06x06 - Resto Mods

[bunniefuu]

[jay]
this episode is
all about resto-mods.

It's a car
that appears to be stock

but has been upgraded,

sometimes with a bigger motor
or better brakes,

just to make it more drivable.

For example, in human terms,
I would be a resto-mod.

On the outside,

the body of a dithering
white-haired old man;

inside,
a greek god.

Wouldn't you say?

[playful music]

tonight,
on jay leno's garage,

-we rock out with resto-mods.
-Whoa!

I did a wheelie.

[jay]
the outside might look
like yesterday,

but under the hood

-is definitely happening now.
-I love the resto-mod life.

[jay]
nothing looks as classy and cool
as old school.

-Yeah, we bad.
-[chuckling]

and we make them
better than new.

[sebastian]
I don't drive anything
that doesn't have

-alligator interior.
-Really?

-Yeah.
-We'll make the most

of our modifications...

We need to get riskier
and wilder,

because we don't have
anything to lose.

[jay]
...And revel in
some retro ones, too.

This was barry white's car.

-Come on, b.
-No, this is it,

-this is the car.
-What? Whoo, that's nice!

[jay]
whether it's
converting classics...

This is a badass car.

[jay]
...Or operating some oddballs...

[daniel]
that's part of the fun,

being a little bit
different.

[jay]
...Old and new,

we'll get the best
of both worlds.

People go,
"I don't like low riders.

-Oh--I like this one."
-yeah!

Let's see if he can catch me
in this thing.

-Go!
-Whoo!

[funky music]

[jay]
you know if you look up
the words "wretched excess"

in the dictionary,

you might see this thing.

It's a 1977 stutz blackhawk vi.

It's basically
just a pontiac grand prix

that's been tarted up a bit,

as if superfly went to Italy
and designed a car.

And this was built
in torino, Italy.

Celebrities lined up
to get one of these:

Elvis, frank sinatra,
robert goulet,

sammy davis, jr.,
just to name a few,

and the one I'm driving now,
well, when I tell you,

it'll seem obvious.

See, it's kind of interesting

that entertainers
love these things.

Because I'm taking this now
to show

one of the greatest entertainers
of the modern age.

Let's see what he thinks
of this.

['70s-style smooth soul music]

-cte! What's going on?
-What's up, jay?

What's going on, brother?

[jay]
as one of the original
kings of comedy,

cedric the entertainer
is a hot commodity.

Known as ceddy bear
to his friends,

you'll probably know him from
his countless stand-up specials,

iconic movie roles
in barbershop,

big mama's house,
and madagascar.

And believe me,

the man knows a beautiful ride
when he sees one.

-Whoo-hoo, what you got?
-Well, I'm looking

at what you guys got.

-This is the club?
-Yeah, man, this is

the rider g*ng lifestyle.

We ride the cars out.

Like, four of us got started
and then, just week by week,

more and more people
got a part of it.

Good times, man.

You ever seen one of these?

[cedric]
I mean, like, elvis,

somebody had
something like this?

[jay]
this belonged to an entertainer.

An entertainer I believe
you have emulated.

Ooh, this gotta be, um...
I don't know.

[jay]
come on, cedric,
you should know this.

Boyce the voice
was based on...

Barry white!

-This was barry white's car.
-Come on, b.

[jay]
no, this is it,

-this was his car.
-What?!

[jay]
yeah, this is it.

[cedric laughs]

[cedric]
this old barry white right here,
man.

Whoo! That's nice!

Barry white!

[jay]


One of my favorite entertainers,
of course,

being, you know,
big, sexy, deep voice.

You know, I had this voice
at about 14.

[jay]
well, introduce me to the guys.

-Oh man, yeah.
-What do we got?

I like this chevy.
What do we got here?

[jason]


Got a couple hydraulics

piston-pumped to the front,

and two separate pumps
to the rear.

[jay]
but it looks basically stock,

which I like.

