Jay Leno's Garage (2015) - full transcript

over 60 years ago,
a master engineer had a vision.

A spectacular unification
of performance and style.

Finally, it's here.

Tonight on jay leno's garage:

Where do we begin?

We look at amazing technology
of the past...

Sort of the first, "hmm,

Maybe the engine
should be in the back."

...Present...

Okay, I've ordered
my car online.

-...And future.
-It's like air traffic control



If they can steer the plane.

the endless competition

To give cars more power...

Excuse me.

...Better gadgets,

And to get rid of people
altogether!

Riderless motorcycle would
pull over the driverless car.

It's innovations
and breakthrough.

Cutting-edge advances
like a super fast,

Street legal,
electric corvette.

-Pulls all right.
-Yeah, yeah.

and what could be called

The most hotly anticipated car
of the decade,

Chevrolet's mid-engine corvette.



Plus big stars...

Oh, I'll fix that.

-...An australian...
-They slam me onto the bonnet.

...Two minivans, and a robot!

-There you go.
-Oh, there, look at that.

get ready, the future is now.

Can we take it for a ride?

I've been waiting
since the eighth grade.

Electric cars have been with us
longer than many people realize,

Well over a hundred years,

And while there have been many
breakthroughs along the way...

1909, this went 80 to 100 miles
on a charge.

...The big advances have
all come in the last 20 years

With companies like
general motors and tesla

Paving the way
for a truly electric future.

But who cares?

We still want cars
that look cool

And go unbelievably fast.

Luckily there are people
working hard

So we can have both.

now it is an electric engine,

500 horsepower.

Waiting for a friend of mine,
he's a very funny comedian

Who loves muscle cars,
he's from australia

Where they have a lot
of really cool muscle cars

That we didn't even get
in this country,

So I'm really curious to see

What he'll be driving today.

Hey, jim, how are ya?

-Hello, mate.
-Nice, I guess, minivan.

it's good, good mileage, uh,

Part electric,
pacifica, chrysler.

-What happened?
-I'm a dad now.

The ex left me,
so I had to get a family car.

this former rebel turned
minivan driver

Is jim jefferies, current host

Of comedy central's
"the jim jefferies show."

What are the odds he would have
a show named after him?

Jefferies has made
numerous comedy specials

Because, well,
he's a really funny comedian.

When you hear about cancer,
you just give money.

Don't be ...,
you just give the ... Money.

Don't go, "I need to see 15
comedians or I won't be happy."

since jim's been a dad
for a few years now,

I think he deserves
an innovative treat.

Actually, I got something
I want to show you.

I think you're gonna like this.
Come with me, come on.

Thought you might get
a kick outta this.

is this a corvette?

yes, technically,
it is a corvette,

But it's an electric corvette.

Engineers and automotive experts
at genovation

Have taken
the classic corvette shape

And merged it with today's
cutting-edge digital technology,

Creating what they claim

Is the world's fastest
street-legal e.V.

Twin electric motors
help provide the gxe

With 800 horsepower
and 700 pound-feet of torque,

Giving it a 0-60
of less than three seconds

And a top driving speed,
the company claims,

Is in excess
of 200 miles an hour.

We didn't try that
here in burbank.

Much cooler than a minivan
littered with empty juice boxes.

Oh, look, you got bright lights.

I'm sold already.

Knight rider lights on the side.

You should start
with knight rider lights

And then work down
to the horsepower.

obviously, obviously.

am I allowed to touch it?

-You can touch it.
-All right.

Ooh.

That's beautiful.

is this the first automobile
you've seen?

Look, I drive a minivan, mate.

-Yeah, I know, I saw that.
-So this gets very exciting.

It's been years since we talked,
and the last time,

It was all about
challengers and...

I had an orange dukes of hazzard
colored challenger.

Right.

-And then a maserati.
-Right.

And I always wanted to have
like a hot wheels car,

Something that looked like...

When you're a kid, right,

No one ever played
with the mercedes.

Mercedes is a good car, bmw...

You played with a car
that looked like this.

-Of course, of course.
-And when you're in your 30s,

When you'd look cool in the car,
you can't have one

'cause you got kids
and there's no back seats there.

Then when you're in your 40s

And you've got the money
to buy a car,

People say you're going through
a middle-age crisis.

-... Those people.
-Yeah, yeah.

-Pulls all right.
-Yeah, yeah.

-Fantastic!
-And so,

Now what was your first car
in australia?

Uh, it was a gemini holden,
holden gemini.

a holden gemini, what would
the equivalent be to that here?

maybe like a toyota camry
or something.

