MotiveLensPhoto Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 So what's your fave car-based "reality" show? Counting Cars Fast N Loud Top Gear (original British cast) Top Gear (American version) Top Gear (new British cast) World Tour ___________ Not ranking or posting an opinion, that's just all I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 HERSHEY! That's my favorite car based reality show. Come early and enjoy the swap meet too. Terry 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Str8-8-Dave Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 If we are talking about stuff you can find on the tube I really like Restoration Garage on Motor Trend TV. David Grainger is amazing, very car and restoration savvy, interesting to listen to and covers anything from putting some new trim in a Model A to ground up replication of a 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe. He owns a real world restoration shop called The Guild of Automotive Restorers in Bradford, Ontario Canada. He also is a farmer, has connections all over Europe, repairs antique watches and collects antique tractors and aircraft. You can check out his day job on his website here... https://www.guildclassiccars.com/1935-bugatti-aerolithe.php 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 Grand tour old series of British top gear with clarkson and co new British top gear chasing classic cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 David now has a 70's hairdo. Dan Short had the best but decided the show was taking too much time. What is Edd China doing now ? And then there is Amanda Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCHansen1 Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 I can tell you my least favorite- Classic Car Rescue- an old British show that is an infuriatingly unrealistic manufactured mess to watch. I know that's the case with most of them, but this one takes the pole position as far as I'm concerned. If you seach it out episodes on youtube you can give yourself a headache too if you like.... my favorite would be the BBC Top Gear when Clarkson, Hammond and May were at their finest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) 18 hours ago, Str8-8-Dave said: If we are talking about stuff you can find on the tube I really like Restoration Garage on Motor Trend TV. David Grainger is amazing, very car and restoration savvy, interesting to listen to and covers anything from putting some new trim in a Model A to ground up replication of a 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe. He owns a real world restoration shop called The Guild of Automotive Restorers in Bradford, Ontario Canada. He also is a farmer, has connections all over Europe, repairs antique watches and collects antique tractors and aircraft. You can check out his day job on his website here... https://www.guildclassiccars.com/1935-bugatti-aerolithe.php Mine, too ! You don't see jerks throwing tools around, and claiming rediculous schedules - like a total resto-transformation in ONE WEEK ! and my wife likes Restoration Garage also - but then, she also watches the one with the heavy wreckers in western Canada, "Highway Thru Hell" Featuring Jamie Davis, and several other companies keeping the Coquihalla Highway open, a part of the Trans-Canada system we had hoped to drive in our 1954 Cadillac a few summers ago (Not in Winter) Edited April 6, 2021 by Marty Roth (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 I like that restoration garage guy too, but about the only show I can tolerate is the guy with that crazy mustache. I cant recall his name off hand. As far as the 'restoration' shows way too much drama and way too scripted. The guy that is in VA beach had a pretty decent show, I liked that they showed in real time the amount of hours that were actually put into a car and sometimes the price. Also Stacey David (I think thats his name) is watchable. Garage squad isnt bad, but again borderline too much drama and too scripted. I enjoy watching the auctions probably more than any of the shows, its kinda like a car show in your living room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLynskey Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 Barn Find Hunter on YouTube. No question. Tom Cotter is living my dream, travelling the country (and more) searching for interesting hidden cars ... and getting paid to do it!! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mc Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 23 hours ago, Str8-8-Dave said: If we are talking about stuff you can find on the tube I really like Restoration Garage on Motor Trend TV. David Grainger is amazing, very car and restoration savvy, interesting to listen to and covers anything from putting some new trim in a Model A to ground up replication of a 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe. He owns a real world restoration shop called The Guild of Automotive Restorers in Bradford, Ontario Canada. He also is a farmer, has connections all over Europe, repairs antique watches and collects antique tractors and aircraft. You can check out his day job on his website here... https://www.guildclassiccars.com/1935-bugatti-aerolithe.php Agreed, an excellent informative, yet entertaining show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akstraw Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 I used to watch some of the shows on Speed/Velocity/MotorTrend with some disdain as they crashed to meet show deadlines, thinking it was manufactured drama. Then I found myself in the same situation several times (pre-COVID); bolting 3 of 4 fenders on the night before a show while the wife (who never comes to the shop) brought sandwiches to the shop for my volunteer helpers and me; driving a car onto the show field with no service brakes because I ran out of time to bleed them on a fresh resto; pulling a midnight-er learning about magnetos from a Dyke’s manual in order to get a brass car on a trailer first thing the next morning to be on the field by ten... It really does happen. Restorations never go as planned, subs often don’t deliver on schedule, and (just occasionally) you encounter unknowns. I’m not a high-end, big-name show guy, but when I commit to a fundraiser show, or register for an AACA event, I feel I owe it to all the volunteers putting it on to try my best to get there with my car. Call me a bad planner, but now when I watch some of those shows, I can say I’ve felt their pain. Not a rant, just sharing a personal revelation. Having said that, I agree with many of the above, but like Wayne Carini’s ‘Chasing Classic Cars’ the best. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 All Girls Garage. No fake drama, just simply well explained and documented how to do things. And they are great to talk to in person. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35cz8 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 I used to like to watch counting cars from Las Vegas shop count's customs - but, when I went to talk to their shop about restoring my 1963 Galaxie 00 XL convertible, I found out real fast that it is all just show and I quit watching it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 (edited) I like Chasing Classic Cars, it does not seem to be overly scripted. The quality of the cars that are restored at Graveyard Carz appears to be fantastic, the attention to detail is phenomenal, needless to say the fit and finish, stunning, that said there is way too much scripting done and the personalities created by those scripts make it unwatchable for me an entire 60 minutes. The guy in Virginia, is so far from reality it can be called a reality show! Every show ends with "Hey ready to look at your car?" "oh and by the way you owe me $50,000". Most of the cars they do appear to be resto-mods they get a new modern engine, and must have disc brakes and 5 link suspension. When the camera pans the finished product the gaps a horrible among other glaring issues. The scripting is to the point of being funny, He walks out of his airconditioned office, soaked in what appears to be sweat, to blow a hissy fit that the worker (who is not perspiring) found a $5,000 extra for Dan to make more money and he is mad..... Like he is the one doing the work, another one that 10 minutes is hard to take, let alone 60 Restoration Garage is lighter and easy to take for 30 minutes, also portrays more of a realistic work environment. Besides that Bugatti project everything is pretty much a driver and they make no bones about it, which makes the show feel honest. His wardrobe looks like he finds it in the bottom of a clothing drop, while his girlfriend hold his feet while he is diving in. There was a show on Discovery called the "Lost Corvette" The owner of shop and star of the show is Chris Mazzilli. I know Chris and his family for around 40 years and consider him and his family good friends. His shop was the shop that performed the finish body work and paint on my 60 Impala. Watching him on the show felt weird for me because he was portrayed with a different personality. Edited April 7, 2021 by John348 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Yergin Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Regarding Edd China, it appears he is starting a YouTube channel: Jim Yergin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 1 hour ago, John348 said: I like Chasing Classic Cars, it does not seem to be overly scripted. The quality of the cars that are restored at Graveyard Carz appears to be fantastic, the attention to detail is phenomenal, needless to say the fit and finish, stunning, that said there is way too much scripting done and the personalities created by those scripts make it unwatchable for me an entire 60 minutes. The guy in Virginia, is so far from reality it can be called a reality show! Every show ends with "Hey ready to look at your car?" "oh and by the way you owe me $50,000". Most of the cars they do appear to be resto-mods they get a new modern engine, and must have disc brakes and 5 link suspension. When the camera pans the finished product the gaps a horrible among other glaring issues. The scripting is to the point of being funny, He walks out of his airconditioned office, soaked in what appears to be sweat, to blow a hissy fit that the worker (who is not perspiring) found a $5,000 extra for Dan to make more money and he is mad..... Like he is the one doing the work, another one that 10 minutes is hard to take, let alone 60 Restoration Garage is lighter and easy to take for 30 minutes, also portrays more of a realistic work environment. Besides that Bugatti project everything is pretty much a driver and they make no bones about it, which makes the show feel honest. I pretty much agree with all that John348 noted, but even moreso about the guy in Virginia. I don't recall much of anything coming in as low as $50,000. More likely, after "upgrading" most into modifieds and streetrods with 12 volt, SBC, disc brakes, rack & pinion steering, fuel injection, electronic ignition, a new chassis (after billing the customer for his mistake in buying another rusted out parts car for a chassis), he may decide he has well over 500 to 1,000 hours, probably at well over $100+/hourly rate (which may be a reasonable rate), and extensive, and sometimes not-needed parts and effort - is seems many of his "restorations" drastically the $50K mark. Much more drama than reasonable - maybe that is why his show is no longer on the air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 (edited) There is a lot of info about Dan around the internet. It’s all very interesting and makes you like the guy. By all accounts, he acted like another person in the show, because they wanted him to, and the main reason it ended was because he felt people were really getting a bad impression of him. He wasn’t upset that the show ended. This is one