Automotive News, Media & Press - The Car Show With Adam Carolla & Dan Neil Premiers on SPEED Tonight

Be sure to set your DVRs on SPEED for tonight.

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Edmunds Review: The Car Show with Adam Carolla Season 1, Episode 1

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By Mike Magrath | July 13, 2011

The first episode of Speed's The Car Show with Adam Carolla, Dan Neil and others somehow found its way into our hands just about 12 hours before the show's official premiere.

We've watched it. Twice. We've studied it. We've formed opinions and now we're passing them onto you. Warning: Thar be spoilers ahead.

After a brief "welcome to our show" monologue by Adam, Speed's The Car Show starts off the way a cable access version of Sports Center would; with the four hosts seated at a desk that should probably only hold three dudes. And this, friends is the low point of the show.

The first segment, 0-60 (clever...clever), is essentially the news portion of Top Gear with a timer. They've got 60 seconds to talk shop or, in AC's words "geek out" about cars. This is our first time to hear from Dan Neil, Matt Farah and John Salley. Neil is clever and clearly a car guy. Matt Farah, who's super-annoying on The Smoking Tire, is restrained but passionate. Adam is Adam turned up to 11 -- first show excitement? John Salley is present and clueless. They talk Corvette, Porsche 918, in car gadgets and ask the question on everyone's mind, "Why do people buy so many Camrys?" It's a good segment. Well timed and well moderated.

They follow this up with a trip to the Reno 24 Hours of LeMons where our good friends (and co-workers) at EyeSore Racing get a shout-out. The team compete in a '94 Nissan 300ZX and get to enjoy all of the fun of driving a crapcan around a track with none of the work that goes into it. There's some easy crashing, some mechanical failures and a tow-strap incident. And once again, the hosts are personable, funny and know their cars.

But then they take a Porsche GT3 RS, you know, the track-going high downforce car, to the Mojave Mile. Why not just bring a Viper ACR to the Salt Flats....sheesh. This is perhaps the biggest surprise of the show: Matt Farah can carry a segment. We've seen his website and the videos and they've got good idea and love burnouts as much as we do, but really, he never seemed to have that star quality. He was just...there. Here, however, Matt carries what is otherwise a fairly boring piece. There's no real challenge, there's no drama, there's no competition, but it's interesting none-the-less. Somebody on TCS staff, be it the producer, director or cameraman, knows how to get good stuff from this guy.

If I were a betting man and you'd asked me a week ago who I thought should be canned from the show, I'd have probably said Farah. Now, not so much...

There are more segments including an interview and a road test of a Rolls Royce by Dan Neil. I won't spoil those, but I can say that it will hold your attention.

Production values are OK. It's not Top Gear or Top Gear USA, but it's better shot than, say, Motor Week. Not a glaring misstep but when your biggest competitor is the world standard, it's worth mentioning. The best thing about The Car Show isn't the production or even the stories from the first episode, it's that it has personality. It has a soul. Unlike Top Gear USA, The Car Show doesn't have a format to follow or a reputation to live up to and that freedom, combined with the hiring of presenters with personality, make the show watchable as a stand-alone property and not filler in between episodes of the Real Top Gear.

Unfortunately there is another low point -- besides the odd desk -- and that's John Salley. It's not that he's bad as a host, he's a funny and personable guy, but he's completely out of his league on a car show and there were precious few times when the show could have benefited from the skills of a 6'11" power forward. Three people would fit at that desk better anyway.

In any case, this show now enjoy's a "Save until I delete" designation on my DVR. Tune in to Speed at 10 pm Eastern tonight to decide for yourself. And don't forget to let us know what you think.

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This was what i also thought after 10min

"John Salley. It's not that he's bad as a host, he's a funny and personable guy, but he's completely out of his league on a car show and there were precious few times when the show could have benefited from the skills of a 6'11" power forward. Three people would fit at that desk better anyway."

Anyone have a streaming, torrent, or download link?

haha John Salley looked so out of place, the other three guys would be conversing and John was just sitting there like "yea......."

it was enjoyable to watch overall. I wasn't impressed with the hosts chemistry, but that'll form with time. and adam carolla's untimely jokes that weren't that funny.. I'll keep watching to form a solid opinion about the show, and cause i'm always interested in anything car related. i think theyre comparing the ZR1 and SLS AMG in a future episode, sounds like an awesome comparo!

Neil and Farah are good.

Farah surprised me most of all, his commentary and segments were very good.

Neil is a professional and seasoned auto critic and I expected his segment to be good and it was, but Adam I thought ruined it. Adam is kind of funny, but his jokes were really out of place during the Rolls Royce review.