Not a real great car.
It was a golden holden.

It was like a gold paint,
had a rust hole

Where you could see the floor
through the bottom.

so what was your first car
when you came to the states?

I came ten years ago
and I bought a secondhand

45-year-or-something
anniversary mustang,

And I literally bought it
the first day I was here

For like 9,000 bucks,
just went in a dealership.

I really thought that
I wouldn't be in america

For more than three
or four months.

-So what made you stay?
-An hbo special.

I don't care what anyone says,
there is that lust

For every foreign entertainer
to crack america,

And it stills exists
for some reason.

We all grew up watching
"mickey mouse" and "happy days,"

And I saw an episode of...

I think you were in
"laverne & shirley"?

Yeah, yeah, I was in
"laverne & shirley."

-You were like a biker?
-I was the boyfriend.

So stupid.

It's funny.

Do you get stopped very often?
Do you get many tickets?

I got a couple tickets
when I owned the maserati,

I got a couple tickets in that.

My brother's a cop.

One time when I was about 17,

I maybe have had one beer,

But I was 17,
drinking age is 18 over there,

And I get pulled up
and they breathalyze me,

I'm in my brother's
jurisdiction,

My brother was like
a sergeant at that stage,

And so I went,
"hey, uh, do you, uh,

You know danny,
danny jefferies?"

And the guy's like,
"no, I never heard of him."

And then I was sitting there
maybe 15 minutes,

A long time
I was sitting there,

And I was going,
"what's going on?"

And I go,
"is anything a problem?"

And they go, "please
step out of the vehicle."

And I went,
"is--is there a problem?"

"please step out
of the vehicle!"

So they get me out,
they drag me,

They slam me onto the bonnet,
and they cuff me up,

And I'm like a kid,

I start like, "ahh, ahh,"
crying like that,

And then I hear my brother
laughing in the radio.

Oh, that's...

-You wanna give this a try?
-Yeah, of course.

all right,
let me pull up over here.

I think I'm taller than you,

But I can't--I can't touch
the pedals.

I got little, tiny, stumpy legs.

okay, well, there's a switch
down on the side.

Excuse me.

put it in drive.

yeah, away we go.

There's no handbrake?

no, no handbrake.

all right, here we go.

-Driven electric cars?
-I've driven electric cars,

And this feels like
the steering's

A little bit more like
a race car.

The tesla feels more like
a normal luxury sedan steering.

Put your foot down,
see what she does.

well, that was
100 miles an hour.

-Did we get to 100?
-Just about.

-All right!
-That's all right.

How many, uh, crimes
did I make just then?

I saw the kid you nicked
on the bicycle.

I mean, when I first made it
big, I bought my dad a cadillac.

Did you ever do
anything like that?

Four years ago I bought
my father a mercedes-benz.

I bought it from america,
just over the phone.

I'd never even been
into the dealership.

-Now, did he know?
-He didn't know, he had no idea.

He had no idea
that this was happening.

I told him we were going
to the pub because that's how

Me and my father bond,
is through drinking,

And I said,
"we're going to the pub,"

And then I drive
in the dealership and I said,

"oh, I just want to have
a look at a car,"

And my father's very obsessed
with me saving money

And all that type of stuff,
and so he went,

"oh, you waste your money
on bloody cars.

You'll never have
any money left."

And I walk in and they go,

"hello, gary,
this is your new car,"

And they pull
the silk shade off.

Jaw open, it was probably
the greatest moment in my life,

But the thing
that made it sad was,

Then my father went,
"oh, your mum's gonna be upset."

And she was 'cause it turns out
she doesn't like him having joy.

I said to my mum, I said,
"I bought you and dad a car,"

And she goes,
"you bought your father a car.

You'd never buy me
such an extravagant gift."

And I said, "you can't drive!"

"what am I meant to spend
70, 80 grand on?

You sit in a chair and watch tv.
Do you want a tiara?"

That's very funny,
that's very funny.

My mother wanted to have
a chair after that.

It's a reclining chair
that actually rose

Into a standing position.

That's the last chair
you ever own.

-Are you hungry?
-Yeah, I'm very hungry.

now, obviously we've seen

Electricity can
revolutionize the car industry,

But how about
the burger industry?

-Wanna try something different?
-Sure.

this show is all about
innovations and breakthroughs,

So believe me, this ain't
gonna be no ordinary burger.

The future of food.

future of food.

hey, flippy, let me have
a double hamburger,

Medium rare, ketchup only.
What do you want?

