21-458: The Ace Cafe is an old transport cafe located near Wembley , North West London, England. Situated next to the North Circular Road , it is historically a notable venue in motorcycle culture . The original cafe opened in 1938 and closed in 1969. It re-opened on the original site in 1997 as a cafe, functions, and entertainment venue. The Ace Cafe is located on a leg on the western side of
42-477: A bacon butty or sausage sandwich . A range of other cooked meals may be available, such as steak and kidney pie , a full roast , liver and onions , or pasta dishes, with a cooked dessert such as apple crumble and custard . The main drink in a cafe or greasy spoon is usually tea , especially " builder's tea " (a nickname for a mug of strong black tea, such as English breakfast tea , usually served with milk and sugar and typically robust and flavourful with
63-414: A cafe or café ( / ˈ k æ f eɪ / ), also known colloquially as a caff or greasy spoon , is a small eatery typically specialising in fried foods or home-cooked meals. Though it uses the same word origin as the term " café ", it is distinct from the more European style of coffeehouse or bar. A British cafe does not usually serve alcohol. It is commonly an independently owned business;
84-520: A brisk character and a dark red colour). However, coffee is also available and some cafes have espresso machines, particularly if they are Italian or Greek owned. The cafe was the mainstay of British lorry drivers who travelled the major trunk roads such as the A1 and the A6 prior to the opening of the motorways. These cafes were not only stops where the driver could eat, but also made convenient meeting places where
105-459: A specialist car restoration team helping to restore owners' classic cars from across the UK and Europe, often beginning in a serious state of disrepair. The owner, unbeknownst to them, and their car are nominated by a relative or friend because the owner is unable to continue the restoration of the vehicle, due to unforeseen medical or financial reasons. The owners are then surprised with their finished car in
126-576: A staged event, usually set up by Shaw. In a special series-three episode, a 1962 Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite destined for the British Motor Museum was restored with the owner's knowledge, breaking the show's format due to the car's significance, having been driven by a racing team that included Steve McQueen and Sir Stirling Moss , who appears in the episode. The series is presented by motor vehicle and engineering enthusiast Tim Shaw and musician and mechanic Fuzz Townshend . Townshend leads
147-417: A team of car restoration experts who mainly work off camera, though they do have occasional cameos, most notably "Workshop" Phil Palmer's appearances within skits or scripted light-hearted moments taking place within the workshop. Each episode begins with Tim and Fuzz picking up and reviewing the featured car. Shaw will discuss why the car is being restored with the nominee's relatives, while Townshend inspects
168-407: The trade unions could talk to their members. A cafe that is beside a main road and serves passing motorists, particularly lorry drivers, is sometimes known as a transport cafe; this may or not be accompanied by a petrol station . A motorway service station will typically include one or more fast food restaurants such as Burger King , Greggs , or McDonald's , and possibly a transport cafe for
189-465: The 1962 race, a sister car was driven by Moss to a class win, and second overall. That car had since been destroyed, leaving the team car, restored by the team, as the only Sebring Sprite left in the world. As of May 2023, eleven full series of 10 episodes each, plus 2 special 7 Day Challenge episodes have aired. Tim and Fuzz secretly fix up an Italian car enthusiast's rusty World Rally-winning Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II. Tim and Fuzz restore
210-1375: The North Circular Road, off the junction with Beresford Avenue. On the A406 it is between the Hanger Lane gyratory and the Wembley A404 junction. It is east of the Alperton neighbourhood, close by Stonebridge and the Park Royal industrial estate, just west of Stonebridge Park station and the Brent Viaduct . Apart from the cafe on the original site in London, Ace Cafe London have opened cafes in other countries: Ace Corner Lahti , Finland (opened in June 2011), Ace Cafe Luzern , Switzerland (opened in June 2015), Ace Cafe Beijing , China (opened in July 2015), Ace Cafe Barcelona , Spain (opened in April 2017), and Ace Cafe Orlando , United States of America (opened in May 2017). The Ace Cafe opened in 1938 to accommodate traffic on
231-576: The UK on at least one TV channel – National Geographic . The episode depicted the secret restoration of a decaying Ford Zodiac Mk1 , which was then unveiled and presented to the unsuspecting owner in the car park, close to the building entrance. Motoring TV presenters Edd China and Mike Brewer filmed at Ace Cafe on a Hot Rod night in early 2014 during a sequence to sell a Chevrolet Camaro , part of Wheeler Dealers series 11. The Ace Cafe won London Borough of Brent 's "Best Bar None" award for local bars in 2009. Transport cafe In Britain,
