The Tale Of Two Welsh Cars

Self-confessed Welsh petrol-head Gareth Jones (Gaz Top) steers us through the surprising story of Wales’ two great car companies — one that’s a blast from the past and one that’s carrying us into the future. For the first leg of the journey, Gareth takes us on a trip down memory lane to explore the history of Gilbern, a Welsh car maker who built cars in Llantwit Fardre in the 1960s and 1970s. As part of this grand tour, Gareth meets a Welsh car nut who is restoring a 1972 Gilbern Invader Estate and goes for a run in this most Welsh of sports cars from our recent past

GlynParker

Glyn Parker & the Gilbern Invader he is restoring

HugoSPowers

Hugo Spowers, the power behind the hydrogen powered Riversimple Rasa

For the next part of the show, a second road trip takes Gareth back to the future, which appears to lie in Llandrindod Wells, Powys. This is the base for Riversimple, a Welsh start-up company that’s designing, engineering and building the next generation of personal, petrol-free transport.
Gareth takes a joyful ride in a Riversimple’s Rasa prototype. It’s an incredible car that is powered by the Welsh invention that took astronauts to the moon — a hydrogen fuel cell. Jones meets the main man who’s driving Riversimple forward and discovers why he believes Wales is the key to his success.

Guests include: Glyn Parker a committed Welsh car-enthusiast, Hugo Spowers the head of Riversimple and Ian Smith from The National Museum Of Wales.

Written, presented & produced by Gareth Jones and made by WhizzBang for BBC Radio Wales.

IanSmith

Ian Smith from The National Museum Of Wales

The programme was broadcast on 20th April 2017and is currently availble until 19 May 2017 on the BBC iPlayer. Click on the iPlayer Logo below to go there and hear the programme now.