-Flippy!
-You don't have to yell.

He can hear you,
he's not deaf.

flippy, two patties, uh,

Special sauce, lettuce, tomato,
cheese, grilled onions.

-There you go.
-It's about to do something.

there you are,
there, look at that!

Hey!

this is more exciting
than I thought it would be.

turns out no matter
who's cooking your burger,

It still takes longer
than you want,

But hey, it's the future,

And flippy, uh,
nice job, I--I guess.

-Very good.
-Mmm, not bad.

I think the future
of burgers is safe.

we don't need people.

we all know
the world is becoming

More and more autonomous,
and it's not just hamburgers,

It's automobiles, autopilot,
auto manufacturing,

Auto everything!

I'm not sure if that counts.

Anyway, with all that automation
comes a whole new set

Of auto problems.

And who's gonna solve
all these new problems?

Well, the answer
might surprise you.

Now, this may appear to be

An autonomous car
'cause as you can see,

There's nobody
behind the steering wheel,

But actually there is.

Well, how far away
are you, eric?

hey, jay, I'm about
15 miles away right now.

All right,
he's about 15 miles away

And he's got a screen,
and he's seeing

Everything I'm seeing
out the window,

Probably even more because
I'm not really paying attention.

I'm looking at the camera and
he's actually driving the car.

I'm on my way to pick up
elliot katz.

He's one of the founders
of this company

That's really pushing
and developing this technology.

-Elliot, how are you?
-Hey, jay.

-How long you been doing this?
-We came out in 2018,

We had a remote operator
sitting in our office

In silicon valley
remotely driving a vehicle

All throughout las vegas,
so 500 miles away,

And we were able to do so
while it was pouring rain,

Oftentimes in areas
with no lane marking,

So a lot of areas
and conditions

That are difficult
for autonomous vehicles,

Which is where
we make our money.

Autonomy has gotten
to a very good point

But it's not yet 100 percent,

So when you run into any issue,
whether it's a construction site

Or an area
that hasn't been pre-mapped,

You know, inclement weather,

We can take over and drive
for that portion of the ride.

these people are essentially

Like air traffic controllers
in a tower.

They are sort of watching
the whole deal.

it's like air traffic control

If, when air traffic control
saw a problem,

They could also steer the plane.

okay, the big question:

Is this legal?

Is there a cop behind us?

What a coincidence.

I guess I'm about to find out.

Oh, is this, like, legit?

Okay, all right,
let's see what happens.

I'm in a car being driven
by a guy over 15 miles away

In mountain view, california!

Is there a cop behind us?

Uh, there a problem, officer?

All right,
let's see what happens.

hello, officer.

This is eric,
phantom operator d617.

I'm in complete control
of the vehicle

From a remote location.

you're free to go.

We gotta get more
of these remotely driven cars.

This is the best way
to get out of a ticket there is.

Drive on, eric.

After a little explanation
from us

And a checking of a penal code,
he let us off

Because it is totally legal!

Our penals were fine!

So who's better still?

An actual human doing the car

Or somebody like eric
from 15 miles away?

our remote operators can drive

Just as well as a human who's
sitting in the driver's seat.

-Really?
-I think we should do

Something head-to-head.

I haven't seen eric,
but I'm guessing

My head is bigger
than eric's head.

So in a head-to-head race,
I would probably win

Because I have
kind of a giant head,

So I think we will find out.

We have a bit
of an obstacle course.

We have three beloved
american comedians:

Jeff dunham, tim allen,
and of course, brad garrett.

And eric, your job
is to go in between them,

Without hitting them,
as quickly as you can.

But if you hit them, it's okay
'cause it's more work for me.

-You all set to go?
-Let's burn some rubber, jay.

three, two, one, go!

safe.

He can be quick,
but he's always safe.

oh, that's not really quick.

look at how he navigates around
brad garrett though.

It's an american icon
he's working around.

Doing pretty good,
let's see what he looks like

-On the way back.
-Oh, he's coming back?

-Yeah.
-Wow, okay.

gotta watch that brad garrett.

Tight turn around tim allen.

Never wanna hit the tool man.

Around the stretch,
jeff dunham, flawless.

wow, yeah. You know,

If you're getting paid
by the hour, that's pretty good.

He's gonna make himself
a lot of money.

Not bad, I mean, considering
he was 15 miles away,

It was actually pretty good.

all right, jay,
now it's your turn.

-Let's see what you've got.
-Give it a shot.

If I don't win this,
humans as we know it are doomed.

