Car Masters: Rust to Riches (2018) s03e01 Episode Script
Taking the High-End Road
1
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[whooshing]
[Mark] Is this your guy,
landing in the bird?
Yeah, that's our guy. John.
Nice boots. Did you make those yourself?
-Do you know how much they cost? $600.
-[Mark laughing] Are they?
This is western Canadian lizard,
my friend.
-Is that what it is?
-Yeah.
-There he comes. Shut up.
-Boot Barn, two for one sale, right?
-Hey, Shawn.
-Hey, John. Hey, this is Mark.
-Hey, John. Nice to meet ya.
-Hey, Mark.
-I like your bird.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
-That's pretty cool, man.
[Shawn] Here it is.
[John] Dude, look at this.
-[Shawn] Yeah?
-Are you kidding me?
[Shawn] Everything is identical
to the original XNR,
except for your custom changes,
which we handled for you right here.
[Mark] We blacked out the grill,
changed the headlights up,
gave it more of a Shelby Cobra
dual pipe setup.
It is beautiful.
The XNR 2.0. Huh?
The what? I bet you came up with
that line when you bought those boots.
[all laughing]
[dramatic music playing]
[engine revs]
[Mark] At Gotham Garage, we've made
our mark through upgrade and trade.
[Caveman] This is badass.
[Mark] Turning junkyard rust
into six-figure works of art.
[tires screeching]
[engine revving]
And last year
was a game-changer for our shop.
[announcer] Next up
is Gotham Garage out of Temecula.
-[klaxon sounds]
-[tires squeal]
-[Constance] Whoo!
-[Mark] We had some growing pains.
[Mark] You're kidding me, right?
[Mark] But we eventually pulled off
enough deals to upgrade and trade our way
into the world-renowned
Petersen Automotive Museum.
[Caveman] Let's go!
[Mark] We passed up a ginormous payday
to donate a replica of a 1960s
Plymouth XNR concept car
-to the museum.
-[all applauding]
In our minds, the prestige
of donating a car to the Petersen
would lead to tons of new,
high-end clients.
What kinda budget are you looking at?
[man on phone] Money is not an issue.
Let's put it that way.
Really?
[Mark] That gamble paid off.
Since the Petersen event,
Shawn's been working 24/7,
lining up more deals than ever.
And since the crew sacrificed so much,
I made sure they finally got their payday.
[Caveman] Yeah!
[Mark] We built a second XNR,
and Shawn lined up a big-time buyer.
-One-sixty it is.
-[engine revs]
[Mark] Right now we're trying to change
the course of this garage forever.
We step up our game,
we cement ourselves
as one of the premiere
custom car shops in the world.
[Tony] Let's get this thing done.
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[engine revving]
[Shawn] Oh yeah.
[imitates engine revving]
-[Tony] Whoo-hoo!
-Whoo-whee!
They stole a car that runs!
-[laughs]
-[Shawn] Yeah.
-[engine revving]
-[Tony] Whoo!
All right. It starts, it stops,
it goes forward,
it goes backwards, the headlights work.
[Tony] This is way too nice
for a starter car.
-That's what I was thinking.
-So what's the deal, man?
Well, this is actually
[whispering]
What? What's the problem?
That's your little brother's shirt,
isn't it?
It is very tight, right?
Just in this area.
-I've been working out.
-[laughs]
[Shawn] Shut up.
[all laughing]
Anyway, this is a '33 Ford Coupe replica,
-and it's our next project.
-We're getting paid to build this one.
-[Caveman] Cool!
-We're getting paid
-believe it or not.
-In advance, yeah.
This is actually a commission job.
-[Tony] Cool.
-[Shawn] A new customer,
sees our car in the Petersen, and he says,
"Gotta get a little work done
by these guys."
The next few months
are going to be absolutely critical
to the evolution of this business.
We've been upgrading
and trading for years,
but it's a grind.
I got this old Dodge sitting here.
-Yeah, but it's seen better days.
-Yeah.
[Mark] You're constantly working on
this car, worried about losing that car.
A lot of deals don't happen,
a lot of deals fall through.
For me to swap my 50 for this 40,
it doesn't do me any good.
Well, I guess it ain't working today.
Nothing's guaranteed. That's the stress.
I'm not gonna abandon upgrade
and trade immediately.
That's what we're good at,
and we can still make money doing it.
But I wanna slowly shift our focus
from these upgrade and trade deals
to this high-paying clientele
that wants high-end custom cars.
[man on phone] I'm actually kinda looking
for maybe a couple vehicles.
[Mark] And that all starts
with our first big commission deal.
A pristine '33 Ford replica
that Shawn lined up.
The guy we're doing this for,
he's a professional photographer.
You know, he does magazines
and celebrities.
He wants this rolling car
to be transformed into rolling art.
Our client on this '33 replica
is a guy named Steve Earl.
In the photography world,
this guy is a really big deal.
He's shot magazine covers,
a ton of different cars. You name it.
Needless to say,
this guy has a very keen eye.
He's a car collector.
And when he saw our XNR in the Petersen,
he knew right away that this shop
was the right fit for his car.
So where does the art come in?
We're gonna go 100 percent Art Deco.
-Oh yeah.
-We'll make it like a Delahaye.
-Okay.
-[Mark] Like, high-end Delahaye.
Basically, we're making a sculpture.
When you hear "Delahaye"
in the automotive world,
all you think about
is class and money. That's it.
What Delahaye is known for
is the styling features of the car.
It's the elongated fenders,
the lengthened hood,
the swooping car in motion.
Feels like you're floating on air.
It's one of the first cars
that had full skirts, front and back.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone
build a Delahaye-style car
-out of one of these.
-Yeah.
A '33 Ford is a great platform
to start this project.
It's essentially the perfect blank canvas.
We'll start by transforming
the overall shape and structure.
Then we'll give it teardrop fenders
that flow from the front down to the rear.
We'll give it a white leather interior
with updated gauges and an updated dash.
And we'll top it off with a ton
of super intricate Gotham touches.
This guy's got deep pockets,
and, at 60 grand,
I think we got a little extra leeway
to make a couple of bucks
on this ride, so
-[Caveman] Really?
-Yeah.
-That'd be nice.
-A 60k budget?
That's deep pockets.
[Mark] Wait a second.
Did he say 16,000? I think he said 60,000.
That's, like, double or triple
what usually shows up.
[laughs] You're telling me we're gonna
have profit at the end of this build?
Where am I?
-[Shawn] Get 'er done, guys.
-[lift whirring]
Caveman, you're gonna cut the roof
off of it.
And then Tony and Constance,
the radiator's gotta come off,
the exhaust has gotta come off.
Then the whole front suspension's
gotta come out underneath.
[whirring]
[Caveman] Stand back.
I'm going to town! Yeah!
[whirring]
I can't stress enough how important it is
to impress our client Steve
on this Delahaye build.
This is the upper echelon
of car collectors.
It's the crème of the crème.
If you do the top-quality work
that they expect,
they'll pass you on to their buddy,
and their buddy'll buy a car.
If you don't, this is a very small world,
and bad news travels fast.
Now that it's all destroyed,
get the front end mocked up.
I'm gonna come in late tomorrow.
Shawn and I gotta get a car.
Apparently, he's all fired up about it,
so it must be like a great deal.
-What time you coming in?
-[Mark] I'm not telling you.
-Why not?
-[Mark] 7:30 a.m.
-What? Noon. Noon.
-[Caveman] So like noon?
[crickets chirping]
[birds chirping]
[Shawn]
Man, it's muddy out here, isn't it?
That's what happens
when you go to a car lot.
-It's a trek in the mud.
-Afraid to walk in the mud?
[Shawn] Well, I got my boots on today.
The Delahaye is obviously
our main focus right now,
but I've been lining up a set
of upgrade and trade deals
that could potentially lead us
to a massive payday.
My only issue is I just need to sell Mark
on this first car in this trade,
'cause, well, it ain't so pretty.
