There’s great news for 2019, as TV Presenters Jonny Smith (Fifth Gear) and Tom Ford (Top Gear USA) have come together to present a programme that promises petrolhead perfection – Lazy Boys Garage.
NEW TV SHOW FEATURES CARINA!
The series, which will air on Dave in the New Year, sees Jonny and Tom, plus Tim Glover of Roadhouse Motor Company, seek rare cars from around Europe, restore them and then try to sell them at auction. The main difference to other, similar ideas is that the cars are mostly real rarities. Naturally, the car of most interest to us is the 1971 Toyota Carina that the team found in a Spanish scrapyard. The restoration of the car has aimed to keep that sunburnt, faded chic but make the car solid and reliable. Jonny told RJ, “The Carina was sold new in Belgium, but ended up in a Spanish scrapyard after only a few years. Tim managed to find it on some obscure Spanish classifieds site. It was a nonrunner, with no windscreen, but was remarkably solid. We recommissioned the brakes, fitted a new cylinder head, fitted coilovers from Gecko and a set of Lotus Eclat wheels just because they look so cool.”
Naturally, they had some help to get such a rare car back in running order. “The Toyota Enthusiasts’ Club was really helpful,” says Jonny. “Pilkington was also great. They made a windscreen specially for us as a rush job and shipped it over from Finland.” We asked Jonny what he loved about the Carina. “First-gen Celicas are too expensive,” he said, “but we loved the two-door looks of this Carina. It was so nicely sun-baked, but so solid. We couldn’t believe it when we lifted the carpets.”
But what did the finished car sell for? You’ll have to wait and see. The show will air in Febuary 2019. Keep an eye on Dave (Freeview or dave. uktv.co.uk for online viewing) for more details.
Carina has gone from scrapyard find to TV star. Funky styling caught the eye of the programme’s hosts. Mid-way through its TV transformation!