One, two, three, go!

Whoa, whoa!

-How'd I do?
-Looked a bit unsafe, jay.

Looked like you killed
tim allen.

Oh, I hit tim allen?

You mean I missed
the other two guys?

-They're still standing.
-Oh, I'll fix that.

That's the one thing
your car will never have:

Road rage!

The corvette has been
an iconic american sports car

For over 60 years.

Have you let any
of your friends drive it?

-Never.
-Excellent!

Since 1953, there have been
seven generations,

And a great deal
of the model's success

Is attributed to a man
sometimes called

The "father of the corvette,"

Zora arkus-duntov.

Starting in 1953,
zora directed innovations

In fuel injection
and engine block technology

That transformed the corvette
from a stylish roadster

Into an automotive powerhouse
that challenged

Top racing brands
from around the world.

Despite zora's massive success
with the front-engine corvette,

There was one dream he was
never able to fully achieve:

A full production
mid-engine version of that car.

But it wasn't
for lack of trying.

Over the years,
zora and his successors

Experimented with six
mid-engine prototypes,

And of course, any time you even
think of changing something,

People just freak out.

Remember a couple years ago
how some corvette enthusiasts

Almost lost it over the
modification to the headlights?

So the idea of moving
the whole engine, well,

Let's just say it stirred up
a bit of controversy.

Luckily corvette isn't afraid
of a few angry tweets.

Today I'm meeting up
with ed piatek

At the marine corps
air station tustin,

A warehouse built back in 1942

As a base
for military blimp operations,

And I'll be one of the first
to drive the culmination

Of 60 years of innovation,
and from what I hear,

It's gonna be one hell
of a breakthrough.

-Hey, ed, how ya doing?
-Great, jay.

-Great to see ya.
-Great to see you.

So the history
of the mid-engine corvette

Really starts with this car,
doesn't it?

yeah, this is what
we call cerv I.

Cerv stands for chevrolet
engineering research vehicle.

this was sort of the first,

"hmm, maybe the engine should be
in the back" kind of corvette.

yeah, zora was a big fan
of the performance capability

Of having this mass
over the driven wheel

And really thought that might be
an opportunity

To take corvette
to the next performance level.

And this was the next gen,
this is cerv ii.

Now we're starting to look
more like a gt or a sports car

Because we got two seats.

yeah, this was a car
that he built

In consideration
of going against

The ford gt40 at le mans.

Mid-engine with all-wheel drive.

He drove this car
over 212 miles an hour

At the milford proving grounds.

Now, this is cerv iii, right?

yeah, this is a car
that we built in 1990.

and this is when cerv

Really started
to look like corvette.

-Right.
-You see all

The corvette elements
in the front end

And obviously the insignias
and all.

yeah, a lot of elements went

Into the fourth and fifth
generation corvettes

That were inspired
by this design.

Okay, now let's get to...

The new king of the hill.

there it is, jay,
the 2020 corvette stingray.

very nice, wow.

and for the first time ever,

We'll have
a mid-engine architecture

To really leverage
all that performance capability

That zora thought
we could deliver by getting

All that mass of the powertrain
over the driven wheels.

boy, it's, you know,
it's the future.

I mean, to me,
the real genius of this car

Is the fact that it's priced
around $60,000.

right, the starting price
will be below $60,000.

you know, to me,
that's always the thing I find

Most exciting
about american manufacturing.

A lot of people
can build a car

For a half a million
or a million dollars

Because money's no object.

To get the kind of performance
of those kind of cars

In the $60,000 range,
that's when the engineers,

That's when the marketing,
that's when the whole thing

Comes together to make
a car like this attainable

-For the average person.
-Yeah, I think, you know,

Corvette's always been
a dream car,

But it's also been attainable.

It's not
a half-a-million-dollar car.

And to deliver
this kind of performance

At a price point
that people can afford,

We're pretty excited about that.

plus, a lot of mid-engine cars,

You can't open it
to see the engine.

-Right.
-Can we open this one up?

-Yeah, absolutely.
-Let's show people what we got.

Wow. Very impressive.

yeah, there's the heart of the
new corvette, the lt2 engine.

and a huge trunk.

yeah, the trunk was designed

To stow the removable
roof panel,

And it also can accommodate
two sets of golf clubs.

Let's open it up and see
what the interior looks like.

-Door handle's right up in here?
-Yeah, we hide the door handle

In the cove to keep
a really nice, clean line.

boy, I like this
sort of cockpit-inspired,

F-18, whatever fighter plane
you want to say.

right, it's very driver-centric.

