Richard Hammond's Workshop (2021) s03e08 Episode Script
The End of the Road?
1
Here it comes. Here it comes!
Yeah!
60 grand just to finish a race.
Is it gonna be worth it?
You've loaned the company
£450,000 to date.
I feel like I've tied myself to it
for the next 10 years.
There was talk of a calendar
with leopards.
He told me to bring strawberries
and party hats.
That's an inflatable palm tree.
You're not gonna get Rich
doing this.
It just looks like a stag do
gone wrong.
Something works!
Two years ago, I set up
a classic car restoration business
with the Greenhouse family.
We can recover any vehicle.
Ohh!
Turning my passion into a successful
business with my family in tow
Toot-toot!
..hasn't exactly been plain sailing.
No, Mother. Sssh!
But things are finally on the up.
We've got work
How far do you want to go with it?
new staff
Ooh!
we are racing again
Never goes that quick
on the way to work!
and we're going international.
Merci, monsieur!
I just hope
I haven't taken on too much.
Aah!
I've got that "gone wrong" feeling.
The mood around here is,
let's say, melancholy,
now the racing has come to an end
for the year
and that was a hollow victory.
It's not filled with joy.
But I'm trying to stay positive.
That's a bit easier today,
because I've got a job coming in.
It's a double win,
because it's a Lamborghini,
everybody likes a Lamborghini,
it makes you happy
and we're charging it at
£95 an hour.
It's our first job
at the new grown-up rate,
which means there's a chance
Kamla will be pleased.
Just dropping it off in here?
I am, yeah.
How are you doing? You all right?
I've got a bit of a problem.
Have you? Just one?
Just one problem, yeah.
This air intake here.
I don't know whether it can be
repaired or not, really.
Plastic. It isn't carbon,
which is a good thing.
We can plastic-weld that.
The problem is, on a car like this,
everyone looks around it,
at all the detail and they always
focus on this.
How did that actually happen then?
Well
It was the wife.
Oh, was it? Yeah.
Failed to chock up the barn
doors on my garage as I drove out.
Totally blaming
the wife for it, then? I've got to.
I can't admit to it!
We'll get it sorted and get it back
to you, hopefully, by the end of
the week.
A Lamborghini Huracan.
I've never worked on one before.
I've never been in one.
I've never been near one.
We've got a ramp going into
our booth
and Huracans are very low
to the floor.
I don't want to even think about
scraping anything else on it.
So I'm thinking,
put it on our slopy trailer
and drive it straight into
the booth.
Right, who is gonna do what, then?
Do you want to drive it?
I don't think anyone wants
to drive it. A bit scary, innit?
I'm a bit of a big chunk
to get in this thing.
I'm not built for Italian supercars!
I'm more built for a massive
Ferguson tractor.
I think this is the most
expensive thing I've ever trailered.
Keep going. Keep going.
Keep going.
Ohh! Steady now.
Not scared at all, honest (!)
Keep going.
How much more?
There's loads.
I can't touch the floor, Flump.
Why?
It's either on or off.
Keep going.
Brrr!
Whoa! Right, you're good there.
This car is beautiful in every way,
but it's terrifying.
I'd better watch out for that
priceless Volvo.
This is good,
but the truth of it is,
it'll only be in the booth
a couple of hours.
And it's taking them longer
to get the car in.
And that time I can't charge for.
Keep it straight.
Keep going.
You all right?
It's weird to see him
like that. Ooh!
(CHUCKLES)
Please don't scratch it.
Just keep going back now.
Yeah, that's fine. You're clear.
It's great that he trusts us
to work on his precious car
and we'll do a good job,
but what we really need is
£95 and a restoration.
A slower job. Take our time.
That's where we are.
It's a lovely car to do.
It's great to have this sort of work
in, but this has got to be as good
as it would have been
from the factory.
Right, here comes
the nerve-racking bit.
About to start sanding £160,000,
£170,000's worth of Lamborghini.
When we first opened the workshop,
if an interesting car came in,
everyone would gather round.
Now a supercar comes in
and there's barely any reaction.
Where's the excitement?
Hello.
Hello.
Gardening again?
Yeah. Well, what are you doing?
Walking the dog and thinking.
Watch she doesn't go after the fox.
I will.
Right. Happy gardening.
Thank you.
Come on.
I think there's been quite
a lot of stress over the workshop.
It's become a more complicated
animal
than he perhaps appreciated
it would become.
It's great that, you know,
lots of people are
realising they do good work
and they're getting lots of jobs
in the book and all the rest of it.
I think the problem possibly is
it was, sort of, all a bit
All a bit through rose-coloured
spectacles.
Now they've become a bit murky.
And I think the reality is hitting.
It's as though the business of
the business is getting in the way
of what drove me to start it,
which is my love for cars
and the craftsmanship.
Some of the mojo has gone.
Sometimes, the atmosphere in the
workshop isn't what it should be,
which is, "We're working with
the greatest things in the world.
Classic cars, they're brilliant."
I need to find a way of
re-energising the whole enterprise.
What I need is a brilliant idea!
As simple as that. (LAUGHS)
CHRIS ON RADIO: "I feel like we've
been talking about"
Come here, quick. Our illustrious
leader is on the radio.
CHRIS: "..coming to CarFest, where
he'll help restore old cars"
Car Vest?
CarFest. Oh.
Festival. "I'm bringing the team."
CHRIS: "They're like the A-Team."
A-Team! A-Team.
"A is pushing it."
CHRIS: "(LAUGHS) G plus?"
G?
"OK, D." D? Did he say D?
The cheeky little shit.
I can't believe he said it.
Is that called upselling?
That's upselling.
Promoting himself with the D-Team?
He started off with the G-Team.
Yeah, G. "Looking forward to it."
Looks like we're going to
CarFest. Yeah. To work.
What exactly is CarFest?
Chris Evans does it, innit?
It's just a big car show,
but it's a music festival
at the same time.
Ever been to a festival?
Last festival I went to was
a harvest festival.
(CHUCKLES) He doesn't like us
sat around, does he? No. No.
CarFest is gonna be great.
I am sure the lads will be chuffed.
And Oliver, this little Opel Kadett
I drove across the spine of Africa
on Top Gear is the right car
to take.
It's a charity event.
It's the perfect event for Oliver.
It's a family thing.
Kids love it. Parents, too.
It's just right.
I don't want an aggressive supercar.
You want something fun
and cute and a bit quirky,
which is Oliver.
My only concern is he has been
out and about and been seen.
I feel like I need to do
something a bit more.
I don't know what yet.
We'll put our heads together.
Just need to dial it up.
Oh, here he is.
Chaps?
Hello.
What's all this? Dunno. Just trying
to work out what all this does.
This chisel is a bit blunt.
What's that for?
What's wrong with you? Problem is,
when you're the D-Team,
it's hard to work out
what all this does.
Oh. Oh.
This is the radio thing.
Calling your work colleague dunces!
Or whatever D stands for.
It was a bit of fun.
For thousands and thousands of
people to listen to?
I'm sorry. Have you got that
out of your system now?
Or is this funny joke gonna run
and run?
We're all going to CarFest
and we need to think of
some clever, cool things to do.
First clever idea,
get the kettle on!
I'll make you a cup of tea.
Coffee.
I'll make you a cup of coffee.
But we do have to start thinking of
clever ideas for things to do
at the show.
Got to be active.
We've got to grab people.
Take some crayons with us, perhaps?
Very funny. You're very funny men.
It's the watering thing
with the plug on it.
If I trust you with hot drinks.
CarFest, it's a family event,
but also, potentially,
30,000 customers.
Any ideas?
Yeah. A car wash.
We'd make a fortune. Naked?
You got a thing about being naked.
We need some skill in it,
but it's got to reward an audience
with a spectacle.
We could take the E-type and take
the rear suspension out of it,
the IRS and demonstrate that.
Put people to sleep, wouldn't it?
I've spent 10 years touring
a live show around the world
and we'd do stunts and stuff.
Take the MGB.
The Race Car? Yeah. And do what?
See who can do the quickest driver
change? Yeah, you could do that.
You can't just stand around saying,
"Look, we are The Smallest Cog."
We've got to put on a show.
A tea-drinking competition.
Drinking tea!
Yeah.
Not bad.
Up for that.
