Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / TL:DR - Car Masters, Rust to Riches Review (Seasons 1-4)
Transcript
- 0:00Grand Touring Motorsports started as a social group of car enthusiasts,
- 0:04but we've expanded into all sorts of motorsports disciplines, and we
- 0:08want to share our stories with you.
- 0:10Years of racing, wrenching, and motorsports experience brings
- 0:13together a top notch collection of knowledge and information
- 0:17through our podcast, Brake Fix.
- 0:22Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here, and this time on TLDR, or Too Long
- 0:27Didn't Read, we cover the entirety.
- 0:35I'm not generally one to fall prey to watching a reality television show.
- 0:39I don't like them.
- 0:40The drama is often contrived and the flow of time is manipulated
- 0:44to create artificial stress.
- 0:46Not to mention the cast are generally an insufferable motley crew that make
- 0:51you want to throw things at the screen.
- 0:53Lately, I've been on a tear of reviewing motorsports related programming that
- 0:58is available on streaming services, and I stopped for a moment to watch
- 1:01the trailer for Netflix's premiere season of Car Masters, Rust to Riches.
- 1:06What really hooked me was the opening of season one, where the premise
- 1:10of the show is clearly explained.
- 1:12The idea is to mimic the red paperclip trade up many of us might remember from
- 1:17a few years ago, whereby a young man wanted to see how far he could take the
- 1:21barter system and see if he could find a way to start with a simple object,
- 1:26in paperclip, and continue to trade and barter until he ended up with a house.
- 1:31Welcome to Gotham Garage.
- 1:33The Temecula, California based Gotham Garage's new business
- 1:36venture was quite similar.
- 1:38Start with a thousand dollar vehicle and build something worth
- 1:41trading for another vehicle.
- 1:42Build, repeat, build, repeat, until finally having a vehicle worth
- 1:46over a hundred thousand dollars.
- 1:47Or what they refer to as The Six Figure Payday.
- 1:50Gotham Garage and its owner Mark Talley are no strangers to building
- 1:53custom cars, and there are even other shows about their work.
- 1:57The show follows the journey of the Gotham Garage team for the better part of a year.
- 2:00They are a small crew.
- 2:02Mark, who's the owner and the lead designer.
- 2:04Sean, the wheeler dealer.
- 2:06Tony, the machinist.
- 2:08Caveman, the mechanic.
- 2:09And Constance, the engine builder.
- 2:12From the first car they build, a 1964 Ford Thunderbird, quote unquote, rocket
- 2:16car, to the very last one, an authentic 1955 Lincoln Futura replica, the show
- 2:22keeps you engaged the entire time.
- 2:25Some builds are split up across multiple episodes, leaving you with a tinge of
- 2:29cliffhanger moments, but not really.
- 2:31Let's face it.
- 2:32I'm binging.
- 2:33So this is an easy plow through of a few 30 minute episodes.
- 2:36It's definitely not couples cuddling time programming, but my wife was
- 2:40able to watch with me and found the build process interesting and
- 2:44the results of the work impressive from a non car person perspective.
- 2:48I think that speaks volumes.
- 2:50Overall, Car Master's Rust Riches doesn't have the typical drama of a
- 2:54reality program, but more a documentary format with moments reminiscent of The
- 2:58Office and its breakaway monologues.
- 3:01The result is a lot of long hours dutifully recorded and
- 3:04compressed for the audience.
- 3:06Whatever was left on the cutting room floor during production
- 3:08doesn't seem to matter.
- 3:09It probably would have taken away from the builds.
- 3:11The candid and simple nature of the format showcases some really
- 3:14creative, innovative, and unique design and engineering work.
- 3:18For me, some of the work that Tony and Caveman were able to accomplish was
- 3:22incredible and made me want to continue watching to see how they might tackle
- 3:26the next issue or set of requirements.
- 3:28I was pleased to see that the team gets along personally and work
- 3:32together flawlessly, which made the viewing experience even better
- 3:35compared to other shows in this genre.
- 3:39Aside from the Futura, which you might recognize as the 1960s Batmobile,
- 3:43I would say that the second most complicated build the team took on
- 3:46was a scale replica of the famed 1968 Hot Wheels Split'n Image toy.