All the controls point
at the driver, great ergonomics,

And we really focused
on keeping the cowl low

To give you sort of
that command view.

You can look right down
the hood at the road.

Really makes it easy to be

Inch-perfect
if you're on a track.

It seemed like
last generation corvette,

You were sitting maybe
a little more further back here.

Now it seems like
we're up closer to the front.

Yeah, we've moved
the driver's h-point

-About 16 inches forward.
-Is that the h-point right here?

yeah, your hips
is what we call that.

And the bottom line is,
the driver now

Is at the center of gravity
for the vehicle,

So as you turn the car,

There's an immediacy
in the response.

You don't wait for the front
of the car to turn

-And then you get a sensation.
-You know, it's a beautiful car.

-Can we take it for a ride?
-Yeah, let's go, jay.

We've been waiting a long time
to drive this thing.

I've been waiting
since the eighth grade, okay?

Well, how cool is this?

Since the official unveiling
doesn't happen

For another 12 hours,

And to avoid paparazzi
and spy drones,

I'm told we have to keep
this top-secret ride

Inside the blimp hangar.

Oh, I also hear the guard dogs
are pretty vicious too.

Wow.

I know it's about
the same weight,

But it certainly feels lighter
than the previous car.

you know, I think a lot of
that's the stiffness of the car,

And that gives you
the perception

That the car is very nimble
and agile.

We were at a point where
I think we've gone

As far as we could
with the last architecture,

And the only way
to beat that generation

Was to reinvent it.

With the analytical tools
we have, the modeling,

We were able to finally do
a better corvette

As a mid-engine corvette.

Feel that, uh,
small-block chevy

Really want to push the car
down the road.

yeah, I mean, yeah.

Okay.

I mean, obviously,
we're not on a race track,

We're in a building,
but it's, uh, you know,

It feels very go-kart-like.

It's just very darty,

And I feel like you can make it
do whatever you want it to do.

yeah, we even packaged some of
the roof trim around my helmet.

They were able
to actually scan my helmet in

And mathematically mold
some of the trim and stuff

Around it so people of my size
could drive the car on a track

Without having to scrunch their
helmet down or what have you.

So it really makes it easier
for big people

To put a helmet on
and drive the car.

very nice.

Ed, thank you very much,
you've done a brilliant job.

-Thank you, jay.
-You can go back to your family.

Ed's been working on this
for the last six years.

He hasn't been home.

His kids have grown up,
he doesn't know.

So you can go home,
have dinner with the wife.

Take a day off,
you've done a hell of a job.

You and the whole team,
it's very, very impressive.

It makes you proud
to be an american.

-Thank you, jay.
-I'm gonna drop ed off

And then I'm gonna take off
in this thing.

Coming up:

This just looks like a minivan,

But it has, what,
close to a thousand horsepower?

1029 to be exact.

well, this episode's all about
innovations and breakthroughs,

And the car
I'm driving right now

Has got a little bit of both.

It looks like a porsche cayman,
but it's not.

It's actually a boxster
that's been heavily modified.

It has all kinds
of fascinating technology in it.

It's built by a shop called
bisimoto in ontario, california.

Boy, they know
what they're doing.

wow, not bad, not bad.

bisi ezerioha is
the innovative mastermind

Behind bisimoto engineering.

A nigerian-american entrepreneur
and build expert,

Bisi is so smart
he started college at 15,

And he's made his mark
in the car world

By taking unremarkable cars
and engines

And totally reworking them
to squeeze out

Just incredible levels
of performance.

he's very smooth.

I see a lot of drivers jabbing.
He's really, really smooth.

He likes this straightaway.

Wow, jay, good job.

Okay, that's a tricky corner.

okay.

Of course, yeah, yeah,
we're fine.

he spun out.

Tires are too cold.

-Well done, jay.
-No, not really.

Takes a while
to get used to it.

I spun it over there,
as you saw.

oh, the tires are a little cold.

yeah, that's it, the tires are--

-Yeah, the tires are cold.
-I saw it.

You did very well.
That turn three,

You were a little hesitant
with that initially,

But you got very comfortable
later on.

what were we hitting on
the straights?

I saw you doing 138.

oh, okay. That felt like 110.

you did well,
very impressive data here.

You're very good on
the throttle, very smooth.

I see a lot of drivers jab,
but you're very smooth with it.

-Much like the woman...
-Like you're making love...

like the woman,
you must be very smooth.

I teach you about love,
my friend.

thank you, sir, I need--

I need some lessons.

that's what she told me.