Neil?
Have you had any ideas for what
to do at CarFest,
to entertain the crowds?
These!
To the layman, it's just a spanner,
but it isn't just a spanner, is it?
You've got metric
These?
..an AF, a Whitworth.
I didn't
We need to amp it up a bit.
A family crowd. You know?
Ah.
You think lively
and I'll think lively.
Celebrity spanner?
Guess the spanner? OK.
There's more to be done.
Wouldn't get very far
without a spanner.
The world was built with spanners,
but nobody wants to know.
Yeah, OK, a work in progress.
The thing is, CarFest is coming up
pretty soon
and the organisers aren't
messing about.
I've been summoned to a meeting.
Normally, at shows,
I just rock up at a time
and here I am
and everything is done.
But, well, I'm involved this time,
aren't I?
Er Oh, hang on
Ah.
Hello, people in the CarFest world.
Hello.
Hi.
There's lots of you. Is this the
whole team? Or most of the team?
I'd say this is the core team,
that makes the dream happen.
They've got high-vis vests on,
so they do all the work.
They're building it all
themselves now. Yeah. Excellent.
So, erm, we've got a plan?
We have a plan.
The structure is now in place.
We've branded The Smallest Cog
restoration garage.
This is the mock-up workshop
we're gonna base ourselves in?
Yes, but there's lots of things
that, obviously,
we need to get done.
What's required from me?
Have you met our operations team?
They have forms for everything.
Oh
A risk assessment.
A fire-risk assessment,
your method statement,
your public liability and
employer's liability, please.
I've gone off the high-vis twins!
All online, which is even worse.
In terms of a risk assessment,
I haven't done a risk assessment.
What would you say is the highest
risk? A piano falling from the sky?
That's bad. I've seen it happen.
I have seen it happen.
Any power requirements?
Yeah, of course.
Let them know.
They have to order the power.
Do I have to fill out forms?
Yeah.
You have to order it.
OK.
So are we done?
For now.
Follow up with that paperwork.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you. Bye. Cheers, team.
Blimey.
They're building us
an entire workshop.
We have to come up with something
pretty spectacular
to match up to
their expectations here.
I've got the Lamborghini prepped up
now, so I'll pop the colour on.
The same colour code as on an Audi.
Believe it or not.
It's a bit awkward on that car.
Where the damage is,
it's quite difficult to get
a spray gun in there,
but there's ways we can do it.
Just crack on, get it painted,
give it back to him.
Come on, Soph.
What are they?
Put it down there.
I've got a good idea what they are.
Oi! Look what has arrived!
I'm hoping it's not what I think
it is, because I'm not ready
to see that yet.
Oh, my God.
Right, let's have a look.
Ohh! Look. Ohh!
Rich!
Come down here, mate, quick.
You'll love this.
Ohh!
That's me!
Oh, for crying out
This was an actual working day
in our workshop!
Which month is that?
April showers. April.
Look.
Right, it's April showers. I see.
(LAUGHTER)
What am I doing on it?
That didn't happen.
You were loving it.
So you're hoping
people are going to buy these?
Definitely.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, God.
I think he likes them.
Hello. Are you interested
in buying a car, by any chance?
Well, no. You see, there are certain
restrictions on my buying a car.
They're called Mindy and Kamla.
I'm going to show you. It's even
worse, if it's a car I want,
because then
I will guarantee,
you'll change your mind.
What is it?
Ohh!
Those came in an email?
Yeah.
Good grief.
South African import.
I'm interested.
Yeah. Get me the email.
Forward you the details over?
Please do.
That could be interesting.
That could be really interesting.
I am trying to suppress
immense excitement,
because I'm on my way
well, to look at a car, but,
if I'm honest, I'm going to buy it.
Right. OK.
Hello.
Richard!
Jay? Yes.
Mate, great to meet you. You, too.
I'm genuinely excited about this.
Let's have a look. I want to do it.
Give me one second.
(GASPS)
A girlfriend for Ollie!
She's very, very pretty.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm almost tearful.
It's absolutely superb.
Please, all yours.
Oh, look!
Oh, the little creature!
This is the little bit of work
you said Yes. Not a lot.
Oh, I'm so overwhelmed.
Can I?
All yours, sir.
What a lovely thing.
It's got a beautiful little history.
The paperwork from
the original owner in the 1960s.
We've got that.
Oh, I love paperwork.
Even his last pay packet is with it.
Can I start it?
Let me just connect the battery.
Very sensible. Very wise.
A little bit of choke, maybe?
I think she'll be all right,
actually.
(ENGINE STARTS)
There you go.
Just absolutely
dazzling.
It's very strange to be in a car
with which I am so familiar.
I'm besotted.
How do you like it?
You make me unbelievably happy.
I don't think I've ever seen
another one.
Finding these in a right-hand-drive,
as well. They're not around.
Nobody looked after them,
so they've all been beaten up
and abused and rusted away.
I'm glad she's going to a good home.
She'll be looked after, believe me.
If you'd rung me up and said,
"Richard, I've got
an original Testarossa"
and offered it to me at
a good price, that's just"Yeah."
This is so simple, but so beautiful.
(CHORTLES)
I can't tell you how rare
that little car is.
It might not be a Ferrari,
but there's none around.
And as I'm looking, I'm thinking,
I'm calling her Olivia. (GIGGLES)
Oliver and Olivia!
It's the perfect thing for CarFest.
Two really cute little cars.
One of which everybody has seen
and heard about.
The other of which is
his new girlfriend.
A worthy partner
for the legendary Oliver.
(HORN BEEPS)
Gentlemen!
What have you done?
(LAUGHS) No, I haven't painted
Oliver red!
That is Olivia!
How have you found another
Opel Kadett? Um, it found me.
So now there's two of these
in the country?
Yes. And you own both?
I own both.
Are we gonna nick some bits off that
for Oliver? No! Aaargh!
Oh, that was the button to press!
No. That is not only the most
beautiful and wondrous thing
I think I've ever seen, it's also
the answer to what do we do
at CarFest.
We're gonna have a workshop,
gonna do something.
I don't want us just standing there,
"Aren't we pretty?"
Let's have a think.
Let's come up with a plan.
I'll tell you what,
I've never seen another one.
A little love story.
I think it's great.
You've got Oliver and this is,
basically, what he's been looking
for all his life and it's there.
I'm not sure what Oliver will think,
but I'm well and truly smitten.
Neil
well
he's got his own passion project.
Hello, Neil.
Hiya, Paul. How are you?
Very good. Yourself?
How is the racing going?
It's going
OK-ish, it's OK.
So what are you after this time?
We've had some calendars made.
That time of year already, is it?
Well, it Basically, it is
to raise money
for this leopard enclosure, because
endangered leopards need our help.
What's on the calendar?
Don't want to spoil you.
But look at these.
Not like that film, is it?
Calendar Girls? No.
Not that sort of calendar. Open it.
Need to check, make sure
there's nothing risque.
We don't want nothing below
the waist. Easter, look.
Could do with some rabbits in here.
If I could leave half a dozen with
you? Put one in your window. Yeah.
As you're paying,
"Do you want a calendar?"
Yeah. Very good, indeed.
We can do that for you.
When Mindy come up with that idea,
that photo shoot
and the calendar, I thought, hm
But then, when it all came together,
I thought, "Do you know what?
They look really good."
It's a bit of fun
that's helping a serious cause.
Hello!
Hello.
Hello, there. Would it be possible,
to put some of those in your window
for us, please?
Certainly would.
Good afternoon. All right? I can see
you're very animal-friendly.
What we're asking is if somebody
could put that in their window,
so people could see it
and perhaps buy it.
I get the honour of putting this
here, then.
The thing is, ever since I've gone
into partnership with Richard,
everything has been
really out of my comfort zone.
Hello.
Hello, there. Um
You actually make rare leopards.
Yeah, we sell leopard print.
Oh, no, no. No. No.
No, no, I'm not here to buy No.
OK.
Look. Empty!
That's what I wanted.
All those calendars are now
put into shop windows down
Ledbury High Street.
The next time I come back,
hopefully, I should be full of cash.
Give it to Alan and get that
leopard enclosure built.
Ah, Olivia!
Oh. You all right?
This little car needs to be
our star turn at CarFest.
