The 99-Year-Old Car: Engineer Spends 15 Years Restoring His Dream Car

Ridiculous Rides

A man has spent 15-years transforming a rusty wreck into the vintage car of his dreams. Terrence Cleife, a retired motor engineer, bought the wreck of a 1916 American LaFrance saloon car in 1998. The pre-war vehicle had been dismantled and was lying as a pile of scrap on the floor of a barn. The car’s missing parts were welded by Terry out of bronze and cast iron to match the vehicles original chassis and the engine completely re-assembled. Now 71, Terry has the car of his dreams and has completed the painstaking piece-by-piece restoration.

Transcript

00:00that's what's up

00:02YouTube channel

00:04YouTube channel

00:06YouTube channel

00:08YouTube channel

00:10that's the time

00:12I'm not sure

00:14I don't know

00:16I don't know

00:18but it's not

00:20I'm not gonna

00:22but it's

00:24I'm not

00:26I'm not

00:28It was completely dismantled, it was basically a heap of scrap metal on a barn floor when

00:44I first saw it and then I came into the garage for the winter and started on the engine and

00:48other bits and pieces that were missing.

00:58Well on the top here we've got the priming taps.

01:01You have to prime the cylinders with fuel before it will go.

01:07Ignition on, neutral, retard, hand throttle, and that stuntman hasn't turned up yet has

01:17been.

01:18It's a four-cylinder 10-litre T-head design.

01:23The valves are exposed, you can see them going up and down when it's running.

01:30Looking at the dash we've got the speedometer, here is the ignition switch for the coil and

01:35distributor operated by foot when driving.

01:40Then we've got the ammeter, the horn.

01:44Here is the magneto switch, oil pressure gauge.

01:49It reads very low actually because they didn't use very much oil pressure in those days.

01:59When out on the road a lot of modern car drivers flash their lights and a few wave.

02:05It's actually very pleasant, it's a bit like riding a motorbike or flying a plane.

02:09I don't normally go more than 60 miles an hour which is fairly uncomfortable for the

02:14passenger.

02:15I'm okay because I've got the monocle screen.

02:26Would I ever sell it?

02:27Well I'm getting on a bit now so one day I will but I'm not ready yet.

02:30I'm not ready to put my feet up yet and put the slippers on.

02:37I'm not ready to put the button down.

02:44I'm just gonna point out on the road.

02:45And then I can get that a little step.

02:46And then it goes, I think that we'll be right back.

02:47It goes, let's take a minute.

02:48Let's take a minute.

02:49It goes there.

02:50Let's take a minute to see another one Fran.

02:51And then I'm going to move this one for a minute.

02:53I don't know if it's off at the end of the day.

02:55It's up to the first time, and I'm going to give a minute to see another one for a minute.

02:56?

02:57Yeah, we'll do it again.

02:58We'll get a minute.

02:59Let's take a minute.

03:00Now, let's take a minute more seconds.

03:02You can see a minute.

03:02Okay, let's give a minute.

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