MotorWeek | Retro Review: Unaired Pilot Episode
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2015
- Dusted this baby off from the depths of the archives . Original television pilot, created in '78 for internal purposes and sat on the shelf until this MOMENT! If you make it to the end without falling asleep you are truly a MotorWeek super fan.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Whosoever idea it was to put these videos up on CZcams deserves a promotion.
A medal. And a statue. On Mount Rushmore.
They are addictive! Not just for the cars and stories being told...but for the vibes, positivity, style of the 70-80-90s
@@mattc9875 Forecast that 25% of new car dealers will go out of business this year. Look on the bright side. In a new era of good will with car companies and at a time there are 1 million workers laid off, the govt is helping car companies against foreign cars that aren't gas guzzlers by not having American manufacturers install air bags and good enough bumpers for tiny collisions yet while we play catch up with fuel efficiency. The Depression-like car sales slump is slightly eased due to lower interest loans. Imports had a 30% share of the new car market. Yeah, I suppose you might think that was a positive take on the situation....
@@FlorinC1984 Might be our first woman featured with the white guys on Mt. Rushmore? :D
@@653j521 Yeah, stupid White guys, founding the USA, inventing stuff to build industry, high living standards, crap like that!
Someone get John some coffee!
+Dan McCarthy LOL
Or a couple lines of coke...
LOL! Strong coffee back then- OR today a Rockstar Energy drink!
@@CEOkiller 😂🤦🏿♂️
Maybe some No-Doz and some espresso.
Cut John some slack, this was the first episode. He sounds very "PBS", i.e. neutral. He quickly found his footing and MotorWeek became a favorite for all of us!
This was clearly made for people that listen to NPR. Thank God they quickly changed the format. Well quickly in terms of the number of episodes.
"If you have to jack the important thing to remember is safety" Good advice I always try to jack safely
Something 12 year olds can giggle about too! LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
"The Fairmont is kinder for those who must enter the rear" (snicker)
And privately, I hope.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
MEMORIES...a lazy saturday afternoon mid 1980s...just mowed the yard..this kid sits down and turns to PBS to watch a road review of a Lamborghini Countach. my dream car..Good Days.
Did John take a couple of valium before going on? He's not his chipper self here.
Smith Family CZcams Of course. This was just a test. I bet he thought it would never be interesting enough to succeed the way it did.
he was on the LUDES
I want whatever he was taking.
Proving himself as a serious contender. At the time, this was kind of a big risk to take, and this is a public television show. Generally the people in charge of approving public television shows would have been looking for the safe bet.
6 years later and I'm laughing my moderately inebriated ass off.
John referred to the upcoming Chrysler K cars that would be released in the fall. They were released in the fall of 1980 as model year 1981 cars. So this unseen pilot must have been made sometime in 1980.
1978
@@SilentServiceCode 22:15 He writes the date: 9/4/80
85 HP from a 3.3 6 cylinder. Man have times changed.
OddManOut44 That was pretty sad even by 1980 standards
That sad ass 3 speed automatic ain't helping things either...
OddManOut44 In 1980 it was required to have 33% of the pistons counteracting the forces of the others. I believe it was some sort of psy-ops tactic used during the Cold War to confuse the Soviet Union.
King Whombat xXxX
Yeah, but on the other hand, the engine's simple, overbuilt, understressed, and will last for decades. Modern engines won't do that. They're too high strung and won't live much past warranty.
I'd rather have that 3.3 I6 than a modern 3.3 I6.
It’s interesting how this pilot episode have it different chief mechanic. Even the first episode all the way till today uses PAT Goss. Pat Goss is actually my mechanic since I live in the Washington DC area. I’ve taken many cars to his shop over the years. He has an excellent mechanic
RIP Pat Goss, a true auto legend.
I think John was doing his best Mr. Rogers impersonation.
Andrew Price LOL
+Andrew Price _It's a beautiful week in this motor world, a beautiful week for a motor / Would you be mine? Could you be mine?_
+Ian Sherman I have always wanted to have a Fairmont............just like this............