- 3:52I actually had one of these in dark blue.
- 3:54It was a hand me down.
- 3:55So I was intrigued to see how they might scale up this toy.
- 3:59The team based a replica on top of a 1987 Corvette C4, which by calculations
- 4:04had the same scaled up wheelbase as the toy and nailed all the aspects
- 4:08and details of the concept car.
- 4:10It was even painted to match the rare Hot Wheels magenta color, and
- 4:14in a more recent image, the vehicle looks as though it has been repainted
- 4:18again by the owner along with the addition of some Corvette C6 wheels.
- 4:23There are definitely some really cool builds and projects in the show, but I
- 4:26don't want to spoil the series for you.
- 4:27Moreover, since I'm not a TV or movie critic, I won't be giving Carmaster's
- 4:31Rust to Riches an official View O Meter percentage of Pleasure Ability Score.
- 4:36As a Motorhead, I'll leave you with this.
- 4:38The 8 episode run was worth the watch, and I'm looking forward to Season 2.
- 4:43Season two, upgrade and trade the return of carmasters rust to riches this week.
- 4:49Netflix released the much anticipated season two of carmasters rust to riches.
- 4:54And it's been over a year and a half since the original season.
- 4:57So let's get caught up.
- 4:58If you recall, season one ended with the sale of a 1954 international
- 5:02cab over and a 1955 Lincoln Futura for a whopping 170, 000.
- 5:09That allowed Mark Talley and the Gotham Garage team, Sean, the wheeler dealer,
- 5:12Tony, the machinist, Caveman, the mechanic, and Constance, the engine
- 5:16builder, to expand Gotham Garage to a second shop, also located in Temecula,
- 5:20California, to help give them more space to work and grow their projects.
- 5:24Double the room, double the efficiency, Mark says.
- 5:27Season 2 ditches the red paperclip idea from Season 1
- 5:30and goes for a straightforward upgrade and trade approach.
- 5:33Car Masters packs the entire season into 8 easy to digest 30 minute episodes.
- 5:38The season kicks off with a 1953 Buick Sleeper Special, and the
- 5:42goal of obtaining the big payday with a 1959 Corvette Concept.
- 5:47But plans are quickly derailed by a series of unfortunate events, starting with a
- 5:51wreck and a couple of deals gone wrong.
- 5:53Electrified.
- 5:55Much like Mark, I'm not the biggest fan of electric vehicles, yet.
- 5:58And he was presented with the challenge to build an all electric drag race car
- 6:02encased in the shell of a 1973 Ford Pinto for famed IndyCar team owner and
- 6:07Roadster Hall of Fame winner Gil Losey.
- 6:10How could he say no, right?
- 6:12With a budget of 50, 000 and a time to beat of less than 9 seconds in the
- 6:168th of a mile, the team got to work.
- 6:18Despite being a Pinto, and despite being electric, the build was
- 6:22probably one of the most fascinating of the season, including things
- 6:24like tandem motors, Tesla batteries, electro luminescent paint, and more.
- 6:29In the end, the E Racer Plus, as it was badged by the team, put down an
- 6:33astounding and silent 1 8th mile run of 7.
- 6:3780 seconds on its first pass.
- 6:39The team handed over the keys to Gill for 75, 000 and rolled their profit
- 6:44into their next set of projects, which included a custom Harley bagger, a 69
- 6:49Ford Mustang Mach 1 widebody, a custom T bucket wedding coach, Bob Anziano's
- 6:54Viper powered 1948 Buick Roadmaster chop top, a retro inspired Chevy Astro band
- 7:00conversion van, a 35 foot twin engine Corvette boat, A 1930s Ranger powered
- 7:06Ford Sprint Racer, and a 24 Hours of Lemons Chrysler Sebring Shark Car.
- 7:13Reskinned.
- 7:13Although not my first choice in color schemes, the Vader kit car,
- 7:17which the team acquired after selling the Corvette boat, was another
- 7:20complicated but engaging build.
