0:00:02 > 0:00:05Now on Top Gear: they're American icons,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10but which is the best modern muscle car?
0:00:10 > 0:00:15- Wow, that's fast! - We'll find out as we flex them in every possible way.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17What?! No!
0:00:35 > 0:00:39The 1960s was the decade of the muscle car.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44It was all about big engines, drag racing, freedom and rebellion.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But over the past few years, muscle cars have made a comeback.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56In 2008, Dodge brought back the Challenger.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58The Camaro SS arrived in 2009.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And then there's the Mustang, which has been bulking up since 2005.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07But are these cars worthy of the muscle car name?
0:01:07 > 0:01:11To find out, we each chose one and headed to LA.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17This is the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8.
0:01:17 > 0:01:24It looks mean, it sounds mean, it's got more horsepower per dollar than any other car on the market.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This car was born out of the muscle car era of the '60s.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32The formula is pretty simple. It's all about a big engine in a two-door car with four seats.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36This car is the best retro muscle car on the market.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Wow.
0:01:43 > 0:01:50Eh? 2012 Mustang GT. Not only the nest modern-day muscle car,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52the best muscle car ever.
0:01:52 > 0:01:58- You can't just call it a muscle car by sticking a 5.0 emblem on the side.- You know why I call it that?
0:01:58 > 0:02:000-60 - 4.3 seconds.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03412 horsepower.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09- Perfect.- "Perfect"?- Yes. - That's how you'd describe the history of the Mustang?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13- Perfect?- OK, fine, there was some dark areas.- Some?!
0:02:13 > 0:02:18- Mustang 2, terrible. I give you that.- The four-cylinder Mustang? - That was bad, too.
0:02:18 > 0:02:25- The six-cylinder Mustang that every dude in Florida thought was a GT? - Why do you focus on the negative?
0:02:25 > 0:02:29- Well, we've got a Dodge Challenger. We got a Ford Mustang.- Mm-hm.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35- They do not make the GTO anymore. - Which started the whole thing. - Which leaves Tanner with one option.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- LAUGHTER - Look - he's got the Barbie Chevy.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Wow.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49- You're even dressing like a girl! - This is what Rutledge usually wears!
0:02:49 > 0:02:54- It's a really nice shirt. - I give you the 2012 Camaro SS... auto.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02You know what? It's an LS motor, used in everything from aeroplanes to boats,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- modern suspension and the right size.- Would you ever buy a Camaro?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- A new one?!- Yeah.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17That's not necessarily the question. What is the best retro muscle car?
0:03:17 > 0:03:19- How many horsepower do you have? - 400.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- 400?- Yeah. - Does your husband have one?
0:03:24 > 0:03:31'Our first challenge was 20 miles away at the LA River, so we hit the road.'
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Know what I like about muscle cars?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Rebellion. That's what it's about.
0:03:45 > 0:03:52They were loud, they were brash. Big engine, light car, go fast, straight line.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56This Mustang embodies the rebellious nature of a muscle car.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01And the Mustang never went out of production, unlike the Camaro and the Challenger.
0:04:01 > 0:04:08I love driving this car. I really do. This is the best muscle car because it does everything.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13It's got looks, it's got performance, it's got the power.
0:04:13 > 0:04:20That's what a muscle car is about. Making other people look over and go, "Wow! That's a cool car."
0:04:20 > 0:04:25Look at that. The harder you hit the gas, the more you smile in this car.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28That's a good feeling.
0:04:28 > 0:04:34I mean, what does that Camaro say about Tanner? "I'm very boring." That's what it says.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38I'm not saying I'm a huge Camaro fan as a whole.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43I'm just saying it's a better choice than the other two for the challenge.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49The SRT8 is a giant. When you see that it fits Rutledge's head proportionately,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54you know something's wrong And the Mustang still has the same old school issues
0:04:54 > 0:04:59it had back in the '60s - high centre of gravity, heavy front end.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05The Camaro has stayed true to its original form. It's about the right size for a muscle car.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Oh, look who's here. The SS. Super Sassy.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Sure, the paint job is a little bit weak and it's an automatic
0:05:14 > 0:05:18and the interior is beige... and it's an automatic.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21OK. I'm screwed.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I bet I've seen the movie Grease a hundred times
0:05:32 > 0:05:38and I have wanted to drive in the LA River since I was a kid.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Yeah! This is awesome!
