This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(February 2021) |
MotorWeek | |
---|---|
Genre | Automotive |
Created by | John Davis |
Starring | John Davis Greg Carloss Stephanie Hart Zach Maskell Yolanda Vazquez (past) Joyce Braga (past) Elizabeth A. Nardone (past) Charlotte Nichols (past) Craig Singhaus (past) Lisa Barrow (past) Jennifer Khasnabis (past) Anquionette Crosby (past) Jessica Choksey (past) Henry Kopacz (past) Pat Goss (past) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 43 |
No. of episodes | 1,929 |
Production | |
Executive producer | John Davis |
Production location | Owings Mills, Maryland |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | PBS |
Release | October 15, 1981 – present |
MotorWeek is an American television news magazine program that focuses on the automotive industry. The program is produced by Maryland Public Television for PBS, and airs on MAVTV. As of September 2023, MotorWeek is underwritten by Tire Rack, an online tire retailer, and the Auto Value/Bumper To Bumper auto parts distribution network.
MotorWeek premiered on 15 October, 1981 and has been hosted by John Davis since its inception; Davis also created the series for what was then the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting and serves at its executive producer. [1]
From its inception until 1987, the program’s main segments emanated from Studio A at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills, Maryland. Since 1987, all taping of the main segments have been done outdoors in various locales. From 1988 to 1993, the program carried the year to its title, becoming MotorWeek ‘88, coinciding its seasons with the North American new car model year.
Originally airing new, thirty-minute episodes for twenty-six weeks a year, MotorWeek airs new episodes year-round on both PBS and MAVTV. The show is also syndicated internationally through the American Forces Network.
On 11 September, 1993, at the start of Season 13 (1993–1994), MotorWeek began syndicating to commercial TV stations, and was first syndicated by ITC Entertainment from 1993 to 1998. Since 1998, it has also aired other commercial cable channels like Speedvision, Speed Channel, Velocity, Velocity by Discovery, the Spanish-language network V-me, and Motor Trend.
This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(November 2021) |
Each year, MotorWeek puts more than 150 new cars, trucks, and SUVs to the test, providing consumer-oriented vehicle reviews. Its video Road Test segments focus on performance, technology, practicality and dollar value, and feature MotorWeek's exclusive energy efficient rating system which compares each vehicle’s fuel economy to the best-rated vehicle in its class. The MotorWeek team included master technician Pat Goss (1941-2022) who brought viewers practical advice for keeping cars on the road and out of the shop. Reporters present timely reports on consumer trends, safety issues and the environment, along with innovative, offbeat stories on the automotive world gone extreme. Beginning in 1983, MotorWeek launched its Drivers’ Choice Awards which are among the auto industry’s most prestigious honors. The Drivers’ Choice Awards are unique for their consumer focus and represent the definitive list of best automotive picks in the most popular vehicle categories, including the coveted “Best of the Year” award. They are presented annually during the Chicago Auto Show. Beginning in season 26 (2005–2006), MotorWeek began broadcasting in widescreen and in season 29 (2008-2009) began broadcasting in 1080i HDTV.
MotorWeek started on October 15, 1981 and has run for 43 seasons. The show has produced 1,929 episodes with road tests, comparison tests, first impressions, and more. They post older episodes and clips onto YouTube with the Retro Review name. In the first six seasons, they produced 26 episodes each season. Since the seventh season, the show runs year-round for 52 episodes a year. Complete episodes are available on PBS by donations.
MotorWeek started its podcast on September 3, 2008. The podcast is an extension of the show in which the show's crew expresses opinions, and discusses new and upcoming vehicles.
One of the main staples of MotorWeek is the Road Test, where the team of testers puts a new car through various conditions to see how it operates.
Over the years, MotorWeek has conducted its basic tests at various venues. In the show’s early years, testing was primarily done at either Martin State Airport in Baltimore, using one of the airport’s seaplane tarmacs, or at 75-80 Dragway in Frederick, Maryland; MotorWeek also had access to a stretch of unfinished highway at an indeterminate location outside of Baltimore in its early days. One location was the west bound lanes of Interstate 70 from the terminus in Catonsville headed towards I-695. Another location used later was I-795 before it was opened.
Eventually, MotorWeek settled on 75-80 Dragway as its primary test track. The show remained there through the end of season 39, and for most of that time the production was the only entity to have access to the track; it had closed to competition multiple times while MotorWeek was in production and by 2019 had been largely abandoned and become overgrown and dilapidated. For the show's fortieth anniversary season, MotorWeek permanently moved its testing to Mason-Dixon Dragway in Boonsboro, Maryland.
In the winter months, the show relocates the testing to Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Georgia. MotorWeek has also done tests at the Ford and General Motors proving grounds in the past as well as at several famous racetracks such as Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio, and Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.
Each test starts with an overview of the car’s engine and features, as well as other options that are available. This portion is comprehensive, ranging from how much power the engine has to how the interior of the car is set up.
