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Mark McCann: This Bugatti Could Be My Biggest Mistake | EP52

Mark McCann: This Bugatti Could Be My Biggest Mistake | EP52

Talkin' Shop Mar 11, 2026 124 min
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About this episode

Mark McCann shares his journey from dreaming about owning a Porsche 911 to acquiring high-end supercars like the Bugatti Veyron and McLaren P1. He reflects on the highs and lows of car collecting, including a dramatic story about his first Porsche being stolen and crashed. Mark discusses the challenges and excitement of investing in rare cars, the unpredictability of their value, and the risks involved. The episode also teases a dramatic car recovery story and the ongoing Bugatti project that could be either a huge success or a costly mistake.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Car

Bugatti Veyron

"...ole. Where have you been? We're with Mr Spaghetti Veyron himself. I'm Art McCann. Please make sure to lik..."

The Bugatti Veyron is a super fast and very expensive car that is famous for being one of the fastest cars ever made. It’s special because only a few people can own one.

Car

McLaren P1

""you'd be looking at buying a P1 from Harrods and a Bugatti Veyron in two halves? I suppose if I was driving it he would have assumed it was stolen.""

The McLaren P1 is a very fast and special car that uses both gas and electric power to go super fast. It's rare and expensive.

Car

Peugeot 205

"... only sort of thing which we found is say like a Peugeot 205 GTI you know the year of that is you know that wa..."

The Peugeot 205 CTI is a small car with a roof that can open, so you can enjoy driving with the wind. It was popular a long time ago and is still liked by some people today.

Car

Peugeot 205 GTI

"...which we found is say like a Peugeot 205 GTI you know the year of that is you know that was on a trajectory and making money making money now it's it's settled out because the people who..."

The Peugeot 205 GTI is a small sporty car made in the 1980s and 1990s. People like it because it is fun to drive and is now considered a classic car.

Car

Volkswagen Gti

"...of thing which we found is say like a Peugeot 205 GTI you know the year of that is you know that was o..."

The Volkswagen Golf is a small car that lots of people buy because it’s easy to drive, reliable, and good for everyday use.

Car

Porsche 911

"...one of the great episodes for me that you released was the story about your 9-11 because we're all mad Porsche fans as well um can you just briefly tell us because I know a lot of your viewers and listeners..."

The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that has been made for many years. It is known for being fast and fun to drive.

Term

heated seats

"I was drying the seats out of their car and I thought do you know what I've left put the heated seats on the car I washed it and I'd put it on in the car"

Heated seats are special car seats that get warm to keep you cozy when it's cold outside.

Concept

tracker company

"we're basically a shadowed global telemetrics who are a tracker company and we went and helped retrieve cars after the tracker gone off"

A tracker company helps you find your car if someone steals it by using special GPS devices that tell you where your car is.

Part

gearbox

"but the trouble the trouble we've learned at the minute is the gearbox is the one like basically I can't test a gearbox so we're fixing it and we're going to put it back in and we're not sure like you have to set them all up and on this rig"

The gearbox is the part of the car that helps it change speeds by switching gears. It's very important for the car to run smoothly.

Concept

assembly rig

"we haven't got that rig yeah right so I'm not sure you can do it as a DIY job like we are so it's like an assembly rig basically they put it on this"

An assembly rig is a special machine that helps put car parts together properly before they go into the car, making sure everything fits and works right.

Term

hydraulic system

"it's basically a pretend car like it's a hydraulic system and it changes gears it runs it up it takes about an eight hour process to them to warm the gearbox up a line all the gears line all the bits"

A hydraulic system uses liquid to help move parts in a car. Here, it helps test the gearbox without needing the whole car.

Term

DCT clutch

"the DCT clutch apparently it goes from one clutch to the other gear and if they're not perfectly in line like the one half goes soft as the other one goes hard"

A DCT clutch is part of a special type of gearbox that uses two clutches to change gears quickly and smoothly, making the car faster and easier to drive.

Car

Jeep Grand Deep

"...h oh yes we've got a problem and then we are 300 grand deep for a gearbox if we can even get one yeah yeah wo..."

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a big car that can drive on rough roads and is comfortable inside. But sometimes it can have expensive problems, especially with the parts that help it change gears.

