Confirmed! American TopGear on the Way

For the most skeptical of you, the History channel and BBC Worldwide recently announced it has begun preparing an American version of TopGear, with US presenters for when the new series launch. The show will be hosted by comedian Adam Ferrara, stunt driver and X-Games rally gold medalist Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood.

“The history of the automobile and the history of America are intimately intertwined — to celebrate one is to celebrate the other,” History president and GM Nancy Dubuc said. “We’ll stay true to the original format and add a sense of the American car culture.”

“Top Gear” fits the History brand even better than one might expect. The network’s very first program to air on what was then called the History Channel was called “Automobiles: Corvette.” Car-related content has performed well on the channel, and History had several auto-related pilots in the works when it landed “Gear.”

Exact dates are yet to be finalized, but we do know for sure is the first series of ten episodes will air on History next fall. Scott Messick will executive produce the show which is seen as having a huge business potential as the auto industry is the largest advertiser in the world.

“It will have a completely different landscape,” said BBC Worldwide VP programming and production Jane Tranter. “There’s a different relationship with cars in the U.S. and a fascination with customization that’s much greater than in the U.K. There’s the potential for the U.S. ‘Top Gear’ to have even greater traction with an audience.”