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- Do you see what I see?! - There is a homeless dude
0:05:48 > 0:05:52washing his body in the river. Oh, this is weird.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Not that, Rut! Those!
0:05:55 > 0:06:00- Oh, look at that! - No freaking way.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Look at that. Wow!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- Ho ho!- Wow!
0:06:12 > 0:06:151970 Challenger.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Oh, look at it.
0:06:19 > 0:06:251970 Boss 302. There is a god and he drives a Ford.
0:06:25 > 0:06:32'69 Camaro SS. This is the reason I picked the Camaro - because that is bad ass right there.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- Excuse me. THAT is bad ass.- It is. - So is that, by the way.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41- Wow.- Let's drive these things. Read the paper, let's go drive.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47Gentlemen, pay attention. "In the 1960s, the highest form of youthful rebellion was drag racing."
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Oh, yeah!- We're going to get to drag race these things!
0:06:51 > 0:06:55"To see which of your cars is most worthy of the muscle car label,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58"you will drag race on this dry river bed."
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Partially dry.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06"You will begin in the original versions of your car, then switch to the modern versions at halfway.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09"The first car to finish wins."
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- OK, so it's there and back.- Right.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Done. Oh, my gosh!
0:07:15 > 0:07:18ENGINES REV
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Gentlemen, are you ready? All right. Here we go.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27In five...
0:07:27 > 0:07:30four, three,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32two, one, go!
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Come on, baby! Bite!- Going sideways!
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- I'm even with the Challenger! - Oh! There I go!
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- He's gone! - The Challenger is so fast!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Rutledge is gone!
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Oh, this thing is a rocket ship!
0:07:52 > 0:07:57- Oh, this thing doesn't brake very well.- Braking early! The big pansy!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Wow! That is sketchy.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Oh...oh...ohhh!
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Oh, I almost hit him! Holy sh...!
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- Seatbelt on, start the car. - Aww, I'm in the water!
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- That's reverse. - Oh, I'm still in second.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Come on, come on.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Here comes Rutledge! Go! Come on!
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Aww, you're kidding me!
0:08:32 > 0:08:33Yes!
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Beaten by an automatic Camaro! No-o-o-o!
0:08:42 > 0:08:44That was terrible.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50- I thought I had absolutely no chance at that.- I am ashamed right now. I'm ashamed of myself.- Yeah.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I'm ashamed of how much power that Challenger had.
0:08:54 > 0:09:01- We were dead even and you just horsepowered by me. - And then I realised I had to stop.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07And I hit the brakes and there was almost nothing there, which is why I slowed WAY down.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13The two faster cars got smoked by the Camaro. That's a lucky win, but I'm going to take it.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Oh, God. Do you smell that aroma? That smells like...victory!
0:09:17 > 0:09:22That's what victory smells like? Tyre smoke and Old Spice?
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Welcome back to Top Gear. We're trying to find the best modern muscle car.
0:09:30 > 0:09:37So far, it's a little bit of awesome. Camaro took first place, even being an automatic. You suck.
0:09:37 > 0:09:44- I'm just saying.- I like it a lot in black. The paint job you had, my friend, was fabulous!
0:09:44 > 0:09:51- It was fantastic!- Whatever. I am one up, you guys are at scratch and there's more where that came from.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57Our next challenge was 60 miles away at a drive-in movie theatre in Riverside, California.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03In the 1960s muscle car heyday, there were 5,000 drive-ins across the country.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09Our challenge was to do a slow circuit in the parking lot, a 360-degree turn around the flag
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and then race back to the finish line, but there was a catch.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17"To give you a flavour of the twitchy handling of the originals,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22"you will race while connected to an electronic muscle stimulator. Fastest time wins."
0:10:22 > 0:10:27- Where would you put it? - I'd put it on him.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- Pecs.- Pecs?- You go first.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Pecs and I go first?- Mount 'em up.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40Drive-ins have humps throughout the parking lot to raise each car up for the best view of the screen.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44This terrain would definitely be a handling challenge.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- OK.- Yeah! - I got the electrodes...
