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Wheeler Dealers
Series 4 title card
Presented by	Mike Brewer Edd China
Theme music composer	The Wideboys
Opening theme	Balaclava
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	9
No. of episodes	110 (as of October 2, 2012)
Production
Running time	30 minutes (Series 1-6) 60 minutes (Series 7-)
Production company	Attaboy TV
Original release
Network	Discovery Real Time (2003-2010) Discovery Channel (2011-present)
Release	7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) – present

Wheeler Dealers is a British television series produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel, fronted by Mike Brewer and mechanic Edd China with assistance from technical advisor Paul Brackley. The premise of the show is that Brewer and China are on a mission to save repairable enthusiast vehicles, by repairing or otherwise improving an example of a particular make and model to a budget, then selling it to a new owner. While Edd spends large amounts of time repairing each car, that time is not taken into account in determining how much was spent on the car and whether any profit was made.

There have so far been nine series of the programme and three different theme tunes have been used; the current one being Balaclava by The Wideboys. Series 1 originally aired in 2003. The second half of Series 6 was aired in Autumn of 2009 on Discovery Real Time. Series 5 was renamed to Wheeler Dealers: On the Road; in this series Mike and Edd expanded their searching of cars by heading out into Europe hoping to find classic cars to buy and restore.

In the United Kingdom, the programme is currently shown on Discovery Channel and is regularly repeated on Discovery Real Time, Discovery Turbo and Discovery Shed. In the US, the programme is shown on Velocity and on BBC America. In Germany, the programme is shown on DMAX. In Australia, the programme is shown on Foxtel.

Format

Each project spans a pair of 30-minute episodes, in which Mike buys a vehicle, turns it over to Edd for repairs, then sells it on. For the first series, the budget was £1000, for Series 2, £2000, and for Series 3, £3000. Budgets in subsequent series have varied, depending on the target vehicle. For example, a £10,000 budget was set on buying and restoring a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 in Series 6.

In Series 7, the format was changed from 2 x 30 minutes episodes to a single 1 hour episode.

Each project car is completed over two episodes, the project presentation usually following a format similar to this:

First episode

• Mike and Edd start with a budget to buy and then fix up a vehicle.
• Mike gives a brief history of the merits of the chosen model of vehicle.
• Mike locates, negotiates for and buys the vehicle.
  • (Starting from series 5, prospective cars Mike wanted to buy, but needed too much work, were shown. This also took place in Series 1, Episode 7)
• Mike turns the vehicle over to Edd, and together they assess its needs.
  • (Series 1-4 featured a camera trick that had "multiple clones" of Edd surveying the vehicle. This was dropped from series 5 onwards.)
• Edd begins work, providing assessments of the work and its challenges.
• Mike stops by Edd's shop for an overview of progress, and expenditures are reviewed.

Second episode

• A quick review of the first episode.
• Mike (often) goes on a field trip to procure some required parts.
• Mike interviews an owner of a similar vehicle in top condition, then drives and comments on the car.
  • (This section was dropped from series 5 onwards.)
• Edd finishes the work on the project vehicle.
• Mike returns to the workshop and discusses the finished vehicle with Edd.
• Mike drives the completed car, assessing improvements.
  • (Starting from series 5, Mike and Edd test drive the finished vehicle together and discuss its resale value.)
• Mike sells the vehicle to a new owner. There is a final tally of expenditures and any "profit" or "loss".
  • (Starting from series 5, prospective buyers that failed to buy the car are shown.)

Summary

The show was created with a DIYer in mind. The costs, and thus any profit or loss for a given project, are assessed without consideration of the cost of mechanic Edd China's time (assuming that a well-equipped and able enthusiast could complete all work himself) but if repairs require professional help, like body resprays or windscreen replacements, they are added to the final cost.

Nevertheless, the show is sufficiently in-depth to provide good overviews and insights to buying and improving older enthusiast vehicles.

Sometimes painting is done by hand using a spray-can in their workshop instead of going to professional painting workshop. This is usually reserved for vehicles where only a portion of the vehicle needs painting, or where the part being painted has little effect on the overall appearance. When Edd and/or Mike consider that the appearance of the paint will make a notable difference to the sale value, professional painting is undertaken. When the re-spray is done by others, it is usual for Edd to do the majority if not all of the preparation work prior to painting.

Also addressed on each vehicle are its service history, bodywork defects (e.g. rust, dents), worn-out interiors and accessories. Vehicles that have either been inactive for long periods of time or are purchased from outside the UK are restored and modified to pass country's strict MOT tests.

Series Overview

Cars

Below is the list of cars featured on the series.

Series 1 (2003)

Series 2 (2004)

Series 3 (2006)

Series 4 (2007)

Series 5 (2008)

Series 6 (2009)

Series 7 (2010)

Series 8 (2011)

Series 9 (2012)

Other vehicles

Mike has used a number of vehicles to travel to the sites of the prospective vehicles and/or tow them if they are not in running order. For Series 9, when Mike traveled to Italy to purchase the Fiat Dino, he rented and used an Italian-registered silver Ford Kuga. For the remaining episodes of the series 9, Mike used two grey Mitsubishi Shoguns. For Series 8b in the USA, Mike rented three silver Ford Expedition EL to go and see the cars except for the last episode where he used a black Chevrolet Tahoe. For Series 8a, he used a black Nissan X-Trail. Vehicles used by Mike in previous series include dark turquoise Nissan Primera Estate, blue Subaru Legacy Estate, red Honda Accord Tourer, black SsangYong Rexton II, dark blue SsangYong Kyron, black Land Rover Discovery 4, blue Nissan X-Trail and a light blue Ford Kuga. When Mike traveled to France to purchase the Citroën DS, he rented and used a French-registered black Opel Zafira. Mike rented and used a newer version of the Opel Zafira when he traveled to France to buy the Renault Alpine A310.

Intro vehicles

The opening sequences feature the cars that were worked on throughout their corresponding seasons.

Series 1: All the vehicles done so far

Series 2 and 3: MGB GT

Series 4: Porsche 911 2.7S Targa

Series 5: Mercedes-Benz R107 280SL

Series 6: Ferrari Dino 308 GT4

Series 7: Lotus Elan S4

Series 8a: Jaguar E-Type Series 3

Series 8b: Dodge Charger

Series 9a: Fiat Dino

Series 9b: Gardner Douglas Cobra

Other format

On April 2, 2012, the Swedish version of the Discovery Channel aired a special episode called Wheeler Dealers Sverige ("Wheeler Dealers Sweden"). In this episode, they bought a Ford Mustang for 55 000 SEK. After having to refurbish the brake calipers, swap the engine and giving the car a new paint job they were able to sell it for 135 000 SEK, giving them a total profit of 28 000 SEK. It is unclear whether Discovery Channel are planning on making this into a full series or just this episode.

References

1. Brewer, Mike. "MIKE BREWER AND EDD CHINA Q&A".
2. "Fiat Dino Coupe 2400 For Sale (1970)".
3. "Morgan + 4 British Racing Green For Sale (1992)".
4. "BMW Angel Eyes: The Complete Guide".
5. "Renault Alpine A310 For Sale (1977)".
6. "Porsche 914 SOLD (1971)".
7. "1996 NISSAN SKYLINE R33- Drifting- LSD- Adjustable Suspension-Intercooler".

External links

• Wheeler Dealers website

• 2000s British television series
• 2003 television series debuts
• 2003 in British television
• Automotive television series
• Discovery Channel shows