Talented teacher Amand brings his classic car magic to TV show

New City College expert Vehicle Maintenance teacher Amand Ayensu has become a familiar face on TV screens up and down the country as he stars in a new series called Classic Car Garage.

Amand, who has taught at New City College for over 22 years – starting at Tower Hamlets College and now based at Ardleigh Green campus – has become a firm favourite on the TV show, which is like a classic car version of popular BBC hit The Repair Shop.

It is showing on Thursdays at 9pm on TV channel Yesterday (Freeview 27) and can be streamed via the UKTV Play app to catch-up on all 10 episodes. Amand features regularly, especially in episode 1.

His cool and calm persona has delighted the TV audience as much as the classic car owners who sought his advice on the programme.

Series Producer Paul Windle said: “New City College is very lucky to have such a wonderful and talented man delivering lessons to your students. We’re thrilled to have him as one of our key experts on the show. Watching him work his magic on these classic cars and making the owners so happy is heart-warming.

“Amand brings with him an encyclopaedic knowledge of cars, a true passion and a wealth of experience for all things motoring and engineering. These skills and his dedication embody the ethos of the series and he’s a fabulous person to have on the team. With his patience, humour and calming nature, he is the perfect guide to help the classic owners get to the bottom of their motoring problems.”

The multi-talented tutor, who also plays numerous musical instruments, fell into motor vehicle teaching after studying the PGCE qualification at Tower Hamlets. He began teaching sound recording and then music technology classes before his passion for motor vehicles took him to the workshop and he has not looked back since.

He said: “I loved cars from the age of 5 or 6. I was constantly looking under the bonnets of cars and reading everything I could find. And this is still the case!”

In 2019 he moved to the Ardleigh Green campus and now teaches the Level 1 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair course – and he still loves his job.

The opportunity to be part of Classic Car Garage came through his connection with another car enthusiast called Colin Denton who runs the garage where the filming took place. Colin asked Amand to be part of the series and encouraged him to join a classic car club. His mechanical knowledge soon become widespread among other owners.

Amand said: “I am known within the club as The Professor! I was given the nickname because soon after joining the club I posted a simple-to-understand, in-depth explanation on how some new engine technology worked.  The members asked if I’d copied it from Wikipedia! They couldn’t believe the ‘breadth and depth’ of my knowledge. So, after posting a few more technical explanations, I have become known as The Professor!”

Talking about the filming of the TV show, Amand says it was great fun and he loved every minute of it, “even when I had to wake up at 4am and drive 100 miles to meet the film crew! There were some 14-hour days, which were exhausting, but worthwhile. And no make-up required!

“The actual car fixing, which is called Tinkering on the show, was very satisfying. It was great to meet the owners of the classic cars and work with them in sorting out their issues. Seeing the smile on their faces at the end was a bonus and they were all really nice people.”

Amand fills his spare time with going to Classic Car events throughout the UK and meeting regularly with his club members for drives.

He owns an ultra-rare and immaculate 1992 Fiat Uno Turbo – there are only 12 of these cars on UK roads – and also has a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado in Ghana which he hopes to restore one day. He added: “It would even pass ULEZ being 57 years old! And I could listen to the sound of its 7 Litre V8 engine purring away under the bonnet. I’d love to take it to my car club meetings.”

Tune in to the series or watch all episodes free to see Amand, Colin Denton and the other expert vintage vehicle enthusiasts bring smiles to the faces of classic car owners as their much-loved dream machines are brought back to their peak performance.

The Yesterday Channel is accessible via Freeview 27, Sky 155, Virgin 129, Freesat 159 and the UKTV Play website/app. Watch the series on Thursdays at 9pm or stream to catch up on all episodes.

Apply for one of our Motor Vehicle Maintenance courses today!