Top Gear (US) s03e03 Episode Script
Cult Classics
Now on Top Gear we take three cars that were commercial failures now we head to San Diego to try to turn them into cult classics.
Stand by! By selling them on a live morning new show This is your car, today! Today! And the stars of the new film "Hit and Run", Dax Shepard and Sean Hayes join us for a race in to cult classic in the making.
Hahahahahaha! Every year, around 160 new car models are launched in the U.
S.
Some of them fail miserably and end up on the scrap heap.
But do any of these slow sellers deserve a second chance? To find out, we met up in San Diego, one of the biggest used car markets in the country.
Each of us had picked a long forgotten failure that we felt deserved a second chance to become a cult classic.
Some cars are built before their time and their genius goes unappreciated, sitting dusty and heavily discounted on dealer lots until ultimately their production is cut short.
Could be the economy was bad.
Could be a bad marketing campaign.
They're like the quirky girl in high school who goes to college and becomes a supermodel.
But you know what, did she develop into a supermodel, or did other people's taste mold to her? That's the question.
I was the first to arrive.
Behold the misunderstood genius that is the 1992 Subaru SVX.
In '92 when the SVX came out, people didn't know what to think because it wasn't like a Subaru at all.
They made cars that were these tiny little econo boxes, not a $35,000 spaceship.
The thing that held this car back the most might actually be the coolest part about it, which are the crazy windows.
So, sure, it was futuristic.
Stop drooling.
You know you want it.
1986 Merkur XR4Ti.
German engineering and performance for America.
That's the 2.
3 turbo? Yes.
Real wheel drive.
Absolutely.
Is that one a manual? - Yes, it is.
- Oh, that's hard to find.
Now, those are sold as Fords in the UK, but here's it's sold as a what? Merkur.
Is that German for "bad marketing concept"? No.
Here's the problem.
In 1986, performance cars were huge.
This was part of the small car revolution that only we're now seeing in the U.
S.
If this car came out into the dealerships right now, it would sell like hotcakes.
I have to be honest, you're not wrong.
I mean, I really do like the car.
I've wanted one.
I've looked at one before.
But I also understand, like, a lot of people see the goofy wing and these old dryer vents that were cut into the hood as strange.
Do you feel that? Do you feel that? That's horsepower.
The question is, what did Adam get? I'm gonna guess it's American, got to be obscure.
Oh, Adam got a Cadillac.
Oh, that's where we're supposed to be surprised.
Yeah.
Gentlemen, say it with me.
Eh? Eh? 1993 Cadillac Allante, a car ahead of its time.
GM chose this car to introduce the northstar system.
Body by Pininfarina, famous for their Ferrari designs.
An instant classic.
Front-wheel drive.
V-8.
Very true.
It is a front-wheel drive, but it was the most powerful front-wheel drive in the world at that time.
Is that because it was the only front-wheel drive V-8 at the time? The point is, this is elegance.
These are ugly step sisters.
So what are we gonna do with them? I'll tell you what we're gonna do with them.
Please do, Tanner.
"You have each chosen cars that were commercial failures, but which you think deserve to be successes.
" Yes.
"To give them a second chance, "you'll present them for sale "in a live television commercial in 24 hours time.
Whoever sold their car for closest to the original list price would win.
" Live TV.
Nothing can go wrong.
Get ready.
"But first you'll each complete a challenge "that tests the claims made by your car's manufacturer.
Your first challenge is 30 miles away.
" Let's go.
All right.
- Mount up.
- Let's do it.
Ow! Ow, I can't get my head out there.
(bleep) I truly don't know who the market for this car was, but I think it was Subaru trying to show the world they were thinking outside of the box.
They wanted to be more than the brand they were.
But they didn't convince the public, and Subaru sold just over 14,000 SVXs in the U.
S.
over 4 years.
To actually make money, they needed to sell a lot more than that.
Maybe they should have put a double spoiler on it.
I think the Merkur was just one of those cars that was a very, very good idea.
It simply was Ford motor company trying to bring the lessons learned in the innovation from their German engineering department over to the U.
S.
Despite that, Ford sold less than half of what it needed to.
Having a virtually unpronounceable name probably didn't help.
But Adam's car confused people even more when they saw the word "Cadillac" written on the back.
Caddy designed the Allante to go up against the Mercedes SL, a very refined machine.
And what they learned was Mercedes was putting extra weight in the door just to get that thump, that vault sound when they closed.
So Caddy did the same thing.
The car rides great.
It rides like a Caddy.
Big V-8 in it.
And I think I'm using 7 out of those 8 cylinders.
The Allante was expensive, almost $60,000 in 1988, which is like $120,000 in today's money.
But they still sold 21,000 of them.
That wasn't enough for GM, so they killed the Allante after only 4 years.
What's up with the champagne? - I'm thirsty.
- Must be brunch.
Since each of our cars had been marketed with unique features, we'd each been given a challenge that would test those claims.
My Allante featured ground-breaking road sensing suspension that promised ultimate comfort.
So my challenge would be to drive across a series of speed bumps at 50 miles an hour with volatile cargo.
Wait, do you think they're gonna prematurely pop here? You've never said that to a woman, have you? When you shake-- don't shake that.
Well, I mean, that's what's gonna happen.
You're gonna be shaking this whole thing.
Unscrewed-- then pop! Pop! Pop! Tanner, what are you doing? Wow! Wow! Son of a bitch.
They're shooting at us already.
- Leave it alone.
- Shots fired.
- Shots fired.
- Shall we? We were more than happy to help Adam load up.
Don't shake them up too much.
Hey, hey, hey.
Don't point it at me, man.
Is that a side door? Wait, which door? Stop it.
Don't mess up my seats.
2, 3! Oh, oh.
That's good.
That's good.
Stop.
What are you doing? It's a Cadillac.
Go hump your Subaru.
That car was designed for people who are just barely alive.
Nobody's ever gone full throttle in that car.
- Never.
- Safety first.
All right, fellas, I'm ready.
3, 2, 1, go.
Faster, faster, faster.
Here we go.
Go for it.
Go for it.
Go, go, go! Ow! Ow! Ow! It's shooting at me.
He stayed on the course.
I don't believe it.
Coming back again! Oh! Oh! Oh! He keeps leaving the ground.
That was awesome.
That was a great test.
Oh, man.
Ha ha ha! Look at that! They all didn't go.
No way.
Gentlemen, I'd call that a success.
8 bottles survived.
Out of? Half.
You got half.
Yeah.
That's a fail in a class.
That's not a fail in a class.
Half survived.
Look, I'm an optimist.
The glass is half full.
Cheers to you.
How about a toast? - There you go.
- What do you think? Yeah.
Huh? A toast sounds good.
You know who we should toast to? To Adam.
Adam's success.
Congratulations! My Allante had really only half passed the test, but I was confident it would beat Tanner's German washing machine.
The Merkur was sold to the American public as the height of German precision engineering.
So my challenge would be to navigate a makeshift race track with some brats and German passengers along for the ride.
German passengers.
In the car.
I don't know.
I don't see anybody.
That must be them.
No freakin' way.
I had 30 second to drive through the course, avoiding the pylons with mugs of beer teetering on top of them, wearing German sausages around my neck with a car full of killer German Shepherd attack dogs.
Just another day at the office.
I feel like I'm getting sausage knighted.
There you go.
Oh, gosh.
Oh! Ugh! Come on! And of course my germanic passengers skipped breakfast and lunch.
The boy does have a way with the bitches.
Don't eat it in my lap, please.
I can't see anything.
Well, that's perfect.
But I was confident that even 25 years after its launch, my Merkur's marketing claims would still ring true.
30 seconds.
Slalom.
Don't knock down any beers.
Careful with your sausage.
It's--oh, God.
We're gonna count down from the finish line.
All right.
Yeah, we'll see you at the finish.
Come on.
What? Hold that beer.
Ok.
There we go.
Ok.
Perfect.
Any second now.
3, 2, 1, go! Hang on.
Hold on, brutus, hold on.
That's my leg.
That's my leg.
Oh, oh.
Look who's not Mr.
drifter anymore.
It's your sausage.
It's your sausage.
No! Nobody's fighting you for the sausage.
Oh, here he comes.
I don't even want the sausage.
It's ok.
It's ok.
It's ok.
