ET exclusively spoke with the motor specialist about his new 'Master Mechanic' series, which will feature his wife and their newborn.
Ant Anstead is keeping busy, with a new baby and a new TV show!
Just over a month after welcoming son Hudson London with wife Christina Anstead, the English motor specialist is now getting ready for the premiere of Ant Anstead Master Mechanic, the first serial original series for the MotorTrend App. The all-new series follows Ant on his latest passion project, in which he pays tribute to the legendary 1930s Alfa Romeo 158 Grand Prix race car by building his own from scratch in just three months.
"To be able to make one car over 12 weeks of TV, it's really exciting. It's the first time Discovery Channel's ever done that, so it's groundbreaking in my world, the car world," Ant exclusively shares with ET. "And of course I'm going to have a premiere party for it! I'm going to have a load of friends over on Thursday night. We're going to get some cocktails, Christina's organizing some food, and we're going to make a night of it."
So, why this vehicle, specifically? For starters, it was the first car to ever win a Formula One race (at the inaugural event on May 13, 1950), and Ant has some pretty exciting plans for how he's going to show it off.
"I've been building scratch cars my whole life -- my passion is taking something that doesn't exist, creating a concept on a blank piece of paper and making that concept real," he explains. "And this is the best part... Formula One only has one race in the U.S. It's in Texas on Nov. 3 and I'm taking my car to the circuit and I get to use my car on the Formula One racetrack! It's a big deal."
Never one to slow down, the automotive guru reveals he was able to complete the ambitious project during a hiatus for his other Discovery series, Wheeler Dealers, and before Christina gave birth to their first child together. Moments from his personal life will also be shared on the show, he says.
"When I started the project, we knew we had 12 weeks until the baby was going to be born, so I knew that we had this 12-week window to build a car from scratch," he recalls. "Then, right in the middle of it, I detached my bicep, so I ended up having to have an operation. But I carried on, and I built the car, one-handed and in a sling."
"The thing about having a deadline like a baby is that it sharpens the pencil," he adds. "It makes sure stuff gets done. I just made instant decisions knowing that I didn't have time to hang around, thinking, 'I've got a baby coming!' And I think the build is actually better because of it."
Ant, 40, and Christina, 36, welcomed their baby boy on Sept. 6, after tying the knot last December at their home in Newport Beach, California.
"It all now feels complete. He's a real cutie!" Ant gushes. "What's really great about him is, he has this really cool vibe. You know when you just get around someone and they just vibrate at a really good level? You can't put your finger on it but you meet these people in your life, they walk into the room as a stranger and you just go, 'Whoa. They've got it.' And he's just got this vibe about him that's amazing."
Of how Hudson London got his adorable name, Ant says he and Christina "actually didn't have that many talks about it."
"I know that parents expecting can obsess over it, but we never really sat down that often," he shares. "We kind of arrived at Hudson together because it's a name that we both love. It's also the name of a car, which is quite funny."
"I think a lot of burden is put on someone's middle name, but the reality is that you never use it," he adds. "So the middle name, for me, represents something memorable. A middle name is an opportunity to represent you, and what better name for an Anglo-American child than London?"
Ant also gave ET an update on how Christina has been doing after giving birth. The HGTV star revealed via Instagram two weeks ago that she pushed herself a little too hard while planning a birthday party when she should have been "resting."
"Christina's one of these people that is incredibly active and driven," he explains. "So it came as no surprise that she did [go overboard]. But actually, she is now completely full of [life], with a spring in her step... because's she's superhuman!"
Christina also shares a daughter, Taylor, and son, Brayden, with her ex-husband (and Flip or Flop co-star) Tarek El Moussa, while Ant shares daughter Amelie and son Archie with his first wife, Louise. Ant and Christina have seemingly perfected the art of managing a blended family, so we couldn't help but ask Ant to reveal his "golden rule" for making it work during our interview.
"I think everybody has to be on the same page," he advises. "Everybody has to be present and pulling in the same direction. That includes Tarek, it includes my ex. If everybody wants the same thing, and that has to be kids first. If you prioritize kids first, it actually kind of falls into place and the rest of it makes sense."
"If you ever make a decision that doesn't put the kids first, it is the wrong decision," he adds.
On top of that, it's no secret that Ant and Christina are also each other's No. 1 fans.
"You're only successful as your weakest link, and the great thing about being married to Christina is that she's in my industry so she totally gets it," Ant says. "The only thing I get from her is full 100% support. She supports everything I do, and I support everything she does and because of that we can both do so much more."
Ant Anstead: Master Mechanic premieres Thursday, Oct. 10 exclusively on the MotorTrend app. In the meantime, hear more on Ant and Christina in the video below.
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