It's already pretty good,
but it needs to be amazing
to be Oliver's girlfriend.
Yeah.
I think we restore it
at the show.
What?
We arrive with Olivia in boxes,
the engine out, everything off.
Then, over the course of the show,
we reassemble the car, so that,
by the end of the show, as somebody
watching, as far as you're
concerned, you're restoring it.
How long have we got
to put it back together?
A couple of days or so.
Yeah, you could do that.
Bolting something back together,
that's OK,
but we're a restoration garage
and I would like
to show something on the bodywork
that actually shows something
happening and being restored.
The bodywork is fine. The only bit
of a problem was the bonnet,
which Andrew is, in fact, painting.
Yeah, but what we could do is
get some very, very fine sandpaper
and you rub off
the top layers of the paint.
Underneath that is good paint
that's never seen daylight.
What it actually does, in reality,
is it makes it look atrocious.
What you do then is you get
a different compound to polish.
You start off with the coarse
and go finer and finer
and you actually polish that
until it's like glass.
You can get it back?
Yeah. These old cars,
they used to fade and that's
what you used to do is cut
and polish them.
It's actually showing
something that's a bit retro.
So we can credibly say
that we are restoring this car?
Genuinely. Rebuilding it completely
and restoring the paint. Yes.
As long as the paint is
thick enough. Exactly.
That is
That is where it's tricky.
What if you can't make it
look really good again
and you've ruined my car?
That won't happen.
I don't think I can watch.
This is not an insignificant task
we've set ourselves here, because
it's going to be done in public.
By the end of it, we will be judged
by everybody there
on what they see in front of them.
If we don't pull it off,
we'll look like absolute muppets.
If it was a proper restoration, I'd
have said eight weeks for the work
and we've got to achieve
the same result in a couple of days.
It's a tall order.
But Just got to make sure we get
it back shiny again, otherwise
I could be looking for a new job.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Hello!
Hi, Rich.
Hello.
Is it OK if I go and put
the MGB Race Car back in the barn?
I suppose it's time, isn't it?
The end of the season.
Yeah. Put it away carefully.
I will do. Tuck it up.
All right.
Cheers, Rich.
(DOOR CLOSES)
It's kind of a moment, that, really.
And, truth be told, I don't know if
it's gonna be coming out again.
Very expensive.
Has it brought in much work?
No.
And it does get me shouted at
by Kamla a lot.
Maybe I'll think of something else.
It was fun, though.
My boyhood dream of being
a racing driver could be at an end.
That could be it.
We've had our highs.
We've had our lows.
But to finish 11th out of 48, fourth
in class, I'm going to end this year
on a massive high,
but I want the high to continue.
And I'm just hoping that I've done
enough to carry on, really.
It could be a sad day,
but, hopefully, it won't be
the last time we see Doris.
Good night, girl.
So we've taken the engine out.
It looks proper ratty
and the paintwork is now rough.
We've taken everything off
that's shiny and nice.
What we're showing is you could take
something that, to everybody else,
might look not worth bothering with
and then making it good again.
At the moment, she's Cinderella.
We're gonna get the glass slipper
and slip it on.
Oliver is gonna be thinking, "Ooh!
I'm punching above my weight here."
There's a lot of packing
going on here today,
me and the lads down there,
all ready for CarFest.
I'm excited about it, which is good.
I mean, it's my kind of environment.
A bit of media work.
(LAPTOP CHIMES)
Ooh. A bit of show stuff going on.
I'm doubly glad we're doing it,
because I'm gonna use
this CarFest experience
to really get some positivity going.
I've got business cards, as well.
For business.
So this is obviously it.
There we are. Look!
That's our workshop. Look at it.
Better than we've got at the garage!
Here. Can we take that building home
with us, when we've finished?
Might as well.
Want it in your garden? Yeah.
The cars have been delivered.
Hey, that's good, innit?
It's better than a gazebo.
Right, let's get
the car off the trailer.
Look at that.
The left hand down a little bit.
We are in. So
what I'm going to do now is leave
you to dress the set and finish it,
because I've got to go and do
some media stuff.
I'm gonna have to do a fair bit
of that during this show.
Richard is doing
his "TV personality" hobnobbing.
The terrible job that it is.
We wouldn't want to go having
all that champagne, salmon and
scrambled eggs for breakfast.
We'd be spoilt.
Be no good for us at all.
You know when we meet socially?
Yes.
I make a beeline for you. Yes.
Your company is excellent. Yeah.
And we're the same height!
That's exactly why I do it!
Pretty handy, him just scooting off
at this hour of the day.
Got work to do, you know.
He's got to talk about the stuff
that we're doing. Yeah.
And how hard we're working.
He's having a nice
He's having a coffee, probably.
Ah, mate. Jen, thank you.
This car on Sunday is gonna be
driven around that parade.
All the trim has got to go back in.
And the chrome. The engine is
in a crate over there.
I am just a bit worried.
There's a lot to do.
Got to start thinking about it.
I think we've got Chris Evans
coming here to kick us off.
Gonna be bedlam.
Everything is under control.
Why wouldn't it be?
Why wouldn't it be?
It'll be fine.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Chris Evans
is on our stand! (CHEERING)
So, before Chris does the countdown
and the kick-off to start the work,
remember, by Sunday afternoon,
Olivia has to look as splendid
as Oliver.
I'd like to introduce you to
the team that's gonna do it.
Gentlemen! The team!
So we have
Neil, Andrew and Isaac.
Come on, Flump! Come on, Flump.
Because I say WE are gonna do it.
THEY are gonna do it. Yeah.
You're helping.
Is there a chance?
Yeah.
No problem.
Neil?
Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
On that note, shall we get going?
Shall we do it?
Here we go. Ten
CROWD: Nine.
Eight. Seven. Six. Five.
ALL: Four. Three. Two. One!
Begin!
Go! Kettle on!
Go! Go!
Go!
(CHATTER) Oh, there we go.
Look at the elan with which
they start the project.
Athletes!
Have a break.
No. We've got to get cracking.
We've got to get on. Yeah, you have.
Are you more than willing
to give us a hand?
I'll be back in a minute.
(LAUGHTER)
Come on, Rich.
The bar is open!
It was nice to have Chris come
and set us off.
Although it wasn't exactly
a Le Mans start. They haven't
sprinted into action.
Sorry. (LAUGHS)
Andrew!
We've got to build the car.
I'll be two minutes.
It's got to drive around on Sunday.
It will be all right.
This is just exactly like being in
the workshop.
Literally,
no-one here working but me.
"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail."
We've not failed yet.
There's still time for us to fail.
Kind of hope they get it done.
They are mostly arguing.
If that ain't done tomorrow,
you do realise
They're trying to argue
the car into being restored.
Get on with it!
Well said that man.
Oh, here we go. It's all started
now. It's kicked off.
Now there is only one of them
on the stage!
Where has Isaac gone now?
What are you doing?
I'm trying to organise you.
I'm like a sheepdog!
You're right there.
Got plenty of bark.
Oh, my God!
It's all going terribly wrong!
Oh, God!
Come on, come on!
We're off! Well, sort of.
The plan is to get Olivia running
again by the end of the day
and then concentrate on rebuilding
the rest of her tomorrow.
Right, are we ready for engine in?
Yeah, I think we are. OK.
I'm gonna try and get a little
crowd. I want us to be slick.
Ish.
Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to The Smallest Cog stand.
Their job within the next 20 minutes
is to get the engine in the car
and running.
Nice and steady. This is the
critical bit in the heart
transplant. The heart is going in.
OK?
That's quite interesting.
Look, people are watching.
Down a bit.
Right, you've just got to go back.
Is it being stubborn, Neil?
Yes, it's a bit of a juggling,
fiddly, twiddling act to get it in.
It's got to drop over
the crossmember.
At the same time,
it's got to go in a hole and locate.
Come on, girl.
Stop being a pig.
Waggle, wiggle, waggle.
Nerves are getting frayed.
We're trying to do it for the crowd
to see the engine going,
but, more to the point,
we've got to finish the car.
Thank you for sticking with us.
Would also be quite good if Neil
would hitch his trousers properly.
I'm not sure anybody wants
to see that.
Say when.
Go!
There it goes.
Ooh.
That's in.
Oh, that is it. Oh, well done.
That did not want to go in, did it?