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- You wanna hook that up? - Yeah. To my pecs.- Oh, gosh.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- Want me to hold that?- Hell, no! Not to anything attached to me.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- What are you going to set it at? - Controls go to 8. 8 will kill you.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03So we'll go to 7.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Ahhh! That was 3 and it's scary. Ow! Ow!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- Let's see 5.- That's 4.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15I don't wanna do this any more! OK, get in the car.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- You're ready.- Leg up, leg up.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23- This seems incredibly safe. - It's like being stung by bees.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- One of the worst ideas ever. - This is twisted right now.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29OK, give me a countdown, fellas.
0:11:29 > 0:11:36- Just got to get the...- Ow! - Let's look like we're talking about the stopwatch, but make him sit.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37- OK.- Ow!
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Oh, but look at the stopwatch. - Are you ready?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Ow! Ow! Yeah. Ow!
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- Is that bright? Did I get you in the eye?- Oh, careful!
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- Right, fellas, let's go! - OK!- Ready?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- Three, two...- Wait. Hold on.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Oh! Oh!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- Ow! Ow!- First turn...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- Oh!- Ow! It hurts!
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- Oh, he is just... - He is going for it.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Tweak, tweak, tweak. Oh! - Nice little hop there. Wow, I'm impressed.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16- Kind of keeping his composure considering...- OW! BLEEP!
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Oh, that looks bad. - I spoke way too soon.- Wow.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- 360 around the blue flag.- Ah!
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Now let's kick around.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Ow! Ow!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Is he going to crash into the flag?
0:12:29 > 0:12:32That's close enough to the flag.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36- Ow!- OK...- Let's just get back a little bit.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Ow! Ow!
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Whoa!
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- 48 seconds.- Wow!
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Oh, that hurts.
0:12:49 > 0:12:55- How did I do?- Here's the thing that's freaky. That thing seems to make you a better driver.
0:12:55 > 0:13:01'So it was decided Adam should always wear an electronic muscle stimulator while driving.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07'48 seconds was now the time to beat. Rutledge was next and connected it to his stomach.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Oh, gosh! That is really... That is really working!
0:13:11 > 0:13:16I'm gonna poop. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna poop my pants!
0:13:17 > 0:13:22- That sucks! This is a bad idea. - Get in there!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26OW! That is so painful. I am definitely going to throw up.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Ah! I'm ready, let's go!
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Holy hell.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Three, two, one, go!
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Ow!
0:13:38 > 0:13:42- There he goes.- Oh, gosh. That's hurting my stomach. Holy crap!
0:13:42 > 0:13:48He's getting out of control! He's got elbows and asses everywhere!
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Ow! Oh!
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Man, the Georgia is coming out of Rutledge!
0:13:53 > 0:13:58- It hurts! It's so hard to concentrate.- And around the flag.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- He's completely missed the flag. - Ah, that's close enough.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07- Oh, that's so hard to do! - Here he comes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Almost there! Stop! I'm gonna throw up! Sonofabitch!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Ow! Oh!
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Holy...! Now, turn that off.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18- How did he do?- 50.75.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24Rut wasn't able to beat my time. Race Boy was up next and since he is a professional driver,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28we had to keep it even. So I found a special place for his electrodes.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33You look so sad, like a lost puppy.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Oh! What is happening?! What is... Go!
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Here we go! Three, two, one, go!
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Aaargh!
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Where's that handbrake? Aaah! Aaah!
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Look at that!- It hurts!
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Oh, gosh, look at that!
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Aaaargh!
0:14:57 > 0:15:04This is so awesome. You hope this will happen to your friend and when it does, it feels so much better.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Aaaargh!
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- Round the flag.- Oh, please!
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Nice. Nice full circle. That's quality right there.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- Oh, God! Finish line! Finish line! - Here he comes. Oh!
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Aaargh!
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Get this damn thing off of me!
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- It looked faster. It was slower. - It was.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31'So Adam took the challenge.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- Why are you so angry? - You look miserable.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I can smell my teeth right now.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48We're in the middle of trying to find the best modern muscle car,
0:15:48 > 0:15:54but that seemed more sadistic torture. How does sticking electrotherapy pads
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and shocking electricity through your brain test muscle cars?
0:15:57 > 0:16:02The important thing about that whole challenge was I won.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Crazy. Somehow being electrocuted makes you a better driver.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09It makes you a better everything. I'm wearing them right now!
