this that
oh it's got no wheels oh it's got no

brakes on the front either no none
on this side either we can't really have

a proper look at it unless we can
get it outside I mean I've got the

tools in the car if the bits are in
here if you want to look around and

find them I could start putting it
together quickly we can roll it out

would that be all right with you
Gwen would you leave us with it for a

little while we'll we'll get it built up
push it out and then we give you a

shout that would be fine yeah see you
later what have you got over there well

definitely need a hub because I've
got nothing to bolt a wheel to well I

found a hub down here so I've got
a wheel and a hub look at that I knew

I bought him for a reason we're not
going to be able to get it out on the

road today because it's been sat
here for so long but at least we can get it

out of this garage are you actually
pushing yeah of course I'm pushing nice

you want me it's not bad it's not
bad it's all is it once it's out look at

his engine bay oh yes look at that
that is good he's done some really

good work to this honey I mean chrome
on top is that standard that standard

for a Vanden Plaar I do believe yeah
because it's all about the Vanden Plaar sir

in fact they never called this car
an Allegro at all they just called it

Vanden Plaar 1500 it was almost a
desperate attempt to detach itself from a

car that no one liked exactly that
and in condition like this I mean look at

the inner wings is not a blemish
on the inner wings they look like

they're new we don't know if it
runs yet of course there is a bit of a

gamble in that side of things but
there is one thing I've noticed it's

sagging over on one side but it's
obviously fixable that's fantastic I

absolutely love it should we have a
look inside yeah right now let's step

into the office of the Vanden Plaar
look at that it's it's like the day it was

born headliner mate that is
immaculate I don't ever seen one

that good that is fantastic
leather interior isn't that nice

automatic gearbox look wooden dashboard
what year is it at 1976 this car same

year as me is it really yeah I mean
that's a reason to buy I'm already

falling in love with it doing better
than I am in it let's have a look at

that paint work down the rear mate I
suppose the only real work that I can

see is down the rear I mean I think
the engine will jog into life a suspension

the suspension we'll have to
address that but this is where the real

problems are well I'm sort of
reluctant to paint the whole car

because actually the front end it's
almost immaculate and it's original I

quite like to leave that but when
you start thinking about only painting

half a car particularly a car of this
age trying to match the paint colors

difficult isn't it oh you've been busy
haven't you we have fantastic your.

husband done some remarkable work
to this car you know the engine bay is

almost immaculate it looks really
really nice it just comes down to price

and how much money you want for
it and we'll see if we can put a deal

together I think 1500 would be no
arguments from us we'll have a deal

with you thank you very much
Gwen thank you so there you go just

bought a Vanden Plaat 1500 for 1500
don't call it an Allegro come on mate

cheer up got Vanden Plaat an
enhanced Allegro slung out the back of

our discovery and we only give


bargain it's not that enhanced is
it doesn't work and there is a few

little things we need to do to get it
looking like a Vanden Plaat you know

we need sort out that paint work we
need to do the listing over to one side

we need to sort out that suspension
and obviously you know we've got to get it

running as well what I don't yet get is
what people see in these things what

is it about a Vanden Plaat where do
people see beauty in it because at the

moment I can't see it well let me
put it this way right when Vincent

Van Gogh when he was alive he saw
one painting now he's dead everyone

wants one right so sometimes you
just have to wait for the rest of the world

to catch up and I think people are now
catching up with the Vanden Plaat and

they're gonna celebrate it I see so
it was ahead of its time yes okay all

right well listen we're halfway there
because like Vincent Van Gogh this one's

dead so the story of the Allegro
and the Vanden Plaat may well have

emerged out of the mayhem of early


years later could they be seen differently
I'm still yet to be convinced because so

far all we've got is an unattractive


engine is sat dormant for so long
I can't just fire it up that would risk

doing some real damage to the
internal components so I need to run

through a few steps to breathe it
back to life first thing when I do is soak

the ba*ls with a penetrating oil in
the hope that it'll turn freely when I

need it to I'm gonna leave it to soak
for 24 hours in the hope that I can

bring this dormant 1.5 liter engine
back to life we've bought a Vanden Plaat


the most unloved cars of all time the.

