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1A show centered around the construction, customization, or restoration of a unique vehicle, or modifying an ordinary vehicle to be more unique. Ranges from the down-to-earth how-to programs, to outlandish workplace reality dramas.
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3It's also referred to as a "petrolhead show" outside of North America.
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5Compare HomeAndGarden, feel-good shows about giving houses/gardens a makeover.
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7!!Examples:
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9[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
10* Creator/DiscoveryChannel:
11** ''Series/AmericanChopper'': A reality show following the Teutuls, who operate the family business of building elaborate customized motorcycles.
12** ''Series/MonsterGarage'': May have [[TropeCodifier started the current trend]]. It was originally centered around converting street vehicles into souped-up power equipment, that would then challenge the real deal; i.e., converting an SUV into a trash truck. Focus began to shift as they ran low on ideas.
13** ''Series/{{Overhaulin}}'': It's centered around classic American car restoration. Much lighter on the customization than most other gearhead shows. Dips into {{melodrama}} and {{littlest cancer patient}} moments often.
14* ''Series/TheGrandTour'', the SpiritualSuccessor of Clarkson, Hammond, and May's run on ''Top Gear''.
15* ''Series/{{Petrolheads}}''
16* ''Series/PimpMyRide'': On Creator/{{MTV}}, Rapper Music/{{Xzibit}} and the crew at GAS (earlier, West Coast Customs) take the most trashy, beat-down cars their viewers can show them, and convert them into luxury custom machines. Gets more outrageous with each episode, usually including video and audio equipment that quintuples (at ''least'') the value of the car.
17* ''Series/PoliceCameraAction''
18* ''Series/ScrapheapChallenge'': In it, along with its US equivalent, ''Series/JunkyardWars'', teams compete to produce a machine for Task X using random scrap and some expert advice. A giant catapult, say, or a train.
19* Creator/SpeedNetwork:
20** Everything on the channel that isn't a race event. Most of them are ''This Old House''-style instructional project shows, loaded with ProductPlacement, and devoted to a particular vehicle type, i.e. trucks, low riders, muscle cars, or import tuners.
21** ''Series/CarAndTrack'': Perhaps the [[UrExample earliest example]] of the video road test and racing footage format. The network shows segments occasionally as a form of UnintentionalPeriodPiece with a disclaimer mentioning how dated the {{review}}s are.
22* Creator/SpikeTV has its weekend morning "[=PowerBlock=]" (premiers Saturday morning, reruns the following Sunday morning) which typically closely follows the more traditional setup of down-to-earth how-to programs. Doesn't stop the hosts from being zany, though. Oh, and the host for the programming block itself is professional driver/professional model Creator/CourtneyHanson.
23* ''Series/TopGearUK'', and its Channel 5 competitor, ''Series/FifthGear''.
24** Let's face it, there should probably be a picture of Jeremy Clarkson in the dictionary next to "petrolhead".
25** Of course, this includes every other version of ''Top Gear'' as well including ''Series/TopGearUS''.
26* ''Series/TrickMyTruck'': On Creator/{{CMT}}. A countrified version of the above, revolving around the customization of semi-trucks. It suffers in that everything appears to be obviously scripted, even the trucker's reaction shots.
27* ''Series/{{Trucks}}!'': Stacey David's show was the ratings leader for the segment during its run, in large part because he did most of the work himself. His follow-up show ''GearZ'' moved between Speed and Creator/{{ESPN}} 2.
28* ''Series/{{A X is Born}}'': Each series centers around the building of or restoration of one class of vehicles --cars, motorcycles, planes, and helicopters. Interspersed with interviews with people involved in the associated hobby.
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30[[AC:Magazines]]
31* ''Magazine/MechanixIllustrated'': Creator/FawcettComics' home-oriented magazine that arose at the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII due to the publication house's declining comics market. It provides HomeAndGarden projects and advice but also has a section about testing new cars on the road and do-it-yourself articles about a variety of stuff (e.g. helicopters, cars, telescopes).
32* ''Magazine/MotorTrend''
33* ''Magazine/MotorWeek''
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35[[AC:Web Videos]]
36* ''WebVideo/{{Roadkill}}'': Any given episode can be summed up as Gearhead Show going on a road trip using TheAllegedCar on some sort of ZanyScheme. Cue lots of duct tape, roadside repairs, and just technically legal shenanigans as the hosts drive across the country. Their spinoff ''Hot Rod Garage'' started as a straight-up educational show, but they gradually started goofing off during their work as well.
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