A '70s Mercedes 220.
What do you think?
You gotta love this. Am I right?
[laughing] No, you're not right.
You're losing IQ points right now.
What, are we gonna restore it?
No. Picture this car as a drift car.
-Drifting down a river like a log.
-No, no.
This isn't a drift car.
That's a drift car.
-That's a drift car.
-[Shawn] Okay.
That doesn't matter.
I got somebody for this car.
-This thing?
-Yes.
He's a Hollywood stunt driver,
but his main hobby is drifting.
[tires squealing]
And modifying
these old European sedans into drift cars
is a super-hot trend right now.
Kinda like making a sleeper drift car.
That's why he chose this car.
Is that not the coolest thing?
Not really.
When Shawn says
we're gonna turn this into a "drift car,"
Shawn really doesn't know
what he's talking about.
Do you have any idea how much it weighs?
Normally you start with a lot smaller,
more nimble vehicle
than this gigantic land yacht
with a ridiculous wheelbase.
Drifting started in the windy mountain
roads of Japan in the 1970s and '80s.
They used a handbrake in their car
to lock up the rear wheels
to smoothly glide through the corners
like they were fishtailing
through each turn.
[engines revving]
From there, it blew up
into a worldwide phenomenon.
But unlike most motorsports,
drifting is judged on style, not speed.
It's all about the corners of the track,
how smoothly
you can get in and out of the corner,
and how close you can get to the edge
without spinning out.
[tires screeching]
[Shawn] I know you don't wanna do a car
like this, but we trade this drift car
to my buddy who's got a really nice
mid-'70s Scout II.
This is the whole plan,
is to trade this for a Scout?
Here's the kicker.
We can take that Scout II
and trade it for a '40 woodie.
So you're gonna trade up a POS Mercedes
to get a '40 woodie?
Exactly.
Does it have termites
-and half of it's missing
-No, no, no.
No, the wood is super nice.
They're so expensive to restore.
So if it's got good wood,
it's worth some money.
[Shawn] We're gonna turn this Mercedes
into a drift car.
That'll make it worth about 20 to 25,000.
That'll lead us to an unrestored
International Scout II,
which also comes
with quite a few valuable parts.
And once we turn that Scout
into an off-road monster,
it'd be worth 40 to 50 grand,
which leads to a very rare
1940 Ford woodie.
The car is a build in progress,
but it's worth a ton of money.
When Mark and the crew
put their stamp on that woodie,
we'll be on our way to the bank
with well over six figures.
You know what?
I'll do your little drift car.
There you go.
-But we'll have to get on it right away.
-Yeah.
We'll get with Constance, get a parts list
together, you're going shopping.
-[Shawn] You know, it says 900?
-Yeah.
-I bet I get it for 700 bucks.
-I bet you get it for 950.
[rock music playing]
[Tony] Hey, children.
That's the starter kit
for the Delahaye front fender?
-This would usually go about right here.
-[Caveman] Way back there.
That's usually where it goes,
but we're not "usually".
So we're gonna go
[Mark] More right right there.
While Shawn and Constance get a parts list
together for the Mercedes,
myself, Tony, and Caveman are gonna
mock-up the body for the Delahaye.
Your eyeball should flow
from the front to the back of the car,
and then just fall off into space.
We need to add
the front and rear teardrop fenders,
the running boards,
and the elongated hood.
That's our biggest problem is
stand there, move it a half an inch.
Go stand over there,
move it a half an inch.
[Tony] A half inch
can make all the difference.
It's like the difference
between a donkey and a stallion.
-Both have a long nose and four hooves
-[laughs]
but one of them looks majestic
and the other one
just gets a bunch of crap
packed on his back and sent up the hill.
[all laugh]
[Mark] This car is about to go through
a massive cosmetic overhaul.
We're gonna take a 1933 Ford,
make it unrecognizable,
and turn it into an exquisite Delahaye.
Since this is the first client
coming off the Petersen,
when Steve sees the finished car,
we need to shatter his expectations.
[power tools whirring]
-We gonna bring in some flavor.
-[Caveman] Some Flavor Flav?
Down, down, right there.
Where are you at?
-Sixty-three.
-Go down. Right No, up.
[whirring]
This one is just drooping.
Pull this screw out.
Put it together, take it apart,
put it together, take it apart.
[Tony] This car definitely started
as one thing,
and it's turning into something else.
Ooh, now they look purdy.
[Mark] All right, you guys.
This is looking really good.
Next up, we gotta do something
with this old, gray interior.
Right on.
-[Tony] Hey, lookit.
-[Mark] It's the exact same color.
-[Tony] The interior color is Caveman!
-It's old and gray.
-What color is that interior?
-Caveman.
[all laugh]
[rock music playing]
[engines revving]
-[Caveman] Shawn's here. What's he got?
-[Mark] Looks like he got a motor.
-Where'd you steal this?
-[Shawn] Oh yeah!
Check this out.
This, believe it or not,
is an LS3 from a 2011 Camaro.
[Constance] This is exciting.
I even got brand-new parts.
Here's something for you, young fella.
-And you, young fella.
-Hey. Look what I won.
I'm Santa Claus.
-E-brake master cylinder.
-Oh okay. Yeah.
-And a handbrake.
-Nice.
Yeah. Oh yeah.
-This is one of those drift brakes.
-There you go.
My buddy Danny
wants to test this drift car
at Adams Motorsports Park.
It's a go-kart track that doubles
as a very technical
underground drift course.
[tires screeching]
In particular,
there are four very tight corners
at Adams
that separate the men from the boys.
[tires squealing]
And the only way
he'll do the deal for the Scout
is if the Mercedes
can perfectly master those four corners.
This is a specialized kit to turn
an ugly old car into something cool.
-It's everything we need.
-[Constance] Yeah!
At its core, drifting comes down
to basically two things,
power and braking.
We're gonna start
by adding a ton of power.
We're gonna use a modern-day
fuel-injected Chevy motor.
Then, on the inside,
we're gonna add a hydraulic handbrake
that adds extra stopping power
to the rear brakes.
Every drift car has one.
Since Shawn's friend
isn't a professional drifter,
he wants to use this car in everyday life,
so we're gonna
add four seats to the interior.
To top it off, I wanna give it
a super cool exterior finish.
I wanna give it a 1980s
box fender flare kit.
Tony and Constance, grab all these parts,
go over to the Gotham Garage,
and get cracking on that Mercedes.
Caveman and I are back on the Delahaye.
Once you get this car set up,
-I can test it out.
-[exclaims]
[Shawn] Listen, guys.
-Come on, man.
-[Shawn] No. I can figure this out! Hey!
[Tony] I mean, we may have to oil
this thing up to get it to slide in.
[Constance] Yeah.
That's when we call Caveman.
With a drift car,
you're pushing a car sideways.
So the trick here is
getting something that's gonna have a lot
of horsepower but not a lot of weight.
The LS3 has an all-aluminum block,
which is super important
for this application, because
we want this to be very, very light.
With the LS3,
you're getting about 420 horsepower,
and not any of the weight
that you would typically get
with big block motors
that are upwards of 600 pounds.
That looks nice.
So by putting an LS3 in,
all this weight is now gone,
and then, boom, race car sideways.
Right. Let's see what it does.
I hear the fuel pump.
-[Constance] Mm-hmm.
-[engine starts]
-So smooth.
-[Tony] Damn! First fire.
-So smooth.
-[engine revving]
Sounds pretty good.
[Constance] Yeah.
Well, now that that fires up,
we got the handbrake and everything else.
-So you think, like, an hour?
-Or a hundred.
[Constance laughs]
[techno music playing]
[Tony] How are those wires coming along?
[Constance] I'm done
with my stuff on this side.
[Tony] Can you help me
throw the seats in?
-[Constance] Ooh, that's a tight fit.
-[Tony] Perfect.
So check this out.
-[Constance] Yes.
-This is that handbrake Shawn got us.