- 7:22The Vader is designed as a reskinning kit, and lays overtop a mid 2000s Infiniti G35.
- 7:29I found this fascinating, because my assumption was that
- 7:32all kit cars were just that.
- 7:34A kit you turn into a car.
- 7:36Everything you need in one box, just like a Caterham.
- 7:39In the case of the Vader, you buy yourself a running G35 for about 8, 000 and the
- 7:44Vader kit for another 11, 000 and spend the next six months or so carefully
- 7:48removing everything outside of the drivetrain, suspension, and framework.
- 7:52Then you jigsaw puzzle all the pieces together with no instructions,
- 7:56because you lost them, from the shrink wrapped pallet until you end
- 7:59up with what looks like a European hypercar and sell it for about 80, 000.
- 8:03I mean, how hard could it be?
- 8:05If you're interested in the Vader, check their website, www.
- 8:10vadersupercar.
- 8:10com, for more information.
- 8:12Oh, and by the way, Shaquille O'Neal drives one.
- 8:16A package deal.
- 8:17As I mentioned earlier, a series of unfortunate events and deals gone wrong
- 8:21set the season on an entirely different trajectory than originally intended.
- 8:25The 1959 Corvette concept was no more, but in a way that
- 8:29wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
- 8:31There was a new big payday car on the horizon, but it was a long reach
- 8:35to get there, a reach that included setting up a two in one trade.
- 8:38In order to get their final project, the team simultaneously restored a
- 8:42pre war 1930s Sprint Racer and a 1947 Dodge Power Wagon using both shops.
- 8:48Unlike other builds, both vehicles were kept quite austere.
- 8:51It was good to see that not everything had to include skulls and spider
- 8:54webs, as these vehicles were tasteful remixes of their original forms.
- 8:59The Exner.
- 9:00It's okay if you've never heard of the 1960 Plymouth Valiant based
- 9:05Exner concept car, because not many other people have either.
- 9:09The original Exner was built by Virgil Exner, see also the Stutz Blackhawk, as
- 9:14a one of a kind asymmetrical roadster.
- 9:17It was moving art designed to showcase the abilities and the future of Plymouth.
- 9:22If you look at it with one eye closed and one off to the side,
- 9:25you can start to appreciate some of the Exner's unique qualities.
- 9:29At first glance, you might even recognize that it's really a single seater with a
- 9:33sidecar on 106 and a half inch wheelbase.
- 9:37Why the Exner?
- 9:38Just like at the end of Season 1 with the Lincoln Futura build, the Exner was a
- 9:42build no one else had ever been successful at attempting, let alone completing, until
- 9:47the team at Gotham Garage came across a gentleman named Adam from Vermont.
- 9:51He claimed to have obtained the original blueprints for the Exner, recreated
- 9:55the molds, and fabricated exact replica body panels, laying them on top of a
- 9:591960 Valiant, just like the original.
- 10:02Adam, unfortunately, didn't have the resources to continue the project
- 10:05any further and agreed to trade the Exner to Gotham Garage in exchange
- 10:09for the Ford Sprint Racer and Dodge Power Wagon that we mentioned earlier.
- 10:13The team made quick work of getting the Exner completed.
- 10:16Now they were faced with a larger dilemma.
- 10:18Sell the car to any number of private collectors for nearly 200, 000?
- 10:23Or, donate the car to the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles for all the world to see.
- 10:28Amidst all that drama, the team ultimately decides to bring their Exner
- 10:32build up to museum quality and park it alongside Mark Talley's other entrant
- 10:36from 20 years ago, the C4 Corvette based Speed Racer Mach 5 replica.
- 10:41This would make Mark part of an elite group of car builders to have more than
- 10:45one vehicle featured at the Peterson.
- 10:47As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of reality television, but my
- 10:50affinity for Car Masters and many well crafted restoration shows in the last
- 10:54few years has grown significantly.
- 10:56I anxiously awaited the return of Car Masters, and even though Season 2 felt
- 11:00a little more produced at times, It didn't lose its overall charm or appeal.
- 11:05I was really happy to see the team still together, and their work is nothing
- 11:09if not engaging and top shelf quality.
