Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Today on Car SOS...

Come on!

NARRATOR: Master mechanic Fuzz Townshend...

High-performance engine, short life.

...and parts-blagging petrolhead Tim Shaw...

You look like you've been done.

I have been done.

NARRATOR: ...are on a special mission to rescue a unique

classic racing car

and reunite it with a legendary driver.

My Name is Sir Stirling Moss.

NARRATOR: Driven by a 1960s

dream team of playboys...

This was Steve McQueen's house!

NARRATOR: ...Tim and Fuzz want to relive the glory days.

We're off. Oh, wow!

NARRATOR: They journey to the ends

of the earth for an engine.

This is just like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

NARRATOR: But will the result be a dog's dinner...

(howling)

NARRATOR: ...or a car for fans to cherish

and a master to drive?

(engine revving)

-Fuzz. -Yep.

I want to show you something, mate.

-Right, check this out. -All right.

Right--"Dear Tim and Fuzz, so I have a very historic

racing car I think you'd be interested in."

-Yeah. -All right.

"It is a 1962 Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite."

-Blimey, rare as you like. -Absolutely.

"That was raced in a team that included..."

Surname Moss, first name Stirling.

(chuckles) Brilliant! Stirling Moss.

The greatest racing driver ever.

FUZZ: Yeah, absolutely.

Well, one thing, though.

TIM: What?

FUZZ: "I have a very historic racing car."

Yeah, I know. "I," it's kind of like--

FUZZ: Yeah, exactly.

TIM: This, I think, is an exception.

"It's now the only one left and I think,

"it would be fantastic for motor racing fans

"if Car SOS could get it back on the road

and Sir Stirling Moss behind the wheel."

I tell you what, that would be

absolutely stonking, wouldn't it?

If he agrees to it, get it on display in a museum.

-That's what I'm saying. -Then everyone can enjoy it.

Yeah. So this is something we'd never normally do.

-Right, a Car SOS special. -Absolutely.

NARRATOR: The car the boys are off to see

in today's special episode is just a few miles

from the workshop.

It's a short pickup trip for a car

that's been on quite a journey.

Today is probably, in my mind, Fuzz,

the greatest day ever for Car SOS.

Well, I tell you what, it is one of the greats

because the car is the special thing this time.

-Absolutely, yeah. -Yeah.

(upbeat music)

NARRATOR: This Austin-Healey Sprite

is one of four that raced at Sebring in the USA in 1962.

What makes it really special

is the dream team of drivers that drove them,

including action movie superstar

and race crazy petrolhead Steve McQueen.

You would not now get an actor at the top of their game,

joining racing drivers at the top of their game,

and taking part in an important motor race.

NARRATOR: McQueen loved racing just as much as acting

and was an avid fan of the other legend

in the Healey team,

motor racing god Stirling Moss.

The greatest racing driver that's ever existed, ever.

Yep, the absolute greatest racing driver

that's ever existed.

Going past everyone. Bye.

NARRATOR: The star-touched Sprite

the boys are going to see was parked up

in a garage in 1968,

just six years after the Sebring race.

Since then, it's barely turned a wheel.

♪ ♪

So this was Steve McQueen's house?

Of course it's not.

You know, he might've seen it,

been in it, smelt it, touched it.

-Whatever. -Flown over it, perhaps.

Well, yeah, whatever.

(dog barking)

-Hello, Jonathan. -Hiya, Fuzz.

NARRATOR: It was Jonathan, the car's owner,

who contacted Tim and Fuzz, knowing they'd be hooked.

Right, no time for the chat,

we've gotta see it, like, ASAP.

-It's around the back. -Right, let's go.

NARRATOR: If this car is what the boys think it is,

it'll be as hard for them to resist taking it on

as it is for Tim to contain his inner McQueen.

I was brought up in a world

where there was only one film

to watch by my dad, The Great Escape.

-Great Escape. -Hilts.

AKA... me.

-He has a vivid imagination. -The ultimate dude.

-Can we see it, please? -Of course you can.

Thank you very much. This is it.

-Are you excited? -There you go.

Ooh. Look at that.

Right. No. Can I do the sheet?

-Help yourself. -This is emotional.

FUZZ: Look at that. (chuckles) Bravo.

No words, that is just absolutely stunning.

FUZZ: That is, actually, an amazing car.

-Can I--can I? -Yeah, help yourself. Carry on.

Look at that in there.

It's even got a racing filler. Fantastic!

It's like stepping back in time, isn't it?

It really is, all these dents, all these dings

have been done by these-- these racing greats.

NARRATOR: This Sprite may look like its road-going siblings

but had quite a different purpose.

Back In 1962, Austin-Healey were

a super successful British carmaker.

Their production line was churning out

the new budget Sprite sports car,

and racing was an effective and fun way

to publicize their products and boost sales.

These rarely-seen home movies

were shot by an American Healey mechanic

and a racing fan in the early '60s.

♪ ♪

Back then, Sebring was one of the most

important endurance races on the calendar.