[cedric]
this is big percy right here.

-Percy, how you doing?
-What's up, jay?

[cedric]
he rock with us.

-What you got, p?
-Just that '76 eldorado.

[jay]
have you done anything to it,

-other than just keep it nice?
-I just touched the engine

when I first got it.

I haven't touched the top,
I haven't touched the interior.

[cedric]
man, this is moe, man.

-Moe, this is a beautiful truck.
-Oh, very nice.

[moe]
I try to keep it
all original, you know.

Like, showroom floor.

-What motor you got in it?
-I got a 350 in there.

It was on the collar,

but I couldn't deal
with all that.

[jay]
no, it looks good.

Now, this '57,
got that show car going.

[cedric]
this is the thing, right?

-Xzibit, man.
-How are you, man?

-Good to see you again.
-Nice to see you too, man.

This is considered
the rolls-royce

-of low-riding culture.
-Yeah, there you go.

You know, we redid
the entire interior,

put bentley leather in.

[jay]
you know, it's tastefully done.

It's the kind of thing--
like, people go,

"I don't like low riders.
Oh--I like this one."

yeah!

-Now, this is yours, right?
-Yeah, this is mine

right here, man,
this is my '41 ford.

It's all custom, man.

[jay]
ford was known
for mass production,

but in 1940,

they were looking
to change things up a bit.

So they combined
their half-ton pickup

with the classy look
of its stylish coupe

and, well,
a beauty was born.

And cedric's 1941 model
has been completely revamped,

with a 5.4 liter supercharged
ford lightning engine,

custom griffin radiator,
custom dash,

and a monogrammed bed to boot.

I wonder, think cedric'll
let me take this one home?

[cedric]
that what really I liked
about the truck

when I first saw it.

I just liked that front,
the way it looked.

It was supposed to be
black and pink,

and then the painter showed me
this combination...

-No, this looks right.
-...And it was just, like,

-it was the choice.
-Yeah, that looks beautiful.

Let's take a ride.

You'll have
the barry white experience.

[cedric]
all right.

-Lemme put you in that car.
-You drive the truck, man, good.

[jay]
for my next guest,

we're classing things up a bit,

so we're headed
to the roosevelt.

This iconic hotel was
definitely the place to be

back in the day.

It was the haunt
of many celebrities

over the years,
and it still is.

In fact,
if these walls could talk,

they'd say,
"fuhgeddaboutit!"

[vintage lounge music]

it's just--you know, people
don't dress up anymore.

Like, I'm surprised
you even have a business.

People wearing flip flops,
gym shoes.

I think we lost our way.

Yeah, tell me about it,
you know?

One day, you got the biggest
talk show in the world,

mr. Maniscalco,
next day, you're shining shoes

for some big chadrool
from chicago.

I tell ya,
it's not easy out there.

But look at that shine.

You can see your face in it.

-That's a beautiful shine.
-Yeah, that's a beautiful shine,

-isn't it?
-Appreciate it.

What do you charge?

-That'll be five dollars.
-Five dollars, huh?

I don't got a wallet.

I'll hit you next time
when I'm back.

[jay]
if you like funny,

you'll love comedian
sebastian maniscalco.

You may know this
chicago-based rapscallion best

from his many
stand-up specials.

I like italian delis,
there's just no options.

It just says "sandwich."

[audience laughter]

and there's a guy in there
cutting the meat.

It's gonna be good!

[audience laughter]

[jay]
but it's a safe bet
wherever you see him,

he's always dressed
to the nines.

got a couple of hudsons
for you here.

Have you ever seen
one of these?

[sebastian]
I know nothing about cars,

-all right?
-Well, I figured that out

in about five minutes.

That's why I said,
"these are hudsons."

[sebastian chuckles]

although hudsons were never
the fanciest cars of their day,

they had style.

The two we have here
are opposite approaches

to bringing back that era.