- 11:11In the end, the Gotham team didn't get the big payday they originally hoped for, but
- 11:16I actually think they got something more.
- 11:18The notoriety that is going to come from the Exner build, along with
- 11:21having a vehicle in the Peterson, moves them way up the ranks.
- 11:25I'm still curious to see how this will affect season three of
- 11:28Car Masters, but let's not wait until next year to find out.
- 11:31Right, Netflix?
- 11:33Season three, Cash is King.
- 11:36There are very few shows anymore that can be off the air for a year or more and
- 11:40still get me revved up to dive back into a full season and binge it immediately.
- 11:45Car Masters is definitely in my top five restoration shows.
- 11:48And because of COVID, I'd admittedly given up on it ever coming back.
- 11:52And I was pleasantly surprised when it popped on my Netflix
- 11:55homepage with the red.
- 11:57New episodes banner.
- 11:59Unlike other shows of this genre, Car Masters is rare in that it's a
- 12:02show that I can share my review time with my wife without much complaint.
- 12:06She approves of the petrolhead lifestyle, but isn't always engaged
- 12:09at the same nerdy level as the rest of us are, especially me.
- 12:13I have to give her credit for her willingness to continue watching
- 12:16the cast and the chemistry of the Gotham Garage team, which I've talked
- 12:19about in our two previous reviews.
- 12:21Out of the gate, you could tell that the team was trying to change the
- 12:24formula of the show, wanting to focus on high end customers and custom
- 12:28builds, also known as cash builds.
- 12:30And as my wife quickly pointed out after two failed attempts,
- 12:34I like the fact that they're not covering up these bad projects.
- 12:37No excuses, they just cut their losses and move on.
- 12:40Within those first couple of episodes, it definitely cements the fact that
- 12:43Gotham Garage isn't like other teams.
- 12:46Straightforward, no nonsense, and much of that is because of owner Mark Talley and
- 12:50his vision of what custom cars should be.
- 12:53Falling back on what worked in previous seasons, the team pursued
- 12:56more upgrade and trade projects where creativity wouldn't be stifled,
- 13:00or as Mark puts it, I hate lists.
- 13:03Referring specifically to an El Camino restomod project Sean set up, where he
- 13:07was asked to build a car from a catalog rather than using his artistic talents.
- 13:12After an unbearable amount of scope creep, the project was turned away
- 13:16with too much drama, incomplete.
- 13:18As the team got back into their groove modding cars and building up to their
- 13:22six figure payday, many of the builds featured repetitive choices in parts.
- 13:26One of them in particular, my wife commented, are they going to
- 13:29use that cartoonish stack again?
- 13:31Referring to the stacked intake and roots blower supercharger in Cal that
- 13:35you see on many old school dragsters.
- 13:38I have to agree with her.
- 13:39It's cool for certain builds, but after seeing it three times, it
- 13:42does seem a bit too hot Wheels.
- 13:45A big difference from previous seasons of car masters was the
- 13:47change in focus with respect to who is conducting the narrative.
- 13:50Generally, it would bounce between Mark and Sean with these office like asides
- 13:54where they explain what's happening and what's next with the project.
- 13:57In this season, Constance, Tony, and Caveman were included in the
- 14:01monologues, and with two shops to work out of, were given creative
- 14:04control over their own projects, with some direction from Mark, of course.
- 14:09The quality of the builds from Gotham Garage is always top notch, but in
- 14:12the eight episode season, there were two builds that were truly compelling.
- 14:16Those are the Firebike, which Tony built for his uncle,
- 14:19and Caveman's Shortbus build.
- 14:21We don't want to spoil it for you, but they are by far the best, and
- 14:24the stories behind them are touching.
- 14:26Just before Season 3 wraps up, still frustrated by the arguments surrounding
- 14:30high end builds, Mark decides he needs to stretch his creative wings and build
- 14:34something truly from his own vision.
- 14:36A car I've been designing for over 20 years, he claims.
- 14:39Almost stubbornly engrossed in the idea that if you build it, they will
- 14:43come, this custom build is justified with the rationale that it will really
- 14:47put Gotham on the map, and people will open their wallets at auction
- 14:51to the tune of 250, 000 to 300, 000.
