In the pilot episode of the acclaimed RIDES series, we first meet the legendary Chip Foose, a young man who has revolutionized the industry of customized vehicles. We'll also head to The Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a rubber-burning run on the track, as well as a stop at the world famous SEMA show, an event that is basically Christmas morning to the automotive world. At SEMA, Foose will unveil both a new renovation of a factory model AND a redesigned classic for comedian and television star Christopher Titus. When it comes to making cool cars even cooler, you haven't seen anything until you've seen these RIDES.
The one and only Ford Motors - when they build a prototype show car, everyone in the auto industry wants to be a fly on a wall where the secret is blooming. This installment of RIDES will witness the creation of a car that could end up being the next Mustang, Thunderbird or beyond - a new and highly anticipated model that will leave the drawing board as it comes together before our eyes. With the RIDES team already sworn to secrecy (by written legal contract), only one thing can be said at this time: this car will revolutionize the auto industry - bet on it.
The Midwest's Troy Trepanier is one of the true greats in the Hot Rod World. In this installment of RIDES, Troy will make a top classic into a one-of-a-kind muscle car - it'll be a 1967 Ford Mustang that will be given a fresh flair, with a nod to the early Shelbys. The vehicle's new nickname, The Fastforward Fastback. This episode looks at the Ford Mustang as the legend that it is, a true American Icon that continues to inspire the imaginations of award-winning builders from all around the world - builders like Troy Trepanier. The Mustang is a model that seems to grow in popularity year after year, obtaining more and more muscle as designers like Troy trick them out beyond anything we can dream of. Such is the case with The Fastforward Fastback, a breathtaking trophy of a car that will come together before our very eyes on this episode of RIDES.
The biggest names in entertainment and sports are people who can not only afford that top-of-the-line Ferrari or Mercedes, they can also afford to have them make that ride into a customized masterpiece. The through-line car of the episode is the white '03 Hummer for all pro NFL great Lawyer Milloy. This giant machine will get torn apart, customized and delivered to the Buffalo Bills star all before our very eyes. We will also watch as NBA superstar Baron Davis, from the New Orleans Hornets, is introduced to his car for the very first time. Also featured and interviewed is NFL superstar Willie McGinest. Last but not least, you will see rides customized for Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre, Penny Haraway, NHL great Anson Carter, Master P. and Gary Payton.
Jay Leno will be with us when it's unveiled. It will happen on the celebrity-packed 35th anniversary of a little car named Hot Wheels, and the celebration will feature a full-size version of the best selling Deora, a Hot Wheels collectable that will be big and drivable at this wild and colorful festival. The Deora won't be the lone special guest at this unique bash; West Coast Customs, the leader in car customizing for the Hip-Hop world will also take a miniature favorite and make it full scale for the birthday -- their custom Escalade will be a color-matched sister car to the Deora, a new and radical design that will stand in stunning contrast to that other grown Hot Wheels car at the party.
What happens when you take a typical 200 horsepower V6 motor out of a new Lexus and drop in a V8? Major horsepower! That is what racecar phenom and off-road champion Rod Millen will be doing on this installment of RIDES. We'll follow Rod as he re-engineers the entire car: chassis, suspension, drive train the whole thing. We will also take an in-depth look at the people and technologies that are pushing the horsepower and performance games to the limits. This edition of RIDES will utilize the legendary Millen as a guide through the worlds of racing, off-road, engineering and building from the garage floor up.
In Southern California, there is a remarkable 29-year-old hot rod builder who has the full attention of the custom car world. His name is Justin Scott Padfield. He and his young team of very hip builders believe in the old-school ways of building cars. They simply drag a rusty heap into their 20,000 square foot garage and rip into the thing. The results: absolute show car quality. In this episode of RIDES, Justin Scott and his crew will be turning a '56 Chevy Pickup into a '56 Chevy Roadster. Justin Scott Padfield gives us a view that we all want to see on RIDES. It's a view that most of us will see as the stuff of true hot rod heritage - a place that is bathed in both oily grunge and pure American know-how.
Roy Brizio is nothing less than a hot rod icon. His client list reads like an absolute Who's-Who of the Rock and Roll industry. This episode will focus on Roy's specialty the topless hotrod that is also known as the Roadster. As we watch, he will be building a unique custom '32 Roadster for a legendary high performance company within the automotive industry. The main vibe and through-line of this RIDES episode explores the perfect marriage of hot rods and rock and roll. We'll also have a look at one of Eric Clapton's cars and see why for some people, you just can't separate rock from very cool rides.
This is a family. They build custom cars. Steve Moal and his two sons create hot rods in a garage that was started by Steve's grandfather, who built a truck in 1929. Today that vehicle is still the shop truck. With clients that include TV star and hot-rodder Tim Allen, the Moals are at the top of the custom world food chain. We will watch them build an all-aluminum Boatell with a GT 40 Cobra power plant. It has to be done in time for the L.A. Auto Show, or else. Steve is also working on a classic hot rod. He'll put a 600 HP Ferrari engine under its hood. With friends like Tim Allen and motorcycle phenom Arlen Ness, along with all of the family ties that work together within the Moal garage, this episode of RIDES will explore both the pop culture aspect of hot rods, as well as the link that can exist from one hot-rod building generation to the next.