Austin Allegro to see if we can
convince the world that this ugly

duckling has matured into a
beautiful swamp at least that's what

Mike keeps telling me but there's
no way this bird will fly if I can't get

the engine up and running so the
penetrating fluid has been working its

magic overnight inside the ba*ls of
the engine but I'm also going to drain all

of this horrible fuel that's been sat
in this tank for many many years and

replace it with fresh stuff and run
that right through the system you

might not think of petrol as having
a shelf life but it actually only lasts.

about six months before it starts to
degrade in quality with fresh fuel in

the tank I've just disconnected the fuel
line ahead of the filter which I'm going.

to go and clean out in a moment and
I'm going to use this suction pump to

draw that fresh fuel through the lines
that run underneath the car because

in all honesty that's where most of
the sediment and dirt and rubbish is

most likely to collect before I
even think about trying to turn this

engine over I'm also throwing the car
up onto the ramp so I can drain the old

oil out of it we have no idea when
that was last changed and as the

automatic gearbox on this car
shares oil with the engine it's even more

important to make sure that it's running
with clean fluids when we try to turn it

over the last few jobs are fitting
a fuel filter to catch any debris that

may get pulled through the tank
cranking the engine by hand to make

sure it isn't seized adding some
fresh oil and fitting some new spark

plugs that's prepared the engine
as best I can but will it turn over well

this car's been asleep for many many
years but this could be the moment we

wake it up still be like
trying to wake sleeping

beauty in it apart from
the beauty bit here we go.

okay well we breathe into life almost
but that wasn't good enough we're

gonna try it one more time okay that's
gonna need a bit of investigation well.

we've clearly got some kind of spark
because it almost burst into life but

either we haven't got a spark in each
of the four cylinders or that sparks not

strong enough all four leads are
on and I've definitely got fuel flowing

because the filter is full this car
has been upgraded to have electronic.

ignition perhaps something Peter
did when he was working on it okay it's

actually much better than the old
point system much more reliable but

little magnetic rotor inside the
distributor cap if I can get it out okay.

yeah look at that that does not
look right it's got damage on the top

that's really unusual and they've
ever seen that before but the top

surface of that should be completely
round and it's not it's got a chunk

missing this has four magnets and as
it rotates each of those magnets makes

contact and transfers the current
through the cap and along the leads

creating the spark that we need
and whilst this is probably getting three

very good sparks I would bet my house
on the fact that the fourth one is either

not working or is barely working and
that is almost certainly our problem.

I'm gonna have to get Mike to find
me a new one of those which is really.

frustrating because I can't start
the engine without it but whilst I'm

waiting for that to turn up it will
give me a chance to have a good look

around the rest of the car there will
almost certainly be plenty of other.

areas that need my attention this
is still fundamentally an allegro after

all and having been around all four
corners there's definitely an issue on.

this one there's some play in this
wheel and at first I thought it was the

wheel bearing but on further
investigation I can actually feel that

the play is all in this top ball
joint here now the nice thing about

cars from this era is that components
like that were serviceable so unlike a.

modern car you don't just have to
throw it away and replace it with a new

one what I hope though is that
that wear and tear is not too bad it.

doesn't feel too bad there are shims
inside the ball joint and what I hope is

that there are still enough shims
left to give them the adjustment that I

need to get it back to being
perfect as the joint wears over time it

develops play which can result in
problems with the car steering and

suspension by removing a couple of the
shims effectively metal spacers it should

tighten everything back up
okay so this here is the ball joint in

question it is quite loose if I pop the
dust cover off get rid of that you can

see how it works and actually
there you go I can feel a whole load of

movement you can even hear it
that's this ball that's moving up and down

inside this cup and it shouldn't do
that the cup is screwed down onto the

hub and underneath that cup is a
series of shims and this is the nice

part because at the moment that cups
being spaced up and that sound you

can hear is the ball moving in a gap
that shouldn't be there so if I take the.

cup off remove a shim or two we'll
measure that accurately it'll pull it

down even tighter over the ball and
we should get nice stiff movement with.