There is no reason to have Salley on this show, at all. They need to get rid of him. Zero to 60 shouldn't have a time limit on banter either.

Overall I'd say it has potential and will make decent filler between series of the original Top Gear.

Anybody encounter any links yet?
I wanna check it out, but Speed Channel is far to shitty to add it for one show...
They don't even air the entire 24 hours of Le Mans.:nono:

Anybody encounter any links yet?


http://www.hulu.com/the-car-show

It's on Hulu now.

http://www.hulu.com/the-car-show

It's on Hulu now.

You've gotta be shitting me.
I've been looking for it on and off all morning and it's on Hulu?
Son of a...:lol:

Thanks.

I already have a favorite line from this show:
Salley - Maybe we shouldn't have cars with leather
Farrah - Maybe someone should punch you in the face

Salley doesn't seem to belong, but he could work as the naive guy that occasionally says somewhat funny and moronic things.

I think it could be decent so far...

IMO....much better chemistry between the host then you see on top gear, especially for the first episode. The fact that I answered all the trivia questions correctly at home makes me want to be a contestant on there:D

I thought it was ok, but who the hell thought a hippy basketball player should be a host of a car show? WTF?

They need to get Tim Allen on there...

I thought it was ok, but who the hell thought a hippy basketball player should be a host of a car show? WTF?

They need to get Tim Allen on there...

^^^ x2

Tim Allen would've been awesome for this or Top Gear USA. I could just be thinking of the Home Improvement character though...

Well I'm pretty sure he drew heavily on his own ideas and opinions for creation of that character.

He couldn't be any worse than mr. basketball "don't use leather" jackass. I can't stand sports players...bunch of over payed dumbasses who flock to the spotlight every chance they get.

So it airs wednesday night at what time?

John Salley is pointless to this show. I never understood him being cast for this, but I went with it thinking he was a car guy. Clearly, he is not.

Tim Allen :nod:

John Salley :bang:

I give it this much, it got off to a much better start than Top Gear USA!! The show definitely has potential. They just need to work out a few bugs here and there, rid the show of Salley and rein in Carolla a tad.

Keep Farrah and Neil drop the other two and get a profesional driver to test cars.

I like it, will be watching every episode. I say let Adam do his thing as the other 3 really don't seem to bring much to the table. Plus I find him hilarious.:D John Salley did seem somewhat out of place with not much to say. Not sure if hes a car fan at all? IIRC I heard him a few times on Carolla's podcast and was funny.

John Salley is pointless to this show. I never understood him being cast for this, but I went with it thinking he was a car guy. Clearly, he is not.

X100! WTF were they thinking putting him on the show? The few times he did open his mouth he shouldn't have.

Would have been alright if it weren't for the commercials, but they really kill it. Adam needs to dial it WAY down on the stupid jokes he was throwing out there though, it was pretty annoying every time he opened his mouth. IDK, I'm guessing I will be watching it as we don't have a whole lot of choices for car shows, but they really need to make some changes.

I don't know why anyone had doubts about Farrah, I think his material on his website is excellent. His very knowledged and does all his segments with alotta enthusiasm, and decently funny at times. I enjoy enthusiastic guys that love cars all the way from the Miata to the Vettes and to the Exotics.

You can see his passion in almost all of his videos, specially when he cleans his vette. I like him alot.

Salley is not a car guy at all and looks very lost out there. He needs to be booted asap.

Adam's jokes were terrible on the first episode. They were very random and unfunny. He just came off as obnoxious and loud.

On another note I think I'd love to see Jay Leno on there. His very funny and everybody knows that he knows all of his cars. He'd be perfect IMO idk if his the type to joke around though


Overall this was WAY WAY WAY better than the USA Top Gear. That was horrible and I don't understand how it hasn't gotten cancelled already(season 2 starts sunday).

I think its actually pretty good. John Salley is clueless and needs to go IMO. Adam Carolla is a bit annoying, he could cut the number of stupid jokes in half and be just as brilliant IMO. Farrah is a great talent, I really did enjoy his piece on the Texas mile.

But the real genius in this show is Dan Neil. He is so incredibly polished on camera, and has real knowledge about the subject at hand. IMO you know this guy talks from experience, and I think he's actually the funniest guy on the show because he doesn't try to be funny like Carolla.

Although Tim Allen or Jay Leno would be the best host for this type of show, they both have that charisma that is so hard to find now days. IMO both of those guys are in the same sort of leauge in terms of presentation as Clarkson, James May or Richard Hammond, but their overall car knowelge, especially on American cars, blows all three of those dudes out of the water.