Oh, you're big-- you're a big boy.
Oh, this is a tight one.
Oh, there's one.
There's one beer.
There's a beer.
There's a second.
Ha ha ha! What's his time? 30 seconds.
He did exactly 30 seconds? 30 seconds.
Get me out of here.
That was impossibly narrow.
Did you move that? No, I didn't move that.
Let me out.
Did you break this? Get out the sunroof.
Good dog.
See you guys.
Nice knowing you.
Real good dog.
Really nice dog.
Oh, it works now.
Look at that.
There you go.
Come on out.
That's it.
Must be that German precision.
Coming up, my SVX braves the elements.
It's like being in a hurricane.
And later, the losers of our cult classic challenge team up with Dax Shepard and Sean Hayes in the dangerous double decker derby.
Oh, stop! Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to turn 3 sales failures into cult classics.
After a series of challenges, we'd have to try to sell them to the public.
The closest to the original list price would win.
So far Tanner's 1986 Merkur's claims for precision and speed were challenged by 3 German passengers.
And he knocked over 3 of the 9 obstacles.
Ha ha ha! And the smooth ride promised in Adam's Cadillac had been sabotaged by half his champagne bottles exploding.
So Tanner was in the lead, but now it was my turn.
Subaru's big claim for the SVX was that the unique window construction made it possible to drive in the rain with the windows down and not get wet.
To test this, I had to drive 2 laps behind a 4,000 gallon water truck with the windows down while wearing a suit made of sponges, which would expand if any water hit them.
Tanner was only too happy to man the hose.
I wore something like this to prom.
I believe you.
It was pretty nice.
My mom made it.
Was she your date, too? That was one too many sausage slaps to the face, I think.
One thing.
Ok, there you go.
Oh, yeah.
There you go.
It's perfect.
It's just my size.
Tip your head.
Ah--ow! I can't-- that's it.
I can't get my head in there.
You're Spongebob Rutledge.
Oh, this is the good stuff right there.
This could really hurt him.
Ow, stop.
Watch your head.
That's enough.
I am a little worried about Tanner working the nozzle.
I feel like he's always got something to prove, you know.
Maybe Adam would be a little bit more kind to me.
Might be a touch more than your standard rain.
But you know what, I've got total confidence in this thing.
All right, let's do this, rut.
All right, go.
Oh, wow.
Oh, jeez.
Look at this.
Nothing.
Nothing.
See you from right here.
Ok, ok.
You think so? It's just a misting.
It's like a light rain.
Definitely some mild precipitation in here.
Nothing the Subaru can't handle.
I was taking it way too easy on rut.
Any car could withstand a drizzle.
Watch this.
Yeah! Oh, my God.
Oh, jeez! Oh, this is good.
Oh, my God.
That is so much water.
Oh, my butt's wet.
My butt is definitely wet.
He's got the wipers on, like it's gonna help.
Oh, my God, I can't see anything.
Holy crap.
It's like being in a hurricane.
Son of a bitch, that is cold.
Oh! Oh, God.
You broke my (bleep) Wipers.
While I survived hurricane Tanner relatively unscathed-- are you wet? Yeah.
My Subaru had started to complain.
I think the Subaru's upset.
I don't know if you guys can tell, but that--that passed the test.
It's got a pool of water in the floor.
Clearly you failed.
Your suit passed, but your car failed.
You lost.
I didn't, I'm half dry.
Your car's having a stroke.
Half of my body, bone dry.
Fine.
That half passed.
This half failed, and that car failed.
No.
You half-- you half failed, so then we're even.
So I mostly passed, so I win.
Tanner's Merkur may have won, but we'd all learned valuable lessons about our cars' quirks.
You've got to stop doing that.
With only 18 hours till we hit the airwaves, we needed to focus.
You know what, for my commercial, I've got a plan.
Ok, I'm gonna dry it off and clean it up a little bit.
Yeah, got a plan.
I've got a plan for my commercial.
How about you? Nothing.
Why should today be any different? Let's go.
As we headed to our next challenge, it was looking like the Merkur had this one in the bag.
Here's the deal.
Adam has filled his car with champagne.
Rutledge's car is beeping constantly and has water dripping out of the doors every time you open them.
This car's fine.
This is one of those cars that just requires a very, very specific buyer.
Tanner may have been confident, but it was becoming clear to Rut and I that perhaps our cars weren't as perfect as we hoped.
My freakin' dashboard's freaking out.
Come on, what are you doing? What is wrong with you? Come on, baby.
Come on.
You can do it.
We only had one shot at selling these cars and we needed some help, so our next challenge was to try and convince one of the city's top marketing firms to help us with our commercials.
Hey, Tanner, I think this is the left turn up here.
This is convenient, Adam, since your left turn signal's been on for the last 45 minutes.
It's like a real marketing firm.
Yeah.
Wait till they hear my ideas.
The award-winning Jacob Tyler group uses its marketing expertise to help the campaigns of high end clients like the Four Seasons hotel group and Microsoft-- hey, fellas.
So my Cadillac was a perfect fit.
I have to sell that Cadillac.
And when? How? Who? What? We're doing a live commercial on the morning news here in San Diego.
Ok.
And I have to sell the Cadillac.
And I need your guys brains to get some ideas to get the most bang for my buck.
The people that bought XLRS, you know, perhaps they'd be interested in owning a piece of the heritage pre-XLR.
Hey.
A piece of your history.
Yeah.
Where it all began.
Genesis.
The beginning.
Right.
The garden of eden.
We got Adam, we got Eve.
Adam is driving, Eve's in the passenger seat, and they drive over the snake.
Cadillac.
(bleep) The devil.
I don't know.
You don't know.
Do you want me to tell you some stuff about your car? 'Cause you're probably gonna need that for the meeting.
Bathroom's that way, right? All right, let's start with the 2.
3.
64 ad.
Rome is burning.
The Allante comes screaming out of it.
Nero is driving.
Nero turns to the camera and says, "yeah, I lost an empire, but I'm driving a Cadillac.
" Wow.
Yeah.
Just like my Allante, my genius had gone unrecognized.
Be good.
Some people just don't get it.
Got a real aerodynamic look to it.
The windows, they said you could drive in the rain with them down and not get wet.
Yeah, you take that call.
I'll just Rehearsal was over.
Now it was my turn to pitch.
Hello.
Hey, there.
How are you guys? They have no idea how bored they're about to be.
Right.
Let's sum it up.
60 seconds.
A start, middle, end.
Tell a story.
Who's the hero.
How you sell it.
I think it's all about looking towards the future.
You know, tomorrow.
What is the next big thing? Well, the next big thing happened 20 years ago.
It's the SVX.
So tomorrow is yesterday.
You know, maybe I'm not explaining this right.
Tell me the truth, were you scared with those dogs in the car? I wasn't--I wasn't scared until the sausage fell between my legs.
That'll do it.
Yeah.
All-wheel drive.
Get your valves here.
They also would call this horizontally opposed.
It's got an aircraft-inspired glass-to-glass canopy, 230 horsepower, a special power mode that raises shift points for better acceleration.
God, he's been in there for hours.
So now, does your market, at 7:00 am, care? I think they're going to.
They're gonna say, I'm going back To the future of automobiles, which is the Subaru SVX.
Good luck with that.
Whew.
Coming up, Tanner tries his hand at pitching the experts.
Let's just focus on breasts.
And later, the losers of our cult classic challenge will race around the track in the most dangerous BMWs ever made.
Oh, my God! "Top Gear" had sent us to San Diego to rebrand our favorite cult classics and try to convince consumers that they were worth a second look.
So far, my Merkur had won the manufacturer's claim challenge.
Ohh! And Adam and Rut had failed to impress some top marketing executives with their sales pitches.
Now, it was my turn.
Sell me on this car so I can help you sell this car.
What's the slogan? What's the tag line? So if you're closing the commercial, how are you going to close it? What's going to sell it? Here's the sales pitch-- all right, we get some girls.
We'll get umbrella girls.
Yeah.
And then bikini girls.
Right.
And then we'll have go-go girls dancing around all of them.
You get a couple hot chicks there, right? Get some explosions.
And originally I was thinking a monkey knife fight, but I think that's maybe a little bit too grunge.
Do you have any other thoughts? Yeah.
Ok, so one thing it does is it turns really well.