absolutely no play firstly I'm folding
back the tabs on the locking washer

with a chisel before loosening off
with a spanner so I can get to whatever

shims are left there we go okay well
the good news is we've got plenty of

shims in there they're all different
thicknesses as well which is useful

because it allows us to get that
accurate adjustment that we need in this

case what I'm going to do is take
out two of the really thin ones pop it

back together and hope we've
got it close there's a bit of trial and.

error with this but luckily it's a
relatively easy job all I need is a

bit of lubrication and then some elbow
grease to tighten it back up and check

the results so I've checked what the
correct torque setting is in the manual

it's really important doing this job
because what you're doing is you're

clamping that cup down over the
shims that we've put in particularly as

you're going back and forward here
checking undoing again checking again

that we always torque it up to
exactly the same tightness do it too

loose of course you don't clamp the
shims down if you do it too much you

risk over stretching the thread and
that will again change the adjustment

you've made yeah okay so it's
definitely too tight which shows you

how fine the measurements are because
I only took out with two very thin shims.

I'm pretty sure with that yeah I'm
gonna have to put one of them back.

in yeah oh that's loads better
perfect nice and consistent all the

way around it's not too loose
but it's also not too tight I'm happy

listen to grease it up put it all back
together and zip it up yeah perfect that

is that sorted so the only thing
really now I'm waiting for is that

magnetic rotor for the inside of the
distributor cap hope Mike brings that

back soon and then fingers crossed
we can get that engine started.

don't you worry buddy boy I'm a
moment away and I've come bearing gifts

from the part supplier oh there she
is our little beauty the cars not bad

either how are you buddy I'll put you
back the world's heaviest part where is

it that may that might not be
the world's heaviest part but it's an

absolutely crucial part to this job
I say I'm pretty sure this is the one

thing standing between me firing
this engine up for the first time in years

I can't wait to hear it go what else
you've been up to well whilst I've

been working through the engine problems
I've also I've done all the shimmying of

the ball joints on the suspension so
there's no more play in that so that's

all good news lovely there's a couple
of things on the inside that are on the

list but I haven't yet got to hey is
there anything I can help with you

know I'm standing around doing nothing
at the moment absolutely yeah if you

stick your head around the corner
there you'll see the dashboards got a bit

of D laminations few bits coming off
it yeah I noticed that when we bought

the car yeah dashboards my wheelhouse
that's what I do dashboards take the

dash out and give it to me I'll get
it all fixed love that what we can do

about that paint work well that is
the next challenge and I feel like it's a

reasonably big one I don't want to
paint the whole car and so we try and

find it like a paint blending process
to match the old paint with some new

paint yeah I think that's the idea I
just hope someone can do any a

really nice match you know that is
it mate yeah so yeah I think we're

ready to go try again the key should
we go for it yeah let's give it a go

you feel confidence could be a
moment here I'm 99% sure that's the one

thing missing so now we got it it
should burst into life right ready yeah

I'll get the throttle fingers go on
then we're trying to breathe life back.

into a 1976 Vanden
Plaar 1500 that hasn't run

for the best part of a
decade not until now.

oh man I'm so happy that's a huge chunk
of the recommissioning process now done

with that thing work again I'm so happy
with that so you start to fall in love

of our little car then well loves the
strong words but I mean look now that

that's working there's a part of
me that is starting to like the Allegro.

Allegro can't call this Allegro it's a
Vanden Plaar is it a Vanden Plaar or a

Vanden Plasse could be Plasse
or Plaar just don't call it an Allegro.

