This is the final signature I need,
which means I can go and race at Silverstone
in a really big race. Oh, God.
Time to inspect the newbies. Chaps, good to see you finally here.
Great to have you here.
I'm immensely relieved to see that Europa in paint at last!
Have I come to the right workshop?
(BOTH LAUGH)
RICHARD: After four rollercoaster years
in the classic car restoration business...
That worked. I'm going to claim I thought of everything.
...it seems I've finally cracked it.
Happy customer. That's a good feeling.
We've dragged our PR department...
You've got to get your asses over here damn quick.
...into the 21st century.
Our reach on that day was 317,000 people.
And as brand ambassador...
If you happen to have a car in the UK ever...
...I'm leading the charge.
Hey-hey! This is brilliant. At least that's what I thought.
If you've overpromised... Yeah.
...you can't under deliver.
...until my mum arrived. They won't listen to me.
They'll listen to me. And it turns out that, once again, I'm in deep trouble.
I'm gonna have to do something. I'm gonna have to do something big.
Oh, my God.
Whose cheese is this? Granulated cheese?
Parmesan, mate.
LEWIS: Morning. - Lewis. - All right. Got the post.
Some airmail. Fancy.
So today, big day. Got James May coming in.
Roll out the red carpet. Make it look beautiful.
It's gonna be a good day. Yeah? It's gonna get some great socials look lively. Enthusiasm.
- Come on! - Let's go. - Come on! - Let's get out there.
So you haven't, you haven't got to the T-junction yet?
What? No, that's gone wrong again.
I'll go and find it. I'm gonna send you a pin.
This particular friend that's coming to visit today,
I've travelled all over the world with and he's lost. (LAUGHS)
The car in question is the Triumph Stag,
he drove on the very last grand tour that we ever filmed.
He wants it doing up.
(CHUCKLING) Oh, here he is.
Hello.
Your directions are crap. Oh, it was me, was it?
Well, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, God. Well, when did you last see it?
When we finished and I had it delivered to you.
Why did you choose a Stag for our last ever film together?
We did agree when we made that film,
we would take cars that we genuinely loved when we were lads... Yeah.
And I always really liked Triumphs.
I liked the TR6, and I liked the Stag.
I even liked the TR7, actually, if I'm honest.
Hell of a thing - to confess around here. - I know.
You did drive it across Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kubu Island and ruin it.
What do you want to do with it?
I would like it to be at least as nice as it was when I got it.
To get it on the road, we've highlighted green.
Good God! (CHUCKLING)
Is that just to get it road legal? Yes.
Thirteen thousand five hundred and sixty one pounds.
And eighty pence.
Oh, yeah. Well, I'd like it to be really nice
because what's the point of having a tatty stag?
I kind of agree. Sit in it, because the last time you sat in it
was when we drove across the finish line at Kubu Island in Botswana.
It's quite dusty.
Yes. (STARTS CAR)
Oh, it is nice.
James, to paint it, paint it, you'd be more like 28 by then.
- To paint it. - That's what - I paid for it originally. - Yes.
Actually, it was £26,000. Yes. The other alternative, James,
let us get it going and mess about with it for a bit and see what you wanna do.
No, do the lot. All right.
What the hell?
I think of these cars as, now this is going to sound incredibly pretentious,
but they're, sort of, part of my art collection.
They're not really cars. I don't need it. But I will have it,
I will look at it and I will like looking at it,
and occasionally I'll take it out and drive it and think,
"That's great. What a colossal waste of money."
Does it come with a warranty? Yeah, two weeks.
(ALL LAUGH)
Just skipping through some photographs of James May's stag,
the last time I saw it, which was in Zimbabwe.
And it's reminded me of just how much abuse those cars take on those trips.
Just looking at it, the state of it.
They just get filled with dust as well as dents.
It's more than a quick vacuum is required to get that acceptable.
MATT: Sand and things like salt are quite corrosive.
I've taken the carburettors out for cleaning. It's really dirty.
LEWIS: That's minging, isn't it? Little sand everywhere.
