MotorWeek Episode 1: 15th October 1981.

[Madman Of The People]

America's longest running motoring programme, MotorWeek has been a fixture on the PBS netwook since 1981.  It is very similar in concept to the early incarnation of Top Gear.  Unlike Top Gear, however, MotorWeek has never (and I really mean NEVER) changed it's format.  To this day, the main presenter is still John Davis and the programme's in-house mechanic is still Pat Goss.  And, as a result, it is still boring as hell!

 

So why should you Brits care about a long-running and tediously dull American programme like MotorWeek?  Because MotorWeek has recently been posting car reviews from it's old episodes on YouTube under the "Retro Reviews" banner.  Fans of serious, weapons-grade shite are sure to appreciate these vintage segments which show these long-forgotten cars in all their glory!

 

And here's an extra-special treat.  MotorWeek has recently posted it's very first episode, unedited and in it's entirety.  Come with me back to the evening of 15th October 1981.  Who could believe John Davis still had hair?  And check out that TV studio!  That's even more shite than the cars featured.  Oh and cars reviewed on that very first episode were the US-spec Ford Escort (now available with five doors!) and the Fiat Strada.  I'm sure you Brits will love those gigantic bumpers on the Strada!  As it turns out, these were the final days of Fiat in North America.  Fiat abandoned our market in 1983 and didn't return until 2012 with the little Fiat 500.

 

Enjoy episode 1.

 

 

[r.welfare]

I like those old MotorWeek reviews, one per week is appearing from the archives on Youtube or the excellent testdrivejunkie.com

[MrFarkinBasz]

Love that brown Fiat Strada

[fordperv]

I enjoyed watching that, i also loved the brown strada saying that I loved the split colour escort as well

[PiperCub]

Never heard of this show but I'll be looking at them on Youtube while I'm on nights!!!

 

God, the Fiat Strada - I'm old enough to have driven these when they were still available new (I was 17/18 at the time) and the newspaper I worked part time for had loads of them as company hacks for the journos etc. Christ they were awful cars - sorry Fiat fans, they were dreadful, appalling build quality and shite to drive. Given my standards were real low at the time, that's saying something. Not that it put me off Italian cars as it didn't stop me buying my first Alfasud a year later though....

[Richard]

Was the American Escort featured here the same car as the European Escort? I'm sure later versions weren't.

[Station]

I've watched a few of these, there's one of the 924 Turbo vs the Starion vs the 300ZX Z31. It's 100% factual, they all just tell you what's what with minimal of guff.

Motorweek is run on PBS, which is like the American version of the BBC, (but with less political motivation/agenda/tv license).

[chaseracer]

Was the American Escort featured here the same car as the European Escort? I'm sure later versions weren't.

 

No.  Apparently, they shared the water-pump seal and a badge.

 

#world_car  <_>

[Madman Of The People]

Was the American Escort featured here the same car as the European Escort? I'm sure later versions weren't.

 

 

The Mk III European Escort and the Mk I North American Escort were originally intended to be the same.  However, the two design teams on opposite sides of the Atlantic diverged in the early stages of development and the two Escorts ended up being very different.  Although the basic silhouettes are similar, there are no interchangeable body panels between the two.  Only the CVH engines were shared across both models.  Despite the huge differences, that didn't stop Ford from advertising the Escort as a "World" car.

[inconsistant]

That's excellent.

[MrFarkinBasz]

Let me say that was the dullest motoring program (sic) I have ever seen.

 

Excellent.  Keep up the good work.  I look forward to more of these.

 

It makes a refreshing change to watch a motoring show that does not feature a heavy metal soundtrack, contrived "challenges" or in-car footage featuring the presenter laughing like a twat.

[Pillock]

Needs moar heavy metal.

[Lacquer Peel]

There used to be a lot more MotorWeek episodes on YouTube, one that sticks in my mind is a review of the expensive federalised Citroën XM.

[MrFarkinBasz]

I FKGN H8 HVY METL

[Madman Of The People]

Let me say that was the dullest motoring program (sic) I have ever seen.

 

 

 

And, 34 tears later, it is STILL the dullest motoring program (sic) anyone has ever seen!

 

Seriously, watch a recent episode of MotorWeek and you will see it has barely changed at all.  The only difference is John Davis lost all his hair and now looks like a chemotherapy patient in the final stages of terminal cancer.  Oh, and the on-screen graphics and music have been updated.  And that's it.  Otherwise, it's still just as boring now as it was way back then!

[Shep Shepherd]

Even more earnest than Old Top Gear! Love it!

[laser wheels]

Thanks for posting that. Entertaining and informative! It reminded me of the sort of thing the BBC would have on a Sunday morning about computers and woodwork and such.

[Madman Of The People]

Well, here's something I never knew existed.

 

In September 1980, The original pilot for MotorWeek was recorded.  This pilot episode was used to sell the programme to other PBS television stations across America but was never broadcast.  After sitting on a shelf for 35 years, the producers of MotorWeek have decided to post it on their YouTube channel.  This is the very first time the public has seen this un-transmitted pilot episode.

 

First, we see an introduction by an uncharacteristically subdued John Davis.  For Christ sake, he looks to be barely awake!  Seriously, the guy looks like he's been taking massive quantities of Quaaludes!  This is a million miles away from the annoyingly overenthusiastic vocal delivery which would later become a John Davis hallmark.  As for shite, check out that two-tone Plymouth Horizon in the studio.  It's so awful, Davis makes no mention of the car at all!  Also note that instead of Pat Goss, the on-air mechanic is Craig Singhaus.  Singhaus would later become a long-time contributor to MotorWeek.

 

Next, there's an in-depth comparison between the old-tech Ford Fairmont and the brand-spankin'-new Chevrolet Citation.  The Citation was one of GM's X-cars, along with the Pontiac Phoenix, Oldsmobile Omega and the Buick Skylark.  Although it had yet to become evident at the time of this recording, the X-car was a reliability nightmare for General Motors.  Plagued with numerous recalls and design defects that were never fully corrected, the Citation and it's siblings soon became recognised as one of the worst cars ever made by Detroit.  By way of contrast, the rear-drive Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were fairly robust.  This was the earliest iteration of Ford's "Fox" platform, which survived all the way up to the 2004 Mustang.

 

This episode is also a painful reminder that 1980 was an annus horribilis for the motor industry.  Mired in the depth of a recession and with car sales in free-fall, Detroit was running scared.  And they had good reason to be afraid.  Remember, this was the era when Chrysler nearly went under (for the first time) and Ford and GM weren't doing much better.

 

Anyway, enjoy this rare glimpse into a period of seismic upheaval for the American motor industry.