0:16:09 > 0:16:15All right, so the Mustang won the handling challenge, but to show Adam what Mustangs can really do,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Tanner and I took two new souped-up versions, not your girlie one,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25and we put them to the test out in the Old West.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27This is Dead Horse Point in Utah.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Its desolate canyons and brutal terrain make it almost impassable.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36But there is one thing that still rules this frontier -
0:16:36 > 0:16:38the horse.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44Back in the mid-1800s, the Pony Express rode across these wild expanses of land.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48But today... horses have gotten a lot faster.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But I wanted to know just how much faster.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58So to find out, we were going to take on two horses in an epic race
0:16:58 > 0:17:00from Dead Horse Point
0:17:00 > 0:17:03down to the mighty Colorado River.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07All we needed now was to get ourselves some serious ponies.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It's sexy.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14It's fast.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20The 2012 ROUSH Stage 3 Mustang. 540 horsepower.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Supercharged five-litre V8. 60 grand.
0:17:25 > 0:17:32I'm not normally a Mustang guy, but for this race there was only one choice.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39It's basically a rolling tribute to the original '69 Boss,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41the first Mustang muscle car.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's got a five-litre V8 pumping out 444 horsepower,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49which hopefully is enough to beat one horse.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56We had the cars, we had the horses. Now it was time to race.
0:17:56 > 0:18:02So the challenge today is can we, with our new school technology, beat their old-school horse?
0:18:02 > 0:18:08But over this kind of nasty terrain, they can go straight there. The roads go all the way around.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13The horses could cut straight across country to the finish line seven miles away,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17but they would be going across some of the roughest terrain in America.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23Our cars would be travelling on paved roads, but have to travel a full 46 miles to the finish.
0:18:23 > 0:18:31In keeping with the spirit of the Pony Express, where riders handed off mail-filled satchels mid-gallop,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35we'd be using leather saddlebags for our relay race.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40ENGINES REV
0:18:40 > 0:18:46I would begin the race in the Boss and then hand off to Rutledge in the ROUSH at the halfway point,
0:18:46 > 0:18:5123 miles down the road. The second rider was also staged halfway there,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56waiting for the hand-off from Buzz and Johnny Cash 3½ miles away.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01The starting line was on a perfectly straight stretch of road,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05but tragically the speed limit was 25.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Three, two, one, go!
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And that's 25. It's all I can do.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14What? No!
0:19:14 > 0:19:16No!
0:19:16 > 0:19:18That sucks!
0:19:18 > 0:19:21And off he goes.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25'While I was stuck at 25, Buzz and Johnny Cash galloped off,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29'heading straight across the grass to the edge of the mesa 3 miles away.'
0:19:31 > 0:19:3525 miles an hour on such an epic road.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42'Buzz and Johnny Cash had already covered a mile and were just 2½ miles from the hand-off point,
0:19:42 > 0:19:47'but the Boss was about to be unleashed because just ahead was
0:19:47 > 0:19:49'a 75-mile-an-hour zone.'
0:19:49 > 0:19:51OK, here comes my line.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Oh, yes!
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Sounds like the engine is right, basically, between my feet.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08It's really a nice sound. The shifting is super-positive. It really is fast.
0:20:08 > 0:20:16What you notice is how composed it is. There's no drama. Even when the engine picks up its speed.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22'I managed to make up time as I took advantage of everything modern technology had to offer.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25'We were back in the game.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30'Buzz and Johnny Cash were recreating the past at 10 miles an hour.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34'For the first time in this race the Boss had the advantage.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40'Then the road began snaking down to the valley below.
0:20:40 > 0:20:47'I know Mustangs are great in a straight line, but on the corners I had my doubts.'
0:20:53 > 0:20:58That felt pretty composed. It felt pretty balanced.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02I've got to be honest with you. This is all feeling quite good.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04TYRES SQUEAL
0:21:12 > 0:21:15That was so fun!
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Come on, 3G.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Come on.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29'Meanwhile, Buzz and Johnny Cash had reached the cliffs, a few hundred yards from the head of the canyon
0:21:29 > 0:21:33'where the second rider waited for the hand-off.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43'Their hand-off was perfect
0:21:43 > 0:21:49'and if Rutledge and I were going to have a chance, ours would have to be the same.'
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Hey, Rutledge, you ready?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Rutledge, do you copy? Rutledge?