Look, it's got right in there. It gets in all the little circuits,
and the only way we can be able to clean it
is to pop it in our ultrasonic bath.
(CLEANER HISSING)
Oh!
Oh, my God! Look at that.
It's a lot cleaner, isn't it? Yeah.
All right. So we drain it away. Yeah.
Oh, look at it! That is, like, brown goo.
That is genuine Zimbabwe sand there.
Really powdery, isn't it? It's so powdery.
To see a world in a grain of sand, isn't it?
- What? - You're not familiar with the work of William Blake?
Who's that?
Boss? Hello. RICHARD: What?
I have some news. Oh, good.
What news do you have?
In the eye of getting the brand out there,
I have secured us a space in Salon Prive.
That's the, like, posh, high-end car show,
people dressing smartly.
It's another level. How much is this going to cost?
Now, I know how you like your little clipboard,
but how about fancy some judging?
And our special guest Judge... Lewis--...Richard Hammond!
Right. So that's bringing - the cost down of doing this? - Yes.
The main question, indeed, the only question is,
what cars are we gonna take?
Don't try and answer that. I'm gonna get your colleagues in on this
because this is an important one.
Okay.
Cogs, assemble!
They love it when I do that. They love it.
- Gentlemen. - Hello. - File in. - Hello.
Chaps, thank you for gathering.
Lewis here, as you know, can get carried away.
He's got carried away again.
Salon Prive, you'll have heard of it.
It's at Blenheim. It's a really, really high-end car show,
and we as the smallest cog are going.
And the key thing is, we need a good handful of cars.
So what cars can we take?
Obviously, James May's Stag would be good,
but realistically, that's not going to be ready, is it?
- No. - My first guess would be the F-100 truck.
Can I interject here?
Because... Shut up with your enthusiasm.
You overdid it. Sorry. I'll just...
Yeah. Thank you. - - ...be quiet. - Lagonda? - The Lagonda...
That's the Martin Lagonda that's done. Yeah, we can take that.
- Absolutely. - Yes. What about, and this is a long shot, the Lotus?
Is there a chance it could be ready?
Well, I will do absolutely anything in my powers
to make sure that car will be there.
Yeah, that's gonna be tight. Positive vibes here.
Posi vibes. Positive vibes all around, eh?
Do you want-- The issue is... - Go on. - I'm not here.
I'm on holiday. Oh! Oh, dear.
Okay. We're a man down already. This is great.(ALL LAUGHING)
So we'll be a man down on the day as well.
- Yes. - But we can do this!
Yes. That's my motivational stuff.
Gents, thank you for your positivity.
If you go and you have any concerns and it's all too much, blame him.
- Hang on a minute. - No. Blame him.
Right. You may leave and return to work.
Thank you very much indeed. Goodbye.
There's no doubt or surprise Lewis has got carried away,
but I hope we can get that Lotus Europa ready.
Because that one particularly, it's the last one built.
It was the first mid-engine Lotus.
It's not simple to work on. (CHUCKLES)
It's going to be a battle.
I really can't pretend I'm not worried about our fire damaged Lotus.
I'd love it to be the star of our stand at Blenheim Palace,
but because they're so rare, replacement parts are hard to find.
However, Isaac thinks he's got a lead on two donor cars.
There's a barn.
Surely the place.
There they are.
It's definitely - a barn find car, isn't it? - Yeah.
Did you bring any mousetraps? No.
It looks like a rat has lived in there.
I can see a few droppings. Yeah.
So we've got parts over there as well.
So, you'd hope between the two cars
and that table of parts, we'll get somewhere near.
Look at that. That feels like a centre console.
That's exactly what we're after. Exactly what we need.
And in perfect condition.
They want £7,000 for everything, everything.
- Everything? - Yeah. So I think, considering where are we gonna get anything else?
It's a lot of money, but I think it's still a good option for us.
I think the only way we're gonna know that it's right
is when we get it back and start transferring stuff over.
It's only a slight gamble, isn't it? Yeah.
MATT: This is a great find, but still quite a risk.
There's nowhere else to source parts from.
