Field Marshal Montgomery's Rolls-Royce.
It's a green light, it's a go.
Thank you very much.
It's the best and most important car we've ever worked on.
It's a Topolino!
It's called a little mouse.
I'd like it running and the electrics sorted.
I'm a bit worried
because the cost of the restoration way outstrips the value of the car.
Which means it may be about to depart this earth.
It's nearly three years
since the Smallest Cog opened its doors.
The business still owes me a fortune.
I've been hiding bank statements.
I'm basically running a social club!
So, it's time for a big shake-up.
Clock in in the morning, clock onto a job.
The dawn of a new era.
But not everyone likes change.
I am very nervous about all of it.
This isn't gonna tell me what to do! I'll tell you that for nothing.
We make history
with our most important restoration yet.
Did Montgomery or Churchill ever imagine you sitting in it?
Probably not.
The work must be completed on time.
Oh, she's eager!
Can we race into a bright new future
with me at the wheel?
Oh, oh, oh!
(THEME MUSIC)
(BIRDS CHIRP)
This isn't just any old morning.
This is the dawn of a new era.
We've got a new manager starting today
at The Smallest Cog.
He's called Jamie. He's ex Morgan.
Where he did about 20 years
and not only does he bring managerial experience running teams,
he's also hands on.
Richard's made it very clear,
he's brought me in for one reason,
and that's to get the company to make some money,
because they're not.
I run a tight ship,
and at the moment it's not running very tight,
because there's no-one here.
That's gonna change.
Oh, he's here already.
Hold on Cog, for what's about to happen to you.
Right.
Morning. Morning, Richard.
You OK? I'm alright. How are you?
Yeah, good thank you.
Right. That's us.
There is some work around that Fiat Topolino.
That's still quite a lot of work by the looks.
Yeah. Then over here is the Rolls-Royce.
How are we getting on with that?
It's not, it's not ahead of where it should be.
Right. So, when do the staff arrive?
We're very casual about that. Sort of in the morning.
Right. So, we'll have to, sort that out.
And then the kettle's in there. Would you like a cup of tea?
Today we're being visited by the MOD.
To look at Monty's Rolls-Royce.
The job was spot repairs,
but then Neil took it upon himself, well, to go mad...
(MACHINE WHIRS)
Aw! Wait! Priceless car.
It's got to come off! Oh, god!
He's taken all of the paint off.
The key thing is
that is in direct contradiction of the orders of a brigadier.
So, he's not seen it?
No, he doesn't know we've done that.
Neil and Anthony.
We can discuss it with them, they'll be here soon.
Any minute now they will, erm... Woosh!
(BIRDS CHIRP)
Any minute now.
Might be time to make another cup of tea...
or a roast.
Right.
Someone's early today.
One of Richard's new toys, no doubt.
Gentlemen. Hello. Jamie.
You've met Anthony, but today is Jamie starting.
You alright, mate? Yeah. Good, you?
First day. Yeah.
And, a busy day
because MOD are gonna be arriving in about an hour.
To look at the Rolls.
So, let's just get the thing out and have a look
and see what they're gonna see.
Feeling we're gonna be in trouble. A lot.
Right. It's out.
So, I'm the Brigadier, representing his Majesty's Army.
They're gonna go something like... Aah! Where's all the paint gone?
In military terms what we've done is,
we're in a war situation,
they've sent out a command to an officer,
"Right you, take that bridge and hold it."
Yeah. He's levelled the entire country.
Yep, but it had to be done. OK.
How many weeks have we got to deadline?
How many weeks... No! Jamie's just joined!
He doesn't know.
I'll let you in on a little insight.
I was sat in there last week rubbing that down
and I had a vision of Winston Churchill
and Field Marshal Montgomery standing at the car,
staring at me and going, "This car's got to be right.
"And we can't do half a job.
"And that's not half a job. That is a proper job."
Here they are.
Oh, god.
Please understand what we've done. Please get it.