[Constance] The most exciting part.
I got everything mounted
to this one plate.
The handbrake's pretty neat, 'cause
it only applies pressure to the rear.
So when you hit the footbrake,
you get brake everywhere.
And then you pull this and it's just back.
-This makes it a drift car.
-[Tony] Yeah.
Drifting is basically
just a controlled slide.
Now, if you don't have the control,
it can all go bad.
You could slide off the track,
you could spin out.
You could crash into a barrier.
That is not what we want.
I can't wait for the test drive.
-Like, I'm ready. [laughs]
-[Tony] Yeah.
Are you feeling it?
Are you feeling the drift?
When we take the car out for the customer
to do his test drive,
when he sees it, he can't be looking
at an unfinished, undone car.
So we have to finish
the performance elements,
fabricate the body,
and test the car,
all before it's delivered.
Constance. Call Mark and Caveman.
Get those guys here for a test drive.
-You guys ready for a test drive?
-Hell yeah!
[Tony] Grab your helmets. Let's go ride.
Fire in the hole.
[engine starts]
-What's this do? What's that do?
-[engine turns off]
That's the kill switch.
-Oh, that's the kill switch.
-[Tony] It works.
[Caveman] Let's go drifting!
Are we there yet? I gotta go pee!
[Tony] This looks like
a pretty good parking lot.
-[Constance] Yeah, let's do it.
-[Caveman] Let's do it!
-[Mark] Fire it up, Tony.
-[revving]
Go that way and start slinging it around.
[Tony] Thor's hammer!
[Constance] Whoo!
[Caveman] Go, go, go! Whoo!
[all cheering]
[metal breaking]
Whoa. Hit the brake. Turn it off.
Turn it off. No, no, no.
That sounded like something came apart.
Ah, [bleep].
[Tony] What the hell, man?
We worked all day for that?
-[Mark] The drive shaft come out of it?
-No, I checked.
First thing, that's what it sounded like.
[Mark] It's a bearing?
-[Tony] That sounded horrible, man.
-It sounds like the pinion snapped.
-Something snapped.
-Yeah.
-That was the sound of metal breaking.
-[grunts]
-[Tony] We're gonna need a tow truck.
-[Caveman] Take it off?
-[Tony] Yeah.
-[Constance] Clear now.
[power tools whirring]
Tony, why are you always
breaking everything?
It was a test drive.
-Sounds a lot like breaking.
-You think test pilots crash the planes?
-I mean Ha!
-[all laughing]
We've learned that if we ever build
an aircraft, that you're not testing it.
[both laugh]
[Tony] Ooh. Is that a metal chunk
that came out?
[Mark] Let me give you
a short physics lesson.
For every action, there is an equal
or opposite reaction.
In this case, the action was
we added a 420-horsepower engine
to a car that was never designed
to take that much horsepower.
Oh, it's missing some teeth.
-There's part of a planetary gear.
-[clanking]
The reaction was when all that horsepower
transferred to the rear end,
we destroyed the rear differential.
It annihilated it.
That's wild.
[Mark] Or, if you wanna put it
in layman's terms
Tony broke the car.
So the easy part is
we're gonna get a new differential.
Tony, order a new rear end.
We'll come back tomorrow, get it fixed.
-[Constance] Good job, Tony.
-[Caveman] Good job. Lunch is on you.
[ethereal music playing]
[Mark] Right now,
we gotta put the Delahaye aside,
and all four of us have to jump in
and get this Mercedes fixed
as soon as possible.
[dramatic music playing]
[Tony] You guys ready to put in
the rear end I haven't broke yet?
"Yet" is the key word.
Pump that thing up. Let's go.
[tools whirring]
We need to test this car quickly
because this is a trade car,
and all trade cars have a ticking clock.
The longer it takes you to finish it,
the more chances you have
of losing the deal.
Set it down on the ground
and then, Tony, go break it again.
[Tony] We're not going breaking.
We're going drifting.
That's what you said last time.
[Tony] All aboard. We got four?
[Caveman] Let's go! Ooh, we're rolling.
[Tony] Sounds good.
[engine revving]
[Constance] Tony, careful.
[Caveman] My life's in Tony's hands.
If God's ready to take me, I'm going.
-[revving]
-All right, Tony. Let's go!
[Mark] Try not to break it.
-[Constance] Go for it, Tony!
-[Caveman] Do it! Yeah!
Yeah, baby!
-[engine revving]
-[tires squealing]
Yeah! Keep it going! Yeah!
[Mark] Whoa, stop. It works, Tony.
-Whoo!
-[Constance] Yeah!
[tires screeching]
-[engine revving]
-[tires screeching]
-[Mark] That went well.
-That was pretty good.
[Mark] That rear end feels really good.
All signs point to, we have a drift car.
But doing doughnuts in a parking lot
is a far cry from mastering the corners
at a super technical drift course.
Unfortunately, they only let serious
drift car drivers on the track at Adams.
So we have one chance to get this right.
We're trading this for the super clean
International Scout II,
and it could potentially lead us
to a very rare 1940 Ford woodie.
So we need to deliver
a completely finished car
and trust what we've done will be enough.
All right, let's get this car done
and get it to the track.
[dramatic music playing]
[Mark] To put our final stamp on this car,
I called in a favor from a buddy of mine,
Dominic Fontana.
He's a graffiti artist from the Bay Area,
and this artistic touch will definitely
make this car stand out at the track.
We found an old Mercedes
that was stuck in the mud
and turned it into a super unique
high performance machine.
[techno music playing]
[engine revving]
We went all out
on this Mercedes drift car.
[tires squealing]
Now the only thing left to do
is to see if this car can perform
as good as it looks.
-[Shawn] Danny.
-[Danny] What's up, Shawn?
-Ah! How you doing, man?
-Good, good.
Not gonna lie.
We took a couple of big swings,
-but I know you're gonna dig it.
-I'm filled with anticipation.
-I'm excited.
-Here it comes.
[engine revving]
-Wow. Shawn.
-[laughs]
That looks like
a '70 Mercedes 220 on steroids.
[engine revving]
[laughs]
This car, when Mark pulled up in it,
I just couldn't believe how cool it was.
Is that sheet metal?
Yeah, we cut the fenders
and just pulled everything out.
It's an all-steel widebody kit,
gave you this crazy reflective tape job
on top of the pearl-white paint.
It's super light, though.
It's actually pretty nimble.
I'm totally impressed.
I'm seeing a hydro handbrake in there.
It looks good. It sounds good.
But, as you know, the main factor was that
I needed something
that could handle this track.
I know that was our deal.
Danny was very specific
on what he wanted to see out of this car.
There are four very tricky turns
at this track,
and if our Mercedes can make it smoothly
through each one of those turns
without losing control
and sliding in the dirt, we're good.
Bring your helmet?
-I knew you'd ask that.
-[laughs]
-[Mark] This is gonna be priceless.
-Are you ready to rock?
I'm gonna go find myself
a really good spot
to watch you scream
like a little girl, Shawn.
[Shawn] Danny, don't hold back, all right?
[engine starts]
-[Danny] I'm gonna rip it.
-Let's do it. Ow!
[Danny] Ow!
-[engine revving]
-[tires screeching]
[Shawn] Ow!
[Danny] Here we go. First turn.
-Whoa!
-[Shawn] Whoa, baby.
[tires squealing]
Oh yeah! Oh!
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Not bad. Not bad.
Yeah, hugs pretty good.
[Danny] Wow.
[Mark] It's looking good.
He's coming up on the second turn.
[Shawn] This one's tight.
[tires screeching]
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Ow!
Yeah!
Boy, this grabs, doesn't it?
Turn three. Come on, baby.
[tires screeching]
[engine revving]
[laughs] I smell rubber!
[Mark] Here we go. Last turn.
[Shawn] Come on.
[tires screeching]
Yeah!
-Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
-[laughs]
-Yeah, buddy! Whoo!
-[Shawn] You got it.
