- Clearly been watching too much of 'The Sweeney' (ask your Dad)

Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars is back! Here's what's coming

SHCC is back for Series 5 in the UK - and here's what you can expect. (CONTAINS CAR SPOILERS!!)

Knowing that you will all be needing a bit of car telly over Christmas, we're bringing back SHCC early on Discovery+ to make sure you've got loads of old cars to be getting stuck into over the festive period. Launching online on the 23rd December - and then on Quest on Wednesday 6th January, we reckon we should have something for everyone in this line up! We should hit MotorTrend and other countries some time after that too, but sadly I can't tell you when!

Like a rubbish 70s French cop show...

Like a rubbish 70s French cop show...

My small Welsh friend, Drew Pritchard and I are back on the hunt for more iconic classic cars to buy, restore and sell on. With Drew mostly concerned about look and feel (and when we can break for lunch) while I worry about the numbers, we don’t always see eye to eye. Ultimately though we’re are united by a shared passion for creating stunning cars and turning a shilling at the end of it all... and when we might break for lunch...

A Lotus Seven? Yeah, but not the one you might have imagined

A Lotus Seven? Yeah, but not the one you might have imagined

Episode 1 Citroen DS / Lotus 7

The Citroen DS tops many people’s lists of desirable classics and Drew is no exception. So he can’t hide his disappointment when he and I find a 1972 car that looks like a complete wreck. I can see beyond the rust riddled bodywork and reckon there’s a decent car underneath but it’s definitely not going to be an easy build.

A beautifully cared for Lotus 7 appears the perfect antidote to the headaches of the DS. With little work required, I hope it could give us a nice easy profit. But Drew has bigger, costlier plans for the car. .. as usual.

A field of dreams

A field of dreams

Episode 2 Saab 96 / Ford Cortina GT

We were both in quirky car heaven when we met Gloucestershire based collector Fredrik. With a fondness for the unusual, Fredrik has sourced cars from all over Europe and we are there to see a rare Saab 96. For a diehard Saab fanatic like me, it’s love at first sight but sparks soon fly when Drew suggests a controversial two tone paint scheme. He's such a div, sometimes...

In Scotland we visit another heavenly collection – this time of classic Fords. We come away with an immaculate looking Cortina GT which should yield a fairly straightforward profit. But when the engine eats its own bearings, we need a new strategy and turn to a family business that’s been associated with high performance Fords since the 1950s. There's some engineering filth in this one. The good kind.

It's a coupe!

It's a coupe!

Episode 3 MGA

Drew’s horrified when he finds out that I go to one of Britain’s busiest classic car auctions without him. He cheers up though when I manage to win a stunning MGA for a bargain price, but it’s soon clear that we have very different ideas about what to do with the car. As we embark on a substantial makeover of this iconic English classic, Drew goes on a spending spree, choosing bespoke finishes for everything from the wheels to the seats. But not all of his ideas go to plan and, as usual, I have to try and make the figures fit...

Two fat middle aged men and a tiny sports car - will either of them fit? Genuine TV jeopardy!!

Two fat middle aged men and a tiny sports car - will either of them fit? Genuine TV jeopardy!!

Episode 4 Lotus Elise / Ford Fiesta Supersport

The Lotus Elise is modern classic and both Drew and I love them. - even if we don't fit that well inside. Unfortunately, the one we find in Scotland is a boy racer’s fantasy that has been fitted with a full catalogue of aftermarket accessories. And we soon discover that removing all those stripes and spoilers leads to a hefty bill at the bodyshop.

But that’s nothing compared to the cost of buying an old Ford and Drew’s jaw hits the floor when I suggest that we pay £11,000 for an old Fiesta. It may be a rare Supersport model - Ford’s first ever true hot hatch - but Drew still can’t come to terms with the price especially as the one we’re looking at needs a full respray. Will the car really be worth twice as much when it’s finished?

037 replica, anyone??

037 replica, anyone??

Episode 5 Lancia Montecarlo / Citroen 2CV Van

We're fully seduced by a stylish if tatty Lancia Montecarlo. My dream of turning it into a replica Pioneer 037 rally car are dismissed as childish fantasy by Drew who wants to restore the car to its original factory condition. But with everything from bumpers to seat fabric in short supply that’s easier said than done.

In theory a 2CV Van should be a much simpler project but after a woefully slow test drive Drew’s decides he wants to fit a bigger more powerful engine. I think that’s far too difficult and expensive so he takes it upon himself to find an alternative solution. If only it had been a day off, eh?

In every episode, obviously, we're having to get each car finished for the carmeet/show/sale on Friday and we'll lose the business if we don't. You know the drill! Plus heated arguments, late night working and crazy deadlines.*

Hope you can all join us from the 23rd.

*literally none of this stuff happens...

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Comments (3)

  • Really enjoy this show ,as its what every car nut wants to do ,if we had the money,time and skill. Much prefer British car shows, as they don`t crap on with all the fake drama the American shows always do.

      1 year ago
  • Such a great show. I love Drew's Passion for the cars as he can't hide his emotions when he fancies an automobile

    Paul can make life easy for Drew by just letting him paint every car black! hahahahha

    Hopefully SOMEONE on YouTube posts the shows soon after as Velocity and Motortrendtv app takes FOREVER to release. They still don't have season 4 available in Canada :(

    GRRRRRRRRRRR

      1 year ago
  • It’s very easy for governments to say “we’ll ban all sales of ic cars by 2030“ because they won’t be affected in any way. It’s going to be manufacturer’s who have big sales and the ordinary person who are going to struggle because if you don't have over 90 grand to splash out on a new car the electric car you can get for ’ normal money’ will just be plain boring. Also, not everyone has half a day to charge the thing. I mean how long realistically are you going to be waiting at a motorway services for?

      1 year ago
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