Left For Dead Ambitious Austin Ambassador Restoration - Two Weeks To Save This Rare British Motor!

[@PaulSmith-iv5lh]

Its crazy how some of us just love watching work being done on an old car. There’s something about something broken being fixed that touches the heart. I’m enjoying your work and effort in reviving this old English classic.

[@Hairnicks]

I just love watching other people work, but I know what you mean, that lovely feeling of vfixing somthing broken and making it work, it's a man thing I think. Repect to all the lady mechanics out there.

[@mikefennelly3310]

I think there maybe a scammer 😢got some strange messages man 😢

[@TheFusedplug]

I didn't know that Toby from Breaking Bad restored motor cars😊

[@stevensarson482]

John Shuttleworth’s ‘Austin Ambassador Y Reg’ springs to mind.

[@GT380man]

A hoot, Mr J’s songs.

[@leelee1973la]

Fantastic...! I can confirm... youbtake an Ambassador to any car show and it will get plenty of attention.. So glad another Ambassador has been saved... 👍

[@skylined5534]

'Y' reg?! 😂

[@spig021]

@@skylined5534it just happens to be that year!

[@artrees3396]

I worked for a British Leyland garage in the 70s youre a brave man renovating these beauties

[@Plu54f0x]

Awesome car, a part of motoring history and worthy of being saved. If I had the space, i'd give it a home in a heartbeat.

[@MrHuismeester]

Back on the Road again !!! Such fun to watch the process and the result is amazing! Enjoy the 2 parts and off course your British sense of humor ! Remember this car back in the days only as a Princess and i always loved that car . Thanks for sharing this adventure !!

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks for watching! Not the usual type of video but every now and then you have to roll up the sleeves, let me know what you think of the car and what I should do with it now!? Quick edit as people have been asking for artist and title of a couple of songs (in the future I will make sure I put them up at the start!) 26:18 Kylie Dailey - A Tether 1:15:31 Coma Svensson - Didn't Wake Up 1:40:06 The Eastern Plain Feat Nia Miles - Won't You Stay

[@KrisDouglas]

This is a good type of video though. Very good.

[@richardjohnson3463]

Better than a night at the movies! 👍

[@stephenclarke8540]

Summer Road trip round the Scottish distilleries bottle from each start a go fund me and book a few days in the priory for when you get back

[@tastyclassics]

@@stephenclarke8540 made me laugh 🤣

[@seanwallace1972]

Also when you advertise on FB marketplace,what’s your seller name,what do I look for on there when you advertise your cars?

[@6petrolhead6]

I totally understand why you decided to rescue this old girl And also how you got emotionally involved in doing more work to it than you initially intended I believe cars do have a soul and if you spend time and effort working to keep them on the road they respond by making you smile when they work again In July last year I replaced my leased van with an 22 year old volvo v70 2.5 petrol And within a week "VERA " got under my skin Gave her a full service new brake pads all round and a set of new tyres She went for her MOT in November last year and passed with no adviserys She had 174000 miles on her when I got her with a full service history plus all work done on her by volvo main dealer I'm now very protective of her and love driving her I'm loving the work your doing on this ambassador vandal Plas and enjoying the transformation

[@tastyclassics]

You're absolutely right Ian, it's a great feeling and I truly believe all cars want to run.

[@habsom1406]

Vera is blessed to have you as its owner Ian. V70's are lovely cars, I used to have a 2.3 740 GL Estate, rust free with 250k and started first time every time. One of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned. One day I may seek out another!

[@AndreasGlad-rq7vx]

Hello, we got the same kind of car! Mine is black, 332000km! Bougth it to replace my commuter 206. It got under my skin on the 20 min drive home. 2 owners, full service history. Now i am replacing every little thing thathas stopped working through the years. Not much, but i want everything working. Have a great time with yours. 👍

[@matthewjohnston5145]

Cracking job there is not enough of these older cars being saved

[@leyland9999]

I’m totally breathless after watching this project in its entirety. I would have thrown the towel in the ring much earlier. I mean, I’ve been restoring horizontal Leyland diesel bus engines for quite a number of years which is something entirely different I know but doing all the fiddling and tinkering with the crappy ignition system you did on this poor old car is outright astonishing. The crappy aftermarket ignition probably the reason why this car was put aside. Hats off! Kind regards, Willem, from Hekelingen, Netherlands.