-[Mark] They're coming in.
-That's what I'm talking about.
[Shawn]
Is there any tread left back there?
Whoo! Now, that's performance.
I think he owes me a new set of tires
if you don't take the car.
-That thing was roasting 'em, dude.
-[laughs]
That car delivered. It handled the track.
I'm very pleased.
-I've never seen him scream that hard.
-[Danny laughs]
I have to admit, that was the best damn
test drive I've ever been on.
-Back of your pants matches your boots.
-I did not.
I did not wet my britches.
Yeah, I'm gonna call you "skid row"
from now on.
Sounds like we need to go
check out a Scout.
[Danny] There she is.
'72 Scout II. Totally solid.
[Shawn] We like that.
-[engine starts]
-That purrs like a kitten.
What I like about the Scout
is it's got a V8 in it.
The four-wheel drive system works.
And it comes with
all of the expensive underpinnings
-that we'd have had to go buy.
-And no rust.
So I'm impressed. Let's make a deal.
Obviously you love the drift car.
Dude, I love the drift car.
And you guys are the right guys
to take it to the next level.
I would be more than happy
to see this in your hands, so
-I think we got a deal.
-[Mark] We got a deal.
[Danny] Let's do it.
[Shawn] The Scout II doesn't look like
it's gonna take a lot of work.
That means we are that much closer
-One step.
-Big step.
Big step, but one step closer
to a 1940 woodie.
Let's get this back.
I got a Delahaye to finish.
[rock music playing]
[tools clanking]
With the drift car trade done,
we now need to focus all of our attention
back on the Delahaye.
Tony and Constance are gonna work
on all the ornamental trim pieces
and Caveman and I are gonna start
on a brand-new dash.
I got brand-new Dakota Digital gauges.
How cool is that?
This car is for a high-end client,
so it needs to look
like a rolling sculpture.
[Caveman] Three, two, one.
Fire in the hole.
Damn, that's almost as pretty as me.
Now all I have to do
is put on the real wheel.
Go. Pull it, pull it!
Can you do it! Ahh! Come on!
-So we're putting on this steering wheel.
-[Caveman] Oh, wow.
[Mark] It's out of a '60 Plymouth Aero.
They're super, super cool,
and very, very, very expensive.
They cost, like, 4,500 bucks.
Don't tell Shawn.
He'll have a heart attack.
Some people might consider
the steering wheel and the gauges
a risky choice for this car, but this shop
is known for making bold choices.
It sure is pretty.
Every car guy and girl
is gonna love this car because
of the steering wheel and the gauges.
-Now, that's a steering wheel.
-It's making me dizzy.
Hell, look at Caveman. He's speechless.
I'm gonna have to get a mop and a bucket
to clean the drool up.
From here on out, it's body work and paint
and put it back together,
and then we get paid.
[Caveman] That steering wheel
might hypnotize me.
[upbeat music playing]
[Mark] This Delahaye is a total throwback.
So it needs
a paint job fitting of the era.
Art Deco is all about soft colors
and pastels,
so I'm giving this car a glossy
baby blue finish.
[music continues]
[Mark] And there we are. All right.
We're gonna get this done.
We all gotta remember this, though.
It's painted now.
Put gloves on. No bare hands.
-And you want me around this car?
-Look at this guy's dirty hands.
You're gonna have to wash your hands.
So grab a wrench, wash your hands.
I got great soap at home.
Talk back, wash your mouth out with soap.
Wash your hands.
Oh, I hated soap.
That soap tasted the worst.
[others laugh]
[Tony] When Mark said
we were gonna take this '33 Ford
and turn it into a Delahaye, I thought
that was maybe just a little crazy.
But when it's all said and done,
you're barely gonna recognize
anything that was off the original car.
[rock music playing]
To me, the Delahaye is this ode
to everything that we do here
and all of our skills
all wrapped up into one build,
but it's us in this, like,
new 2.0 version.
Hey, Tony, am I supposed to be able
to see out of this hole?
It's kind of the perfect start off
to this new chapter for Gotham Garage.
[music continues]
[Mark] When we donated
the XNR to the Petersen,
it was a huge leap of faith.
But right now, it's all coming to fruition
with this super sexy,
super custom Gotham Garage style Delahaye.
This is a car that wants to be seen.
When you're driving her down the road,
all you wanna do
is take her to the dance and show her off.
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
[Shawn] There he is.
Whoo!
Look at that ride.
[Mark] It doesn't matter
what's parked around it.
[Tony] It looks good.
[Mark] Every set of eyes at the party
hone in on this car.
The teardrop fenders flow seamlessly
from the front to the back,
connecting every inch of this car.
On the inside, the white leather interior
sets it all off.
And the custom gauges and steering wheel
almost make you do a double take.
It's the perfect blend
of classic and modern.
We took a '33 Ford replica and pulled off
the magic trick of the century.
We made it disappear and then reappear
as a gorgeous Delahaye.
[Mark] It's always nice
to have a badass car
on a trailer, taking it to a client.
I think he's gonna like it.
It's exactly what Steve wanted.
He wanted a rolling work of art,
and I think you gave it to him.
-[Mark] The test is, exceed expectations.
-We over-delivered.
You know, we're getting 60 grand
to make this car look this good.
But because we went over the top,
I'm thinking maybe 65.
-Steve.
-Wow.
[Shawn] Little different
since the last time you saw it, huh?
[Steve] Wow. The body looks beautiful.
It looks like a Delahaye.
What do you call this color?
[Mark] It's 1947 international blue.
When the car rolled up,
it was spectacular.
The color was amazing.
The fenders were beautiful.
Absolute piece of art.
What I love about the Delahaye
is how elegant they are.
-[Mark] Right.
-I think you guys did that.
-Why don't you sit inside
-Sure. Thank you.
-and take it all in?
-[engine starts]
Oh, there you go.
-Exactly.
-[Shawn] You look good in this.
Steve's a very particular guy.
He's an artist, you know.
He's got an eye for things.
Wow, that's quite a steering wheel.
I'm thinking he's loving the car, but
he's keeping his cards close to his vest.
He just needs to take it all in right now.
What do you think?
You nailed the style and the body.
It's perfect,
but my choice would have been
to keep the interior a little bit more
true
to the period. Especially the gauges.
We had creative license here to
You did. And maybe I wasn't clear.
I thought the entire car
would be cohesive,
interior and exterior,
and I just don't think the interior is.
[Shawn] Really?
[Steve] Is that the original grill?
Yeah. That is the old grill
off the '33 Ford. Yep. Yep.
Okay. I wanna transform it 100%, not 95.
So, as a photographer,
I'm really detail-oriented.
If I see something that's not right,
I'll fixate on it.
So, for me, it's really important
to be 100% satisfied.
[Mark] I've dealt with this before
when you deal with clients.
Every now and then, you're not gonna
pull the vision out of that client
and then give him
exactly what he's seeing,
because I paint with
a different box of crayons.
But you have to make the individual happy,
'cause we're in this
to get repeat clients,
and he has to get what he paid for
and what he wants.
Honestly, if changing the steering wheel,
putting in analogue gauges
and doing a custom grill on it,
if that makes you happy,
we'll take it back to the shop
and bring it back with what you want.
It would definitely make me happy.
Right now, we've gotta do the ugly part,
which is tear it apart,
and in order to take
the digital gauges out,
that means we gotta rewire the new gauges.
-Yeah.
-But not only that,
to make a custom Delahaye-style grill,
Tony's gonna have to design something
and cut something,
then we're gonna have to modify
that grill shell.
It's not good to have a $4,500
steering wheel sitting on a shelf,
but we will use that stuff later.
It's not a loss.
Oh, it's a loss. Trust me.
We've already spent about half
of that 60 grand on this build.
So any extra time or money
that we pour into this car
is definitely gonna eat away
at our profit.
I don't like going back
with a full-loaded trailer.
Tell me about it.