Term

M6 bolt

"and we don't put an m6 bolt with like a zinc plated with like the wrong size head but if we get a a2 stainless steel or whatever titanium bolt and we make the bolt better than the bolt which is in there"

An M6 bolt is a type of screw that is 6 millimeters wide. Cars use these bolts to hold parts together, and the right size and material are important so the parts stay safe and last a long time.

Car

BMW M6

"... as long as we get that bolt and we don't put an m6 bolt with like a zinc plated with like the wrong ..."

The BMW M6 is a fancy and fast car that is comfortable to drive long distances but also fun because it’s very powerful.

Term

A2 stainless steel bolt

"if we get a a2 stainless steel or whatever titanium bolt and we make the bolt better than the bolt which is in there yeah then I'm all up for that"

A2 stainless steel bolts are screws made from a special metal that doesn't rust easily. This makes them good for cars because they last longer and don't get damaged by water or weather.

Term

titanium bolt

"if we get a a2 stainless steel or whatever titanium bolt and we make the bolt better than the bolt which is in there yeah then I'm all up for that"

Titanium bolts are screws made from a very strong and light metal called titanium. They are good for cars because they are strong but don't weigh much and don't rust.

Car

Bugatti Chiron

"yeah which is cool the great thing is because it's clearly evident as well there was lots of bugatties that you went to see and I imagine that was a lot of effort but all of them some of them were a bit questionable spec like you had the occasional stunner but then some of them were like what are you doing like I know they need to be out there but it was a bit some of them were a bit crazy I suppose you can put your own stamp on this and can't you and the thing is you can spend all that money on it you might as well you might as well start again but that's the thing it is a blank canvas and I think that's that's a positive for me because I don't want it to look old-fashioned I want the colors and the way it's going to look to be almost shirony yeah because there's some of the shirons now the colors and the the interiors and stuff and next level so I want to sort of replicate that like you say because we saw the one which was like a brown and a cream and it was just like hideous yeah like really really hideous but you know and then some of them were fantastic"

The Bugatti Chiron is a very fast and expensive car that people often make special by changing its colors and inside design. It's one of the most exclusive cars you can buy.

Term

exclusivity

"like that exclusivity one of five yeah yeah but I'd rather make my car one of one yeah exactly but"

Exclusivity means a car is very rare or special, so not many people have one, which makes it more valuable.

Car

LaFerrari

"you know Ferrari's amazing you can have a la Ferrari worth four million quid but you can have a three five five great car worth fifty thousand pound"

LaFerrari is a very special Ferrari that uses both a gas engine and electric power to go really fast and is very rare.

Car

Lamborghini Gallardo

"...h fifty thousand pound you can have a Lamborghini Gallardo worth fifty thousand pound or a two million poun..."

The Lamborghini Gallardo is a fast sports car that many people wanted because it looked cool and was a bit easier to own than other Lamborghinis.

Car

Ferrari 355

"you can have a la Ferrari worth four million quid but you can have a three five five great car worth fifty thousand pound you can have a Lamborghini Gallardo worth fifty thousand pound"

The Ferrari 355 is an older Ferrari car that is still very nice and fun to drive, and costs much less than newer Ferraris.

Car

Lamborghini Sian

"...worth fifty thousand pound or a two million pound sian with a bagatti the entry level the bottom of the..."

The Lamborghini Sian is a very fast and rare car that uses both a gas engine and electric power. It’s special because it’s one of the first Lamborghinis to use this new technology.

Term

key safe

"yeah putting my keys in a what would you recall key safe yeah outside yeah no well we that when it's funny we did the first video and I've seen these key boxes I've been you know I've had you know I've been around key boxes and I had no idea and then they showed me how they got into this key box and we came back here we fitted one on the on the wall and I went like smash like that with a screwdriver and it just popped straight"

A key safe is like a small locked box where you can keep your car keys outside your car safely. It helps stop thieves from stealing your car by finding your keys hidden nearby.

Part

Faraday pouch

""he had his car keys in a Faraday pouch in his house and they came into the house to get the keys which is what they do now""

A Faraday pouch is like a special bag that stops your car's remote key from sending signals, so thieves can't trick your car into opening.

Term

keyless entry

""and they tried keyless entry they couldn't get keyless entry so he had his car keys in a Faraday pouch in his house and they came into the house to get the keys which is what they do now""

Keyless entry means you can open and start your car without putting a key in the door or ignition. You just have a special remote or fob that talks to your car.