- 14:54We didn't take issue with the principle, but more so with its execution.
- 14:58The design itself, as my wife put it, seems dated and juvenile.
- 15:01And as a petrolhead, I was disappointed that Mark went to the
- 15:04C4 Corvette donor list yet again.
- 15:07He's used that chassis as the jumping off point for many custom builds.
- 15:11I didn't mind it with the Speed Racer movie car, or the Split and Image Hot
- 15:15Wheels from Season 1 and others, but this particular design, which takes
- 15:19some cues from the Bugatti Veyron, looks like a mid engine sports car.
- 15:22Albeit exaggerated, it should have been built on a mid engine platform.
- 15:26A Porsche Boxster, perhaps?
- 15:28Mark specifically sought out a 1993 Corvette C4 ZR1, the most expensive
- 15:34and hard to find used C4 Corvette.
- 15:36For something this risky, I can understand falling back on what you know, and it
- 15:40saves time to start with a motor that makes slightly over 400 horsepower.
- 15:44At the cost of over 20, 000 for the base car, a Boxster still has my vote.
- 15:48All that aside, the build quality escalates into not just a car,
- 15:52but a paired Hayabusa motorcycle.
- 15:54Okay, Bike and car equals 250, 000.
- 15:59Maybe the 600 pound gorilla halfway through the season, you start to realize
- 16:04that the majority of the car master season three was filmed in the before
- 16:08times on the heels of season two, well before COVID brought everything to a halt.
- 16:13Finishing the custom C4 supercar build at the start of lockdown forced the
- 16:17team to hold their own virtual auction via Zoom instead of taking their pair
- 16:21of vehicles to Mecham, Bear Jackson, or some other live auction that would have
- 16:25been held in the late winter of 2020.
- 16:27With a poor showing and unable to meet the reserve market set out, he decided
- 16:31to conclude the auction without sale.
- 16:33The look on the team members faces when Mark drew his line in the
- 16:36sand was anything but scripted.
- 16:38As my wife exclaimed, Constance is going to run over and slap him.
- 16:41She's pissed.
- 16:43Towards the end of the going, going, gone episode, the team is faced with
- 16:47some tough decisions about what's next, and the season seems to end abruptly.
- 16:51Looking back, it's been nearly a year and a half since then,
- 16:54so the question still remains.
- 16:55Will there be another season of Car Masters?
- 16:57We hope so.
- 16:59Season four, Respect the Artist.
- 17:02Pay for my vision and be hands off creatively.
- 17:05That's the overwhelming theme of season four of Car Master's
- 17:08Rust to Riches on Netflix.
- 17:10When my wife and I saw the announcement for the return of our favorite
- 17:13restoration show in mid July, we couldn't wait to buckle down and binge.
- 17:17The season opens with Mark Talley rummaging through dumpsters
- 17:20at a local junkyard, something I am all too familiar with.
- 17:23Going to the yard is, as Forrest Gump would say, like a box of chocolates.
- 17:27You never know what you're gonna get.
- 17:29As my wife pointed out, the opening was cute and fun, but turns to its
- 17:33scripted formula quickly, picking up almost immediately after the epic
- 17:37fail of the online auction for Gotham Garage's supercar and motorcycle
- 17:40concept pair from season three.
- 17:43From this moment on, the number of times 250 grand is said in the
- 17:47first four episodes could easily be turned into a drinking game.
- 17:51We get it.
- 17:52You want to get paid for your creation.
- 17:54Selling a one off concept car in a post COVID, economically downturned,
- 17:58near recession climate has to be tough.
- 18:00As outsiders looking in, we understand why someone would want to invest
- 18:04their money in more common or better known classic and collector cars.
- 18:08It just makes good financial sense.
- 18:10But hang on, because in typical Car Master style, Sean will wheel and
- 18:14deal until we get there, because after all, there's an ass for every seat.
- 18:18And let's face it, what would a Car Master season be without some upgrade
- 18:21and trade until the six figure payday?
- 18:23Right?