The Sebring 12 Hours was the daddy,

with the shorter three-hour race,

a warm-up event just for cars under 1,000cc.

Healey had just launched the Sprite,

and so, for 1962,

booked four headline-grabbing drivers,

with Formula One ace Innes Ireland

and rising star Pedro Rodriguez,

joining Moss and McQueen on the team.

So this is 9251WD, right?

Yours is 9...

-253. -WD, right.

There is a possibility, a strong possibility,

that 9253 was used as a practice car

in '62 by all four drivers.

MAN: Right. -That makes that...

the most special one in my eyes.

You're loving it. You are loving that.

That's pretty special.

Pretty special, isn't it? (laughs)

This is amazing. Look at this.

That's an Austin A30 rear windscreen.

Made to fit into the back of this hardtop.

I reckon these hard tops were actually unique

to these cars, although I might be wrong.

NARRATOR: Of the four Sprites that took part,

this one has survived, and of the four drivers,

only Sir Stirling Moss remains to tell their tale.

It may be over 50 years since he last raced in anger,

but Stirling Moss still causes a stir wherever he goes.

Hello, Sir Stirling. Can we have a photo?

NARRATOR: His is a name forever linked

into a glamorous and often brutal era

where racers could be crowd pleasing playboys one day

and dead the next.

Moss' 14-year-long racing career

included an incredible 212 wins,

and he drove 84 different makes of car in all.

At Sebring in 1962, he would drive a Ferrari 250

in the 12 Hour race,

but warmed up by racing a Sprite

in the three-hour opener.

MOSS: Sebring was fun because of what it was.

It was a pro race on an amateur sort of circuit.

My teammates were all, you know, nice people.

We just enjoyed ourselves.

NARRATOR: Despite having a lot less power

than their big brothers,

the little Sprites still had

a lot to offer a pro driver.

(engine revving)

Aluminum panels,

as opposed to steel ones on the standard car.

No external door handles, but...

looking in through there--

and wow, it's so Spartan in there.

Everything is lightweight.

MOSS: The Sprite was a very forgiving car.

It's a great car, I think, for people

who are learning to race because it under-steered.

It was basically a very stable car,

and therefore it was really quite nice and easy to drive.

I mean, one could--you could really throw it around

in wet and bad conditions and enjoy yourself.

(upbeat music)

NARRATOR: At Sebring, the Sprites were up against

the high-performance Fiat Abarth racing cars,

but the weather gods gave them a hand.

And the biggest problem really, of course,

is there was a tremendous amount of rain.

The rain was pouring down, and you couldn't really see

where you meant to go,

but it suited-- it suited the Sprites.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: In typical daredevil fashion,

Moss held the lead until two laps from the end,

when he was forced to pit for fuel.

♪ ♪

MOSS: I can't understand why we didn't have enough fuel

on board, quite frankly-- maybe I had a small leak.

NARRATOR: Despite this hiccup,

Moss brought his Sprite home in third,

with the others claiming sixth, seventh, and ninth.

Just a month later, in England,

Moss had a disastrous crash, which almost took his life.

Though he recovered well, sadly, the crash did force him

to retire from topflight racing.

After Sebring, the Sprite fared

a little better than Sir Stirling...

Oh, yeah. Here we go.

NARRATOR: ...surviving four more hard years

of amateur club racing before being mothballed.

Right, I think this looks like a later engine.

Originally, these were fitted with a unique set

of 995cc A-Series engines.

So that's not the right engine for the car?

Not for 1962.

I've heard that there is one surviving engine

from the race... (laughs)

Right, okay. Right. Great. Where is it? America?

Ah, it's reported to be in Ireland.

I want to reunite that car, maybe with its engine,

with Stirling Moss,

and we're doing this for the world of motoring.

-That would be fantastic, Tim. -Right.

You know, cars are great, but a car

with that provenance is just mind-blowing.

NARRATOR: So the deal is done.

Let's get it on the trailer.

NARRATOR: The boys agree to get the car

back on the road as close to its 1962

Sebring spec as possible,

as long as it can be shared with motor racing fans

and reunited with Sir Stirling Moss.

Fuzz, I can feel that car.

Usually, we do Car SOS for one person.

FUZZ: Yeah.

This is for every single person on the planet

who's a fan of motor racing and motor cars.

Yep, for anyone who wants to go and see this car--

-Let's get it in the museum. -Yeah, that'd be cool.

With Sir Stirling Moss!

(upbeat music)

NARRATOR: With the 53-year-old Austin-Healey

safely back at Car SOS base camp,

Tim and Fuzz need to agree on their approach to working

on this blast from the racing past.

Let me inspect your hands.

-Clean gloves? -Yeah.

-You may proceed. -Thank you.

This isn't a restoration job where I'm ringing up

and getting new rubbers and new bits and bobs

and new wheels and stuff.

This is taking this car back to as it was--

FUZZ: Yeah. TIM: To 1962.

When let's say Steve McQueen, Stirling Moss,

whatever, has just pulled in off the track,

turned it off, and walked away.

And the state that car was in then

is how we have to make this thing now.

