Even Mrs B. is Plugging the Wheeler Dealers book

What more could a man want? All the fascination of the Wheeler Dealers shows in a Haynes manual so he can do it himself. Shamelessly promoted by Mike's feisty wife, Michelle on an Irish TV programme.

Mike Brewer is the archetypal optimistic trader, unafraid of anything where there might be a profit to be made.

Edd China is to car restorations what Jamie Oliver is to food. He doesn't just do it carefully and patiently, he explains it all brilliantly. So we can watch the 105 shows over and over again and still learn something new. 

In consultation with Mike and Edd, Chris Randall has done a blinding job of compiling ten of the best Wheeler Dealers restorations into an excellent readable, browsable book that all blokes with a bit of oil under their fingernails can enjoy.

The Wheeler Dealers book covers:

1968 Austin Mini

Jaguar E-Type SIII V-12

Lamborghini Urraco S

1995 Land Rover Discovery 2.5TDi

1999 Mazda MX-5

1990 Peugeot 205GTi 1.9

Porsche 911 993 Targa

Subaru Impreza WRX

1964 Amphicar

1945 Willys MB Jeep

The search, the buying process and the restoration of each is intricately detailed with colour photos making each job easy to follow and tackle yourself if you feel so inclined.

And that is the integrity of the show. It's not an attempt at mass-entertainment touching the bases that TV executives demand of a popular show. There's no self aggrandisement. Just two blokes doing what they love and achieving the impossible of making classic car mechanics entertaining.

My particular favourite is the 1945 Willys MB Jeep, because I had one as my second ever car (after a 1959 BMW Isetta that was also the subject of a Wheeler Dealers restoration.) I bought the Isetta for £18 from the local scrapyard, and the Jeep for £20 from a bus driver in Durham. No such luck these days. 

Right now Wheeler Dealers winter series (filmed in California for the weather) is on the Discovery channel with plenty of chances to catch up.

The first show involved a gorgeous 1965 Pontiac GTO.

The second, a 1949 Ford F1 pick-up left with the rat look but with Edd's extensively modified Mercury flathead V8 and conversion to a 4-speed auto.

The third was Britain's most perfectly proportioned sportscar ever built, an MGA 1600 roadster.

The fourth, airing on 13th April for the first time, is a BMW 2002Tii.

And the fifth is a Wayn's World AMC Pacer, coming to Discovery on 20th April.

After that, Mike and Edd return to Britain with a fresh series known to include a Bedford CA Dormobile, a Citroen H van and  and many more weird and wonderful motors to hold our attention.

Meanwhile get the book, which is a bargain at Haynes usual price of £22.99.

To order from a bookshop the ISBN is 978 0 85733 798 6

Or mail order from Haynes