“Do
you look at a rusting hulk and see
it as a beautiful, fully-restored vehicle?
Television’s
Mark Evans presents
the workshop adventures of five
determined enthusiasts who have lived
the nightmare and followed their dreams
of a Wreck Rescue...” MARK EVANS UNDERSTANDS DEDICATION. Over the last ten years and with
the help from his workshop pals, he has built a supercar from scratch, put together
a 200mph aeroplane and painstakingly restored various rusty wrecks back to their
former glory — all in front of television cameras.
Well-known around the world for his incredible workshop adventures, Mark has
even built his own helicopter. And now he presents four-and-a-half hours of
restoration mayhem, including over forty minutes of previously unseen footage,
from his most recent television series Wreck Rescue on this compulsive
DVD.
Mark has put his own projects on hold for Wreck Rescue, the hit TV programme
that sets out not to physically help enthusiasts with their projects but to
inspire and motivate them to realise their restoration dream.
Having been in classic car restoration for a number of years, Mark has seen
almost everything. Sadly, many potentially brilliant projects are started but
never finished and end up abandoned and rusting. But Mark's mission covers five
very different projects that are being undertaken by real people with fixed
deadlines — and Mark will see them through from start to finish.
The restoration of the five vehicles — a Frog-Eye Sprite, a Capri, an Elva
100, an AEC Matador and a Land Cruiser — has been filmed over 18 months,
mainly in the UK but also in Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Poland and France. Wreck
Rescue sees these five people take on projects that could present a much
bigger challenge than the restorers anticipate.
Few amateur restorers complete their projects because of the many setbacks and,
like 20-year-old Lizzie Bartlett, they lose heart. But Lizzie doesn't stay down
for long and, as she and the other stars of Wreck Rescue prove, you really
can make it happen.
Lizzie loves her 1959 Frog-Eye Sprite. Having rescued it from the scrapheap
(and parting with over £1,000 for the dubious privilege), she is determined
to restore it and take part in The Border Classic in ten months time —
even though it is her first-ever car project, she is working in a tiny garage
and she knows nothing at all about the task ahead. But she knows a man who does:
her father Steve is familiar with restoration.
Although Lizzie works seven days a week and at times becomes utterly despondent,
she is determined to see the project through — in spite of Mark telling
her that he has never seen a car in such a state. With Mark and Steve firmly
behind her and £8,500 invested in her dream, Lizzie surprises everyone and comes
through her self-imposed grafting and a multitude of dramas with more than just
this beautiful car.
Next up is ex-mechanic John Hill with his project — a "driveable but decaying
death trap" of a 1972 Mk1 Ford Capri that he wants to restore to take part in
a gruelling event it was never designed for — a Classic Trail, which involves
taking it on a demanding hill-climb.
John funds his lifelong car obsession by trading car parts on the internet,
and it is this work that keeps getting in the way of his restoration. Twelve-year-old
son Michael also helps and is as obsessed as his father. Experienced motorsport
competitors will soon have to accept the fact that these two stalwarts are not
as mad as they first thought…
Mark recalls spending much of his childhood in the back of a Capri and also
travels to a small fishing village on the outskirts of Cophenhagen in Denmark
to look at a fine Capri that has been owned by the same person for the last
38 years!
Take any car apart, says Mark, and you'll reveal trouble. But what if the car
has already been dismantled and all you've got is a box of bits? That's what
furniture company boss Steve Russell buys, believing he will be able to build
his dream car — a 1959 Elva 100 single-seater race car — in time to
compete in the celebrated Historic Grand Prix in Pau in the South of France.
But his plans to take the car out on one of the oldest and most dangerous street
circuits in the world could change when his project is beset by problems. And
not all the bits in the box belong to the same car!
Tempers are frayed, alternative ways explored and sometimes it just makes you
want to cry. But enthusiasm wins and when military vehicle mania gets the better
of enthusiasts Peter Read and his son Steve, they find hidden strengths in order
to resurrect a former RAF Truck found rotting in a woodland grave.
Peter and Steve literally drag the AEC Matador back to life, even curing their
own ash tree to rebuild the cab. There is a very special reason why Steve wants
this vehicle spotless and in working order — he needs it to get him to
the church on time and without a hitch.
And finally, a story of a 1980s Toyota Land Cruiser that's really going places.
City stock-broker and eBay addict Paul Graham-Clarke faces crunch time when
he has no alternative but to pay up and call in the professionals while restoring
a wrecked Toyota Land Cruiser bought online.
A very rare find in the UK, the Land Cruiser is destined to accompany Paul on
his ultimate overland adventure — the long road home from London to Cape
Town. And he has just ten months to turn this sorry-looking vehicle from rusty
to trusty.
A Jungle Television Production, the Wreck Rescue series is Produced and
Directed by Ant Palmer (Chateau Monty, Save Lullingstone Castle,
No Going Back). The DVD contains over forty minutes of previously unseen
footage that includes: All five original 'opening titles' featuring fantastic
original archive engineering drawings and photos | Several Behind The Scenes
sequences during filming | Range Rover Rescue when Mark's trusty 28-year-old
Range Rover refuses to take him filming | Interview with John Haynes: The amazing
story behind the world's best known DIY workshop manuals | Beaulieu Autojumble
film, including an interview with Lord Montagu.
Wreck Rescue is a thoroughly absorbing DVD with capable presenter Mark
Evans taking it out of the norm as the restorers struggle to get their vehicles
in working order and have some fun on the way — it's enough to get you
heading for the breakers to find a project of your own. Not!
• Wreck Rescue is out now (released
1 December, 2008). DVD Discs: 2 | Running Time: 4 hrs 30 mins (approx) | Region:
0 (Playable in all regions) | Contents: All five workshop stories as transmitted
| Bonus Material: More than 40 minutes of unseen footage | Price: £19.57, available
exclusively from markevans.co.uk.
"Wreck Rescue is a thoroughly absorbing DVD with capable presenter Mark
Evans taking it out of the norm as the restorers struggle to get their vehicles
in working order and have some fun on the way — it's enough to get you
heading for the breakers to find a project of your own. Not!" — Maggie
Woods, MotorBar
Autographed copies of Mark Evans' previous workshop projects are also available:
Car Is Born: Construction of V8 AC Cobra Replica | Plane Is Born:
Construction of a 200mph kit aeroplane | Car Is Reborn: Restoration of
a 1965 E-Type Jaguar Roadster | Chopper Is Born: Construction of an executive
kit helicopter | Race Car Is Born: Construction of a Lotus 7-style race
car | Bike Is Born (Triple Pack): Restoration of a 1943 Harley Davidson
WLC45 / 1970 Triumph Bonneville / Custom Power Trike | 4x4 Is Born: Construction
of a unique 100-inch Land Rover (Photo CD-Rom also available) | MG Is Born:
Restoration of a 1974 MGB Roadster (Photo DVD-Rom also available) | How Clean
Is Your Car?: Mark's DIY guide to professional car valeting.
“Do
you look at a rusting hulk and see