Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars – Good TV is Back

Good TV is coming back and starting off 2021 on a good footing. The brilliant Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars is coming back to our screens on Quest on January 6th at 9pm. Antique rustler, Drew Pritchard, and professional tall person, Paul Cowland, have been working hard over the last year to bring us another selection of classic cars. As in previous series, we’ll see the lads buy the cars and we’ll see said cars brought back to life. But, unlike other ‘we gotta do this or we’ll lose the shop’ car reality TV, this show is for the joy of buying and restoring. No silly deadlines, no TV fluff, just great cars. 

Furthermore, there is the show’s unique angle of showing the restoration. For us, it’s what makes us love the show that little bit more than the others. Rather than just have new parts or repairs appear, Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars go the extra mile to show us the artisan craftspeople that live to keep classic skills, techniques and consequently cars, going. It’s fascinating to see the ‘men in sheds’ or the sole traders who possess unique skills. It’s a glowing showcase of just how vibrant and passionate the classic car world is here in the UK. 

So what of the cars in this new season? Well, as you can imagine going off the show’s past form, there is something for everyone. Episode one sees the lads take on a Citroën DS and a Lotus 7, two automotive legends from very different ends of the scale. The DS proves to be a big old job, while the 7 should be a quick win, unless Drew has his way. 

In episode two we can look forward to seeing a Saab 96 and a Mk2 Ford Cortina GT. The lads butt heads over paint for the Saab, and while the Cortina promises to be a more straightforward affair, the engine letting go changes all of that. 

It’s a British legend in episode three in the form of an MGA. Paul, unbeknownst to Drew, buys the car from an auction. Happily though, it comes in at a bargain price. However, the purchase price becomes moot as Drew goes mad with the credit card leaving Paul to try and reign the spiralling project back in. But does he need to? After all, Drew has a damn good eye for what will work. 

In the fourth episode, we can look forward to some Lotus Elise and Ford Fiesta content. The Lotus, which is one of the best handling cars in the world, has unfortunately been ‘treated’ to all manner of dubious aftermarket modifications. Can it be rescued and revived into being something Colin Chapman would be proud of? And as for the Fiesta, a Mk1 Supersport, Draw baulks at the prospect of coughing up eleven grand for it – but Paul is confident it’s worth the punt, even if it does need new paint. 

Finally, in episode five, the boys get brave and buy a Lancia Montecarlo – a car famed for being made of steel so thin you can read through it. Paul pushes for a rally car replica, while Drew is having none of it. But with parts so thin on the ground, Paul has more chance of getting his way. And as for the 2CV, which in this case is a van, it should have been simple, but Drew’s push for more power makes the project a nightmare for Paul. 

It all promises to be some utterly brilliant TV. The production is excellent, the car content is top notch and the transformations on display are the kind of stuff that will motivate you to get out into the garage to work on your own car. This is car telly at its best. 

Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars will air at 9pm on January 6th. Or, if you can’t wait for next year, you’ll be able to watch on new streaming service, Discovery+, from December 23rd. Christmas has come early, it seems.