7.8 /10 1 Votes
10/10 TV Original language(s) English First episode date 23 February 2011 Genre Reality television | 5.7/10 IMDb Country of origin United States No. of seasons 2 Running time 45 min Final episode date 9 May 2012 Networks Speed, Speed (Australia) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Presented by Marc Istook (Season 1)Jimmy Shine (Season 2) Similar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Car Warriors is an American automotive reality TV show produced by BASE Productions and aired for two seasons on Speed in the United States and Discovery Communications affiliates in international markets. For season 1, each episode pits an all-star car restoration team against a rival team from a different city to restore and modify their car in less than 72 hours. The challenging team has a chance to take home not only their car, but the All Stars' car should they win the contest; otherwise, they go home empty-handed if they lose. Season 2 replaces the All Stars with another local restoration team, as both teams have 48 hours to transform their cars for a chance to keep them in the end.
Contents
Season 1
The show's premise is a time-attack competition similar to Iron Chef, but with cars. In each episode, the All Stars (red) take on a challenging team (blue) from a renowned automotive restoration shop in their town to restore and modify their car in less than 72 hours. Each team is given a similar mystery car to work on, along with their own workshop in the studio and a plethora of car parts and accessories supplied by NAPA Auto Parts and Hankook Tire. As part of the contest, both teams participate in the "Engine Challenge", which is either of these two formats:
The first team to reach the goal chooses one of two specialty engines to install on their car as part of their build.
As the clock ticks, both teams must concentrate on the five steps of car building:
- Design
- Interior, fabrication and suspension
- Engine installation
- Paint
- Reassembly and interior installation
Once the clock expires, both cars are placed under scrutiny by a panel of judges based on four criteria:
- Interior
- Exterior
- Engine bay
- Performance
If the challenging team wins the contest, they get to take home both their car and the All Stars' car. However, if they lose, they go home with nothing.
Season 2
For Season 2, instead of having the All Stars, two local teams are pitted against each other, and the timer is shortened to 48 hours. Each team is assigned a lead technician to assist them in their build. The car building essentials list has been simplified into four categories:
- Engine and transmission
- Suspension
- Body and paint
- Interior
Halfway through the deadline, the clock is stopped for both teams to participate in a "Home Stretch Challenge" (ex. welding contest, carburetor reassembly contest). The winning team gets one extra hour of build time. The judging criteria is the same, except with Jimmy Shine as the sole judge. Shine also critiques the challenges faced by each team, especially if he involves himself in any of them.
After his assessments, Shine steps out for a few minutes to make his decision. He returns to the studio to hand the keys to the winning team, while the losing team goes home empty-handed.
Cast
Season 1 of the show was hosted by Marc Istook. Jimmy Shine took over as the host in Season 2 while maintaining his position as the judge.
The All Stars of Season 1 consists of the following personnel:
The panel of judges include:
For Season 2, Shine is joined by two lead technicians:
Lawsuit
In 2011, Rick Sheley of SKJ Customs in St. George, Utah, sued Speed TV and its parent company FOX Sports for US$2 million, claiming that the show broke all of its own rules and that the All Stars threatened to quit if they were not declared the winners over his team. The lawsuit was eventually dropped when both parties reached a sort of agreement.
Future
The series was not renewed after the second season. Furthermore, Speed's transition to Fox Sports 1 makes a possibility for a new season unlikely. Starting in 2014, the Fox Sports regional networks have started airing reruns of both seasons.