IN CONVERSATION WITH ANT ANSTEAD
Jesse Billington sat down with master mechanic Ant Anstead at the show to talk all things classics and upcoming projects
*After spotting the Haynes Manual for my Midget on the desk*
AA: It’s nice to see someone still rolling around with a Haynes manual. I wrote the last one of those, Building a Special, which detailed the Tipo build. It had a nice circularity to it – the rst manual by John Haynes was on building a Special based on the Austin 7.
CCW: The Tipo project was the one that formed Master Mechanic?
AA: Yes, it happened at the right time that project. We did it in a short span with a small crew left over from the prior season’s Wheeler Dealers.
It was really good fun to make and a fantastic piece of TV.
CCW: Speaking of television work can we ask about that Top Gear audition process and the Mercedes crash?
AA: Yeah, it was a C63 AMG, the estate version. I was being a bit too cocky on camera and lost it on the only section of track where there’s something to hit.
CCW: Did that change how you approached TV work?
AA: Not at all, just a steer away from crashing!
CCW: What drew you to older cars over modern cars?
AA: That was something that started way before TV. My rst ever car was an MG Midget, a 1500 in Vermillion orange called Bridget. I’ve owned more classic cars than any of my friends. I’m not overly into modern cars.
CCW: How was it you ended up enamoured with cars? Was there a family starting point or did it come about later?
AA: I was very much the odd one out there; I was the family’s car nut. My grandfather liked cars but I never truly bonded with him over that.
CCW: What would you say has been the most exciting classic you’ve been involved with?
AA: I did a show, not long ago called Celebrity IOU: Joyride; we built a fully custom Buick Electra for James Marsden. We took a grinder to a brand-new Karman Revero and melded the two together, old styling with the electric mechanicals beneath. We had carbon-bre panels, a custom interior – it’s worth looking up. We changed none of the tech, we just extended the Electra’s arches and it matched up nicely.
CCW: When you’re back in the UK, which events stand out on your calendar?
AA: Goodwood always features, the Festival of Speed and the Revival are both absolutely phenomenal events. Equally, this is my tenth year of doing this show and the November show (Classic Motor Show) which I also enjoy hugely.