example of his words: https://www.renewcanceltv.com/fantomworks-cancelled-after-9th-season-by-motortrend-velocity/ Edited April 7, 2021 by 39BuickEight (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 10 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said: All Girls Garage. No fake drama, just simply well explained and documented how to do things. And they are great to talk to in person. Well Billy, You dog you,,,, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 13 minutes ago, JACK M said: Well Billy, You dog you,,,, Decent show, but leaves you wondering if they actually do the work, or just remove/tighten the last few bolts? Also, the earlier version with the other two young ladies, rather than the newest artist seemed more realistic. Bogie seems well informed for the most part. Her newer companion/mechanic appears overdone in so many ways that it makes the show less enjoyable, at least the episodes we've watched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swedish Car Nut Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_SOS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Marty Roth said: Decent show, but leaves you wondering if they actually do the work, or just remove/tighten the last few bolts? Also, the earlier version with the other two young ladies, rather than the newest artist seemed more realistic. Bogie seems well informed for the most part. Her newer companion/mechanic appears overdone in so many ways that it makes the show less enjoyable, at least the episodes we've watched. I agree on the tighten the last few bolts thing. It is TV after all. But I do think that they are car girls, To bad about the one that got killed going for a speed record. I like to watch them work. I only had one female companion that really liked to get dirty fingernails. Unfortunately she is no longer with us. And I think of her often. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Wayne is really a great guy, met at a Geeks show in Stuart. Just found out something hilarious when they appeared and disappeared in Engine Masters: these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32tatra Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 These tv shows are made for none car people. Just like Perry Mason was not made for lawyers. If there was a show, which was a 1/2 hour of just working on a antique car. The only people who would watch it would be the same people who post comments on this website. And even a number of them would be unhappy with the cars that were picked. If I can watch a show and learn one thing from that show, then I feel I have not wasted my time. The problem, is the junk I have to put up with till they get to that point. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiveLensPhoto Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 6 hours ago, John348 said: [[snipped]] The guy in Virginia, is so far from reality it can be called a reality show! Every show ends with "Hey ready to look at your car?" "oh and by the way you owe me $50,000". [[snipped] Sounds like the kind of train wreck guilty pleasure I crave occasionally. More details? I also liked Orange County Choppers (or whatever it was called) but as they started shifting to charity show bikes and the family drama it got a little sappy for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 22 hours ago, DLynskey said: Barn Find Hunter on YouTube. No question. Tom Cotter is living my dream, travelling the country (and more) searching for interesting hidden cars ... and getting paid to do it!! Don With you Don , my dream job too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 They are capable of doing the work. They both own and operate their own garages. The fact that it's a half hour show, which means about 17 minutes of show with the commercials, means they have to gloss over a lot of it...they even mention about time constraints and how they can't show everything from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 On Roadkill Garage they make jokes about what goes on in the background. As for Roadkill it self, think Mack Sennet would have been proud but is so stupid it is fun. Is kinda like drift racing, even the Japanese know that "grip" is faster. The problem is really fast racing aka 11/10th looks slow to a spectator. There is no drama because it is boring to the sans coulottes. But a real racer can recognize (and hope to become) a true master. Is just not good television. OTOH there is a bit of the squirrel in even the best. There is nothing like winning the race/autocross/time trial/gymkhana & crossing the finish line backwards. Officials get a mite perturbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 I like Iron Resurrection. Yes, they make the same modifications to each car, but I like to see the fabrication. Same for Texas Metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 13 hours ago, John348 said: The guy in Virginia, is so far from reality it can be called a reality show! Every show ends with "Hey ready to look at your car?" "oh and by the way you owe me $50,000". Most of the cars they do appear to be resto-mods they get a new modern engine, and must have disc brakes and 5 link suspension. When the camera pans the finished product the gaps a horrible among other glaring issues. The scripting is to the point of being funny, He walks out of his airconditioned office, soaked in what appears to be sweat, to blow a hissy fit that the worker (who is not perspiring) found a $5,000 extra for Dan to make more money and he is mad..... Like he is the one doing the work, another one that 10 minutes is hard to take, let alone 60 I am so sad this guy is in my state..... an embarrassment.