I love the synthesizer and disco bits between pieces.
Its pretty good man
@15:28 😍
One thing about the Ford Fairmont is many of them were still on the road in the early/mid 2000's while the Chevy Citation's were nearing extinct by then.
I have to disagree or I at least have the complete opposite experience. My first car was an 85' Chevrolet Citation and I kept it (through my 2nd and 3rd car) till about 2005. During the early 2000s, (I think 2000) I started a GM X body Club online. I saw quite a bit of citations on the road here. I think I seen one (1) Fairmont ever. I live in South Florida.
@@CeeStyleDj The 80, 81 Citation was just amazing with how many parts failures they had. Ford had the advantage of the time tested engines and no freak wheel drive.
Ive never even seen a citation
Also the Fairmont was the first version of the "Fox" platform. I'm not even gonna TRY to list the 80s-90s FoMoCo cars built on it! Everyone knows the Mustang and Lincoln MK-VII, But there's MUCH more! (I'm a GM guy, But I gotta give the "Fox" and "Panthers" their due respect!)
@@CeeStyleDj Fun Fact: The FWD "X" platform was used as the basis of the FWD "A" platform, That was a success in to the mid 1990s. ( a lot of folks don't realize that the FWD "X" and FWD "A" are related) The pre '84 "X" cars had problems, But mainly only the Chevy and Pontiac versions seem hard hit, The Olds & Buick versions seemed a bit better (I guess they SHOUD have as they cost more..). But even the Chevy and Pontiac versions were sorted out after '84.
Thanks for uploading this gem. I think "created in '78" must be off by 2 years, however. This was clearly made during the deep recession of 1980 triggered by the Iran hostage crisis and subsequent second oil shock. 1978 was a good year for auto sales and GM's X-Cars were 1980 model year vehicles.
Can I still send in the $2 for the transcript?
I wouldn't be surprised. I'm pretty sure that's still their address...
Wedge Antilles lol true
Honestly, given John's lack of energy, you can probably transcribe it live if you can type at least 30 WPM.
I love how almost 40 years later we still have the exact same tire changing equipment in brand new cars.
That is except for the ones that give you a can of Fix-A-Flat and a crappy little air compressor.
let's not forget the screwin that we receive.
In 1983 the Ford Fairlane, fully loaded cost $5,011 and the average income was $16,135
Thus the fully loaded Ford Fairlane was 31 percent of your annual income.
I would assume the Fairlane nowadays would be roughly similar to the Ford Fusion
Well, a top model 2020 Ford Fusion, not fully loaded will cost you 35,000, and the average income is $54,325 ( these people are clearly not working class because I work for Honda and make a lot less than that)
Thus the fusion is 70 percent of your income.
So in case you haven't been paying attention boys and girls this country has screwed every one of its citizens in the last 40 years, into a disproportionate increase of cost of living over average income.
If you are a member of the working class, God forbid...... your income is going to be much lower then the $54,000 average for the country, thus the 400-plus percent increase in cost of living means you are barely getting by.
All the old people right now who think the young people are just whining, need only to look back through the lens of time and realize how fucking good they actually had it.
Yeah, my 2003 Bonneville has the exact same lug wrench and scissor jack
Think you meant Fairmont lol. And no more bumper jacks
I liked it! These are the cars that I grew up with, and I still have an '80 Fairmont. It's not exciting, but it's been a great, reliable car for 35 years. I like your self-effacing humor in the description too.
I have a 2012 Hyundai Elantra that is closing in on 60,000 miles and I'm the only person who has ever taken the drain plug out. I love doing my own maintenance on my car...there's just something satisfying about a job well done by your own hands.
I love how the character generator wrote RENUALT instead of RENAULT. I also loved the whole episode, so many memories! Thanks for sharing!