regardless of how you pronounce it
ours isn't going to be gaining any new

admirers until I can fix its
paintwork but before I do that there's

something else that needs my attention
now when Mike and I first went to see

this car I could tell that it was
sitting low and it's got a slightly

unusual suspension system called hydro
gas hydro gas suspension was originally

developed by British Leyland in the


cushions the car as it travels along
the road it's not uncommon for that

fluid to gradually seep away especially
when a car has been sat for a long

time but the good news is I can top
the system up and get the car back to

that correct ride height I've got the
workshop manual out and it gives us a

very specific dimension between the
axle and the bottom of the wing here

the wheel arch that dimension should
be 373 millimeters but on ours well we're

down at 308 millimeters luckily raising
it back up 65 millimeters isn't a very

taxing job but explaining how the
system works is so I've put together a

little demonstration now I know it
may well look like there's been a kid's

party going on here but bear with
me because I've knocked up this an

oversimplified model representing
the hydro gas units on each of the four

corners of our car now this one's
made up of two plastic bottles and a

toilet plunger with a toilet plunger
representing the suspension leg or

strut on each of those four corners as
the car travels down the road moving

over the lumps and bumps that movement
is transmitted through this strut as it

moves up and down now above that
we've got this green cylinder in our case a

green balloon here it's filled with
water but on the car it's filled with

the suspension fluid that's made
up of water a rust inhibitor and an

anti-free solution as well at the top
of the green cylinder are some tiny

little holes and as that movement is
transmitted through the suspension leg

and it moves up and down that fluid
passes through the tiny holes from the

green cylinder into the bottom of
the red cylinder now because the holes

are so small they act as a restrictor
in the same way that a traditional

damper works giving us that smooth
and cushioned ride as the car travels down

the road now in the case of our car
this green cylinder has lost some of

its fluid over time and we now
need to refill it because refilling that

system has this effect it extends that
suspension leg pushing it down making

the overall length of the hydro
gas unit even longer and it's that that

resets the car's ride height back to
where it should be at least that's how

it should work in theory time to see
if it's just as smooth in real life now

in order to get the car back to its
correct ride height I'm going to use

one of these it's a very old-school
looking hand operated hydraulic pump but

it's going to allow me to refill the
system the Vanden Plaar has two hydro

gas systems that control the ride
height one on either side of the car

so first off I'm connecting to the
driver's side and hopefully pumping it

back up to that all-important 373
millimeters yeah I'll take that that is

absolutely perfect back where it should
have always been I just need to check

the other side and then well then I
can get onto this monumental challenge

of getting the car back to being
the right color again I'm on the way to

get the veneer on our dashboard
salted but it's not in the traditional way.

it's great news that Elvis has got our
Vanden Plaar running again as it should be

which I'm very excited
about the one thing

that lets our car down
really is the dashboard

inside because the
interior is so nice but

the dashboard being
worn up by a veneer well

it's cracked it's faded it's peeling off
so I was looking around if there is a.

different process something that's maybe
a little bit cheaper a little bit quicker

and possibly a little bit more durable
and there is it's called hydro dipping

so I've sent our dashboard ahead to
some friends of mine and they reckon

they can not only make it look like a
veneer dashboard but it will be better

than what was on the car originally
hydro dipping is a process where you

lower an object onto a thin plastic
graphic sheet that's been made

by a warm bath of water you can then choose
pretty much any design you can imagine but

because this is a Vanden Plaar no less the
trick today is going to be finding a match

for our original dashboards
color Lyle how are

you bud how you doing
yeah good nice to see

you thank you did
you get the parts that I

sent you down yeah I
did how far we got with

them well the main part
of the dash is prepped

and sort of ready to go
and we need to decide

on the color which we
need your help with so

we've got the glove
box still to kind of move

forward with but I'm
gonna get you some colors

so you can have a look
okay and then the glove

box itself right is here
so I've got a match

that yeah but that's
way too gold isn't it yeah

that's close isn't it and that's a walnutty
look yeah well this is our favorite this is

the one we would recommend you choose but
we just want your opinion on that before we

now obviously go ahead
and do what we think

right I agree I think
that I think that look

lovely going all the way
across the dashboard

that'll look fantastic
yeah so yes I choose

that excellent to get the glove box prepped
for its fancy new covering Lyle starts by.

sanding off the original lacquer and veneer
all good yeah I think we're good to go next

we're handing this bit
of the glove box over

to one of the painters
so it can be primed

whilst we crack on with
a center section of the

dash that's already
been through the process

and now it's ready to
have the hydro dip transfer

applied to it ah right
now that is a real

surprise orange why so
orange we need to allow

for the ink in the film
and once it's applied

you'll end up basically
with the finish that

looks more like that so
the base you put down

is that thick orange
and then over the top of

that the transfer which
is this yeah and then

the orange comes
through that yeah that little

sample piece there yeah
if you overlay that give

you a bit of a closer
indication of how it's

gonna look oh yeah
look at that still very.