What's it weigh, about 2,400?

you're very good.
2,460 to be exact.

yeah, that's what I thought,
and I'm probably,

This is part of the 60,
yeah, so...

And what is it,
about 450 horsepower?

jay, this is frightening now.

I've never told you about
this car, but you're right.

well, that's what it feels like.

This is actually
a hot wheels car,

-Isn't it?
-Absolutely.

Well, let's talk
about you for a minute.

A lot of guys
from my generation think,

"oh, kids aren't interested
in cars.

They don't want to turn
screwdrivers and wrenches."

But this is the new tool,
isn't it?

-It is.
-And this is what you use

When you download all the data.

You know, back in my day,
you'd come in

And guys would take the jets out
or they'd look at the plugs.

"a-ha, this plug's hot,
this plug's cold,"

And go back out again.

-Now you do it all...
-Yeah, technology's our friend.

We use technology
to our biggest advantage

And it allows you
to create wonderful things

And analyze data and make things
even more efficient and better.

like this, I mean,
this just looks like a minivan

To the uninitiated, but it
became a cool hot wheels car

Because it has, what,
close to a thousand horsepower?

1029 to be exact.

I wanted to eat my cake
and have it too.

I wanted something
I could haul the kids around

But also have some fun
when I need to.

you know, this is the van
jim jefferies could use.

This gets very exciting.

well, I'd like to see
how it goes.

Could I possibly drive this one?

-I would insist you do.
-I'm glad you insist.

-Let's give it a shot.
-Jump in.

you know, I like this very much.

It handles very nicely.

I mean, when it comes
on boost, look.

That's a modified.

we use actually a gearbox
out of an acura tl type s

On the factory j-series
3.5-liter v6 engine

That came in this car
originally,

But of course
we modified it extensively.

All the accoutrements,
bells and whistles,

Pistons, rods,
camshaft, valvetrain,

Built properly
also with a turbocharger,

And she runs on e85 fuel.

-It's the ultimate minivan.
-Yes, sir.

so are you the first generation
of your family to come here?

Actually, both my parents
went to school here

-In the u.S. From nigeria.
-Oh, they did? Okay.

both my parents are scientists,
so many of us followed suit.

I'm an engineer,
and I have siblings

Who are physicians, pharmacists,
and also biochemists.

I'm starting to see
this culture now

Where it's cool to be
a scientist and engineer,

And I wish more kids
would get into it.

-Yeah.
-'cause you can have fun,

You can create projects
like this and drive yourself.

and what was the oddest thing
about american culture?

It was hugging.

Americans hug a lot.

We don't tend to hug
or anything like that, you know?

It's a cultural thing,
people tend to give each other

Space and so on and so forth,
but for here, I'm like,

Oh, my goodness, a lady
comes up to you and hugs you?

Oh, that was a young man's dream
to get hugged left and right.

It was pretty interesting.

let's see what
this thing can do.

-Feels good.
-Thank you, jay.

coming up:

Some say this is
the future of car-buying.

You order it online.

And the car comes down.

It's electrifyin'!

Drifting is a worldwide passion.

From the streets to formula d,

It's loud, it's elegant,
and like all motorsports,

It's constantly evolving.

I want to do
some drifting today,

So I did what everybody does
these days:

I ordered a car
over the internet!

And I'm picking it up
at a carvana vending machine.

Sometimes your car gets stuck,

You have to shake it
a little bit.

Oh, here it comes now.

Come on, let's go check it out.

-Travis!
-How's it going?

This is travis reeder.

He's a drift driver for
napoleon motorsports.

They built this car.

It's a camaro el1,

But it's been converted
to electric.

With 800 pounds of batteries
feeding a single tesla motor,

The el1 makes
a solid 515 horsepower,

But more importantly,
it's the very first

All-electric drift car
to compete professionally.

This could change the face
of drifting as we know it.

Car guys can be pretty set
in their ways.

Were you looked upon
as kind of an outlier

-With this electric car?
-Oh, yes.

No one really wanted
to step into that unknown,

And we got to talking about it
and we're like, "you know what,

We're gonna do something
no one's ever done before."

now, why not just run a tesla

Or an electric car
that's hopped up?

Why take a gas car
and convert it to electric?

napoleon motorsports has
background in trans am racing.

They always ran camaros.

When they were venturing
into drifting,

They had the opportunity to get
this car from a buddy of theirs.

This car was actually
lightly hit by a freight train.

okay, I love that.

