Ten Questions Wheeler Dealers Special Part 2 – Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley

Having recently spoken to the arguably louder half of the Wheeler Dealers dynamic duo we thought we’d give Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley a chance to step out from behind the workbench and out of earshot of Mike to find out what makes him tick and why he thinks the show continues to be a fan favourite in the now over-saturated man buys car, man fixes car, man sells car video market.

Following in the footsteps of the show’s previous co-hosts Marc Priestley definitely has the chops when it comes to fettling classic cars thanks to a ten year career at the razor’s edge of motorsport as a Formula One pit lane mechanic. During that stint with McLaren from ’99 he was part of the team when it won the World Drivers’ Championship in ’08. Validation indeed. Elvis, as he is known, is no stranger to getting his hands dirty with the ‘oily bits’ then, to coin a Brewerism, and so it was now or never to sit down with the man himself for a little more conversation, ahem.

1) Let’s get semantics out of the way first. We have it on good authority that the Elvis nickname comes from your school days when the other kids thought that your surname, Priestley, sounded similar to Presley. Either that or you were particularly good at crooning and swinging your hips. What’s the official line from the horse’s mouth?

Yes, I’m afraid neither. Singing’s definitely not my thing! I’ve definitely been called worse, so I’ve happily embraced the nickname, to the point where even my wife only ever calls me Elvis today.

2) With Edd China and Ant Anstead previously on spannering and co-hosting duties there’s been a rich history of handy helpers on Wheeler Dealers. How did you feel going into it with such big shoes to fill and what were you able bring to the table from your F1 and race mechanic experience?

They definitely were big shoes to fill and I felt a pressure to continue the great work which had gone before. I like to think one of my biggest strengths that I’ve brought from F1 is my attention to detail…and the desire to make everything go faster!

3) You’ve worked with Mike before on Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car so you obviously get on but what’s he really like? Can you sum him up in just three words?

Loyal, hard-working, passionate

4) We’ve been fans of Wheeler Dealers since the very beginning, regardless of who’s fixing the cars or where it’s being shot. What is it, do you think, that makes it such an endearing and long-lasting show? Is there a magic ingredient or is it merely the culmination of a lot of hard work?

The show has always been based on the same passion for cars that the viewers share. The car is the star.

5) Do you have a favourite car from the last series of Wheeler Dealers and what were you looking forward to getting your hands on the most in series 18?

I loved the Porsche 911 SC and wish I could’ve kept it. I’ve always been a classic 911 fan and we created an absolute stunner. I’m just about to embark on building my dream Caterham 7 for Series 18B and can’t wait!

6) Where does your passion for engineering, and indeed cars, come from?

It all started with racing. Watching F1 when I was a child sparked a fascination with high end engineering and the possibility of creating something incredible out of raw materials. I still love it.

7) For those that haven’t yet read your behind the scenes look at the F1 pit lane, ‘The Mechanic‘, what’s the pressure really like working as a top flight Formula One pit crew mechanic where split seconds can make all the difference? How did you initially get the gig?

It was a dream for many years before I got to F1, but I started at the very bottom of the motorsport ladder with karting and Formula Ford racing and worked my way up, through F3, F3000 and eventually, after years of constant rejections, into F1 with McLaren.

8) Prior to your F1 career you enjoyed a number of years as a race mechanic and also studied Motor Vehicle Technology at college so you clearly, like us, have petrol coursing through your veins. Sadly we can’t all have a classic car collection like Mike’s but what have been some of the highlights that have passed through your own garage and what do you drive currently?

My first car was a 1975 VW Beetle, which I loved. Today, my daily is a Tesla Model 3 Performance, but I’ve just bought a dream car of my own, a 1979 Mercedes 350SL.

9) What’s your dream drive, Elvis? Pick a car, a passenger and a route.

Aston DB5, Ayrton Senna, Great Ocean Road in Melbourne

10) The subject of classic cars is obviously very close to our hearts and so we’d love to hear your thoughts on the future of the classic car industry as a whole. Oh, and what’s Kimi Räikkönen really like?

I think, and really hope, that the classic car industry might be saved by the advent of sustainably produced and even eventually zero emission fuels.

Kimi’s an absolute legend. He was prolific in the car and even more so on a night out!