Holy moley, that was interesting - cars, prices, fashion, mannerisms, delivery, editing, filming techniques, attitudes.....all changed!

1:58 Pete can't hang around too long. He's got an extras job as a bank robber on The Sweeney set in a couple of hours.

@spankysmp

4 жыл бұрын

Pete. 70s icon. I think this is the most 70s clip Thames have uploaded. Good stuff.

@SuperZedd

4 жыл бұрын

😂

@BenHur872

4 жыл бұрын

I'm proud to say that Pete's son Wayne painted my car about 13 years ago and their business is still going strong

@bloodyknuckles9181

4 жыл бұрын

@J I think they are custom

This is how I remember state-of-the -art British customizing back in mad-70s UK. There were jacked up and muralled Ford Cortinas in every neighborhood!

I'd quite happily drive that transit today! The rest,not so much. That Cortina is most definitely a product of its time!

Ahh the 70’s. Things were so much simpler back then growing up. I miss that time period of the 70-80’s especially the cars

@bonkeydollocks1879

4 жыл бұрын

So true, everything was so much better

@fluffybunny7840

4 жыл бұрын

Chris Dooley I’ll second that!

@jareknowak8712

4 жыл бұрын

I'm a '90s kid and i can say the same thing.

@junglistgrrl

4 жыл бұрын

Before we noticed white genocide

@jayswarrow1196

4 жыл бұрын

You could swap a Rover V8 into a Mini and be called a hooligan, yet still be road-legal, and respected for the job done.

A neighbour of ours had green shag pile carpets glued to his whole car, around this time. He ran a lawn mowing and gardening business. Brilliant.

@jasonayres

4 жыл бұрын

@Return of the Native The Ford Anglia! From memory, they looked like a 1950's Chevrolet in miniature. With a Holden engine.. Wow, that would have kept his feet warm. Must have looked like something from the Whacky Races cartoon. I can't imagine trying such things with.. a Prius. Probably get electricuted!

I never thought I would hear Shaw Taylor say "Jacked Up" 😂

The John Hynde interview is feedstock for a Michael Palin sketch.

6:56 Splendid custom comb-over Steve

@ronmccullock1407

4 жыл бұрын

It was all the thing in the seventies it was called pedal bin hair, on a windy day their comb-over hair would stick up and resemble a pedal bin

@Mr.Rude.

4 жыл бұрын

@Hazza Brown Fear not, you just need to get yourself a thoroughly pimped out MK1 Transit and you'll look like an absolute boss

7:16 "Now what sort of person is going to buy this sort of van?" You could hear his distaste for it so clearly haha. I bet he was thinking "bloody kids today, no taste or sense."

@mrrolandlawrence

3 жыл бұрын

£4000 with microsoft in 1977 would see you a multi millionaire today. also sweet jesus that van is ugly

@markholroyde9412

7 ай бұрын

@@mrrolandlawrence No one gives a fk dope...it was 1977 snowflake

This is hilarious - the way these toffs are bewildered by street machines and hot rods.

I remember my own dear father doing this kind of thing to his mk1 capri around this time. It was subtly modified on the outside all the best work was carried out in the engine bay and running gear

I really like the old school street rod scene.

We used to get so much Thames TV back in 80's here in Australia

Loved this . Thanks .

Thanks for the memories!

One of those Cortinas found piled up in some dodgy junkyard somewhere in the suburbs back in 1980's.

Check out Pete's side burners! Amazing!

@ianmangham4570

4 жыл бұрын

IKR

@Landie_Man

4 жыл бұрын

I’ve found the firm, Pete is still the boss, he’s about to be sent the footage by his employees, who find it all hilarious. I found them on Facebook. Will update when I have it.

@ianmangham4570

4 жыл бұрын

@@Landie_Man Roger that

The days of amazing tunes, fashion, hot rods & street freaks! 😎

What a groovy idea !

Just come across this video.Took me right back to the 70s when I was a lot younger and well into the custom scene.Great to see Pete Darwell involved,took my Avenger down to his place in Rochester from Lancashire.Two week after dropping it off,went back down on the train to pick it up.Dragons head and flame paint job looked brill. Sold car 18 months later and got a 71 Mach1 mustang,whilst I was still only 20years old.Miss those times.