[@vlogsandstuff3159]

an absolute credit to you you have truly saved the old girl and its fantastic to see a TRUE classic saved from the crusher...and not alot of work to get her back to fitness.....well done to you for saving this....hat's off to you .also how you got emotionally involved in doing more work to it.....she has her soul back and i feel she's thanking you for it too.......and im sure she will go on for many years to come and hope the nxt owner carries on the great work that you have done.

[@tastyclassics]

Great words Roy, thank you. I've never felt a car have a spring in it's step on it's first drive more than this one.

[@richardjohnson3463]

One of the absolutely best things I've followed on KZbin. Brilliant work superb viewing. More of this please! 👍👏👏👏

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks Richard! Great to hear

[@richardjohnson3463]

@@tastyclassics what was the music on the video? All good stuff 👍

[@adamnewman1849]

​@@richardjohnson3463 he's got a Spotify channel, on there, because I wanted to find out what a track was

[@twosquids]

I don't know how I ended up here. It has to be all the hours I've put into the algorithm watching junkyard digs. I'm so excited

[@robmk3]

It wasn't arduous by any means it was probably one of the best video's I've watched for a good while. New higher end car's are 10 a penny these day's as they throw finance at anybody but you just can't beat the Old skool cool.

[@cmcooper51]

Just absolutely love your 'can do' attitude and horribly dry humour! Look forward to many, many more.

[@mikeduffield8281]

Ben, gentle observation..... Ing! Is acceotable f.. Not so. Check vice grip garage. Your presentation superb.

[@garrysmith9246]

Only just found your channel Ben, absolute escapism for a few hours for me. Top stuff 👍

[@guymeister]

Absolutely brilliant viewing. Thank you for taking us on this rescue journey with you. 2+ hours just flys by with your knowledge, enthusiasm and infectious personality. The editing and music choices are also top notch..I suspect reading others comments they feel the same. I often get frustrated by CarTV Shows skimping on detail but no such problems here. It’s no wonder your subscribers count is constantly climbing. You deserve it 👏 keep up the fantastic work.

[@eddiezetlein6582]

Alec Issigonis's hydro-lastic suspension was one of the most brilliant inventions of the British car industry. I remember my pal Norman taking us to the golf course in his brand new Austin Princess. The ride could only be described as a magic carpet ride and I was so impressed. No wonder you were impressed as well. The only other car which can compare on ride quality is a Citroen DS. British Leyland took a lot of stick from the press, over Red Robbo and the unions, but the quality of engineering was there as you've shown. A pity so few of these have survived. This one was a lucky one.

[@poppydogz]

Wow what a epic journey that was, I could watch it all day.. I rustored a Austin Allegro VDP auto a few years back and used it as my daily and loved it, I'm currently restoring a 1953 Austin Somerset and it's coming along grand.. Cheers 🍻

[@GrowWithKit]

These 2 videos were absolutely cracking mate.

[@snipersquad100]

My mate had a Austin Montego 2 Litre Turbo, that was an animal.

[@snipersquad100]

MG Turbo my I add.

[@GT380man]

My first boss had one of those, in white, with red seatbelts!

[@astravanmk2]

That was an amazing journey! Well done to you. Thanks for taking us along.

[@stephenclarke8540]

It really is a joy to watch a mastercraftesman at work brilliant

[@tastyclassics]

I wouldn't go that far but you're very kind Stephen and i'm glad the hard works appreciated😄!

[@DiscoveringSpain]

We used to complain back in the day about Austin but compared to cars now they were almost a pleasure to work on

[@charliepragnell5791]

Brilliant video and a joy to watch getting the old Austin Ambitious Ambassador back on the road and looking good again. For whatever reason I find these cars far more interesting to watch than an exotic sports car resto. Maybe most of us can relate to an 80’s Austin more than we can say a Porsche.

[@tastyclassics]

I'm exactly the same Charlie

[@charliepragnell5791]

@@tastyclassics Sorry! just realised, you had just restored a Porsche! - I’ll change my comment to ‘Ferrari’ 😂

[@tastyclassics]

@@charliepragnell5791 🤣🤣 haha it's ok she's allowed in the door she's from the 80's!

[@scottcallis3491]

I can't remember the last time I ever seen one of these cars. Something evokes the mind and heart when you see a car from back in the day. Nice one 👍

[@danmakingstuff8392]

Ah, that's where the wiper/indicator stalks on an early Lotus Excel come from!