[theme music playing]
[engine revs]
-[calliope plays]
-[child] I want to see the show.
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[whooshing]
[Mark] Is this your guy,
landing in the bird?
Yeah, that's our guy. John.
Nice boots. Did you make those yourself?
-Do you know how much they cost? $600.
-[Mark laughing] Are they?
This is western Canadian lizard,
my friend.
-Is that what it is?
-Yeah.
-There he comes. Shut up.
-Boot Barn, two for one sale, right?
-Hey, Shawn.
-Hey, John. Hey, this is Mark.
-Hey, John. Nice to meet ya.
-Hey, Mark.
-I like your bird.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
-That's pretty cool, man.
[Shawn] Here it is.
[John] Dude, look at this.
-[Shawn] Yeah?
-Are you kidding me?
[Shawn] Everything is identical
to the original XNR,
except for your custom changes,
which we handled for you right here.
[Mark] We blacked out the grill,
changed the headlights up,
gave it more of a Shelby Cobra
dual pipe setup.
It is beautiful.
The XNR 2.0. Huh?
The what? I bet you came up with
that line when you bought those boots.
[all laughing]
[dramatic music playing]
[engine revs]
[Mark] At Gotham Garage, we've made
our mark through upgrade and trade.
[Caveman] This is badass.
[Mark] Turning junkyard rust
into six-figure works of art.
[tires screeching]
[engine revving]
And last year
was a game-changer for our shop.
[announcer] Next up
is Gotham Garage out of Temecula.
-[klaxon sounds]
-[tires squeal]
-[Constance] Whoo!
-[Mark] We had some growing pains.
[Mark] You're kidding me, right?
[Mark] But we eventually pulled off
enough deals to upgrade and trade our way
into the world-renowned
Petersen Automotive Museum.
[Caveman] Let's go!
[Mark] We passed up a ginormous payday
to donate a replica of a 1960s
Plymouth XNR concept car
-to the museum.
-[all applauding]
In our minds, the prestige
of donating a car to the Petersen
would lead to tons of new,
high-end clients.
What kinda budget are you looking at?
[man on phone] Money is not an issue.
Let's put it that way.
Really?
[Mark] That gamble paid off.
Since the Petersen event,
Shawn's been working 24/7,
lining up more deals than ever.
And since the crew sacrificed so much,
I made sure they finally got their payday.
[Caveman] Yeah!
[Mark] We built a second XNR,
and Shawn lined up a big-time buyer.
-One-sixty it is.
-[engine revs]
[Mark] Right now we're trying to change
the course of this garage forever.
We step up our game,
we cement ourselves
as one of the premiere
custom car shops in the world.
[Tony] Let's get this thing done.
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[engine revving]
[Shawn] Oh yeah.
[imitates engine revving]
-[Tony] Whoo-hoo!
-Whoo-whee!
They stole a car that runs!
-[laughs]
-[Shawn] Yeah.
-[engine revving]
-[Tony] Whoo!
All right. It starts, it stops,
it goes forward,
it goes backwards, the headlights work.
[Tony] This is way too nice
for a starter car.
-That's what I was thinking.
-So what's the deal, man?
Well, this is actually
[whispering]
What? What's the problem?
That's your little brother's shirt,
isn't it?
It is very tight, right?
Just in this area.
-I've been working out.
-[laughs]
[Shawn] Shut up.
[all laughing]
Anyway, this is a '33 Ford Coupe replica,
-and it's our next project.
-We're getting paid to build this one.
-[Caveman] Cool!
-We're getting paid
-believe it or not.
-In advance, yeah.
This is actually a commission job.
-[Tony] Cool.
-[Shawn] A new customer,
sees our car in the Petersen, and he says,
"Gotta get a little work done
by these guys."
The next few months
are going to be absolutely critical
to the evolution of this business.
We've been upgrading
and trading for years,
but it's a grind.
I got this old Dodge sitting here.
-Yeah, but it's seen better days.
-Yeah.
[Mark] You're constantly working on
this car, worried about losing that car.
A lot of deals don't happen,
a lot of deals fall through.
For me to swap my 50 for this 40,
it doesn't do me any good.
Well, I guess it ain't working today.
Nothing's guaranteed. That's the stress.
I'm not gonna abandon upgrade
and trade immediately.
That's what we're good at,
and we can still make money doing it.
But I wanna slowly shift our focus
from these upgrade and trade deals
to this high-paying clientele
that wants high-end custom cars.
[man on phone] I'm actually kinda looking
for maybe a couple vehicles.
[Mark] And that all starts
with our first big commission deal.
A pristine '33 Ford replica
that Shawn lined up.
The guy we're doing this for,
he's a professional photographer.
You know, he does magazines
and celebrities.
He wants this rolling car
to be transformed into rolling art.
Our client on this '33 replica
is a guy named Steve Earl.
In the photography world,
this guy is a really big deal.
He's shot magazine covers,
a ton of different cars. You name it.
Needless to say,
this guy has a very keen eye.
He's a car collector.
And when he saw our XNR in the Petersen,
he knew right away that this shop
was the right fit for his car.
So where does the art come in?
We're gonna go 100 percent Art Deco.
-Oh yeah.
-We'll make it like a Delahaye.
-Okay.
-[Mark] Like, high-end Delahaye.
Basically, we're making a sculpture.
When you hear "Delahaye"
in the automotive world,
all you think about
is class and money. That's it.
What Delahaye is known for
is the styling features of the car.
It's the elongated fenders,
the lengthened hood,
the swooping car in motion.
Feels like you're floating on air.
It's one of the first cars
that had full skirts, front and back.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone
build a Delahaye-style car
-out of one of these.
-Yeah.
A '33 Ford is a great platform
to start this project.
It's essentially the perfect blank canvas.
We'll start by transforming
the overall shape and structure.
Then we'll give it teardrop fenders
that flow from the front down to the rear.
We'll give it a white leather interior
with updated gauges and an updated dash.
And we'll top it off with a ton
of super intricate Gotham touches.
This guy's got deep pockets,
and, at 60 grand,
I think we got a little extra leeway
to make a couple of bucks
on this ride, so
-[Caveman] Really?
-Yeah.
-That'd be nice.
-A 60k budget?
That's deep pockets.
[Mark] Wait a second.
Did he say 16,000? I think he said 60,000.
That's, like, double or triple
what usually shows up.
[laughs] You're telling me we're gonna
have profit at the end of this build?
Where am I?
-[Shawn] Get 'er done, guys.
-[lift whirring]
Caveman, you're gonna cut the roof
off of it.
And then Tony and Constance,
the radiator's gotta come off,
the exhaust has gotta come off.
Then the whole front suspension's
gotta come out underneath.
[whirring]
[Caveman] Stand back.
I'm going to town! Yeah!
[whirring]
I can't stress enough how important it is
to impress our client Steve
on this Delahaye build.
This is the upper echelon
of car collectors.
It's the crème of the crème.
If you do the top-quality work
that they expect,
they'll pass you on to their buddy,
and their buddy'll buy a car.
If you don't, this is a very small world,
and bad news travels fast.
Now that it's all destroyed,
get the front end mocked up.
I'm gonna come in late tomorrow.
Shawn and I gotta get a car.
Apparently, he's all fired up about it,
so it must be like a great deal.
-What time you coming in?
-[Mark] I'm not telling you.
-Why not?
-[Mark] 7:30 a.m.
-What? Noon. Noon.
-[Caveman] So like noon?
[crickets chirping]
[birds chirping]
[Shawn]
Man, it's muddy out here, isn't it?
That's what happens
when you go to a car lot.
-It's a trek in the mud.
-Afraid to walk in the mud?
[Shawn] Well, I got my boots on today.
The Delahaye is obviously
our main focus right now,
but I've been lining up a set
of upgrade and trade deals
that could potentially lead us
to a massive payday.
My only issue is I just need to sell Mark
on this first car in this trade,
'cause, well, it ain't so pretty.
A '70s Mercedes 220.
