-[Mike] This time... -Wow.
Look at that. It's fantastic.
...we're taking on an absolute '80s classic.
I bet, in 1989, this was the dog's dangly bits, wasn't it?
[Mike] But this 30-year-old Audi Coupe
needs to be brought bang up to date...
It's got a tape deck, for goodness' sake.
...and back to life...
[Marc] Oh, my goodness, that is disgusting.
I've never seen anything like that.
...so this car can once again roll the roads.
-How's it feeling? -Well, coast to coast, mate, I'll tell you what,
it feels brilliant, this car.
[shouting] Oh, yes!
-I'm Mike Brewer... -Hoo.
...and I've been buying and selling cars for nearly 40 years.
It's rattly, smelly and it's blooming brilliant.
Now I've set up shop in Britain's motor and heritage heartland...
We can see the back of the Volvo, and there it is.
Very nice.
...along with ex-Formula One mechanic, Marc 'Elvis' Priestly.
-Yes, I did. -That engine management light never put you off then?
Together, we get to buy...
I think you're the right man for it.
-Top man. -...and fix up...
-[Marc] Are you actually pushing? -[Mike] Of course I'm pushing.
...the most iconic and exciting cars on the market.
This is gonna be epic.
Bolt a supercharger to it
-and you end up with a car that does this! -[engine accelerating]
[Mike] With Elvis' engineering skill...
It's like trying to wake sleeping beauty, isn' it? Apart from the beauty bit.
-...and my car-dealing clout... -That's definitely a no.
...we should be able to make ourselves a tidy profit.
This is my job and I blooming love it.
[theme music playing]
Morning, Elvis. Can I borrow you, mate?
Morning.
I think I found us the perfect starter classic.
-It's a 1989 Audi Coupe. -Nice.
Well, I'm guessing that if it's a starter classic,
it's not the quattro, which is, of course, the one everyone wants.
No, it's not the quattro, but it has got three very important things.
It's one owner, full service history and low mileage,
only 66,000 miles.
Wow. Mate, that's a great find.
You get the workshop ready in the hope I come back with an Audi Coupe,
and I'll give them a tinkle,
-see if I can go and see it. -Nice one. Let me know.
[Mike] Now the car in question comes from a generation
when there were some really tasty motors on the road.
Cars like the BMW 325 Sport
or the Mercedes 190.
Because back in the late '80s, these cars in '89,
and were known as the giant German two.
But nowadays, we include Audi in that conversation
and it's the giant German three.
But Audi would try to make headways back then
into Mercedes and BMW territory,
and to do that, they did some really cool stuff.
Launched in 1988 was this belter of a car,
the Audi Coupe.
The Coupe featured a host of little touches
to give it more of an up-market feel
like a raised aluminum spoiler and lowered suspension.
It was launched under the slogan, "Vorsprung durch Technik,"
which means "Progress through technology."
However, what was high-tech equipment in the '80s
may need a bit of updating.
It's a one-owner car from new,
with only 66,000 miles,
which would have an army of people usually rushing to its door
because of its rarity.
Now there's only a few of them out there.
But unfortunately, this car has floundered its MOT.
on a brake servo.
So, in anticipation of going to see this car,
I've been looking up brake servos,
and guess what,
I can't find one. They don't exist.
So, I'm kind of hoping that when I get there and I see it,
it's something that can be fixed.
The owner, Barry, tells me it's got a few other little issues with it as well,
but I'm hoping to rock up, stand in front of it
and find a very nice car.
[Mike] It's on the market for 4,700 quid,
which I don't reckon will leave as much room for a profit.
So, I'm going to have to try and strike a bargain.
No car in the driveway.
So, I gather our one-owner-from-new Audi
must be tucked away safely
in the garage.
Well, I'm hoping so.
Ah-ha. You Barry?
You Michael? Yes.
-I am, yeah. Very nice to see you. -Good to see you.
Where's the Audi?
-It's in the garage there. -Oh, nice.
Has it always been kept in the garage?
Absolutely. For the last...
-30 odd years. Yeah. -Thirty years in the garage. I love it.
Wow. Look at that. Fantastic.
Is there any chance we can pull it out?
-I'll pull it out for you. -Yeah, lovely. Thank you.
[engine starts]
Nice one, Barry.
Good condition all round, isn't it?
What a great-looking car, it really is.
So, you walked into an Audi dealer...
1989, yeah.
-Wow. And went and bought your first brand-new Audi. -Yup.
The mileage is incredibly low for the year of the car,
-66,000 miles. -Sixty-six thousand miles, yeah.
So, it begs the question, being it's a rare car,
why do you want to sell it?
It failed the MOT, actually,
-and I couldn't get the part for it, so... -Right.
Well, let's have a good look round the car.
-Okay. -So, let's start under the bonnet.
[chuckles] Yes.
