Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley was born on October 6th, 1976, in Bromley, United Kingdom, it would not be out of place to say that he has lived the life many gearheads dream of, as he was involved in some of the many great Grand Prix battles as a mechanic in Formula 1.
With season 17 of the Wheeler Dealer TV series airing in fall 2021, and being filmed in the UK for the first time in six years, Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley joins as Brewer’s new co-host of the hit TV show, while Ant Anstead steps down as a series regular. Prior to his stint as a co-host on Wheeler Dealers, Priestley has co-hosted a number of TV shows, including Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car (another series of Dream Car presented by the duo is planned as shared by Discovery Channel).
10 He Was A Renowned F1 Mechanic
Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestly worked with McLaren Formula 1 team as an F1 Mechanic, from 1999 to 2009. Throughout his 10-year stay, he grew in ranks to become highly experienced amongst the pit-stop crew, executing roles in virtually every position around the race car at various times.
This gave him a deep insight and a unique perspective in understanding and analyzing the complex dynamics that achieved team success, work management, efficient and effective communication under very high and tense work situations. This made him understand the important roles of each member of the work team and the roles to the overall success of the team.
9 He Is An Avid Journalist And Reporter
Marc Priestley left Maclaren as an F1 Mechanic in 2009 and successfully established himself as a popular broadcaster and seasoned F1 journalist. He is a writer for various websites and magazines and currently serves as a commentator for Sky Sports, the BBC, and other sports channels.
His move from being a professional F1 mechanic to a journalist/writer/ commentator was a result of his need to make a more meaningful impact in Formula 1 and his recent exploits in his career change reveal that indeed he made the right choice.
8 He Is The 3rd Mechanic To Work On Wheeler Dealers
The 16th season of Wheeler Dealers saw the exit of Ant Anstead, who at the time was the 2nd ever co-host of the show, guiding viewers through the mechanical repairs and restoration required to make the vehicles both roadworthy and marketable.
Before him, it was Ed China, who was one of the pioneer members and a co-host of the TV show. Both were highly skilled and their craft and were very engaging in their style of presentation. With Marc being the third, there are very high expectations of him and with his experience of being both an F1 mechanic and a presenter, chances are that viewers will not be disappointed.
7 He Was Called ‘Elvis ‘For A Reason
It had nothing to do with him singing. Marc Priestley clarified in an interview that ‘Elvis’ was a name that he got not from birth, but during his primary school years.
According to him, there were are a lot of pupils bearing the name Marc with him, and his surname Priestley sounded like ‘Presley', so somehow, people started calling him ‘Elvis’ to differentiate him from the rest. So over time, the name stuck with him. Even he was an F1 mechanic, he was called ‘F1 Elvis’.
6 He Wrote A Book
With over 10 years as a professional F1 mechanic with experience in the pinnacle of motorsport, Marc Priestley realized the world revolved mainly around superstar drivers, and those who work behind the scenes are left in the shadows.
These people, the mechanics, engineers, and other crew members, all contribute to the overall success of the team. His book: ‘The Mechanic: The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane’ attempts to delve into the world and lives of the team; from the superstar drivers to the crew and the secrets and rivalries they encounter throughout their career.
5 He Has Worked With A Handful Of Racing Champions
Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley has had interesting encounters with some racing legends during his career as an F1 mechanic. He’s worked with an impressive and long list of drivers and a number of world champions, including Mika Häkkinen, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button, and of course Lewis Hamilton, with whom his team won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.
His high level of dedication to his work and ensuring his role in the team was played perfectly to achieve team success was a huge contributory factor, which was also described in his book.
4 He Is Passionate About Formula E Racing
2014 was another notable year for Marc, as he was asked to be part of the coverage of the Formula E racing series by the ITV presentation team. This gave him the ample opportunity to speak about the Formula E electric vehicle technology, as he had already been involved with this kind of championship the prior year.
The new championship also made him highlight the benefits from an environmental standpoint, and why it’s so important for someone to take the first leap into the unknown with a potentially disruptive concept like this.
3 His Passion For Media Made Him Leave F1 Pitlane
In 2009, Marc Priestley left his career and team as a FI mechanic for a career in media, writing for various magazines about motorsport and doing analysis and previews for various international radio networks. As the pitlane was his specialty, he joined Jennie Gow in 2012 as a pitlane reporter at the 2012 British Grand Prix for BBC Radio 5.
He also started appearing as guests on sky sports news. He wrote many articles about the time he worked at McLaren and has written many contributing articles for Fi racing magazines.
2 He Co-Hosted Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car
The spin-off series had Mike Brewer and Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley meet new clients, evaluating their old cars, and find inventive ways to add value to said vehicle. Then, it is flipped for a profit and the proceeds were reinvested in a series of trade-ups that result in a dream car for the client.
The journey starts with the client donating their car to the cause, Mike and Elvis must then make enough money from a maximum of five trades to fund the final purchase of the dream car.
1 He Will Be Returning To The UK For The Show.
The 17th Season of Wheeler Dealers is filmed on UK soil after the show was hosted in the US for 6 years amid strong criticisms. This means the sourcing, repair, and final sale of the cars will be in the UK, with Marc Priestley performing the restoration works.
His stint with the spinoff show ‘Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car’ was already proven to be a hit as fans were warmly receptive to him due to his stellar performance. This gives hope that the show will reach even greater heights.