0:21:58 > 0:22:04- Yeah, where are you? - There you are! Get in your car!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Get in your car! What are you doing?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Go, go, go! Come on! I'm gonna do a 180
0:22:09 > 0:22:15- and then just come up next to me. Copy?- What are you talking about?!
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- What are you doing?! You're going the wrong way!- Come on!
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Come on!
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- Catch it!- OK!
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- I can't go over the line!- Take it!
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Just throw it! Throw it to me! Throw it! I got it!
0:22:36 > 0:22:37What?!
0:22:37 > 0:22:40That's a terrible throw!
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Rutledge! I'm getting in there!
0:22:56 > 0:23:04'Our hand-off couldn't have gone worse. It was clumsy, slow and I was stuck riding shotgun.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:07What took so long?!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Whoa, whoa, whoa! 30 zone.
0:23:26 > 0:23:32- What?!- I'm going to go with the speed limit. I don't want to get a ticket.- You're going 22!
0:23:32 > 0:23:38- It says 30.- It's a 30mph zone. That means speed limit. You go under that.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57You're almost going 47(!) Careful. You might hit the LIMIT.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01That's the highest you can go.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'Rutledge's driving was making me lose hope,
0:24:04 > 0:24:10'but thankfully our four-legged competition was reduced to a slow walk to recover from the gallop.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15'This was our chance to get back in the lead.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Yeah! I like it. Right?
0:24:19 > 0:24:25Good. Ease off. Feet on the power again. We are going to brake before the turn.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31Full throttle and release. Ease off. A little more gas. Stay in your lane. Full throttle.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I've driven a car before, you know.
0:24:39 > 0:24:45'This was going to be a close one.' Really? Short shifting at a time like this? Awesome(!)
0:24:49 > 0:24:55Hammer down. Hammer down. 'Ricky and Slinger were in full gallop with just 100 yards to go.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:58You gotta go fast. There he is!
0:24:58 > 0:25:00'Losing was not an option.' Go! Go!
0:25:00 > 0:25:02No - hammer down!
0:25:02 > 0:25:09'100 years of research, design and engineering would all be for nothing if we couldn't beat one horse.'
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Watch out for the rocks. We're gonna die.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Go, go, go! Come on! Hammer down, Rut!
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- Unbelievable.- Aw, come on!
0:25:25 > 0:25:31- Do you know what this means, Rutledge?- I'm pretty sure this means we've lost.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Nice work. Good work.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- I just can't believe we got beat by a horse.- Yeah.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- It seems wrong. We had hundreds of horsepower and they had two.- Yeah.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56Luckily, we have somebody to push every car we drive to the limit. His name is the Stig.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03So which one of these is going to be fastest around our track?
0:26:03 > 0:26:08Dead even off the line, although the ROUSH has an advantage in acceleration.
0:26:08 > 0:26:14The Boss looking very composed and very balanced on that top part of the screen.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Dead even as they come through the chicane.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Stig and Stig together on the same screen. A little bit of a drift from the ROUSH
0:26:25 > 0:26:29as they come into the teardrop. This will be the Boss's advantage,
0:26:29 > 0:26:36but the back straight away has to be given up to the ROUSH with its higher horsepower.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Both cars just screaming down the back straight away.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45135 miles an hour. By the tyres, the Boss has a slight edge.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Into the braking zone we go.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Cameraman's Corner. Is the Stig driving them differently? No.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57Exactly the same in both cars. The only difference here is one car to the next.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04The Boss makes it through the last corner. It's too close to call.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06And across the line.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- I have got to say...- Wow.- Right?
0:27:11 > 0:27:16Those were some impressive-looking laps. Before we get into the times,
0:27:16 > 0:27:22- how much more is this car? Sticker price.- 15 and change? 16? - It's got to be.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27- That's a lot more car.- 100 more horsepower, though.- Want the times?
0:27:27 > 0:27:29CROWD: Yeah!
0:27:29 > 0:27:36Well, the ROUSH, with all of that money and fancy horsepower came in with 1:28.9,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38which puts it right above the EVO.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39Wow.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And the measly Boss, basically stock...
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Boss 302. It IS a mean car.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54Smaller block. ..came in with a 1:28.2! The Boss takes it!
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- No way!- Yeah!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Ties it with the V12 Vantage.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07- Wow.- Incredible. It just goes to show it's not all about horsepower.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12If you find the right balance, get the right brake and steering feel and combine it all...