-Good ol' engines aren't they? -Yeah.
Right, well, this is the offending article down there,
which is the brake servo.
Obviously I can't see any holes in it or anything,
but that's gonna need taking out.
We're gonna have to see if it can be repaired
-or somehow... -If you can get a replacement.
A replacement. Somebody must have one.
It'd be trying to find one.
Overall, uh, not bad.
The wheels, they definitely need refurbishing.
[Barry] Yeah, that's the worst part of the car, I'm afraid, the wheels.
-Can I see inside? Do you mind? -Certainly can, yeah.
Carry on.
Oh, mate, sitting in here...
I bet in 1989, when you walked into the showroom,
-this was the dog's dangly bits, wasn't it? -Certainly was, yeah.
Leather steering wheel, leather gear knob. It's lovely.
-Can I fire it up? -Fine, try it. Yup.
[engine starts]
Oh.
-Oh, it's that noise. -Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
Oh, it's wonderful.
[engine stops]
[Mike] Have you had any offers?
Uh, two and a half, that's all I'm afraid. [laughs]
-Why didn't you take it? -It was too low.
-So, you want more than that? -From £4,500 to £2,500.
It's a lovely car, isn't it? That's the thing.
It is a nice car, it's a rare car,
but rarity makes it, sort of, a bit of a worry, a bit of a challenge.
Um, I need to just have five minutes to myself,
just get in my head
-whether I can actually do this car... -Yeah, okay.
...and make a profit out of it.
So, can I just take five minutes?
-Will do. Yeah, fine. -Thank you, very much.
Ooh.
This is a bit of a head scratcher.
It's a one-owner car from new
with only 66,000 miles.
To be honest with you, that bid of 2.5 grand
he had for the car earlier,
that's not a bad bid.
He's asking, I think, too much money for it.
I think my target price for this car will probably be 3.5 grand.
Little bit less than what he wants.
Do I want to take that gamble, though?
This car, remember, I can't even drive it.
It's illegal for me to drive, it's got not MOT.
Well, I brought the empty trailer for a reason.
Let's see if I can put a car on it, shall I?
So, Barry, um, I've had a really good think about it.
I am worried about certain things.
The brake servo is the big one for me.
So, if I offered you 3 grand, I don't suppose that's gonna be enough, is it?
Not really. I was looking more for £4,000 really.
I do feel that I would walk away from this car
if I couldn't get it for the right price.
Uh, so, my final offer
would be £3,500. What do you think?
Not a bad price, I suppose.
-Got a deal? -Fine. Yeah, it'll do.
Lovely. Thank you very much, Barry.
Just bought myself an Audi Coupe.
Couldn't be any happier. Thank you.
[Mike] Right. I have rolled the very big dice
and I'm kind of happy with what I've done,
but there's a little bit of nervousness in the pit of my stomach
because, yet again, I'm bringing a car back to the workshop
that's on a trailer.
But is it a gamble worth taking? I think so.
because where are you gonna find another one-owner-from-new,
66,000-mile Audi Coupe out there in the marketplace?
I think we've got a cracking little car behind us.
I just hope Elvis is on board.
[car honks]
[laughs]
All right, mate, this is our little Audi Coupe.
3.5 grand.
-No. That's a good price. -[chuckling] Yes.
There are few little issues with the car, stuff that we need to fix.
Uh, wheels could do with a bit of refurbishing.
[Marc] Yeah, okay, yeah. They need a bit of tidying up.
[Mike] Inside, you're gonna like this.
This car, back in the day, would have been technically advanced,
but it's not now.
So, I'm thinking maybe we should take that slogan,
"Vorsprung durch Technik,"
-and make this car a bit more technically advanced. -Okay, yeah.
-I like it. It's interesting. -You like the idea?
Yeah. I mean, you could put a nice in-car entertainment system in
that has sat-nav, and connect your phone to it, all that stuff.
-There you go. See? -That's what people want.
So, we progress this car through technology
into the modern era.
Of course there's gonna be some stuff
we're gonna need to do under the bonnet.
[Marc] It's a great engine, isn't it?
It's a 5-cylinder, that's unusual in itself.
It's the bigger one as well, so more power.
[Marc] Audi was the first manufacturer
to optimize the 5-cylinder engine
with a fully electronic, map-controlled ignition system.
It was state-of-the-art then,
but now it's pretty basic.
It's a great basis to work from this, you know.
And there's loads we can do.
I mean, take that. That's an old mechanical fuel injection system.
Today it's so much more efficient to go electronic fuel injection.
There are aftermarket kits
so you can get rid of all that, take it off
and replace it with a kit,
doesn't cost an absolute fortune.
And if we put that on, we can remap it,
and if we're gonna remap it, mate, the possibilities are endless.
We could give it more power, more efficiency.
Tires as well.