See, only a used-car salesman

Would say, "it was lightly hit
by a freight train."

-Yeah.
-How do you...

How do you lightly get
hit by a freight train?

And then what happened?
You stripped out the motor

And, obviously,
you gutted the thing.

Yeah, stripped the car,
gutted it to a bare chassis,

Did all the fabrication work,

And then started building
from the ground up there.

So tell me about
the feedback you get

From this versus the gas car.

You hear things you normally
don't hear in a drift car.

Usually you listen to the motor,
it's loud.

With this,
the noise aspect isn't there,

So you really have to rely on
other senses to drive the car.

You hear the tires
screeching more.

They change pitch as
wheel speed gains and decreases.

So you kind of,
you feel the car,

What I like to call
my "butt dyno."

-"butt dyno"?
-"butt dyno."

As you give it throttle,
you feel the car accelerate;

As you let off,
you feel it slow down.

Well, travis, enough talk.

Let's see what
this thing can do.

all right.

just listen to those tires.

Isn't that better than some
stupid music they drop in?

Yes!

Can hear those tires singing.

Oh!

-How was that?
-Yes, very good!

You know, it's so fun.

It's actually more enjoyable

Because you're not getting
the fumes

And you're not getting
a lot of the co2.

There's still enough noise
to keep you excited.

Okay, cue the dumb rock music.

Travis, this has been fantastic!

As john travolta would say,
it's electrifyin'!

Now for when designers run wild.

Nowadays, any number of cars can
simply parallel park themselves,

But life wasn't always so easy.

For decades, parallel parking
struck fear into the hearts

Of drivers everywhere.

Throughout the years,
a few brave designers

Tried to solve
the tricky parking dilemma.

In the 1930s, an inventor
named brooks walker

Created what he called
the fifth wheel.

It's just what it sounds like,

An extra wheel
that looks like a spare tire

Used to gracefully park
your car.

Of course, you could just learn
to parallel park.

Hey, it's not that hard!

How was that, mr. Hot buns?

I think we got it.

-Coming up:
-We taught the motorcycle

How to ride a bike.

now, did you run into people

Who'd say, "no, that's crazy,
you'd never be able to do that."

-All the time, yeah.
-All the time, yeah.

The motorcycle
I'm riding right now

Is a bmw r ninet.

This motorcycle has disc brakes,

Traction control, anti-lock,

You've got heated grip.

This is a pretty advanced bike,
but traditional.

We're gonna go see
my friend larry.

He's starring
in a new movie.

It's a remake of that classic,
"the invisible man."

Hey, larry, good to see ya.

Now let's bring in
the gentlemen responsible

For this piece
of amazing technology.

You know,
a car being able to drive,

Okay, the stability problem
is taken care of

Because it's on four wheels,
obviously.

-Where do we begin?
-The traveling environment

In the future
will change a lot.

Cars will get connected,
more intelligent,

And we as motorcyclists
want to be part of it as well,

So we taught the motorcycle
how to ride a bike

To get more knowledge
about the vehicle's dynamic.

obviously this was built
sort of for fun

To show that you can do it.

Nobody's gonna put out
a riderless motorcycle.

-Sure.
-But where do you see

This technology being used
in the future

In other sort of bmw products?

autonomous vehicles are here.

You can think of a bike
that's able to tell you

You're going too hot
into a corner

Or you need to be, you know,
harder on your braking.

So you can be an advanced rider,
you can be a beginner rider,

And the bike
could actually help you.

So the accident avoidance
technology would be

Obviously really something
you could really use.

well, and if your bike
was communicating with the car

And telling the car that,

"hey, there's a motorcycle
in this area,"

Or there's
a potential collision,

It actually helps the car avoid
the collision as well.

Now, did you run into people
within the company who'd say,

"no, that's crazy,
you'd never be able to do that,"

Then you feel you have to do it?

-All the time, yeah.
-All the time, yeah.

even my boss didn't think that
we were really able to do that,

But we proved him wrong.

so how does it stay stable?

I imagine there's no gyroscope
or anything of that nature.

no, that's what's cool about it.

So if you think
about a gyroscope,

That's keeping the bike
balanced, keeping it upright.

-Right.
-This doesn't have any of that,

And so it's really all
of the rider inputs

Or what a normal rider
would have riding a motorcycle.

'cause once a motorcycle
is rolling,

You could take your hands
off the bars

And sort of steer it by...

That part, although hard,

Is not as hard, I imagine,
as initially pulling away.

for starting and for stopping,

We have an additional kickstand
on the other side

That can be automated,
so like a human

That puts down its foot when
it approaches a traffic light,

The motorcycle can do
exactly the same.

well, gentlemen,
it's just, just amazing.

