Roadkill is an automotive-themed internet show produced by the MotorTrend Group. It is hosted by former Hot Rod Magazine editor David Freiburger and former technical staff editor Mike Finnegan. Roadkill is primarily filmed in Southern California, with other episodes taking place across the United States, Canada and Australia.[1]
Roadkill aired on YouTube from 2012 until March 2018, when the program moved exclusively to MotorTrend On Demand. It is currently available on Discovery+.[2]
In 2015, the show was sponsored by the American automakerDodge.[3] Episodes regularly exceeded millions of views,[4] often reaching over a million in 72 hours.
In August 2015 it was announced that TEN: The Enthusiast Network would be publishing a quarterly magazine titled Roadkill Magazine.[5] On 12 January 2018, Mike Finnegan announced on The Kibbe and Finnegan Show that Roadkill Magazine had ceased publishing.[6]
Cast
Main
David Freiburger: has spent the vast majority of his career working for the various brands now owned by Motor Trend Group.
Mike Finnegan: employed by Motor Trend Group since 2009. He was also a staff editor at Hot Rod magazine.
Featured
Lucky Costa: co-host of Hot Rod Garage. He appeared previously on the Chip Foose show Overhaulin'. Lucky is called in when a vehicle needs extra help.
Tony Angelo: former co-host of Hot Rod Garage. Tony is an accomplished mechanic and former racer. Tony departed the Motor Trend group in March 2022.[7]
Steve Dulcich: a mechanic. Steve's farm serves as the backdrop for Roadkill Garage.[citation needed]
Mike Cotten and David Newbern: friends of Finnegan, hosts of "Faster with Newbern and Cotten,"[8] and also featured on "Finnegan's Garage."
Steve Magnante: an automotive historian and host of "Roadkill's Junkyard Gold."[9]
Rick Péwé: a former editor of Petersen's 4-Wheel & Offroading Magazine.
Elana Scherr: the former Editor-In-Chief of Roadkill magazine and the Roadkill.com website.
Terry the Terrier: a shop dog at Steve Dulcich's garage.[11]
Spin-offs and magazine
Roadkill has three spin-off series; Roadkill Garage, Roadkill's Junkyard Gold, and Faster with Newbern and Cotten, as well as a companion series called Roadkill Extra. All are available on Discovery+.
Roadkill Garage is hosted by David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich. An episode involves modifying or repairing a roadkill vehicle, often reclaimed from Dulcich's farm.
Roadkill's Junkyard Gold features automotive historian Steve Magnante visiting junkyards and discussing the history of different models of vehicles he encounters, while also being tasked with finding new vehicles for Roadkill.
Faster with Newbern and Cotten (originally titled Faster with Finnegan) features Mike Cotten and David Newbern, and featured Mike Finnegan for the first 3 1/2 seasons. It features the trio repairing and modifying vehicles, many of which were previously featured on Roadkill.
Roadkill Extra is a shorter format with content such as question and answer sessions, tech tips, project updates, and other Roadkill information. Episodes range from 2 to 15 minutes in length. MotorTrend ceased publication of "extras" for all of their web shows at the end of 2020.
In 2015 the quarterly Roadkill magazine was launched. As of 12 January 2018 Mike Finnegan announced on The Kibbe and Finnegan Show that Roadkill Magazine had been cut.[6]
Vehicles
Name
Car
Fate
Episodes featured in
The Rotsun
A 1971 Datsun 240Z, the Rotsun was originally powered by a turbocharged Chevrolet 4.3L V6/5-speed from a Chevrolet S-10 truck. It now runs a turbocharged Ford 5.0 Mustang; both engines took the same turbo out of a Ford Powerstroke diesel engine.
Broken. Recently seen in the background in the Motor Trend shop.[12]
‘68 Charger first rebuilt with used motor home parts, including a Mopar 440. Later upgraded with a Hellcat engine from a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat that was destined to be crushed. In 2021 it was bought back from Motor Trend by Freiburger and restored by Chris Birdsong and has its former motorhome 440.
Finnegan's c. 1978 Pace Arrow donor vehicle that provided the "glorious big block Mopar" and Carter Thermoquad carburetor for General Mayhem. The engine appeared in many episodes of Roadkill, Engine Masters and Roadkill Extra.
Gone but not forgotten
23
The Fury, My Old Friend
1973 Plymouth Fury purchased by Freiburger for Car Junkie TV. Driven in 24 Hours of Lemons. Donor vehicle (brakes, transmission, posi, hood scoop) for General Mayhem
Junkyard
22, 23
General Maintenance
Bone stock DodgeCharger Hellcat painted to look like the General Mayhem; Roadkill/TEN 'persuaded' to purchase it after comparison with Challenger & Viper off-road by Dodge.
Sitting in Motor Trend shop.
38, 43, 47, 50
The Muscle Truck
1974 Chevrolet C10 stepside shortbed truck. Custom header and mufflers on a Corvette LS6.
Owned by Freiburger. Most recently seen at the hotrod ranch.[12]
A 1967 Chevrolet Camaro that was rescued from a junkyard crusher (which was featured in a Hot Rod Magazine article in 1993 when it was a buyback car for emission credits that pre-dated Cash for Clunkers), giving it its name.