John looked like he's was wearing guyliner, or either he didn't sleep for days. Oh well I love old Motorweek🌬
Gary James ....he’s wearing manscara
This couldn't have been created in 1978 - they're talking about things that happened in Spring 1979, and the cars they reviewed were 1980 models.
I agree. The date of the oil change was April 1980, and the copyright date was indeed 1980
This was in '80 ford was like a 1978 or 79.
Looks like summer 1980. According to Google, the FTC suit against GM happened in August of that year.
I nearly spat out my Coke when I saw Singhaus as chief mechanic, I’m so used to him in the High Road segments.
Vectra QS Posters on utube seem to have a lot of trouble keeping fluids etc in their body. Might be something a doctor should look into. Too much inactivity watching a screen? :)
Me too!
19:42 this is why I do my own oil changes. I wait til the oil stops trickling out completely. Sometimes I wait a half hour to an hour before replacing the plug.
GT6SuzukaTimeTrials Totally agree. I also go a step further. Once drained I pour in half a quart of fresh oil to flush all the old crap. Also, I leave the filler cap off so there is no negative pressure to prevent old oil from draining. It also speeds up the draining process.
Agreed! I love the practice of priming the filter with at least a little bit of oil as well.
that's pointless
I stayed awake. It wasn't that bad. I love how this makes the Citation look like a good car. Many many recalls later... Lol!
It was a good car. The recalls were only early on. Then just like anything else, it gets a bad reputation right when everything gets fixed. I had an 85' as my first car and I was the 2nd owner. It lasted for years.
Agreed, it really was a good car but the reputation it developed early on for recalls did it in. In terms of style, storage, interior room, front drive it was a bit ground breaking for the era.
I just love this old retro programming back in a simpler time when things wasn't so stupid and crazy like they are now!
Craig: It's really very simple.
Did John record this show right after his dog died?
Was JD tripping in this episode? He's so mellow.
GT6SuzukaTimeTrials yeah,he seemed too toned down for his normal self. im glad they let him do it his own way in later episodes.
Darkel Lakel He seemed to loosen up some towards the end imo...
+GT6SuzukaTimeTrials Hard to get excited by early 80's sedans!
+GT6SuzukaTimeTrials A lot of drugs in those times
Like Spicolli said "people on 'ludes should not drive" or host car shows. 😆
John! You seem so stiff! New show nervousness maybe.....
Set the playback speed to [1.25] for the optimal John Davis experience.
Ain't nobody got time for that. I did 1.5
John was so rigid this episode haha
Having watched a number of MotorWeek episodes this is my favourite. I used to watch an episode of Charlie Rose to get myself to sleep and this does the job much better IMO. PBS - People Buying Sleep😂
I think this is from 1980.. They mention a 1979 model as if it was already out and the 1981 model like it was on the way.
Also the oil was changed 9/4/80 in the owners manual.
Well I guess I'm a Motorweek super fan. I've watched this 3 times!
I think 115bhp is pretty decent for a small V6 engine during that time frame, I wish Ford had offered a 3.3 Liter six 2bbl making approximately 105-110bhp.
The crazy thing, my 2009 Jeep has the same lug wrench as that Fairmont. I find that kinda neat being 30 years between them... I guess when you have a good concept the supplier stuck with it.
brycmtthw Yeah well, change the supplier once, save half a cent per part, and probably you'll have to recall everything in a few months because of rust issues, etc.
Wow,GREAT archive. Yeah,it seems like JD got to be himself more in later episodes. He seems to have more energy than that.
I am glad they kept with it because I loved motor week when I was a kid.
The description might be a bit off on the year - the Mustang shown was a '79 model year release, and the GM X-Cars came out in early 1979 as '80 models. So, maybe this is from sometime in 1980? Still, impressed that you've put this out there, considering it is vastly different in tone and spirit to compared to what came later. And, the Fairmont reminds me of one of my mom's old rides, which is awesome. Thanks again, MotorWeek!
Upon further review - the news about upcoming small cars means that this dates to no less than the middle of 1980.
