This week's Car SOS featured a Mustang it was the most rusted car the programme has undertaken.
Ford Rustang: Car SOS embarks on its biggest salvage bid yet - to save a 1965 Mustang that's been corroding in a Charlton garden for 33 years.
There are car restorations and there are car salvages... and this is certainly a case of the latter.
Set to star in tonight's episode of popular motoring show Car SOS is this 1965 Ford Mustang, which the presenters say is 'officially the biggest project to rebuild the most knackered motor' it has ever featured.
Having sat under covers in a garden in Charlton, London, for the last 33 years, every part of the sixties Fastback had rusted through, with its doors hanging on by a thread after more than three decades of dilapidation.
The episode on National Geographic at 8pm charts the team's efforts to return the American pony car to the road. But there are controversial decisions made that could make Mustang enthusiasts and collectors - especially those in the US - wince.
For those who don't know Car SOS, the show follows a format: find a deserving petrolhead who has faced a struggle in their life; collect their cherished motor that's fallen into a state of disrepair without them knowing; complete a full restoration in a matter of weeks; present the vehicle back to its rightful keeper with plenty of fanfare.
Tonight's episode features a car that presenter Tim Shaw described on first sight as 'comedy scrap'.
John has owned his Mustang for over 40 years, but when tragedy struck his family over three decades ago, its upkeep was neglected.
John's wife Lynn died in 1988 at the age of just 32 following a battle with cancer.
She passed away shortly after giving birth to a third child, Jon Jr, which left John as the sole parent to three children, forcing him to immediately give up his job and receive benefits.
The much-loved Mustang - understandably - was put under covers in his garden, where it remained for the following 33 years. Though John always had the intention of fixing it back up, both he and the Ford have gotten older and rebuilding it had become a lost cause.
John's son Floyd wrote to Car SOS asking if they could repay his dad for the years of selfless devotion by surprising him with his four-wheeled pride and joy ready to be driven on the road once more.
But, as viewers will witness tonight, the car's dilapidated condition after years of neglect had put the Mustang on the brink of being binned rather than salvaged.
Having been parked on grass under sodden sheets in John's garden in London for decades, the British weather took a significant toll on the car.
'It was no different to dredging it from a canal. A scrapyard wouldn't have wanted it - they want steel, and it was almost entirely rust. It was just brown with nothing to it at all,' explains Tim Shaw - the co-host of the show alongside mechanic Fuzz Townshend.
The car was returned to the colour it had left the factory in 1965 - a cherry red. Shelby-style racing stripes - in grey - were added, while the suspension, steering and brakes were all upgraded to make it easier - and better - for John to drive.
With the engine not started for 33 years, it had seized and deemed beyond repair. Fortunately, a new - larger - powerplant was sourced and upgraded with fuel injection to increase performance.
'Almost everything needing to be replaced,' Tim says. However, many of the component parts required reconditioning and retained in order for the car to legally keep its original identity.
Fortunately, Tim and Fuzz enlist the help of Sid, real name Nayan Patel, the owner of Sid's Paint Shop in the West Midlands which specialises in Ford Mustangs, to take on the bulk of the work.
The team had just 65 days to completely rebuild it before it was due to be revealed to John in front of a packed O2 Arena, London, at a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live event.
'This by far the worst car we have ever seen on Car SOS and the biggest restoration we've taken on to date, as well as the biggest risk and biggest reveal,' Tim tells us, estimating that around 1,700 man hours were spent sourcing, fabricating and reconditioning parts for John's much-loved Ford.
It also underwent some modernisation, including adding fuel injection, fitting wishbone suspension, replacing the old steering block for a more precise rack and installing disc brakes in place of the drums that the car left the factory with 58 years ago.
Making such wholesale changes to a car of this vintage might irk some enthusiasts and collectors, who will debate if a vehicle retains its originality with so many new parts.
Though there is one major change to John's Mustang that will do more than raise eyebrows among the classic-owning fraternity.
That's because Tim, Fuzz and Sid embarked on moving the steering wheel across the car to convert it into a right-hand drive.
'I doubled the workload for us because I had an idea because I have an opinion on left-hand-drive vehicles driven on our roads,' Tim explains.
'The UK is obsessed with keeping cars "factory" or "standard" while the rest of the world points and laughs at us in the face asking why don't we admit there is better engineering out there so that we can actually use it rather than leaving it in the garage and polishing it because you know truthfully that it doesn't drive well.'