What do you think?
You gotta love this. Am I right?
[laughing] No, you're not right.
You're losing IQ points right now.
What, are we gonna restore it?
No. Picture this car as a drift car.
-Drifting down a river like a log.
-No, no.
This isn't a drift car.
That's a drift car.
-That's a drift car.
-[Shawn] Okay.
That doesn't matter.
I got somebody for this car.
-This thing?
-Yes.
He's a Hollywood stunt driver,
but his main hobby is drifting.
[tires squealing]
And modifying
these old European sedans into drift cars
is a super-hot trend right now.
Kinda like making a sleeper drift car.
That's why he chose this car.
Is that not the coolest thing?
Not really.
When Shawn says
we're gonna turn this into a "drift car,"
Shawn really doesn't know
what he's talking about.
Do you have any idea how much it weighs?
Normally you start with a lot smaller,
more nimble vehicle
than this gigantic land yacht
with a ridiculous wheelbase.
Drifting started in the windy mountain
roads of Japan in the 1970s and '80s.
They used a handbrake in their car
to lock up the rear wheels
to smoothly glide through the corners
like they were fishtailing
through each turn.
[engines revving]
From there, it blew up
into a worldwide phenomenon.
But unlike most motorsports,
drifting is judged on style, not speed.
It's all about the corners of the track,
how smoothly
you can get in and out of the corner,
and how close you can get to the edge
without spinning out.
[tires screeching]
[Shawn] I know you don't wanna do a car
like this, but we trade this drift car
to my buddy who's got a really nice
mid-'70s Scout II.
This is the whole plan,
is to trade this for a Scout?
Here's the kicker.
We can take that Scout II
and trade it for a '40 woodie.
So you're gonna trade up a POS Mercedes
to get a '40 woodie?
Exactly.
Does it have termites
-and half of it's missing
-No, no, no.
No, the wood is super nice.
They're so expensive to restore.
So if it's got good wood,
it's worth some money.
[Shawn] We're gonna turn this Mercedes
into a drift car.
That'll make it worth about 20 to 25,000.
That'll lead us to an unrestored
International Scout II,
which also comes
with quite a few valuable parts.
And once we turn that Scout
into an off-road monster,
it'd be worth 40 to 50 grand,
which leads to a very rare
1940 Ford woodie.
The car is a build in progress,
but it's worth a ton of money.
When Mark and the crew
put their stamp on that woodie,
we'll be on our way to the bank
with well over six figures.
You know what?
I'll do your little drift car.
There you go.
-But we'll have to get on it right away.
-Yeah.
We'll get with Constance, get a parts list
together, you're going shopping.
-[Shawn] You know, it says 900?
-Yeah.
-I bet I get it for 700 bucks.
-I bet you get it for 950.
[rock music playing]
[Tony] Hey, children.
That's the starter kit
for the Delahaye front fender?
-This would usually go about right here.
-[Caveman] Way back there.
That's usually where it goes,
but we're not "usually".
So we're gonna go
[Mark] More right right there.
While Shawn and Constance get a parts list
together for the Mercedes,
myself, Tony, and Caveman are gonna
mock-up the body for the Delahaye.
Your eyeball should flow
from the front to the back of the car,
and then just fall off into space.
We need to add
the front and rear teardrop fenders,
the running boards,
and the elongated hood.
That's our biggest problem is
stand there, move it a half an inch.
Go stand over there,
move it a half an inch.
[Tony] A half inch
can make all the difference.
It's like the difference
between a donkey and a stallion.
-Both have a long nose and four hooves
-[laughs]
but one of them looks majestic
and the other one
just gets a bunch of crap
packed on his back and sent up the hill.
[all laugh]
[Mark] This car is about to go through
a massive cosmetic overhaul.
We're gonna take a 1933 Ford,
make it unrecognizable,
and turn it into an exquisite Delahaye.
Since this is the first client
coming off the Petersen,
when Steve sees the finished car,
we need to shatter his expectations.
[power tools whirring]
-We gonna bring in some flavor.
-[Caveman] Some Flavor Flav?
Down, down, right there.
Where are you at?
-Sixty-three.
-Go down. Right No, up.
[whirring]
This one is just drooping.
Pull this screw out.
Put it together, take it apart,
put it together, take it apart.
[Tony] This car definitely started
as one thing,
and it's turning into something else.
Ooh, now they look purdy.
[Mark] All right, you guys.
This is looking really good.
Next up, we gotta do something
with this old, gray interior.
Right on.
-[Tony] Hey, lookit.
-[Mark] It's the exact same color.
-[Tony] The interior color is Caveman!
-It's old and gray.
-What color is that interior?
-Caveman.
[all laugh]
[rock music playing]
[engines revving]
-[Caveman] Shawn's here. What's he got?
-[Mark] Looks like he got a motor.
-Where'd you steal this?
-[Shawn] Oh yeah!
Check this out.
This, believe it or not,
is an LS3 from a 2011 Camaro.
[Constance] This is exciting.
I even got brand-new parts.
Here's something for you, young fella.
-And you, young fella.
-Hey. Look what I won.
I'm Santa Claus.
-E-brake master cylinder.
-Oh okay. Yeah.
-And a handbrake.
-Nice.
Yeah. Oh yeah.
-This is one of those drift brakes.
-There you go.
My buddy Danny
wants to test this drift car
at Adams Motorsports Park.
It's a go-kart track that doubles
as a very technical
underground drift course.
[tires screeching]
In particular,
there are four very tight corners
at Adams
that separate the men from the boys.
[tires squealing]
And the only way
he'll do the deal for the Scout
is if the Mercedes
can perfectly master those four corners.
This is a specialized kit to turn
an ugly old car into something cool.
-It's everything we need.
-[Constance] Yeah!
At its core, drifting comes down
to basically two things,
power and braking.
We're gonna start
by adding a ton of power.
We're gonna use a modern-day
fuel-injected Chevy motor.
Then, on the inside,
we're gonna add a hydraulic handbrake
that adds extra stopping power
to the rear brakes.
Every drift car has one.
Since Shawn's friend
isn't a professional drifter,
he wants to use this car in everyday life,
so we're gonna
add four seats to the interior.
To top it off, I wanna give it
a super cool exterior finish.
I wanna give it a 1980s
box fender flare kit.
Tony and Constance, grab all these parts,
go over to the Gotham Garage,
and get cracking on that Mercedes.
Caveman and I are back on the Delahaye.
Once you get this car set up,
-I can test it out.
-[exclaims]
[Shawn] Listen, guys.
-Come on, man.
-[Shawn] No. I can figure this out! Hey!
[Tony] I mean, we may have to oil
this thing up to get it to slide in.
[Constance] Yeah.
That's when we call Caveman.
With a drift car,
you're pushing a car sideways.
So the trick here is
getting something that's gonna have a lot
of horsepower but not a lot of weight.
The LS3 has an all-aluminum block,
which is super important
for this application, because
we want this to be very, very light.
With the LS3,
you're getting about 420 horsepower,
and not any of the weight
that you would typically get
with big block motors
that are upwards of 600 pounds.
That looks nice.
So by putting an LS3 in,
all this weight is now gone,
and then, boom, race car sideways.
Right. Let's see what it does.
I hear the fuel pump.
-[Constance] Mm-hmm.
-[engine starts]
-So smooth.
-[Tony] Damn! First fire.
-So smooth.
-[engine revving]
Sounds pretty good.
[Constance] Yeah.
Well, now that that fires up,
we got the handbrake and everything else.
-So you think, like, an hour?
-Or a hundred.
[Constance laughs]
[techno music playing]
[Tony] How are those wires coming along?
[Constance] I'm done
with my stuff on this side.
[Tony] Can you help me
throw the seats in?
-[Constance] Ooh, that's a tight fit.
-[Tony] Perfect.
So check this out.
-[Constance] Yes.
-This is that handbrake Shawn got us.
[Constance] The most exciting part.