So, this is it, really.
We're gonna cross our fingers on the way home and hope everything fits.
So today I've got a car coming in.
It's gonna be the perfect car, I think,
for the Blenheim Palace show.
It's only a paint job, so nice and quick.
I think Richard's gonna love this.
Richard!
- What? - Can you come down here a sec? I wanna show you something.
Yes, all right. Real quick.
- Hello. - Nice to meet you. - You are? - Dayne.
Hello, Dayne. I'm Richard. Nice to meet you.
I think you'll like this. Okay.
(RICHARD CHUCKLES) Oh, hello! Oh, little bubble car.
What is that? Is that an Isetta? Isetta?
Nineteen fifty six BMW Isetta. Bubble window.
Yeah? - Full convertible. - Is this rare?
I believe there's only about seven bubbles in the UK.
Oh, really? You wanted something done?
So we wanted it, um, sprayed.
We need to have a look at it then. Make it come out of here.
Right. - Do you want-- Am I helping? - Yeah.
I'm scared. I'm gonna be killed under the world's smallest car.
There we are.
Right. (LAUGHS)
It's brilliant! Look at it!
And is it functioning? Yes, the engine is 300 cc.
So that's been completely overhauled.
Everything underneath is ready to go.
But I'm having a look at this and it's, it's not without filler on it, is it?
Hmm. Yeah, the whole thing is filler.
Yeah, it's quite a lot of work.
Well, this entirely hinges, Jamie, upon whether you think-- I'd love us to do it
'cause it's a really cute car, really rare.
We probably won't-- If there's only seven, we'll never get another.
I really want to do it. Right, so we will do it to the very best level we can.
- Excited. - And Jamie, you need to shake as well, because... (LAUGHS)
...this is kind of your fault. Should we shake as well?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. (LAUGHS) Okay.
This little BMW might be small, but there's a hell of a lot of work in there.
Have I bitten off more than I can chew with this job?
Probably.
It would be great if we could show that bubble car at Blenheim,
but it's only a week away and there's still loads to do on the Lotus as star car.
I'm banking on those seven grand donor cars,
having the parts we need to get it finished.
So the problem with this Lotus is the fuel tank doesn't fit.
It's not the original one. It's one he's had made, I think,
too close to the body.
I think we need to have a look at the donors
to see if we can use one of the tanks off there.
ANTHONY: This one looks original, I think.
The only way to tell is to take them out
and just offer them in the space.
She's out!
Can you get the other tank out?
So, this one then, there's no hole at the bottom?
- No. - And it's not gonna come through the top?
Not gonna - come through the top. - Okay.
Do you want me to get in the back and put a bit of force on it?
Give me a bunk up. (BOTH LAUGH)
Okay.
Oh, that looks good. Oh.
I've run out of leg length. (BOTH LAUGH)
Okay. There we go.
Fuel tank extraction.
Let's put them all together.
The three amigos.
Looking at them, that's the original, isn't it? With all this.
It looks very original, which is a bonus, isn't it?
It is compared to what we had. - Yeah. - Pretty happy with that.
Working with Matt, his head is full of so much knowledge.
He reminds me of my dad. And to be honest, I'm still missing the old man.
But now I've got Matt here. He's like he's like me stepdad.
RICHARD: It is great how the new team members have fitted into the workshop.
One less thing to worry about.
I can now concentrate on getting the Smallest Cog's name
out into the world, starting with my first big race at Silverstone.
There's some serious drivers out there
and there's some valuable cars, and the whole benefit is
putting the business in front of more people at a higher level.
And I don't wanna let Patrick down too badly because he's been very generous
letting me do this with him in his car.
But that's where he makes his contacts, where he builds his reputation.
In short, I am actually anxious. What am I talking about? Yeah.
Morning. How are you doing?
I'm all right. It's loud, isn't it? Yeah.
Patrick, it's slightly overwhelming. Okay, so the car's here,
the car's ready. Doesn't it scrub up well?
Looks really pretty. When I look in here and see this is your working day, it's...
It's quite good, isn't it?