[@cdg3818]

"Fisher price happy meal HT leads" LOL. I had one of those 'Powerspark type' Electronic ignitions (maybe a cheap pattern version here), ran really nicely and then suddenly packed up for no reason and left me stranded. Useless, no warning or anything. Back to points as well as you generally know where you are. Loved these videos, so well done, and so amusing with it, Ben. Not to be weird, but please google risks of using 2K without using breather fed mask (or any mask). Should be fine, but we want you do to be making videos until your dotage.

[@GT380man]

Im old school, too. Suzukis of the 1970s were fine on points, so when I restored my GT380, I fitted new, old stock Nippon Denso points. It runs perfectly. I bought a Kettle project 15 years ago and the PO had fitted a Dutch electronic ignition. Now, I will say, it’s been perfect, too, apart from the time a wire fell off and I was stumped, because I couldn’t recognise any of the wiring colours. Fixed now, but if the black box fails, I’ll retrofit a points plate and points. There’s no problem that elec iggy “fixes” here & all it’s done is introduced a single point of failure risk we didn’t have from the factory. It’s genuinely mad, spending hundreds on making the ignition no better at all and risking just stopping dead, miles from home.

[@graemefisher7014]

Great video, I for one love the length of the video and love the hands on fixing stuff. One you tuber on here literally stands in front of the camera and talks about what he is going to fix, don’t actually see any fixing

[@coopers4491]

Absolutely fantastic show , better than TV GREAT CONTENT 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@tastyclassics]

Now that's music to my ears!

[@LawnMowersThingsThatMakeNoise]

This should have 2 carbs for the vanden plas model. producing 100 BHP. I bet they put 1 on for ease of tuning as twins can be troublesome. I Love this car !!!!!! I'd love to drive it

[@Steve-K.G.]

This has got to be one of the best set of restoration videos I have seen. Brilliant stuff mate 🙂

[@pashwesty3313]

The more I watch these, the more I realize you're Britain's answer to Derek from Vice Grip Garage! Keep up the good videos 👍

[@iancull77]

I've recently come across your channel and love the way you go about things... loved the work you've done on this car, and love the music too!

[@BAJAFLATOUT]

Love the song at 1:40mins Great job on the car Ben 👍🏻

[@malcolmaston3547]

The wedge lives on. Another great video, it’s nice you get so invested in the cars, keep up the good work

[@alunjones2185]

Every lads dream at some point in their lives. Brilliantly produced videos! 😊

[@kimnorrgren9468]

🎉 your videos are the best! Ironic and humor in overflood 💥 more please

[@cloudninephoto]

That note got to me too😢. Great job 👏.

[@tastyclassics]

Hopefully i've done it justice and it can go to a new enthusiast who will give it the real love it deserves and take it to that next level, like it was supposed to be

[@cloudninephoto]

@@tastyclassics Definitely did it justice. That’s a lot of work there. More work than people realise. Well done 👏.

[@Oh-Jay52]

@@cloudninephoto well said !!!

[@Lakedistrict_chefRobh]

Brilliant, pure entertainment 👏

[@euth]

have loved these last 2 episodes so much. added too, the use of kylie Dailey as backing tune....lovely

[@GT380man]

A new singer to me, really like her voice. “A Tether” is a very good song.

[@davidhull4841]

Great job getting this forgotten classic back on the road Ben. However,it is a prime example of why i totally disagree with MOT exemption at 40 years old. Next year,this car could have just been got running by somebody else and driven on the road with all of it's potentially dangerous faults ! Doesn't bear thinking about. My classic BMW is 44 years old,but i still have it MOT'd every year for my peace of mind.

[@iguanna41]

New subscriber here. I love these vids, we need guys like this as we're all gonna need these old cars, all new cars are 💩 now EV and hybrid diesels with dpf and add blue no thanks, give me a 90's diesel.

[@GT380man]

Spot on. People like Ben are going to be in heavy demand in a not too distant future when we will shake our heads at how breezily we chopped in virtually everlasting 90s cars. Once the rust monster was banished, basic maintenance plus the odd part replacement & there’s no practical upper limit to age and mileage they could give. I had a MkIV Golf for 110k miles and it still looked & drove well, right up to the point where a van smacked into me, writing it off.

[@shepshepherd]

Top stuff! The car's new owner will have a fine time with it, I'm sure.

[@GBOAF216]

Really enjoyed that video matey! Turned out great! Looking forward to your next adventure!

