As one of the most famous car restoration shows around, it’s unsurprising that “Wheeler Dealers” often make some money out of their projects. As long-time host Mike Brewer has affirmed, the focus of the show is to ‘save cars’, but that hasn’t stopped him from making juicy profits while also teaching “Wheeler Dealers”’s audience about the historical value of these vehicles.
Always driven by their automotive passion, Mike alongside his former co-hosts throughout the years Edd China, Ant Anstead, and his current one Marc Priestley, has demonstrated over and over again how to turn any almost-forgotten vehicle into a usable and head-turning one.
So what are the most profitable projects that the “Wheeler Dealers” have worked on? Keep with us to find out!
What Are Their Biggest Profits?
Before getting into the list of “Wheeler Dealers” most profitable projects, it’s worth noting that neither Mike Brewer nor his hosts go overboard with their re-selling aspirations in the show. According to a report by the specialized site Motoring Research, some of the vehicles shown in the series have been sold for far less than their actual worth, amounting to £500,000 in profits that they’ve missed out on, only in the ten first seasons of the show, considering factors as the current value of the vehicles and the low prices they’ve been sold for.
So while it’s clear that “Wheeler Dealers” doesn’t say no to a good deal, it’s also evident that their love for cars is by far a stronger driving force behind the show. Here are some of their best profits from seasons one to 18.
1965 Austin Healy 3000
Throughout the two decades that “Wheeler Dealers” has been on the air, no other car has earned the show as much profit as the 1965 Austin Healy 3000 Convertible, in season 14.
There are many highlights regarding this deal. For starters, it was co-host Ant Anstead’s first “Wheeler Dealers” season, following the exit of Edd China in early 2017. Secondly, the show’s producers didn’t agree with Mike’s decision to purchase the Austin Healy 3000 in the first place, given its initial $35,000 price. Nonetheless, Mike believed not only in his ability to see the potential in the car, but also in his team’s skills to make the best out of it.
Just as Mike predicted, the car ended up as everything anyone would ever want out of an Austin Healy. Besides upgrading the exhaust system, installing triple carburetors, and other fixings to the radiator, the aesthetic improvements were just as marvelous, with the interior passing from black vinyl to red leather, on top of polishing the car’s green paint. The car ended up being what Mike described as a true representation of the car’s ‘sights, sounds and senses’.
After all was done, the car sold for $71,000, surpassing by $26,465 its after-restoration market value of $44,535, making it the most profitable project by “Dealer Wheelers”.
1964 Chevrolet Corvette StingRay
Now it’s the turn of season 10’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvette StingRay, back when Edd China was still the show’s mechanic. Just as he affirmed in the show, this Stingray in an ‘American icon’, so it was necessary that the entire team put a lot of effort turning it back into shape.
That process involved doing some troubleshooting to check the exhaust system condition, and make the engine fit for a ride. The spark plugs, distributor shaft, and cap were replaced, on top of sanding out the gorgeous red exterior. The bumpers were re-chromed and the interiors were replaced to finally make the car look and work as it deserved.
The car was initially purchased for $29,000 in California, from an owner who hadn’t finished the previous restoration. It ended up with an after-restoration value of £25,280, which was around $32,100, so there was a little window for profit. However, the attention the car ended up attracting most likely played a role in its final selling price of £45,500, which is around $57780. It generated over $25,600 in profit, an amount that no other car from the show was close to surpassing back then.
1972 Lancia Fulvia Series 2
Another big win for “Wheeler Dealers” was the red 1972 Lancia Fulvia Series 2 featured in the finale episode of season 14. The coupe was purchased in California, having been imported from Italy and turned into a rally car.
Some of the initial problems detected by Mike and Ant were the clogged fuel system including fuel filter, and a broken heater. Other important aspects to fix were a broken dash, the rebuild of the driveshaft, and the replacement of the dashboard bezel, The Lancia also underwent some subtle but important aesthetic details, including but not limited to the installation of Carello fog lamps which fit well with the car’s period and style.
While the car cost $9,500, the team did what they could with what was left of their $10,000 budget, and the final value was $14,105, with the actual selling price $33,000, amounting to a profit of $18,895.
1990 Peugeot 405 Mi16
The 1990 Peugeot 405 Mi16 right-hand drive project is the perfect example of what Mike Brewer and Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley can do as a team, though they faced many issues to get some profit out of it. For a start, Mike traveled to Portugal to check the car’s condition, but as it had been sitting in a garage for over 20 years, it was difficult to accertain how damaged the car was.
As it turned out, the Peugeot didn’t even fit local driving standards, leaving “Wheeler Dealers” with two options: one was to take the car to the UK so Elvis could fix it at home, though the shipping costs skyrocketed because of the car’s condition. The second option was to bring Elvis to Portugal and fix the car there, which was the choice they ultimately made.
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Elvis performed several improvements to the 1990 Peugeot, including refurbishing the starter motors, which they’d initially suspected to be thoroughly damaged. In the meantime, viewers got glimpses of a Villa that Mike rented for Elvis to comfortably work, while he looked for local parts and specialists. Both hosts’ traveling and accommodation costs were included in the restoration budget.
The car was initially purchased for a little over $7,200, and the budget was around $8,800. The after-restoration value was over $9,700, but as it sold for around $25,000, the profit was a juicy $15,668.
1963 Land Rover Series 1
Last but not least we have the 1963 Land Rover Series I, featured in “Wheeler Dealers” season 17 This was the first season in which Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley appeared, making it the perfect opportunity to showcase his mechanical talents and gain the audience’s favor.
That doesn’t mean that everything went smoothly though, as Mike and Elvis had initially thought the car to be a Series II instead of I, a confusion born from it being registered as a 1963 model. The lack of model accuracy was discovered by Elvis after he stripped it down its chassis, finding out that the confusion was due to a mixed rear axle from a Series II.
That meant that several mechanical and aesthetic details needed to be fixed and improved, leading Elvis to replace the rear axle and add a new bonnet and steering box, among other items. Notably, the team installed seats fitting for the car’s period, and switched from green to gray.
The car was sold for almost $44,500, resulting in a profit of $12,305.
While it’s clear that Mike Brewer and the rest of his “Wheeler Dealers” team could be making a lot more money from these cars, what they’ve demonstrated over and over that is they don’t care for the money as much as delivering a good result, and showing what’s behind every classic car they put their hands on.
