Wheeler Dealers host Mike Brewer has previously admitted the “worst car” he ever owned after fixing up hundreds of historic machines on the popular classic car restoration show.
The TV star branded a plucky Japanese 4×4 as “hideous” with the revamp turning into one of the programme’s biggest disasters to date.
The team purchased the 1986 Suzuki SJ410 through an internet auction with Mike paying around £250 back in season two.
At the time, Mike admitted the car was “misfiring and a bit tired” and the team quickly realised the model needed a lot of work.
Fellow host Edd China spent hours in the garage putting the restoration together with the duo allocating a £2,000 budget to get the model up to scratch.
However, the episode turned into a complete nightmare after the car failed its MOT test meaning it sold for hundreds of pounds less than what they had initially wanted.
Mike has since admitted he only purchased the 4×4 due to the demands of the TV deadline leaving him no choice but to revamp the machine.
When asked by The Telegraph what the worst model was, Mike previously explained: “Again on the show, it has to be the Suzuki SJ410.
“It was a truly hideous car with no chance of getting through an MOT test, but the television deadline meant I had to buy it.”
Edd had to completely remove the original engine block, fitting a standard Suzuki four-cylinder as a replacement.
The car was also fitted with modified axles and tyres, new disc brakes and custom-built roll change to improve rigidity.
As a finishing touch, the team also got to work on fixing the broken bodywork and spray painting over a satin black to give it a new feel.
Edd also fitted fresh wheel arches from a different model to make the Suzuki pop at auction. When completed, the total cost added up to £1,270 with the team fairly optimistic of making a return.
Before selling the model, Mike just needed to secure an MOT test to make it street-legal. However, this is where things took a turn for the worse with the model not passing the simple DVSA check.
Late in the episode, Edd admitted the car had a “big problem” after failing the test on a welding issue.
He added: “There is like four or five days work on this, it’s going to be totally uneconomical. There’s all the rust around the wheel arches and down on the plate, You’d have to do so much work on this.
“Even though the chassis is fantastically strong and the roll cage is tough, it’s a really good vehicle but it’s just never going to be on the road.”