- 18:24Gotham Garage is known for its gothic inspired, over the top, near cartoonish
- 18:28builds and this season is no exception.
- 18:30The team comes out of the gate trying to make up for lost time with a 1928 Essex
- 18:35Rat Rod, hoping to turn a 30, 000 profit on what's being touted as a 0 build.
- 18:41I MUST DRIVE FLAT OUT.
- 18:43Out of seemingly nowhere, Mark and Sean get a call from a local avid
- 18:46Porsche phile who wants to take his VW Beetle based Elite Laser 917
- 18:51kit car and make it track ready.
- 18:53Okay, you have my attention.
- 18:55Mark and Sean visit the customer's garage to inspect the car and
- 18:58find that it's a barely together rolling chassis with an early 911 2.
- 19:032L flat 6 waiting to be installed.
- 19:05The owner claims 40, 000 up front for the build and a bonus 10K if
- 19:10the car is capable of a sub 2 minute lap time at the Streets of Willow
- 19:13configuration at Willow Springs Raceway, about an hour north of Los Angeles.
- 19:18It goes without saying that the Gotham team are out of their
- 19:20element with most European cars.
- 19:22Do you remember the smart car off roader from season one?
- 19:25Granted, this classic beetle based vehicle isn't the most sophisticated, but they
- 19:29immediately run into issues with the Porsche engine and its ignition system.
- 19:33Having worked on early 911 engines with my father, I can definitely sympathize.
- 19:38In the end, they were able to get the car quote unquote track ready
- 19:42with some subtle Gotham touches.
- 19:43No spider webs from what we could tell, but mostly a replica of Steve McQueen's
- 19:48golf liveried 917 from the movie Le Mans.
- 19:51I will admit that outside of the engine being oriented the wrong way for a 917
- 19:56and the goofy exhaust, the car looked much better than when they started the build.
- 20:00Performance is what stands between a team and an extra 10, 000.
- 20:05Despite the awkward seating position and the terrible Hearst like shifter
- 20:08that the driver had to contend with, the Elite Laser 917 was able to complete
- 20:12a hot lap of Streets of Willow in a 1.
- 20:1652.
- 20:1629, shattering the driver's previous benchmark time of 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
- 20:21Did he say rocket car?
- 20:23The ho hum, woe is me vibe continues through episode 3, where we add a
- 20:27couple more projects to the mix.
- 20:29We can't even explain the Teabucket Ranchero mashup during the first
- 20:33part of the episode, so we're not going to, but cramped is the first
- 20:36adjective we'd like to use, but you just have to check it out for yourself.
- 20:40Now that's a cool car, exclaimed my wife, as the team takes on a 57 Chevy
- 20:45two door wagon build in the second half leading into episode four.
- 20:50This was a well done and subtle resto mod with a brilliant red and alpine
- 20:54white paint scheme, beautiful interior, and a build quality that we came to
- 20:58expect from earlier seasons of the show.
- 21:00The car, in our opinion, was almost too good for the deal that Sean presented
- 21:05in trade, whereby the new owner of the wagon would allow the team to select any
- 21:09number of classics in their salvage yard.
- 21:11At first glance, it seemed like there wasn't going to be any
- 21:14fruit to pick from from this yard.
- 21:16And as Mark says, nothing here but late models.
- 21:19But we all know the good stuff is always kept in the back.
- 21:22After some expected bartering, the proposed trade is for a 1969 Camaro
- 21:26Coupe, 62 Cadillac Coupe, and a 1996 Lakester Bonneville Salt Flats Racer,
- 21:31in return for the 57 Chevy Wagon.
- 21:34The Camaro is quickly taken off the table with a story about round toots
- 21:37and whatnot, and the Caddy gets chopped into a more desirable convertible
- 21:41and then flipped, while the Lakester gets turned into a rocket car.
- 21:46And if by rocket car, you mean attaching a couple of map gas, propane tanks
- 21:50with mini flame throwers, pushing out of some dryer vent, then yes,
- 21:54we have achieved rocket car status.
- 21:56This build was disappointing for the team, as well as for the viewers.
- 21:59It was such a wah wah moment, followed by a 15, 000 loss on the sale.