Yeah, it is. But you are at work, as am I in a minor fashion.
I'm learning how to do this as part of my work.
That's what I'm doing. So what's the tactics for today?
You're gonna go up first. Right.
I want you to push yourself and the car a bit harder than you wanna go.
Push the envelope of what you think you're capable of.
Wilco. Understood. Thank you. Got it?
That was a pep talk. All right, See you later.
This race puts me and the Cog brand in the spotlight.
The who's who of the classic motorsport world are here,
and I'm trying to be part of that.
But the truth is, this is a different league.
Victory for me today will be not making a fool of myself.
You're really nervous, aren't you? I am quite scared.
Why? Because you're supposed to be.
If I wasn't excited and a bit nervous, why would you do it?
Yeah, true. Don't be nervous, though. Yeah, sure.
Because you'll be fine. Yeah, I felt that, until just then.
Obviously, Richard's track record
in cars isn't the best.
He does get it wrong sometimes.
At the end of the day, he is just my dad.
So I want him to just get around safe.
That's all I care about.
The plan with the Stag is literally scuff it over,
repair what dents we can see straight into primer.
So, nice easy job.
JON: Oh, crikey. Well, that looks bad news.
It seems like the paint's not ideal, and it's got a flake off.
Oh, great. - Crikey. Oh, dear. - Oh, God.
No key in there at all, is it? Wow.
This has just made the job so much harder.
- Oh, wow. - A nice simple job turns into an absolute headache.
Social media choice for today,
this beautifully, beautifully prepared Ford Capri.
I like it because it's got big, flared arches,
it's in absolute mint condition and it's being driven by a Dutchman.
Perfect. Richard wants to race, so we're gonna capture that,
and we're gonna use that to our benefit
to be able to push and publicise the business.
It's close now. Thank you very much.
There you go. Best of luck.
There he goes, our little hero.
MECHANIC: Give it some revs. There you go. Rev.
Comfortable? I'm comfortable. I'm good.
As good as I'm gonna be.
Have you get nerves? 'Cause I've got a little bit of nerves for him.
I always have a bit of nerve for him.
It's a bit of a different league to the MGB, isn't it?
Completely. This is a monster - in comparison. - Yeah.
I mean, it's terrifying, but in that exciting way.
Oh, we are off. (CARS REVVING)
Right. Here goes.
Oh, this is busy, as I don't know what.
You are good through that bit. MECHANIC: V6 with class.
PATRICK: Look at that.
That was better.
It's one thing wanting to keep up with drivers that are the next level.
It's another thing doing it.
Yep. They are getting away from me now.
Really, the best I can hope for is to keep it pointing
in the right direction until I hand it over to Patrick.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit!
(TIRES SCREECH)
A slight off situation.
Yeah, a bit off the track. Minor excursion.
Oops. I need to concentrate, Not let that unsettle me.
Just keep it together now, Rich. Get to a rhythm.
Stay out here. Break!
Okay, I'm gonna try and get in through here...
...and may not.
Oh, we got up another position.
IZZY: He's coming in. He's coming.
MECHANIC: He's in, he's in, he's in.
He's in.
Everything all right? Yeah, I just fell apart.
So Patrick's got it all to do and he'll be very happy.
That car in front is doing slow-ish lap time.
So, you might win a place? We're in a good position right now.
You were having a proper battle out there.
It was a lot of fun. Well done, my friend.
Mate, it was brilliant. I loved it. I wanna do more.
So thank you. Thank you for letting me do it.
Thanks for looking after it.
Okay. So, Patrick might be used to doing better,
but we still finished in fourth position
and I didn't actually bin it, which is a good job, really,
given I'm here to promote the business.
I'm having a race job in Denmark, running it with Jan.
And we have a good shop.
We could do something, maybe.
You could send your damaged cars - to him for painting. - Yes.
He's got a fantastic paint shop.
Yeah. Nice to see you.
You too. Take care.
That has been a huge learning curve.
Patrick was kind enough to let me step in and borrow his car, and he tutored me.
But I think seeing how it connects to his business,
and that's what this is.
