The American “Top Gear” presenting team of Tanner Foust, Rutledge Wood and Adam Ferrara will try their hand at designing a custom RV in a one-hour episode of the popular automotive show which will air on the History Channel network on Tuesday, February 12, at 9 p.m. EST (8 p.m. central). The U.S. version of the show -- which is a co-production between History and BBC Worldwide -- is seeking to replicate the phenomenal success of the U.K. series which reaches a staggering 150 million households globally.
According to the History Channel production blurb, “RVs are roomy and comfortable, but they're terrible to drive. So to solve this issue, Adam, Tanner and Rutledge design their own RV that has to be not only comfortable but also fun to drive.” Just like their Brit counterparts (Hammond, May and Clarkson) the U.S. Top Gear presenters will put their new RV through its paces by taking part in a series of tough challenges which culminate at the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway. In series 15 (episode four) the Brit hosts attempted a similar campervan challenge and between them created a Land Rover 110-based camper (Hammond), a Japanese themed Citroen-based high-rise RV (Clarkson) and a Lotus-based roof top camper (May), so it will certainly be interesting to see what their opposite numbers on this side of the pond can come up with.
Top Gear premiered in the U.K. in 1977 and has often featured motor homes and caravans though -- with the exception of Germany’s stunning Volkner Mobil Performance coach -- RVs have seldom fared well on the show. In a memorable episode in series eight, Clarkson, Hammond and May took a caravan holiday in Dorset, England and managed to reduce their travel trailer (an Elddis Shamal XL) to a smoking ruin.
What they created:
- A roof-based pocket rocket RV atop a 1983 Porsche 928S
- A two-storey apartment -- an homage New York’s flatiron building -- resting on a 1973 Buick Centurion
- A 1989 Honda Civic -- dubbed “The Minnie Winnie” -- that can concertina into a tent camper
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