Maybe we could go for lower rolling-resistance tires.
And tire technology's moved on leaps and bounds
since this car was new.
I'm looking forward to it. I'm quite excited about that.
But I haven't asked you yet. Why on earth is it sat on a trailer?
-Why didn't you drive it back? -Yeah, it hasn't got an MOT.
-Oh, why not? -Because that. The brake servo is busted.
Okay. That seems easy enough to replace.
-Why didn't he do it? -Because you can't find any.
I actually had a look on the Internet before I bought the car
and I couldn't find one either.
-[laughs] -But that's my problem. Don't worry.
I'll find us a brake servo, you've just got to do the rest of it.
-[laughs] Okay. -I reckon, if we get it right,
you know, we'll end up with a car,
like, a modern classic
that really is a modern classic.
You know what, mate? I love the idea. Honestly, I'm quite excited about it.
-Right. Should we get it in the workshop? -Let's do it.
[Marc] While Mike scours his contact book
for any chance of tracking down that servo...
Aw, mate. Well, fingers crossed they can help me.
...I can take a proper look at this Audi Coupe.
It is an important car in Audi's history.
Came out of the production line
at the same time the Berlin Wall fell.
It was the first car that really took Audi
from being a small German manufacturer
to playing in the big leagues of mass market sales
amongst their German counterparts, BMW and Mercedes.
It had class-leading aerodynamics,
safety features, had galvanized body work.
But today, those things are old hat.
I mean, everybody's got them, haven't they?
What this car needs is to be brought into the modern era
and that is the mission that Mike and I are now on.
[Marc] There is a chance I can still salvage this brake servo...
-[engine starts] -...which will save Mike a lot of stress and some cash.
Okay, so the brake servo works by using a vacuum form the engine
to assist your pedal effort to give you the braking that you need.
So, by firing up the engine, I should get that working
and see if I've got any different feel at the pedal
and if there is an air leak, I should be able to hear it.
Okay, so the pedal feels quite good,
but I'm fairly sure I can hear an air leak.
So, I think we have to take it off.
[Marc] The broken servo is easy enough to get out,
but until I take it apart, I won't know how big the problem actually is.
[Marc] There it is.
The offending article.
The one thing stopping this car getting back on the road.
Oh, my goodness.
That is disgusting. I've never seen anything like that.
That should be dry, it should be clean inside there.
What is that?
Pretty sure that that's brake fluid
mixed with a whole bunch of other stuff that I got no idea what it is.
I mean, one thing that I'm 100% sure of
is that there's no way that can be repaired.
Elvis. Parts delivery for you.
Is it the part? Is that the brake servo?
This is the brake servo I've been trying to get from everywhere.
Listen, I exhausted everywhere in the UK, there isn't one.
So, I went further field and got this one all the way from Lithuania.
What? Really? Wow.
Mate, well done. That's amazing.
'Cause I'll tell you what, you should've seen the state
of the one that came off, it was horrible.
Yeah, 30 quid as well. Cheap.
-From Lithuania. -Incredible.
-Nice one. -Yeah, it's good.
Yeah, now whilst I was getting that,
I've been thinking about the wheels and what we're gonna do with them
because they need refurbishing
plus the little fiddly wheels with all the nuts round the edge.
They definitely do need some attention
and they're not even real split rims.
You know, they're sort of cheap fakies.
So, we should do something with them.
Well, I've been talking to a company locally
who reckon they can take out fakie split rim
and turn them into genuine split rims.
That gives them the option, then, or us the option
to change the diameter of the rim,
therefore changing the tire size,
and we can get a more fuel-efficient tire.
That's amazing. I mean, yeah, you could have a bigger rim with a lower-profile tire.
It'll look better as well.
-It's a bit Vorsprung durch Technik. -Exactly.
So if you get that fitted, knock the wheels off, I can take them with me.
-Nice one, mate. -Nice one.
Oh, he's gone and done it again, hasn't he?
He's found me the one bit stopping me getting this car MOT'd
and back onto the road.
All I need to do is fit it, and then I can start thinking about updating that tech.
[Marc] It's a like-for-like replacement,
so, in theory, this should be very straightforward.
[Marc] Of course the new servo fits in exactly the same way
as the old one came out,
and I'm hoping it's the only thing I need
to get this car through an MOT,
but I don't know 100% for sure until I get out and drive it.
[Marc] So, Mike's gonna have to wait a moment
before I can give him those wheels.
But until we pass the MOT,
I can only test the new brake servo out
on private roads.
[Marc] All right, well, this is the first time that anyone's driven this car.
Mike hasn't even driven this car yet,
and there's always a tiny bit of nervous anticipation
particularly when you've done some major work on the brakes.
I've got total confidence in my work.
It doesn't stop me having that tiny little hint
not knowing what's about to happen when I press the pedal.
All right, there we go.