Standing up straight.
(DRUM ROLLS)
Morning, Richard. How are you? Very well. Mike. Nice to see you.
Thanks. Yeah, yeah. Excellent.
Yeah. Nice to see you again. Hi. Nice to see you. Nice to see you.
Hi. Good to see you again.
Right. Just before we go in.
What are you expecting to see? What are you anticipating seeing?
I hope to see Montgomery's Rolls-Royce
in a reasonable condition,
on its way to looking beautiful
so that we can get it ready for D-Day.
The best thing is just come and see it.
Let's OK, well, let's go have a look.
After you. After you.
Oh, thank you. Simon, Brigadier.
It's over there.
It's the large Rolls-Royce shaped thing.
Come on in, we'll go around this side and have a look.
Richard.
Yeah. Here is your car.
Oh, dear. Oh, gosh. Yeah. Yeah.
What... what you would have noticed is the lack of paint.
Yes. Yes.
Wow. Neil. That is significant.
So, there is a lot less paint
and a lot more bare metal than I was expecting.
I can understand your concern, but this is good news
because there was so much paint on that car.
Had we followed the original idea
of doing spot repairs, blowing, blending in that paint,
what would have happened
was we would have got to the 11th hour
when it was just ready to go, and the paint would have reacted.
The reaction was a particular concern of Neil's
because, none of the paint was original,
underneath it was grey primer which also wasn't original.
To actually strip back the patches
and then paint on top of about 0.25 inch of paint
and blend it,
you'd have ended up with a patchwork quilt.
It would have looked like Frankenstein's Rolls-Royce.
I'm so pleased to see her stripped back like this.
I know, that probably sounds really, really bizarre.
Really pleased to hear you say that. Just sayin'!
I hope that I look this good naked when I'm 85.
My real concern is whether it will be finished on time
for D-Day because this car is in France,
quite possibly with His Majesty,
President of the United States,
and a whole bunch of veterans,
some of whom probably saw this car
crossing the beach 80 years ago.
And they will want to see this car in its glory.
Right. We will deliver. I promise I won't let you down.
Thank you. See you soon. You're hanging back on purpose.
Richard? Yes.
You have to finish on time. For Pete's sake.
You cannot be late. It would be disastrous.
OK. We'll do it. We'll get it there.
Thank you very much. Nice to see you.
(DRUM ROLLS)
Well, I think we got away with that.
Just. Yeah.
What do you think? Are we gonna do it?
Well, as it's my first day,
I really need to see how the lads work.
The pace. OK.
It is tight.
Yeah. Very tight.
So, if you spend the rest of the day to look at the guys,
the way they work.
And based on what you've seen,
let's talk end of day about meeting that deadline...
Yeah, definitely. ..and see if we can hit it.
Right. Yeah. I'll speak to you later.
OK.
Oh, I'll just plug this in, shall I? Oh, yeah.
Now, I've got to climb Kilimanjaro to put every plug in.
My pet hate.
See, you couldn't make it up, could you?
I hate this job. It's time to empty the oil drum.
Everyone puts this off and leaves as long as possible.
But you got a series of valves to close,
and then you pressurise the oil container,
and then it comes out into the waste oil drum.
So, got to be very careful with this.
Right. That's open.
So, if I put that airline on there now,
I don't know what's open and what's closed.
So, it's gonna have full air pressure out the top.
Just put a bit of safety there.
Same as defusing a bomb. I don't like this.
Aah!
Now, I'm just covered in oily, nasty mess.
Oh. Four hours cleaning up now.
Biggest concern with this now is this door,
because originally
I think this was caused by bomb damage in World War II.
In the Blitz. Somebody repaired the bottom.
But you can see it's all distorted.
So, we need to get rid of that.
So what I'm going to do is warm the metal up.
When it cools down, it contracts, it shrinks.
If that works.
And then what that will do will pull all this excess metal in.
It's like a facelift, but for a 1940s door.
