Bangers & Cash
Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics, every episode
By Jon Cosson · Last checked
An independent guide from the village. Not connected to Mathewsons or the programme. For entries, bidding and the catalogue, go to mathewsons.co.uk. Checked 9 October 2026.
Restoring Classics is the spin-off in which the Bangers & Cash team buys cars at a Mathewsons auction, pays to have them restored and sends them back to the saleroom to see whether the work paid. Series 9 starts on U&Yesterday on Thursday 15 October 2026. This page lists every episode since 2022 and adds each new one the morning after it airs.
How the programme works
The Air TV production team picks a few lots coming up at a Mathewsons sale and buys them with real money. The cars go to professional restorers, and the finished car goes back into a Mathewsons auction, where the hammer shows whether the restoration paid. Derek, the auctioneer who founded Mathewsons, gives advice and has his favourites; Paul and Dave advise and suggest buys. Toby Foster narrates, as he does the main programme. Most episodes now follow a main car and a second project, which may be another car, a motorbike, a bicycle, a boat or a toy.
Episode listings name some of the restorers, including Mini Sport, Pallas Autos and the MG Owners' Club workshop, and the Lotus Elan's sale listing names South West Lotus Centre.
Series 9: from Thursday 15 October 2026
Episode 1,
1965 Ford Cortina estate, 1980s Austin Morris Maxi
According to Sky's listing, the team buys a Cortina estate said to have belonged to a South African chief of police, and a Maxi, one of Dave's guilty pleasures.
What the team's cars have sold for
Restoration costs are never published, so nobody outside the programme can say exactly which cars made money. Sale prices are public where a Mathewsons lot page names the Restoring Classics team as the vendor. The figures below are the "sold" figures shown on those pages, which Mathewsons says may be provisional.
| Car | Episode | Bought for (per lot page) | Sold for at Mathewsons | Sale date | Source link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGC | Series 5, episode 2 | £21,500 (hammer) | £22,500 | 24 July 2024 | Mathewsons lot page |
| Lotus Elan S1 | Series 5, episode 6 | £25,700 (vendor's figure) | £39,500 | 5 September 2024 | Mathewsons lot page |
| 1937 AC Ace coupe, sold unrestored | Not matched to an episode | Not published | £8,900 | 20 March 2024 | Mathewsons lot page |
The Elan had been off the road for 47 years. The vendor's description on the Mathewsons lot page says it had a body-off restoration by South West Lotus Centre and calls it "by far the most expensive, comprehensive and detailed restoration the Bangers team have undertaken thus far". The AC Ace was sold unrestored; in the lot description the team wrote that they had "bitten off more than we can chew".
Series 1 to 8
Series 8
Episode 1,
Fiat 126, Bentley Continental GT
A 1996 Fiat 126 and a 2004 Continental GT.
Episode 2,
Subaru Impreza Turbo, Yamaha RD60
Episode 3,
Two Mercedes, Ford Fiesta ST
Two Mercedes and a 2006 Fiesta ST.
Episode 4,
Morgan V8, monkey bike
A 1999 Morgan with a 4.6-litre V8 and a monkey bike.
Episode 5,
Matra Murena, Arctic Wetbike
A 1984 Murena and a 1977 Wetbike.
Episode 6,
Austin A35, BMW Z3
An A35, one of Derek's favourites, and a 1999 Z3.
Series 7
Listings disagree on the dates of episodes 5 and 6; we use TVmaze's weekly dates.
Episode 1,
Daimler Double Six, Triumph 2000
A 1983 Double Six, one of Derek's favourites, and a Triumph 2000 with a modern engine.
Episode 2,
Paul Smith Mini, Yamaha TY80
A Paul Smith edition Mini and a Yamaha TY80.
Restorer: Mini Sport
Episode 3,
Opel Manta, Peugeot 205 GTI
Episode 4,
Bedford Rascal camper, Triumph TR6
Episode 5,
Renault Dauphine, Vauxhall Omega
Episode 6,
Land Rover 90, caravan
A Land Rover 90 with the wrong engine, and a caravan. Air TV's executive producer appears on screen.
Series 6
Episode 1,
Electric Austin conversion, beach cruiser bicycle
Project X: an Austin commercial vehicle converted to electric power, and a 1950s American beach cruiser bicycle.
Episode 2,
Porsche, Fiat Panda
Episode 3,
VW Fastback, Norton police motorcycle
A 1972 VW Fastback and a Norton police motorcycle about 40 years old.
Episode 4,
Volvo 144, Honda Insight
A 1970s Volvo 144 with 15,000 miles, and a Honda Insight.
Episode 5,
Subaru pick-up, James Captain motorcycle
Episode 6,
Ford Escort Mexico, Riley Kestrel
A 1973 Escort Mexico, billed as the team's most expensive buy up to then, and a 1968 Riley Kestrel.
Series 5
Episode 1,
Citroen DS21, Ferguson tractor
A 1971 DS21 Pallas and a Ferguson tractor.
Restorer: Pallas Autos
Episode 2,
MGC, Fiat Seicento
An MGC roadster and a 2001 Fiat Seicento Sporting.
Restorer: MG Owners' Club workshop
Bought for £21,500 (hammer), sold for £22,500 at Mathewsons on 24 July 2024 (Mathewsons lot page).