A 1973 Chevrolet ramp truck that was used by a Mazda dealership. Used to carry the Bonneville car.
Owned by Finnegan
20, 25
Leaf Blower Monza
1978 Chevrolet Monza Spyder, originally running five leaf blowers under the hatch as makeshift superchargers; later upgraded to having a trailer behind it with a separate Buick 350 engine making boost for the engine up front.
A trailer-mounted 350 cubic inch small block Chevy salvaged from the junkyard 1956 Buick, powering a Vortech supercharger that fed the Leaf Blower Monza.
Disassembled
57
Macho Grande
Freiburger's (formerly) personal daily driver 1973 GMC Suburban with 350,000 miles on it; powered by a 454 Chevy.
A 1970 PlymouthDuster with a mid-1980s street racer look; originally fitted with the Mopar 440 that came out of the General Mayhem after the Hellcat swap, then upgraded to a stronger Mopar 383.
Owned by Freiburger.[citation needed] Steve Dulcich is working on it, but very very slowly.[11]
A late-model stock car chassis with a 70's Monte Carlo body installed.
Recently seen running and driving on Lucky Costa's personal YouTube channel.[12]
46
The Renegade Jet Boat
A 1976 Rogers Bonneville Jet Boat. Finnegan and Freiburger drag an old Rogers Bonneville jet boat to Lake Elsinore behind the Muscle Truck, remove the engine from the truck, install it into the boat, go boating, take the engine back out of the boat, and re-install it into the truck.
A 1969 Mustang Mach 1 rescued from a junkyard. Also filled with rat poop. Blown engine under repairs by Lucky Costa after Freiburger trashed it doing donuts.
The "world's only C body Roadrunner," a destroyed 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner that Finnegan and Freiburger take dirt-oval racing at Willow Springs.
Donor car for the Wreck Runner (Satellite/Roadrunner clone) and General Mayhem 3.0
87
The Trailer of Doom
Four-wheel trailer at Steve Dulcich's farm that he calls a "hospice" for old car parts where they can rust for years before being scrapped.
Dulcich's farm
RKE 859, 930
The Super Sammy
1986 Suzuki Samurai found by Steve Magnante in a Junkyard Gold episode at Hidden Valley Auto Parts in Maricopa, Arizona. Rescued by Freiburger and Dulcich with a 440 engine swap and Thermoquad from a B300 van. Caught fire during filming.
Sold on Craigslist
JG8, RK78, RK92
The Crew Cab Chevelle
1966 Chevelle purchased by Freiburger for $1,000 to illustrate the potential of less desirable four-door cars. Freiburger and Dulcich swapped out the 283 engine for a 350 engine and a 350 turbo transmission and upgraded the suspension. Later equipped with nitrous.
Sold to "Camera Alex" Skola
RKG8, RKG9, RKG25, RKG37
The Vanishing Paint Challenger
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T reclaimed from Dulcich's "buffet" of rescued Mopars and given an engine swap with a 360 small-block Mopar out of a field truck, also part of the Dulcich fleet of neglected cars. The name is a play on the 1970 film Vanishing Point, which featured a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T.
Sold to Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage
RKG4, RKG34, RKG36, RK85
The Ugly Truckling
A GMC crew cab built on the same concept as the Vette Kart, modeled after old 'rail job' dragsters and then driven 500 miles to the Roadkill Zip-Tie Drags.
A 1971 Torino wagon with a 12V Cummins swapped into it, used to race Cleetus McFarland's Cummin's swapped Galaxie
104
Features and expressions
"Because Roadkill": a comedic expression to justify a fiscally irresponsible or unnecessary piece of work on a vehicle, or to rationalise an inexplicable problem.
"Best day at work ever": a sarcastic retort.
"It'll be fine" or "It'll work perfectly/flawlessly": typically followed by a vehicle's failure.
"Don't get it right, just get it running": Freiburger's philosophy.
"Mint": Freiburger's description of any vehicle that has working doors, a front windshield, and headlights.
"It'll DZUS right back": relating to a quarter turn DZUS brand fastener, which are used to hold panels of racecars. Used to describe the difficulty in reattaching a part removed from a vehicle.
"That'll buff out": relating to damage on a vehicle.
"Failure is like success": as failure is common within episodes, this retort is intended as a joke when things go wrong.
Freiburger rarely wears actual shoes on the show.
Cable ties are used for budget alterations.
Finneganeconomics, or Finnenomics, a comedic theory of economic loss, relating to losing money on a car you restore.
A comedic focus on the important elements of a vehicle such as wheels, neglecting equally important elements such as the engine.
Referring to high quality parts being fitted to scrap cars.
"Keep lowering your standards until you achieve a goal".
"Tony broke it": a running joke of Tony Angelo breaking high performance cars.
"I know the rules, so I'm allowed to break them": Finnegan's go-to expression before butchering a vehicle.
"No gauges hence no bad news": inferring ignorance is bliss.
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