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#1732877194162252-422: The car's state, working out the amount of work needed. The car is then winched onto a trailer and taken to Townshend's workshop, where it is inspected further by all of the restoration team. As the restoration work begins, Shaw is given a list and travels the country to find the needed parts, often portrayed in a comedic, 'blagging' manner. Shaw and Townshend will occasionally break from the restoration, leaving it in
273-583: The lorry drivers. Car SOS Car SOS is a British automotive entertainment television series that airs on National Geographic Channel as well as being repeated on Channel 4 and More4 . The first eight series are also available on the Disney+ streaming service. The series began in 2013 and is presented by Tim Shaw and Fuzz Townshend . Series 1 - 10 are also shown on the Australian network ABC and streamed on ABC iview . Tim and Fuzz work closely with
294-568: The nearby Willesden railway marshalling yards caused damage during World War II . Events in the postwar environment made the Ace a success – the emergence of the teenager , an increase in traffic, and the British motorcycle industry at its peak. Young people started to meet at the cafe to socialise, gather their motorcycles, and listen to rock'n'roll on juke boxes . Bands and motorcycle enthusiast groups formed there. The cafe closed in 1969, shortly after
315-501: The only notable chain of roadside cafes is OK Diner since the demise of Happy Eater in 1997 and Little Chef in 2018. A British cafe typically offers fried or grilled food such as an all-day " full cooked breakfast ", which may contain a combination of ingredients such as fried egg, bacon , black pudding , bubble and squeak , hash browns , baked beans, fried bread, toast, grilled tomato, burgers , sausages , mushrooms and chips . Hot and cold sandwiches may be available, such as
336-682: The opening of the Scratchwood Services at what was then the southern end of the M1 motorway. The ground floor of the building became a tyre sales and fitting shop. The first floor was occupied by a vehicle delivery company. With increasing popularity of the Rocker revival and discussions with original 59 Club members, the first Ace Cafe reunion was organised by Mark Wilsmore and held in 1994. The cafe reopened in 1997, with complete refurbishment completed by September 2001. Rockers and motorcyclists from all over
357-591: The owner, who is then presented with their restored car. A special aired as the third episode of the third series featuring Sir Stirling Moss. A 1962 Sebring Austin Healey Sprite, once driven at Sebring as part of a racing team featuring Steve McQueen and Sir Stirling Moss , was restored by the team and was placed in the Heritage Motor Centre (now named the British Motor Museum) once completed. In
378-623: The past it has been used for the Channel 5 TV programme Fifth Gear in the seasons 10 to 13 (September 2006 until March 2008), and for ITV programme Used Car Roadshow . It has also featured in the BBC television series By Any Means with Charley Boorman ; mentioned as a favourite for Ewan McGregor by his wife in the documentary, Long Way Down ; and the 2008 film Freebird . The cafe also featured in an edition of Car SOS – Season 1, Episode 9, presented by Tim Shaw , filmed during 2012 and shown in
399-426: The safe hands of the team to visit other restored models of the same car, test driving them and talking with other owners. Towards the end of the restoration, Shaw invites the nominee's family to discuss setting up a fake scenario or event in which they can return the car to the owner. The staged event is also usually presented in a comedic manner, with Shaw often in disguise before revealing himself and his intentions to
420-545: The then-new North Circular Road . It was built on an area between the Grand Union Canal and Stonebridge Park Depot . Because the cafe was open 24 hours a day, it started to attract motorcyclists in the evening and at weekends, becoming popular in the 1950s and 1960s with the Rockers , whereupon Reverend Bill Shergold initially visited to invite them to join the 59 Club . The cafe was rebuilt in 1949, after an air raid on
441-430: The world attend themed meetings. It is no longer open 24-hours but the cafe now has an extensive calendar of events for both motorbike and classic car owners. It also hosts weekly live music and DJs, and is approved for weddings and civil partnerships. The Ace Cafe was used as a location in the 1964 film The Leather Boys , Sidney J. Furie 's British gay -interest kitchen sink drama, starring Rita Tushingham . In
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