🤬 7 hours ago, Golden73 said: 13 hours ago, John348 said: [[snipped]] The guy in Virginia, is so far from reality it can be called a reality show! Every show ends with "Hey ready to look at your car?" "oh and by the way you owe me $50,000". [[snipped] Sounds like the kind of train wreck guilty pleasure I crave occasionally. More details? I've seen their work, you do not want to see it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 15 hours ago, Golden73 said: Sounds like the kind of train wreck guilty pleasure I crave occasionally. More details? I also liked Orange County Choppers (or whatever it was called) but as they started shifting to charity show bikes and the family drama it got a little sappy for me. I would watch OCC on and off. Was at Daytona one year at the peak of the chopper craze. EVERYBODY was building them. Most guys were just mom n pop shops trying to sell a bike or 2, very friendly atmosphere where ever you went. They were all clamoring to show off their wares. OCC on the other hand. They had a nice set up, but as soon as we walked into their velvet roped off area, of which they were displaying their bikes we were 'greeted' by an individual that didnt really expect us. He was belligerent, arrogant, and overall seemed to be bothered by our presence. We werent worthy!! We very politely told him how rude he was and walked away. What he didnt know was that my brother literally had a pocket full of money and was planning on buying a bike. He did get one from someone else that was much nicer and easier to deal with. Never watched the show again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 On 4/6/2021 at 7:48 PM, Akstraw said: I used to watch some of the shows on Speed/Velocity/MotorTrend with some disdain as they crashed to meet show deadlines, thinking it was manufactured drama. Then I found myself in the same situation several times (pre-COVID); bolting 3 of 4 fenders on the night before a show while the wife (who never comes to the shop) brought sandwiches to the shop for my volunteer helpers and me; driving a car onto the show field with no service brakes because I ran out of time to bleed them on a fresh resto; pulling a midnight-er learning about magnetos from a Dyke’s manual in order to get a brass car on a trailer first thing the next morning to be on the field by ten... It really does happen. Restorations never go as planned, subs often don’t deliver on schedule, and (just occasionally) you encounter unknowns. I’m not a high-end, big-name show guy, but when I commit to a fundraiser show, or register for an AACA event, I feel I owe it to all the volunteers putting it on to try my best to get there with my car. Call me a bad planner, but now when I watch some of those shows, I can say I’ve felt their pain. Not a rant, just sharing a personal revelation. Having said that, I agree with many of the above, but like Wayne Carini’s ‘Chasing Classic Cars’ the best. Pay very close attention to what you are talking about. If scheduling problems are there because of issues on your end, that is one thing. If you are having problems with other trades, and those problems put you in a bind. That can be used to set your business up. Some of that is done intentionally to businesses and people. Really pay attention to it. And also watch for problems with components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 Can tell which products have paid the vig, you can read their logos, best sponsors are mentioned by name. Am sorta curious what brand(s) are so banned, logos on shirts/jackets are blurred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiveLensPhoto Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 1 hour ago, padgett said: Can tell which products have paid the vig, you can read their logos, best sponsors are mentioned by name. Am sorta curious what brand(s) are so banned, logos on shirts/jackets are blurred. Speculation, but if I have a network which could potentially generate a lot of revenue by being seen on a popular show, I'd want my cut. After all, media networks are all about getting eyes and ears and keeping them. That's worth $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 Not really a fan of the drama on OCC but they are local to me, right across the Hudson River. I enjoyed seeing the local places I was familiar with on tv. Their shop is pretty cool looking at night. Lots of neon lights, which I love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 Another Orange County ? There is LA, Orlando, and in New York. Suspect was named for Willie III and not the fruit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Billy Kingsley said: Not really a fan of the drama on OCC but they are local to me, right across the Hudson River. I enjoyed seeing the local places I was familiar with on tv. Their shop is pretty cool looking at night. Lots of neon lights, which I love. I remember reading that there was a verbal confrontation with a customer who just happened to be a member of the NYC chapter of a very well known national motorcycle club. It was settled out of court and it did not end all that well for OCC. I guess the tough guy act only can go so far once you are off camera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 Chasing Classic Car. Much beyond that not much for me. However, Shorty on Iron Resurrection can paint very very well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 6 hours ago, padgett said: Another Orange County ? There is LA, Orlando, and in New York. Suspect was named for Willie III and not the fruit. You are correct, I think. They are in the original Orange County, which is in New York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiveLensPhoto Posted June 5, 2021 Author Share Posted June 5, 2021 I've started watching the American Top Gear and they're become somewhat tolerable. Still not as ridiculous as the original Brits (especially if you're a fan of British comedy, like me) but not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 I think I'd like to see Benny Hill's co-star girls do antique auto restoration. I can visualize that as very interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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