- 22:05Personally, this car should have just been sold as is to a collector
- 22:09or a museum, since it had racing pedigree and a legitimate Oldsmobile
- 22:13Aurora IndyCar powerplant.
- 22:15What were they thinking?
- 22:17Episode 4 somehow turned into Pimp My Ride, taking a
- 22:21pristine, near museum quality U.
- 22:23S.
- 22:23military ambulance and turning it into a gaudy, gold wrapped disco party bus.
- 22:29A tidy profit of 17, 000 was made from the bill, along with an additional
- 22:3313, 500 profit from a Mark V based 5 cylinder VW Beetle Cabriolet that was
- 22:39morphed into a modern Baja Bug for an up and coming female off road racer.
- 22:44Unlike the smart car debacle, Mark and Caveman were able to dismantle
- 22:48the Beetle and not cut any wires, keeping it 100 percent functional.
- 22:52Next, the team turned a brand new Polaris Slingshot into a 69 Camaro
- 22:57Big Wheel for Caveman's best friend.
- 23:00Redemption.
- 23:02Finally, the wait is over.
- 23:04We can all breathe a sigh of relief.
- 23:06No more lamenting about these concept vehicles and the debt surrounding them.
- 23:10Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, and Nick Smith, who you
- 23:13might recognize from classicavenue.
- 23:15com and appearances on other Motor Trend shows as an automotive appraiser,
- 23:20he represents an undisclosed client that was willing to pay 285, 000,
- 23:25negotiating down from the 315, 000, with that suspense driven minimum of 250k
- 23:32or nothing, which we've been hearing about for nearly half the season.
- 23:35We're glad that the shop got their six figure payday on these vehicles and that
- 23:39they could move on to other projects.
- 23:41And in doing so, the audience could also move on.
- 23:44So Godspeed to the car and the bike.
- 23:47Jumping the shark.
- 23:48Then comes the Oppenheimer commissioned, build me a muscle car
- 23:52for 100, 000 project, which included one of the most forced and awkward
- 23:56negotiations on the show to date.
- 23:58Mark chooses a C3 Corvette as the base for this build.
- 24:02My feelings on the C3 Corvette continue to ebb and flow.
- 24:05Some days I love it.
- 24:06Others, not so much.
- 24:07The overall plans inspiration comes from the Mako 2 Corvette concept car.
- 24:13And that's a great idea.
- 24:14We like it a lot.
- 24:15The Mako 2 was sleek and sexy, and we were hoping that the team was going
- 24:19to follow the precedent that they laid out during the Lincoln Futura build
- 24:22from season one and create a near replica of that one off concept car.
- 24:27What we ended up with was more Hot Wheels.
- 24:30Mark admits at one point he's known for cartoonish cars.
- 24:33Okay, we need to constantly remind ourselves of that this season.
- 24:37But here's my personal take on this build.
- 24:39Granted, I'm not a designer or even an artist, but why not
- 24:43start with a motorsports inspired Fondurant style widebody Trans Am
- 24:47GTO kit and then graft that Shelby Daytona Mako Shark rear end to it?
- 24:53I mean, talk about a unique, menacing, and aggressive car.
- 24:57The carbon fiber front end was interesting to see come together and
- 25:00the technical prowess of the team is always top notch, but it just didn't
- 25:04seem to fit the rest of the lines.
- 25:06The rear fenders are cut short because of the double side exit exhaust.
- 25:09Mark has a real talent in the paint booth.
- 25:12The paint scheme is undeniably fresh and you don't see too many
- 25:16gradient paint jobs anymore.
- 25:18It goes from a dark blue on top and changes to a silver at the bottom
- 25:22just like the body of a shark.
- 25:23It is gorgeous.
- 25:26We did take issue with the design, and as Jason Oppenheimer put it, it's not subtle.
- 25:31But as long as he's happy, everyone's happy, right?
- 25:33Once the car was revealed, my mind wandered back to the C3 Corvette from
- 25:37the movie Corvette Summer, which we reviewed with our friend Stephen Izzy
- 25:40from Everything I Learned From Movies.