Yeah, it's like a forensic restoration.

-Just lean down here. -It's gotta be light blue.

Yeah, that's right. Isn't that great?

NARRATOR: At least for this special episode,

the boys don't have the worry of working

on someone's car without them knowing.

My mind is painting this picture,

running to your car,

getting straight in with the boys.

NARRATOR: But they do have to get on

with the even tougher challenge

of honoring motor racing history itself.

I just want five seconds to enjoy this moment.

NARRATOR: That's if Tim ever wakes up

from his dream team dream.

Turn the key, pull the start, we're off.

(engines roaring)

NARRATOR: A special car is going up on the ramp

in this special edition of Car SOS.

(upbeat music)

This is amazing. Let's get under here.

Yeah, emotional disconnection from now.

Let's go.

NARRATOR: Steve McQueen and Stirling Moss

were in the Healey Sprite team at Sebring in 1962.

So wherever possible, Tim and Fuzz

want to turn the clock back to that race in Florida,

but at the same time, they mustn't destroy

any of its delicate history.

It is so brilliantly preserved under here.

You can see where they cut out the steel floor

and replaced it with lightweight aluminum.

Yeah.

-All riveted, all done by hand. -Yeah, amazing.

♪ ♪

(chuckles) It's an old toothbrush.

What?

-Yeah, it's an old toothbrush. -Yeah.

-Whose old toothbrush? -I don't know.

That is Stirling Moss' and Steve McQueen's toothbrush.

(laughs) I think--I think this car's gone to your head.

No, seriously, they were more concerned

about having clean teeth...

-...than their lives. -How cool.

-Right. FUZZ: (laughing)

That is staying... with me.

I don't know about you,

but this is gonna be a tough one.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: So far, the boys have decided to go back

to the original light blue paintwork.

But most importantly, Tim wants to track down

one of the original 995cc racing engines

and reunite it with the car.

♪ ♪

One thing that definitely cannot be saved

is the rust-riddled exhaust.

But while the workshop team crack on...

♪ ♪

Tim's on a mission to research the story of the Sprite

and the men who raced them at Sebring in 1962.

Right, now, I've been racking my brains

to find out more about this car,

and it suddenly struck me, of the four playboy racers

that were on the planet racing at Sebring in 1962,

there is only one left,

and he just happens to be British,

and he just happens to be

probably the greatest racing driver of all time.

And you know what? Well, this is where he lives.

(door opens)

-Come in. Take a seat. -(mouths words)

-Lovely, thank you, sir. -All right, yeah.

So how come you were racing at Sebring

with Austin-Healey in '62?

I mean, Donald Healey was quite a character.

Was it one of these, "If he asked you to do it,

you couldn't say no"?

Well, yes, but he was also pretty good

at finding good crumpet, you see.

-Okay. -(laughs)

Everyone would keep in with him.

Right, okay. So, he was surrounded by women.

Yeah, fairly well, fairly well.

What was the split for you back then

between the importance of racing

and the importance of, you know,

the playboy lifestyle and women?

Ah, well, no, they had to go together.

Fifty-fifty, right?

I couldn't do one without the other.

That's the right answer. Many people say that.

NARRATOR: While Tim and Stirling

bond over crumpet...

Come on, PJ.

NARRATOR: ...Fuzz is checking exactly

what engine the Sprite currently has.

Wow, that's beautiful.

This, I would hazard a guess,

is the 1,071cc engine

that was used in the 1963 season.

It's got an XPS engine number,

so it's certainly a special engine.

FUZZ: But what would be great would be,

if we could get an original

995cc engine back into this car.

It would be like putting the soul

and the heart back together.

Yes!

That particular race,

there were a maximum of 1,000ccs.

-So that was the limit? -Yeah.

So there's no chance that number 22

could possibly have had the engine that is in it now?

No, no.

Because we've got this interesting scenario

where we're trying to find the engine

that should be in that car,

and I've come across a guy in Northern Ireland

who we believe, if the numbers match,

that we've got the right engine.

Now, he doesn't want to get rid of it,

but it should be reunited with its car.

Yes, yeah.

NARRATOR: In the early '60s,

many of Healey's factory racing cars

were finished in light blue,

the exact same color that's hiding

under that patchwork of later navy blue.

With his carcheologist's hat firmly on,

Fuzz is at pains to keep everything from '62 intact.

♪ ♪

This is such an historically important car.

I think, if we can keep the original blue paint,

I think that's the way I'd like to go.

This dark blue cellulose paint, known as "celly" in the trade,

can be stripped back with thinners.

And we're getting back to the original,

the Healey ice blue underneath.

♪ ♪

I haven't spoken to Tim about this,

but I'm gonna go ahead and do it anyway.

We're trying to take it back to as it was.

So, I mean, was the paintwork perfect,

were there dents on the car, was it, you know--

No, it was pale blue, um, no--no damage on the car.

Right, so they were-- they were pristine?

-Yeah, they're pristine. -Right.

There's something else I want to show you.

Yeah?

Which might be very, very precious to you.

Really?

