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Philip Glenister and Ant Anstead host For The Love Of Cars

Actor Philip Glenister's roles in Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes have taken him down a new road – presenting For The Love Of Cars.

The two drama series featured iconic cars – a Cortina in Life On Mars and an Audi Quattro in Ashes To Ashes – to the extent that they were almost stars in their own right, says Glenister.

"I've always had a fascination with the role that cars play in TV and film. Indeed, in this series, I get to drive the original Volvo P1800 from The Saint, in the company of a man called Johnny Goodman, who was the producer on The Saint and on The Persuaders," he says.

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"I pick the colours and cloth for the interior and Ant...does all the work." - Philip Glenister and Ant Anstead

Interestingly, that car wasn't the first choice for the producers.

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"They only ended up using a Volvo because they approached Jaguar, who were a bit sniffy about it," says Glenister. "So Johnny approached Volvo who couldn't have been more helpful. The rest is history. As the show became a worldwide hit, the car became a global phenomenon."

In the first series of For The Love Of Cars, Glenister and vintage vehicle expert Ant Anstead bought a classic British car in each episode, restored it, and then auctioned them off in the final episode.

In the first episode of season one, they did up a 1972 Ford Escort Mexico (a souped-up model), spending around £8000 ($16,700). It sold for £23,000. The highest price fetched in series one was £46,000 for a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12.

The format has been tweaked for this latest season. The featured cars are from failed restorations, where factors such as ill health or unemployment have put paid to a project. Glenister and Anstead take over, do the vehicle up and sell it at the end of each episode. The profits go back to the owner.

Both presenters are passionate about cars, but there's a vast gulf in their mechanical ability.

"When it comes to understanding motors, Phil's a very good actor," says Anstead, who runs a restoration company.

Glenister says, "I'm more on the design side. I pick the colours and the cloth for the interior. And Ant..."

"Does the actual work," chips in Anstead.

"Ant gets covered in grease," says Glenister, who has the final word in that exchange.

While Glenister's love affair with cars is a relatively recent one, Anstead was making go karts from when he was 10, rebuilt his first car when he was 16, and gradually turned his passion into a career.

The Lotus Elan is one of his favourites and he helped rebuild one. "Great car … I had the engine in the dining room for two years."

Anstead admits his wife is long-suffering.

"For her 21st birthday present, I bought her a set of Weber carburettors.

"She didn't want them, obviously – turns out they fitted on my MG perfectly."

And the least favourite?

"The worst car I've ever had was a Fiat X19. My wife broke down in it once and she ended up screaming at me. It was just rubbish."

So what would be the dream car to restore?

"Maybe a missing car that won Le Mans or a famous car in a film. James Dean's missing Porsche, that kind of thing," says Anstead.

And Glenister? "I would like to find the Ferrari Dino that Tony Curtis drove in The Persuaders because apparently it's out there.

"Nobody knows where it is, but they think it's somewhere. I would like to make a programme about it and call it Finding Dino."

For The Love Of Cars, Discovery Turbo, starts July 6

 - TV Guide