Here are our top three picks for the greatest car TV shows that ever existed.
Over the past decade, car TV shows have ascended Nielsen's TV ratings and have achieved cult followings for improving production values, variety, and most importantly - its amazing storytelling of today and yesteryear's cars.
So what shows are on our top list? These three made the cut.
3. Wheeler Dealers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQr4cufVl8I
Wheeler Dealers is very similar to Top Gear. First airing in 2003, each episode centers around a project, such as a car restoration or modification.
These projects carry a set budget, which usually includes the purchase of a car with detailed explanations around labor and parts costs. Some classic cars worked on have included the Chevrolet Corvette C4, a Lotus Elan S3, and a Porsche 944 Turbo.
2. Fast N' Loud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnZUpBvGlWU
12 seasons in, Discovery TV's most popular show tells the story of two charismatic shop owners, Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman, who run the Gas Monkey Garage in Los Angeles.
Their work restoring old salvage cars into sleek machines is breathtaking, with frequent travel throughout the country in search of bargain basement priced cars using auctions and scrap yards.
All modifications are explained elaborately with lots of attention to detail. With 2.6 million viewers and over 8 million Facebook likes over 104 episodes, Fast N' Loud is one of the most popular men's reality shows (let alone car show) to date.
1.Top Gear
Debuting in the UK, this iconic show reached America's shores several years after. Top Gear is the story of three friends who run through a series of challenges such as ferry vs. plane races, jumping buses over motorcycles, and racing dirt cheap vehicles. At one point, Top Gear was the most watched TV show in the world with more than 300 million worldwide viewers, including its pirated versions. It won several international Emmy awards before a revamped format in 2002.
This year, Top Gear brought in a new cast due to an incident between former co-host Jeremy Clarkson and a Top Gear producer, starring Matt LeBlanc from 'Friends" fame. It remains to be seen whether they'll achieve the same longevity as the original cast.
Those are our picks, what are yours?
NEXT: HERE ARE THE TOP 3 NORTH AMERICAN AUTO SHOWS