Oh, yes.
That's exactly what I want it to feel,
a nice, controlled stop.
No squealing, no juddering, no pulling off to one side or the other.
Did exactly what I wanted it to do.
And that means I can now get the car MOT'd and make it road-worthy.
I've gotta say, it drives really nicely.
The car is quiet, it's smooth,
it feels like a much more modern car than it is.
Gear change has no lumps, no nasty noises.
All the kind of things that you'd be looking for on a normal test drive
before you bought the car.
Of course we didn't get the chance to do that
because it didn't have any brakes.
So, I'm really pleasantly surprised with what I'm finding now.
It's got all the hallmarks of the kind of car
that you could use as a general, everyday commuter.
And if we can throw some additional tech at it,
we could really bring it up into the modern day, couldn't we?
I mean, I could get totally carried away with tech,
but I do need to keep a check on what we spend on this car.
I mean, look at it. It's so dated. It's so 1980s, isn't it?
It's got a tape deck, for goodness' sake.
[Marc] Right. Now I can whip the wheels off for Mike to refurbish.
[drill whirs]
And while Mike is off sorting the wheels out,
it's giving me a chance to take a closer look at this engine.
And whilst it may not set your heart racing with excitement
as a 2.2-liter, 5-cylinder engine,
it is a good solid basis. It's an interesting unit.
[Marc] What's under the bonnet was great in the '80s,
but with today's technology, I can take it up a notch.
Well, to the next level, actually.
This is the solution. A closed-loop electronic fuel-injection kit
with an ECU right at the very heart of it.
Now that electronic control unit is continuously monitoring data
coming from a series of sensors
and uses it to calculate, very accurately,
exactly how much fuel each cylinder needs
in any given moment, under any given set of conditions.
It's modern, it's high-tech, it's way more efficient,
and it should mean that our car
is now finally worthy of that slogan.
[Marc] By uploading a bit of clever software to the ECU,
it means we can remap the car.
And that will let us tune the engine for performance,
economy, or somewhere in the middle.
But before that can happen, I need to fit all the sensors
the ECU needs to crunch the data.
Now whilst most of the work, of course, is gonna happen up inside the engine bay,
I'm gonna start with one of the more messy jobs
and that is to fit a lambda sensor,
a sensor that measures exhaust gases.
And by doing so, it can tell how the combustion process is working in the cylinders,
and it can feed that information back into the ECU
and then control how much fuel it delivers as part of the process.
Of course that needs to go into the exhaust pipe here,
and that means a bit of drilling.
[Marc] I'm starting by drilling a small pilot hole
and then gradually increasing the size with stepped drill bit.
But as I do that, I also need to spray in some lubrication
to stop things getting too hot.
Next, I clean the hole up with an angle grinder
and weld in the boss for the sensor.
[Marc] With that now in place,
I can get the car down and start working on the bits up top.
[Marc] The lambda sensor's main job
is to measure the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas
and feed that information back to the ECU
to control the fuel injectors.
That then means the car can maintain
the most efficient engine operation.
But the ECU also checks the status of other variables.
The condition of the air being drawn in,
the temperature of the water in the engine,
the position of the throttle and the engine speed.
Next up, the air temperature sensor which sits just in here
in the metering unit housing like that.
Now, the ECU needs to know exactly the temperature of the air
because air density, and therefore its oxygen content,
varies with temperature,
and so this device here plays a key role
in making sure that electronic control unit
knows exactly the state of the air that the car is inhaling.
Another variable that has to be accurately measured
in order to deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time
is water temperature.
And whilst there's nothing wrong with the sensors in there,
the kit comes with one that's perfectly matched to the new ECU.
That sensor's fitted for two of the variables,
so I've just got one more to do.
I'm fitting a linear throttle position sensor
up here on top of the throttle body,
which gives the ECU a very accurate reading
between zero and 100%
of how wide open the throttle is
as you put your foot on the accelerator.
With that in place,
I've got the last couple of bits to do in here.
But first I am going to hide the new ECU
out of sight, under the passenger footwell.
And once secured in position, I can wire it all up.
Phew. All right, that is that job almost done.
The fuel injection system's fitted.
We've still got to send it to a rolling road and get it remapped,
but I must've spent almost a third of the value on the car on that alone,
and I've still got to buy and fit a whole lot of tech to this car.
I just hope, at the end of the day, we've added enough value
to justify the spend.
[Mike] We're on a mission to update our 1980s Audi Coupe
to make it a bit more "Vorsprung durch Technik."
And to help with that, I'm on my way to see a company
who are already working on improving the look
and efficiency of our corroded alloy wheels.
Now the alloy wheels, they are hiding really
under years of corrosion.
But the other thing that's really disappointing
is they're not genuine split rims,
they're sort of fake split rims.
And I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to have real split rims on the car
because Audi aficionados would love that.