Shaw, who owns a Mustang, went on: 'I've said it before and Fuzz said it after driving one on the show; a 1965 Fastback is one of the worst classic cars to drive - it's massively underpowered, the brakes are **** and it only wants to go in a straight line.
Most controversial of all was Car SOS's decision to convert John's classic Mustang from left to right-hand-drive. While collectors and enthusiasts will say this devalues the vehicle's classic credentials, Tim, Fuzz and John's family were adamant the Mustang should be something he could drive and enjoy for years to come.
As Tim points out, the decision went against what the UK Mustang owners club and classic car collectors recommend, with such significant adaptations to the Ford believed to be equivalent to 'burning money' but devaluing its originality.
We asked classic car experts at Hagerty UK about the impact of a vehicle's value when the steering wheel is moved across.
John Mayhead, editor of the Hagerty Price Guide, tells us: 'Everyone expects that a LHD to RHD conversion will reduce a classic car’s value, and in many cases that is correct. Lots of buyers really put a premium on originality, and swapping the steering wheel over can compromise the interior of a car and cause complications with steering, wiring and suspension.
'Some cars – like American muscle cars – are also supposed to be left-hand drive, and feel a bit odd if converted.
'That said, there can be good reasons for conversions and some cars seem to suit it, especially if the work was done in period.
'What Hagerty would say is that the quality of conversion is absolutely key. As a specialist classic car insurer, we need to know that the car continues to be safe and that the modification has been carried out properly.'
You can make your own mind up about whether converting from left to right-hand drive was the correct choice by watching the episode this evening.
i saw this advertised on TV last night. Not exactly pretty. Or very useful.
The Citroen Ami is powered by an 8bhp motor fed by a 5.5kWh battery, giving it a range of up to 46 miles and a top speed of 28mph. A full charge takes three hours.
i saw this advertised on TV last night. Not exactly pretty. Or very useful.
The Citroen Ami is powered by an 8bhp motor fed by a 5.5kWh battery, giving it a range of up to 46 miles and a top speed of 28mph. A full charge takes three hours.
I'd rather drive an Ernie than one of those monstrosities
Comments
This abomination has to be the worst looking automobile ever made. Even Austin Allegros & Ford Sierra "Jelly Moulds" looked better.
Ford Rustang: Car SOS embarks on its biggest salvage bid yet - to save a 1965 Mustang that's been corroding in a Charlton garden for 33 years.
There are car restorations and there are car salvages... and this is certainly a case of the latter.
Set to star in tonight's episode of popular motoring show Car SOS is this 1965 Ford Mustang, which the presenters say is 'officially the biggest project to rebuild the most knackered motor' it has ever featured.
Having sat under covers in a garden in Charlton, London, for the last 33 years, every part of the sixties Fastback had rusted through, with its doors hanging on by a thread after more than three decades of dilapidation.
The episode on National Geographic at 8pm charts the team's efforts to return the American pony car to the road. But there are controversial decisions made that could make Mustang enthusiasts and collectors - especially those in the US - wince.
For those who don't know Car SOS, the show follows a format: find a deserving petrolhead who has faced a struggle in their life; collect their cherished motor that's fallen into a state of disrepair without them knowing; complete a full restoration in a matter of weeks; present the vehicle back to its rightful keeper with plenty of fanfare.
Tonight's episode features a car that presenter Tim Shaw described on first sight as 'comedy scrap'.
John has owned his Mustang for over 40 years, but when tragedy struck his family over three decades ago, its upkeep was neglected.
John's wife Lynn died in 1988 at the age of just 32 following a battle with cancer.
She passed away shortly after giving birth to a third child, Jon Jr, which left John as the sole parent to three children, forcing him to immediately give up his job and receive benefits.
The much-loved Mustang - understandably - was put under covers in his garden, where it remained for the following 33 years. Though John always had the intention of fixing it back up, both he and the Ford have gotten older and rebuilding it had become a lost cause.
John's son Floyd wrote to Car SOS asking if they could repay his dad for the years of selfless devotion by surprising him with his four-wheeled pride and joy ready to be driven on the road once more.
But, as viewers will witness tonight, the car's dilapidated condition after years of neglect had put the Mustang on the brink of being binned rather than salvaged.