I got everything mounted
to this one plate.
The handbrake's pretty neat, 'cause
it only applies pressure to the rear.
So when you hit the footbrake,
you get brake everywhere.
And then you pull this and it's just back.
-This makes it a drift car.
-[Tony] Yeah.
Drifting is basically
just a controlled slide.
Now, if you don't have the control,
it can all go bad.
You could slide off the track,
you could spin out.
You could crash into a barrier.
That is not what we want.
I can't wait for the test drive.
-Like, I'm ready. [laughs]
-[Tony] Yeah.
Are you feeling it?
Are you feeling the drift?
When we take the car out for the customer
to do his test drive,
when he sees it, he can't be looking
at an unfinished, undone car.
So we have to finish
the performance elements,
fabricate the body,
and test the car,
all before it's delivered.
Constance. Call Mark and Caveman.
Get those guys here for a test drive.
-You guys ready for a test drive?
-Hell yeah!
[Tony] Grab your helmets. Let's go ride.
Fire in the hole.
[engine starts]
-What's this do? What's that do?
-[engine turns off]
That's the kill switch.
-Oh, that's the kill switch.
-[Tony] It works.
[Caveman] Let's go drifting!
Are we there yet? I gotta go pee!
[Tony] This looks like
a pretty good parking lot.
-[Constance] Yeah, let's do it.
-[Caveman] Let's do it!
-[Mark] Fire it up, Tony.
-[revving]
Go that way and start slinging it around.
[Tony] Thor's hammer!
[Constance] Whoo!
[Caveman] Go, go, go! Whoo!
[all cheering]
[metal breaking]
Whoa. Hit the brake. Turn it off.
Turn it off. No, no, no.
That sounded like something came apart.
Ah, [bleep].
[Tony] What the hell, man?
We worked all day for that?
-[Mark] The drive shaft come out of it?
-No, I checked.
First thing, that's what it sounded like.
[Mark] It's a bearing?
-[Tony] That sounded horrible, man.
-It sounds like the pinion snapped.
-Something snapped.
-Yeah.
-That was the sound of metal breaking.
-[grunts]
-[Tony] We're gonna need a tow truck.
-[Caveman] Take it off?
-[Tony] Yeah.
-[Constance] Clear now.
[power tools whirring]
Tony, why are you always
breaking everything?
It was a test drive.
-Sounds a lot like breaking.
-You think test pilots crash the planes?
-I mean Ha!
-[all laughing]
We've learned that if we ever build
an aircraft, that you're not testing it.
[both laugh]
[Tony] Ooh. Is that a metal chunk
that came out?
[Mark] Let me give you
a short physics lesson.
For every action, there is an equal
or opposite reaction.
In this case, the action was
we added a 420-horsepower engine
to a car that was never designed
to take that much horsepower.
Oh, it's missing some teeth.
-There's part of a planetary gear.
-[clanking]
The reaction was when all that horsepower
transferred to the rear end,
we destroyed the rear differential.
It annihilated it.
That's wild.
[Mark] Or, if you wanna put it
in layman's terms
Tony broke the car.
So the easy part is
we're gonna get a new differential.
Tony, order a new rear end.
We'll come back tomorrow, get it fixed.
-[Constance] Good job, Tony.
-[Caveman] Good job. Lunch is on you.
[ethereal music playing]
[Mark] Right now,
we gotta put the Delahaye aside,
and all four of us have to jump in
and get this Mercedes fixed
as soon as possible.
[dramatic music playing]
[Tony] You guys ready to put in
the rear end I haven't broke yet?
"Yet" is the key word.
Pump that thing up. Let's go.
[tools whirring]
We need to test this car quickly
because this is a trade car,
and all trade cars have a ticking clock.
The longer it takes you to finish it,
the more chances you have
of losing the deal.
Set it down on the ground
and then, Tony, go break it again.
[Tony] We're not going breaking.
We're going drifting.
That's what you said last time.
[Tony] All aboard. We got four?
[Caveman] Let's go! Ooh, we're rolling.
[Tony] Sounds good.
[engine revving]
[Constance] Tony, careful.
[Caveman] My life's in Tony's hands.
If God's ready to take me, I'm going.
-[revving]
-All right, Tony. Let's go!
[Mark] Try not to break it.
-[Constance] Go for it, Tony!
-[Caveman] Do it! Yeah!
Yeah, baby!
-[engine revving]
-[tires squealing]
Yeah! Keep it going! Yeah!
[Mark] Whoa, stop. It works, Tony.
-Whoo!
-[Constance] Yeah!
[tires screeching]
-[engine revving]
-[tires screeching]
-[Mark] That went well.
-That was pretty good.
[Mark] That rear end feels really good.
All signs point to, we have a drift car.
But doing doughnuts in a parking lot
is a far cry from mastering the corners
at a super technical drift course.
Unfortunately, they only let serious
drift car drivers on the track at Adams.
So we have one chance to get this right.
We're trading this for the super clean
International Scout II,
and it could potentially lead us
to a very rare 1940 Ford woodie.
So we need to deliver
a completely finished car
and trust what we've done will be enough.
All right, let's get this car done
and get it to the track.
[dramatic music playing]
[Mark] To put our final stamp on this car,
I called in a favor from a buddy of mine,
Dominic Fontana.
He's a graffiti artist from the Bay Area,
and this artistic touch will definitely
make this car stand out at the track.
We found an old Mercedes
that was stuck in the mud
and turned it into a super unique
high performance machine.
[techno music playing]
[engine revving]
We went all out
on this Mercedes drift car.
[tires squealing]
Now the only thing left to do
is to see if this car can perform
as good as it looks.
-[Shawn] Danny.
-[Danny] What's up, Shawn?
-Ah! How you doing, man?
-Good, good.
Not gonna lie.
We took a couple of big swings,
-but I know you're gonna dig it.
-I'm filled with anticipation.
-I'm excited.
-Here it comes.
[engine revving]
-Wow. Shawn.
-[laughs]
That looks like
a '70 Mercedes 220 on steroids.
[engine revving]
[laughs]
This car, when Mark pulled up in it,
I just couldn't believe how cool it was.
Is that sheet metal?
Yeah, we cut the fenders
and just pulled everything out.
It's an all-steel widebody kit,
gave you this crazy reflective tape job
on top of the pearl-white paint.
It's super light, though.
It's actually pretty nimble.
I'm totally impressed.
I'm seeing a hydro handbrake in there.
It looks good. It sounds good.
But, as you know, the main factor was that
I needed something
that could handle this track.
I know that was our deal.
Danny was very specific
on what he wanted to see out of this car.
There are four very tricky turns
at this track,
and if our Mercedes can make it smoothly
through each one of those turns
without losing control
and sliding in the dirt, we're good.
Bring your helmet?
-I knew you'd ask that.
-[laughs]
-[Mark] This is gonna be priceless.
-Are you ready to rock?
I'm gonna go find myself
a really good spot
to watch you scream
like a little girl, Shawn.
[Shawn] Danny, don't hold back, all right?
[engine starts]
-[Danny] I'm gonna rip it.
-Let's do it. Ow!
[Danny] Ow!
-[engine revving]
-[tires screeching]
[Shawn] Ow!
[Danny] Here we go. First turn.
-Whoa!
-[Shawn] Whoa, baby.
[tires squealing]
Oh yeah! Oh!
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Not bad. Not bad.
Yeah, hugs pretty good.
[Danny] Wow.
[Mark] It's looking good.
He's coming up on the second turn.
[Shawn] This one's tight.
[tires screeching]
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Ow!
Yeah!
Boy, this grabs, doesn't it?
Turn three. Come on, baby.
[tires screeching]
[engine revving]
[laughs] I smell rubber!
[Mark] Here we go. Last turn.
[Shawn] Come on.
[tires screeching]
Yeah!
-Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
-[laughs]
-Yeah, buddy! Whoo!
-[Shawn] You got it.
-[Mark] They're coming in.