orange you're gonna
have to convince me that

this is the right shade
of orange right let

the magic begin first Lyle cuts the film to
size and then we're ready to take the dash

for a dip what do I
do just drop it down

slowly it touches down
now the film is floating

on the warm water it slowly starts to melt
becoming a flexible film on the surface

yeah Mike if you can get ready to grab me
the dash I need to get my mask on and get

ready to activate no
worries yeah standing

by next last phrase
the film with a catalyst

solution which turns the ink into
liquid then it's time for the big moment.

get in haha look at that it's magic it is
literally magic right in front of your eyes

that is fantastic isn't that cool you're
pleased with that you can't say anything

oh are you happy
with that yeah mate it's

awesome that's about
as good as you're gonna.

get done amazing
job and that's before it's

even lacquered and
varnished and put together

with the rest of the bits mate I can't
wait to get it all finished lacquered up

back to the workshop
Elvis is gonna love this

whilst Mike's out
taking care of the dash

I've finished sorting out the suspension so
it's time to turn my attention to the big

one the paint work now because the paint
on the front end of our car is in really.

good condition it doesn't make any sense to
paint the whole car but I do need to know

exactly what color it
is so I can apply that to

the rear end now it's a
tried and tested method

but I have seen it go horribly wrong and
so I've enlisted the help of Nick here from

a local paint matching
company now you might

be thinking why aren't
we just looking up the

original paint code
from the 1970s and using

that well for two
reasons firstly 50 years of

weathering will have faded the original
color and secondly because it looks like our

car's been touched up
a number of times over

the years so we need
to match the existing

paint work to make
sure any new paint blends

in seamlessly all right
Nick what you're saying

then you've had a
little look around it is a

leg row and it was
never my cup of tea but.

call it an allegro mate it's a Van de place
but I know what you're saying in terms of

matching the paint then
so how do we get the

exact color from the front end to then be
able to apply it here what we'd usually do

now we'd clean off a
panel then we'd scan it

and then that would give
us a reference point to

start with Nick's brought
along a fancy bit of

kit called a spectrometer
which can analyze the

paint and provide us
with a match but to get a

good reading I first need
to Polish off a section

with a little cutting
compound so right there

yeah it's good but just do the top of that
wing I think that looks a bit I don't know

if the wing looks
a bit different to the

bonnet do you reckon
and well yeah can you not.

see it that's where your
expert eye comes in that

looks all right to me
looks the same actually

comes up as a lovely color isn't it you're
saying there's a difference oh there is a

tiny difference yeah
yeah the bonnet slightly

lighter than the wing
so therefore if we scan

the top of the wing yeah we should be that
would be the same batch of paint that was

used for the side so
you're more likely more

keen to scan the the
wing because that's on

the same side profile
of the car and that's

going to help distract
people's view and less

likely to see any
differences yeah definitely

Nick scanning the car
with a spectrometer five

times it analyzes the
wavelength of the light

reflected by the
paintwork and then creates

an average of the
results this should give us

a match that's around


the green tick big green tick so I've got a
good image yeah is that means a scans been

a success good all
right so I take this back

to the shop and hand
it to Kelly our color

technician and she'll sort it out for you
because I can't take the car to the shop to

compare it against the
color chip the spectrometer

is going to select I've
taken off a small panel

that I can easily take
along with me hello

yes I am I am indeed
I've been expecting you

good didn't it give
you yes so I've got the

results here from the
spectrometer this morning

should we have a look
at the panel he asked me

to bring a piece along
brilliant so that's what

the scan is exactly what
the scanners produced

this morning pretty good
that is that's amazing

you're happy with that we can take the
formulation today I can go ahead and mix it.

excellent perfect
okay to mix the perfect

paint Kelly needs to
blend together just the

right quantity of
various colors luckily for

us the computers given
us a recipe to follow

so we know we're going
to end up with exactly

what's on the color
chip right so this is

yes so let's give it a
mix and see how it looks

okay let's have a look
yeah it's a lovely color

yeah grab the piece together it's not bad
is it I mean I guess it will dry a tiny bit

different to that yeah
probably about two

shades darker so I think
it's gonna be good yes

that sounds perfect I
mean if it's gonna be a

bit darker that will be
an absolute exact match

yeah are you happy with that
one do you know what I think I am.