And you might have dropped it on the track.

It was stuck to the underside of our Sprite.

Oh, you're kidding. (chuckles)

You're kidding.

(laughing)

Wrong color.

The other thing as well was, I was wondering

if you might possibly come along

and be at what we call the reveal,

when we give the car back.

Yeah. Yeah, that's all right.

Do you want me to get some crumpet?

Yes.

No, I'm happily married now.

(both laugh)

♪ ♪

TIM: I cannot believe I just hung out with Stirling Moss,

just chilling.

How many people can say they've done that?

And also, it was mega useful.

He also mentioned that the car was

sort of a pristine light blue.

So I'm just thinking, well, paint, now, let's go!

NARRATOR: At the workshop,

the car continues to be prepped the Fuzz way,

with the paint and dirt being cleaned off

inch by painstaking inch.

♪ ♪

But has Fuzz taken this

whole preservation thing too far?

Right, it's game time.

Guess what it is balancing on your weird head?

Can you feel the fluid?

The weight of the world is on my shoulder, but--

-Yes, it is, but it's fluid. -Okay, yeah, you got the paint.

It's blue. Yes, it is. It's the car paint, Fuzz.

-Sorted. -Yeah, but you know what?

It's like, I'm looking in here

and I can see all of this original blue paint,

and it seems such a shame to lose it all, you know?

Are you off your rocker?

It's kind of... like a ruined medieval castle.

You wouldn't rebuild that, would you?

TIM: Yeah.

This is one of those moments

where your head's malfunctioning,

and something's gone wrong.

I'll get you a glass of water. All right?

You can sit in a quiet, padded room.

But just know, I'll get you a tissue as well, all right?

(melancholy music)

Just seems a shame.

Cover up all of this.

NARRATOR: Tim's top priority now is getting the all-clear

to head over to Ireland on an engine buying expedition.

-(line ringing) -(man speaks indistinctly)

-Hello. Hi, is that Ron? RON: Yes.

Ron, hi, my name is Tim Shaw. I'm calling from England.

Now, um, we're doing a documentary

on the Austin-Healey Sebring Sprites,

and I have information

that you are actually in possession of a 995 engine?

RON: I think it's still where it should be.

Well, is there any chance that I could pop over

and have a look at it, just to document it,

take some photos, something like that?

RON: I'll get it out, make sure it's complete.

Okay. All right, thanks, mate. Cheers, bye.

Okay, what was that?

-I found a guy in Ireland-- -Yeah?

Who apparently has got one of the four lumps.

FUZZ: Okay, really?

And he's gonna let you have it?

TIM: I haven't asked him that yet.

I'm gonna do that when I get there

because apparently he doesn't want to sell it,

but he hasn't seen my moves yet.

Seriously. (mimics whipping)

NARRATOR: Faster than you can say

"hand luggage only,"

Tim is on his way to Belfast.

♪ ♪

In the workshop, the team are cracking on,

pulling the engine and gearbox from its mooring.

Normally, Fuzz would be here, elbow deep in oil,

but he's been tempted away by the chance to drive another

very special Austin-Healey Sebring race car.

Now, this is an original 1961 Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite.

This is based on the Mark 1 Frogeye,

or the Bug Eye Sprite.

This was driven in competition

at Sebring by Sir Stirling Moss.

What an amazing piece of kit.

(gearstick clicks)

Now, listen to that straight cut gearbox,

raucous, noisy.

That is screaming for competition.

"Drive me fast!"

And until I put it into fourth gear,

it's incredibly noisy.

Every little ounce of power that this engine can supply

is shifted through to the back.

A little jumping bean of a machine.

Come on!

This is what driving's all about.

(engine revving)

NARRATOR: In Northern Ireland, Tim has reached

Ron's workshop.

This is it.

Wish me luck.

NARRATOR: It turns out Ron is very camera shy.

RON: This place is very untidy.

NARRATOR: So this is a delicate situation.

I'll bet it's tidier than--

We don't usually have visitors.

Oh, wow, this is your workshop?

-This is my workshop. -No way.

That's the engine in there. I got it from Healey's.

-Really? -Mm-hmm.

-What, back in the '60s? -Back in the '60s, yeah.

No way.

You've got the four different serial numbers of the cars.

9253 WD, 9254.

That is the engine from 9251.

That is the engine for our car.

This is like something from Indiana Jones.

This is like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

"Driven by Innes, Ireland. Registration, XSP 1862."

XSP 1862.

I'm--I'm-- I have goose bumps right now.

NARRATOR: The engine Tim's hopefully about to buy...

shares a lot of DNA with the one

in the 1961 Sebring Sprite.

Now, listen to that, that is a lovely, revvy,

little 995cc A-Series engine.

It's a competition piece of kit.

This is what it would have had originally.

It's what it should have now.

Tim cannot fail.

He's gotta bring one of these home.

NARRATOR: Remember, Ron has turned down

many an offer for his famous engine.

You would honestly make so many people's lives

who love that particular car who can come and see it.

