Richard Hammond has sold three of his own cars at auction to raise money for a full ground-up restoration project at his business, The Smallest Cog. The decision, made in the first episode of the new season of Richard Hammond’s Workshop on Quest, came after his business manager challenged the workshop’s lack of experience with such projects.
Business manager challenges workshop record
New business manager Roy assessed the efficiency of the workshop and asked Hammond: “How many restorations have you done before, ground-up restorations?” The former Top Gear host admitted: “None.” Roy then suggested taking on a project from start to finish, saying: “If you had a project that we do from start to finish and make a fantastic job of it, it can be something that we can hang our hat on and be proud of.”
The team chose to renovate an E-type, but the estimated cost put Hammond in a difficult position. He told viewers: “Jamie and Roy have come back to me with their estimate of what it's going to cost to do the E-type. We want to turn it into our perfect show car, an amazing thing to show off what we do. They say it could be £70, maybe £80,000. Bearing in mind I've already sunk a fortune into this business, I need to be a bit clever and business-like about it.”
Three cars sold to fund Project E-type
Hammond explained his decision to sell the cars, saying: “And with a heavy heart I'm going to raise some of that money by selling The Smallest Cog race car, the MGB GT. We had have fun with it, it was great. But maybe it's run its course and along with it, I'm going to sell the Escort RS2000 that we did. It wasn't a ground up restoration, the full work, so it won't do the job that the E-type will do. And then there is my little Riley. I bought it as a 50th birthday present, but I don't really have the time to use it. So all three cars have been going to auction where together they shall fund Project E-type.”
The MGB GT, the final car Hammond drove on Top Gear, sold for £16,875, while his 1933 Riley 14/6 Alpine Tourer fetched £25,875.
Land Rover restoration and personal update
Elsewhere in the episode, the team restored a former military Land Rover used to transport VIPs, high-ranking military personnel and possibly members of the Royal Family. Hammond said the Series II Land Rover had been “bought to us for recommissioning, and we're turning it back into something pretty special, and I'm quite keen to be part of that” after it had more recently been used as a farm vehicle. Once complete, the team took it for a test drive through town with a handheld foghorn, with team member Isaac joking: “don’t fall out the back, because I won’t stop”.
The episode also touched on Hammond’s personal life, as he said his divorce was “all behind me now”. He added: “I've moved into a new home and I love it. I love where it is. I'm a creature of the hills and I live amongst the mountains, and there's no better place for having a good think.” Hammond separated from his wife in 2025; the couple, who have two children, previously lived at Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire. Richard Hammond’s Workshop airs on Tuesdays from October 27 at 9pm on Quest and discovery+.