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks mate!

[@LachlanFernie]

Did you ever find out who left the note in the glovebox? I think he would appreciate everything you have done - if he is still around! Keep up the good work!

[@barryamos4920]

Well done I enjoyed the video thank you strange how I never gave these cars a second look forty years ago but now they look very good and I didn’t appreciate them in the day look forward to your next video

[@nickcraven8440]

Omg i can remember my dad avin one of that same model Ben when i was a kid we went to mablethorpe regular in it i think ours was blue aswell brilliant

[@chriswarren2599]

Hey Ben, was clear this car was crying out to be rescued. I worked on this stuff in my 20's. So straightforward to fix. It looks lovely now and I don't know who bought it but they have a great useable classic to trundle around in. So good to see a young guy like yourself with the knowledge.

[@stevegregson4357]

Our first family car Ben was a Bermuda blue Austin Maxi 5 soeed! As a boy I was in charge of holding the gear shift in 5th to stop it jumping out! Great days 😂

[@Retro_andy_1977]

Very good mate - all good - great to see the amby getting some fettling- your doing an excellent job 👏 The henry is a fantastic vacuum and a great choice for car interiors

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks Andy!

[@Retrorickmg]

Fantastic ! And thanks for saving an ambassador! So rare now , really awesome vid , these Bl/Austin rover era cars are becoming so popular now .

[@markzehetmeier195]

I really really really enjoyed this whole series , thankyou for rescuing this rare car, and i'm sure the previous owner would be absolutely chuffed with how it has turned out. I sincerely hope the next owner will give her the love and attention that is so deserved.

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks Mark I hope so 👍

[@hunsolo9713]

Another great episode well worth the waiting 😊

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks mate!

[@johneeeemarry34]

Ken put him in the position of financial insolvency that unfortunately prompted the regrettable sale… I’m glad to see your restoring this unjustifiably maligned motor car.

[@UnusSedLeo-w5l]

Wow, what a great and inspiring video! Glad she is saved! As a owner of a Toyota Carina II from '84 that was rescued after years of storage, I can only approve of this project!

[@johnbumster3950]

Amazing the amount of cars that go to the crusher when alll they need is TLC, thanks for another great watch !!!

[@samkirk3662]

What a great 2 parter! Love this bloke, top man......top work👌👌👌

[@Astra8676]

Really enjoyed watching this build also brought back child hood memories!!!

[@raymondpearce5245]

A brilliant video keeps on coming

[@TheFusedplug]

You did a lovely job mate😊👍😎

[@fletcherbravo]

Another fantastic video, it brought a lump to my throat...

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks Jonathan

[@stevenbeerling7784]

You have and always have done made my day bringing golden oldie back to life but you have seriously got my OCD going by not taking the passenger side door trims off to match the drivers side. Great job though. Love it.

[@garywilson6047]

Great stuff, thanks.

[@Hairnicks]

Enjoyed every minute of that, at 66 I remember these cars really well, alonmg with puddle jumpers, Itals, Allegros and many other beautiful old memory cars. Well done on a practical restoration to create a usable daily driver, what fun to drive as well. Love Taporley, have done a few decorating jobs there, nice place, and that comes from a Devonian who moved here 4 years ago and fell in love with the North West. Looking forward to going through your vids now I have found you.

[@lip03pd]

It's come a very long way since it was propping that toilet door open! What a transformation! Really looking forward to seeing the mini finished and more rescues in the future. I really hope that the channel grows this year. You deserve everything that's coming to you 👍🏻

[@robleary3353]

Love seeing old bits of kit being given another go! Nice one!. Nuff said. 🤣

[@matthewwiddows6319]

Loved the video worth the wait!! Hopefully someone will buy this to drive and enjoy, and not pamper and hide it away. Cars are meant to be driven.

[@davidking9707]

I really enjoyed watching that video, I really like the Ambassador and remember them when they were new. I did have a Morris Ital and I loved it.

[@tastyclassics]

Excellent cheers David!

[@patrickmalone1902]

The best channel on KZbin.

[@marklittler784]

Certainly looked pretty brilliant at the end of the day, the seats look very supportive no doubt it has a good suspension to go with them.

[@markcassidy5883]

Great job on the car,,it looks fantastic,,,if a had the wedge for the,, er wedge,,I'd buy it,,loved the princess and ambassador I used to own years ago,,big comfy cars,,

[@duncanjack2335]

That brought back memories. My dad had an Ambassador and it was the same colour as the primer you used.