So you get, ok, let's say you get a hot chick, right? You put her in the passenger seat and you like rip it around kind of a bumpy track.
Ah.
Ah.
I almost just spit my drink out.
Yeah.
That's a good thing, right? I don't know.
Ok, then let's just focus on breasts.
The experts didn't have a lot of faith in our ideas and made us promise not to mention their names.
But we'd show 'em.
There was still a whole 10 hours until we went live the next morning.
Early the next day, it was show time.
We had chosen a prime location at one of San Diego's busiest car dealerships for our live commercials.
We were all scrambling with last minute preparations.
It's putting up a fight, huh? Oh, yeah.
It's a busted Cadillac! Come on.
Cooperate, baby.
We're fighting the clock here.
It was 6:17 A.
M.
30 seconds.
Time to blast off into automotive history.
Stand by.
It's so hot in here.
Wow.
The smoke thing is really backfiring.
A little strange to you that you make the car look like its burning in order to sell it? Shouldn't have had that burrito.
You're looking at our live shot of the harbor.
Coming up, our five day forecast and rusty with traffic.
And ready in the field, in 3, 2, and cue Rutledge.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the future.
Not just any future, but your future, in an automobile.
This is a car unlike any other car you've ever seen.
Because it was made in 1992.
Now this is your future, but back from the past.
Living today.
Any car is not-- Unfortunately for Rut, a rare local tv technical glitch meant that half of his commercial went out without any sound.
There was a problem? Yeah, the audio guy's in full panic mode.
You're saying people couldn't hear what I was saying? Yeah, because of--of-- are we going to redo it again? I don't know if I can do it a second time! That's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, Jeff! You're saying they couldn't-- they couldn't hear that genius just pouring out.
No.
They couldn't see the car because of the smoke.
You know what, it's best that way.
While Rut's blast from the past fell on deaf ears, I was going to let my Merkur do all the talking for me.
I hadn't been able to rustle up any swimsuit models-- big surprise, so I improvised, and enlisted the next best thing.
Good morning, San Diego, we'll be right back.
In 3, 2, and cue talent.
That's right, we're down here at Ron Baker Chevrolet.
Hey, Tanner Foust has got a car he wants to sell you.
And look at this thing! It's got all the goodies on it, I'm tellin' ya.
This is going to be a great car.
Look at that, all broken in and ready to go.
All down here at Ron Baker Chevrolet.
All right, let's talk to Tanner.
Ok, so the tires are broke in.
Yeah, I'm just warming it up.
This is an '86 Merkur XR4Ti, German engineering, German precision.
Basically a fountain of youth.
If you could use five years off your life and you got a couple thousand dollars to spare, this is your car today.
Today! Today only, right here at Ron Baker Chevrolet, eh? Come on down.
And we're out.
We're done, we're off the air.
Whoo-hoo! How bad do you want this car, Rut? I'll make you a deal, because that is going to bring them in.
Who's going to buy that car after you beat up on it? A lot of people! You actually said nothing about the car.
It sold itself.
All right.
Gentlemen, let me show you how it's done, all right? All right.
Way to go, show off.
Oh, you want to do donuts? I can do mine one-handed.
Ooh, I'm Tanner Foust.
Shave years off your life, buy this piece of crap.
That's what you just did.
Donut boy and smokey the astronaut's commercials were an embarrassment.
They had no style.
Friggin' elegance.
This is how you sell a car.
I looked good, and my caddy looked better.
What in the hell is happening? Traffic's up next, stay with us and cue Adam.
Good morning, San Diego.
It is a beautiful day.
The sun is up.
And when the sun is up, the top goes down.
This is the 1993 Cadillac Allante, powered by the north star v8.
American muscle with European styling, designed in Italy And very popular in France.
This car should come with diplomatic plates, because in it, you are a bad ass-ador.
This is a world-class luxury roadster, and we all know the state of the world--it sucks! So taste the good life before it's too late.
Drive a Cadillac, 'cause we're all going to die! It's starting to hit the fan already! It's in his hair! Clear.
Steve, I want to talk to you about the birds! If you want a bird to crap on you, buy this car.
I am 90% happy with my commercial.
It's tough to get birds to behave.
You guys went costumes, you got birds, a string quartet, smoke machines.
My car is just going to sell itself.
It's a done deal.
I've got loads of people coming in.
You know why? Because I took them somewhere.
I took them to the future today.
I took them all over the world and I'm promising them elegance to drive around in.
You basically said, look, I'm going in a circle, actually heading nowhere.
We'll see who sells their car today.
All right, the people will be here soon, may the best man win, which will be me.
That'll be me.
My car is this way.
Coming up, the losers of our co-classic challenge rub elbows and wheels with Dax Shephard and Sean Hayes.
Oh, yeah! In a wild race with our new BMW 10 series.
Oh-ho-ho! Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to try to transform some market failures into cult classics.
Oh, my butt sweat! First, we tested our manufacturer's claims.
And my Merkur had come out on top.
Then we tried to pitch the pros on the merits of our cars before unleashing our ideas on the people of San Diego.
But now it was crunch time.
We were joining the prestigious ranks of used car salesmen.
Whoever sold their car for a price closest to its original cost would win.
The Merkur sold new for $16,000.
The SVX was 35, and the Allante sold for a whopping 60 grand.
Adam was the first one to get some interest.
Here you go, pal.
Thank you.
Service engine soon? Yeah, soon, but not today.
You look good in this car, pal.
Hi, I'm Tanner.
Hi, Tanner.
Remarkably, someone has also been attracted by Tanner's donut commercial.
Are you familiar with this type of car? A little bit, a little bit.
Tell me more about it, though.
Have you had one of these? I have.
I had a lot of fun.
That's kind of perfect for you.
That's weird.
Some things just happen.
You can't call it fate.
It's more like destiny, I guess.
By my Subaru had a bit of a slow start.
I think what may have got me was the lack of volume on my commercial.
It may have been a little bit confusing to consumers at home, thinking that, hey, there's a guy on a segway dressed as an astronaut and the car's on fire.
Let's go for a drive.
Sure.
All right, you're driving.
Oh, great.
Yeah.
Going for a test drive.
Feels good.
Yeah.
It sounds nice, right? It speaks to people.
It says, hey, I'm exciting.
I apprececiate what's overseas, I'm cultured.
.
I know how to pronounce Merkur.
Which, by the way, how do you pronounce it? "Mercour".
(bleep).
I've been saying it wrong this whole damn time.
I just don't think it's going to be worth it.
Five grand and it's yours.
There's-- there's no way.
I can't do it.
4,500.
Four grand! No.
Why don't you-- why don't come back after lunch?! Tanner, customer waiting on line one.
Adam, line two.
I had this guy hooked, and it was time to seal the deal.
What do you think? It could use some work.
Yeah? If I include some drifting lessons, will you take it for three grand? No, I don't think so.
I was shootin' low.
Man.
Where are you at? I'm at 450.
While Tanner was struggling to keep his buyer hooked, I was reeling in a whale.
I've probably had about a half dozen Allantes over the years.
Really? Yes.
This one's got a meager 122,000 on it.
A meager 122,000.
Hmm.
All right, thank you very much for the drive.
Thank you for your time.
With one low ball offer on the table, I thought it was only smart salesmanship to hold out for a bigger buyer.
See if I fit.
Well, Europeans aren't usually very big.
Oh, yeah.
There we go.
It's European, it's rare.
I just love it.
I love everything about it.
Oh, man.
Those are expensive words, Christian.
How's that ride, huh? Nice and smooth.
This car was made for you, Tommy.
And you look good driving it.
Can we pop the hood? Oh, yeah.
Let's take a look.
Finally, after three hours of polishing, I had my first customers.
Don't mind that trash bag, I was just trying to keep the seats nice and clean for you guys.
Oh, it even has an alarm, too, look at that.
Uh, it has an-- that's an alarm.
That is an alarm.
Ok.
I was thinking under 500, but $500? Hmm, ok, we got a lot to think about here.
Oh, well, yeah, well, that's my offer.
With Tanner getting another low-ball offer, I knew I had to close the deal fast.
$2,000.
That's all I can spend on this car.
All right, I'll take it.
Two grand, you got yourself a car.
All right.
I had the first sale, and for Rut to beat me, he'd have to get at least $1,200 for that soggy Subaru.