He's Leonard Lopez. In the world of custom cars, his skills have earned him the name of The Dominator. The through-line of this RIDES episode is a 1933 2-door Sedan. It will be chopped, sectioned and wedged. Leonard uses his fourteen years of experience as a sprint car driver as he revolutionizes the hot rod world. He adds racecar safety and design features to his custom cars and all of the other builders take notice. During this episode, Leonard will also be delivering a custom car to Motocross icon Jeremy McGrath. We will watch as Leonard talks with McGrath for the first time about all of his car's new features. As a finale, we're talking to McGrath about a great stunt that should prove to be right up his alley. There's a good chance that the daredevil McGrath will get on his best motocross bike and JUMP over that new car of his.
After a weekend of staring, squinting, studying and surveying, the judges narrow it down to half-a- dozen plus two, known as The Great Eight. These are the finalists going for the most coveted trophy in all of hot-rodding, The Riddler. In this episode, we'll follow four cars being built and what it took to attain perfection. Once we're at this celebrity-packed auto show, we'll get to know the judges and their criteria, seeing that at this level, it might just take a dentist's mirror to determine the difference between "victory" and "maybe-next-year." Questions have already popped up regarding the forthcoming competition; can Chip Foose possibly reclaim the top prize as he has before? And what about the buzz around this year's entry by a 29-year-old whiz who's putting together a '32 Roadster with a Mercedes motor? The competition will also include four generations of knowledge within the Moal family as they build a slightly over-engineered roadster, and Leonard Lopez, a shade tree mecha
The sport is drifting, and Rides will build, test and enter top drifting cars into this crowded circuit of high-speed grace. We'll trace this growing movement from its Japanese origins, seeing how drifting has single-handedly revived the rear-drive compacts of yesteryear.
Comic/gearhead Christopher Titus is tricking out an SUV into a one-of-a-kind super-machine he affectionately calls "Killing the Soccer Mom." This refers to taking a kids-and-shopping family tank and getting rid of all that screams "suburban female head of household." Outspoken family man Titus has big plans for this rig, working with Wings West and making it into a ride that you'll WANT Mom to pick you up in.
Look at her — beautiful lines, curvaceous, ultra-sleek and the star of one of the biggest car flicks of all time. She's now being handcrafted, one part at a time, in Dallas. The place that makes this beauty is Unique Performance. She's Eleanor, the leading lady in Gone in 60 Seconds, and you too can have one of these way-cool GT-500E rides for yourself. But before you open the checkbook, check out the episode where we'll see an Eleanor get built from start to finish.
It's a car culture—flat paint, flathead engines, chopped roofs, rockabilly themes and usually no hood. Rat Rods are for the independent garage dudes who prefer comfort, funk and speed to show cars or high priced restoration.
The town of Las Vegas is just one of the stars in this hour featuring the shop where Sin City residents and visitors go to get their high-end vehicles tricked out beyond reason. 702 Motoring in Las Vegas works on cars belonging to casino owners, prizefighters and the occasional dancer.
A 1971 Barracuda belonging to TV show host Joe Rogan is souped up.
A gothically tricked-out BMW X5 for Jack Osbourne features skulls and ghouls.
Actor Christopher Titus and owners of top custom cars make a seven-day run from Arlington, Texas, to Green Bay, Wis.
A trip to the Lamborghini Automobili plant in Italy to observe construction of the hand-crafted Gallardo and the Murcielago roadster.
Troy Laddl's projects include two 1932 roadsters built simultaneously for two Los Angeles clothing moguls.
The Ford Cobra.
Tattoo art and car culture.
An after-market parts-factory crew soups up a Chevy Nova with street-and-track horsepower.
Cadillac's new sports car, the XLR, gets a makeover by Southern California after-market parts shop Five Axis.
Jay Leno and his '66 Toronado.
Dale Earnhardt's race car is rebuilt. Also: a retrospective of Earnhardt's life and career; and a look at his influence on the racing world.
A trip to the Consumer Electronics Show. Included: automobile audio and video.
A Ford prototype is unveiled.
Jay Leno and a team of professionals restore a Dusenberg.
Chip Foose and a team of nine craftsmen build a car rumored to be the front-runner for the Ridler Award at the Detroit Autorama.
A “Paint Off” with Mike LaVallee and a young challenger.
Chip Foose and the team work on a Camaro.
In Atlanta, muscle cars in 24 different classes burn rubber.
Racing legend Jack Roush modifies a Ford 150 truck, a Ford Focus and a 2005 GT Mustang.
The Corvette Z06 and C6R are driven.
The 75th-anniversary Miller, a radical 1929 truck with a blown 350-cubic-inch motor and a sleek coupe design.
A souped-up Checker cab is built for a Las Vegas casino.
Four Chevy HHRs are rebuilt by four designers.
Jerry Noone tricks out a car for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
Seventeen off-road vehicles compete in a race.
A 2005 Mustang is tricked out like the one in the 2000 action film “Gone in 60 Seconds.”
A replica of James Dean's 1955 550 Porsche is built. Also: Jay Leno races his Carrera GT at Talladega (Ala.) Speedway.
A community college near Detroit mods a 1970 Chevelle SS convertible with a 620-horsepower crate engine and XM radio.
Creators of the sequel to “XXX” build cars to race and blow up.
Personalized vehicles owned by celebrities, including Jay Leno, Christopher Titus, Tim Allen, bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Jeff Beck.