And let's be honest, I've got a business card from somebody. Possible work inquiry.
There'll be more to follow. Loud!
Um, Jamie, Jon... what?
This is James May's Triumph Stag.
It was just gonna be rubbed down and painted on top.
JAMIE: Yeah, just to freshen up. Well, unfortunately, we've come across a few little issues...
...and there it is. This is James May's paint.
Oh, my God. Is that the paint - that was on it? - Yes, it was.
It's literally just peeling off. But we couldn't paint on top of that?
No, if we're painting on top of that it'll chip.
So, this is now bare metal? Mm-hmm.
There's cost implications here.
I mean, I'm not laughing just 'cause it's my mate, James May. (ALL LAUGHING)
I think I'm gonna have to make a phone call.
Oh, I think we should. Yeah.
(MOBILE PHONE RINGING)
Hello. Hello, mate. How are you?
I'm all right. How are you? I'm all right.
James, Jamie. Um, essentially, um...
...the old paint just fell off.
And as a result, they're having to bare metal the thing.
It's gonna have some ramifications on the price. (LAUGHS)
How much more is it gonna be? How much is it going to be?
It's going to be some thousands, but not, like, a lot of thousands.
Okay. Okay. I'm sorry.
James, I know you're gonna hang up now and think,
"Oh, the little bugger. He's just making that up."
Okay. Okay. Well enjoy--
You've successfully taken more of my money...
Yeah. ...which is what I expected. So that's okay.
Will it be done, sort of, this year?
A 100%. It'll be done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's gonna be done very soon.
Okay. Um, signing off. Bye. - Keep going. - Yeah, will do.
Okay. See you soon. Bye.
Well, I think he took that well.
James May is somebody who likes things done properly.
And I know we used to say that on the TV show, but he genuinely does.
Plus, I'm not being rude, but he is good for the money.
And if the business is gonna continue to improve and grow,
we need the opportunity to turn out good work,
and that only comes along with the right car
and, most importantly, the right customer.
The posh car show at Blenheim Palace is only a few days away,
but the lotus is still in bits.
Jamie is determined to take the bubble car,
but that hasn't got any paint on.
And my head of social media is in charge of logistics. Oh, God.
I'm just about to have a video call with the main man from Salon Prive.
I've never done anything like this before.
So, to say that I'm blagging it may be quite true,
but we just wanna be there and wanna be seen.
David! Hello. Hi. How you doing?
Very good. I understand. You're a very busy man.
All hands on deck. Yeah, the pressure's rising, hey?
We are really excited to be attending your event.
So obviously, I've seen photos of the event previously,
but where whereabouts do you reckon we might, we might be?
It will be likely right centre stage. Absolutely.
Oh, wow. Okay. Amazing. That's fantastic.
What cars are you planning on bringing?
Yes. So we've got about six cars, so we've got a range of cars.
We've got Aston Martin Lagonda.
And then all the way to the other side we've got
a BMW, um, Isetta bubble car - that we've painted. - Okay.
I think it will look fantastic. Brilliant.
And they're all coming onto the lawn on Sunday, right?
Yes, please. We're a smart garden party,
and it's an opportunity to dress up and...
Great. ...see and be seen, we like to say.
That all sounds fantastic, David.
When I started this zoom call,
I wasn't expecting this sort of thing. But that is absolutely amazing
and we are very excited.
Likewise. And we will see you on Sunday.
Cheers, David. Bye. Bye.
Oh, God, this just hit me. The pressure.
We are gonna be basically centre stage.
I think I've got a bit carried away.
I was supposed to write notes, but I haven't because I was a little bit starstruck then.
This is just gonna be the next level for the Smallest Cog.
This is the BMW Isetta. And here we have the front door.
This is where you get to see how rough stuff like this is,
'cause they put a coat of primer on.
They've hidden everything.
So you've got this swage line here. It starts to fade out there and disappears into the pillar.
This side is just non-existent.
Um, so I don't know what's going on there.
It's just soft.
It's quite worrying because I'm gonna have to dig it all out.
I can paint over the top of that.