You can actually see it's swelling up.
It's really springy there.
But where that it's really stiff,
which is a good sign for what we want.
How's it going?
Well, it's slow and laborious,
but you can tell how hard it
is because this is a pile of sweat, I'm stood in.
Right. When I put this ruler on there.
I can actually look down that blade.
There's no gap under that blade, look.
That's looking much better.
I'm chuffed to bits with that to be honest.
I'm really chuffed to bits with that.
You've saved the panel, haven't you?
That's still a door
that Winston Churchill or Field Marshal Montgomery
was leaning on whilst having a fag and looking at Normandy, wasn't it?
So, it's still that door.
So, you still got a fair bit to do then?
A lot, a lot to do. Yeah.
Yo!
Alright? Yeah. Not too bad. You?
So, how was it?
There's no doubting the skill of the lads.
They're really skilful.
The key thing I'm gonna come to is the Rolls?
Can we get it done for D-Day?
I just don't think we're gonna get it done.
We need more hands on deck because Neil just can't do it.
But what, do you want, a recruitment drive?
Do I put an advert in the paper?
That's a good idea. But I need someone like tomorrow.
Right. Leave it with me. I will try and find a solution.
Perfect. I'm not panicking.
See you in the morning Perfectly calm.
Yeah, right.
With just six weeks to get the Rolls done,
I've had no choice but to ask my friendly landlord Hadrian
for a favour.
It's gonna cost me big dime, but needs must...
You alright, Neil? Hiya, Matt. You alright?
You're in the wrong place, aren't you?
Hadrian's sent me to lend a hand on the Rolls.
Honestly? Oh, oh, oh, come on in.
I'll show you where the Rolls-Royce is...
Come on, come on. Let's go. Let's do it.
Can't tell you how relieved I am to see Matt
down there on the Workshop floor.
He trained as an automotive fabricator,
that's what he is, not just the heavy-duty stuff for Hadrian's.
Which means he can do all the finer stuff
we need to get that Rolls across the line.
Thrown in the deep end, priceless Rolls-Royce,
it's a little bit crazy, but I've got my work cut out.
Definitely.
But the Rolls isn't the only problem child
down there right now,
that little Fiat Topolino has been here for weeks.
Mostly because Ant's been chasing parts
for it all over Europe.
The owner Brian's spent several times its value already,
but he wants to keep going, thank goodness.
The new engine has finally arrived for it.
Look at that, brand new reconditioned engine,
all the way from Switzerland.
So, now, I've just got to hope that Anthony can make it live.
It's got to work.
Not many people would understand that
spending so much money on
a little old classic car is worth it,
but this just shows the man's passion for his car.
So, now, the bit I've been looking forward to actually,
since this has arrived,
getting the little engine out
and there's not many cars you can do this with,
you can actually lift an engine out of a box.
So, this is where my workout has been helping me hopefully.
Oh, look at that. All 13hp.
Ooh.
My washing machines got more power than this.
Right, before I get on to fitting the engine
into this little Topolino,
I've got to solve another problem, ignition switches.
Brian supplied me with a new one
because the old one hasn't got a key.
But the new one is completely different.
This is the original switch. Look at the wire inputs.
It's got one, two, three, four, five.
The new one is wrong.
Because this has got one, two, three.
There's obviously something missing in this switch,
which is all the headlights and stuff,
which is a rather big pain.
I just keep wondering when is this car ever gonna leave?
Which for the workshop isn't good
because it's taking up space and time
and that costs money.
Hi, Soph. Hiya. You alright?
I've got issues with this Fiat.
What's wrong? OK. Brian ordered a new ignition.
So, this is the original one out of the car.
Then this is the new one, which is totally wrong.
Where do we stand now?
I'm gonna try to make this one work.
Yeah.
I have no ignition key.
Right.
And the key that fits that one does not fit that one.
This Topolino is just fighting on every single corner.
It's like it doesn't want to leave.
