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Private Notes
The last car Elvis drove the evening he passed was his beloved Stutz Blackhawk. Ray wants to help document the preservation and heads to Graceland to check out this iconic piece of American music history. Ray and the team reveal the restoration of the car at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Rick Hendrick ("Mr. H") and arguably Elvis Presley's biggest fan, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
While at Graceland, Ray and the team also get an exclusive look at the paneled station wagon Elvis used to get in and out of Graceland in disguise. It's an intimate look at the King's incredible automobile and the secrets about his cars only Elvis knew.
This episode takes an inside look at the famous racing L88 Corvette: From its history, to its successes and heartbreaks, to the stories of the men that drove it. Now, it's a car world's version of the Flintstones meet the Jetsons, as the Owens Corning Corvette - that clinched 22 straights races, making it the winningest Corvette in racing history - challenges the new Corvette C7-R at the track. The Owens Corning team reunites for the challenge at Sebring on March 11, 2014, and the crew went behind the scenes for the Corvette test drive of a lifetime.
From break up to make up - Jeff Gordon and Ray reunite revive their Chevrolet Monte Carlo that claimed victory in their final race together at Phoenix, AZ in 1999. John Bickford makes the call that reunites the old team. Jeff and Ray look to bum parts off their boss - Rick Hendrick - to make their vision a reality: get the car, replace the parts as they were, make it run and get it to auction.
Jeff and Ray work to restore the car back to its former glory and tell their story about their last season together and how they won at every track on the circuit at that time. We see the old mullets and mustaches - as well as talk about the pressure of winning that last race. The finale of the episode concludes at Barrett Jackson Scottsdale where the car is auctioned off for the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.
One of the greatest battles in NASCAR history was Hall of Famer Richie Evans and rival speedster Jerry Cook. Ray is determined to uncover - and revive- the cars that made these men famous.
They purchase the car from Jimmy Spencer and take us through the side-by-side restoration process of Ritchie Evans #61 car and a replica of Jerry Cook's #38 car. Through the build Ray uncovers legends' stories through the eyes of guys who were there in Rome, NY like Robin Pemberton and Steve Hmiel.
Both cars will hit the track at Martinsville - site of one of the greatest races in modified history and the tragic death of Richie Evans himself. Legends live again as Ray recreates one the racing world's most celebrated rivalries on a track that has seen it all.
General Motors VP of global design, Ed Welburn, takes AmeriCarna behind the scenes to talk about the history and development of the company's concept cars that never made it to production. In a rare tour at the factory's inner design studio, Ray gets an exclusive look behind the creative curtain at the GM plant in Detroit.
In this episode, Ray celebrates the 50th birthday of the Ford Mustang through the lens of three distinct Mustang owners who hold a slice of the car's incredible history. In Chicago 1964, schoolteacher Gail Wise unknowingly purchased the first ever Mustang to ever be sold to consumers. It was 3 days before it became available to the public and her husband reveals the incredible restoration that brought the earliest Mustang ever sold back to its 60's glory. (Ford Motor Company knows she has the car, has verified it was sold before it was legal to sell.)
John Grafelman is a farmer in Illinois and life-long Ford lover. A few years ago he found an old car hidden in a barn - it took some time but he convinced his friend to sell it to him. After some detective work he discovers he purchased 1968 Ford Design Chief Larry Shinoda's personal car he tinkered with to invent the BOSS 302.
Lastly, Ray travels to Dayton Ohio to interview Gale Holderman the Mustang stylist who won the company's contest to draw and design Mustang.
How do you cast a car in a movie? What are the secrets to the build? Hollywood car designers give Ray the ultimate tour of some memorable movie cars. Includes a look at the recently found "Hells Chariot" - last surviving car from original Grease movie, the backstory of "Bumble Bee" from Tranformers, the making of tank from Hunger Games, and the iconic 1968 Chevy Impala from American Graffiti.
Ray explores buying a unique, hand built car that the Schultz family has kept in their New Jersey home for years. The car was originally called the Schultz El Fierro but it's officially titled in New as a "Schultz Special" from 1958. It was used to drag race and held numerous racing records, but most important to that family was that it was driven by the legendary Carroll Shelby. With a frame and style much similar to the Shelby Roadster, the Schultz family wonders if it inspired one of the most well known automobiles in America.
In another epic New Jersey story, Ray finds Mario Andretti's 1965 Indy car. The catch: it's completely in pieces hidden away in a garage. The iconic driver talks about his days on the track with that car and Ray attempts to negotiate a deal to buy the parts.
Post World War II, a large generation of American soldiers were looking for cars that mirrored the incredible sports cars they saw overseas in Europe. After searching for an affordable way to recreate these, one manufacturer responded with a durable, cost effective option: a line of fiberglass sports cars. Very few of these cars still exist but there are collectors who are constantly looking to save pieces and parts of these virtually unknown vehicles - many of them at the Smithsonian Museum. This episode presents a unique look at how the narrative of American war time experiences often shaped the nation's automotive demands.
While visiting the estate of automotive genius and land speed record holder Willie Glass, Ray discovers a lost set of the extremely rare Ardun Heads - a hot rodders dream discovery. He visits the infamous H & H Flatheads outside Los Angeles and discovers a surprise connection to the Earnhardt family.