I'm standing beside somebody here who's a huge car fanatic,

in particular the Austin-Healeys.

NARRATOR: So, having buttered him up,

Tim doesn't mess about, and starts to beg.

Would you consider selling it? Please?

Please, please, please, please, please?

If there's one thing ever I could ask of anyone...

-I don't know. -Please?

Please, please, please, please, please?

NARRATOR: With Ron giving him the silent treatment,

Tim unleashes his ace.

MOSS: Hello, Ron. My name is Sir Stirling Moss.

In 1962, I raced at Sebring in Florida

for the Healey Works team.

It would mean so much to the motoring world,

and to me personally,

if we could reunite the only surviving car

with the only surviving engine.

If you could please help us with this task,

I'd be eternally grateful.

Thank you.

What do you think about it?

I have no intention of parting with it.

Sorry?

I have no intention of parting with it.

TIM: I cannot believe this is happening.

Sir Stirling Moss basically pleading with him, as I am,

to let me buy the engine and no,

he's not shifting at all.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked.

NARRATOR: As if to put Tim out of his misery,

Ron drops another bombshell,

producing a piece of 50-year-old paperwork

that changes everything.

Ron has just shown me this letter here,

which is a piece of motoring history in itself.

Now, we know it was supposed to be a 995

according to the serial numbers,

but it says it's a 1,098.

So it was rebuilt by these guys,

following being raced at Sebring 'cause the numbers

are right for what we've matched with that engine.

NARRATOR: The receipt clearly states

the engine is a 1,098cc.

Signed by Geoff Healey.

NARRATOR: And with Geoff Healey's

own signature at the bottom,

this document can only mean one thing--

it's not the engine from the 1962 race.

It's been a big journey for so little reward.

NARRATOR: In this special edition of Car SOS,

Tim and Fuzz are hoping to get a historic

Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite,

that raced in a team with Stirling Moss

and Steve McQueen in 1962, back to its best.

-Blown away by its history... FUZZ: Look at that!

NARRATOR: ...and untarnished condition...

Amazing.

NARRATOR: ...the boys have done a deal to get the Sprite

back to its racing glory days so that motor racing fans

can enjoy the car too...

and get the most famous racing driver of his era

back behind the wheel.

The big effort so far has been to get the body shell

sensitively repaired and restored.

But a shiny coat of that light blue paint

might be a little too factory fresh,

and the spirit of Sebring in '62 could be lost.

Nathan!

Here he is. Here's our paint guy.

Right, here's your challenge, right?

Paint when it comes out of your booth looks mint,

looks like it's just come out of the showroom.

-Yeah. -That's not what we want.

-That's terrible. -We want it to look--

-Sixty years old. -Sixty years old?

Right, go. What have you got?

I'll just use some matting agents, I think.

-Just to drop the gloss level. -That's what I said.

He was saying no to that.

The same aging process as you used on Tim?

That'll do, yeah.

Can we get some matting agent in, please?

Thank you! All right.

NARRATOR: So the body shell's getting a lovely new coat

of not too glossy light blue paint.

As it seems unlikely there are any original 995 engines

from 1962 still in existence,

it's about time Fuzz checked out the 1,071 engine

the Sprite came with.

It's a little bit of a shame that we couldn't get

that original 995 engine, but you know what?

This is a proper race-tuned engine.

It's a short throw crank with big pistons,

lots of revvy power there.

The pistons are in pretty good shape,

but that gap there should not be there at all.

If you look at the other caps, there's no gap.

One of these pins has come undone,

and this has been allowed to open up.

This flapping about in there

has broken off the bottom of the casting

far enough down for it

not to affect the running of this engine.

High-performance engine, short life.

It's just about on the edge of being serviceable.

I think it'd be foolish to chuck it away.

We'll use it again.

NARRATOR: With the engine needing a rebuild,

Tim is sourcing original stock seals and gaskets

to help keep the Sprite

as close to factory spec as possible.

And where better to hop along to

than Britain's biggest Healey parts dealer.

TIM: Hello, mate.

-Hello there. -How you doing?

Right, I've got a very special request.

We're doing this car up for a very, very, very special man.

MAN: Right, who is it?

Well--I mean, I know what's gonna happen

if I tell you who it is,

and when you realize I'm so close to him,

you'll just be different with me.

-And it'll just be weird. -Okay.

-You sure you can't tell me? -Okay, then.

Well, because you've been so persuasive...

Sir Stirling Moss.

All right, okay, yeah. And you're friends with him?

-Yeah. -Impressive.

-It's pretty cool, isn't it? -Yeah.

You should get me some discount on these parts.

I'll get you a photo.

Right, follow me.

NARRATOR: Spares companies like this are the heartbeat

of Britain's classic car industry.

With over 6,000 parts available here,

it's almost possible to build yourself

a brand-new Austin-Healey from scratch.

So Tim's little list is small potatoes...

not that he can't make a meal of it, of course.

MAN: So, yeah, do you see him often, then?

-What, Sir Stirling? -Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I probably see him,

like, two or three times a day.

MAN: All right.