@markholroyde9412

7 ай бұрын

I live in Yorkshire, bought my 68 Roadrunner in '84, still own it, ...I knew 40 years ago I would keep it for life if poss.

@barrycudauk232

7 ай бұрын

@@markholroyde9412 Wow,40years of ownership.Good effort.I might well have seen your car at the Leeds Burger King meet,if you got there before the council shut it down.Went a good number of times in my 71 440 Cuda tribute,tor red with black billboards. Sold it in 2019 for a modern R/T Hemi Challenger.That went in May 2021 and in its place I got my present Mopar.I was lucky enough to get one of the 50th anniversary commemorative Scat pack wide body Challengers.So far since new I've done nearly 10k miles.Pure adrenaline rush every time it's driven. Currently helping my mate working on his 68 Camaro,formerly known as Sillouette,full custom from the 70s.

@markholroyde9412

7 ай бұрын

@@barrycudauk232 Yes mate, I have been going to Leeds cruise since 1980, I also have a rusty but solid '69 Dart which will be for sale soon and a '68 440 Fury Conv too. . my RR is a well known car in MOPAR land and I have never deviated for any other brand. I remember the Cuda, proper mint car?

2:45 custom escort with AA badge!

Hysterical! Funny seeing a RHD T-Bucket! And a customized 4dr. looks odd too. I bet some of the snooty types over there had a fit looking at the mural on that 4dr. sedan! : ) I know there were 2dr. English cars, strange that both were 4drs. The interior of that van was mighty tame compared to others of the '70s.

Man those were the days...

At 2:40....that is a Binks Wren Airbrush model 59-1002 "B". Single action , up to 50psi. They still make those!!! but $300+ price tag. Had to have driven him nuts with the limited capabilities you have with only a single action, low psi airbrush on automotive surfaces. Thank goodness for iwata dual action.

I had phat American mag slots on my MK1 Transit camper, had a "California" roof ladder, 12 speaker 8 track and a lively Essex 3.0 up front and the miles spent in that old beastie back in the late eighties early nineties lol Wished I had it still today :(

Pete’s GOT Some Damn Sideburns !

Pete Nice Hair Do!.. great Lionel Blair’s .

That Transit is a Doggers dream.

@ianmangham4570

4 жыл бұрын

🤣

Wolf Race, Walter Wolf put an F1 wing on his Countach & then everyone wanted the same wing on their Countach. That’s how the crazy wing on the back of the Countach began brah

I just looked up the inflation rate. Today's prices are x6 those in 1977. Thus, a £4k van would now be £24k, etc

@fatlad5090

4 жыл бұрын

25 quid a week was a good wage in 70s

JEESUS! Steve Stringer~~~! He's an old mate from my Days when we both lived in New Zealand! .. He also had a full custom CF bedford van with keep on Truckin" on the side. A few Years ago Steve was employed teaching people at car firms how to do prototyping for car bodies,especially clay body shaping and was even running classes at universities . So,yes the major car firms took on the ideas coming from the Custom car scene. .

When Custom Cars were Custom Cars. Not a rusty Nissan Micra with a drain pipe for an exhaust.

@skelator_

4 жыл бұрын

Shut up boomer

@eronacalloway9159

4 жыл бұрын

Steven Lawrence ....all these Fast and Furious Wannabes today are a JOKE.

Wow .

Fast and Furious-77

When I first heard of the Ford Transit, a decade ago, I learned that it had already been around in Europe, but I didn't know until I saw this that it had been around THAT long!

@Thinker669

3 жыл бұрын

They first came to America in 2015. It was the same bodystyle from 2013. I driven many of them.

@markholroyde9412

7 ай бұрын

First one was made in 1966

It's hard to beieve that this haircut was ever a thing. Just imahine there are still people who lived in those times and may have had the same.

There was hair everywhere in the 70s

@bloodyknuckles9181

4 жыл бұрын

Apart from the front of steve's head

@nigelb5341

4 жыл бұрын

..... especially the beaver ;-)

These guys get it..all badass and great hair.lol

MY CAR I had in High School was a 1970 Chevelle SS 396/402 375 HP/ 4- Speed. A VERY GOOD running car.

