/Drive
/DRIVE is an automotive network and popular YouTube channel with web video series dedicated to car reviews, driving adventures, motorsports coverage, and detailed looks at the manufacturing of high-end cars. Launched on January 2, 2012, /DRIVE was the first new series to air as part of Google's original content initiative.[1] Michael Spinelli of Jalopnik.com, Gumball 3000 veteran Alex Roy of Team Polizei 144, Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire.com, and Chris Harris formerly of Autocar and EVO Magazine
| /DRIVE | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Automotive, Review, News, |
| Created by | Emil Rensing & J.F. Musial |
| Developed by | Emil Rensing International & TangentVector |
| Presented by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 902 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | J.F. Musial |
| Producer(s) | Mike Spinelli Zach Klapman (Production) |
| Production location(s) | New York City Los Angeles Bristol, England |
| Editor(s) |
|
| Running time | Varies, usually 10-25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Internet: YouTube slashdrive.tv |
| Original release | January 2, 2012 – present |
Format
/DRIVE works on a quarterly schedule. Between January and March as well as July and September of every year, two shows air each week: Live and Let Drive and TUNED. Between April and June, October to December, three shows air each week: DRIVEN, Big Muscle, and RideApart. Running every week of the year are Chris Harris on Cars, SHAKEDOWN, and AFTER/DRIVE.
/DRIVE shows (in alphabetical order)
The shows on /DRIVE are completely original, with the exceptions of Shakedown and Road Testament, which were moved from Fast Lane Daily.
AFTER/DRIVE
AFTER/DRIVE airs every Thursday. Formerly known as "Road Testament", AFTER/DRIVE is an in-studio discussion hosted by Mike Spinelli touching on automotive news, the direction the automotive industry is going, and various other automotive-themed topics, as well as interviews with key players in the industry (or opinionated enthusiasts). The discussions often revolve around a question or topic posed by the crew in advance of filming. Occasionally topics and comments are sourced from Twitter, or the website Jalopnik.
BEST OF /DRIVE
BEST OF /DRIVE is the collection of videos ranging from promos, trailers, milestones reached & special features.
/BIG MUSCLE
/BIG MUSCLE with Mike Musto, launched their 4th Season in February 2014. Mike tries to find cars with story, history, and interesting owners. The owners of the cars tend to be individual hobbyists, rather than professional shops or mechanics.
Though the name of the car implies its focus is Muscle Cars, it spreads far beyond that category, into hot rods, cruisers, customs, farm trucks, and strange one-offs.
The show doesn't only feature performance cars (as the others tend to), but rather spans the gamut, from dragsters to trucks to slow "cruises". A key example being the 1959 Pontiac Bonneville.[2] The vehicles range in year from 1922[3] to the 1980s.
/CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS
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/CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS is a test-drive show, hosted by renowned and respected automotive journalist, Chris Harris. He is well-known, having written for magazines like Autocar UK and EVO, and finishing 13th in the 2010 24 Hours of Nurburgring, as part of a team driving a stock Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
/CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS airs year-round on Wednesdays. Episodes range from track days to road tests, reviews to comparisons, and sometimes a mix of everything.
/DRIVE CENTRAL
/DRIVE CENTRAL airs weekly to provide a preview of the week's programming. It is (usually) hosted by Mike Spinelli.
/DRIVE CLEAN
/DRIVE CLEAN hosted by Larry Kosilla,[4] premiered on June 9, 2012. Larry is one of the most respected automotive detailers in the entire world, called upon celebrity clientele to care for the most important and delicate cars in their collection, and working for top OEMs like Bugatti. He is known for his technical knowledge and meticulous attention to detail that only comes from a deep love of cars. Other detailers might see it as a job, but Larry does it because he wants the cars to be at their very best, and he knows how to do that.
Each episode of /DRIVE CLEAN is a how-to video that shows viewers techniques they can apply themselves. Some of the techniques are simple (how to properly wash a car), and others are much more technical (how to restore the paint on an extremely rare Porsche. High cinematic quality matches the level of Larry's skills, separating it from Saturday morning DIY shows.
/DRIVE Host Competition
/DRIVE Host Competition was a competition held between four of the /DRIVE hosts (Alex Roy, Chris Harris, Leo Parente & Matt Farah) to see who could get the most views on their video in a one-week span.
/DRIVE MOMENTS
/DRIVE MOMENTS are moments in front of and behind the camera that define /DRIVE.
/DRIVE UNCUT
/DRIVE UNCUT are uncut interview brought to you by /DRIVE.
/DRIVE's 25 Hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Livestream
/DRIVE's 25 Hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Livestream covered the 2012 & 2013 races, featuring the /DRIVE hosts discussing the race and interacting with viewers. The livestream is widely regarded as the most watched motorsports event on YouTube.
/DRIVEN
/DRIVEN is hosted by JF Musial and is "interesting people and stories within the automotive industry." It debuted in Season 2, took a hiatus in Season 3, and returned in Season 4. In the April 24th, 2012 episode of /DRIVEN, the first images of the Pagani 760RS were revealed while the DRIVE team filmed an episode at the Pagani headquarters.
/DRIVER'S EYE
/DRIVER'S EYE are videos from a racecar driver's perspective using a helmet mounted camera.
/INSIDE MORGAN
/INSIDE KOENIGSEGG
In October 2013, Executive Producer J.F. Musial claimed the debut of the next season of /INSIDE KOENIGSEGG is set for early 2014.