[vintage swing music]

[sebastian]
um, I notice
this looks worn,

and this looks like
it was just painted.

-Hey, you catch on fast.
-Hey, I know stuff, people!

[jay]
well, that's
the interesting thing.

This one is just about


This one,
there's a company called icon.

What they do is,
they take an old car,

but they make it
all modern underneath.

Icon is a leader
in marrying modern performance

with classic styling.

Their approach
to recreating cars is unique.

In redesigning this


the car was first
left in the sun

to get that rustic patina look.

But then, to bring the handling
and power up to date,

they replaced the chassis
with fully adjustable

four-wheel
independent suspension--

and brembo sport brakes
and the ls9 supercharged engine.

To complete the look,

the interior was outfitted
with hand-dyed alligator skin

and german wool carpeting.

This is sort of a new trend:

You keep the patina
of the old car.

The interior looks
old and worn,

-but it's brand new.
-I'm still trying to figure out

what "patina" means.

It's like a macaroni,
but very small.

[laughs]

jay leno's patina!

Look for it in the automotive
section of your local grocer.

This leather is distressed to
make it look like old leather,

but it's not leather at all,
it's alligator.

[sebastian]
jay, I don't drive anything

that doesn't have
alligator interior.

-Really?
-Yeah. So this is perfect.

Come around here,
I'll show you this one.

I mean,
it's just classic.

[sebastian]
so this is exactly
what the car looked like--

[jay]
that's what it looked like
when it was new.

-Shall we go for a ride?
-Let's do it, let's go.

[lively music]

[jay]
sebastian, this is
the kind of car you pull up

in front of ciro's.

You ever hear of
ciro's nightclub?

You've heard of
the famous sunset strip?

Well, here it is,
those nightspots

whose names are known
throughout the civilized world.

[sebastian]
ciro's was the old comedy store,
right?

[jay]
that's right.

Ciro's before it was
the comedy store

was like the hotspot.

Everybody played there.

This is definitely
a ciro's-type car.

It's funny, my first apartment
was about three blocks up

when I moved here
to los angeles in '98.

Well, lemme ask you about that.

When did you know you made it?

When did you know, "I think
I can make a living at this"?

[sebastian]
well, it was shortly after I did

this vince vaughn
wild west comedy show in 2005.

-Oh, I remember that!
-I had to ask the four seasons

where I was working
for a month off

so I could film
the damned thing.

[jay]
you worked at the four seasons
hotel in what,

-hospitality?
-I worked in the bar

-as a c*ck waitress.
-Wait a minute,

you worked as
a c*ck waitress?

-That had to be embarrassing.
-Well, I was interviewing

for room service.

He goes, "you don't belong
in room service.

Do you mind c*ck?"

I said, "c*ck? I'll do
whatever you want me to do."

so it was me
and eight girls

slinging drinks to celebrities.

What celebrities did you meet?

Everybody.
Everybody came through there.

I waited on anyone
from nicole kidman to shaq,

to al pacino, sean penn.

-Wow.
-Yeah, seven years I was there.

Did you ever meet anybody
when you became famous that,

"hey, do you remember
I waited on you?"

yeah, I met--I actually
waited on vince vaughn there,

and then when I did
the wild west comedy show,

I said, "you know,
I waited on you there."

sebastian, the best view of
hollywood I don't really think

is from the inside of a car.

Let's go back
to the roosevelt.

I got something I think
is kinda romantic.

[sebastian]
I'm in, jay.

I'm driving this
with no shoe on,

you know that, right?

-I didn't know that.
-You lead the way.

[jay]
I think I know just the place
to take in all of tinseltown.

You know, this friendship
could work out good,

'cause you don't know
anything about cars,

I could teach you about that.

And I think it's obvious
I know nothing about style.

I've never really seen you
in anything else.

Well, this is actually
a clean shirt.

You should have
a show about clothes,

and you could take me shopping
the way I took you driving.