It's really not good.
ANTHONY: Just about to set off on holiday,
and Dad gives me a call, wants a hand.
So, I'm gonna go up there and give him a hand.
And to be fair, I do miss him being around.
And, and not working with him.
Where is he?
(WHISTLING)
Dad. Are you all right?
Yeah. What do you need - a hand with? This? - Oh, yes.
It's gonna be very carefully put back in here.
You don't wanna scratch the paint.
Just very carefully, there. All right, here we go then.
I'll line them up.
Don't miss this. Working at your height
(CHUCKLES) My level you mean. Oh, your level. Sorry.
Keep moving. Yeah, keep going.
The whole diff's got to go that way a shade.
Done, in.
There you go. - Thank you. - All right.
Now it's like old times, isn't it? Yeah.
I don't get a coffee - in the day now. - Don't you?
The problem with this job is you've got to keep something like this...
Yeah. - Fun. - Yeah.
Because if it becomes drudgery, working nine to five, you won't enjoy it.
Then you won't get a good job with it. Exactly.
Nothing lasts forever, does it? Exactly.
All right-- I'm having my second childhood, me.
I could go and play and do things, you know? Yeah. You're great.
I've gotta go. I'm running late.
Thank you for your help. No worries.
It's nice to see Anthony.
It took me back a bit to how it used to be,
but, of course, things move on.
So, I'm here now working away and he's down there.
But I'm really happier because I don't want the worry
of paying massive bills and overheads.
I just want to concentrate on doing this stuff I love doing.
This is the BMW Isetta.
And the body's here. That's ready for paint now almost,
which is its own nightmare.
God, I'm sweating.
They're under pressure down there right now.
Both the Lotus and the BMW Isetta have to be ready.
Now is not the time for me to go down and goof about.
"Oh, can I help?" I'm just going to leave them to do what they do.
This Lotus is really beating us up with getting stuff to fit.
Watch your knob as we go in this.
JON: I've said it'll be there whatever it takes.
But at the minute, everything is just battling against us.
(BEEPING)
Oh, there it is. Go back a bit more.
So the last car has just arrived for Salon Prive.
So they're all here. To say my nerves have skyrocketed is an understatement.
All the body on the bubble car is now done, so I'm just about to put the colour on.
It has took us a lot, lot longer.
Whenever you're ready. Any bit of carpet we trim... It'll be tight, innit?
I've had to work late before, but it was all achievable,
whereas this, it feels like we'll be working every hour until when it leaves.
Feeling the pressure fairly massively now.
LEWIS: I'm on my way to Blenheim Palace.
The cars are all on an articulated lorry.
They're going to get dropped off and everything is going A-okay.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
How are you getting on? MAN: I'm already here.
But the permission they gave you for is not for another 44 tonne artic.
Okay. Let me get back to you in a minute.
Is that all right, mate? - All righty. - Thanks, buddy.
Thanks. Bye.
Oh, God. Jay! Yeah.
Right. So we've got to unload the lorry where the lorry is.
I just can't understand why Lewis is surprised.
No one brings an artic truck full of cars to Salon Prive.
You can't get an artic truck through Blenheim Palace. Ugh! Idiot.
I actually love coming to an event with Louis when he's in charge of organising,
'cause he gets so stressed. (LAUGHS)
Because he says to everyone, "Sorted, guys, don't worry."
Gets here, panic. Just sheer panic. (LAUGHS)
No one knows what they're doing. It's pouring with rain.
We haven't got a single car where it needs to be,
and the Artic lorry can't get in.
Oh, no. No! Matt's stuck!
Is it? He's stuck in the mud. Stuck.
All right, ready? Three, two, one, go.
We're off. Oh!
Go steady, 'cause that, that's somewhere near.
It's glamorous, isn't it?
Driving style. Pushing an Isetta.
ISAAC: Do you need a pole?
Fifty pounds for a tow.
Oh, my! (LAUGHS)
Oh, no!
Are you happy you joined the Cogs? (ALL LAUGH)
It's all good fun, isn't it?
