So i have been thinking about this for a while but the thread regarding the Speed "Test Drive" got me to scratching my chinny chin chin We will assume that everyone has seen Fifth Gear and Top Gear... We will take those out of the running because they are brits and better than ANYTHING in the USA. I have been watching Hotrod TV (did some work in the Carrera coverage) seen everything from Unique Whips (low end) to Behind The Headlights (best GT 40 show i have seen yet) What do you like, What do you hate What do you watch when you happen across it and what do you watch and never miss....
Overhaulin is good Pimp My Ride is a disgrace Car & Driver TV was good, but I think its canceled now Trucks is a very informative show Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.
All the talking head shows bore me I'll admit a strange fascination with "Pinks", it's not good tv but it is fun to watch "Car Crazy" is fun "Lucas Oil On The Edge" is usually bad TV but fun to watch. Where else do you find Figure 8 chain racing and summer snowmobile drag races? There was a show a few seasons back called "Nascar driver 360" where they would follow a driver around for a week and show what happens in their life. That's the kind of programming that makes fans bond with their drivers, and it's a big part of the popularity of NASCAR There's also that series that I can't recall the name of right now, that highlights a particular brand each time. Alfa, Ferrari, Jag, etc
All the shows were hit and miss, the best ones were the History Channel Autombile series, I liked the interviews with marque experts and especially any old film footage showing the vehicles being made or raced
American Muscle Car Behind the Headlights Dream Car Garage Car Crazy My Classic Car De Cadenet driving old sports/racing cars (handle escapes me). The Motocross Files (not cars, but wheels and cool). Barrett-Jackson coverage
TRUCKS! was hands down the best, but then Stacy David left and two dudes took over. I just can't accept those guys no matter their skills in metal work. Luckily, Stacy is working on his own show to bring and I can't wait for that. Other than that, I wasn't a fan of many other shows except maybe Popular Hot Rodding Magazine TV (long title, lol). I liked how they had those CGI mechanical cutaways of the mechanics of car parts. It really taught me a lot about how engines work and why one would choose different cam shaft lobe sizes and things like that. I can't remember the name of the show on Speed Channel (when it was called that, not Speed TV), but it was a European TV show. They did a lot of tests on cars we didn't have in the US like the Peugeot 507, MB A-class, etc. They stopped showing it after a while. Edit: ^+1 on Dream Car Garage, but only the old one. They used to really only show how to do a complete restoration, but then they moved onto pretty much only test driving cars, which I don't care about much. Top Gear does that for me.
Again Great feedback all Now to add to the mix.... The shows that exist some are good some are bad If you were the network dude looking to greenlight a new show what would you want to see....
The only car tv programs I enjoy and would like to see more of are really restoration and hand fabricated customization. The latter meaning no bolt-ons like intakes or exhaust. I mean complete custom english-wheel formed body panels, welding, engine rebuilds, etc. That's the thing I loved about TRUCKS!. The guy did everything by hand and showed it step by step. I liked it because: 1) I don't have a garage to do this 2) I don't have the time or money to do this and 3) most importantly, I don't have the skill to do this and I enjoy watching a skilled craftsman literally create art right in front of me on the TV. That's why I'm not a huge fan of Horsepower TV because most of the stuff they did were bolt-ons. New headers, throttle bodies, exhaust, computer, etc, all wrapped up and tested on a dyno. I don't care for stuff like that because I can and have done it in the past on my cars. There was another show on I think Spike TV that twin brothers hosted. They bought a Toyota Supra and rebuilt it from the ground up. Very nice job, but the show was cancelled before they finished the car. For other types I shows I would like to see would be similar to the Allianz F1 videos. I like how they go into detail on the way F1 cars work and different track setups and why. I really suggest you guys check out these videos, really good stuff: http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s107/st45216.htm Other than restoration TV shows, I like stuff such as Best Motoring. Specifically, testing super cars against one another. If they could do something like the series Ferrari Victory By Design, Maserati, Aston, etc, it would be great. Not an hour or 1/2 hour show on a car marque, but on a specific car. You could have an episode on how the Enzo was built and things like that.
When Rides covered the design and building of the Murcie roadster, that was my ideal car show. I also loved the Victory by Design series. I absolutely despise Unique Whips.
O yeah thats a funny one. I like to watch the "engine block". Overhaulin is a good show, motorweek is a good show i like goss' garage segments.
Trucks was my all time favorite, thats what I would do saturday mornings with my dad... Watch Trucks. Then the two jackasses showed up and ruined it... I just can't watch it anymore. Sort of embarrassed to say, but I really like "Trick my Truck." Only CMT show I've ever watched. Horrible acting, but I think my deep-down urge to be a trucker kind of forces me to watch it. Cheers, Joel
personally i quite like 5th Gear, they have some nice road test, not just comedy (TG). But there is elements of it i don't like, so just skip through it lol
There were a couple of shows that were on I think the DIY network where some Brit guy was restoring a Jaguar E-type (Carography??) and a Triumph Bonneville (Bikeography?) Also, during the car show they would sample various vintage automobiles - Triumphs, MGs, ALFAs, etc. and put them out on the track. The track was always wet and rainy and were driven by either the shows driving instructor/old racer or the owner. After the drive the instructor would rate the cars based on performance, looks, etc. characterstics on a scale of 1- 5 with 5 being the best and tally them up. The bike show would sometimes interview some other bike owners on their ride with some history about their bike.
yes - on DIY they also restored an alfa spider which was terrific, as well as a vespa scooter which was fascinating; very gearhead oriented, nice knowledgeable host. they have alse done some interesting american stuff like the early 60's tbird.
There's a show on DIY called Classic Car Restoration - most of them are pretty good, but I can see where a lot of people would think it was like watching paint dry. 6 episodes or so, taking an old car and doing a restoration on it. Good variety too, they've done a '38 Packard, '62 Corvette, late 60's Alfa spyder, early 60's T-Bird, and '68 Camaro RS. Really a niche show but well done IMO.
Tons of fast European cars & a preferably sub-28 year old attractive Swedish chick who knows a lot about cars to be the host.