But I was watching, yesterday evening, a program we have over here called "Car SOS."

In short people give the SOS team a call about someone they believe is worthy of having a project car that the "victim" owns put back into tip top condition. Normally I give these "overhaulin'" type shows a wide berth but in this instance the vehicles involved are generally run of the mill types which have a special meaning to the owner but due to, in many cases, serious illness or infirmity they can no longer do anything with them.

So you would get things like a Moggy 1000 or a mini, a 1940's ex army lorry that kind of thing and unlike St Foose's offerings the cars are returned in factory spec' with hopefully some joy given to the poorly owner and his family.

They have done a few exotics but only because that is what was put in front of them and not something they deliberately seek out.

The point of this diatribe is that yesterday the car in question was a Sunbeam Alpine, the 1500cc version but it came with a 1700cc engine which they used in the project.

Part of the program involves the two presenters having a bash in an already restored version of the car in question to evaluate it and in this episode they got to drive, yes you've guessed it, the Sunbeam tiger with the big V8 lump in the front and jolly nice it was too.

The owner of the Sunbeam to be restored is a youngish lad who had a serious accident which left him immobile, partially sighted and some loss of brain function so obviously it was out of the question for him to restore it.

The conclusion of each episode involves some chicanery to get the "victim" in a certain place for the big reveal and Sarge I have to say that when he saw, as best he could, the finished job, tears were streaming down his face after it sunk in that someone would do this for him and I have to admit to having something in my eye too.

Not a bad little show definitely worthy in all the cases I've watched, ordinary cars restored to how they were originally and not a crate engine, fancy Foose wheels or a ten tone paint job in sight just good old fashioned spanner work.