Wheeler Dealers presenter Mike Brewer has admitted he secured major profit” on the first car sold as a teenager. The host of the iconic classic car restoration series admitted he made £500 when he was just 17 years old after flipping an iconic Mini.
Although small compared to his modern restorations that can turn profits well into the thousands of pounds, Mike stressed it was a lot of money for the 1980s. The total profit on the Mini was even more money than his parents earned, making it a major turning point in the young dealer’s life. Mike made the admission ahead of the launch of his latest TV project, ‘Mike Brewer: Born Dealer’, which is set to hit TV screens next week.
Explaining the first car he ever sold, Mike said: “It was my little baby Mini that I fixed up and sold when I was 17 years of age – I paid £300 and I sold it for £800.
“That was a major profit, more than my parents earned for the month back then in the 80s. And I thought, wow I’m pretty good at this, I’m going to do this for the rest of my life, and I’m still doing it today!”
Mike has gone on to restore a couple of Mini Cooper’s on the series, securing over £900 profit on a 2004 Mini Cooper S MC40 back in Series 14.
Although new Wheeler Dealers episodes are expected to be released later this year, Mike’s latest series is likely to take on a different approach.
His new ‘Born Dealer’ show will follow the entrepreneur and his family as they run his One Automotive dealership in Leamington Spa.
The series will take viewers behind the scenes of multiple car flips and promises to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Mike’s family life away from his time in front of the cameras.
Mike added: “‘Born Dealer’ gives you a poke, if you like – a look under the bonnet – of my real life, what I get up to, together with my business partner James and Michelle, and our dealership that we started and are trying to grow.
“We employ seven people, including our daughter, so it’s a real insight into that. It’s a real, family-run business, and we’re trying to succeed in the tough world of car dealing.”
Weekly episodes on Quest (9pm) and discovery+, from Monday 4th August 2025.