Thank God for that.
It's a bit worrying
when you've got a crowd of people.
We are only minutes away from
firing up Olivia,
which will be quite exciting.
Got the key?
No.
Andrew?
No, I've not got the keys.
Seriously? Are you joking?
Tell me we've got the keys.
What are these, Neil?
(LAUGHS) What?
In your back pocket!
Come on, let's try it.
Come on!
Did that fire?
It's being temperamental.
It's OK. It'll go now. Will it?
(ENGINE FAILS TO START)
Got any fuel there?
I can smell fuel.
Oh, the other wire!
Ah, no wonder.
Nothing to see!
(LAUGHTER)
(ENGINE STARTS)
Ohh!
(CHEERING)
Only an hour over time! All we've
got to do now is finish the car.
By tomorrow afternoon, we'll be
driving them,
in tandem, around the track.
Well done for sticking with it.
Yet again, in the last minutes
of desperation,
we've managed to crawl out of
the swamp!
That was exciting. That didn't go
exactly to plan, did it?
Everything going wrong.
It was going wrong.
In the workshop, you haven't got
people watching you.
At least we got it going. I was
worried there was gonna be
something missing.
We haven't finished yet!
No, no. We're not there yet.
This one is me.
Nice, isn't it?
Go on, let's have a look.
Ta-da!
Can we come in?
Yes, come in. Enter! I can't
remember where the lights are.
There you go.
Well done. Thank you.
Welcome to chez moi. My little
kitchen. A bedroom down there.
Not gonna do a tour.
You don't need to worry about it
so much. Why?
Well, I could only get one of these.
But I've got an alternative
that is just like this one,
but in a different campsite.
Can I stay in that single bed?
No. That's where I put my suitcase.
Go and have a look. A good night's
sleep. That's the thing.
Here she is.
Hm
(LAUGHS) Ah, you're gonna love this.
Have the links stay in that.
There's beds overlapping beds here.
It's not exactly
an Airstream, is it?
This is not quite
what Richard has got, is it?
At a bit of an angle.
I'm gonna have my feet hanging out!
It'll be all right. We've got to
make the most of what we've got.
The thing we've got better than
Richard is three double beds.
Yeah, we've got it better than him.
Hang on a minute.
This is going down!
Only joking!
Anthony! What? You're young and
nimble. Can we swap beds? No.
You ain't gonna be the one
sleeping on a mole hill!
You're right. I'm not!
(LAUGHTER)
Night-night, Cogs.
Busy day tomorrow.
A couple of things on my mind.
The show opens in about 20 minutes
and Olivia is very much
not a car yet.
Andrew, however, is feeling really
unwell. He's had to go home.
So we're a man down
and we've got to get that car ready
to drive around the track
this afternoon.
Any of you mechanics? Anybody?
Stig!
Can you fit this gearbox?
That's what we need.
An ace card. We ain't got one.
Where's the grille?
I've got it.
Reality check now.
It's 10 o'clock.
In a couple of hours,
this car has got to be driving
around the track with Richard in it.
Where have you been?
Where have I been?
On a recruitment drive,
trying to get some staff.
Why have you got a coffee?
This isn't This isn't
Where's mine?
Have you finished that?
No, I've been working.
If you stop talking to me, you'll
get it done. Good lad. Carry on.
How's it going, Anthony?
Oh, starting on you now.
If you ignore him, he'll crack on.
While the boys rush to finish
the rebuild,
Neil is about to find out
if his plan of carefully
polishing up
an underlying layer of paint
to make Olivia look beautiful
will work.
You can see the difference, where
this has been rough
and we can get it as good as this.
Look at that. That's pride, that is.
If you want a sense of achievement,
polish a car,
that's exactly what it is.
With the lads hard at it, there's
no point in my getting in their way.
This is nice. A mobile car show.
Parade and pass you.
You don't have to go anywhere.
The thing is now, we've got to be
on that track in less than an hour
and the car is not finished.
Richard has gone
missing in action again.
The thing is, it's been
He's literally taking the mick now.
Ohh! These are lovely.
They're so pretty.
A scallop side on them.
De Tomaso Pantera.
American engine, Italian car.
Need to get these chromes on
this side. Get the boys on the back.
Get the wheels back on it.
Got a lot to do.
It's just life. Life is life
and we've got to put up with it.
I get the sense I probably should
return and see how
the guys are doing.
We've got as far as
we can get up to now.
We've got Chris Evans coming
in a minute.
So I'm gonna get Chris
to have a go at that wing.
We'll have a comparison. See if
their work is as good as ours.
Ladies and gentlemen, in a final
sprint for the finish line,
we need all hands on deck,
so we are bringing in
our new apprentices.
If you'd like to join us, please.
They are Chris Evans
and the legend that is Noah.
Come on, both of you.
Our apprentices!
Sorry, everyone. He's all right.
It's me you need to worry about!
This is the critical bit
to be finished.
You've got to get that
looking like that.
Neil, talk them through
what they've got to do.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Morning, Neil.
Take control of that.
If you feel brave enough.
You just volunteered the boy.
And he just steps forward,
"Yeah, all right."
Are you gonna be all right?
It's clever. He knows that,
if I mess it up, it's not his fault.
(LAUGHTER)
Sssh! He's too clever. No pressure.
That's actually taking that nasty,
horrible layer of grey off.
Perfect. Well done.
Do you fancy a go with
the polish machine, sir?
Do I fancy a go?
Yes, I do, actually.
Yeah? OK.
(LAUGHTER)
This bit can go spectacularly wrong!
The trick is to keep it moving.
Yeah. That's a key piece of
information.
If you leave it in one place
too long, you'll ruin it.
It's a bit like a hedge-trimmer,
isn't it?
Nothing whatsoever
like a hedge-trimmer!
(LAUGHTER)
BOTH: Phew!
Oh, look at that! Look at that.
You did the hard bit, by the way.
He's taking all the glory.
But that's life.
Have you met your dad?
Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
We'll see you around.
Enjoy the rest of CarFest.
It's a spectacular event. Enjoy it.
I reckon he's done it before.
He's good, though.
If ever he got bored of that
entertainment job,
he could always take up a bit of
detailing and make a few quid.
What do you think?
Doesn't it look nice in the sun?
It looks superb, lads.
Right down to the wire, literally.
That really was close to the wire.
This is the first time they've been
out together. Don't they look cute?
Yeah. I think it's fantastic.
I'm blown away.
Right, let's do it.
What do you think Oliver thinks of
her? He probably rather likes her.
(GIGGLES) She's his scarlet lady!
The brakes feel a bit odd.
Let's just hope it gets
all the way round.
This is Olivia.
This is Olivia. Isn't she great?
What is it gonna be like, then,
to drive?
I mean, you know what
Oliver is like.
Well, I should warn you, these two
cars between them struggle to make
80 horsepower.
I am gonna try and light it up.
Oh.
But I wouldn't hold your breath!
(LAUGHS) Well, enjoy! Good luck with
the first ever spin, then,
for the new girlfriend for Oliver.
And away Richard Hammond goes!
Ha ha! It did a bit.
It did it, it did it.
It did it, it did it.
That's crazy.
That's as much as I've got!
Yeah-hey! Hello!
(CHEERING)
It does roll a bit
through the corners.
Hold on.
The least powerful cars to go
around this track all festival.
Well, that was brilliant.
Mate, well done. You did it!
Well done to the team.
We got it. Well done.
Well done, you.
Congratulations.
Do you know what? That worked.
Actually, it did.
Didn't it? It really did. Yeah.
My first ever festival.
Yes. I wanted to come onto this.
And I've heard reports now.
Has he been raving?
He was actually at the front of
a mosh pit.
He's just a festival-going hippie.
I really like the vibe here.
He'll be off
to have dreadlocks fitted!
I think
(LAUGHS)
That was great fun,
spending time around
amazing cars and their owners.
The enthusiasm in the air.
And it's really reminded me
why I set up The Smallest Cog
in the first place,
which was to be a workshop,
carrying out beautiful,
ground-up, full restorations.
Three years in now
and we're not getting those jobs.
It could be the way the Cogs run.
Let's be honest, I'm not the best
manager in the world and probably
never will be.
But I am gonna have to do something,
if I'm gonna turn this into
the business I set out to build.