I look after all his social diary.

He's actually looking for--

Are we near-- where are we now?

We're in Southam, in Warwickshire.

Well, he's looking for some friends around Southam.

He said to me on the way up here,

"Oh, I haven't got any friends in Southam."

-Yeah, right, it could be me. -He has now.

-(John laughs) -Sweet.

I gotta say, so you could ring him now, then?

Yeah. Anytime. Day or night, whatever.

I've got him on, like, 24-hour note,

anytime I want to.

-Go on, then. -What?

-Go on, then. -What, ring him now?

Yeah.

-He's not in. -He's not in?

-No, he isn't. -That's convenient.

He's not in today, he's gone out.

Are you sure you're not pulling my leg?

No, he said don't disturb him.

NARRATOR: With his blagging methods

becoming increasingly strange...

MAN: Is he not married, then?

No, I live with him, but you know,

we don't tell anyone.

NARRATOR: And with that trolley

brimming over with Sprite spares,

it only remains for Tim to reap

the rewards of his sterling effort.

Right, okay, so we got everything we need.

-Now, what do you need? -Uh, money.

We have got a deal going on, right?

Well, I suppose we have got a deal.

(mimics camera clicking)

Yeah, so, with the signed photograph.

Hang on.

Is this not supposed to be with the man?

Well, it is with the man.

-The man? -The man.

There's your money shot!

You look like you've been done.

-I have been done. -Cheers, John!

NARRATOR: Even more impressive

than Tim's chutzpah are those big Healeys.

Bigger, faster and much more expensive

than the modest Sprites,

these beasts were one of the dream cars of the 1960s.

And even if it's a cold, dull day,

there's nothing like roaring through the lanes

in a Big Healey.

There aren't many times in life where I would say

you suit wearing that hat.

In fact, I've never seen one.

But today, driving this car, that hat actually suits it.

♪ ♪

FUZZ: Ah, listen to that, Tim. That's a proper car.

That is a real car.

TIM: You can tell it's a straight six

as soon as you get in this car.

The sound of it is like nothing.

The exhaust note is absolutely joyous, isn't it?

TIM: So many of these beautiful cars,

not just classic cars, any car of today,

you don't actually see much of the car

when you're driving it.

You just see the cockpit, the interior and that's it.

But with this car, what you see is this big,

huge sweeping bump in front of you.

It really lets you know that there's something

under there that's worth having.

Yeah, yeah.

TIM: Be honest with me, mate, do I look cool in this?

-Yeah. Yeah, you look cool. -Yeah?

-You look cool in it. Yeah. -Yeah!

But you can make me look cooler 'cause I've bought this scarf

especially so it does the whole wind thing.

Should have got a black one so it stands out more.

I didn't know it was a cream car.

I just want to see some people.

I want some people to see me,

and then I might stop

and ask somebody how cool I look.

NARRATOR: Whether looking cool or just very cold,

these boys now need to focus on the last few tricky jobs

their Sebring Sprite needs before its big day

in the spotlight with Sir Stirling Moss.

NARRATOR: Tim's hot-footed it to a metal works

in Staffordshire to get a small but important job done

that will add some dash to the Sprite's image.

The Sebring Sprite was built for racing,

so every luxury was sacrificed

in the name of keeping weight down and speed up.

But the car's dash did have a precut plate,

making it easy to add a radio,

which a previous owner clearly did,

leaving a great gaping hole

that certainly wasn't there in '62.

Seen Nick anywhere?

NARRATOR: Tim's old pal, Nick,

has the specialist skills needed

to repair the Sprite's dash.

-Aluminum Nick! -How you doing, mate?

The world's best aluminum welder.

-How you doing? -I don't know about that.

I've got something to show you here.

-Yeah? -That.

Here's the problem.

What happened with this dashboard was,

they cut out this section here.

So we've carefully made a little plate in there,

and we want to get it back to as it was.

-You want to weld it back in? -Yeah.

NICK: Yeah, okay.

NARRATOR: Before Nick gets down to business,

Tim can't resist the chance to get a few tips off

a master welder of 23 years.

What you gotta do, you've got to get the heat

into the aluminum first and then start welding.

So you're gonna have a go, yeah?

This is where you start getting worried

about your employment here.

You might get a job here, then.

'Cause there's a young hot shot on your tail.

I'm going in.

Put a bit more heat in the bottom.

That's it.

So it's like a balancing act.

What you've gotta do is use a bit of this aluminum here,

and melt that one a bit more than these two.

When you strike up, warm the material first--

-A little more? -Yeah, a little more, yeah.

(upbeat music)

Now move the torch from here.

Terrible, that is.

(laughter)

-Terry Bell, who's that? -Terrible.

Is there a Terry here? Terry Bell?

-Terrible. -Oh, come on.

All right. Well, fair enough.

You gotta give it to me for trying it, though.

I have, yeah.

And we hand over to the master.

I'm coming underwater with you.

♪ ♪

No pressure, but it's one of only one left.

NARRATOR: While Nick stays calm and carries on...