Term

car theft

""the answer to the UK's problem of car theft is let them have it which is you've got insurance one of the one of the blokes said on your podcast but youtube video wasn't it was basically well you've got insurance get over it""

Car theft is when someone takes your car without permission. Thieves use different tricks to steal cars, sometimes even without breaking a window.

Term

insurance

""the answer to the UK's problem of car theft is let them have it which is you've got insurance one of the one of the blokes said on your podcast but youtube video wasn't it was basically well you've got insurance get over it""

Car insurance is like a safety net that helps pay for your car if it gets stolen or damaged.

Car

Audi S3

""i did yeah we moved um i was younger we uh i had an s3 which at the time was quite a new car you know quite quite sort of new thing really and um luckily it was a key key version not a keyless version at that time""

The Audi S3 is a small but fast car that is sportier than the regular Audi models, making it fun to drive.

Company

Eclipse Diagnostics

"...without our title sponsor eclipse diagnostics if you work on commercial vehicles vessels or machinery you need gel test the uk's leading multi-brand diagnostic tool from eclipse plug it in run a scan and you'll get the oem fault code..."

Eclipse Diagnostics makes a tool called Gel Test that helps mechanics find and fix problems in many types of vehicles and machines. It shows exactly what's wrong and how to fix it, making repairs easier and faster.

Term

Gel Test

"...you need gel test the uk's leading multi-brand diagnostic tool from eclipse plug it in run a scan and you'll get the oem fault code the components linked to the issue and a clear step-by-step guide to fix it..."

Gel Test is a tool that helps mechanics find problems in different cars and machines. It tells them what part is broken and how to fix it, so they can do the job right the first time.

Term

OEM fault code

"...run a scan and you'll get the oem fault code the components linked to the issue and a clear step-by-step guide to fix it..."

When a car has a problem, it can show a special code that tells mechanics what is wrong. These codes come from the car's own computer and help fix the problem faster.

Concept

grass rat racing

"but his thing was it was um it was grass rat racing so but i remember he never had the best bike he was always tinkering it and making himself spraying it painting it but making the best of what he had"

Grass rat racing is a type of motorcycle racing where people race on dirt or grass tracks, usually with bikes they fix up themselves.

Concept

BMX racing

"and then i then started racing BMX's uh and then eventually when we could afford it we had motocross bikes"

BMX racing is a sport where people race on small bikes on dirt tracks with hills and turns.

Car

Lancia Delta

"... i talk about quite a lot so it was a um elancia delta martini six very special edition white with like ..."

The Lancia Delta is a sporty small car that was famous for racing and looks cool with special designs. People like it because it’s fast and has a strong history.

Term

MOT

"...i don't service them every year i don't mot them every year they just sit there dry stored yeah..."

MOT is a yearly check that cars in the UK have to pass to make sure they are safe and not polluting too much before you can drive them on the road.

Car

Lamborghini Huracan

"...is you know i can go to do that same journey in a Huracan Strato with it banging, popping, revving and jum..."

The Lamborghini Huracan is a very fast and cool-looking car that is exciting to drive and can be used for regular trips too.

Car

BMW M3

"...i said a couple years ago when i had my i've got m3 that is the last new car i will own for that reas..."

The BMW M3 is a fast and sporty car made by BMW. People like it because it’s fun to drive but also works well for daily use.

Concept

electric cars

"that's how they're being sort of forced to to um i think exist and we did it we told us electric cars oh yeah we said for four minutes don't talk about electric cars because we feel sometimes um with like algorithm and stuff if you mention it it's it's a boring subject now everyone's done it they've all hated on it that's it yes yeah i saw a comment today somebody was going on like we'd mentioned there was a clip which somebody clipped up about um in our last podcast we talked about um testers don't get stolen and so i joked i said yes because nobody wants to but like it's just a joke and this guy's gone oh god here he goes again going on look like i don't like electric cars i have that choice to say those words yeah exactly you're really a free country i'm not saying everybody else should hate electric cars i don't like electric cars i don't like you know that's just the way but i've got the choice to say that if i'm not saying do not buy an electric car no no i i don't want an electric car no"

Electric cars run on batteries instead of gasoline. They don't produce pollution from the tailpipe and can be cheaper to drive because electricity costs less than gas.

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