0:28:12 > 0:28:17Exactly. All of those things are why you should buy a Dodge Challenger!
0:28:20 > 0:28:24'We'd set out to find what the best modern muscle car was.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27'Dodge, Ford or Chevy?
0:28:27 > 0:28:31- 'So far, Tanner's bitchin' Camaro had won the drag race...'- Yeah!
0:28:31 > 0:28:37'..and with the help of a performance enhancer, Adam's Mustang took the handling test.'
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Ow!
0:28:39 > 0:28:42'My Challenger had been shut out.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46'I was determined to change that at a place I know well -
0:28:46 > 0:28:52'the Auto Club speedway in Fontana, NASCAR's home in Southern California.
0:28:52 > 0:28:59'This was the perfect place for me to prove that my Challenger was the best modern muscle car.'
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Oh, man, I love this!
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Ha ha ha!
0:29:07 > 0:29:13- I can't believe we got this whole track to ourselves, fellas. - Unbelievable.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18- Hey, what's that noise? - Probably just some Camaro thunder.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22That ain't Camaro thunder.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Yeah, I hear something.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Boys, we got company!- Holy sh...!
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Oh, you are kidding me!
0:29:35 > 0:29:39We just got passed by real race cars.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48OK, I'm going home. I'm good. I need a change of pants.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55All right. Let's find out what we're doing here.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00I tell you what, this day keeps getting better and better.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06- Amen to that!- All right. "The Stig has lapped your cars on this oval and achieved a top speed for each.
0:30:06 > 0:30:12"To see which car best lives up to the muscle car legacy of high speed for the masses,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16"you'll each attempt to get as close to that speed as possible.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18"Closest top speed wins."
0:30:18 > 0:30:24'If we were even going to get close to those speeds, we would have to make a few modifications
0:30:24 > 0:30:26'to make our cars more aerodynamic.'
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Yeah.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39You didn't do anything. ..Really(?)
0:30:39 > 0:30:45- You just made this car yours. - What did you do? You made your own splitter.- I did.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- I believe that's garden edging plastic.- Absolutely not.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54- It is hi-tech carbon fibre... - No! I've seen that before. I used that on a Honda once.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57- Yeah, it's gardening divider.- Yeah.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02- Oh, you are kidding.- Ha ha!
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Free beer?
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- Free beer!- How's that for NASCAR?
0:31:07 > 0:31:09I'm at a total loss.
0:31:09 > 0:31:15- You're up first. - Gentlemen, pay attention.- Really? That's how it just went down.
0:31:15 > 0:31:21- What did the Stig do in this? - 153.- So you need to go 153 miles an hour?- Yeah.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26- You just get one shot at this. - I know.- Once you leave this line, that's it. It is on.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31So once you leave pit row, you are on the point of no return.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- Like a qualifying lap. - Exactly.- Yeah.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Thumbs up. Cue the burn out.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Patrick, have you ever been on a NASCAR track before?
0:31:45 > 0:31:48- Uh, no.- It's a bit intense.
0:31:48 > 0:31:54It's time now for Big Star, Small Car and our celebrity today is Patrick Warburton!
0:31:55 > 0:31:56Yeah.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01- So how are you feeling? Ready to get out there?- I'm not a great driver.
0:32:01 > 0:32:07- I'm fearless and dumb behind the wheel. Let's see what happens. - That's a good combo. Good luck.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09See you in the hangar when we're done.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Right. Let's do this.
0:32:12 > 0:32:19At the moment, Arlene Tur has the fastest time with a 1:42.4. Let's see what Patrick can do.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21That's not good.
0:32:21 > 0:32:28All right. Looks like he has a lot of speed going wide on the first turn. Nice coming into the chicane.
0:32:28 > 0:32:35- Look at that. He downshifted! We don't see that there very much. - That was pretty.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40- A little squeal as he turns down towards the teardrop. - Not very pretty.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44Nice transition.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46Pretty smooth.
0:32:46 > 0:32:47Eugh.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54Coming up towards the back stretch and look how quick he gets over towards the grass.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01At the halfway point, Patrick is just half a second off our fastest time.