200 bucks? I'll take it.
For $200, you'll take it.
With only one customer all day, Rut had no choice.
You know what, if you can do cash, I'll do it.
200 cash.
200 cash.
Congratulations.
Welcome to the future.
I had two cheapskates interested in the Merkur, but to beat Adam, I had to get way more than 500 bucks.
So I decided to pit them against each other in a good old-fashioned auction.
Are you guys related? No.
No? That's weird.
Let's start the bidding at 500.
Who's going to give me 500? Give me 500.
You got 500? Ok, who's giving me 525? $525.
Wow, that was quick.
Fearless, really.
Came in with the extra buck.
546.
Walk away.
What's it up to? I just want to hear.
We got $546.
We're going 547.
You want 547? 547.
547? I'll go 600.
Yeah.
600 cash.
I'll go six.
Look at this look of dejection.
I got 600 going once.
Come on.
I got 600 going twice.
Don't let him have it.
600 Sold.
Whoo! How'd you do? I mean, ok, until Rutledge swooped in and bought my car.
He bought it? - He did buy it.
- I did.
Because the Merkur had retailed for just $16,000 versus the Allante's 60, the 600 bucks Rut paid had put me over the top.
My ride had swept the board, meaning I didn't need to race in the double decker death traps.
600 bucks on my car-- - why'd you spend 600 bucks? - I win.
Losers.
The one thing this does prove.
What? Out of all these cars, the XR4TI is the one that deserves to come back reincarnated, get another chance in the American-- no, it doesn't.
He bought it.
- No, I agree.
- Of course you agree.
You bought it.
Well, yeah, but he's right.
I'm going to go drive my new car.
Take me for a ride in this thing.
While technically Tanner had won the challenge, I felt like I was the true winner.
All right, fella, see what your new investment can do.
I have a problem.
I know! 'Cause this cherry red XR4TI was coming home with me.
America! And Germany.
And Germany! And Germany.
Don't slip the clutch so much! Because we lost the cult classic challenge, Adam and I had to travel to Irwindale speedway outside of Los Angeles and treat some Hollywood celebrities to a race day.
Which didn't sound bad at all, until I got a look at the cars we'd be racing.
I'm just going to go on record-- this seems like a terrible, terrible idea.
Now.
But once we get in there and turn it around, it should be great.
All right, look, here they come.
Ok.
Look at that Lincoln.
That's a '67.
Look at that.
How are you, fellas? Irwindale speedway! Our celebrity co-drivers and stars of the movie "Hit and Run" Dax Shephard and Sean Hayes arrived in a true cult classic.
This is the one from the movie, right? Yeah, this is it.
The '67 Lincoln from "Hit and Run", the star of the film.
We were all just supporting characters.
Yeah, she rides like butter.
If you like a car like this, then I think today is really going to be your day.
What are we driving? - We really upped our game for you guys.
- Oh, really? - How high? - It's an import.
- Oh, it's an import.
- Oh, yes, it is.
Is it something from Japan or from Germany? German.
Germany! Is it like an AMG or an M5 or something? From the company-- it's like that.
No.
It's not.
All right.
Ok.
Dax, I've seen your wheel man skills there, I think you're going to go with me.
All right, and you're gonna go with me.
All right.
So you guys ready to see them? You ready? 'Cause we got something very special.
Yeah, I need to see this German import.
Ok.
You know what, move that bus.
Big reveal.
Uh-oh.
Hype it up.
Oh, wow.
And an rv, really? Move the RV! That's--that's not it, either.
No, no.
Here we go.
There it is.
That's your German import? Yeah.
This is the first time I've ever not wanted to drive a BMW.
Yeah, this is-- so congratulations.
This is-- yeah.
You guys take care.
No, no.
Come on.
You won't believe how fun they are.
Come take a look.
Our race cars are what I like to call the BMW 10 series.
That's a 3 series welded on top of a 7 series.
The 7 series controls only the gas and brakes while the chain on the steering column travels up through the roof and gives steering control to the 3 series on top of it.
Needless to say, this new 10 series is a little bit dangerous.
I mean, you're our sex appeal on the team.
Oh, thank you.
I've got the nerdy, like, flag corps band girl kind of a thing vibe going.
So I think when those two team up-- collide.
Hot chicks and nerdy chicks.
Boom.
- That's who we're driving for.
- Ok.
When we come into turns, we don't want any real sharp turns.
'Cause if you turn really sharp, that's when it could possibly flip over.
How fast are we gonna be going in this? Said the concerned guest.
Sean, I want you to know, we're gonna go fast enough to beat them.
Why don't I watch you go, see how fast it goes, and then-- you can't watch.
You gotta steer.
All right.
As a car guy, I think you can understand.
This is not a game of wits.
This is a game of balls.
This is a game of bravado.
That's it.
You're right.
I don't know if it was bravado, blind faith, or stupidity-- ready, fellas? But they agreed to stay and race.
Yeah, so look, you don't have to memorize the track because we'll be in front of you, just follow.
Ok, great.
Yeah, yeah.
You just tuck in behind us.
We got this, buddy.
Don't you worry about a thing.
How do I get in? Wait a minute.
I got an idea.
- You really get in? - Yeah.
This is the most lopsided competition in the history.
It just seems-- seems unfair.
It's like Jesse Owens racing me on foot.
The rules of the race were simple-- three laps through the course, first to finish wins.
And to make things more interesting, we'd be dodging the bus and the R.
V.
Here we go.
Dax, are you ready? Yeah.
Sean? Yeah.
Adam? Go! Knock knock.
Who's there? 3, 2, 1, go! We didn't exactly shoot off the lot, 'cause at first, it was like learning to drive all over again.
Oh, what do I do with my hands? Holy crap! This is the most awkward I've ever felt in a car.
Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to transform market failures into cult classics.
Taylor's Merkur had won, which meant Adam and I had been forced to race in double decker BMW 10 series with the stars of the film "Hit and Run".
As we started our three lap head to head race, I wasn't feeling too confident.
This is the most awkward I've ever felt in a car.
But by the time we headed into turn two, Dax was confident enough in his wheel skills to test just how strong those welds were.
Oh, look at that.
Oh, nice, huh? Yeah, come on! You want a piece of this?! Oh-ho-ho! That's it, hang 'em out.
Yeah! I'm going to (bleep) Die.
That's all right! Those guys could play bumper cars all they wanted.
Sean and I were focused on racing.
Ha ha ha! Great time, pal! Oh, let's get 'em.
Let's rear end 'em.
Oh, my God! Go, go, go, go! That's it, just keep behind us.
Oh, we got it.
They almost flipped it! Seriously going to (bleep) My pants.
Oh! Whoa, look out! Nearing the end of lap one, we were Fender to Fender.
Oh-ho-ho! Oh! Oh, my God! He almost bit the dust! Burned ya! (bleep) I was beginning to think my wheel man might be missing a few spokes.
Whoa-ho! Watch out for the motorhome! Uh-oh! We're behind a camper! Those guys are going to flip.
Whoa! We used the R.
V.
To box 'em in and take the lead.
Oh, yeah, look at that move.
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Don't let 'em by! Zig-zag! Bob and Weave! Rut changed his strategy from bumper cars to driving like Lindsay Lohan.
Come on, you [Indistinct.]
, drive! There you go! Ha ha ha! Nearing the end of lap two, we were still Fender to Fender.
Oh, k-rails are going left and right! Now I was sure that Dax was totally insane.
Wow! Oh, no.
Bye, guys.
Oh, my God! Oh, (bleep), that was close! With less than a lap to go, the ten series was still in one piece.
Now it was time to take control.
Great move! Great move! On the last lap, Sean gave us the lead.
Oh! We've got to win now.
Oh, my God! The thought of losing to these guys was unbearable, so this was it.
It was checkers or wreckers.
Oh! Oh, we're burnin' tires! Ok.
Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Yeah! Ok, Sean and I had lost, but the big winner was our BMW 10 series.
That was impressive.
Right? Nice.
Well done.
Nice work.
Sean.
Great, great first-- Thanks.
That was normal.
That was normal.
Sean's first time driving on a racetrack.
He did great, didn't he? And his first time in a double decker car.
Well, this week.
It was a great day at the races after all.
As Dax burnethrough a new set of tires, I thought that with the right marketing campaign, the BMW 10 series could really take off.