our little Vanden Plas


and don't tell Mike but
you know what I think

I might just be starting
to develop a little

soft spot for it I've got
some really exciting

but also nerve-wracking news this morning
because the Vanden Plas has been delivered

freshly painted back
to my workshop I'm just

hoping that color that
I chose for the rear

end perfectly matches the color that
was already on the front end oh there it is

hey morning mate how
you doing look at this

mate that looks incredible
doesn't it it's good

to know oh you can't
even tell where the old

paint finishes the new
paint starts whoever

scanned in that color match was a genius
the paint job is exceptional as well that's

incredible isn't it hello hello hello
you ready yeah go on you look at that.

well if I did buy a new
one it would be very

expensive like between
five seven hundred quid

but this is our old
dashboard it is not even

wood what do you mean
well it's wood underneath

but this has been hydro
dipped this is actually

a graphic a transfer
that's been put on then

lacquered and it will
outlast a veneer in

the car it's gonna be
in the car forever that

is incredible 350
quid oh mate nice work

honestly that looks so
good and so does that

I mean it may not be
the most attractive car in

the world but I tell
you what it's a lot less

ugly with these bits
on it it's funny people

still think this car's
ugly I actually think it's

beautiful so much so I'm gonna line up
somewhere really beautiful to drive it at

the end once you get all this stuff in nice
one this has been one of the most Marmite

renovations in Wheeler
dealers history you

can put lipstick on a
pig it doesn't make it

beautiful we took one of the most unloved
cars on the planet still be like trying to

wait to sleep in beauty in it apart from
the beauty bit and sprinkled it with Elvis

magic that's loads better transforming
it from an ugly duckling call it in a leg

it's a random class but I know what
you're saying into a beautiful swan.

but beauty comes at a
price so how much did

this makeover set us
back we originally bought

the car from Gwen for


in the engine set us back


was 350 and the paintwork


also stuck in a new
battery and put on a new

set of tires for 251
pounds which gives us a

grand total of 2811
pounds but the big question

remains can we convince
people to give this

unloved motor a second
look 50 years on from when

it was first launched
mate this is absolutely

fantastic how good is
this I can't believe we've

come such a long way
from where this car first

started but the way it
drives is fantastic it's

first time you've driven
it first time and it's

smooth it's quiet it
feels kind of regal in here

I kind of like it gearbox
is lovely automatic

so I could just cruise
along it mate we've.

to be honest it is nice to see what was
a half-finished project turn into a proper

Allegro now back on the road again you've
said it again it's not an Allegro it's a

fandom plan you can't
say they grow your

upset a whole community
of people this is what

Austin intended the car
to be the Vanden Plaar

and to show off our
Vanden Plaar at its best

I bought us to one
of the most beautiful

villages in England to
demonstrate that this

unloved car actually
fits in to this stunning

setting rather well
look at that let's see

little knowing nod from somebody there they
appreciate the Vanden Plaar look at this

how pretty is it look
another little nod from

somebody look at this
place yeah this is where

this car should be this
is the picturesque town

of Boulton on the
water little river running

through it ducks on
the pond look at that

isn't it lovely this
car sits perfectly here

what you don't know
because I like to keep

these little things a
secret from you is that

I've arranged for us to drive to the museum
here in Boulton on the water yeah well I've

arranged for other
unloved cars like this

Vanden Plaar to turn up
and because you put this

in amongst them and it's gonna shine I just
want to get the car sold I want somebody to

enjoy it somebody to
drive it around and show

it off and maybe people
will fall in love with

this unloved classic
right here we are this

is the center of Boulton
on the water yep all

those unloved cars how
good is that we bought

together some of the
strangest looking the

previous owners children did call it the
vomit comet most unfamiliar the Aventime

was designed for a
niche that didn't really

exist and quirkiest
unloved cars on the planet

to find out what their
owners seeing them

that nobody else does
look at this that is the

Fiat Multipla you know the Ferrari Formula
One team used to use these as kind of crew