Split rims were originally introduced
for high-performance race cars
as sections could be repaired
rather than a whole wheel being replaced.
It also allows for you to vary the width of the wheel
depending on the vehicle they're fitted to.
But most of all, they just look cool.
I found this company called Voodoo
who reckon they can take our fake split rim
and turn it into a genuine split rim.
So, I've sent our set of wheels ahead
so they can crack on with the work,
and I'm on my way to go and see them.
Now because we are modifying the wheel, anyway,
it gives me the opportunity to move the wheel
from what is a 15-inch diameter to a 16-inch,
and it would give the car a better stance.
As well as looking nice.
it gives me a chance to add on a wider and more fuel-efficient tire.
These are manufactured using a special compound
to minimize heat resistance on the road,
which, in turn, allows the wheel to roll better.
And making it wider means the extra surface area
-gives it better handling. -How are you, mate?
-Good to see you. -Good to see you, too.
-How have you been? -Yeah, busy.
Got my wheels that I sent ahead?
-Yeah, I got the wheels. -Excellent.
We've managed to get them into various stages.
-Can I see at all? -Yeah, definitely.
-Where do we go? -This way.
[Mike] Lovely.
Oh, this is nice back here.
I recognize this bad boy.
Is that my... One of the wheels,
the offending wheels of my Audi.
[Elie] Yeah, this is... Well, it's in pretty poor condition.
These bolts here, are they molded or are they actually bolts?
Well, these are actual bolts which have a spline insert,
so they've literally pressed into a hole.
friction fit,
and once they're in, they're in.
[Mike] Split rims break the wheel down into three parts
secured with individual bolts
so they each can be swapped out if damaged.
But the ones our Audi came with
are just made to look the part, and that's all.
Oh, it's just pressed... It's not even screwed in,
-it's just pressed in. -[Elie] Yeah.
I'm really disappointed by Audi now.
I feel really cheated.
Wow, they are really fake. [chuckles]
So, our first job is to remove all the fake studs.
The center section of the wheel
is the only bit we want to keep.
Elie has already sent off one of the other wheels to be dipped in an acid bath
which removes all the paint and lacquer,
stripping them back to bare metal.
And when it returns, it looks like this.
[Elie] This is the wheel in its naked form.
So, you're gonna somehow separate this from that?
Yeah, so if you come over to the lathe.
I've got one ready in the lathe to show you
where we're gonna part off the rim and the barrel to leave just the center bit.
-Can't wait. Go on, show me. -Come on, let's have a look.
Ah-ha.
So, I suppose for you then, what you're doing is
you're... You're just gonna, what, delete this bit
get that bit to come away.
Yes, we're gonna part the front lip off
and then we need to part the rear section of the wheel off.
'Cause we don't need the rear because that's 15-inch,
-we're gonna go to 16-inch. -Exactly, yeah.
-Come on then. Let's get on with it. -Cool.
Before Elie can split our rims,
he needs to carefully line everything up,
and that takes an eye for detail.
Isn't it lovely to see a man actually do it by hand
and work that lathe?
Rather than just writing a program for it, pressing a button
and stepping away.
He knows it needs a careful hand
to separate that old rim
into three separate pieces.
Remember, it's only the middle bit we're interested in.
Once she's done that, we can then start building up that middle piece
and end up with a proper split rim,
and that's what we're looking for.
That's the first bit removed.
Now Elie is resetting the alignment
so he can machine away the old 15-inch rear section
from the part of the rim we want to use again.
Nice.
Okay. After you, sir.
And he's already gone further ahead
on one of our other wheels.
Ah. Right, okay, I can see what we got here then.
So, this is...
This is the one that's just come out the lathe.
-Yeah. -It's different than this one.
[Elie] Yeah, it still needs a little bit more.
We're just taking off the massive excess
-which makes it hard to work with. -Right.
Now we can continue to machine it down to size.
[Mike] Should we get rid of this?
[Elie] Yeah, let's get rid of that. This is the inner.
-Right. So now this is a 16-inch rim. -That's it.
-That goes on top? -Locate directly on top.
Line the holes up.
-[Mike] Nice. -That will go there.
-Here is the outer. -[Mike chuckles]
Look at that. I mean, already, it's like it should be.
That looks absolutely fantastic, doesn't it?
Especially with these... Can I get one of these little nutties out?
See what that would look like.
-Can I drop it in there? -[Elie] Yeah.
-[chuckles] Look at you, eh? -Yeah, look at that.
That's a skill, that is.
I'll tell you, what you've done there is absolutely fantastic.
-This was knackered earlier. Now look at it, eh? -[laughs]
It looks absolutely transformed, doesn't it?
All that's left to do is to seal the wheel together
and fit new and more efficient tires.
It seems like a lot of work,
but what we're getting in return
is a set of practically unique wheels,
and I bet the Audi collectors out there will love them.