I think there might be a bit of
a shake-up coming.
Here it comes. Here it comes!
Yeah!
60 grand just to finish a race.
Is it gonna be worth it?
You've loaned the company
£450,000 to date.
I feel like I've tied myself to it
for the next 10 years.
There was talk of a calendar
with leopards.
He told me to bring strawberries
and party hats.
That's an inflatable palm tree.
You're not gonna get Rich
doing this.
It just looks like a stag do
gone wrong.
Something works!
Two years ago, I set up
a classic car restoration business
with the Greenhouse family.
We can recover any vehicle.
Ohh!
Turning my passion into a successful
business with my family in tow
Toot-toot!
..hasn't exactly been plain sailing.
No, Mother. Sssh!
But things are finally on the up.
We've got work
How far do you want to go with it?
new staff
Ooh!
we are racing again
Never goes that quick
on the way to work!
and we're going international.
Merci, monsieur!
I just hope
I haven't taken on too much.
Aah!
I've got that "gone wrong" feeling.
The mood around here is,
let's say, melancholy,
now the racing has come to an end
for the year
and that was a hollow victory.
It's not filled with joy.
But I'm trying to stay positive.
That's a bit easier today,
because I've got a job coming in.
It's a double win,
because it's a Lamborghini,
everybody likes a Lamborghini,
it makes you happy
and we're charging it at
£95 an hour.
It's our first job
at the new grown-up rate,
which means there's a chance
Kamla will be pleased.
Just dropping it off in here?
I am, yeah.
How are you doing? You all right?
I've got a bit of a problem.
Have you? Just one?
Just one problem, yeah.
This air intake here.
I don't know whether it can be
repaired or not, really.
Plastic. It isn't carbon,
which is a good thing.
We can plastic-weld that.
The problem is, on a car like this,
everyone looks around it,
at all the detail and they always
focus on this.
How did that actually happen then?
Well
It was the wife.
Oh, was it? Yeah.
Failed to chock up the barn
doors on my garage as I drove out.
Totally blaming
the wife for it, then? I've got to.
I can't admit to it!
We'll get it sorted and get it back
to you, hopefully, by the end of
the week.
A Lamborghini Huracan.
I've never worked on one before.
I've never been in one.
I've never been near one.
We've got a ramp going into
our booth
and Huracans are very low
to the floor.
I don't want to even think about
scraping anything else on it.
So I'm thinking,
put it on our slopy trailer
and drive it straight into
the booth.
Right, who is gonna do what, then?
Do you want to drive it?
I don't think anyone wants
to drive it. A bit scary, innit?
I'm a bit of a big chunk
to get in this thing.
I'm not built for Italian supercars!
I'm more built for a massive
Ferguson tractor.
I think this is the most
expensive thing I've ever trailered.
Keep going. Keep going.
Keep going.
Ohh! Steady now.
Not scared at all, honest (!)
Keep going.
How much more?
There's loads.
I can't touch the floor, Flump.
Why?
It's either on or off.
Keep going.
Brrr!
Whoa! Right, you're good there.
This car is beautiful in every way,
but it's terrifying.
I'd better watch out for that
priceless Volvo.
This is good,
but the truth of it is,
it'll only be in the booth
a couple of hours.
And it's taking them longer
to get the car in.
And that time I can't charge for.
Keep it straight.
Keep going.
You all right?
It's weird to see him
like that. Ooh!
(CHUCKLES)
Please don't scratch it.
Just keep going back now.
Yeah, that's fine. You're clear.
It's great that he trusts us
to work on his precious car
and we'll do a good job,
but what we really need is
£95 and a restoration.
A slower job. Take our time.
That's where we are.
It's a lovely car to do.
It's great to have this sort of work
in, but this has got to be as good
as it would have been
from the factory.
Right, here comes
the nerve-racking bit.
About to start sanding £160,000,
£170,000's worth of Lamborghini.
When we first opened the workshop,
if an interesting car came in,
everyone would gather round.
Now a supercar comes in
and there's barely any reaction.
Where's the excitement?
Hello.
Hello.
Gardening again?
Yeah. Well, what are you doing?
Walking the dog and thinking.
Watch she doesn't go after the fox.
I will.
Right. Happy gardening.
Thank you.
Come on.
I think there's been quite
a lot of stress over the workshop.
It's become a more complicated
animal
than he perhaps appreciated
it would become.
It's great that, you know,
lots of people are
realising they do good work
and they're getting lots of jobs
in the book and all the rest of it.
I think the problem possibly is
it was, sort of, all a bit
All a bit through rose-coloured
spectacles.
Now they've become a bit murky.
And I think the reality is hitting.
It's as though the business of
the business is getting in the way
of what drove me to start it,
which is my love for cars
and the craftsmanship.
Some of the mojo has gone.
Sometimes, the atmosphere in the
workshop isn't what it should be,
which is, "We're working with
the greatest things in the world.
Classic cars, they're brilliant."
I need to find a way of
re-energising the whole enterprise.
What I need is a brilliant idea!
As simple as that. (LAUGHS)
CHRIS ON RADIO: "I feel like we've
been talking about"
Come here, quick. Our illustrious
leader is on the radio.
CHRIS: "..coming to CarFest, where
he'll help restore old cars"
Car Vest?
CarFest. Oh.
Festival. "I'm bringing the team."
CHRIS: "They're like the A-Team."
A-Team! A-Team.
"A is pushing it."
CHRIS: "(LAUGHS) G plus?"
G?
"OK, D." D? Did he say D?
The cheeky little shit.
I can't believe he said it.
Is that called upselling?
That's upselling.
Promoting himself with the D-Team?
He started off with the G-Team.
Yeah, G. "Looking forward to it."
Looks like we're going to
CarFest. Yeah. To work.
What exactly is CarFest?
Chris Evans does it, innit?
It's just a big car show,
but it's a music festival
at the same time.
Ever been to a festival?
Last festival I went to was
a harvest festival.
(CHUCKLES) He doesn't like us
sat around, does he? No. No.
CarFest is gonna be great.
I am sure the lads will be chuffed.
And Oliver, this little Opel Kadett
I drove across the spine of Africa
on Top Gear is the right car
to take.
It's a charity event.
It's the perfect event for Oliver.
It's a family thing.
Kids love it. Parents, too.
It's just right.
I don't want an aggressive supercar.
You want something fun
and cute and a bit quirky,
which is Oliver.
My only concern is he has been
out and about and been seen.
I feel like I need to do
something a bit more.
I don't know what yet.
We'll put our heads together.
Just need to dial it up.
Oh, here he is.
Chaps?
Hello.
What's all this? Dunno. Just trying
to work out what all this does.
This chisel is a bit blunt.
What's that for?
What's wrong with you? Problem is,
when you're the D-Team,
it's hard to work out
what all this does.
Oh. Oh.
This is the radio thing.
Calling your work colleague dunces!
Or whatever D stands for.
It was a bit of fun.
For thousands and thousands of
people to listen to?
I'm sorry. Have you got that
out of your system now?
Or is this funny joke gonna run
and run?
We're all going to CarFest
and we need to think of
some clever, cool things to do.
First clever idea,
get the kettle on!
I'll make you a cup of tea.
Coffee.
I'll make you a cup of coffee.
But we do have to start thinking of
clever ideas for things to do
at the show.
Got to be active.
We've got to grab people.
Take some crayons with us, perhaps?
Very funny. You're very funny men.
It's the watering thing
with the plug on it.
If I trust you with hot drinks.
CarFest, it's a family event,
but also, potentially,
30,000 customers.
Any ideas?
Yeah. A car wash.
We'd make a fortune. Naked?
You got a thing about being naked.
We need some skill in it,
but it's got to reward an audience
with a spectacle.
We could take the E-type and take
the rear suspension out of it,
the IRS and demonstrate that.
Put people to sleep, wouldn't it?
I've spent 10 years touring
a live show around the world
and we'd do stunts and stuff.
Take the MGB.
The Race Car? Yeah. And do what?
See who can do the quickest driver
change? Yeah, you could do that.
You can't just stand around saying,
"Look, we are The Smallest Cog."
We've got to put on a show.
A tea-drinking competition.
Drinking tea!
Yeah.
Not bad.
Up for that.
Neil?