The car is then taken out onto the drag strip. Here, tests are done to measure its zero-to-sixty time, how long it takes to traverse the quarter-mile drag strip, how the car handles a slalom course, how it handles quick turns, and how much distance it takes for the car to come to a complete stop from 60 miles per hour. A test is also done to determine fuel economy ratings against the ones provided by the Environmental Protection Agency; to perform this, the testers use a 100-mile loop that combines city and highway driving and averages their figures. Since 2008, the environmental impacts of vehicles (specifically their carbon footprints and their oil usage) are also included in the discussion.
Older episodes also tested a car’s speed at 500 feet to simulate entering a highway as well as its turning diameter.
Once the road test is complete, the car’s hits and misses are revealed as are the reasons why the testers felt a certain way about various issues. The car’s costs to the consumer are revealed at the very end of the segment, including what the vehicle would cost with various option packages.
For many years, MotorWeek has conducted periodic competitive tests to determine what cars, in their opinion, are the top in a certain classification. In recent years these tests have been done in conjunction with cars.com.
For these instances, the team will choose a series of vehicles, usually six, that fit into the category (for example, compact sport utility vehicles). The vehicles, like every other tested by MotorWeek, are supplied by the manufacturers themselves and each must adhere to the set of criteria selected for the competition (for example, transmission type or maximum cost).
After the cars are put through a battery of tests, their performances are graded and the top four performing vehicles in the category are revealed in order from lowest to highest, with specific highlights such as price or fuel mileage noted.
Goss’ Garage was a staple of MotorWeek for its first 41 seasons. Originally called “Motorshop” and featuring Craig Singhaus (who would later host the Taking the High Road segments) as the main maintenance expert in its pilot, the producers approached Washington, DC area mechanic Pat Goss to appear and show viewers solutions to common issues that one might face with their vehicle at one time or another. Initially the segments were aimed more at do-it-yourself type repairs, but as the years went on and technology in cars evolved Goss shifted the focus from knowing how to perform a repair to being more aware of the inner workings of their vehicles and knowing what to do and ask for at the repair shop.
Goss died on March 19, 2022. At the time of his death, there were three Goss’ Garage segments that had been recorded but had not aired yet. Host John Davis announced that out of respect to Goss, the Goss’ Garage segment would be retired but the remaining segments would air in his honor. The final Goss’ Garage segment that Goss recorded aired on the weekend of April 16, 2022, and a tribute to him and his work aired the following weekend. No further car care segments were made for the remainder of season 41. For season 42, Goss' Garage was replaced by a new car care segment under the name Your Drive.
From the show's premiere in 1981 until 1987, MotorWeek's original theme music was composed by Don Barto. In Season 7 (1987–88), Mark Roumelis took over as music composer. The unaired pilot also featured music from Mark Roumelis, but it is different from the piece he made for the 1987–88 season; this piece has undergone a few updates since.
When MotorWeek premiered in 1981, the show emanated from Studio A at MPT on a set which featured various car related decorations and also had room for a featured automobile to be displayed; the set was changed in 1985. Beginning in 1987, the show stopped using the studio and began filming all of the car display segments outdoors.
As mentioned above, from late 1981 to early 2021, MotorWeek conducted most of its testing on a drag strip that was known as the 75-80 Dragway (also Dragaway) in Frederick, Maryland. While the track itself closed for competition in 2005 (only to reopen in 2009) and again in 2013, MotorWeek continued to have access to the drag strip. By 2020, the 40th season of the program, only the strip and a portion of the starter’s stand remained; the grandstands were removed sometime in 2019. In 2021, the show moved their road tests to Mason Dixon Dragway in Boonsboro.
The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact car produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1975 through the 1980 model year. The Pacer was also made in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) from 1976 until 1979 and positioned as a premium-priced luxury car.
Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. In 2016, Suzuki was the eleventh biggest automaker by production worldwide. Suzuki has over 45,000 employees and has 35 production facilities in 23 countries, and 133 distributors in 192 countries. The worldwide sales volume of automobiles is the world's tenth largest, while domestic sales volume is the third largest in the country.
Pimp My Ride is an American television series produced by MTV and hosted by rapper Xzibit, which ran for six seasons on MTV from 2004 to 2007. In each episode, a car in poor condition is both restored and customized. The work on the show was done by West Coast Customs until season 5 and was done by Galpin Auto Sports thereafter.
Patrick Goss was an American radio and television personality based in Washington D.C. Goss was the master technician on the television program MotorWeek from its start in 1981 until his death, where he hosted a segment called Goss' Garage, and got his start as a mechanic at Rollins Park Shell in Rockville, Maryland.
PowerNation is a programming block of automotive how-to enthusiast television programs that began originally as the PowerBlock. It is currently produced by Gray Television, which purchased the assets of PowerNation's former owner Raycom Media in 2019. PowerNation consists of a block of automotive enthusiast shows including Engine Power, XOR , Truck Tech, and Detroit Muscle. PowerNation airs on the History Channel, and also features content on its own through a digital media player app available on the Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku platforms.