Mate, look at that. That looks...
Oh, get in.
That looks wholesome, doesn't it.
-Thank you very much. -[Elie] No worries.
-I'll go grab the others. -Lovely.
Now that is progress through technology.
Now it's not just the hardware in cars, over the years,
that have taken giant leaps forward,
but also the engine oil has seen massive advancements
in terms of its technology and performance.
This is oil which the car would have come with back in the day,
but this has vastly improved.
Here we've got a 5W-40.
Now in 1989, this car would have come with 10W-40.
Now those numbers refer to the viscosity of the engine oil
in different conditions.
So we're filling it up with 5W-40, with a 5W,
meaning the oil is less viscous or thinner
in those cold, winter months
and that allows the engine to push the oil more easily
to the vital components when you start it up from cold.
Now that means the engine has to work less hard
to pass that oil around the components.
It means we use less fuel
and we give out fewer emissions out the back,
so overall, it's just more efficient.
The 40, well, that refers to the vital number,
the grade of oil that the engine was designed to run at
when it's up to fully-running temperature.
So, that remains the same.
So, our big improvement here is keeping that same level when the engine is hot
by giving a thinner oil when the engine needs it most when it's cold.
This is a relatively cheap way to bring our engines up to the modern era.
-Ah. Hello, mate. -Hello, mate.
Do you remember those old wheels you gave me off the car?
Those fake split rims?
[Marc] Yeah, that's not them, is it?
That is a genuine split rim
and that is the center of our old wheel.
It's been cut out and made into a proper split rim.
-[Marc] Cut and shut 'em. -[Mike] Cut and shut 'em.
-How good is that, eh? -[Marc] I like it, it looks good.
In fact, the Audi aficionados are gonna love this, trust me.
And not only that, there's been some progress through technology.
because we've gone from a 15-inch rim
-up to 16-inch rim. -Okay.
We've got a lower-profile tire. Before it was an F-rated tire,
now it's an A-rated for efficiency tires.
[Marc] Mate, that fits in perfectly
because under the bonnet, I've also done that electronic fuel injection
which will also give us more fuel economy.
And I've been shopping. Look at this. Best shopping trip ever.
I've just been down the gadget shop and bought a load of tech.
[both laughing]
[Mike] Now I know why my phone app
for the banking has been going bing, bing, bing, bing.
-It's you. -Yeah, all right, Dad.
But I've bought some great stuff, and when I get it on the car,
it's gonna bring this Audi up to the modern era.
Well, listen, here's one.
Let me go and get the others
-out of the car for you. -Nice.
[Marc] Mike's new split rims and tires are gonna help the car's efficiency
and transform the way this car looks.
But it's the new drivers' technology
that I'm most excited about.
Now one of the first bits of tech I'm gonna fit to our car
is reversing sensors.
They weren't available as an option back in 1990,
but today they are and they're cheap.
At just £38 for the new sensors,
it's a cost-effective way to bring this Audi into the 21st century.
Right. First job is to fit these,
four ultrasonic sensors which sit in the rear of the bumper
and then emit a cone of sound,
and as that sound wave bounces back off a nearby object,
the sensor picks that up
and it detects how far away that object is.
It lets you know, as a driver,
by that little beeping sound you get in the cockpit.
I've got to situate these in a place
where I can rig the wiring nicely through the back of it,
but also where they're nicely spaced apart
and at exactly the right height
so they work effectively.
I'm measuring up the bumper to accurately space out
and position the sensors
then drilling small holes for them to sit into.
Okay, now with all four sensors now mounted in the bumper,
I've just got to thread the wires through a hole that I've drilled
and then feed them in where they will get wired into the control box
which gets mounted just on the other side of this panel here.
The concept of ultrasonic sensors for spatial awareness
has been around since the 1970s
as a tool to help the visually-impaired.
But it wasn't until Toyota fitted them to the Prius in 2003
that they started to become common as a parking aid.
The parking sensors take their trigger signal from the reverse lights,
but before I wire those in,
I've also got this little bit of kit here.
It's a reversing camera
and it wires into exactly the same circuit,
so I'm gonna stick this in at the same time.
Adding driver assistance technology
is an easy way to improve the driver experience.
It's also not that difficult to fit.
So, it's hard to go wrong even if you're doing it on your own driveway.
Now this may just look like a replacement rearview mirror,
but it's actually a screen for that reversing camera
as well as having a dash cam built in as well.
So once I fit this on,
all I've got left to do is run a wiring harness from here
all the way to the back and connect the whole lot up,
then I've got a new stereo to replace the old cassette deck in here
and we're nearly there.
All right, there we go.
I love a bit of high technology,
and with what I've done to this car,
I've brought it way up into the modern era.
Hopefully on a budget that still means there's a profit in it, too.
