Wheeler Dealers season 14 has finally arrived. Episode 1 aired Wednesday October 4th 2017 … and the new lineup is a home run.
Ant Anstead is the new Master Mechanic in the garage for Mike Brewer. In the Wheeler Dealer season opener Mike and Ant found , repaired, modified, and sold a 1995 Ford Escort RS Cosworth. The fast Ford did not disappoint, nor did Ant.
The automotive world was shocked when Edd China announced earlier this year that he will not be rejoining Wheeler Dealers for this next season. Velocity Channel had taken over production of the show, and there were reports in the press that China was not happy with the philosophical approach of the new producers. The details over the specifics disagreement never did emerge, but at the end of the day Edd China was out and Anstead was in.
Ant Anstead is new to the US TV market. For the last several weeks Velocity has been using short teaser spots to stoke up interest in the new host and give us our first look see. Though we’ve only seen the first episode with the new duo, they delivered a cohesive narrative and showed good chemistry. Ant carries an honest enthusiasm with his pragmatism, which does instill confidence in his knowledge. He also indicated hint of more old school tastes, where China seemed to like to stretch the artistic canvas a bit. My best advice to Ant Arstead would be to avoid lime green until at least season 15. In time I think we’ll all get to know Ant and maybe learn something along the way.
The technical sequences in the garage did carry the production feel of the more traditional Velocity shows like Overhaulin and All girls Garage. Traditionally Wheeler Dealers would utilize lots of detailed camera angels as they stepped through the various system rebuilds on the car. The new production philosophy seems a bit different. We followed along as Ant dropped the power train out of the rally ready Ford. He broke that process down quite well and did provide a satisfying level of detail. The show did feel just a bit more polished while maintaining it’s flavor.
They did not give the usual detailed images of the many small tasks usually involved in a Wheeler Dealer restoration. For example, we never saw any of the work on the suspension, brakes or interior. But they did provide in depth details and insight into the rebuilding of the car’s turbo charger and a modification to it’s rear wing. This is part of the show where we really got to know Ant Anstead, and he was a natural. Using paint markers on the top of a tool box he demonstrated turbo charger fundamentals, then reinforced that demonstration as he rebuilt the turbo charger. It was a good segment. I did seem to lose a sense of the overall gestalt of the car, or familiarity with all of the systems in some varying degree of detail. Cynicism will rear it’s head when things happen behind the curtain, and we’ll keep an eye out for that. But for today we are feeling satisfied.
The second major upgrade to the Ford Escort RS Cosworth involved the rear wing. Frank Stephenson, the original designer of the car, appeared on the show. He explained how the wing was originally designed to have a third wing component , like the three wings of the classic Red Barron airplane. Ford decided to eliminate that middle wing to reduce production costs; classic bean counter tinkering. Working from a drawing provided by Stephenson, Ant Anstead was able to recreate that modification on the show and the wing looked like it was originally intended. The segment was engaging and demonstrated some of Anstead’s technical qualifications to the world.
The flow and feel of the show did not change. I was happy to see that they did not change the theme song, and I think it was a wise decision. The world was comparing Anstead to Edd China, it’s almost impossible not to. But aside from the co-host, there was a firm attempt to show that nothing had changed. But in time the new format must stand on it’s own. I was very careful to not carry any preconceived expectations for Anstead into the show. Ant comes across as sincere, friendly, confident but with ego in check. The show captured his enthusiasm for his work and a friendly personality we want to know more better.
Last nights show was all about maintaining continuity , and Velocity achieved that. All of the Wheeler Dealer expectation check boxes were met; friendly trusting style, deep technical competence and a passion for motors. The Wheeler Dealers have made the transition, and not missed a beat… ta ta!