Is it glued? Or nailed? I don't know.
What's that there?
Oh, that spider has been in there for 80 years.
Probably his great great grandad came over from France
and has lived in this door all his life.
But he's about to start a new life with The Smallest Cog.
Come on, little lad. Yeah, look at that.
He's perfectly camouflaged there
from living in that Rolls-Royce for 80 years.
And generation to generation's
gone the same colour as the wood, look.
He'll be perfectly fine there.
High five! Ooh!
New manager Jamie reckons long-term we need even more workshop staff.
So, me and Neil are on a special mission.
We're booked to appear on stage
at the NEC to kick-off our hunt for new recruits.
Shopping for people? Exactly.
That's-that's probably illegal.
Well, it's... Pretty sure it is.
I know it is.
The NEC Classic Car and Restoration Show
will be awash with keen mechanics and fabricators.
Making it the perfect platform to announce our recruitment drive.
Erm.
Somebody is going to be introducing us in 32 minutes.
We're not far off.
We're far enough away that at this rate,
we could be 1:30 hours getting there.
I'm a bit worried because it says there's 20.5mi there...
It's degrees, you pillock. Oh, god.
Well, I can't see it, can I?
No. Do you see?
That's why we need new, younger staff.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello. Hello, Richard.
It's Andrea from the show. Just want to find out where you are.
Er, we're... we're... we're pretty much there.
Yeah. We're. Yeah.
If we're late, how bad is that?
Er, we've got a pretty packed schedule, so...
Can you switch us around
and maybe bring the dancing monkeys in earlier,
and then we'll go on.
We'll do our best. OK. See you in a bit. Bye.
Bye. We're dead.
In three minutes time now we're gonna have Paul Callum
on the live stage with Richard Hammond.
Get yourself comfortable,
get your opera glasses out if you're near the back.
This is down to the wire.
We're supposed to be on a stage somewhere.
Yeah, just go straight. Straight down there?
I'm desperate for a pee.
Are we on now? Is he here?
Oh, hello Ladies and gentlemen,
a big round of applause for Richard Hammond.
Sorry, we're late.
Why did you get tall chairs, we can't get on them?
You are actually here to recruit? You're actually here today...
You could come and work for these two gentlemen.
If you are talented or willing to become talented.
Neil's passion is for finding those skills
in people and bringing them on.
So, Neil, what we're looking for. Come on, give us the pitch.
Well, if you think about it,
it's a bit like the army, we're the old guard.
But then you've got the-the soldiers,
the young people, the privates, the people starting out.
And we... You can't say privates.
Because she has to do sign language for that.
And it's very... Hey!
Me being me.
I have big plans to expand and grow the business,
but the whole lifeblood of it literally is the people in there.
So, if you're interested, seriously,
and you wanna put your name forwards,
there are forms over there, is that how we're doing it?
Next to Oliver.
If you go over to where Oliver is, you all know Oliver.
Are we really posting them through Oliver's window?
Yeah, we're posting through Oliver's window...
Neil, do the poster 'The Smallest Cog needs'...
You, you, you. Rubbish.
I think that went alright in the end.
Neil did well.
I think he's now elected himself our one-man recruitment office
and he's trying to meet everybody at the show.
You look like, sort of, man who could be an apprentice.
It's like being press ganged.
Once you've signed that, it's all over.
You never know, he might come back with a name.
That's for you.
You start off making tea, sweeping up.
But out there could be
the member of the team we've been looking for.
Hello, gentlemen.
Now, this is a bit like Charlie Ricketts,
whatever his name was.
And you could be having that golden ticket.
And the lucky winner gets to work with us.
You can all start Monday, I reckon.
(WESTERN MUSIC)
The little Fiat.
All we've got for it is ignition, wiring loom.
But the main thing we're missing, the key.
Which without a key, the Fiat is no more.
