Rutledge Wood is living the dream, plain and simple.
Wood, 33, doesn’t just like cars, he’s obsessed with them, so it’s no surprise he’s the co-host of one of the biggest car shows on TV. With his knowledge ranging from customs to hot rods, commercial vehicles to NASCAR and more, Wood is certainly an expert on almost anything with four wheels. And hosting Top Gear gives him a chance to test that knowledge, while having more fun than a little kid.
From creating Frankenstein-like creations, to testing the limits of speed, Wood and his two friends get to do things with vehicles that the rest of us can only dream about. So, when we heard that History was premiering new episodes, we knew we had to get the lowdown from the bearded-man himself.
Top Gear is back this week, with all new episodes featuring Wood and his two cohorts, actor Adam Ferrara and driver-extraordinaire Tanner Foust, starting Tuesday, June 3, at 9:00 p.m. ET on History.
CraveOnline: What can fans expect to see from the new episodes of Top Gear?
Rutledge Wood: Well, you know one of my favorite things about doing the show is that these crazy producers that we have go bigger and better every chance they get – and History has been so fun to work with and let us do some of that stuff, right out of the gate. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I don’t just kind of like cars, I really like cars and it’s what I do all the time. We got a chance to drive resto-mods and that’s the first show and I’m kind of building a family wagon resto-mod as we speak. It ended up we drove them for like most of the show and the last part we basically traded them in, well two of us, for these like drag cars. I was in a Dodge Challenger drag pack that had a Viper engine in it and Tanner was in a Cobra Jet Mustang and we got to go to the Gatornationals, which I’ve always wanted to go to, down in Gainesville. That’s the most insane thing, until this past week in Germany, that I’ve ever done with a car. There’s a reason drag racing isn’t for everyone – it’s hard work. And so much of that happens before that green light hits, and all the stuff they’re doing inside the car is crazy. That was huge and then we went on a four-by-four trip, which is the second episode, and we drove into the Grand Canyon. There’s only one road on the one side and all the rest are just trails and stuff and we had to get special permission so we could go through it. Tanner has run that road before because it’s a rally race a couple times a year. [Tanner and Adam] brought insane trucks and I brought a bone-stock super-impressed Toyota FJ Cruiser [laughs]. And I couldn’t believe how well that little thing did, compared to these $100,000 rigs. That was awesome – I loved every minute of that.
It just impresses me how much different stuff that producers can come up with for us to do. Because sometimes they just call us, like we were talking about the four-by-fours, and they asked, ‘what’s the best four-by-four you can buy, if you had to go off-road?’ It’s so fun the things they can come up with for us to do, because, you know, they don’t tell us very much – they want the audience to experience it at the same time. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘pack x, y and z – were going on a road trip.’ Or they’ll call. If you remember the show we did when we tried to go 150 mph, they just called and said they had $3,000 to go 150 mph. So, I’m usually the fastest one to respond to the email, so that’s why I ended up with the better car but…
Crave: You get dibs.
Wood: I get dibs, exactly [laughs]! Sometimes I think Adam or Tanner think the cars I pick are silly but I usually have pretty good logic. But I knew an Infinity Q45 would do like 145, 146 or 147 [mph] before it was drag-limited. So, I was like, alright if I can find one of those for like $2,000 and then a used nitrous kit, I’ll be set. And that’s exactly what I did. Though, I wasn’t there when they installed it so it wouldn’t actually spray and the throttle button didn’t work right and I couldn’t do anything. But those are the fun parts and we really have a huge amount of creative freedom to really come up with the stuff we want to do in the cars – it’s really fun like that.
Crave: You mentioned the Grand Canyon, even in these top tier cars, is it still a little nerve-wracking driving the trails?
Wood: Oh my God, it’s insane. There’s not truly an indestructible car. You can break anything, if you try hard enough. We went up this thing called ‘The Devil’s Staircase’ and it took me three or four good turns before I could figure out how that FJ could get up there and once I did, I sailed up it – it wasn’t a problem. We watched Adam go up there smoking tires, going up rocks and he probably had a $3,000 front axle and probably a $4,000 rear axle and I thought he was going to sheer the center with wide open throttle, trying to go up those rocks. Even that truck, which to a lot of people is insane and you can’t break it, the right rock can get in there and mess everything up and then you’re toast. It’s really intense and really nerve-racking. It’s a lot harder to do the show than people think. When you see the drag car I’m in, in the first episode, it’s one of the most serious things I’ve ever done. And I wasn’t crazy scared when what you see happen happened but the next 20-25 people that came up to me and asked if I was okay, that’s when it started to set in. There are those times as well.
Crave: You’ve built a boat and you’ve built an RV in the past, so are there any Frankenstein creations this time around?
Wood: That’s a good question. Yes, perhaps the best thing we’ve ever built – ever. You remember, so I live in Atlanta, when we got an inch and a half of snow? I know you’re used to snow up there…
Crave: Yeah, the people on major highways just went nuts.
