Vroom with a view
Philip Glenister joins restorer Ant Anstead to breathe new life into six classic cars that tell the story of post-war Britain
Are you a petrolhead?
I like the aesthetics of cars, there’s something very pleasing about them. I grew up seeing cars on TV, then I was in two shows where cars were heavily features (Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes), which is how I came into it.
What was your own favourite car from the series?
The 1964 Austin Mini Cooper and the 1972 Ford Escort Mexico. I suppose it’s got to do with my age! I got to have a go at a rally driving session with a driver in his Escort. It was quite hairy but an awful lot of fun.
So what does the mini mean to you?
I love this car. My first driving experience on my own was in my mum’s Mini after I passed my driving test, revving the s*** out of it, because we lived on a main road that was quite steep and I was desperate not to stall it.
Were there any moments you particularly enjoyed?
Spinning the Escort a few times, and the rallying was fun. We went to the States to interview Kathryn DeLorean [daughter o the late John, who headed the troubled DeLorean Motor Company]. She rarely gives interviews and she is understandably very protective of her father’s memory.
Would you be tempted to buy a classic car of your own?
Yes and no. I can see the appeal and it can become quite an obsession, but you really have to know how the engines work and I’m just hopeless on that side of things. I’d have to have somebody to do it for me, because they mustn’t just sit in garages or museums. The how point of owning one is to take it out, drive it, and show it off.
What cars did you fantasise about owning when you were growing up?
Like anybody my age, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. And then there was the Lotus Espirit in The Spy Who Loved Me that turned into a submarine. And The Persuaders was the other one I fantasised about, the Ferrari Dino that Tony Curtis drove was just fantastic. All my favourite cars come through TV shows really.
What happened to the Audi Quattro from Ashes to Ashes?
We had two. One got blown up in the very last episode and the other one, I think, sold recently on eBay, for quite a lot of money.
To see how the article appeared in the magazine please click the image below:
Are you a petrolhead?
I like the aesthetics of cars, there’s something very pleasing about them. I grew up seeing cars on TV, then I was in two shows where cars were heavily features (Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes), which is how I came into it.
What was your own favourite car from the series?
The 1964 Austin Mini Cooper and the 1972 Ford Escort Mexico. I suppose it’s got to do with my age! I got to have a go at a rally driving session with a driver in his Escort. It was quite hairy but an awful lot of fun.
So what does the mini mean to you?
I love this car. My first driving experience on my own was in my mum’s Mini after I passed my driving test, revving the s*** out of it, because we lived on a main road that was quite steep and I was desperate not to stall it.
Were there any moments you particularly enjoyed?
Spinning the Escort a few times, and the rallying was fun. We went to the States to interview Kathryn DeLorean [daughter o the late John, who headed the troubled DeLorean Motor Company]. She rarely gives interviews and she is understandably very protective of her father’s memory.
Would you be tempted to buy a classic car of your own?
Yes and no. I can see the appeal and it can become quite an obsession, but you really have to know how the engines work and I’m just hopeless on that side of things. I’d have to have somebody to do it for me, because they mustn’t just sit in garages or museums. The how point of owning one is to take it out, drive it, and show it off.
What cars did you fantasise about owning when you were growing up?
Like anybody my age, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. And then there was the Lotus Espirit in The Spy Who Loved Me that turned into a submarine. And The Persuaders was the other one I fantasised about, the Ferrari Dino that Tony Curtis drove was just fantastic. All my favourite cars come through TV shows really.
What happened to the Audi Quattro from Ashes to Ashes?
We had two. One got blown up in the very last episode and the other one, I think, sold recently on eBay, for quite a lot of money.
To see how the article appeared in the magazine please click the image below:
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