@richardjones8500

4 жыл бұрын

Lucky you, what yr were you prowling the streets?

@richardjones8500

4 жыл бұрын

Calloway, what yr were you prowling the streets? Lucky you

Pete's bloody Barnet!

I've never heard of a Ford Pilot but I'd be happy to own that one now, but not the other vehicles. I only clicked on the link as I thought that was Eric Morcombe on the thumbnail. Turned out it was pretty funny anyway.

@christopherdean1326

3 жыл бұрын

That car was famous back then. I had a picture of it on my bedroom wall. Tel Powney's "California Dreamin" Ford flathead V8 with triple Stromberg carbs if I remember correctly. Great days.........

Wonder where they are now

As a child of the 70s I can only watch and hang my head in shame at these garish vehicles

@keithhoughton4308

4 жыл бұрын

Come on. This was the first time ordinary guys in the UK could afford a half decent car and had a few quid left over to modify it. Why apply your standards of taste to a time you can't understand?

Id love to see some back story to these clips. Are Pete's children or grandchildren watching? What happened to Steve and his custom company? Put the feelers out on Facebook...

@Landie_Man

4 жыл бұрын

spankysmagicpiano talking to whom I believe is one of Petes employees as we speak! Sent the company a message. Sounds like he’s still the boss!

@spankysmp

4 жыл бұрын

@@Landie_Man bloody joking Landie..that would be awesome. Let us know. The good powers of the internet.....

@Landie_Man

4 жыл бұрын

spankysmagicpiano will do! I just emailed their page and a worker got back to me. Watch this space

@Landie_Man

4 жыл бұрын

spankysmagicpiano they’re all very pleased to see it and find it very funny. Pete is still the boss and he’s going to get a bit of a shit for the looks I’ve been told! The staff responding to me find it all hilarious.

ThamesTv - have you anymore great stuff like this in the vaults?

In the film 24hr party people about the happy Mondays peter kay played a club owner who had a van like those in the video

Peter looks like hes holding a fishing rod 1.58

@richardjones8500

4 жыл бұрын

LOLOLOL I thought the same thing. Thinking they would zoom into hood of a fish LOLOL

Im surprised that E-type had independent rear suspension.

@jareknowak8712

4 жыл бұрын

@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj Thank You!

The brits really can make anything boring lol

Pete wins. Thems some impressive porkchops.

Jacked up art gallery 🤣🤣

I wonder what the Arabs were doing to a $3500 van to get to a $20.000 van 🤔 think about it what upgrades could you do in the 70s to a small van that would cost that much ? I am sure you all have some great ideas on what or how they spent that money please reply 🤔🤔🤔

Pete Darwell wayhay Mechspray!

He said...1000 pds. to do the mods with airbrush murals on the white car. Thats $4,000 in 2023 money, folks. Ouch!

Shaw Taylor was a grasss

Nice try, but the USA guys have it the best.

Shag pile carpet but where is the bed...

@jayswarrow1196

4 жыл бұрын

The cuffs were actually *welded* to it, so they had to remove it in one piece before the take, so they could make it look abit more appropriate for all that "picnic with family weekend" load'o'jabber... ;) ;)

Fkn hilarious

0:19 That's not a silencer. That's a loudspeaker. 6:15 "I see the day coming, when "to customise" would mean just to have a plain black model-T Ford." ...gosh he was an extrasense! Around the world there's nothing more popular theese days, than a cheapskate bestseller box, covered in undercoating...

All that bollocks and it never happened 😂😂😂

@Thinker669

3 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure it did.

The cortina is not attractive

@ianmangham4570

4 жыл бұрын

Ya don't say 🤣

1970s...the decade that style...ran a mile from.

So this is where I learned to speak complete BS with an authoritative voice...(note to self: grow hair longer before fitting shagpile)

Too much waffle not enough cars ................

He is the most inappropriate person to to present this clip

@jareknowak8712

4 жыл бұрын

And thats why it is so good :)

the specky presenter need's a good slap,