@@Duncan1800 the oil change date is written in the owners manual. 👍
LOVE this... such a fan to begin with, but his first stab at it... the calm, sleepy delivery... trying his wings... well done! we all know what a success you went on to be, so great to see this inaugural vid. Cheers!
21:36 "Look underneath for leaks" Sees leak from drain plug; ignores it.
lol. 😑
Loved it. Lol I’ve owned both fairmont and citation lol Kinda glad they chose Pat Goss as lead mechanic 👍 I’ve been watching motor week since I was like 6 Thanks !!!! For all of the shows over the years!!!!
which car did you like better between the Fairmont or the Citation? I like the Fairmont better because you can easily put in a 5.0 Liter V8 in these cars.
This is like Motor Trend "Head 2 Head" 3 1/2 decades early.
wow, 85 HP in such heavy car !!! I can't imagine that thing going up a hill
3 speed auto made it worse
They didn't have hills back then.
That's what "L" and "2" was for lol.
Considered the most advanced sedan at the time lmao
Amazing how Craig Singhaus went from a mechanic to going "out on the high road" in interesting vehicles. He was great to watch during his segments.
this was a very entertaining and informative vid. thanks for uploading.
Pre-1985 EPA highway estimates were insanely optimistic due to the granny driving needed by the dyno technology of the day.
2008+ ones are regularly exceeded irl by hybrids, manual transmissions, and any other non-default-equipped cars.
Wow, have cars changed! That bumper alone had more metal in it than entire cars today! And the wheels on the bus go round and round.
Oil spouts! Bumper jacks! Cool! JD looks a little stiff! This was awesome!
6:18 "but the Fairmont is kinder to those who must enter the rear" . Already then.
....Obama enters the chat...
Looking back on this episode, JD got younger with age
Facial hair aside, Craig hasn't changed a bit!
This episode has to be from 1980 or 79 at the very earliest. The Citation debuted in late late 79 for 1980 MY and wasn't even a twinkle on the consumer automotive radar in 1978.
"Extra width of the Fairmont" (31.03). Ha. It was actually 3" narrower!
@MotorWeek
I love these retro reviews. Thanks for posting them!
P. S. Bring back that retro intro!
I loved this MotorWeek pilot. Superb!
Very cool. I wonder if I sent in my two dollars would they still send me a transcript of this program? :)
The Citation has something hanging from the engine, you can see it 8:11, foreshadowing things to come and came !
Shedding parts already
@@Ccyawn123 😂😂😂😂
Thanks for posting these early episodes!!!
The Citation and fairmont were 2 of the best looking cars ever made.
Thank you for teaching me how to change my oil.
John Davis acted like he was on Quaaludes! Lmao. ( I know this was just a pilot test episode....but wow, that was surprising to see.)
Awesome video, thank you motor week!!
Wonderful memories of Saturday monings. Along with Mystery on PBS and Thursday evenings watching Poirot really hooked me to PBS.
Im still reveling on the oul change sequence with oil cans and those antique spouts, WOW.
Fucking Cool! I can almost hear Dad route for his '79 Audi Fox / 5000 ! This is EPIC! PBS did THIS in '78!? ...and like Xerox Parc's brass, had NO idea the high-detail-EPICness of this little project!?!!?!?!?!
What a treat this was to watch. This pilot was reviewed and they told John to kick it it a notch or 2. To his credit, he did just that. A startling transformation from droning biology teacher to welcoming hotel proprietor. I’ve done a little bit of voiceover work. That kind of shift ain’t easy to make. He is a true professional. “The v6 Citation displays no torque steer” (as it is most likely a hand built highly tweaked ringer built for press review). Everything I’ve read about the production cars suggests epic amount of torque steer. I love the video of the upcoming Escort in European form. I’m sure when the cover was pulled off the USA spec car more than a few people thought “wait.... what happened! This isn’t the same car at all. What? Americanized?! No! Go back!”