So, the time is now 8:00 in the morning,
and I'm gonna try and get into Hereford
as early as I can before work to try and see Dilwyn,
who owns a key place,
which, I got to be honest with you, is like an Aladdin's cave.
If anyone has got anything to make a key for this car,
it's Dilwyn.
If he hasn't got it, then we are in massive trouble.
(SEAGULL SQUAWKS)
Here we are...
Dilwyn.
Oh, right... You're the man...
Anthony from The Small Cog. That's it.
Right? Yeah. Yeah. You got a problem?
Yeah. God, that's an old one innit?
1936.
Christ, a bit of history on that.
There is...
Yeah, looking at it, to be honest with you,
it is quite weird, isn't that?
One locking station only on it.
Yet the apparatus is very well made.
Yeah, but if you can make me a key...
Erm...
out the back, I've got this little box
and I'm sure a small selection of flat keys
which got wide bases.
If you give me about 10 minutes, 15 minutes,
I can come up with something.
Perfect. You are the man.
Look at that.
Wants to have quite a wide base.
Most of these, believe it or not, are off American cars.
I think, to be honest with you, that one there looks to me,
as if the section is right, he is the right width.
There's two of those. So, yes...
So, what would you do now then. Would you trim?
Yeah, well, what we'll do is shave down the edges,
take it far enough to the depth stop and make sure that it's tight.
Yeah.
And basically, it will be bingo then.
So, you reckon you can make that fit.
Yeah. That one's perfect in every way.
I'll tell you what, if you're happy, it's not rocket science.
20-pound?
Mate, yeah, that's brilliant. Absolutely perfect.
Deal done. Thank you. Cheers mate! Ta!
(BIRDS CHIRP)
You like that? That's beautiful.
Yeah. You like that, don't you?
To anybody else that looks like a mess don't?
But to us, we know that looks straight.
Rolls-Royce'd be proud of that.
It's a wonder they don't get on the phone
and offer me a job this afternoon.
I've got all the applications here from the NEC.
The majority of them are almost love letters to the Cog.
Or to Richard.
Or just point blank taking the Mickey.
I mean, I've got one here from a Mr Mouse, a Michael Mouse
if we're a on first name basis.
He loves making cheese, especially vintage cheddar.
Not really what we're looking for,
although he does live in a commutable distance to Hereford,
so, it's not all bad.
It's still going in the no pile.
It's not filling me with much hope,
that our pile of no's is more than my pile of maybes
so, we might have to come up with a different approach to this,
because this clearly isn't working.
There's got to be people out there that we're looking for.
I mean, who wouldn't wanna work here?
It's just the field of dreams.
Been to see Dilwyn and the man has worked his magic.
He has actually made me a key.
So, now is the actual scary bit of trying to wire it up.
And I have never, ever wired up a car so old.
But it's a new wiring loom.
So, as long as we don't have a fire or wires burning,
then I'll be a very happy boy today.
OK.
Let's go.
Bet this has been a very long time
since this switch actually had 12 Volts flowing through it.
It's like one of these films when they try and defuse a bomb.
Finally. This is the moment of truth.
I have now got an ignition light.
I can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
(BIRDS CHIRP)
(ENGINE REVS)
Our recruitment efforts so far
haven't been successful to be honest.
So, we're gonna have a change of plan
and we're gonna up the ante,
and we're gonna have a recruitment day
at the Smallest Cog on the weekend,
and get some local people in.
So, I'm off to Sunshine Radio to spread the good word.
I'm quite excited, but there's a lot of responsibility
because the main thing with it, it's live,
so, you can't rewind,
if you say something wrong about it.
You've got to think...
(COUGHS)
..the day to get a cough and here it is.
Soph. Yeah.
Sunshine radio, quick. Oh, is he on?
Dad's on, yeah. It's his big debut.
If you're a fan of cars,
and you watch Richard Hammond's Workshop,
which comes from the fantastic facility
they've got at Rotherwas in Hereford.
Then you'll... Fantastic.