Having been parked on grass under sodden sheets in John's garden in London for decades, the British weather took a significant toll on the car.
'It was no different to dredging it from a canal. A scrapyard wouldn't have wanted it - they want steel, and it was almost entirely rust. It was just brown with nothing to it at all,' explains Tim Shaw - the co-host of the show alongside mechanic Fuzz Townshend.
The car was returned to the colour it had left the factory in 1965 - a cherry red. Shelby-style racing stripes - in grey - were added, while the suspension, steering and brakes were all upgraded to make it easier - and better - for John to drive.
With the engine not started for 33 years, it had seized and deemed beyond repair. Fortunately, a new - larger - powerplant was sourced and upgraded with fuel injection to increase performance.
'Almost everything needing to be replaced,' Tim says. However, many of the component parts required reconditioning and retained in order for the car to legally keep its original identity.
Fortunately, Tim and Fuzz enlist the help of Sid, real name Nayan Patel, the owner of Sid's Paint Shop in the West Midlands which specialises in Ford Mustangs, to take on the bulk of the work.
The team had just 65 days to completely rebuild it before it was due to be revealed to John in front of a packed O2 Arena, London, at a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live event.
'This by far the worst car we have ever seen on Car SOS and the biggest restoration we've taken on to date, as well as the biggest risk and biggest reveal,' Tim tells us, estimating that around 1,700 man hours were spent sourcing, fabricating and reconditioning parts for John's much-loved Ford.
It also underwent some modernisation, including adding fuel injection, fitting wishbone suspension, replacing the old steering block for a more precise rack and installing disc brakes in place of the drums that the car left the factory with 58 years ago.
Making such wholesale changes to a car of this vintage might irk some enthusiasts and collectors, who will debate if a vehicle retains its originality with so many new parts.
Though there is one major change to John's Mustang that will do more than raise eyebrows among the classic-owning fraternity.
That's because Tim, Fuzz and Sid embarked on moving the steering wheel across the car to convert it into a right-hand drive.
'I doubled the workload for us because I had an idea because I have an opinion on left-hand-drive vehicles driven on our roads,' Tim explains.
'The UK is obsessed with keeping cars "factory" or "standard" while the rest of the world points and laughs at us in the face asking why don't we admit there is better engineering out there so that we can actually use it rather than leaving it in the garage and polishing it because you know truthfully that it doesn't drive well.'
Shaw, who owns a Mustang, went on: 'I've said it before and Fuzz said it after driving one on the show; a 1965 Fastback is one of the worst classic cars to drive - it's massively underpowered, the brakes are **** and it only wants to go in a straight line.
Most controversial of all was Car SOS's decision to convert John's classic Mustang from left to right-hand-drive. While collectors and enthusiasts will say this devalues the vehicle's classic credentials, Tim, Fuzz and John's family were adamant the Mustang should be something he could drive and enjoy for years to come.
As Tim points out, the decision went against what the UK Mustang owners club and classic car collectors recommend, with such significant adaptations to the Ford believed to be equivalent to 'burning money' but devaluing its originality.
We asked classic car experts at Hagerty UK about the impact of a vehicle's value when the steering wheel is moved across.
John Mayhead, editor of the Hagerty Price Guide, tells us: 'Everyone expects that a LHD to RHD conversion will reduce a classic car’s value, and in many cases that is correct. Lots of buyers really put a premium on originality, and swapping the steering wheel over can compromise the interior of a car and cause complications with steering, wiring and suspension.
'Some cars – like American muscle cars – are also supposed to be left-hand drive, and feel a bit odd if converted.
'That said, there can be good reasons for conversions and some cars seem to suit it, especially if the work was done in period.
'What Hagerty would say is that the quality of conversion is absolutely key. As a specialist classic car insurer, we need to know that the car continues to be safe and that the modification has been carried out properly.'
You can make your own mind up about whether converting from left to right-hand drive was the correct choice by watching the episode this evening.
But if you think that's bad there's always this........
And remember the bloke who sells these is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Not exactly pretty.
Or very useful.
The Citroen Ami is powered by an 8bhp motor fed by a 5.5kWh battery, giving it a range of up to 46 miles and a top speed of 28mph. A full charge takes three hours.
100 years later is there much of a change...
You get one for Christmas costs nothing to run and when you're fed up with it, you get............ new one for your Birthday.