I wonder how many vehicle buyers went to the then imports after owning these two POS. I had a 78 Fairmont and it was junk. Steering wheel cracked,twice. The seat where bolted to the floor cracked through the floor pan and I only weighed 190. The radio was replaced three times and a loud scraping sound was where the heat shield rubbed other parts and was fixed by removing and grinding. Was never so happy to be rid of it. A friend had a Citation and not enough space to put down all of the problems he had.
It's nice to hear him hosting in a more normalized and conversational voice.
Created in 1978, but featuring the 1980 Chevy Citation? Maybe the new intern got a shot at writing the video description. “Looks old to me! Must be from the 70s”
This pilot is so ancient the script is written on those papyrus scrolls on the shelves just over JD's shoulder.
I just finished it MAN! that was long.......but great!! : )
I like the the oil comes in a Hawaiian Punch type can. :)
that...
The first version of the pull-away at the end! Wow!!
Torque steer is easy to hide when there's no torque.
So that’s what Bubbles did before Trailer Park Boys.
Good memories!
Watching this pilot episode while watching the latest episode on Motor Trends TV channel... Far out 😃
I'll always remember riding in the Fairmont...when I was a kid...man those good Ole days lol
Never knew you could get a sunroof on a four-door Fairmont, let alone in conjunction with a vinyl top. For that matter I never knew the trunk was that shallow - could it even take a full paper grocery bag standing up?
On a related note, since the Citation's regular tire fits the well, doesn't that make the donut a "cost saver" (for GM, not the owner) rather than a "space saver"?
Good observation.
This never aired due to copyright dispute with '70s Music Group in regards to intro theme music.
Now THIS is retro! Good lord
Those Fairmonts are highly sought after by hot rodders these days , The engine bay easily takes in a small block V8
Wow, the very beginning is Disco Sturific! I watched from around '84 on.
Oil can spouts! And I can't believe, for as modern as the Citation was at the time, it came with a bumper jack.
Oh my God I'm so glad that John Warmed up in later episodes and didn't sound so monotone.
watched every minute !!!
Unaired pilot episode. Obviously John discovered coffee in future episodes.
Awesome!
If you watch the interview with John Davis, you'll hear his history about how MW came to be. This unaired episode was just to see if it would be picked up. It was not. The network hated it for whatever reason (partly political perhaps, as it was a major depressive disorder for auto industry in '78). John returned to his day job on Wall Street Week. Only thereafter, did the network decide that an auto production was the flavor of the year so they looked around for a host and remembered John , so tagged him to take control.
I noticed this was 1978; I had just watched the first broadcast show, and John was much peppier, and Craig would be later. The format was much closer to the classic one we've known for some 36 years.
Fuel economy was a big issue, faulty transmissions and Ford introducing its One Ford global cars...this could be from 2015!
Well, what can I say, I am a true MotorWeek super fan :P
Boy how times has changed!😁👍
We did wonder why the mpg was so high then. Thanks MotorWeek even if it was unaired.
Holy frumpy hell, every single one of these cars has all the fashion sense of a Jimmy Carter cardigan.
They looked 15 years old even when they were brand new!
1981-1984 the other John Davis... After 1985 even though he aged rapidly, lost hair, gained more weight, and became snarky.. is the John we know and love.
In watching this... and contrast between his demeanor then and now... i cant help but think of classic crusty!
That Citation, though... I had a friend in high school who had one and it gave him nothing but grief.
The Fairmont won that battle as tthe Citation proved itself a lemon.
After the Motorweek gang got together & watched this pilot together, they were in agreement & decided to ignore the motorweek doctors advice & instead of taking two valiums before each episode, to instead do two lines of China White to perk everyone up!!
Just kidding! But everyone did seem half asleep, but I guess you gotta start somewhere!!! I love these retro reviews!
14:08 those Cafe numbers are actually decelerating.
Thank goodness this was unaired. If it was aired, John Davis would have put the audience to sleep at "glad to have you with us" and lost a faithful audience for 40 years!