Could I borrow this?
I--I have an idea

For something
I just want to try.

In the future,
there's no telling

How many lives will be saved by
this incredible technology,

But for now,
I got the perfect gig

For this cyborg motorcycle.

Ah, now that's the future.

Pizza! You hungry?

-Yes, I am.
-Yeah, I'm sorry,

I would've gotten one for ya.
I didn't know.

Buckle up, folks,
it's time to assess and caress

With donald osborne.

well, this episode was all about
innovations and breakthroughs.

I am jay innovation,
this is donald breakthrough,

And we have three cars here
from three different eras

That were
innovative breakthroughs.

-Tell us what we have, donald.
-Jay, today we've got

A 1925 cadillac v-63 phaeton,

We have a 1934 chrysler
airflow imperial cx,

And a 1914 rolls-royce 40/50
silver ghost.

Let's start with the cadillac.
You look at it and you say,

"well, it's certainly
an attractive car."

What is innovative about this?

Well, jay, this car comes
to us from our friends

At farmers insurance,
and in fact,

A car like this 1925 cadillac

Was the very first car
they ever insured in 1928.

And this is one of these cool
things they did back in the day.

See, to prove that
your car was insured,

Farmers insurance
would give you this,

You'd put that right on there,
you see, so...

Oh, you got insurance,
you're okay.

this particular model
pioneered the use

Of a cross-plane crank in the v8
which made it much smoother

Than it had been before
with the flat-plane crank.

you know, I have a 1918 version
with this engine in it,

And that goes down the road
50 miles an hour, comfortable.

It's really what cadillac
was all about.

there's a reason why cadillac

Used the slogan,
"the standard of the world,"

For so long because cadillac
was very successful.

They won the coveted
dewar trophy three times,

The first time
for parts interchangeability,

And then
for the electric starter.

It also was
the first passenger car

With front-wheel brakes
standard.

And speaking
of the dewar trophy,

Let's go to our next car,
the 1914 rolls-royce.

The silver ghost is one of
the legendary cars of history.

The model is actually the 40/50,

But it got the nickname
"silver ghost"

From a particular car,
the silver ghost,

That ran from london
to edinburgh,

Almost 600 miles,
in top gear,

Which is absolutely
an amazing accomplishment.

They followed that up
and won a dewar trophy

For a 15,000-mile
continuous driving tour

After which they tore down
the car, opened up the engine,

And found no measurable wear.

it was smooth, it was quiet,

It reached a level
of efficiency

And performance
that was unheard of.

Exactly.

Our third car,

The chrysler airflow.

This is the first american
mass-produced car

That was designed
with a wind tunnel.

this is a classic case

Of trying to sell something
before its time.

A lot of times when they come
out with futuristic cars,

They're a little too far in
the future and people, "whoa."

Like this, with this...

People were used
to this kind of a grille,

You know, this big rolls-royce
or the cadillac with the thing.

You know, whereas this swoopy,

Sort of santa fe express
streamline thing,

It just looked odd to people.

In fact, this is
the only year they did

What they call
this waterfall grille.

They went back
to a traditional kind of front.

it should have been
the most spectacular car

Of the 1930s for america.

but now we have
to decide which one

Has appreciated the most?

in the last five years.

I think rolls-royce
has appreciated the most

Because the resurgence
of rolls-royce,

Much like bugatti
has revived the old name,

The new rolls-royces
are quite successful,

And in the history
of the automobile,

This is probably one of the most
written-about cars of all time.

So you're hitching your wagon
to the ghost?

Yeah, sure, why not? Yeah.

five years ago,

This cadillac
might have been bought

For about $35,000.

Today it would be about $80,000.

The chrysler airflow,
five years ago,

A terrific one
might've been $200,000.

Today, a really nice
short-wheelbase one

Might sell for $160,000.

Now, the rolls-royce,
five years ago,

Would've been
about $1.1 million.

Today, a silver ghost
with its original body

In a touring style
would be about $1.8 million.

So certainly the silver ghost
is the most valuable

Of the cars here,
but the one that wins

The appreciation sweepstakes

Is the 1925 cadillac.

Oh, but the one that's worth
the most is the rolls-royce.

You know, this is an argument
we have every week on this show.

To me, it's the one
that gets you the most money.

It's not that, it's the one
that's moved the furthest

From point to point.

I still like what I said better.

never let the truth get
in the way.