[@essexdavenorton]

What a epic video the transformation is fantastic I really could not believe how well it turned out in the end well done sir and the way you did that paint job and how well it turned out that was the icing on the cake. Keep up the good work. Well done again.

[@Landie_Man]

I love your dry humour. It’s contagious.

[@martinparker9249]

northern humour !

[@Landie_Man]

@@martinparker9249 I’m a southerner lol

[@countludwigvonnippeltassel]

Thank you for saving this lovely old lady! I've really enjoyed watching these two videos and if I had some cash spare she would definitely be heading up to Scotland 😊

[@iantelford3930]

Absolutely cracking job if i had the money i would by it it a heart beat she looks beautiful

[@davidnorman7948]

Great video !! I'm surprised it wasn't really rotten underneath, it probably runs better now then when it came out the factory.

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks David!

[@TheFusedplug]

I'm pleasantly happy with this Ambassador VP. Back in the day these were generally considered a bit ugly but it's actually not a bad looking motor in 2024

[@simonbrader8408]

Absolutely fantastic! I really enjoyed that. So much hard work and a wonderful result. If only I had 'a few grand' spare I'd be all over this. Thanks for this and all your highly entertaining and informative videos.

[@tastyclassics]

Thanks Simon much appreciated!

[@JonathanTRoyNI]

I have been looking forward to this.

[@blue2smoke]

i've given up many hours to watch these videos and totally loved it all , the music as well ,, top man very well done in all departments ...

[@thebigbowler]

Fantastic series this Ben. Thoroughly enjoyed working my way through them.

[@johndillon3689]

The hub nuts as I remember from the Ambassador I had 230lbf

[@richardwalker_]

What an epic chase that was; great to see the transformation, and that it lives again. Odd how the doors don’t match... factory. I once had a Triumph Acclaim that colour, another stop-gap BL car. Had to do a similar repaint on it back in 1989. Really like this format, and thanks for introducing me to some great music too.

[@rabsrealm]

Hats off mate, what a difference you've made to an old classic. It's ripe now for a full restoration. Just discovered your channel BTW and looking forward to seeing the next Rascal update :)

[@Craig_Simpson]

I enjoyed watching that. Its fun to see an everyday classic car brought back to life

[@monkeyroo8740]

Great video bud, and well done the ambassador looks epic

[@nicholasdaly7355]

That's going to be somebody pride and joy big well done for saving this British classic

[@stevenstraw8132]

Wow not seen 1 of these in years .my dad had 1 what a car never let him down .so glad see old girl back on road

[@simonc858]

Love these videos and the way you present, the front bumper removal had me in hoots (hope no presenters were harmed in the removal), rare car worthy of restoring.

[@gsdavies100]

Has there ever been a more unloved car in the BL/ARG line up than the short lived Ambassador? Great to see this come back to life though, could have so easily been weighed in or raced.

[@GT380man]

I think you’re right, there’s no other car in their line so shunned. Tbh, it was considered ugly, heavy, too expensive and lacking in toys that the Japanese competition had for less money. Looking back at it now, it was probably a pretty good car, but more robust than the market credited it as being worth. Which explains how the poor thing can be abandoned for 24 years and there’s very little rust! I’ve never even sat in one, though they were contemporaneous with my youth. Allegros, sure. But an Mbassador VdP? 😊

[@nathanearl-davies2994]

Excellent, informative, funny, good result for an old car

[@Rich.Aardvark]

I great blend of music, nostalgia and sarcasm.

[@paulelkins7570]

Great job, Ben!

[@philipyoud8343]

I absolutely loved this. I watched both parts from start to finish, completely enthralled by a guy (a very funny guy!) renovating an old banger, and in the process creating something really special. As a DIY mechanic I found it not just educational but also entertaining, very well put together, and actually quite Zen, in the spirit of that classic ´Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance´. Congratulations Mr.Tasty.. a fine achievement.. both the video(s) and the restoration.

[@tastyclassics]

Very kind words thank you Philip I really enjoyed doing it!

[@andyroberts9495]

Wow! Im getting hooked on watching your videos! Your not far from me either! Love the nostalgia

[@redditch11b]

Cracking video! Absolutely brilliant. Hope to see more videos like this in the future :)

[@swingkid100]

Bloody brilliant! Fair play, jolly well done 👍👍👍