A CLASSIC car enthusiast who had to give up renovating a 1972 Rover because of ill health can be seen driving his pride and joy around Romford, thanks to his wife and a film crew from National Geographic.
Steve and Marie Barrell, from Harold Hill, will be featured in episode six of National Geographic's Car SOS on March 14, called Rover's Return.
Rover enthusiast Mr Barrell, 52, has suffered a number of health problems, including the discovery that he had to have a significant part of his bowel removed during an appendix operation.
More recently, he has suffered from ongoing hernias and is due to go into hospital on March 1 for treatment.
The problems meant his dream of renovating a 1972 P6 were put to one side, while he underwent multiple operations.
That was until, unbeknown to him, his wife called in the National Geographic Channel's Car SOS team to resurrect the British classic.
The programme-makers take a classic car in need of work and surprise the owner when they return it restored.
Mrs Barrell said: "My husband gets Classic Cars Weekly. At the back there was an article advertising for people with a sob story to enter a competition with the prize of getting their car done up.
"I entered and they said they would like to do it.
"I had to get it away from Steve, so I said I was moving it to Epping to where my daughter lives to get it out of the weather."
Mr Barrell had already started work on the car, bought for £200, but it was not running.
He had fixed the engine, a powerful 3.5 litre V8 but was unable to finish the renovation when he became ill.
Mrs Barrell said: "They did it all, the wheels, the shell, they gave it a respray, it came back like a new car. It was fantastic."
After three weeks the car was unveiled to Mr Barrell at the same bus garage in East London where he first met his wife a decade before, under the pretence of the crew making a documentary about families that have worked in the same place.
He said: "I'm absolutely over the moon. It's driving brilliantly.
"Thanks to the guys – they did a top quality job – and thanks to my wife. She's one in a million."
Rover's Return is being shown at 8pm on Thursday, March 14 on National Geographic Channel.