-That's what I'm talking about.
[Shawn]
Is there any tread left back there?
Whoo! Now, that's performance.
I think he owes me a new set of tires
if you don't take the car.
-That thing was roasting 'em, dude.
-[laughs]
That car delivered. It handled the track.
I'm very pleased.
-I've never seen him scream that hard.
-[Danny laughs]
I have to admit, that was the best damn
test drive I've ever been on.
-Back of your pants matches your boots.
-I did not.
I did not wet my britches.
Yeah, I'm gonna call you "skid row"
from now on.
Sounds like we need to go
check out a Scout.
[Danny] There she is.
'72 Scout II. Totally solid.
[Shawn] We like that.
-[engine starts]
-That purrs like a kitten.
What I like about the Scout
is it's got a V8 in it.
The four-wheel drive system works.
And it comes with
all of the expensive underpinnings
-that we'd have had to go buy.
-And no rust.
So I'm impressed. Let's make a deal.
Obviously you love the drift car.
Dude, I love the drift car.
And you guys are the right guys
to take it to the next level.
I would be more than happy
to see this in your hands, so
-I think we got a deal.
-[Mark] We got a deal.
[Danny] Let's do it.
[Shawn] The Scout II doesn't look like
it's gonna take a lot of work.
That means we are that much closer
-One step.
-Big step.
Big step, but one step closer
to a 1940 woodie.
Let's get this back.
I got a Delahaye to finish.
[rock music playing]
[tools clanking]
With the drift car trade done,
we now need to focus all of our attention
back on the Delahaye.
Tony and Constance are gonna work
on all the ornamental trim pieces
and Caveman and I are gonna start
on a brand-new dash.
I got brand-new Dakota Digital gauges.
How cool is that?
This car is for a high-end client,
so it needs to look
like a rolling sculpture.
[Caveman] Three, two, one.
Fire in the hole.
Damn, that's almost as pretty as me.
Now all I have to do
is put on the real wheel.
Go. Pull it, pull it!
Can you do it! Ahh! Come on!
-So we're putting on this steering wheel.
-[Caveman] Oh, wow.
[Mark] It's out of a '60 Plymouth Aero.
They're super, super cool,
and very, very, very expensive.
They cost, like, 4,500 bucks.
Don't tell Shawn.
He'll have a heart attack.
Some people might consider
the steering wheel and the gauges
a risky choice for this car, but this shop
is known for making bold choices.
It sure is pretty.
Every car guy and girl
is gonna love this car because
of the steering wheel and the gauges.
-Now, that's a steering wheel.
-It's making me dizzy.
Hell, look at Caveman. He's speechless.
I'm gonna have to get a mop and a bucket
to clean the drool up.
From here on out, it's body work and paint
and put it back together,
and then we get paid.
[Caveman] That steering wheel
might hypnotize me.
[upbeat music playing]
[Mark] This Delahaye is a total throwback.
So it needs
a paint job fitting of the era.
Art Deco is all about soft colors
and pastels,
so I'm giving this car a glossy
baby blue finish.
[music continues]
[Mark] And there we are. All right.
We're gonna get this done.
We all gotta remember this, though.
It's painted now.
Put gloves on. No bare hands.
-And you want me around this car?
-Look at this guy's dirty hands.
You're gonna have to wash your hands.
So grab a wrench, wash your hands.
I got great soap at home.
Talk back, wash your mouth out with soap.
Wash your hands.
Oh, I hated soap.
That soap tasted the worst.
[others laugh]
[Tony] When Mark said
we were gonna take this '33 Ford
and turn it into a Delahaye, I thought
that was maybe just a little crazy.
But when it's all said and done,
you're barely gonna recognize
anything that was off the original car.
[rock music playing]
To me, the Delahaye is this ode
to everything that we do here
and all of our skills
all wrapped up into one build,
but it's us in this, like,
new 2.0 version.
Hey, Tony, am I supposed to be able
to see out of this hole?
It's kind of the perfect start off
to this new chapter for Gotham Garage.
[music continues]
[Mark] When we donated
the XNR to the Petersen,
it was a huge leap of faith.
But right now, it's all coming to fruition
with this super sexy,
super custom Gotham Garage style Delahaye.
This is a car that wants to be seen.
When you're driving her down the road,
all you wanna do
is take her to the dance and show her off.
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
[Shawn] There he is.
Whoo!
Look at that ride.
[Mark] It doesn't matter
what's parked around it.
[Tony] It looks good.
[Mark] Every set of eyes at the party
hone in on this car.
The teardrop fenders flow seamlessly
from the front to the back,
connecting every inch of this car.
On the inside, the white leather interior
sets it all off.
And the custom gauges and steering wheel
almost make you do a double take.
It's the perfect blend
of classic and modern.
We took a '33 Ford replica and pulled off
the magic trick of the century.
We made it disappear and then reappear
as a gorgeous Delahaye.
[Mark] It's always nice
to have a badass car
on a trailer, taking it to a client.
I think he's gonna like it.
It's exactly what Steve wanted.
He wanted a rolling work of art,
and I think you gave it to him.
-[Mark] The test is, exceed expectations.
-We over-delivered.
You know, we're getting 60 grand
to make this car look this good.
But because we went over the top,
I'm thinking maybe 65.
-Steve.
-Wow.
[Shawn] Little different
since the last time you saw it, huh?
[Steve] Wow. The body looks beautiful.
It looks like a Delahaye.
What do you call this color?
[Mark] It's 1947 international blue.
When the car rolled up,
it was spectacular.
The color was amazing.
The fenders were beautiful.
Absolute piece of art.
What I love about the Delahaye
is how elegant they are.
-[Mark] Right.
-I think you guys did that.
-Why don't you sit inside
-Sure. Thank you.
-and take it all in?
-[engine starts]
Oh, there you go.
-Exactly.
-[Shawn] You look good in this.
Steve's a very particular guy.
He's an artist, you know.
He's got an eye for things.
Wow, that's quite a steering wheel.
I'm thinking he's loving the car, but
he's keeping his cards close to his vest.
He just needs to take it all in right now.
What do you think?
You nailed the style and the body.
It's perfect,
but my choice would have been
to keep the interior a little bit more
true
to the period. Especially the gauges.
We had creative license here to
You did. And maybe I wasn't clear.
I thought the entire car
would be cohesive,
interior and exterior,
and I just don't think the interior is.
[Shawn] Really?
[Steve] Is that the original grill?
Yeah. That is the old grill
off the '33 Ford. Yep. Yep.
Okay. I wanna transform it 100%, not 95.
So, as a photographer,
I'm really detail-oriented.
If I see something that's not right,
I'll fixate on it.
So, for me, it's really important
to be 100% satisfied.
[Mark] I've dealt with this before
when you deal with clients.
Every now and then, you're not gonna
pull the vision out of that client
and then give him
exactly what he's seeing,
because I paint with
a different box of crayons.
But you have to make the individual happy,
'cause we're in this
to get repeat clients,
and he has to get what he paid for
and what he wants.
Honestly, if changing the steering wheel,
putting in analogue gauges
and doing a custom grill on it,
if that makes you happy,
we'll take it back to the shop
and bring it back with what you want.
It would definitely make me happy.
Right now, we've gotta do the ugly part,
which is tear it apart,
and in order to take
the digital gauges out,
that means we gotta rewire the new gauges.
-Yeah.
-But not only that,
to make a custom Delahaye-style grill,
Tony's gonna have to design something
and cut something,
then we're gonna have to modify
that grill shell.
It's not good to have a $4,500
steering wheel sitting on a shelf,
but we will use that stuff later.
It's not a loss.
Oh, it's a loss. Trust me.
We've already spent about half
of that 60 grand on this build.
So any extra time or money
that we pour into this car
is definitely gonna eat away
at our profit.
I don't like going back
with a full-loaded trailer.
Tell me about it.
[theme music playing]
[engine revs]
-[calliope plays]
-[child] I want to see the show.