0:33:01 > 0:33:07Oh, he is hauling the mail! Up stabs the brake, corrects it.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12- Gets it to turn back in there. - Smooth as silk.- Really pushing it.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Abhorrent driving.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17A lot of speed there through the Ss.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Coming up to the last turn. Nice and smooth and across the line.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Whoo.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Patrick, come on up!
0:33:33 > 0:33:38- How are you doing? Have a seat, please.- Yeah.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Let me just say...
0:33:47 > 0:33:49I am a huge, huge fan of yours.
0:33:49 > 0:33:56You're the voice of Joe on Family Guy, Puddy on Seinfeld, you were The Tick.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00- Man, I love you. So...- Aww. - I had to get that out.
0:34:01 > 0:34:07This is going to surprise you. One of us has owned a Chevy truck jacked up on 44-inch tyres
0:34:07 > 0:34:11- and it is not me. - LAUGHTER
0:34:11 > 0:34:16- How did you end up in this mid-life crisis car?- All right...
0:34:16 > 0:34:22This is what happened. I'm at the Pomona meet and there's this lone car, looking just like that.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27And sitting there, it had 1,500 miles on it and, you know,
0:34:27 > 0:34:34it was just a 30,000 price tag. So I knew something was up. It had been wrecked out of the box.
0:34:34 > 0:34:40Somebody wrecked it. And I thought for fun, you know, I'd pick it up. I checked it out.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44I got told "the welds aren't too pretty, but it ain't gonna break".
0:34:44 > 0:34:48So then... So I say, "Cool, all right."
0:34:48 > 0:34:52And at the very first light, you know, I'm 6'3",
0:34:52 > 0:34:58my head sticks up about three inches above the windshield. LAUGHTER
0:34:58 > 0:35:04I couldn't have felt more conspicuous and then I just started sinking in the seat.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- I'm like, "Oh, my God. I'm that guy."- You're that guy.
0:35:08 > 0:35:15But you went from that car to what I think is a real car. A '69 Charger RT with a 440.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17CHEERING
0:35:19 > 0:35:24I mean, that... that is a beautiful car.
0:35:24 > 0:35:31- It's an interesting shot there. Looks like something for Fore magazine.- Seems like you love golf.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33LAUGHTER
0:35:33 > 0:35:37I'm about as good at golf as driving. So...
0:35:37 > 0:35:41- What would you name a car like that? - That's Angelina.- Angelina.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Yes.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- But no, no...- Any reason?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Any particular reason?
0:35:50 > 0:35:51Er...
0:35:52 > 0:35:55You know, dark, sexy, mean.
0:35:55 > 0:36:01Sultry. Like Miss Angelina Jolie, see. And then the motor home is named...
0:36:01 > 0:36:04The motor home is named Pammy, after Pam Anderson.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Just big, bodacious. So...
0:36:07 > 0:36:12And also, too, it just kind of irritates the wife, so it's fun.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Have you ever thought about naming something after her?
0:36:17 > 0:36:21I'd get less hell for it, but it's not as fun.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25It seems like it would be awkward at times. "I'll be underneath Angelina if you need me."
0:36:27 > 0:36:31"I'm sorry. I can't hear you. I'm in Angelina."
0:36:35 > 0:36:36CHEERING
0:36:36 > 0:36:44Yeah. Well, I want to hear, how did you feel like your lap went? Did you feel like you learned a lot?
0:36:44 > 0:36:49The one thing that I can really recall is that you're cognisant of everything.
0:36:49 > 0:36:55You know what you've got to do, but when you introduce adrenaline and really want to do well,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58everything goes out the door. I don't know.
0:36:58 > 0:37:05Let's look at the leaderboard. There's a lot of good times. Arlene Tur at the top. Kid Rock.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Where do you think would be a good spot in your mind?
0:37:09 > 0:37:11I...I'm going to guess
0:37:11 > 0:37:17that I am between... I hope that I'm between Ed and Rick. There's a good gap there.
0:37:17 > 0:37:24- You think here? Ed and Rick? - Between Ed and Rick.- That is considered a good time to you.- No!
0:37:24 > 0:37:28But it's not the worst. LAUGHTER
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Patrick, you did it in one minute
0:37:32 > 0:37:33forty...
0:37:33 > 0:37:36one point eight!
0:37:36 > 0:37:40No way! Really? Wow!
0:37:40 > 0:37:42- Congratulations!- Really?- Yes!