I can't wait to reveal it all to Mike
and to get it out on the road and give it a proper test.
[Marc] Our Audi Coupe's been on an incredible journey,
inside and out
and I can't wait to show it off to Mike.
[laughs]
You've done it again, ain't you?
Ay, it's just like being transported back into the dealership.
It's good, isn't it?
1989. That looks incredible. The wheels are fantastic, aren't they?
[Marc] You've done such a good job on those, I love it.
So, what about the tech under the bonnet?
[Marc] Yeah, I mean, it's now got a full electronic fuel injection kit,
which is working perfectly.
I've had it down the rolling road and remapped it
and it's now doing 130 horsepower,
which is exactly the same number it had
when it rolled off the production line all those years ago.
But even better than that, it's been mapped to be so efficient,
you know, and that's what this is all about now, isn't it?
Bringing it up to the modern day.
Yeah, so what about all the tech on the inside?
Because my credit card was taking
-a bit of a pounding. -[laughs]
Yeah, well, it was money well spent.
But I think I've been quite efficient in what we've put in,
technology and gadgets which I love
and you're gonna love once you get behind the wheel.
Well, mate, listen, I can't wait to get it out on the road
and really put to the test all the improvements we've made,
and I've got every place in mind where to take it.
-Wow. -When I bought this Audi,
it was stuck in the '80s.
It's got a tape deck, for goodness' sake.
And it was far away from worthy of Audi's famous slogan.
That is disgusting. I've never seen anything like that.
But with Elvis' mechanical genius...
This device here knows exactly the state of the air that the car is inhaling.
...and my eye for detail...
This was knackered earlier. Now look at it, eh?
It looks absolutely transformed, doesn't it?
...we have brought the Audi kicking and screaming
into the 21st century.
I love a bit of high technology,
and with what I've done to this car,
I've brought it way up into the modern era.
But how much has this remarkable renovation set us back?
I bought the car from Barry for £3,500.
With delivery, the brake servo only set us back £34.
I got the fuel injection kit for £880,
the wheel rims and tires cost £900,
new efficient oil and spark plugs cost me £58
and the parking sensors, mirror and radio
cost me a total of £228,
giving us a grant total of £5,600.
So, have we now progressed this car through technology?
To find out, I know a scenic coast-to-coast route in the southwest
that's the perfect distance to test the improved efficiency.
[Marc] I love the fact that we're down here Cornwall.
It's a beautiful part of the world.
-Why? -Because I did a bit of maths
-on the back of an envelope. -Yeah.
-This car does around 30 miles to the gallon. -Yes.
St. Austell to Padstow is 20 miles.
-Yes. -Right. So, this car
should effectively... I've filled the tank, full up.
It should get there, on today's modern fuel prices,
-for less than a fiver. -[laughs]
And if it gets there for less than a fiver,
that means you have Vorsprung durch Technik'd
and I'm gonna buy the pasties.
[laughs] Amazing.
But if it doesn't and it's more than a fiver...
-I buy them? -...I have to put in the tank,
you buy the pasties.
Okay, so we're gonna fill up again when we get there,
-see how much it costs. -Correct.
Let's drive efficiently, all right?
Mate, I can drive efficiently because you've smothered this car
and exercised my credit card
on nothing but technology. What is going on here?
Mate, when was the last time you had a Cornish pasty, seriously?
[Marc chuckles] I mean, actually, a genuine one, I'm not sure
because you know you can only legally
call a Cornish pasty a Cornish pasty
-if it was genuinely made in Cornwall. -Shut up.
-No way. -Serious.
So if I've had a Cornish pasty in the midlands,
you're saying to me that had to be made in Cornwall.
If it says Cornish pasty on the label, it had to be made down here.
We've done some great work to it.
You know, sensitive job, this, wasn't it?
because it was a one-owner-from-new car,
it was low mileage
so we had to be careful with what we did it,
but I think actually, the jobs that we've taken on
and executed pretty well
I think have added value to it,
they've added efficiency, as we're about to find out.
And hopefully it's gonna get us to our Cornish pasty.
-Yeah. -For just a few quid.
My stomach is asking that question,
"Are we gonna get to the Cornish pasty?"
Mate, there's a hill coming up. What do I do with the hill?
-Just go gently. -Just gently.
-[laughs] -Shall I just knock it...
I reckon if I could just keep it at 2,000 RPM,
just trickle in. Look at that, 2,000 RPM.
Just keep the momentum nice and steady.
Exactly. I'm using rolling resistance
rather than throttle here.
-Yeah... -Look how smooth it is.
...we can burn a little bit of fuel on the way up
and on the way down...
-You want me to-- -...we can do a bit of coasting, can't we?
Yes, we can. You want me to engage the clutch?
-How's it feeling? -Well, coast to coast, mate, I'll tell you what,
halfway across,
it feels brilliant, this car.
