Ok we all know (whether you saw it or not) that the American version of Top Gear was a total disaster. Not in the least part because Adam Corolla is a douchebag with a horribly grating voice.

So if we were to do it over who would we cast?

The only rule is that your candidates must be Americans or predominantly based in the US.

After much discussion with a friend of mine we concluded that more “average” guys of middling age would work best. (So no pretty young bucks, thus throwing out my initial idea of Ryan Reynolds ) Also that car enthusiast would be better then car fanatics/experts. (That’s what guests are for)

So we came up with:

Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs guy)
Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News anchor)
and some particularly impish character (for a moment we brought up Jon Stewart, but we’d rather have him on The Daily Show)


So who would you cast?

I say they pick us SSers to do it. We all have opinions and knowledge about the automotive world. I'd have to do Canadian Top Gear though.

But in all reality I would throw my vote in for Mike Rowe as well, and maybe Pierce Brosnan (I know he's originally Irish but I believe he's got dual citizenship now). Lastly I'd add Chip Foose.

Oh and I hate to tell you but Ryan Reynolds is Canadian. He's ours.

Link to american Top Gear Piolet?

Seconded.

I also second for the SS Top Gear spinoff.

I know. (You guys are often the best.) But he lives in LA. Thus putting him in my second category. But then again i didn’t put him on my list anyway.

Jay Leno

OMG yes.

Why thank you m'lady, that's so nice of you to say.

Unfortunately, Jay Leno already turned down an American TG. His reason? He was concerned that it could never live up to the greatness of UK Top Gear... a respectable position, and one that sums up my concerns as well. I'm sure Jay also didn't want to be associated with a show that woudl have significant expectations, but might fail miserably (taking his reputation with it).

Of course, nowadays, Jay Leno has already had his reputation damaged thanks to idiotic NBC execs who made him look bad.

its true that american tv stations can completely ruin possibly good shows. if it were put on comedy central, who are extremely lenient and as long as you make ratings wouldn't care what you did (south park), ill bet it would do great. top gear itself is already funny so it would probably fit onto someplace like comedy central, more than likely spike

Yea, I think it'd have to be on cable for sure.

It could just have a thing at the beginning that says "If you get butthurt easily, you will somehow find a way to be offended by this show. f**k you, and stop watching now.". In fact, all funny yet often-targeted shows should have that (Family Guy, South Park, etc).

I don't want an American Top Gear cause it'd be a flop. You cannot replace Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, Jay Leno definitely wouldn't be a good substitute. Not only that, but part of the appeal of UK Top Gear is that it focuses on European cars and driving. A similar show in the U.S. would just turn into something similar to Consumer Reports, and that wouldn't be fun. I really don't care about hearing how good the new Camry or w/e other boring car is .

BTW, hasn't there already been an American Top Gear?

I was in the audience at the Top Gear USA pilot. The show was fantastic. Adam Carolla does have that lousy voice, but he's incredibly knowledgeable about cars and he's one of the more spontaneously funny people you'll find anywhere. Eric Stromer was the weak link of the show, coming off with all the false enthusiasm of an infomercial host... but Carolla and Tanner Faust were damn near perfect.

My ideal lineup, neglecting the actual desires of those in question would be:

(1) Keep Tanner Faust
(2) Force Jay Leno in, if for nothing else but to keep him from stealing jobs from other late night hosts
(3) maybe Get Eric Bana in there. That bastard loves cars and he's got quite the track record.

My ACTUAL ideal lineup, however, would be the entire cast of the Autoblog Podcast. Chris Shunk, Dan Roth, and Sam Abuelsamid. Problem is, nobody knows them since they're not really celebrities. Still, they possess the perfect dynamic together and have a great blend of everyman-camaraderie, sharp wit, and automotive expertise.


Oh, and Mike Rowe should be in every version of a potential lineup of pretty much every show on TV... but especially this one.


EDIT: Honorable mention to Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. Both have shown a love for the sport, funloving attitudes, and an uncanny ability to do crazy car-related stunts on TV.

Hmmmm maybe we should turn that idea into fruition and hire Vince from sham-wow


................we already love his nuts.