-I like that.
-Let's drink to it.

-Absolutely.
-To sebastian.

-And no lemon.
-No lemon.

-Iced tea's the worst drink.
-Yeah, terrible.

[sebastian]
it stinks.

[jay]
coming up:

Margaret cho takes me for a ride
on the wild side.

I've definitely mellowed,

but then part of me has also
gotten more radical.

[she laughs]

[mellow music]he middl-

this is the largest
korean community, well,

in the united states--

to meet an old friend of mine,

and this is one of her
frequent haunts.

Come on, let's go inside.

-hi, margaret.
-Hi!

[vibrant music]

[jay]
calling margaret cho "outspoken"

would definitely be
an understatement.

Known for her hit
stand-up specials

cho dependent and mother!,

this award-winning diva
is also the creator

of the groundbreaking series,
all-american girl.

Margaret is a trailblazer
in the lgbtq+ community

who has successfully carved out
her niche in hollywood.

I have never been here.

Tell me about this place.

The prince is a legendary
bar/nightclub/restaurant

in koreatown.

It's a really cool place,

and it's kind of like
what you expect

in sort of
an old hollywood bar.

They have kind of a rippin'
karaoke night as well.

-Oh really?
-This is, like, the place.

Well, that's interesting,
because, I mean,

korean culture is
fairly conservative,

and karaoke is a way
to break out of it, isn't it?

-Yes. And getting drunk.
-And getting drunk.

Because I know when you started
as a young comedian,

to be on stage
and a comedian

and a woman,
at the time was...Unusual,

-is that fair to say?
-It's unusual.

There is no equivalent
to stand-up comedy in korea.

My parents really didn't
understand what it was

-until they came to see me.
-And your mom was probably

the most mainstream favorite.

You talk about your mom's
reaction to america

and the immigrant experience.

I mean, those were just
classic bits that people loved.

[margaret]
the latest one is good.

She was trying
to buy a fan online.

"I look on amazon,
I don't like any fans,

so then I said I'm gonna look
onlyfans.Com,

because they must have
only fans,

that I can narrow down
the choices.

And then I look at
onlyfans.Com.

-They no have any fans!"
-[chuckling]

[jay]
did you get any grief
from the korean community

for making fun of your mom?

No!

That's who she is.

It's, like, weird
to present her any other way.

So let me ask you about
your car experiences now.

I know you like
american muscle, right?

Yes!

When I was in my early,
early teens,

I would come to la
and there was, like,

trans ams and camaros,

and they just looked
so exotic to me.

Low to the ground, but long.

[jay]
the muscle car was born
in the 1960s.

Some of the greatest examples
include the chevy chevelle,

dodge charger,
pontiac gto,

the hemi barracuda,
even the shelby gt 350.

And just for margaret tonight,

the chevy camaro.

Let's do it.

-Well, here we go.
-Wow!

[jay]
now, the one in front
is totally stock,

that means 100 percent original.

This has been "resto-modded."

as chevy's answer
to the ford mustang,

the camaro made a huge splash
when it hit the market in 1967.

This classic is
a 1967 camaro ss,

which sports a 350 v8 engine.

And those simulated air intakes,
white striping,

and the blacked-out grille

will definitely
turn some heads.

Its baby-blue brother
is no slouch, either.

This '67 camaro resto-mod
includes an ls2 engine,

modified disc brakes,
all-new suspension,

and an automatic transmission.

[energetic music]

these are probably
not what you'd call

the best city cars.

[laughs]

[margaret]
well, they get a lot of action.

People are really looking.

[horn honking]

everybody loves these cars.

But they're very much like,

you wanna be riding
where a beach is on one side

and you have a beautiful girl
on the other side.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, the beach and the babe
were not in the budget,

but hey!

How 'bout this
wilshire boulevard street sign?

Wow.

[jay]
what was the first car you
bought when you made some money?

Volkswagen golf.

[jay]
it's a little sensible
but nice.