♪ ♪

At the workshop, Fuzz's curiosity has now got him

taking the lid off the gearbox.

Now, I'm just hoping that this has got what's known

as a straight-cut gearbox on this.

Most car gearboxes will have helical gears,

and they tend to push each other apart,

and they're really quite silent in their operation.

Aha! Straight-cut gears.

You see how the teeth are all in a line?

That means that this gearbox is going to transmit

all of that precious power

from the engine through to the rear axle,

but also it's going to howl like nothing else on earth.

(howling)

NARRATOR: With the gearbox getting a howl of approval,

what's Tim's verdict on Nick's repair

to the delicate Sprite dashboard?

You know what, this is one of those privileged things.

It's like sitting in on an open heart surgery

or something like that.

This is a serious master craftsman at work.

That is spot-on.

♪ ♪

Nice job!

See, once the heat's in it,

I have to turn the power down obviously.

-Otherwise, you'll melt it. -Yeah, it'll just keep melting.

360 degrees right around the little racetrack there.

Even the corners, you've taken them perfectly.

That is why you remain, in my books, Mr. Aluminum.

Look at that.

Yes!

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: It's all go at the workshop

as the lads put the rebuilt 1,071 engine

back into a car that still needs a lot of work,

and now they're short of time.

Okay, let's just leave it there for now.

FUZZ: That is in position.

NARRATOR: In just a couple of days,

this car needs to be finished and installed

at the Heritage Motor Center

for its appointment with racing history.

Here, Britain's favorite knight

of the road, Sir Stirling Moss,

is booked in to recreate that Sebring sensation

by getting back behind the wheel of the Sprite.

At least the dash Aluminum Nick welded for Tim

has been painted the original deep blue

and is ready for its close-up.

Right, if ever you wanted to see

some good craftsmanship-- look at this.

That is the panel we actually aluminum welded in.

You can kind of see it from the back here,

where it's been linished,

but look at that from the front.

It's absolutely stunning.

Who would have ever known there was a gaping hole there?

And I'll tell you what it is time to do now.

It's actually time to--

should we chuck the fuel gauge in, yeah?

I love it how all these things are just done up by hand.

You could take that gauge out without even a pair of pliers.

But for the first time, in a matter of hours,

in four and a half decades, that will be reading fuel.

How cool is that?

Right, I'm gonna put the other clocks in.

NARRATOR: The to-do jobs list is long and tricky.

What is a metric nylon nut doing around here?

NARRATOR: But despite being up against it,

Fuzz is sticking strictly to his rule

of authentic parts only on the Sprite.

It may look as if it's nearly together,

but it's painstakingly slow

because we're having to make sure

that everything goes back as it came off.

It's all gotta be done methodically, that means slow.

NARRATOR: There's a huge pile of plumbing

and electrical work to do, but as ever,

Tim is making light work of it.

Indicator bulb.

Fitting it despite the fact

that this car will not pass an MOT over here.

If you look at it, that's why.

Red tail light. Where's the orange indicator?

Well, there isn't one,

'cause this is a North American car,

obviously from Sebring.

That is now on.

♪ ♪

I can't believe that we are now hours away

from Stirling Moss driving this vehicle.

-Fuzz. -Yup?

Talk to me about what you're thinking,

because if you're thinking the same as me, I'm stressing.

I'm highly stressed, and I tell you what,

this car, I can't imagine it

even being ready at this moment.

Now, what I'm thinking is coffee.

NARRATOR: Concerned with progress,

Tim drafts Workshop Phil into a dubious scheme

that should put some fire in the team's belly.

They'll never trust me again.

To the Sebring Sprite and you boys.

All right, then.

NARRATOR: How could anyone spurn

such generosity of spirit...

and industrial amounts of instant coffee?

TIM: It'll take years off you. -Ah!

Right. Now, get working.

For the first time in a long time, Phil,

we're not the mugs.

-Not now. This is true. -Absolutely. Yeah.

NARRATOR: Taking their time may be out,

but the team go through the gears,

racing on into the night,

readying the Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite

for its historic lap of honor.

NARRATOR: The time has come.

The day where it all comes together is here,

and Tim is taking it all very seriously.

People always ask me, "Tim, when are you guys

gonna get some of the cars together that you've done up

on Car SOS so we can actually see them?"

Well, do you know what? Happy Christmas.

I stand in the middle of all the cars

we've done up here on Car SOS.

This one here is the Rover BRM.

You might remember this from series one.

This thing is valued at over a million pounds.

Actually, Fuzz. Come here, dude.

Can you-- I'm just talking people

through the cars that we've revealed.

-Yeah. -Can you just go over the TVR?

Thanks, mate. Cheers.

We haven't rebuilt any of these cars.

Don't listen to him.

Don't listen to anything he ever says.

NARRATOR: It's an outstanding gathering of pristine cars,

all right, but this, of course,

is the Heritage Motor Center.

A fantastic collection of the biggest, the bravest

and sometimes most baffling four-wheeled creations

ever to emerge from the British car industry

in all its glory.