And I'm convinced that fuel gauge hasn't moved a bit.
[laughs] Good.
Doesn't a drive nicely on these tires?
It really does.
Really smooth, isn't it? It's lovely.
[Marc] Of course, as well as the jobs we've done,
fuels and lubricants have also taken steps forward in terms of their development,
so the fuel in the car is better,
the oil in the car is also more efficient,
so the whole thing should add up to a free Cornish pasty for me.
[both chuckle]
It feels really good under the right foot, this car.
It's got... Almost got an instant throttle response, if I want it.
-Look, I'm mid throttle, touch it-- -Yeah. Easy, easy.
There's a Cornish pasty at stake here.
Correct. I should zip it along the road
as in, zip.
[Mike] Twenty miles in and it's crunch time.
I filled the take in St. Austell.
Will it take less than a fiver to fill it back up?
Proving an improvement in efficiency.
And most importantly, will I be forced to fork out for the pasties?
-£3.80 -That's gotta be it.
4.50. Come on, I can get a bit more in there.
That's gotta be it.
4.70.
4.70... Come on.
That's it! 4.74.
That's it. I can't get any more in.
Get in and pay up, and then get your wallet out, we're having pasty.
Yes. You win.
[Mike] It's a forfeit I'm happy to take.
It proves we bought this Audi into the new millennium.
[Mike] Well, mate, welcome to Padstow. We made it.
[Marc] It's lovely, isn't it?
[Mike] And now I have a chance to test out the reverse sensors.
-[Mike] Ah. Look at that. -Nice. How about that?
[Mike] We've got a reversing camera. How nice is that?
Oh, it's really clear as well. I can see everything behind me.
It really is a good camera, isn't it?
And there's parking sensors, which I hope work,
because we're very close to the harbor wall. [laughs]
[Mike] I don't wanna go in the drink, certainly not.
Here we go. Reverse up.
-[sensor beeping] -Oh, listen to that.
Yeah, excellent.
Mate, that is brilliant.
Not only have we got here in an efficient way
'cause of new technology,
-we managed to park safely. -Exactly.
And because we got here so efficiently,
you better get your wallet out, mate.
[Mike] Yeah, that's right. The pasties are on me.
[Mike] And I know just the place.
Hello, mate. Can I get a couple of pasties?
Cheese and onion and a steak, please.
Yeah, no worries.
Thanks a lot for that. Ta-ta.
[Marc] Ah, here he is.
Your prize...
-[laughs] -...and I'm pleased to say officially,
because of the information you gave me earlier,
that's a genuine Cornish pasty.
-Genuine article. Look at that. -It certainly is.
Well, listen, mate, whilst I was getting this,
I've been thinking about, you know, what we set out to achieve.
Because we said, right from the outset,
"Let's take this everyman classic,
let's make it today, this car, as a classic."
-And we've achieved that. -We saved it, haven't we?
We saved a good car.
So, I'm gonna advertise it, I think, for a very fair 6 grand.
But I'll be honest with you, whoever comes up with the best offer,
I'm just gonna let them have it. You happy with that?
I'm very happy, mate. We had a lot of fun
-and we got a pasty out of it. -Nice one.
-[Marc] Enjoy. -Cheers.
[Marc] Back at the workshop, we have just one more job,
and that's to make a sale.
Well, our plan was to make sure that this Audi Coupe
was properly Vorsprung durch Technik
and I think me an Elvis, well, we pulled it off.
Not only that, one advert out there at £6,000
got the phone ringing,
and just this chap behind me is called Andy
and he's come from Wokingham.
He's been out for a drive, but does he want to do a deal?
So then, Andy, first question is,
why an Audi Coupe?
Well, I'm just thinking it's a classic car, mate.
That it's just fabulous, it looks fabulous.
and this car in particular looks impressive.
Well, thank you very much. Yeah, we have done a lot of work to it.
Would this be your first classic?
-It will be. -This is where the smart money is
at the moment, a modern classic.
Because it's a classic car.
You can drive to car shows whether it's in the north of England
or down in Cornwall with no fear of standing on the side of the road
waiting for the recovery service to come and rescue you.
So, what do you intend to do with it?
I intend to take it to a couple of car shows,
a couple of meets, and show the car off for what it really is.
Okay, well it seems like it's the perfect car for you.
Do you like the price? I'm asking £6,000 for it.
I think the price is very fair, Mike.
Lovely. Got yourself a deal.
-Thank you. -Well done.
I think this Audi was destined to find Andy as its new owner.
I know that it's the perfect starter classic for him
and he's gonna have loads of fun behind the steering wheel,
going to car shows up and down the country.
If you see it, give it a wave.
And if you want to see more cars like this,
being turned around by me and Elvis,
then join us again soon on Wheeler Dealers. Ta-ta.