/INSIDE QUATTRO
/INSIDE QUATTRO follows the format of /INSIDE BENTLEY and /INSIDE KOENIGSEGG, bringing viewers the inside story of Audi's high-performance subsidiary, Quattro GmbH.
Quattro GmbH has produced cars like the Audi RS2, RS4, RS5, RS6, and Audi R8.
JALOPNIK on /DRIVE
/LIVE AND LET DRIVE
/LIVE AND LET DRIVE hosted by Alex Roy, debuted in Season 1 and returned for Season 3.
Alex Roy's departure from /DRIVE leaves the fate of /LIVE AND LET DRIVE uncertain.
/MOMO SLOWMO
/MOMO SLOWMO is sponsored content by Momo (company) but provides the viewers with a quick video of all slowmo video from select races.
/MY LIFE as a RALLYIST
/MY LIFE as a RALLYIST is hosted by Ryan Symancek (a former intern of /DRIVE who created and filmed the show), it follows his life as he pursues the life of a rally cross driver, while also juggling a college education.
In season 1, Ryan begins building his car, and then travels to New Zealand for a semester abroad, where he finds himself in rally heaven, and behind the wheel of some very special cars.
Porsche IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama
Porsche IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama is coverage of this race series by /DRIVE for 2012 & 2013. /DRIVE will not cover the 2014 season.
Race of Champions 2012
Race of Champions 2012 coverage by /DRIVE, after acquired the North American broadcast and digital rights to the Race of Champions and Race of Nations for 2012. Leo Parente and Tommy Kendall hosted the 2012 broadcast from Bangkok Thailand.
/RideApart
/RideApart is hosted by former MotoGP racer Jamie Robinson, debuted in Season 2. It explores the entire world of motorcycles: street bikes, customs, dirt bikes, old bikes, new bikes, as well as riding tips and techniques. /RideApart is the one /DRIVE show that is primarily dedicated to vehicles on 2 wheels--motorcycles, the occasional quad bike, and adventure vehicles like ATVs.
/RING TESTED
/RING TESTED are videos of cars being driven on the Nurburgring in Germany.
/SHAKEDOWN
/SHAKEDOWN is hosted by Leo Parente, airs Fridays. /SHAKEDOWN is all race-oriented, covering anything motorsport-related. Cars, drivers, tracks, rules, and news; /SHAKEDOWN covers it all.
SPONSORED CONTENT
SPONSORED CONTENT are videos that support the people who support /DRIVE.
TEST/DRIVE
/TRACKSIDE
/TRACKSIDE is a show made up completely of raw footage filmed at various races around the world. There is no host or dialogue. The only sound in the videos is from cars themselves. Each video is designed to bring the track side/race experience to the viewer, giving the viewer a sense of being there.
/TUNED
/TUNED is hosted by Matt Farah, debuted in Season 1. /TUNED focuses on vehicles that are highly modified, or one-off creations, and the people that create them. An episode usually includes a tour of the vehicle's production facility, interviews with the engineers and owners, and a test/review of the vehicle on a road or race track.
Vehicles have been provided by both tuning shops and individual owners. In Season 1 Matt Farah drove cars from reputable tuners like BBI AutoSport (Porsche 997 Turbo S), SWITZER (Nissan GTR), STILLEN (Nissan 370Z), Hotchkis Suspension (Dodge Challenger). Other vehicles included a home-built 750 horsepower Lotus, the Blastolene "Decoliner", and Subaru rally cars.
Television
/DRIVE on NBCSN
/DRIVE on NBCSN is the network's first venture into traditional television. Debuting on May 24, 2014, it immediately followed the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session coverage on NBC Sports Network. Nine additional episodes of season one on NBCSN aired weekly on Thursday nights starting July 31, 2014. The second season of six episodes aired alongside NBCSN’s coverage of Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR racing events and premiered Friday, April 17, 2015.[5] The series concluded its third season with a one-hour special on November 12, 2016.[6]
Off the Grid (Production)
The press release from /DRIVE states, "The partnership will also produce a new NBC Sports F1 original series "Off the Grid" hosted by NBC Sports F1 pit reporter Will Buxton and his producer Jason Swales. In each of the three half-hour episodes, the hosts give us a behind the scenes look inside the exclusive world of Formula One. From the paddock to the parties, experience F1 and the beautiful cities it visits like a true F1 insider."
Reception
/DRIVE is one of the most popular automotive channels on YouTube, receiving over 319,000,000 views. It has developed a loyal audience with over 1,630,000 subscribers as of April 18, 2016. After a joint venture with NBCSN, there has been little new content posted[7] and their paid channel, /DRIVE+, seems to have been abandoned with no new content added since December 2015. Members of the /DRIVE management team have not publicly commented on whether or not the paid service will continue or what they have done with the funds accumulated in the interim. Members still subscribed are still being charged the monthly fee.
References
- Isaac, Mike (February 8, 2012). "Google Launches Original Content". Wired. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- "Wide-Track: 1959 Bonneville - /BIG MUSCLE". August 12, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- "Right Seat Hot Rod: 1922 Ford - /BIG MUSCLE". August 26, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- "The Story Of Larry Kosilla And His Passion For Cars". Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ""/DRIVE ON NBC SPORTS" LAUNCHES NEW SEASON ON NBCSN". NBC Sports Group. March 10, 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- "Watch /DRIVE season finale Saturday". NBC Sports. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- citation needed