0:37:44 > 0:37:49Patrick Warburton! The top of the leaderboard!
0:37:49 > 0:37:51I had no idea.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Right there.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Our competition to find the best modern muscle car came down to this.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03A high-speed lap at the Auto Club speedway in Southern California.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10'The Stig had lapped our cars and reached the top speed.
0:38:10 > 0:38:17'Our task now was to match it. I was up first and had to get to 153 miles an hour.'
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I'm just listening for the crash.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Uh-oh! Scary time!
0:38:23 > 0:38:25A little too fast. Little too fast.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- He's going fast, actually.- Oh!
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Don't die! Don't die!
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- Hold on, hold on! - Down the straight.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37135!
0:38:37 > 0:38:39140...141.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I can't look down any more! Coming to the turn.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49That is waaaay faster than I thought he would go.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Ooh. Oh, these turns are scary!
0:38:51 > 0:38:53ADAM LAUGHS
0:38:53 > 0:38:56That's good. That's good there.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Damn, is that fun!
0:39:00 > 0:39:05- I understand this whole NASCAR thing now.- How did you do? How fast?
0:39:05 > 0:39:10- Last time I looked down was 141.- I'm impressed, man. That's hauling it.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16- OK, so that's 12 miles an hour slower than the Stig.- And it would have been 138 without the stickers.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- Good point.- Who's next?
0:39:20 > 0:39:22- Done.- You're up.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- Splitter, do your thing. - Splitter, yeah.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29- Looks like a shark. - A shark with an overbite.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34'The Stig had gone 151 miles an hour in my car, which was fast,
0:39:34 > 0:39:40'but I was confident that my state-of-the-art garden edging would make it even faster.'
0:39:40 > 0:39:44All right, Stig. You and me, mano y mano. This is it.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49ADAM LAUGHS
0:39:49 > 0:39:54- The lip fell off! - What the hell was that?
0:39:58 > 0:40:04- I think I lost my splitter. Let's go back for that thing. - That counts. That's his lap.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- Well...- What did he say to me? "Once you leave pit row..."
0:40:08 > 0:40:12- You'll have to call him on that. - Watch me.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- Just a quick fix.- No quick fix. - I just need a little duct tape.
0:40:19 > 0:40:25- There's no duct tape. That's your run.- Just put it... - Stop, stop, stop.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30- You left pit row.- You said one shot. - One shot once you leave pit row.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33- Oh, what?- How fast did you go?
0:40:33 > 0:40:37- 74.- 74! And what was Stig's top speed?
0:40:38 > 0:40:41- 151.- 151?
0:40:41 > 0:40:4674. I'm not good at math, but I will tell you that you lost.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51- Love you guys(!)- 'Tanner was out and I was up next.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:56Oh, man, I love it when you climb up on the banking like that.
0:40:56 > 0:41:03'If I was going to beat Adam, I was going to need to go at least 152 miles per hour.'
0:41:05 > 0:41:10All right. Come on, Challenger.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14- 470 horsepower. We can do it. - He's pushing it.
0:41:14 > 0:41:20- Man, he's on it, huh? - In NASCAR, they're hitting 205 going into this turn.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23I'm doing 140 and it is scary as hell!
0:41:23 > 0:41:27He is ripping down the back straight, away into turn three.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Holy crap! Oh, my gosh, I'm sweating!
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Oh, man!
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Here we go.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37140.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40145.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44150. 152!
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I made it, I made it!
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Holy...! Wow, that's fast.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59All right. We'll see now where we're at.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03- You won the drag race.- Yep. - I won the handling challenge.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07- You went fastest in the circle. - Very fast, thank you.- Three-way tie.
0:42:07 > 0:42:13- It's not a three-way tie. - We all won one event.- The Challenger went the fastest on a NASCAR track.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18They race that car in NASCAR. Therefore, I'm the winner.
0:42:18 > 0:42:24Because muscle cars are about NASCAR? What are muscle cars about?
0:42:24 > 0:42:30- Drag racing! - Quarter mile. That is right. And that's what the Camaro won.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35- Absolutely not.- It's a three-way tie. It's easy math. You won one,
0:42:35 > 0:42:41I won one, you won one. And I am the last one to speak, so that is that. Goodbye! Thank you!
0:42:42 > 0:42:47- Let's not...- "I'm the last one to talk, so I win"?!
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd