CAR specialists at Bangers & Cash made a killing when they transformed a James Bond classic car with 44,000 miles on the clock.
The team was delighted with its profit of above £20,000 after the vintage car was brought to them looking a tad worse for wear.
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Fortunately the “highly strung” Lotus Esprit was in safe hands as the expert restoration team set about breathing some life back into it.
Despite being a seasoned auctioneer Derek Mathewson knew flipping this classic would be a mammoth task for the Bangers & Cash crew.
In a YouTube video posted by Yesterday his initial reaction to the motor can be heard as he says: “I don’t want to appear critical but the interior looks awful.
“It doesn’t look like it’s done 44,000 miles it looks like it’s done 144,000 miles.”
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He added: “I do hope the Bangers and Cash haven’t bitten of more than they can chew with this one.”
It doesn’t look like it’s done 44,000 miles it looks like it’s done 144,000 miles
Derek Mathewson
The dusty motor is taken for a “rejuvenating” trip to Devon where Lotus specialist Phil Webb and his sons can work their magic.
After hours of hard graft hoovering, hammering and sandblasting as well as a complete electrical inspection the car began to regain its wow factor.
The famous shiny red gloss paint had emerged from the thick layer of dust and the “heart” of the 80s classic had been reassembled.
Surprisingly the engine was in pretty good nick and, to the mechanics relief, it didn’t have to be rebuilt.
It was then time to take the supercar to the auction and see if all the hard work would pay off.
When Dave from Bangers & Cash test drove the car he was pleasantly surprised saying: “It’s steering straight, the brakes are nice, the gear change is nice, it’s responsive, it’s doing everything that we want it to do.
“You’re not going to get any better. “It drives like a Lotus.”
After a tense auction the price rocketed and exceeded what any of experts could have imagined.
The motor was bagged for a whopping £45,000 – meaning a profit of 15,051.
The motor was purchased for £24,715, extra parts were priced at £6,824 and the labour cost was £8,568.
It comes as an explorer was left shocked after finding a vintage car graveyard abandoned in a forest in the UK.
Ashley Urbex from Milton Keynes heard about the treasure trove from a friend and knew she had to see it for herself.
And a car nut discovered an ‘auto heaven’ car graveyard boasting 4,000 abandoned motors tucked away in remote woodland.
Josh, a mechanic from Tennessee who specialises in restoring classic cars, took viewers on a video tour of the amazing site on his YouTube channel.
Bangers and Cash
Bangers & Cash began in 2019 and follows the Mathewson family auction business in the village of Thornton Le Dale, and their passion for classic cars.
The charismatic family hunt for rare vehicles to sell and restore while uncovering their fascinating stories in the process.
The Mathewson business includes founder Derek and his sons Paul and Dave who share his love of motors.
Bangers & Cash can be streamed on Sky Go and UK TV play and new episodes stream weekly at 8PM on the Yesterday channel.
The show hit the headlines last year when The Sun exclusively reported how Derek had left his wife for married work colleague Vicki Ivens, who also appeared in Bangers And Cash.
A source said: “Vicki told her husband in September last year that she was in love with Derek. She said it was as friends — like a dad thing.
“But last month, Sue turned up at Nicholas’s house with a list of phone numbers.
“He checked his bill and there were about 180 calls between them in three weeks.
“He confronted Vicki and she said she was glad he’d found out and was pleased she didn’t have to lie any more.
“She kept saying it was nothing to do with Derek but it’s become apparent it’s all to do with him.”
Both Derek and Vicki declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
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