Wood: They went crazy and our big problem was that people didn’t pay any attention that it was about to snow. All of a sudden, an hour before it happened, everyone panicked. Everyone was sent home and it created the biggest traffic jam of all-time. We decided we should come up with a school bus that never gets stuck – because that was a big thing, how many kids stayed on school buses that night. That’s why we built, what I think, is our best creation to date. I don’t know if you know, but I’ve bought a handful of cars from the show afterwards because I loved them so much. This one is on the list – but I have not convinced my wife that I need the ultimate school bus yet.
Crave: Is it yellow?
Wood: It is yellow, it’s a short bus and it has 44-inch boggers on it. And it’s a thing of beauty. It’s a snowplow and it also has a flamethrower on the roof.
Crave: What more do you need!? You melt the snow, you plow the snow and you’re good to go.
Wood: That’s what I said. I told her that it was the perfect family-mobile. Everything we need.
Crave: And you’re in Atlanta. If there’s ever a zombie apocalypse, you’re set.
Wood: Exactly! I got to be prepared for such stuff.
Crave: I’m on your side with this one.
Wood: I think if The Walking Dead saw this bus, they would write it into the show – I believe that fully.
Crave: We should make that happen. The three of you guys have great on screen chemistry, what’s it like to work with Tanner and Adam.
Wood: You know what, it’s great. A good way to sum it up, we went to Germany this past week and had the time of our lives. We are so funny because we are truly so close – those are two of my best friends. It would be really hard to do something like this if you didn’t like the people. We are together so much to create the show in the time it takes to do it. I put up an Instagram video the other day when were leaving, it was like 5:00 in the morning in Germany and they both fell asleep because, of course, the times are so whacky over there we were super-tired. I was so nervous about the train – I’m the nervous traveler of the three of us. Those two are the kind of guys that’ll be the last, or second to last, person to get on the plane before they close the doors and I was at the gate like 40 minutes before they started boarding. We have very different ideas about how to travel. So, those two guys were asleep and I was reading Hot Rod Magazine and listening to New Found Glory to keep myself awake.
Crave: New Found Glory, nice. Your show appeals to a wide audience, not just gear heads, why do you think that is?
Wood: I think there core concepts of Top Gear and certainly if you’ve ever seen the U.K. show you know why we made an American version. I mean, the core of Top Gear is really three dudes, in cars. I think people realize it’s a lot more than just a car show. I think it’s about these three goobers that get to go and do the kind of stuff we dream up and think of when we’re sitting at dinner with friends. I think we’ve found that creative ability, because if you saw how many people come up to me and tell me they watch it with their kids, or that their wife loves the show – that’s been so cool for us. We really didn’t expect it, honestly. We just thought a bunch of guys just like us would watch the show but it’s been amazing to see how many people like it. Cars still represent so much, not just in this country, but all around the world. It represents this freedom, to go wherever you want and do whatever you want. I think at the end of the day, the expression that is cars is still so big in this country. Look at how many cars we can buy here and what a freedom of choice we have – it’s an amazing thing. I think, truly, that people just love having a good time, they love watching these three idiots go out and be silly and I think that’s just what makes it work. We are very lucky and very thankful to have that.
Crave: Will the Stig’s true identity ever be revealed?
Wood: You know what Ed, I doubt it. I don’t know who it is and they won’t shake my hand, they’ve never given me a hug, I’ve never heard their voice and I’ve never seen anything beyond that white suit. The Stig is so good at keeping his or her identity the way that is and I got mad about it one day, I really did. I think I used the phrase: ‘I’m a grown-ass man, why can’t I know?’
Crave: [Laughs] Can we assume it’s a robot then?
Wood: The Stig could be a robot, because when you watch some of the stuff they do, it’s really beyond the human realm. Think of it this way, they’re a better driver than Tanner and Tanner is truly the best driver. Keep in mind, I say this, because I spend every weekend with the best drivers in the world and I’ve seen them in Indy and I’ve seen them in NASCAR. Tanner is truly one of the greatest drivers I’ve ever seen – but I won’t say that in front of him, because I don’t want to give him a bigger head. The Stig is better than Tanner and that’s how you know they’re good.
Crave: Lastly, favorite car from the show and favorite location?
Wood: Let’s say from this season, how about that?
Crave: Sounds good.
Wood: This season, I’d have to say, my favorite location was Germany because of being able to go to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg – I’ve always loved VWs. To drive on the Nürburgring is the most insane and crazy thing I’ve ever done in my life. Every hill is a blind hill, every turn is a blind turn and the fact that you can just show up there and drive on it like it’s all-road, and your insurance is still covered, that blows my mind. It was truly amazing – and the people were so kind. Favorite car, wow. Well, I beat up on a WRX wagon this season, as we made our own little kind of backyard weekend racecars. That was really fun. I drove a supercharged MR2 – we had that on the show. Favorite car, man that’s tough. It might have been the old Dodge Charger I drove on the first show and it was built to just go as fast as you want. I’m a big believer that you should build cars to drive them, don’t just build them to look at and leave in a museum somewhere. I just think that’s what their soul is about. Get on the road, go enjoy it, take a break from all these crazy shenanigans. Adam’s car in that show is a ’68 Camaro – the meanest Camaro I’ve ever seen. 700-horsepower and change and somehow he didn’t wreck it [laughs].
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit (top): Getty
Photo (middle) courtesy of the History Channel.