Have you had any ideas for what
to do at CarFest,
to entertain the crowds?
These!
To the layman, it's just a spanner,
but it isn't just a spanner, is it?
You've got metric
These?
..an AF, a Whitworth.
I didn't
We need to amp it up a bit.
A family crowd. You know?
Ah.
You think lively
and I'll think lively.
Celebrity spanner?
Guess the spanner? OK.
There's more to be done.
Wouldn't get very far
without a spanner.
The world was built with spanners,
but nobody wants to know.
Yeah, OK, a work in progress.
The thing is, CarFest is coming up
pretty soon
and the organisers aren't
messing about.
I've been summoned to a meeting.
Normally, at shows,
I just rock up at a time
and here I am
and everything is done.
But, well, I'm involved this time,
aren't I?
Er Oh, hang on
Ah.
Hello, people in the CarFest world.
Hello.
Hi.
There's lots of you. Is this the
whole team? Or most of the team?
I'd say this is the core team,
that makes the dream happen.
They've got high-vis vests on,
so they do all the work.
They're building it all
themselves now. Yeah. Excellent.
So, erm, we've got a plan?
We have a plan.
The structure is now in place.
We've branded The Smallest Cog
restoration garage.
This is the mock-up workshop
we're gonna base ourselves in?
Yes, but there's lots of things
that, obviously,
we need to get done.
What's required from me?
Have you met our operations team?
They have forms for everything.
Oh
A risk assessment.
A fire-risk assessment,
your method statement,
your public liability and
employer's liability, please.
I've gone off the high-vis twins!
All online, which is even worse.
In terms of a risk assessment,
I haven't done a risk assessment.
What would you say is the highest
risk? A piano falling from the sky?
That's bad. I've seen it happen.
I have seen it happen.
Any power requirements?
Yeah, of course.
Let them know.
They have to order the power.
Do I have to fill out forms?
Yeah.
You have to order it.
OK.
So are we done?
For now.
Follow up with that paperwork.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you. Bye. Cheers, team.
Blimey.
They're building us
an entire workshop.
We have to come up with something
pretty spectacular
to match up to
their expectations here.
I've got the Lamborghini prepped up
now, so I'll pop the colour on.
The same colour code as on an Audi.
Believe it or not.
It's a bit awkward on that car.
Where the damage is,
it's quite difficult to get
a spray gun in there,
but there's ways we can do it.
Just crack on, get it painted,
give it back to him.
Come on, Soph.
What are they?
Put it down there.
I've got a good idea what they are.
Oi! Look what has arrived!
I'm hoping it's not what I think
it is, because I'm not ready
to see that yet.
Oh, my God.
Right, let's have a look.
Ohh! Look. Ohh!
Rich!
Come down here, mate, quick.
You'll love this.
Ohh!
That's me!
Oh, for crying out
This was an actual working day
in our workshop!
Which month is that?
April showers. April.
Look.
Right, it's April showers. I see.
(LAUGHTER)
What am I doing on it?
That didn't happen.
You were loving it.
So you're hoping
people are going to buy these?
Definitely.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, God.
I think he likes them.
Hello. Are you interested
in buying a car, by any chance?
Well, no. You see, there are certain
restrictions on my buying a car.
They're called Mindy and Kamla.
I'm going to show you. It's even
worse, if it's a car I want,
because then
I will guarantee,
you'll change your mind.
What is it?
Ohh!
Those came in an email?
Yeah.
Good grief.
South African import.
I'm interested.
Yeah. Get me the email.
Forward you the details over?
Please do.
That could be interesting.
That could be really interesting.
I am trying to suppress
immense excitement,
because I'm on my way
well, to look at a car, but,
if I'm honest, I'm going to buy it.
Right. OK.
Hello.
Richard!
Jay? Yes.
Mate, great to meet you. You, too.
I'm genuinely excited about this.
Let's have a look. I want to do it.
Give me one second.
(GASPS)
A girlfriend for Ollie!
She's very, very pretty.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm almost tearful.
It's absolutely superb.
Please, all yours.
Oh, look!
Oh, the little creature!
This is the little bit of work
you said Yes. Not a lot.
Oh, I'm so overwhelmed.
Can I?
All yours, sir.
What a lovely thing.
It's got a beautiful little history.
The paperwork from
the original owner in the 1960s.
We've got that.
Oh, I love paperwork.
Even his last pay packet is with it.
Can I start it?
Let me just connect the battery.
Very sensible. Very wise.
A little bit of choke, maybe?
I think she'll be all right,
actually.
(ENGINE STARTS)
There you go.
Just absolutely
dazzling.
It's very strange to be in a car
with which I am so familiar.
I'm besotted.
How do you like it?
You make me unbelievably happy.
I don't think I've ever seen
another one.
Finding these in a right-hand-drive,
as well. They're not around.
Nobody looked after them,
so they've all been beaten up
and abused and rusted away.
I'm glad she's going to a good home.
She'll be looked after, believe me.
If you'd rung me up and said,
"Richard, I've got
an original Testarossa"
and offered it to me at
a good price, that's just"Yeah."
This is so simple, but so beautiful.
(CHORTLES)
I can't tell you how rare
that little car is.
It might not be a Ferrari,
but there's none around.
And as I'm looking, I'm thinking,
I'm calling her Olivia. (GIGGLES)
Oliver and Olivia!
It's the perfect thing for CarFest.
Two really cute little cars.
One of which everybody has seen
and heard about.
The other of which is
his new girlfriend.
A worthy partner
for the legendary Oliver.
(HORN BEEPS)
Gentlemen!
What have you done?
(LAUGHS) No, I haven't painted
Oliver red!
That is Olivia!
How have you found another
Opel Kadett? Um, it found me.
So now there's two of these
in the country?
Yes. And you own both?
I own both.
Are we gonna nick some bits off that
for Oliver? No! Aaargh!
Oh, that was the button to press!
No. That is not only the most
beautiful and wondrous thing
I think I've ever seen, it's also
the answer to what do we do
at CarFest.
We're gonna have a workshop,
gonna do something.
I don't want us just standing there,
"Aren't we pretty?"
Let's have a think.
Let's come up with a plan.
I'll tell you what,
I've never seen another one.
A little love story.
I think it's great.
You've got Oliver and this is,
basically, what he's been looking
for all his life and it's there.
I'm not sure what Oliver will think,
but I'm well and truly smitten.
Neil
well
he's got his own passion project.
Hello, Neil.
Hiya, Paul. How are you?
Very good. Yourself?
How is the racing going?
It's going
OK-ish, it's OK.
So what are you after this time?
We've had some calendars made.
That time of year already, is it?
Well, it Basically, it is
to raise money
for this leopard enclosure, because
endangered leopards need our help.
What's on the calendar?
Don't want to spoil you.
But look at these.
Not like that film, is it?
Calendar Girls? No.
Not that sort of calendar. Open it.
Need to check, make sure
there's nothing risque.
We don't want nothing below
the waist. Easter, look.
Could do with some rabbits in here.
If I could leave half a dozen with
you? Put one in your window. Yeah.
As you're paying,
"Do you want a calendar?"
Yeah. Very good, indeed.
We can do that for you.
When Mindy come up with that idea,
that photo shoot
and the calendar, I thought, hm
But then, when it all came together,
I thought, "Do you know what?
They look really good."
It's a bit of fun
that's helping a serious cause.
Hello!
Hello.
Hello, there. Would it be possible,
to put some of those in your window
for us, please?
Certainly would.
Good afternoon. All right? I can see
you're very animal-friendly.
What we're asking is if somebody
could put that in their window,
so people could see it
and perhaps buy it.
I get the honour of putting this
here, then.
The thing is, ever since I've gone
into partnership with Richard,
everything has been
really out of my comfort zone.
Hello.
Hello, there. Um
You actually make rare leopards.
Yeah, we sell leopard print.
Oh, no, no. No. No.
No, no, I'm not here to buy No.
OK.
Look. Empty!
That's what I wanted.
All those calendars are now
put into shop windows down
Ledbury High Street.
The next time I come back,
hopefully, I should be full of cash.
Give it to Alan and get that
leopard enclosure built.
Ah, Olivia!
Oh. You all right?
This little car needs to be
our star turn at CarFest.
It's already pretty good,
but it needs to be amazing
to be Oliver's girlfriend.