[margaret]
I rode all over the country
going to shows,

so I drove it
absolutely everywhere.

The thing I used to love
about comedy clubs was,

what you got to eat
at the club

was commensurate
with your status.

For example,
if you were a headliner,

then you could order
from the menu

and get, like, a steak.

If you're a middle act,

then you could just have,
like, an appetizer.

Just the idea
that your nutritional intake

was based on your act.

Fortunately, a lot of the
headliners that I worked with

did cocaine,

so nobody was eating anything,

so I could eat their food.

[chuckling]

[jay]
do you think you've mellowed
over the years?

I've definitely mellowed,

but then part of me
has also gotten more radical.

I think just
when you are older,

you have less at stake.

-Right.
-As comedians,

we need to get riskier
and wilder

because we don't have
anything to lose,

-which I love.
-What's next for margaret?

What do you wanna do?
What do you see yourself doing?

[margaret]
I would love to do more acting.

I'm having a really good time
with that.

I love when comedians
do serious acting.

To me, it's like always when
I love robin williams the most

is when he was, like,
in one hour photo or insomnia.

-Something really scary.
-You know, it's funny,

because comedians
make better actors

than actors make comedians.

-Right.
-Because I find comics

don't care what
they look like on stage,

-they just do what they do.
-Right.

[jay]
like rodney.

I don't think rodney
ever looked in a mirror

before he went out,
that's just what he does.

When actors do stand-up,
they're sort of conscious,

"do I look okay?
Is my hair good?"

-have you noticed that?
-Yes.

[jay]
there's a hesitation
to the stand-up.

Absolutely.

[jay]
well, margaret,
thank you very much.

I'm guessing
the next time I see you,

you'll have
some sort of resto-mod,

-am I correct?
-I will, for sure.

I love the resto-mod life.

[jay]
looks like another
satisfied customer.

[upbeat soul music]

I've roving
the mean streets of burbank

with cedric the entertainer.

Cedric's luxuriating
in the stutz blackhawk

once owned by barry white.

The exhaust on this car
smells like barbecue sauce.

[jay]
and I'm seeing how fine
his resto-mod ford pickup

really is.

So what kinda shape
was this thing in

when you found it?

Oh, it was bad.

It was, like, in a barn.

But it was just old
and just nothing.

Think I got it
for $4,000 or so.

It certainly drives nicely.

How's the barry white
experience going?

Hey, man, it feels like
barry white in here.

I feel like I need to have on
some english leather,

some old spice.

No, hai karate.

[woman]
wow! What's that aftershave
you're wearing?

Ha!

[announcer]
hai karate aftershave.

-Whoo!
-Be careful how you use it.

Oh, some hai karate!

And a velvet tuxedo jacket
and some suede slippers, man.

[cedric chuckles]

[jay]
what did your folks think

when you said
you wanted to be a comedian?

Well, you know,
my mother was a schoolteacher,

so that was tough for her.

So I did all the right things
for her,

like I went
and graduated from college

and I got a job.

-Yeah, me too.
-I was working at state farm.

I was like a--
I was the first jake,

man, that's what I'd say.

I had the whole--you know,
the khakis and the polo.

How long were you
with state farm?

[cedric]
actually, I got the job
at state farm

probably two weeks
before I discovered

-I could do comedy.
-Oh, that's funny.

Who were your
other inspirations?

[cedric]
my greatest comedic inspiration

was the late robin harris,
you know, bébé's kids.

He was like a guy, like--

of course I loved
richard pryor and eddie murphy,

but robin harris performed
like a normal guy.

He just had that
natural funny--

like a cousin,
like a relative,

and I definitely adapted
that style of delivery

when I started doing comedy.

It was more like
talking to you,

and then I'll say
something funny.

You ever see richard pryor
perform live?

[cedric]
I never seen him perform live.

I did get to meet him
a couple of times.

I would follow him every night.