Soaking wet. Covered in mud. Lovely.
It's brilliant when you get, you know, your dream comes true.
Oh, we'll be on the hallowed lawns
but the stakes are raised as well,
'cause if we make idiots of ourselves,
we make idiots of ourselves in front of all the people
we most need to impress.
We can't afford to get this too wrong.
This is the place where the cream of the classic car world show off their work.
It's their 20th anniversary, and the organisers have gone all out
with close to a billion pounds worth of cars on display.
I'm told there'll be 6,000 visitors coming today.
Best behaviour, everyone.
Oh, good grief. So there's literally some of the most expensive cars in the world.
Ferrari GTOs.
And then there's our little collection right at the front.
- Chaps? - Hello? Okay, the word's don't get carried away.
There's the palace. - - Palace. - The stage. - Stage. - Us. - Us.
We are sandwiched by, like, millions of pounds worth of cars.
I'm a little bit blown away, actually.
It's case now of spending the day making sure we,
well, show off the brand as much as the cars.
Okay. Don't get distracted with the multi-million pound neighbours.
Our first order of business is to show the Lotus owner, Geoff,
his restored car.
It's been a labour of love, for him and us.
This is the the very, very last one off the production line.
I've had all the models, all the classic Lotuses,
and I certainly won't be selling it.
And it will be, hopefully, a family heirloom,
and we'll all enjoy it for many, many years to come.
Well, look smart. You actually do look smart. This is weird for once.
Geoff, hello. How's it going, Geoff? GEOFF: Jamie.
Richard, good to see you. Nice to see you, mate. Nice to see you.
- Come unveil? - Yeah. Jon, wanna give us a hand? JON: Yeah sure.
Change your mind about the colour, it's too late.
I'm gonna give you that to dispose of.
Thank you.
(RICHARD CHUCKLES) It's quite emotional.
That's good. (ALL CHUCKLE)
It's unbelievable. I can't believe how it can stand there
next to... (LAUGHING) A 50 million pound Ferrari.
But it holds its own. This is a special car.
It deserves its place here.
Um, oh, it's beautiful. Thank you very much.
Mate, I'm sorry it's taken so long.
Yeah, it's been a lot of effort. Thanks, Jamie.
- Thanks, guys. - A number of people didn't even make it to the end.
It's been, it's been a job. It has been a mission.
But it's... I think it's worth it. It's unbelievable.
It's a 10-year journey to see what we see today,
and it is phenomenal.
I would have never thought that I would own a car
which can stand on its own at this show.
LEWIS: Richard is gonna show off the Smallest Cog by driving a a BMW Isetta up onto stage,
have a chat with David Bagley about the Smallest Cog and the car.
Supposed to be driving up onto stage at 02:20.
So walk next to it, yeah? IZZY: Okay.
So, Izzy, you wanna get some social media view.
This is our luxury vehicle.
It's going to have Richard in it, right now it's Isaac in it.
As you see, it's a prestigious car... It's very hot in here, Lewis.
...right in with all these million pound... - Where are we going? - It's beautiful.
Hello, team. - Your chariot awaits. - Right.
Set you up for your chariots. It's ready to go.
It has fuel in, and hopefully won't die. So what must I do?
Do I stop on the stage?
Well, I wouldn't keep going. - Right. - Ready?
I can't find first.
ANNOUNCER: Now, I would like to just introduce you to our judges, um, if we can get him up here.
Come on, mate. Stop, Stop!
Pop out. How about this for an entry?
Give him a round of applause.
There I go. That's brilliant, innit?
It's like popping out of a cake, mate, isn't it? It's superb. It's a '56 Isetta.
The owner came to us at the Smallest Cog and said he wanted it painting, restoring.
So we're very pleased with how it came out.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
But as we always say, there can be only one that is the overall winner.
At this point, I'm gonna hand over to Mr Richard Hammond.
The winner is... the Pantera, and that's because it's just
such an intoxicating combination.
Hi, Eileen, everything okay?
Have you got loads of business cards with you
- to leave around? - Yeah. Because you've not made it easy
for people to find you.