Yeah.
I think we restore it
at the show.
What?
We arrive with Olivia in boxes,
the engine out, everything off.
Then, over the course of the show,
we reassemble the car, so that,
by the end of the show, as somebody
watching, as far as you're
concerned, you're restoring it.
How long have we got
to put it back together?
A couple of days or so.
Yeah, you could do that.
Bolting something back together,
that's OK,
but we're a restoration garage
and I would like
to show something on the bodywork
that actually shows something
happening and being restored.
The bodywork is fine. The only bit
of a problem was the bonnet,
which Andrew is, in fact, painting.
Yeah, but what we could do is
get some very, very fine sandpaper
and you rub off
the top layers of the paint.
Underneath that is good paint
that's never seen daylight.
What it actually does, in reality,
is it makes it look atrocious.
What you do then is you get
a different compound to polish.
You start off with the coarse
and go finer and finer
and you actually polish that
until it's like glass.
You can get it back?
Yeah. These old cars,
they used to fade and that's
what you used to do is cut
and polish them.
It's actually showing
something that's a bit retro.
So we can credibly say
that we are restoring this car?
Genuinely. Rebuilding it completely
and restoring the paint. Yes.
As long as the paint is
thick enough. Exactly.
That is
That is where it's tricky.
What if you can't make it
look really good again
and you've ruined my car?
That won't happen.
I don't think I can watch.
This is not an insignificant task
we've set ourselves here, because
it's going to be done in public.
By the end of it, we will be judged
by everybody there
on what they see in front of them.
If we don't pull it off,
we'll look like absolute muppets.
If it was a proper restoration, I'd
have said eight weeks for the work
and we've got to achieve
the same result in a couple of days.
It's a tall order.
But Just got to make sure we get
it back shiny again, otherwise
I could be looking for a new job.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Hello!
Hi, Rich.
Hello.
Is it OK if I go and put
the MGB Race Car back in the barn?
I suppose it's time, isn't it?
The end of the season.
Yeah. Put it away carefully.
I will do. Tuck it up.
All right.
Cheers, Rich.
(DOOR CLOSES)
It's kind of a moment, that, really.
And, truth be told, I don't know if
it's gonna be coming out again.
Very expensive.
Has it brought in much work?
No.
And it does get me shouted at
by Kamla a lot.
Maybe I'll think of something else.
It was fun, though.
My boyhood dream of being
a racing driver could be at an end.
That could be it.
We've had our highs.
We've had our lows.
But to finish 11th out of 48, fourth
in class, I'm going to end this year
on a massive high,
but I want the high to continue.
And I'm just hoping that I've done
enough to carry on, really.
It could be a sad day,
but, hopefully, it won't be
the last time we see Doris.
Good night, girl.
So we've taken the engine out.
It looks proper ratty
and the paintwork is now rough.
We've taken everything off
that's shiny and nice.
What we're showing is you could take
something that, to everybody else,
might look not worth bothering with
and then making it good again.
At the moment, she's Cinderella.
We're gonna get the glass slipper
and slip it on.
Oliver is gonna be thinking, "Ooh!
I'm punching above my weight here."
There's a lot of packing
going on here today,
me and the lads down there,
all ready for CarFest.
I'm excited about it, which is good.
I mean, it's my kind of environment.
A bit of media work.
(LAPTOP CHIMES)
Ooh. A bit of show stuff going on.
I'm doubly glad we're doing it,
because I'm gonna use
this CarFest experience
to really get some positivity going.
I've got business cards, as well.
For business.
So this is obviously it.
There we are. Look!
That's our workshop. Look at it.
Better than we've got at the garage!
Here. Can we take that building home
with us, when we've finished?
Might as well.
Want it in your garden? Yeah.
The cars have been delivered.
Hey, that's good, innit?
It's better than a gazebo.
Right, let's get
the car off the trailer.
Look at that.
The left hand down a little bit.
We are in. So
what I'm going to do now is leave
you to dress the set and finish it,
because I've got to go and do
some media stuff.
I'm gonna have to do a fair bit
of that during this show.
Richard is doing
his "TV personality" hobnobbing.
The terrible job that it is.
We wouldn't want to go having
all that champagne, salmon and
scrambled eggs for breakfast.
We'd be spoilt.
Be no good for us at all.
You know when we meet socially?
Yes.
I make a beeline for you. Yes.
Your company is excellent. Yeah.
And we're the same height!
That's exactly why I do it!
Pretty handy, him just scooting off
at this hour of the day.
Got work to do, you know.
He's got to talk about the stuff
that we're doing. Yeah.
And how hard we're working.
He's having a nice
He's having a coffee, probably.
Ah, mate. Jen, thank you.
This car on Sunday is gonna be
driven around that parade.
All the trim has got to go back in.
And the chrome. The engine is
in a crate over there.
I am just a bit worried.
There's a lot to do.
Got to start thinking about it.
I think we've got Chris Evans
coming here to kick us off.
Gonna be bedlam.
Everything is under control.
Why wouldn't it be?
Why wouldn't it be?
It'll be fine.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Chris Evans
is on our stand! (CHEERING)
So, before Chris does the countdown
and the kick-off to start the work,
remember, by Sunday afternoon,
Olivia has to look as splendid
as Oliver.
I'd like to introduce you to
the team that's gonna do it.
Gentlemen! The team!
So we have
Neil, Andrew and Isaac.
Come on, Flump! Come on, Flump.
Because I say WE are gonna do it.
THEY are gonna do it. Yeah.
You're helping.
Is there a chance?
Yeah.
No problem.
Neil?
Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
On that note, shall we get going?
Shall we do it?
Here we go. Ten
CROWD: Nine.
Eight. Seven. Six. Five.
ALL: Four. Three. Two. One!
Begin!
Go! Kettle on!
Go! Go!
Go!
(CHATTER) Oh, there we go.
Look at the elan with which
they start the project.
Athletes!
Have a break.
No. We've got to get cracking.
We've got to get on. Yeah, you have.
Are you more than willing
to give us a hand?
I'll be back in a minute.
(LAUGHTER)
Come on, Rich.
The bar is open!
It was nice to have Chris come
and set us off.
Although it wasn't exactly
a Le Mans start. They haven't
sprinted into action.
Sorry. (LAUGHS)
Andrew!
We've got to build the car.
I'll be two minutes.
It's got to drive around on Sunday.
It will be all right.
This is just exactly like being in
the workshop.
Literally,
no-one here working but me.
"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail."
We've not failed yet.
There's still time for us to fail.
Kind of hope they get it done.
They are mostly arguing.
If that ain't done tomorrow,
you do realise
They're trying to argue
the car into being restored.
Get on with it!
Well said that man.
Oh, here we go. It's all started
now. It's kicked off.
Now there is only one of them
on the stage!
Where has Isaac gone now?
What are you doing?
I'm trying to organise you.
I'm like a sheepdog!
You're right there.
Got plenty of bark.
Oh, my God!
It's all going terribly wrong!
Oh, God!
Come on, come on!
We're off! Well, sort of.
The plan is to get Olivia running
again by the end of the day
and then concentrate on rebuilding
the rest of her tomorrow.
Right, are we ready for engine in?
Yeah, I think we are. OK.
I'm gonna try and get a little
crowd. I want us to be slick.
Ish.
Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to The Smallest Cog stand.
Their job within the next 20 minutes
is to get the engine in the car
and running.
Nice and steady. This is the
critical bit in the heart
transplant. The heart is going in.
OK?
That's quite interesting.
Look, people are watching.
Down a bit.
Right, you've just got to go back.
Is it being stubborn, Neil?
Yes, it's a bit of a juggling,
fiddly, twiddling act to get it in.
It's got to drop over
the crossmember.
At the same time,
it's got to go in a hole and locate.
Come on, girl.
Stop being a pig.
Waggle, wiggle, waggle.
Nerves are getting frayed.
We're trying to do it for the crowd
to see the engine going,
but, more to the point,
we've got to finish the car.
Thank you for sticking with us.
Would also be quite good if Neil
would hitch his trousers properly.
I'm not sure anybody wants
to see that.
Say when.
Go!
There it goes.
Ooh.
That's in.
Oh, that is it. Oh, well done.
That did not want to go in, did it?
Thank God for that.