-Oh, wow.
-Richie would blow the room out,

and that's how you found out
if stuff was funny.

If you could get a laugh
after richard,

then you had a real joke.

Oh, yeah, man.

[jay]
cedric, any plans
for the future?

What do you got coming up?

I mean, of course I'd love
to be able to get back out

and do stand-up whenever,

but we're actually back
sh**ting the neighborhood,

so we're in season three
of that,

and that's been going great,

but I've been trying
to talk steve harvey

into going back out
and doing the original kings

one more--
one last hurrah.

I like the barry white
lovemobile, man.

I love the interior
in here, man.

This peanut butter wood grain,
or whatever this is.

[jay]
knowing barry white,

it might be actual
peanut butter.

[laughing]

[jay]
later on...

Rick springfield
just wants to rock.

[rick]
my parents said,
"what do you wanna do?"

I said,
"I wanna play guitar."

[rock music]

it's time to assess & caress
with donald osborne.]

[chiming twinkle]

this episode is all about
resto-mods,

and we have three resto-mods
here today.

Now, what is a resto-mod?

It's a car
that appears to be stock

but has been upgraded

or even heavily upgraded
sometimes,

with a bigger motor
or better brakes

just to make it more drivable.

For example,
in human terms,

I would be a resto-mod.

On the outside,

the body of a dithering
white-haired old man;

inside,
a greek god.

-Wouldn't you say?
-I would certainly say that,

and, like most resto-mods,
it's all personal taste.

[jay]
all right, you are,
of course, donald osborne,

our resto-mod extraordinaire
appraiser.

What do we have here today?

[donald]
we've got a 1957 chevrolet
bel air convertible,

a 1963 volkswagen
type 2 transporter,

and a 1946 ford
custom convertible.

Let's start with the chevrolet.

Of course, the 1957
chevy bel air is

an absolute collector icon.

Well, the funny thing was,
when this came out,

it was not a success.

Ford was kicking their butt,

and they added the fins
as a last resort.

These really only became popular
when I was in high school

back in the late '60s.

And of course, now you have
a generation that grew up,

never knew what it was like
to drive these cars,

so they wanna have the look,

but they want
the modern disc brakes,

they want the fuel injection,

maintenance-free engines,
basically.

So this'd almost be
the perfect resto-mod

-for that group.
-Exactly, and this is an example

of what most people think of
as a resto-mod,

a car that appears
completely stock,

like a 1957 chevy
on the outside,

even down to the
fuel injection tags on it,

and it is fuel-injected.

However, it's modern weber
fuel injection on a 383,

a bored 327.

Also, the interior looks like
the 1957 chevy interior,

but it's done
in a modern wool

and it's got an overdrive
automatic transmission in it.

It's got air conditioning
and a modern radio.

So all the things
that you expect

in a modern touring car today
in the shell of a '57 chevy.

Our next vehicle is the 1963
volkswagen type 2 transporter.

Now of course, the vw bus
is also a collectible icon

and more popular today
than ever,

but very few people know
that they made this model,

the transporter,
which is in effect

-a pickup truck.
-Plus, I love this center light.

-The cyclops!
-Is this factory?

-That is not factory.
-Someone added that themselves.

And of course,
the engine in this

-has been upgraded, correct?
-It's got a 1968cc

volkswagen engine,

but tuned to deliver


Which is three times
what it had.

[donald]
three times the stock
horsepower, and of course,

these vehicles were known
for being incredibly slow.

This is actually one
that can get up and move.

And in the interior,
they've also upgraded it

with kind of
a beach fabric stripe.

But they kept
enough of the stock vw look

-so you have that character.
-What's our third one?

[donald]
our third one

is taking this idea
to its furthest extent.

The exterior has not
been modified,

but when you get inside,

it's really where you start
to see the differences.

One of the first clues
is that fact that the dashboard

is from a 1959
chevy impala.

