With all the streaming services producing original content, media experts say we are in the Golden Age of television. When it comes to automotive TV, however, it seems more like the Dark Ages. Fast N' Loud has been silenced, Overhaulin' hauled its last Chip Foose custom, and CNBC canceled Jay Leno's Garage. All the great basic cable car shows have been towed off to the junkyard, leaving gearheads with very little fuel for their engines.
Luckily there is the Motortrend+ streaming service with dozens of amazing automotive shows to keep the oil pumping. In fact, their already impressive line-up is about to get blown off the line because the popular Head 2 Head series is getting a custom resto-mod and coming back as Head 2 Head Drag Race. As the title would indicate, the show will pit a variety of awesome rides against each other on the strip to determine superiority.
Head 2 Head Returns With Epic Drag Races
Head 2 Head was a great series that answered the burning questions of our time, like if a 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast is actually faster than a 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye. Spoiler Alert: it is. Maybe referring to the show in the past tense is inappropriate because there is no indication it was ever canceled. It did however get a slight rebrand and is coming back as Head 2 Head Drag Race, but they will not mess with the winning formula of putting hot cars on the line to settle speed and dominance beefs.
Head 2 Head Drag Race will also retain original host Jonny Lieberman, who will be joined by the editor-in-chief of Hooniverse, Jeff Glucker. According to a MotorTrend+ press release, "'Head 2 Head Drag Race' is an adrenaline-fueled fusion of auto journalism and competitive entertainment, reviving MotorTrend’s much-loved Head 2 Head series in a high-speed format with the newest and hottest cars, trucks, and SUVs." MT+ also identifies it as an "all-new series," so it's a reboot on an old classic.
“We're thrilled to launch 'Head 2 Head Drag Race,' our innovative series that brings drag racing to the forefront of automotive entertainment. Guided by the expert hands of Johnny Lieberman and Jeff Glucker, viewers can expect a unique blend of in-depth analysis and thrilling competition that elevates automotive passions to new heights.” - Mike Suggett, head of MotorTrend Studios
The new series promises showdowns between exotics, supercars, and muscle cars while adding luxury drags as well off-roader matches. It won't just be a quarter-mile and done, but rather some deep dives into the featured vehicles before launching them off the line. Every episode will be themed, so there won't be random or weird match-ups like a Chrysler Pacifica vs. a Pininfarina Battista. From what it looks like, Head 2 Head Drag Race is like the original H2H, but with more depth and focus, which sounds like a pretty killer show.
Head 2 Head Drag Race Lines Up Against The Original
If Head 2 Head Drag Race wants to not only live up to the legacy of the original Head 2 Head but also improve upon it, the series has to leave some fairly big burnout tracks. The first episode of Drag Race, airing on July 10, is called “Supercars Are Different,” and will feature a Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance and a Lucid Sapphire taking on contenders like a Porsche 911 Turbo S and a Ferrari SF90 Stradale. The focus of the episode is cars with "spine-crunching acceleration" that also offer refined luxury.
- Head 2 Head aired for 10 seasons beginning in 2012
- A total of 118 episodes were produced
- H2H had 10 different hosts
That certainly seems like a good start to the new era of the show, but there have been some pretty memorable matchups in the past. In Season One, Episode Eight, H2H threw a Bugatti Veyron, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Lexus LFA, and a McLaren MP4-12C into a moshpit battle royale, which was a situation where the real winner was the viewer. The Season Two finale pitted the SRT Viper GTS against the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to establish the king of modern American supercars.
H2H wasn't just about supercar super races either. They had plenty of muscle car match-ups like the Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE vs. Ford Mustang GT Track Pack, off-road battles with a 2014 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6 vs. a 2014 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG!, and sport luxury throwdowns such as a 2017 Mercedes-AMG S 65 vs. a 2017 Bentley Continental GT Black Edition. Head 2 Head Drag Race appears to be off to a good start, but they better have some compelling races lined up if they want to outdo the original.
MotorTrend+ Is The Home Of Automotive Entertainment
Head 2 Head Drag Race will air exclusively on the MotorTrend+ streaming services that is available on Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast. It can also be found on the Motortrend+ website. There's plenty of content that can be unlocked for free by simply signing up. After that, full access is only $4.99 a month or $44.99 for the whole year, which is a great deal. There is also a free seven-day trial, which is sure to hook anyone who loves cars and motorsports.
- The first issue of MotorTrend came out in September 1949
- A 1949 Kurtis Sport Car was on the cover of the first issue
- The 1958 Ford Thunderbird was the first individual model to win MT's Car of the Year
Interestingly enough, MotorTrend+ started off as Discovery HD Theater in 2002, which simply played shows that where already on Discovery and Animal Planet. Essentially a channel with no purpose it was rebranded as HD Theater in 2005, but that still didn't make it relevant. In 2011, it got another rebrand, becoming Velocity and focusing on automotive-oriented programming. After Discovery bought a controlling interest in the publishing company that owned MotorTrend magazine, it was finally switched to MotorTrend in 2018. Since nobody has cable or satellite anymore, the MotorTrend+ streaming service was established.
MotorTrend+ is the ultimate destination for all things automotive and will satisfy fans of every niche and demographic. They have tons of original programming like Roadkill, Bitchin' Rides, and Dirt Every Day, plus a full catalog of back episodes. They also carry live events such as the Mecum Auctions and international races, as well as specials and documentaries. One of the most absolutely coolest things about signing up is that it unlocks vintage back issues of MotorTrend and Hot Rod magazines. Getting to virtually thumb through Hot Rod magazines from the late 40s is worth the price of admission alone.
Head 2 Head Drag Race Is Ready To Launch
Head 2 Head Drag Race has prepped the tires with burnouts and is in the line waiting for the Christmas Tree to light up. It will air exclusively on MotorTrend+ starting on July 10, with a new installment coming every month. It honestly doesn't seem that radically different from the original Head 2 Head, but that doesn't matter because it has always been an awesome show to watch the best vehicles in the world duel it out on the drag strip. It may include some extra information about these impressive vehicles and their otherworldly capabilities, but the format is the same: the car that hits a quarter-mile first, wins.
MotorTrend+ gets it that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Had they gone in a radical new direction, it wouldn't work because the only thing departing from the original would do is alienate existing fans, while at the same time failing to attract new fans. There may be some people who would watch endless hours of dyno-testing but a hell of a lot more people are going to tune in to see a Dodge Demon 170 smoke anything foolish enough to line up against it. If MotorTrend+ is the MotorTrend channel with added value, then Head 2 Head Drag Race is H2H+, and that's nothing but great news for gearheads.