buses they were the
laughing stock of the F5

I'm sure they were Mick
don't want to be rude

to your car but back in the day it was a
laughing stock but today I don't know why

in amongst this
company as well it's pretty

cool people love them
or they they hate them

yeah but then I drove up on the motorway
yesterday and there's people tooting me

and give me the thumbs up sign through
the window saying what a great car it was

are you pretty sure
thumb the flipside of the

coin is also I take it
to the cars and coffee

one morning and one
guy walked up to me said

please take it away it's
making my eyes blue.

so I absolutely understand
the flipside what do

you think of it though
I think it's a great car

I think it's a car
that's been designed

there's not a single
piece of this car that's

not had a designer's
pen but I absolutely my

children won't come
out in it now when they

this big they would come out but now they
won't be seen they won't be seen into it.

is this yours yeah what's your name it's
James James nice to meet you nice to meet

you this is Elvis now
that is a cool car yeah

it's a Japanese import
Nissan Cube so what's

that like you know
when you're driving that

car down the road
because it's unfamiliar and

it's kind of quirky to look at what kind of
reaction do you get when you're driving it

believe it or not I get hundreds of people
taking videos and photos as I drive past

you wouldn't believe
it what made you buy it

in the first place the
wife told me not to.

now I actually really like these this is a
Renault Avantime or Avantime depending on

yeah I'd say Avantime Avantime where
you are in the world I think it's a great

great-looking car
Renault had the Aspas the

most practical car you
could ever own and they

decided well what can
we do what how can we

flip it we're gonna turn
it into a two-door SUV

coupe a thing that
nobody wanted it does fit

into the lineup perfectly
because it's slightly

unusual well this is a
home from home for me

because I've had four
multiplers and we've

got a cube at home
as well so this is like

your garage it is it is
very much like my drive

but what did this bunch of unloved classic
car lovers think to our Van den Plaar has

it matured like a fine
wine or is this bottle

corked what do you
think of our Van den

Plas over there well
it's the ultimate unloved

lemon isn't it an allegro
and a Van den Plaar.

on top of that so
yeah I think it's great I'd

love one she's abuse
no be honest honestly

I'm not sure everyone
would have always said

that but yeah aged
like a fine wine excuse

me excuse me excuse
me I love you thank you

so much for saying
that well that sounds like

a resounding success
and there's one man we

hope loves it more
than all the rest that's.

potential buyer Paul
you must be Paul indeed

Paul nice to meet you
both Paul are supposed

to be question for us too why a Van den
Plaar well got the best haven't we there's

so few left now we're down like to tens
of them now so to be able to obtain one

of these in this day and age with a solid
shell by the looks of it as well is very

rare well my question is did you always
love it when it was just an allegro or is it

just since they put those
Van den Plaar tweets

in there not so much
just an allegro I had some

uncles and my dad had one as well and the
humble sort of base models didn't really

interest me when
this come along with all

that's really caught my
eye and enthusiastic.

about a Van den Plaar thank you we love it
so you like what we've done with this car

do you very much so
yeah so if you want this

car it is gonna cost
you okay I thought.

I was coming yeah yeah okay we're good
but me and Elvis we've been thinking we'd

rather put this car out on the road to
be enjoyed and we're not thinking about

the profit on this one this is an
unloved British classic and I think if

it's in the hands of an enthusiast
like you you will show it off in its

best light take it to car shows get
people interested in the Van den Plaar

yeah yeah so I hope you're sitting
down because we're gonna do something

really special with you and I think
he deserves it thank you he's so

enthusiastic if you want the car you
can have it for three grand I'm not even

gonna quibble with that thank you very
much cheers thank you thank you well

done mate thank you well I think it's
fair to say that Gwen and her husband

Peter are be really proud of what we
managed to pull off with that Van den

Plaar because think about it when
we found it it was an unfinished project

that we actually pushed out of the
garage and scrapped around to try and

find the parts for it but now look at
it and if you want to see more cars

like this being turned
around by me and Elvis then

join us again soon on
Wheeler dealers tell up.