The opening lineup for the American version of the Top Gear TV program reads like something out of Dancing with the Stars. The roster of celebrity guests includes Tim Allen, Ty Burrell (from Modern Family), Buzz Aldrin, Tony Hawk (skateboarder who built an empire), rocker Bret Michaels, Dominic Monaghan (from Lostand Lord of the Rings), Kid Rock and Michelle Rodriguez (tough-girl actress from Lostand Avatar).
Diehard Top Gear enthusiasts will also appreciate the fact that the show, originally launched in Britain in 1977, will feature an American Stig. For those who don’t know, the Stig is Top Gear’s mysterious anonymous racer. The Stig has produced lots of juice for the show. In the UK version, his Facebook page garnered over 3,000,000 friends. In reality, there have been a couple of Stigs, the most recent identified as Brit racer Ben Collins, following litigation over his bid to publish a book about his experiences.
The UK show’s “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment will be “Big Star in a Small Car” for the American version. And that small car is the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, a reasonably priced hatchback with plenty of pluck. Tim Allen, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Dominic Monaghan and Tony Hawk have already taken it for a spin on a 1.6-mile course at El Toro in Irvine, California. They gave the car a unanimous thumbs up.
Top Gear USA which will debut on the History Channel on Sunday, November 21.
