Top Gear USA - Fifth Season

Ferrara: Now on "Top Gear"...

There's water rushing in!

We go back in time to find the ultimate '80s car.

Uh-oh!

Foust: Come on, baby, go!

And whoever comes out on top

gets to push one of the sexiest cars ever made

to its very limit.

[click, upbeat '80s music plays]

The 1980s.

Love them or hate them, they're back.

Turns out, some of the music and fashion

were actually pretty cool.

But can the same be said about the cars?

Insurance companies now consider '80s cars as classics.

It's easy to imagine a Testarossa or Countach

among the most iconic automobiles of any decade.

But what about cars on a slightly smaller budget?

We were given $5,000

and asked to pick our choice for the ultimate '80s car

and told to meet 30 miles outside of L.A. at a mall.

Oh, yeah. We're going back.

This is a 1988 supercharged Toyota MR2.

Wood: This lightweight mid-engine sports car is rear-wheel drive,

and some still say it was secretly designed by Lotus.

Despite having a modest 1.6-liter engine

with 145 horsepower,

it still delivers a respectable 6.5-second zero-to-60 time

thanks to its supercharger.

I was 8 years old when this car came out.

What do 8-year-olds know about cars?

Well, they need to look cool and they need to go fast,

and this car did both of those.

Whoa!

Holy crap!

Ho ho.

Where did you find a grand Nash?

How great is this? An '86 Buick grand national.

Ferrara: When this beast came out,

it was the fastest production car in America.

Did zero to 60 in five seconds flat,

crushing its competition with a turbo v-6.

And like Henry Ford used to say,

"you can get it in any color you want

as long as it's black."

I know all these, because I love that car.

What I don't understand

is how you're gonna start cheating already.

There's no way you paid five grand for that.

I got a guy. It doesn't matter.

The important thing is I got the car,

the best classic '80s car.

That's a working man's supercar.

It's like the white-trash supercar.

Here's the thing. That is adorable.

I literally can't wait to see what Tanner picks.

If you've got a grand national, what's he in? A jet?

No, he's in a truck.

Oh, no, he's not.

When you bought an Iroc,

you had to do that leaving the dealership.

What an idiot.

What an absolute moron.

Is that the sound of the '80s I hear?

Gentlemen... Wow.

1988 Camaro Iroc-z.

Foust: Named after the international race of champions,

this z was the envy

of every 15-year-old boy across the country.

It looked cool, had a big five-liter v-8 in it

that put out an underwhelming 175 horsepower,

but when you added an upgraded suspension,

a lowered ride, t-tops, and arrest-me red paint,

you got one of the gnarliest rides in town.

This is '80s on wheels right here.

This is iron maiden, poison, whitesnake

all wrapped into one rolling piece of americana

with some smoking back tires.

This is Milli Vanilli... All flash and no substance.

This is amongst the worst cars you've ever chosen.

Where did you get a grand national?

Yeah, he got that at cheaters "r" us.

It's a new car dealership.

Wood: To determine who had chosen the ultimate '80s classic,

we'd compete in a series of challenges

that would take us to the desert and back.

And in the end, the final challenge would be judged

by a mystery '80s superstar.

As we took in the scenic beauty of the greater long beach area,

we had a chance to reflect

on why we fell in love with these cars back in the day.

Ferrara: You hear that?

I heard that in the parking lot at the tri-county flea market

when I was a kid.

I turned around, and I thought,

"what the hell did that guy do to that Monte Carlo?"

It was a Buick grand national, and I couldn't believe it.

I'm like, "that's a Buick?"

This car, to me, highlights the rarity of the '80s.

Think about it.

The Mets won the series, the Berlin wall came down,

and Buick made a car

that went from zero to 60 in five seconds and beat Ferraris.

Instant classic.

I got to be honest.

I thought Tanner was gonna show up in a 944.

When he showed up in the Iroc, I thought, "what a moron."

This is the... Yeah, how's it going? Yep.

Getting a thumbs-up. There's a Led Zeppelin fan.

Yeah, those guys might make a little bit of fun of me,

but I picked my car that represents the '80s best,

and the Iroc-z is it.

There's something cool about driving this car.

That's what makes this one classic,

is it's just raw, brute americana.

Rutledge has picked the MR2. It's not even a whole car.

It had potential.

If they would've just stuck some real tires

and maybe more than 140 horsepower,

that little mid-engine rocket could've been awesome.

When they told me to pick the perfect classic '80s car,

I knew exactly what to get. The MR2.

It's simple, it's fun, and it's a little over-the-top...

Just like '80s were.

The first time I saw an MR2, it was a yellow turbo

owned by the chemistry teacher at my middle school

who, turns out, had a failed experiment in class once

and had a hook for a hand.

So it's possible

that he didn't make great choices across the board.

We just called him captain hook. I don't know what his name was.

Oh, yeah, daddy.

It's a t-top.

Wood: Cop on the right. Slow down.

Foust: Guys, was that who I think it was?

Nah. Couldn't be.

That is a police officer with the whitest teeth ever.

Ferrara: We soon arrive at the location for our first challenge,

and we arrived in true '80s style.

Car wash. I could get the car washed.

The cheater. Don't look at me.

Ah, come on. You love it.

Ah, this doesn't look good.

Huh.

In our first challenge, we would have to wear these shirts

covered with popping candy that explodes when wet.

Then, to test which one of our '80s cars

had the best build quality,

we'd drive them through a high-pressure car wash.

The car with the least amount of exploded candy wins.

This is dangerous. You go first.

- What? - Yeah, go ahead.

Why am I gonna go first?

Who thinks he should go first?

Oh, I do. You should totally go first.

Urban legend has it that someone once died

eating popping candy while drinking soda.

So we were more than happy

to let Tanner and his chia-pet vest go first.

Okay, we're gonna close that really tight.

All I know is that when I push this...

She's got a little play in it.

It's moving.

This side... more.

This is awesome.

Ooh. The power blaster.

"Hi-pressure warm water cleans between cracks, crevices and moldings

where cloth and wash mitts do not reach."

Sounds like what's gonna hose him in the t-top area.

If I was you, I would be a little concerned, too.

You have t-tops, as well, my friend.

Fair enough.

Oh, I can hear the crackling.

Ooh! I already got a pop.

All right, let's do this.

All right, here goes.

Uh... It's moving a little bit.

Really? This is the speed that we go through this?

This is slow.

Okay.

We're doing pretty good.

How's it going in there?

Dry as bone. Dry as bone in here.

Oh!

Oh. Oh, this is gonna get him.

Oh, the blaster.

Tanner, welcome to the power blaster. Right here.

Oh, just right on the t-top. There it is!

Oh, and it's coming through!

I lost a t-top!

Oh, it's loose! It's loose! His t-top popped up!

You got to stop the machine. I lost a t-top.

How's it coming?

Oh, no.

Oh, close it, man!

Oh, no. Close it!