It's a bit worrying
when you've got a crowd of people.
We are only minutes away from
firing up Olivia,
which will be quite exciting.
Got the key?
No.
Andrew?
No, I've not got the keys.
Seriously? Are you joking?
Tell me we've got the keys.
What are these, Neil?
(LAUGHS) What?
In your back pocket!
Come on, let's try it.
Come on!
Did that fire?
It's being temperamental.
It's OK. It'll go now. Will it?
(ENGINE FAILS TO START)
Got any fuel there?
I can smell fuel.
Oh, the other wire!
Ah, no wonder.
Nothing to see!
(LAUGHTER)
(ENGINE STARTS)
Ohh!
(CHEERING)
Only an hour over time! All we've
got to do now is finish the car.
By tomorrow afternoon, we'll be
driving them,
in tandem, around the track.
Well done for sticking with it.
Yet again, in the last minutes
of desperation,
we've managed to crawl out of
the swamp!
That was exciting. That didn't go
exactly to plan, did it?
Everything going wrong.
It was going wrong.
In the workshop, you haven't got
people watching you.
At least we got it going. I was
worried there was gonna be
something missing.
We haven't finished yet!
No, no. We're not there yet.
This one is me.
Nice, isn't it?
Go on, let's have a look.
Ta-da!
Can we come in?
Yes, come in. Enter! I can't
remember where the lights are.
There you go.
Well done. Thank you.
Welcome to chez moi. My little
kitchen. A bedroom down there.
Not gonna do a tour.
You don't need to worry about it
so much. Why?
Well, I could only get one of these.
But I've got an alternative
that is just like this one,
but in a different campsite.
Can I stay in that single bed?
No. That's where I put my suitcase.
Go and have a look. A good night's
sleep. That's the thing.
Here she is.
Hm
(LAUGHS) Ah, you're gonna love this.
Have the links stay in that.
There's beds overlapping beds here.
It's not exactly
an Airstream, is it?
This is not quite
what Richard has got, is it?
At a bit of an angle.
I'm gonna have my feet hanging out!
It'll be all right. We've got to
make the most of what we've got.
The thing we've got better than
Richard is three double beds.
Yeah, we've got it better than him.
Hang on a minute.
This is going down!
Only joking!
Anthony! What? You're young and
nimble. Can we swap beds? No.
You ain't gonna be the one
sleeping on a mole hill!
You're right. I'm not!
(LAUGHTER)
Night-night, Cogs.
Busy day tomorrow.
A couple of things on my mind.
The show opens in about 20 minutes
and Olivia is very much
not a car yet.
Andrew, however, is feeling really
unwell. He's had to go home.
So we're a man down
and we've got to get that car ready
to drive around the track
this afternoon.
Any of you mechanics? Anybody?
Stig!
Can you fit this gearbox?
That's what we need.
An ace card. We ain't got one.
Where's the grille?
I've got it.
Reality check now.
It's 10 o'clock.
In a couple of hours,
this car has got to be driving
around the track with Richard in it.
Where have you been?
Where have I been?
On a recruitment drive,
trying to get some staff.
Why have you got a coffee?
This isn't This isn't
Where's mine?
Have you finished that?
No, I've been working.
If you stop talking to me, you'll
get it done. Good lad. Carry on.
How's it going, Anthony?
Oh, starting on you now.
If you ignore him, he'll crack on.
While the boys rush to finish
the rebuild,
Neil is about to find out
if his plan of carefully
polishing up
an underlying layer of paint
to make Olivia look beautiful
will work.
You can see the difference, where
this has been rough
and we can get it as good as this.
Look at that. That's pride, that is.
If you want a sense of achievement,
polish a car,
that's exactly what it is.
With the lads hard at it, there's
no point in my getting in their way.
This is nice. A mobile car show.
Parade and pass you.
You don't have to go anywhere.
The thing is now, we've got to be
on that track in less than an hour
and the car is not finished.
Richard has gone
missing in action again.
The thing is, it's been
He's literally taking the mick now.
Ohh! These are lovely.
They're so pretty.
A scallop side on them.
De Tomaso Pantera.
American engine, Italian car.
Need to get these chromes on
this side. Get the boys on the back.
Get the wheels back on it.
Got a lot to do.
It's just life. Life is life
and we've got to put up with it.
I get the sense I probably should
return and see how
the guys are doing.
We've got as far as
we can get up to now.
We've got Chris Evans coming
in a minute.
So I'm gonna get Chris
to have a go at that wing.
We'll have a comparison. See if
their work is as good as ours.
Ladies and gentlemen, in a final
sprint for the finish line,
we need all hands on deck,
so we are bringing in
our new apprentices.
If you'd like to join us, please.
They are Chris Evans
and the legend that is Noah.
Come on, both of you.
Our apprentices!
Sorry, everyone. He's all right.
It's me you need to worry about!
This is the critical bit
to be finished.
You've got to get that
looking like that.
Neil, talk them through
what they've got to do.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Morning, Neil.
Take control of that.
If you feel brave enough.
You just volunteered the boy.
And he just steps forward,
"Yeah, all right."
Are you gonna be all right?
It's clever. He knows that,
if I mess it up, it's not his fault.
(LAUGHTER)
Sssh! He's too clever. No pressure.
That's actually taking that nasty,
horrible layer of grey off.
Perfect. Well done.
Do you fancy a go with
the polish machine, sir?
Do I fancy a go?
Yes, I do, actually.
Yeah? OK.
(LAUGHTER)
This bit can go spectacularly wrong!
The trick is to keep it moving.
Yeah. That's a key piece of
information.
If you leave it in one place
too long, you'll ruin it.
It's a bit like a hedge-trimmer,
isn't it?
Nothing whatsoever
like a hedge-trimmer!
(LAUGHTER)
BOTH: Phew!
Oh, look at that! Look at that.
You did the hard bit, by the way.
He's taking all the glory.
But that's life.
Have you met your dad?
Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
We'll see you around.
Enjoy the rest of CarFest.
It's a spectacular event. Enjoy it.
I reckon he's done it before.
He's good, though.
If ever he got bored of that
entertainment job,
he could always take up a bit of
detailing and make a few quid.
What do you think?
Doesn't it look nice in the sun?
It looks superb, lads.
Right down to the wire, literally.
That really was close to the wire.
This is the first time they've been
out together. Don't they look cute?
Yeah. I think it's fantastic.
I'm blown away.
Right, let's do it.
What do you think Oliver thinks of
her? He probably rather likes her.
(GIGGLES) She's his scarlet lady!
The brakes feel a bit odd.
Let's just hope it gets
all the way round.
This is Olivia.
This is Olivia. Isn't she great?
What is it gonna be like, then,
to drive?
I mean, you know what
Oliver is like.
Well, I should warn you, these two
cars between them struggle to make
80 horsepower.
I am gonna try and light it up.
Oh.
But I wouldn't hold your breath!
(LAUGHS) Well, enjoy! Good luck with
the first ever spin, then,
for the new girlfriend for Oliver.
And away Richard Hammond goes!
Ha ha! It did a bit.
It did it, it did it.
It did it, it did it.
That's crazy.
That's as much as I've got!
Yeah-hey! Hello!
(CHEERING)
It does roll a bit
through the corners.
Hold on.
The least powerful cars to go
around this track all festival.
Well, that was brilliant.
Mate, well done. You did it!
Well done to the team.
We got it. Well done.
Well done, you.
Congratulations.
Do you know what? That worked.
Actually, it did.
Didn't it? It really did. Yeah.
My first ever festival.
Yes. I wanted to come onto this.
And I've heard reports now.
Has he been raving?
He was actually at the front of
a mosh pit.
He's just a festival-going hippie.
I really like the vibe here.
He'll be off
to have dreadlocks fitted!
I think
(LAUGHS)
That was great fun,
spending time around
amazing cars and their owners.
The enthusiasm in the air.
And it's really reminded me
why I set up The Smallest Cog
in the first place,
which was to be a workshop,
carrying out beautiful,
ground-up, full restorations.
Three years in now
and we're not getting those jobs.
It could be the way the Cogs run.
Let's be honest, I'm not the best
manager in the world and probably
never will be.
But I am gonna have to do something,
if I'm gonna turn this into
the business I set out to build.
I think there might be a bit of
a shake-up coming.