Ride with Funkmaster Flex is a television show that was produced by MTV Networks. The show aired from 2003–2004, lasting two seasons. It was originally shown on Spike TV and RedMoxie and was also broadcast on MuchMusic and ESPN with a licensing agreement to MTV Networks.
The Dodge Hornet is a concept car mini MPV designed and developed by Dodge and revealed in 2006. Dodge's first attempt at building a car this small, the car was expected to be released in 2010, but following the 2009 financial crisis and the restructuring of the Chrysler Group, the concept was dropped.
Rogue Traders is a BBC One investigative/undercover consumer affairs television programme starring Matt Allwright, an investigative journalist, and Dan Penteado, a private investigator and Allwright's co-host. The show focuses on investigating and exposing the dubious work practices of tradespeople and businesses who have received complaints against them from their customers, often through the use of hidden cameras and rigged situations, sometimes sending members of the show's research team undercover to secretly record any training methods taught to a business' employees that is suspicious or unethical.
The Rambler Tarpon was a concept car, a compact-sized sporty youth-oriented 2+2 hardtop coupé developed in 1963 by American Motors Corporation (AMC). The bright red with black roof design study made its public debut at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show. The car served to foretell the fastback design elements of the larger Rambler Marlin that was introduced in 1965.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is the trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry. Its role is to "promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad."
Wheeler Dealers is a British TV series originally produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel in the United Kingdom and for Motor Trend in the United States. The programme is fronted by car enthusiast and former dealer Mike Brewer with mechanics Edd China, Ant Anstead, and Marc Priestley, The premise of the show has the presenters on a mission to save old and repairable enthusiast vehicles, by repairing or otherwise improving an example of a particular make and model to a budget then selling it to a new owner.
ESPN2 Garage was a new ninety-minute programming block dedicated to the automotive and motorsports world on ESPN2. Debuted on Saturday, January 6, 2007, the programming aired on ESPN2 from 5 p.m. ET to 6:30 p.m. ET on weekdays, from 10 a.m. ET to 12pm ET on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. ET to 11 a.m. ET on Sundays. This programming block was the predecessor to the new daily automotive news and analysis program, NASCAR Now.
Top Gear was an American motoring television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters were professional racing driver Tanner Foust, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. As with the original British version, the show had its own version of The Stig, an anonymous racing driver, and a celebrity guest was featured each week for the first two seasons. The show premiered on November 21, 2010, on History.
Motorz is an American television series seen nationwide on Youtoo America, Rev'n, Untamed Sports TV, Biz Television, The Auto Channel, The Action Channel, and globally on Roku and iTunes. The Automotive Improvement® series was hosted by Chris Duke.
Two Guys Garage is an American reality television series on automobile repair and customization, hosted by Kevin Byrd and Willie B. The series is based in Tampa, Florida. Two Guys Garage covers virtually every aspect of vehicle repairing, customizing and restoring. The hosts perform product demonstrations and installations on a wide variety of import and domestic cars and light trucks, and they show viewers the right way to execute modifications with hands-on projects throughout the season.
Mighty Car Mods is a YouTube channel that focuses on DIY car modifications and car culture. Created by Blair Joscelyne and Martin Mulholland the show is centred around the journey through buying, modifying and then testing or battling cars of various levels of modification and budget.
Family Trade is an American reality television series broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN). The show premiered on March 12, 2013, its eighth and final episode aired on April 16, 2013. Filmed in Middlebury, Vermont, the series chronicles the daily activities of G. Stone Motors, a GMC and Ford car dealership that employs the barter system in selling its automobiles. The business is operated by its founder, Gardner Stone, his son and daughter, Todd and Darcy, and General Manager Travis Romano. The series features the shop's daily interaction with its customers, who bring in a variety of items that can be resold in order to receive a down payment on the vehicle they are leasing or purchasing. Commentary and narration are provided by the Stone family and Romano during the episodes.
Top Gear is a British motoring magazine and entertainment television programme. It is a revival by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman of the 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC, and premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme focuses on the examination and reviewing of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded upon after the broadcast of its earlier series to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for the relaunched programme. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style since its launch, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of its content. The show was also praised for its occasionally controversial humour and lore existing in not just the automotive community but in the form of internet memes and jokes. The programme was aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One for its twenty-ninth series in 2020.
Donut Media, also known simply as Donut, is an American automotive digital content brand, known primarily for its eponymous YouTube channel and online merchandise store.
The Twenty Grand is the name given to the one-off custom 1933 Rollston Arlington Torpedo-bodied Duesenberg SJ ultra-luxury sedan. The design's initial price tag of an astronomical US$20,000 during the height of the Great Depression infamously gave it its nickname of Twenty Grand. It is widely considered to be the most famous Duesenberg ever built and the pioneer of the ultra-luxury car design, making it one of the most valuable cars in the world at over $40 million dollars.