Business cards, yes.
I have...
- one. - Oh, God.
Can I say that you look beautiful, by the way.
- Thank you. - There you go. Love the hat.
- It won't let you off. - Okay.
I do usually get carried away, but this time it paid off.
Sometimes you just got to go with it,
so, I've gone with it and it's succeeded.
To the Smallest Cog and everybody who sails in it.
Well done, everybody.
It's four years next week
since we opened the doors at the workshop.
It's been a trip with a lot of ups and a lot of downs.
I talk all the time about stepping up to the next level.
This is the next level and having reached it, are we going to carry on?
Yes.
Yeah, we will.
Here we go. Ready? Smiles.
I'm returning a car to my old mate, James May.
It's the Triumph Stag. That was the last car he drove on the show we used to make together.
I'm dropping it off at his pub.
I think he's gonna be pleased.
Good morning, customer. Yeah. Um...
Should we not mess about and just, you know what we've done.
Sort of. I'm a bit nervous about it, if I'm honest.
I'm suddenly quite anxious. (CHUCKLES)
So a reminder it was, it was, like, just a bit of a refresh
but then all the paint fell off... Yes. ...which was a problem.
Do you know how to operate - your own truck? - I do.
(STRAINING) It's just very... I'm all right.
I got it. Don't worry. You're the customer.
- Ooh. - Right.
Will you see me back?
You're all right. Thank you.
I thought for a moment you weren't going to say,
"You're all right. You're all right. You're all right."
It's quite pretty, isn't it? There you go. Thank you. (LAUGHS)
You can see how much crisper it looks.
It's all right. I'm just absorbing it.
Ah, there. It's not a show pony. Cor!
Okay. And these have been cleaned...
Yes. Everything's been sonically cleaned and gone through, rebuilt.
I wanted to have the original engine because it is sonorous and correct.
And works, which is also rare.
Should we take it for a spin? Yes, I think we should.
(ENGINE STARTS)
Oh, it is nice.
But this is what I never get about you.
You are quite soppy about a Triumph Stag.
You've always liked them. Yes. And when I was a kid, the Stag,
it was actually quite a macho car.
So, I'm going to do something. I'd forgotten about this.
I have brought... What?
The beach buggy bandanna. Oh, God. Oh, no! No, I've seen this.
Part of me thinks...
...you drive old cars to remind yourself
how lucky you are to have a modern one. (RICHARD LAUGHS)
But I quite enjoy the challenge of the old one... Yes.
...as you turn up and you think, "What needs mending this week?"
Which doesn't guarantee--
Oh, we've broken. And, pull over.
What (BLEEP) You've just done a tyre.
I think you've just-- I think a wheel has literally broken.
(BLEEP) me, James.
It's collapsed.
The wheels collapsed? Literally collapsed.
It's embarrassing.
Let me have a word. - Shall I turn off? - Yep.
MAN: You all right?
It's broken.
Holy crap. Yeah.
- - James? - Yes. - I'd like to apologise on behalf of the Smallest Cog. (JAMES LAUGHS)
And let's just gloss over what appears to have happened,
which is your wheel's fallen off. Well, I did notice earlier
this piece of trim needs a little tap.
I think alignment of the boot could be improved, and the wheel needs to be put back on.
Oh, shit.
It's a bus. - Well, you can explain this. - Yeah.
DRIVER: It's bound to be you two now.
Yeah, there's no gentle way of putting this.
Um, the wheels come off. Yeah, brilliant.
We'll see you through, sir. You get a bus through there?
(RICHARD LAUGHS)
It was nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.
When do you next come past? Take care.
That wasn't the ideal hand back scenario.
I think it's maybe a metaphor for my experience with the business so far.
One minute everything's going so well and then the wheel comes off.
I was actually quite moved to see the Stag again.
It's a very significant car in my life, and then I drove it
through the small town of Tisbury and then the wheel fell off.
We've got a bit of time, but I'm guessing it's too soon for the invoice,
Um, mate, I appreciate the cash flow is the most important thing
with the business, but you're not having any.
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