That's-- that's amazing.
Nice work.
You, too.
Stand by! By selling them on a live morning new show This is your car, today! Today! And the stars of the new film "Hit and Run", Dax Shepard and Sean Hayes join us for a race in to cult classic in the making.
Hahahahahaha! Every year, around 160 new car models are launched in the U.
S.
Some of them fail miserably and end up on the scrap heap.
But do any of these slow sellers deserve a second chance? To find out, we met up in San Diego, one of the biggest used car markets in the country.
Each of us had picked a long forgotten failure that we felt deserved a second chance to become a cult classic.
Some cars are built before their time and their genius goes unappreciated, sitting dusty and heavily discounted on dealer lots until ultimately their production is cut short.
Could be the economy was bad.
Could be a bad marketing campaign.
They're like the quirky girl in high school who goes to college and becomes a supermodel.
But you know what, did she develop into a supermodel, or did other people's taste mold to her? That's the question.
I was the first to arrive.
Behold the misunderstood genius that is the 1992 Subaru SVX.
In '92 when the SVX came out, people didn't know what to think because it wasn't like a Subaru at all.
They made cars that were these tiny little econo boxes, not a $35,000 spaceship.
The thing that held this car back the most might actually be the coolest part about it, which are the crazy windows.
So, sure, it was futuristic.
Stop drooling.
You know you want it.
1986 Merkur XR4Ti.
German engineering and performance for America.
That's the 2.
3 turbo? Yes.
Real wheel drive.
Absolutely.
Is that one a manual? - Yes, it is.
- Oh, that's hard to find.
Now, those are sold as Fords in the UK, but here's it's sold as a what? Merkur.
Is that German for "bad marketing concept"? No.
Here's the problem.
In 1986, performance cars were huge.
This was part of the small car revolution that only we're now seeing in the U.
S.
If this car came out into the dealerships right now, it would sell like hotcakes.
I have to be honest, you're not wrong.
I mean, I really do like the car.
I've wanted one.
I've looked at one before.
But I also understand, like, a lot of people see the goofy wing and these old dryer vents that were cut into the hood as strange.
Do you feel that? Do you feel that? That's horsepower.
The question is, what did Adam get? I'm gonna guess it's American, got to be obscure.
Oh, Adam got a Cadillac.
Oh, that's where we're supposed to be surprised.
Yeah.
Gentlemen, say it with me.
Eh? Eh? 1993 Cadillac Allante, a car ahead of its time.
GM chose this car to introduce the northstar system.
Body by Pininfarina, famous for their Ferrari designs.
An instant classic.
Front-wheel drive.
V-8.
Very true.
It is a front-wheel drive, but it was the most powerful front-wheel drive in the world at that time.
Is that because it was the only front-wheel drive V-8 at the time? The point is, this is elegance.
These are ugly step sisters.
So what are we gonna do with them? I'll tell you what we're gonna do with them.
Please do, Tanner.
"You have each chosen cars that were commercial failures, but which you think deserve to be successes.
" Yes.
"To give them a second chance, "you'll present them for sale "in a live television commercial in 24 hours time.
Whoever sold their car for closest to the original list price would win.
" Live TV.
Nothing can go wrong.
Get ready.
"But first you'll each complete a challenge "that tests the claims made by your car's manufacturer.
Your first challenge is 30 miles away.
" Let's go.
All right.
- Mount up.
- Let's do it.
Ow! Ow, I can't get my head out there.
(bleep) I truly don't know who the market for this car was, but I think it was Subaru trying to show the world they were thinking outside of the box.
They wanted to be more than the brand they were.
But they didn't convince the public, and Subaru sold just over 14,000 SVXs in the U.
S.
over 4 years.
To actually make money, they needed to sell a lot more than that.
Maybe they should have put a double spoiler on it.
I think the Merkur was just one of those cars that was a very, very good idea.
It simply was Ford motor company trying to bring the lessons learned in the innovation from their German engineering department over to the U.
S.
Despite that, Ford sold less than half of what it needed to.
Having a virtually unpronounceable name probably didn't help.
But Adam's car confused people even more when they saw the word "Cadillac" written on the back.
Caddy designed the Allante to go up against the Mercedes SL, a very refined machine.
And what they learned was Mercedes was putting extra weight in the door just to get that thump, that vault sound when they closed.
So Caddy did the same thing.
The car rides great.
It rides like a Caddy.
Big V-8 in it.
And I think I'm using 7 out of those 8 cylinders.
The Allante was expensive, almost $60,000 in 1988, which is like $120,000 in today's money.
But they still sold 21,000 of them.
That wasn't enough for GM, so they killed the Allante after only 4 years.
What's up with the champagne? - I'm thirsty.
- Must be brunch.
Since each of our cars had been marketed with unique features, we'd each been given a challenge that would test those claims.
My Allante featured ground-breaking road sensing suspension that promised ultimate comfort.
So my challenge would be to drive across a series of speed bumps at 50 miles an hour with volatile cargo.
Wait, do you think they're gonna prematurely pop here? You've never said that to a woman, have you? When you shake-- don't shake that.
Well, I mean, that's what's gonna happen.
You're gonna be shaking this whole thing.
Unscrewed-- then pop! Pop! Pop! Tanner, what are you doing? Wow! Wow! Son of a bitch.
They're shooting at us already.
- Leave it alone.
- Shots fired.
- Shots fired.
- Shall we? We were more than happy to help Adam load up.
Don't shake them up too much.
Hey, hey, hey.
Don't point it at me, man.
Is that a side door? Wait, which door? Stop it.
Don't mess up my seats.
2, 3! Oh, oh.
That's good.
That's good.
Stop.
What are you doing? It's a Cadillac.
Go hump your Subaru.
That car was designed for people who are just barely alive.
Nobody's ever gone full throttle in that car.
- Never.
- Safety first.
All right, fellas, I'm ready.
3, 2, 1, go.
Faster, faster, faster.
Here we go.
Go for it.
Go for it.
Go, go, go! Ow! Ow! Ow! It's shooting at me.
He stayed on the course.
I don't believe it.
Coming back again! Oh! Oh! Oh! He keeps leaving the ground.
That was awesome.
That was a great test.
Oh, man.
Ha ha ha! Look at that! They all didn't go.
No way.
Gentlemen, I'd call that a success.
8 bottles survived.
Out of? Half.
You got half.
Yeah.
That's a fail in a class.
That's not a fail in a class.
Half survived.
Look, I'm an optimist.
The glass is half full.
Cheers to you.
How about a toast? - There you go.
- What do you think? Yeah.
Huh? A toast sounds good.
You know who we should toast to? To Adam.
Adam's success.
Congratulations! My Allante had really only half passed the test, but I was confident it would beat Tanner's German washing machine.
The Merkur was sold to the American public as the height of German precision engineering.
So my challenge would be to navigate a makeshift race track with some brats and German passengers along for the ride.
German passengers.
In the car.
I don't know.
I don't see anybody.
That must be them.
No freakin' way.
I had 30 second to drive through the course, avoiding the pylons with mugs of beer teetering on top of them, wearing German sausages around my neck with a car full of killer German Shepherd attack dogs.
Just another day at the office.
I feel like I'm getting sausage knighted.
There you go.
Oh, gosh.
Oh! Ugh! Come on! And of course my germanic passengers skipped breakfast and lunch.
The boy does have a way with the bitches.
Don't eat it in my lap, please.
I can't see anything.
Well, that's perfect.
But I was confident that even 25 years after its launch, my Merkur's marketing claims would still ring true.
30 seconds.
Slalom.
Don't knock down any beers.
Careful with your sausage.
It's--oh, God.
We're gonna count down from the finish line.
All right.
Yeah, we'll see you at the finish.
Come on.
What? Hold that beer.
Ok.
There we go.
Ok.
Perfect.
Any second now.
3, 2, 1, go! Hang on.
Hold on, brutus, hold on.
That's my leg.
That's my leg.
Oh, oh.
Look who's not Mr.
drifter anymore.
It's your sausage.
It's your sausage.
No! Nobody's fighting you for the sausage.
Oh, here he comes.
I don't even want the sausage.
It's ok.
It's ok.
It's ok.
Oh, you're big-- you're a big boy.
Oh, this is a tight one.
Oh, there's one.
There's one beer.
There's a beer.