- 25:42But in the end, I'm not sure which I would choose in a contest,
- 25:45especially with a 100, 000 price tag.
- 25:47In the end, the sale of the vehicle left the team with a solid 55, 000 profit.
- 25:53Upgrade and trade, then sell.
- 25:56Finally, around episode 6, we got back into the rhythm of season 1,
- 26:00and the recipe goes as follows.
- 26:02Take a base Chevy Silverado K5 Blazer, in late 70s brown and turn it into a
- 26:07rolling version of Darth Vader's helmet.
- 26:09Super black with hand painted red ghost flames.
- 26:12Add a dually rear end and matching flares and you have one badass truck.
- 26:17The Blazer was traded for a 1957 Kenworth Big Rig that becomes a personal
- 26:21passion project for Mark in honor of his relationship with his father.
- 26:25The Kenworth is slated to be sold for a six figure payday,
- 26:28hoping to fetch a tidy 100, 000.
- 26:30Progress on the 57 Kenworth was halted due to a timeline shift
- 26:34for the Lincoln Zephyr service van build that started around episode 5.
- 26:39Speedway Motors, the name's sponsor for that build, asked if the production
- 26:42could be sped up by two weeks before the annual Southwest Good Guys car
- 26:46show and meet in Arizona, which left the team faced with a tough decision.
- 26:51Put the Kenworth on hold and find another buyer.
- 26:54Or missed the opportunity to have the Zephyr featured on the latest
- 26:57Speedway Motors catalog cover.
- 27:00The redcoats are coming!
- 27:02After the success of the photoshoot and the reveal of the Zephyr at
- 27:05the Good Guys show, the team was relieved to get back to the shop and
- 27:09focus on their remaining projects.
- 27:10If we jump back to the 285, 000 sale of the concept pair for just a second,
- 27:16remember Nick Smith from episode 5?
- 27:18He steps back into the picture and proposes a new kind of deal.
- 27:22In short, merging his shop and efforts with Gotham Garage.
- 27:26This means adding a few new faces and pairs of hands to help elevate
- 27:31the results and move things along.
- 27:33We're not 100 percent sure what the loaded term elevate means just yet, but Temecula.
- 27:42We close with the teams from the two shops meeting each other and
- 27:45throwing some shade around the shop.
- 27:47A hearty laugh and a handshake, and it becomes a stay tuned to be continued
- 27:51ending with the 57 Kenworth incomplete.
- 27:54As my wife pointed out, episode 8, the season finale, wrapped up rather quickly,
- 27:58leaving season 4 feeling half baked.
- 28:01Where's the rest of it?
- 28:02She asked.
- 28:03Even though it didn't come through the entirety of the season,
- 28:05the show did add something new.
- 28:07More office like two on one moments where team members like Constance and Caveman
- 28:11are seated with a blurred background, breaking the fourth wall, giving us
- 28:14more behind the scenes and emotional input between stages of each build.
- 28:18We hope to see more of that as it gives the audience a break
- 28:21from following all the work.
- 28:23I want to wrap up our thoughts on Car Masters first by saying we love this show.
- 28:28The people, the work, the creativity are all top notch.
- 28:32Some of this review might have come off a bit cynical and jaded, but after over
- 28:36three years of faithfully sticking with these builders, they have set the bar
- 28:40really high, especially in Season 1.
- 28:43And first impressions are lasting impressions.
- 28:45So we hope that you take this review with a grain of salt.
- 28:48And if you're new to the show, understand that Season 1 was so amazingly good, we're
- 28:52always comparing it to any future builds.
- 28:55At the end of the day, Car Master's Rust to Riches is still a great show
- 28:59that my wife and I completely and thoroughly enjoy watching together,
- 29:02and we wish the team the best of success, and can't wait for a Season 5.
- 29:13We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode of Brake Fix Podcast brought
- 29:18to you by Grand Touring Motorsports.
- 29:20If you'd like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure
- 29:23to follow us on all social media platforms at GrandTouringMotorsports.
- 29:27And if you'd like to learn more about the content of this episode,
- 29:30be sure to check out the follow on article at GTMotorsports.
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