Episode 3,
Reliant Robin, Mamod steam roller
A Reliant Robin and a Mamod toy steam roller.
Episode 4,
Harley-Davidson WLA
A wartime Harley-Davidson WLA.
Episode 5,
Nissan Figaro, pedal car
A 1991 Figaro and a pedal car.
Episode 6,
Lotus Elan S1, BMW 3 Series
The 1963 Elan, off the road for 47 years when it was bought, and a 1990s BMW 3 Series.
Restorer: South West Lotus Centre
Bought for £25,700 (vendor's figure), sold for £39,500 at Mathewsons on 5 September 2024 (Mathewsons lot page).
Series 4
Episode 1,
Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, Honda C70
A 1981 Silver Spirit and a Honda C70.
Episode 2,
VW Beetle Karmann convertible, Royal Enfield Cycar
A 1976 left-hand-drive Beetle convertible and a 1932 Royal Enfield Cycar.
Episode 3,
Mazda MX-5, Moto Guzzi V50
An MX-5 and a 1985 Moto Guzzi V50.
Episode 4,
VW T25 camper, Audi TT
Episode 5,
Mini Cooper, MG TF
A 1969 Morris Mini Cooper MkII and a 2005 MG TF.
Restorer: Mini Sport
Episode 6,
Morgan F4, Raleigh Super Grifter
A 1939 Morgan F4 three-wheeler and a Raleigh Super Grifter bicycle.
Series 3
Episode 1,
Reliant Scimitar GTC, Honda CBR
A Scimitar GTC and a 1980s Honda CBR.
Episode 2,
Bugatti replica, pedal plane
Episode 3,
Ford Mondeo ST220, MZ 250, MG Magnette
A Mondeo ST220, a motorbike billed as the ugliest ever made, and a return to an unfinished Magnette project.
Episode 4,
Alfa Romeo 164, Citroen 2CV Dolly
An Alfa Romeo 164 TS Lusso and a 2CV6 Dolly.
Episode 5,
Hillman GT
Billed as the last one left and the rarest car the team had taken on.
Episode 6,
Series 1 Land Rover
Billed as the team's biggest restoration up to then.
Series 2
Episode 1,
MG Montego Turbo
Episode 2,
Vauxhall Nova Merit Plus
A 1992 Nova, Dave's suggestion.
Episode 3,
VW Golf GTI convertible, wooden launch, Mini
A 1988 Golf GTI convertible, a wooden launch and a Mk1 Austin Mini.
Episode 4,
Renault Clio Williams 2
Episode 5,
Saab 96
A 1970s Saab 96, billed as a possible record loss.
Episode 6,
Austin Westminster rally car
A 1950s Westminster rally car, which Dave drives. Some listings title this episode "Land Rover".
Series 1
Episode 1,
Vauxhall Astra GTE, French moped
A sun-faded 1990 Astra GTE and a classic French moped, with an update on a barn-find Mini Cooper S.
Episode 2,
Vanden Plas, child's tricycle
A 1970s Vanden Plas saloon and a 1960s child's tricycle, with an update on a Sunbeam Lotus.
Episode 3,
Francis Barnett Plover, MG Metro
A Francis Barnett Plover motorcycle and an MG Metro.
Episode 4,
Ford Capri, Hercules racing bicycle
A Capri with 29,000 miles and a 1950s Hercules women's racing bicycle.
Episode 5,
MGB
A 1969 MGB, restored by a father-and-son team.
Episode 6,
Lotus Esprit
A 1979 Lotus Esprit S3, Dave's suggestion.
The episodes people remember
The Lotus Elan in series 5 was first announced with the commission in 2021, as a car that had been off the road for 47 years. The Saab 96 in series 2 was billed as a possible record loss, the Series 1 Land Rover in series 3 as the team's biggest restoration up to then, and the Hillman GT in series 3 as the last one left. The 1973 Escort Mexico in series 6 was billed as the team's most expensive purchase up to then.
FAQs
- When is Restoring Classics on?
- Series 9 starts on U&Yesterday on Thursday 15 October 2026. Listings give the programme's regular slot as 8pm on Thursdays, but we have not yet seen a listing confirming the time of the first episode. Episodes are also on the U streaming service.
- How many series of Restoring Classics are there?
- Eight series of six episodes from July 2022 to June 2026, with series 9 starting 15 October 2026. UKTV ordered 20 more episodes over four series in July 2025.
- Who restores the cars on Restoring Classics?
- Specialist workshops around the country. Episode listings name some of them, such as Mini Sport for two Minis and the MG Owners' Club workshop for the MGC, and the Lotus Elan's sale listing names South West Lotus Centre. The production team pays for the work.
- Does Restoring Classics make a profit?
- Sometimes. According to its Mathewsons lot page, the Lotus Elan was bought for £25,700 and sold for £39,500, but the cost of the restoration is not published. The MGC sold for £22,500, only £1,000 more than its £21,500 hammer price when the team bought it, before fees and restoration costs.
TheTVDB and TVmaze episode lists; Sky series pages including the series 9 listing; Mathewsons Restoring Classics episode guide and lot pages for the Lotus Elan, MGC and AC Ace; Air TV announcement of 31 July 2025; TV Zone UK, 21 October 2021; Freesat, 13 July 2022; read 9 October 2026.