There's a second.
Ha ha ha! What's his time? 30 seconds.
He did exactly 30 seconds? 30 seconds.
Get me out of here.
That was impossibly narrow.
Did you move that? No, I didn't move that.
Let me out.
Did you break this? Get out the sunroof.
Good dog.
See you guys.
Nice knowing you.
Real good dog.
Really nice dog.
Oh, it works now.
Look at that.
There you go.
Come on out.
That's it.
Must be that German precision.
Coming up, my SVX braves the elements.
It's like being in a hurricane.
And later, the losers of our cult classic challenge team up with Dax Shepard and Sean Hayes in the dangerous double decker derby.
Oh, stop! Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to turn 3 sales failures into cult classics.
After a series of challenges, we'd have to try to sell them to the public.
The closest to the original list price would win.
So far Tanner's 1986 Merkur's claims for precision and speed were challenged by 3 German passengers.
And he knocked over 3 of the 9 obstacles.
Ha ha ha! And the smooth ride promised in Adam's Cadillac had been sabotaged by half his champagne bottles exploding.
So Tanner was in the lead, but now it was my turn.
Subaru's big claim for the SVX was that the unique window construction made it possible to drive in the rain with the windows down and not get wet.
To test this, I had to drive 2 laps behind a 4,000 gallon water truck with the windows down while wearing a suit made of sponges, which would expand if any water hit them.
Tanner was only too happy to man the hose.
I wore something like this to prom.
I believe you.
It was pretty nice.
My mom made it.
Was she your date, too? That was one too many sausage slaps to the face, I think.
One thing.
Ok, there you go.
Oh, yeah.
There you go.
It's perfect.
It's just my size.
Tip your head.
Ah--ow! I can't-- that's it.
I can't get my head in there.
You're Spongebob Rutledge.
Oh, this is the good stuff right there.
This could really hurt him.
Ow, stop.
Watch your head.
That's enough.
I am a little worried about Tanner working the nozzle.
I feel like he's always got something to prove, you know.
Maybe Adam would be a little bit more kind to me.
Might be a touch more than your standard rain.
But you know what, I've got total confidence in this thing.
All right, let's do this, rut.
All right, go.
Oh, wow.
Oh, jeez.
Look at this.
Nothing.
Nothing.
See you from right here.
Ok, ok.
You think so? It's just a misting.
It's like a light rain.
Definitely some mild precipitation in here.
Nothing the Subaru can't handle.
I was taking it way too easy on rut.
Any car could withstand a drizzle.
Watch this.
Yeah! Oh, my God.
Oh, jeez! Oh, this is good.
Oh, my God.
That is so much water.
Oh, my butt's wet.
My butt is definitely wet.
He's got the wipers on, like it's gonna help.
Oh, my God, I can't see anything.
Holy crap.
It's like being in a hurricane.
Son of a bitch, that is cold.
Oh! Oh, God.
You broke my (bleep) Wipers.
While I survived hurricane Tanner relatively unscathed-- are you wet? Yeah.
My Subaru had started to complain.
I think the Subaru's upset.
I don't know if you guys can tell, but that--that passed the test.
It's got a pool of water in the floor.
Clearly you failed.
Your suit passed, but your car failed.
You lost.
I didn't, I'm half dry.
Your car's having a stroke.
Half of my body, bone dry.
Fine.
That half passed.
This half failed, and that car failed.
No.
You half-- you half failed, so then we're even.
So I mostly passed, so I win.
Tanner's Merkur may have won, but we'd all learned valuable lessons about our cars' quirks.
You've got to stop doing that.
With only 18 hours till we hit the airwaves, we needed to focus.
You know what, for my commercial, I've got a plan.
Ok, I'm gonna dry it off and clean it up a little bit.
Yeah, got a plan.
I've got a plan for my commercial.
How about you? Nothing.
Why should today be any different? Let's go.
As we headed to our next challenge, it was looking like the Merkur had this one in the bag.
Here's the deal.
Adam has filled his car with champagne.
Rutledge's car is beeping constantly and has water dripping out of the doors every time you open them.
This car's fine.
This is one of those cars that just requires a very, very specific buyer.
Tanner may have been confident, but it was becoming clear to Rut and I that perhaps our cars weren't as perfect as we hoped.
My freakin' dashboard's freaking out.
Come on, what are you doing? What is wrong with you? Come on, baby.
Come on.
You can do it.
We only had one shot at selling these cars and we needed some help, so our next challenge was to try and convince one of the city's top marketing firms to help us with our commercials.
Hey, Tanner, I think this is the left turn up here.
This is convenient, Adam, since your left turn signal's been on for the last 45 minutes.
It's like a real marketing firm.
Yeah.
Wait till they hear my ideas.
The award-winning Jacob Tyler group uses its marketing expertise to help the campaigns of high end clients like the Four Seasons hotel group and Microsoft-- hey, fellas.
So my Cadillac was a perfect fit.
I have to sell that Cadillac.
And when? How? Who? What? We're doing a live commercial on the morning news here in San Diego.
Ok.
And I have to sell the Cadillac.
And I need your guys brains to get some ideas to get the most bang for my buck.
The people that bought XLRS, you know, perhaps they'd be interested in owning a piece of the heritage pre-XLR.
Hey.
A piece of your history.
Yeah.
Where it all began.
Genesis.
The beginning.
Right.
The garden of eden.
We got Adam, we got Eve.
Adam is driving, Eve's in the passenger seat, and they drive over the snake.
Cadillac.
(bleep) The devil.
I don't know.
You don't know.
Do you want me to tell you some stuff about your car? 'Cause you're probably gonna need that for the meeting.
Bathroom's that way, right? All right, let's start with the 2.
3.
64 ad.
Rome is burning.
The Allante comes screaming out of it.
Nero is driving.
Nero turns to the camera and says, "yeah, I lost an empire, but I'm driving a Cadillac.
" Wow.
Yeah.
Just like my Allante, my genius had gone unrecognized.
Be good.
Some people just don't get it.
Got a real aerodynamic look to it.
The windows, they said you could drive in the rain with them down and not get wet.
Yeah, you take that call.
I'll just Rehearsal was over.
Now it was my turn to pitch.
Hello.
Hey, there.
How are you guys? They have no idea how bored they're about to be.
Right.
Let's sum it up.
60 seconds.
A start, middle, end.
Tell a story.
Who's the hero.
How you sell it.
I think it's all about looking towards the future.
You know, tomorrow.
What is the next big thing? Well, the next big thing happened 20 years ago.
It's the SVX.
So tomorrow is yesterday.
You know, maybe I'm not explaining this right.
Tell me the truth, were you scared with those dogs in the car? I wasn't--I wasn't scared until the sausage fell between my legs.
That'll do it.
Yeah.
All-wheel drive.
Get your valves here.
They also would call this horizontally opposed.
It's got an aircraft-inspired glass-to-glass canopy, 230 horsepower, a special power mode that raises shift points for better acceleration.
God, he's been in there for hours.
So now, does your market, at 7:00 am, care? I think they're going to.
They're gonna say, I'm going back To the future of automobiles, which is the Subaru SVX.
Good luck with that.
Whew.
Coming up, Tanner tries his hand at pitching the experts.
Let's just focus on breasts.
And later, the losers of our cult classic challenge will race around the track in the most dangerous BMWs ever made.
Oh, my God! "Top Gear" had sent us to San Diego to rebrand our favorite cult classics and try to convince consumers that they were worth a second look.
So far, my Merkur had won the manufacturer's claim challenge.
Ohh! And Adam and Rut had failed to impress some top marketing executives with their sales pitches.
Now, it was my turn.
Sell me on this car so I can help you sell this car.
What's the slogan? What's the tag line? So if you're closing the commercial, how are you going to close it? What's going to sell it? Here's the sales pitch-- all right, we get some girls.
We'll get umbrella girls.
Yeah.
And then bikini girls.
Right.
And then we'll have go-go girls dancing around all of them.
You get a couple hot chicks there, right? Get some explosions.
And originally I was thinking a monkey knife fight, but I think that's maybe a little bit too grunge.
Do you have any other thoughts? Yeah.
Ok, so one thing it does is it turns really well.
So you get, ok, let's say you get a hot chick, right? You put her in the passenger seat and you like rip it around kind of a bumpy track.
Ah.
Ah.
I almost just spit my drink out.
Yeah.
That's a good thing, right? I don't know.
Ok, then let's just focus on breasts.
The experts didn't have a lot of faith in our ideas and made us promise not to mention their names.
But we'd show 'em.
There was still a whole 10 hours until we went live the next morning.
Early the next day, it was show time.
We had chosen a prime location at one of San Diego's busiest car dealerships for our live commercials.
We were all scrambling with last minute preparations.
It's putting up a fight, huh? Oh, yeah.
It's a busted Cadillac! Come on.
Cooperate, baby.
We're fighting the clock here.
It was 6:17 A.
M.
30 seconds.
Time to blast off into automotive history.
Stand by.
It's so hot in here.
Wow.
The smoke thing is really backfiring.
A little strange to you that you make the car look like its burning in order to sell it? Shouldn't have had that burrito.
You're looking at our live shot of the harbor.
Coming up, our five day forecast and rusty with traffic.
And ready in the field, in 3, 2, and cue Rutledge.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the future.
Not just any future, but your future, in an automobile.
This is a car unlike any other car you've ever seen.
Because it was made in 1992.
Now this is your future, but back from the past.
Living today.
Any car is not-- Unfortunately for Rut, a rare local tv technical glitch meant that half of his commercial went out without any sound.
There was a problem? Yeah, the audio guy's in full panic mode.
You're saying people couldn't hear what I was saying? Yeah, because of--of-- are we going to redo it again? I don't know if I can do it a second time! That's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, Jeff! You're saying they couldn't-- they couldn't hear that genius just pouring out.
No.
They couldn't see the car because of the smoke.
You know what, it's best that way.
While Rut's blast from the past fell on deaf ears, I was going to let my Merkur do all the talking for me.
I hadn't been able to rustle up any swimsuit models-- big surprise, so I improvised, and enlisted the next best thing.
Good morning, San Diego, we'll be right back.
In 3, 2, and cue talent.
That's right, we're down here at Ron Baker Chevrolet.
Hey, Tanner Foust has got a car he wants to sell you.
And look at this thing! It's got all the goodies on it, I'm tellin' ya.
This is going to be a great car.
Look at that, all broken in and ready to go.
All down here at Ron Baker Chevrolet.
All right, let's talk to Tanner.
Ok, so the tires are broke in.
Yeah, I'm just warming it up.
This is an '86 Merkur XR4Ti, German engineering, German precision.
Basically a fountain of youth.
If you could use five years off your life and you got a couple thousand dollars to spare, this is your car today.
Today! Today only, right here at Ron Baker Chevrolet, eh? Come on down.
And we're out.
We're done, we're off the air.
Whoo-hoo! How bad do you want this car, Rut? I'll make you a deal, because that is going to bring them in.
Who's going to buy that car after you beat up on it? A lot of people! You actually said nothing about the car.
It sold itself.
All right.
Gentlemen, let me show you how it's done, all right? All right.
Way to go, show off.
Oh, you want to do donuts? I can do mine one-handed.
Ooh, I'm Tanner Foust.
Shave years off your life, buy this piece of crap.
That's what you just did.
Donut boy and smokey the astronaut's commercials were an embarrassment.
They had no style.
Friggin' elegance.
This is how you sell a car.
I looked good, and my caddy looked better.
What in the hell is happening? Traffic's up next, stay with us and cue Adam.
Good morning, San Diego.
It is a beautiful day.
The sun is up.
And when the sun is up, the top goes down.
This is the 1993 Cadillac Allante, powered by the north star v8.
American muscle with European styling, designed in Italy And very popular in France.
This car should come with diplomatic plates, because in it, you are a bad ass-ador.
This is a world-class luxury roadster, and we all know the state of the world--it sucks! So taste the good life before it's too late.
Drive a Cadillac, 'cause we're all going to die! It's starting to hit the fan already! It's in his hair! Clear.
Steve, I want to talk to you about the birds! If you want a bird to crap on you, buy this car.
I am 90% happy with my commercial.
It's tough to get birds to behave.
You guys went costumes, you got birds, a string quartet, smoke machines.
My car is just going to sell itself.
It's a done deal.
I've got loads of people coming in.
You know why? Because I took them somewhere.
I took them to the future today.
I took them all over the world and I'm promising them elegance to drive around in.
You basically said, look, I'm going in a circle, actually heading nowhere.
We'll see who sells their car today.
All right, the people will be here soon, may the best man win, which will be me.
That'll be me.
My car is this way.
Coming up, the losers of our co-classic challenge rub elbows and wheels with Dax Shephard and Sean Hayes.
Oh, yeah! In a wild race with our new BMW 10 series.
Oh-ho-ho! Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to try to transform some market failures into cult classics.
Oh, my butt sweat! First, we tested our manufacturer's claims.
And my Merkur had come out on top.
Then we tried to pitch the pros on the merits of our cars before unleashing our ideas on the people of San Diego.
But now it was crunch time.
We were joining the prestigious ranks of used car salesmen.
Whoever sold their car for a price closest to its original cost would win.
The Merkur sold new for $16,000.
The SVX was 35, and the Allante sold for a whopping 60 grand.
Adam was the first one to get some interest.
Here you go, pal.
Thank you.
Service engine soon? Yeah, soon, but not today.
You look good in this car, pal.
Hi, I'm Tanner.
Hi, Tanner.
Remarkably, someone has also been attracted by Tanner's donut commercial.
Are you familiar with this type of car? A little bit, a little bit.
Tell me more about it, though.
Have you had one of these? I have.
I had a lot of fun.
That's kind of perfect for you.
That's weird.
Some things just happen.
You can't call it fate.
It's more like destiny, I guess.
By my Subaru had a bit of a slow start.
I think what may have got me was the lack of volume on my commercial.
It may have been a little bit confusing to consumers at home, thinking that, hey, there's a guy on a segway dressed as an astronaut and the car's on fire.
Let's go for a drive.
Sure.
All right, you're driving.
Oh, great.
Yeah.
Going for a test drive.
Feels good.
Yeah.
It sounds nice, right? It speaks to people.
It says, hey, I'm exciting.
I apprececiate what's overseas, I'm cultured.
.
I know how to pronounce Merkur.
Which, by the way, how do you pronounce it? "Mercour".
(bleep).
I've been saying it wrong this whole damn time.
I just don't think it's going to be worth it.
Five grand and it's yours.
There's-- there's no way.
I can't do it.
4,500.
Four grand! No.
Why don't you-- why don't come back after lunch?! Tanner, customer waiting on line one.
Adam, line two.
I had this guy hooked, and it was time to seal the deal.
What do you think? It could use some work.
Yeah? If I include some drifting lessons, will you take it for three grand? No, I don't think so.
I was shootin' low.
Man.
Where are you at? I'm at 450.
While Tanner was struggling to keep his buyer hooked, I was reeling in a whale.
I've probably had about a half dozen Allantes over the years.
Really? Yes.
This one's got a meager 122,000 on it.
A meager 122,000.
Hmm.
All right, thank you very much for the drive.
Thank you for your time.
With one low ball offer on the table, I thought it was only smart salesmanship to hold out for a bigger buyer.
See if I fit.
Well, Europeans aren't usually very big.
Oh, yeah.
There we go.
It's European, it's rare.
I just love it.
I love everything about it.
Oh, man.
Those are expensive words, Christian.
How's that ride, huh? Nice and smooth.
This car was made for you, Tommy.
And you look good driving it.
Can we pop the hood? Oh, yeah.
Let's take a look.
Finally, after three hours of polishing, I had my first customers.
Don't mind that trash bag, I was just trying to keep the seats nice and clean for you guys.
Oh, it even has an alarm, too, look at that.
Uh, it has an-- that's an alarm.
That is an alarm.
Ok.
I was thinking under 500, but $500? Hmm, ok, we got a lot to think about here.
Oh, well, yeah, well, that's my offer.
With Tanner getting another low-ball offer, I knew I had to close the deal fast.
$2,000.
That's all I can spend on this car.
All right, I'll take it.
Two grand, you got yourself a car.
All right.
I had the first sale, and for Rut to beat me, he'd have to get at least $1,200 for that soggy Subaru.
200 bucks? I'll take it.
For $200, you'll take it.
With only one customer all day, Rut had no choice.
You know what, if you can do cash, I'll do it.
200 cash.
200 cash.
Congratulations.
Welcome to the future.
I had two cheapskates interested in the Merkur, but to beat Adam, I had to get way more than 500 bucks.
So I decided to pit them against each other in a good old-fashioned auction.
Are you guys related? No.
No? That's weird.
Let's start the bidding at 500.
Who's going to give me 500? Give me 500.
You got 500? Ok, who's giving me 525? $525.
Wow, that was quick.
Fearless, really.
Came in with the extra buck.
546.
Walk away.
What's it up to? I just want to hear.
We got $546.
We're going 547.
You want 547? 547.
547? I'll go 600.
Yeah.
600 cash.
I'll go six.
Look at this look of dejection.
I got 600 going once.
Come on.
I got 600 going twice.
Don't let him have it.
600 Sold.
Whoo! How'd you do? I mean, ok, until Rutledge swooped in and bought my car.
He bought it? - He did buy it.
- I did.
Because the Merkur had retailed for just $16,000 versus the Allante's 60, the 600 bucks Rut paid had put me over the top.
My ride had swept the board, meaning I didn't need to race in the double decker death traps.
600 bucks on my car-- - why'd you spend 600 bucks? - I win.
Losers.
The one thing this does prove.
What? Out of all these cars, the XR4TI is the one that deserves to come back reincarnated, get another chance in the American-- no, it doesn't.
He bought it.
- No, I agree.
- Of course you agree.
You bought it.
Well, yeah, but he's right.
I'm going to go drive my new car.
Take me for a ride in this thing.
While technically Tanner had won the challenge, I felt like I was the true winner.
All right, fella, see what your new investment can do.
I have a problem.
I know! 'Cause this cherry red XR4TI was coming home with me.
America! And Germany.
And Germany! And Germany.
Don't slip the clutch so much! Because we lost the cult classic challenge, Adam and I had to travel to Irwindale speedway outside of Los Angeles and treat some Hollywood celebrities to a race day.
Which didn't sound bad at all, until I got a look at the cars we'd be racing.
I'm just going to go on record-- this seems like a terrible, terrible idea.
Now.
But once we get in there and turn it around, it should be great.
All right, look, here they come.
Ok.
Look at that Lincoln.
That's a '67.
Look at that.
How are you, fellas? Irwindale speedway! Our celebrity co-drivers and stars of the movie "Hit and Run" Dax Shephard and Sean Hayes arrived in a true cult classic.
This is the one from the movie, right? Yeah, this is it.
The '67 Lincoln from "Hit and Run", the star of the film.
We were all just supporting characters.
Yeah, she rides like butter.
If you like a car like this, then I think today is really going to be your day.
What are we driving? - We really upped our game for you guys.
- Oh, really? - How high? - It's an import.
- Oh, it's an import.
- Oh, yes, it is.
Is it something from Japan or from Germany? German.
Germany! Is it like an AMG or an M5 or something? From the company-- it's like that.
No.
It's not.
All right.
Ok.
Dax, I've seen your wheel man skills there, I think you're going to go with me.
All right, and you're gonna go with me.
All right.
So you guys ready to see them? You ready? 'Cause we got something very special.
Yeah, I need to see this German import.
Ok.
You know what, move that bus.
Big reveal.
Uh-oh.
Hype it up.
Oh, wow.
And an rv, really? Move the RV! That's--that's not it, either.
No, no.
Here we go.
There it is.
That's your German import? Yeah.
This is the first time I've ever not wanted to drive a BMW.
Yeah, this is-- so congratulations.
This is-- yeah.
You guys take care.
No, no.
Come on.
You won't believe how fun they are.
Come take a look.
Our race cars are what I like to call the BMW 10 series.
That's a 3 series welded on top of a 7 series.
The 7 series controls only the gas and brakes while the chain on the steering column travels up through the roof and gives steering control to the 3 series on top of it.
Needless to say, this new 10 series is a little bit dangerous.
I mean, you're our sex appeal on the team.
Oh, thank you.
I've got the nerdy, like, flag corps band girl kind of a thing vibe going.
So I think when those two team up-- collide.
Hot chicks and nerdy chicks.
Boom.
- That's who we're driving for.
- Ok.
When we come into turns, we don't want any real sharp turns.
'Cause if you turn really sharp, that's when it could possibly flip over.
How fast are we gonna be going in this? Said the concerned guest.
Sean, I want you to know, we're gonna go fast enough to beat them.
Why don't I watch you go, see how fast it goes, and then-- you can't watch.
You gotta steer.
All right.
As a car guy, I think you can understand.
This is not a game of wits.
This is a game of balls.
This is a game of bravado.
That's it.
You're right.
I don't know if it was bravado, blind faith, or stupidity-- ready, fellas? But they agreed to stay and race.
Yeah, so look, you don't have to memorize the track because we'll be in front of you, just follow.
Ok, great.
Yeah, yeah.
You just tuck in behind us.
We got this, buddy.
Don't you worry about a thing.
How do I get in? Wait a minute.
I got an idea.
- You really get in? - Yeah.
This is the most lopsided competition in the history.
It just seems-- seems unfair.
It's like Jesse Owens racing me on foot.
The rules of the race were simple-- three laps through the course, first to finish wins.
And to make things more interesting, we'd be dodging the bus and the R.
V.
Here we go.
Dax, are you ready? Yeah.
Sean? Yeah.
Adam? Go! Knock knock.
Who's there? 3, 2, 1, go! We didn't exactly shoot off the lot, 'cause at first, it was like learning to drive all over again.
Oh, what do I do with my hands? Holy crap! This is the most awkward I've ever felt in a car.
Top Gear has sent us to San Diego, California to transform market failures into cult classics.
Taylor's Merkur had won, which meant Adam and I had been forced to race in double decker BMW 10 series with the stars of the film "Hit and Run".
As we started our three lap head to head race, I wasn't feeling too confident.
This is the most awkward I've ever felt in a car.
But by the time we headed into turn two, Dax was confident enough in his wheel skills to test just how strong those welds were.
Oh, look at that.
Oh, nice, huh? Yeah, come on! You want a piece of this?! Oh-ho-ho! That's it, hang 'em out.
Yeah! I'm going to (bleep) Die.
That's all right! Those guys could play bumper cars all they wanted.
Sean and I were focused on racing.
Ha ha ha! Great time, pal! Oh, let's get 'em.
Let's rear end 'em.
Oh, my God! Go, go, go, go! That's it, just keep behind us.
Oh, we got it.
They almost flipped it! Seriously going to (bleep) My pants.
Oh! Whoa, look out! Nearing the end of lap one, we were Fender to Fender.
Oh-ho-ho! Oh! Oh, my God! He almost bit the dust! Burned ya! (bleep) I was beginning to think my wheel man might be missing a few spokes.
Whoa-ho! Watch out for the motorhome! Uh-oh! We're behind a camper! Those guys are going to flip.
Whoa! We used the R.
V.
To box 'em in and take the lead.
Oh, yeah, look at that move.
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Don't let 'em by! Zig-zag! Bob and Weave! Rut changed his strategy from bumper cars to driving like Lindsay Lohan.
Come on, you [Indistinct.]
, drive! There you go! Ha ha ha! Nearing the end of lap two, we were still Fender to Fender.
Oh, k-rails are going left and right! Now I was sure that Dax was totally insane.
Wow! Oh, no.
Bye, guys.
Oh, my God! Oh, (bleep), that was close! With less than a lap to go, the ten series was still in one piece.
Now it was time to take control.
Great move! Great move! On the last lap, Sean gave us the lead.
Oh! We've got to win now.
Oh, my God! The thought of losing to these guys was unbearable, so this was it.
It was checkers or wreckers.
Oh! Oh, we're burnin' tires! Ok.
Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Yeah! Ok, Sean and I had lost, but the big winner was our BMW 10 series.
That was impressive.
Right? Nice.
Well done.
Nice work.
Sean.
Great, great first-- Thanks.
That was normal.
That was normal.
Sean's first time driving on a racetrack.
He did great, didn't he? And his first time in a double decker car.
Well, this week.
It was a great day at the races after all.
As Dax burnethrough a new set of tires, I thought that with the right marketing campaign, the BMW 10 series could really take off.
That's-- that's amazing.
Nice work.
You, too.