Turning a minivan into a high-performance supercar? Creating a submersible vehicle? AND in just 40 hours? Throwing custom car competitions into high gear, Discovery Channel presents ULTIMATE CAR BUILD-OFF, premiering Saturday, August 14 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. In this tournament-style competition, the top shops in the U.S. compete for a chance at glory and a $100,000 grand prize. Each episode in the 10-part series features two rival garages (from Los Angeles, Detroit and Atlanta) going head-to-head in a battle to build whatever challenge is thrown at them. Each team has only 40 hours to complete their build before the real competition begins – testing their vehicle. The goal is to win each round, eventually making it to the finals, winning the cash and claiming bragging rights. Hosted and judged by Alberta-born professional driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and master builder Lou Santiago – with the design category judged by legendary automotive designer Chip Foose – this is the UTLIMATE CAR BUILD-OFF!
Putting the build teams through their paces, Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is a top race-car driver, precision driver, automotive and comedy writer. ACP grew up on a farm just outside of Edmonton, AB, where he learned to work on, drive and race anything with an engine, from dirt bikes to semi-trucks. A true Renaissance man, ACP also holds five university degrees, including a master’s in political economy from Oxford University and MBA and law degrees from McGill University.
ACP’s co-host, Lou Santiago is a former mechanic for Navy SEAL Team Eight and a hard-core street-machine fanatic. His passion for car building and creative fabrication began at age 13. And Santiago’s Navy career – where he had to maintain heavy equipment overseas with hard-to-come-by parts and ingenuity – only increased his desire for building really cool cars. ACP and Santiago are joined by ULTIMATE CAR BUILD-OFF design judge, Chip Foose. He got his first job working for his father’s company, Project Design. By age 12, he already had five years of automotive-design experience under his belt and had also painted his first car, a Porsche 356. He majored in automotive product design at the Art Center College of Design, and has since worked for the ASHA Corporation, Stehrenberger Design, Baker Sportronics and Project Design, designing and building street rods, customs, electric and studio vehicles and show cars for films such as Blade Runner, Robo Cop and Gone in 60 Seconds, which featured “Elinor.”
Highlights from the first episodes of ULTIMATE CAR BUILD-OFF include:
“Soccer Mom Super Car”
Saturday, August 14 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT
Hollywood Hot Rods and Pure Vision are given four days to turn a soccer mom minivan into a super car before their creations are put through the paces at Willow Springs Raceway. The winner will progress to the Los Angeles finals.
“Hill-Climbing Hearse”
Saturday, August 21 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT
Speed Unlimited and ES Motorsports go head-to-head to transform their hearses into hill climbers. The garages have four days to go from sedate delivery vehicle to hill-conquering beast before they face off on a 10-metre hill and a 45-degree incline!
“Flight of the Firebird”
Saturday, August 28 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT
The Soccer Mom Super Car and Hill-Climbing Hearse winning teams battle it out to reach the national final and a shot at $100,000. Which team can turn their Firebird into a flying car and cover the greatest distance after taking off from a 60-metre cliff at Eagle Mountain?