And it's where the boys will be handing the car

back to Sir Stirling Moss.

-Fuzz? -Yup.

Pre-match nerves, mate.

I'm getting nervous about giving this car back.

Stirling Moss and all that.

Yeah, you shouldn't worry too much.

I mean, it's not like he's omnipresent.

It's not like he's everywhere that you are, is it?

I suppose not.

At least there aren't any pictures of him anywhere.

NARRATOR: Sir Stirling is indeed not here, yet,

but his place in the history of driving fast

is clear to see,

not least with this 1.5 liter MG

that he drove in 1957.

FUZZ: Another one of his cars.

Just casually nipped out

and broke the land speed record.

245.64 miles per hour.

NARRATOR: Outside, a special

and rather crucial guest has arrived.

It was another all-nighter in the workshop,

but once again, the boys have pulled it out of the bag,

and the 1962 Sebring Sprite

is ready to pull in the crowds.

FUZZ: I tell you what, you are going to love this.

Look at that, eh? Keep it shut.

Let's get that car in.

TIM: That is perfection.

Put a bit more lock on that.

-Doesn't it look amazing? -That is just gorgeous.

Come down here.

Imagine it's the 23rd of March, 1962.

We're on the starting line.

You've got Steve McQueen and you can see his hand

on top of the steering wheel.

Stirling Moss, Pedro and Innes over there.

-Yeah. -Can you feel it?

I can, I can.

Question is, would they get out

and say, "Love your show, guys"?

-(Fuzz laughs) -Or would they run us over?

You and me, we're just skid marks, mate.

(laughs)

NARRATOR: The Car SOS workshop gang are here,

almost as spruced up as the Sprite,

ready to enjoy seeing their hard work appreciated

by a select gathering of car fans and journalists.

So can we please put our hands together.

A huge round of applause for Sir Stirling Moss, please.

Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: It's a special moment in racing history,

as the last remaining Healey Sprite driver from Sebring

and this unique Austin-Healey are reunited.

It's the 23rd of March, 1962,

and we're all in Florida at Sebring,

it's a racetrack over there.

Stirling, do you remember that race?

Oh, very well.

I mean, the people I was with--I mean,

Steve McQueen was pretty cool.

TIM: You won't be surprised to hear that Sir Stirling led.

I really didn't think we had a hope in hell

of beating the Abarths 'cause they were so fast.

How do you remember the car

we're about to show you looking?

I'll remember when I take the cover off it.

-(laughs) -Touché.

All right, so would you guys like to see the car?

ALL: Yes!

All right, for the first time in 50 years, Sir Stirling.

-You ready? -Okay, let's go do it.

TIM: Come on, let's get it out. Here it is.

Wow! Amazing!

-Remember that? -Yeah, yeah!

Do you remember running to it, diving in, and setting off?

Yeah.

Yes, I remember it so well. Absolutely perfect.

Just down there.

Then I can drive it out and I can keep it?

Absolutely.

Oh, boy.

Feels exactly as it was.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Having spent 46 years in mothballs,

this special Sebring Sprite

has a great future ahead as a star attraction,

on display for the public,

thanks to a sensitive conservation-restoration.

Where a crusty patchwork of flaking paint

spoiled any memories

of that star-studded Sebring race,

now a not-too-new coat of light blue paint

brings those heady days roaring back.

The original dashboard had been spoiled by a hole,

where a radio was once fitted,

but is now returned to its purposeful,

Spartan specification.

Every detail and dent that could be preserved

has been kept intact.

The 1,071 race engine and gearbox

has been reconditioned

and is ready to be sparked into life

and put through its paces.

And who better to give this 53-year-old her first run

for 46 years than the man himself.

(engine revving)

The only debate now, of course,

is who gets the ride of his life.

-Tails. -Heads!

-Ah! -(laughs)

Go on, son, enjoy yourself. Gutted.

(engine revving)

FUZZ: So how does it feel to be reunited

with the Sebring Sprite after all this time?

I think this is showing its age as much as I am actually.

(Fuzz laughs)

FUZZ: Well, it's not at all, then.

Come on.

Come on, girl.

♪ ♪

This is really my era.

And to get into a car

where the pedals are in the right place,

and the gearbox, it's just a fun car.

♪ ♪

I love the sound

of the straight-cut gears as well.

MOSS: Yes. FUZZ: Nothing like it, really.

Great little tool, really.

TIM: How do you see the importance of this vehicle?

MOSS: Well, I think it's tremendous.

I mean, to give the car back as it is like this,

I think it's fantastic.

I mean, we need cars like this

so people can come back and sort of say,

"Christ, you mean you raced a thing like that," you know?

It's great for those people

who were there in the life of the day.

It's great for youngsters,

you know, they're amazed at how bare it is if you like.

I kind of say when I see something of 1898,

I think, "God, fancy driving that."

(engine revving)

FUZZ: That's amazing.

I'm getting to have a drive with Sir Stirling Moss!

Pretty good.

If you don't mind, I only live down the road.

You can give me a lift.

MOSS: Okay. FUZZ: (laughs)

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