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13 Episodes 2003 - 2004
Episode 1
Sat, Nov 22, 2003
The 1964 Mustang created a stampede in American showrooms similar to the frenzy created by the Beatles. Ford had conducted a series of "gallup" polls to see what baby boomers wanted in a car . . . the Mustang was it. Men, women, the old and young couldn't wait to get in the saddle of a pony car. Just a short three years after the Mustang's unveiling at the New York World's Fair, the one millionth Mustang trotted off the assembly line. The Mustang was the inexpensive sporty car the world was waiting for. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the car that launched the Pony car craze and a new Mustang model is raring to capture American hearts again.
Episode 2
Sat, Nov 22, 200325 mins
Like a coiled snake, this car scared the world's racing elite and made its creator, Carroll Shelby, a household name. In 1959, Shelby was America's best competition driver but a heart condition forced him to give up racing. Instead of retiring from the circuit he decided to jump back in with his own cars - not an easy feat - and within four years, his dream car was born: the Cobra.
Episode 3
Sat, Nov 22, 2003
The Pontiac GTO was created by John Delorean alongside a group of young engineers. They raced against kids at night and took what they learned back to their offices the next day. The result, the GTO - it gave America's young people a car that really looked good and went fast. "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car."
Episode 4
Fri, Oct 22, 200425 mins
No one would have predicted that tractor manufacturer David Brown could transform a bankrupt Aston into a car line that was universally praised as being, "pleasing to the eye, beautifully finished and comfortable with all the performance anyone could want." His cars became racing legends - challenging Ferraris on the track in the 1950's and ferrying the upper crust around town.
Episode 5
Fri, Oct 29, 200425 mins
Being enviro-friendly doesn't mean you can't have fun. We'll take a ride in an electric sports car that goes from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds and tear up the track with legendary racecar builder, Carroll Shelby, as he puts his hydrogen powered Cobra through its paces. BMW, GM, Ford, Toyota and the US Government are all working to create cars that will drive us into the future. This show traverses the many divergent routes to global energy independence and a healthier environment while taking rides in clean vehicles that people will want to drive.
Episode 6
Fri, Nov 5, 200425 mins
The stylish and fast 1963 Avanti was the last ditch hope for Studebaker. The automaker was on the verge of bankruptcy. It needed a hot seller to remain in business. Studebaker's president called in famed designer Raymond Loewy and within weeks the automaker had a car. Although the $5000 fiberglass Avanti was just too expensive for most car buyers and it didn't save Studebaker --- the Avanti would live on. Over the next three decades, Avanti lovers would try to keep the dream alive, buying the company and making changes here and there to the timeless design. But in 1991, it was the end of the line for the Avanti.
Episode 7
Fri, Nov 12, 200425 mins
Just after World War II, Preston Tucker wanted to be the first automaker to introduce an entirely new car, not just a touched up pre-war model. Tucker set up shop in an old Dodge plant and got financial backing through stock and dealers. Despite his "futuristic" car models, the government thought Tucker was a swindler and began a lengthy investigation. Tucker and several of his employees were eventually charged but acquitted of mail fraud and conspiracy. By the time the trial was over, Tucker's hopes were shattered.
Episode 8
Fri, Nov 19, 200425 mins
Almost everyone knows about Kaiser Permanente, the nationwide HMO, but very few have any idea that it sprang from the mind of one of America's most spectacular entrepreneurs - Henry J. Kaiser. In 1945, this legendary California industrialist partnered with automobile executive Joe Frazer to meet the post War demand for cars. The resulting Kaiser-Frazer autos were the last real challenge to the dominance of the Big Three. From 1948 to the mid '50's, Kaiser's incredible energy created a stir that's still being felt today. His passenger cars faded away but his transformation of the Jeep from the soldiers' buddy to an everyday SUV changed the world.
Episode 9
Fri, Nov 26, 200425 mins
The 1955 Ford Thunderbird was meant to fulfill the desire for a sporty American car. Ford never had plans to make the T-Bird a true sports car, but it would possess the elements of a racer; two seats, sleek styling and high performance. In two years, about 40-thousand T-Birds were sold. Hoping to appeal to more people, Ford took the Thunderbird in another direction. It became bigger and gained a backseat.
Episode 10
Fri, Dec 3, 200425 mins
The Morgan is a design that holds firmly to its ancestry - simple yet sporty, but no longer inexpensive. The Morgan got its start as the Morgan three-wheeler that was produced from the early 1900's to 1951. The Roadster is still handmade and only ten cars are built each week at the Morgan factory in Malvern Link, England. All Morgans are pre-sold and buyers are often put on a six year waiting list.
Episode 11
Fri, Dec 10, 200425 mins
A long time ago, Bentleys were racing cars. In 1930, a Bentley won the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race for the fifth time, roaring along at 130 miles an hour and overtaking a Mercedes to claim victory. The next year, Bentley was absorbed by Rolls-Royce, which eventually made the Bentley into a Rolls with a different grille. But the memory of those distant glory years never faded, and a few years ago Bentley began reaching for its own identity as a sort of Rolls sports sedan.
Episode 12
Fri, Dec 17, 200425 mins
When Ferruccio Lamborghini finally returned to his hometown from World War II, he brought with him scraps of leftover engines and began to convert them into much needed tractors for farming. From then on whatever Lamborghini touched turned to gold. He became a rich man and could indulge his love for fast cars. It wasn't long before he became the visionary manufacturer of one of the most avant-garde automobile in the world - Lamborghini.
Episode 13
Fri, Dec 24, 200425 mins
In 1914 just after World War I, Alfieri Maserati took his patented automotive spark plug and started building racecars in the heart of Bologna. Using war surplus parts and machinery, he began what would become the proud trident trademark of Maserati and a tradition of thoroughbred Italian sports cars.