..be well aware that Neil Greenhouse is very much...
My dad. ..a master craftsman of his trade.
And, well, you are you recruiting.
You need extra hands on board, don't you really?
Oh, yes. Definitely. That's the reason we're here today.
Because luckily, thankfully,
we're very lucky to work on some really special cars.
But we're struggling for staff,
and we-we really need to get some experienced staff.
You can tell he's a little bit nervous
because he's being so professional and polite.
Yeah, yeah, that's his telephone voice.
Because the Cog will be open on Saturday morning
for people to come along with their CV's and their overalls.
That's quite important, isn't it? Yeah.
We're looking for experienced painters,
fabricators, and mechanics.
Yeah. (COUGHS)
That's alright, you're allowed to cough on the radio.
Oh, no, not now, Dad. Yeah, at the moment.
Pardon me. (COUGHS).
At the moment... Oh, his throat's going.
At the moment we're looking for... Sounds like he's going to cry.
But as we expand, we would be looking for apprentices.
OK. Because... Excuse me.
(COUGHS)
I never hear him cough in the workshop, I'm here every day.
(COUGHS)
Do you want me to play another song?
Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
Oh, Neil.
Stop dying on me! You couldn't make it up.
(COUGHS)
I'm here for the rescue with some sweets.
Oh, thank you very much. There you are.
Bring your overalls and some cough sweets.
Yeah. Bring your cough sweets for Neil.
He'll be your best friend.
Are you better now?
Hello? Yes.
We should have gone with him.
We shouldn't have sent him out into the world on his own.
Bless him.
Alright, Neil Greenhouse, if you want to know more
about how you could possibly be there
for the recruitment day on Saturday,
smallestcog.com is the website.
You know, I reckon
that's been a raging PR success for us.
Listening to that? Listening to your dad coughing!
Yeah, today I'm in charge, head of parking
and so I get all the posh toys.
I got this because you got to look the part.
I look like I know what I'm doing.
Richard, are you ready? We're ready for you now.
Put that tea down. Come on.
Have you had a rough night? Come on.
Oh, dear.
Right, got just the spot for you to welcome them in.
He looks smaller on that.
Desert us to do your media work?
Now, look at you.
Because we're English, we need to queue
so, I've got to make sure that happens.
I'm really excited for today. This is our recruitment day.
Haven't got a clue how many people are turning up.
So, fingers crossed we get quite a few.
I think we should run this system as stop,
please stop, live firing range.
So, you've been warned.
Isaac's running around thinking he's running the show.
But I'm running the show.
We know what you want for Christmas, don't we?
Yes, please. Right, everybody.
If you could start queuing just where those chaps are,
and then we'll get ready.
Ooh, look what's coming!
Sausage van coming through. Everybody, careful.
Morning.
Hello. Good morning.
It looks like a bootcamp, doesn't it?
Morning. Hello. You alright?
And what are you? Mechanics or paint/body?
We're looking for experienced people
in mechanical, body repairs and also paint.
So, they're gonna do our multiple-choice questions.
Some are silly questions, but hopefully they'll pass 'em.
You've painted a panel and you can see fisheyes in it.
How was that caused? Silicone in the paint?
Just had fish and chips for lunch? Panel is too hot?
Fish and chips for lunch.
And then we can have a general chat with them.
You know, their backgrounds, what they're looking for.
So, we're gonna whittle them down to a handful
and then want to put them through their paces,
test them like practically.
Hopefully the people turning up have got them skills we need.
Lamborghini Espada, Aston Martin DB2,
a Morgan Two Plus Two.
Did all the panel work on one of those.
Had some time in Australia working over there.
OK, I used to,
the guy used to buy in cars and sell them to backpackers.
I can pull dents, I can skim 'em, fill 'em.
You're quite confident I can leave you alone on the job.
Oh, 100%. (SIREN WAILS)
Hate that siren.
The next stage we're gonna do is the most important one.
And that's the tea-making session.
We got milk, hot water, and now the bag's being dunked in.
I've not seen that done before.
That's hot milk. No, that's a no, that's a no.
Look at that, that's a new technique.
Two tea bags as well.
Meanwhile, three of the cars haven't been finished
because you're still on the stirring.
It's gone cold. It's been stirred for that long.
That one's got a fly in now. That might be the best one yet.
Right. Well done guys.
You've all made it to the final 12, so, congratulations.
We're gonna split you up into teams now,
so, mechanics will go with Ant
panel will go with Neil and the paint will go with me.
Right, all the real men with me.
You probably recognise Oliver off the TV.
Three issues I've caused on his car to cause it not to start OK.
Find them and get him running.
Not sure it's sparking in the right order.
We've got a dent in there.
So, what I want to see is how you would repair it.
Take that scratch out and paint it for me.
Look at the difference in gloss from the red to the green,
on the red one Matt shook his can.
On the green one, Phil didn't shake it
so, that would be a failure.
Imagine this is corrosion. How would you tackle that?
I would get a piece of paper, piece of card,
old cornflakes packet...
Make an initial template of the basic shape.
And then I'd use that pattern then transfer it onto the sheet metal.
What do you think of that?
I think it's pretty good, yeah.
I'll be honest, I think it's better than the one I made.
Ever seen one of these? I don't know what it's called.
Rotor arm.
That locates on there.
Yeah!
Right, thank you guys for coming.
We'll get in contact with you and let you know who's successful.
My lads are better than your lads.
No, no. Sorry, my lads...
Now, we've gained all your knowledge...
You can go, yeah.
(SIREN WAILS) Oi!
Stop, don't take Richard!
Stop the van!
Oh, dear.
There he goes.
(BIRDS CHIRP)
Today's a big day for Anthony and the little Fiat Topolino.
Owner Brian has forked out a fortune on rare parts.
Hopefully this 1,000-pound starter motor
will be the last time he'll have to put his hand in his pocket.
I'm hoping that this is the final piece of the puzzle
because I promised Brian,
I'll get his car running today and he's on his way.
If Anthony can get the car running today,
it'll be the first time in decades.
And then Brian will be able to follow his dream
of finishing the restoration with his son.
We are gonna make this little car run again.
Connected? Yeah.
Brian. Hello, mate.
Hello, Richard, how are you? I'm alright, how are you?
I'm very good. Thank you.
Now, I've been up in my office,
but I have heard noises from the corner of...
Squeaking? Yes. Your little mouse.
That's exactly right. He's got a lot of personality.
Making me nervous to be honest.
Yeah, that's not a lot of car,
but it has a big impact on your life.
And a big budget.
Yes, let's see how they're doing.
The moment of truth. OK.
Good to see you, Brian.
Now, you're here. Yeah.
I'll connect the battery. OK.
I'm ready. BOTH: Right.
I'll get the throttle. You ready?
You start it, yeah.
Say when you're ready, ready?
(ENGINE REVS)
Oh, wow. That's the mouse that roared.
Ah, that's fantastic. Yeah.
That's a mouse purring. Yeah, it is.
Mate, it's been a heck of a journey.
It's nearly killed Anthony several times.
I'm so impressed with your sticking-with-it-ness.
It was once, I had to buy a new engine.
It was a lie back and think of England.
There was nothing else to do, really.
Because once you do that... Then you're in.
..worth every penny that was.
She's fighting Brian. But yeah, she's getting there.
We'll get the lights and get it wired
and I get all that finished, and it comes back to you.
You and your son can then have the bodywork.
Does that make it all worth it, Brian?
Absolutely. Yeah. Good.
That's all I want. Well, done.
I like this job. Sometimes it works. That's good.
It's been a roller coaster, but today's made it all worthwhile.
I'm gonna pick up the little car from here
and be able to drive it on the trailer,
which will make me smile again.
And then we'll take it back to South Wales.
And me and my son will finish it off.
They are going to hopefully take it off to Italy
and swan around in it
and enjoy what they've spent their money on.
It's that experience that they're buying
more than anything else,
driving a little Topolino around Italy.
(ENGINE REVS)
I'm really looking forward to it.
It's love, it's nothing else, it's not commercially viable.
It's commercially stupid,
but you do it because it makes you smile.
(BIRDS CHIRP)
Right, this is our Recruitment Hall of Fame.
Is this the final 12?
This is the ones we picked as our main candidates.
Right, chaps? What are we playing?
Well, we're not playing snap.
These are the photos of the people who came for
our open day for recruitment.
Oh, right. So, these are sort of aide-memoires.
And we're now selecting.
But have we got any hot candidates in here
that we think we can take further?
Yeah, there's-there's people we would like to get on board.
So, truthfully, how long does it take to go
from being on this desk as a photograph
to being boots on the floor out there working?
Probably not quite as easy as that because we need...
Checks, references,
depends on how long their notice is,
it could be weeks, it could be even months.
Because they'll have to hand in notice where they are,
if they're already working.
This is the world of recruitment isn't it?
I don't like it.
Even without new recruits,
Jamie assures me that now we've got Matt onboard,
work on Monty's Rolls-Royce should hit the D-Day deadline
in five weeks' time.
So, why do I have a sense of dread about this urgent meeting
the MOD have called...
I think they were a bit unnerved when they saw it with
pretty much no paint on it and half a body off.
But it's not a bollocking.
I'm not gonna be shouted at.
I have been to a few headmasters' offices in my life
during my school career.
This is a whole new level of Headmasters' office.
Morning team. Big table.
Richard, can I please introduce you to Brigadier Anna Kimber.
How do you do? Anna. Lovely to meet you.
Nice to see you.
Let's have a seat and crack on.
If you were to take one day in history,
in the history of modern warfare,
actually, it's the June 6, is a pivotal day.
Because the start of the Normandy campaign
was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.
So, our event in Normandy,
will have, nearly 3,000 people attending.
Royalty, Prime Minister,
17 heads of states and seven heads of government.
So, it's really important.
Do you have any specific requirements?
For the veterans,
quite a few of whom remember the car,
it would be amazing if you could go to France with them.
So, you're proposing that these celebrations,
the car is on one of those boats with the veterans
and goes over, that would be fantastic.
It's amazing.
Does that work for the Royal Logistic Corps Museum?
I'm just gonna be really tricky and set the deadline even earlier
because we've got some museum events prior to D-Day.
And we wanted the Rolls-Royce there for that.
So, you want that...?
What that does is pull the deadline this way.
When do you want it?
Would three weeks earlier be possible?
You've seen it.
I've seen the car in pieces. Yes.
Very recently.
And so can this be done? It has to be done.
As somebody was asking those same questions 80 years ago
it was a rather big enterprise.
Yeah, we can do it. We'll get it there.
All hands to the pump.
Yes.
I'm gonna make a telephone call now.
Richard. Jamie.
They've brought the deadline forward.
You are kidding. We've lost three weeks.
Three weeks? Yeah.
It's impossible.
I'm worried, mate.
We are not gonna hit that deadline
unless we can find somebody, like, now.
I'll put some phone calls out.
If you can't find anyone, we are in trouble, actually.
I'll see what I can do. Mate, good luck.
That man is gonna be wondering why he joined us
because we seem to be a permanent state of panic.
And right now, I am in a state of panic.
I promise we'd do it. We have to do it.
Johnny Vaughn's Maserati.
Oh, what a thing.
I'm gonna have to go check some fuses
because we've got no communications whatsoever.
It's not the outcome I wanted for today.
I've had an idea for the race car, ie, sponsorship.
Are you modelling? You are actually modelling.
Have you got a sticker? I was just showing this here!
Here we are again. We're at another racetrack.
Oh, this is glorious!
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