And the seats are
a total custom design

with ostrich-skin leather,

and under the hood
is not a ford at all

but a 454 chevy v8.

This is really almost
a custom hotrod car.

We're kinda at a point now
where resto-mods versus
original,

it's a real battle
how far you wanna go.

[donald]
and it's also quite interesting
in terms of the market.

Originals bring more money.

However, resto-mods are
much easier to sell.

People know that it's a car they
can just jump into and drive.

And if they have to service it,

it can be serviced
by practically

any mechanic anywhere.

[jay]
but to put
a non-original dash in it,

it just doesn't work for me.

Okay. The '57 chevy
is beautiful,

but I think we're probably
maybe a decade away

from when those
were at their pinnacle

in terms of
people had to have one.

That car would have been
$150,000 ten years ago.

I think they've
probably gone down.

This has appreciated the most,
because porsche guys

can't afford
porsches anymore,

so these are like
the new porsche.

And this one is
so nicely done

and so professionally done,

I think this would be
my first choice.

This one is interesting,
because, to me,

hotrods are '32 fords,
'34 fords.

Once you get into the '40s,
it doesn't have the same appeal.

The shapes didn't
excite me as much

as the cars from
the late '20s, early '30s,

or even the '50s.

So I would go
this number one,

I'd take the chevy,
and then this.

Let's see if he's right.

[jay]
the answer when we return.

And then watch me
try to run circles

around nascar champion
daniel suárez

in an all-new edition
of stump a car nerd.

This is the only
time in my life

I'll ever be in front of you
in a car.

And we're back
with donald osborne.Winkl]

[donald]
okay, so you're going
with the volkswagen first,

then the chevy,

followed up by the ford.

Five years ago,

that '57 chevy resto-mod
would have cost about $120,000.

Today, it'd probably be
about $117,000.

So lost a little bit of value.

Five years ago,

this '46 ford would have been
about $85,000,

and now, it's about $69,000.

So it's lost a bit more.

Five years ago,

a volkswagen like this
might have been $24,500.

Today, it'd be about $75,000.

[jay]
so what you're
basically saying is,

I got all three correct.

Shockingly enough, yes.

[jay]
there you go.

[quirky music]

it's time for
another episode of...

Welcome to another episode
of stump a car nerd.

Today, we have daniel suárez.

He's nascar's first
foreign-born champion,

-born in mexico, correct?
-That's correct, mijo.

[jay]
I remember you were
rookie of the year in 2015,

and you're a mechanic as well.

Yeah, I'm a retired mechanic.

I'm young, but I'm already
a retired mechanic.

You're retired.
Wow, there you go,

that's pretty good.

Okay. To be fair,

daniel's not just good,
he's great.

[announcer]
daniel suárez has the lead.

[jay]
this kid might have
a shot at this challenge.

Or does he?

Now, you ready
to play the game?

You know how it works?

I give you a blindfold,
here you are.

-Okay.
-Put that on.

It's pretty dark, eh?

Well, that's how it works.

I guess, right.

First, let's hear
the horn of the car.

[horn honks twice]

any clue there.

No, man, that's very tough.

Knowing with the horn
is very tough!

[jay]
all right.
Let's hear the engine start.

[engine starts,
rumbles, revs]

it sounds like
a stock engine.

[jay]
all right,
let's open the door,

and I'll guide you in there
so you can feel around the car.

[dramatic music]

all right.

Originally marketed
as a family vehicle,

this 1956 chevrolet nomad
piggybacked off the success

of the similar-looking bel air.

Complete with
a modern v8 engine,

this gorgeous resto-mod
leaves grandma's station wagon

in the dust.

[daniel]
ah, this is a good clue, eh?

[jay]
a good clue, perhaps.

Okay.

You said an early car,

definitely from
'50s or '60s,

-because you've got a long--
-'50s or '60s, that's great.

It is from the '50s.

-You know what, jay?
-What's that?

I had one of these,
I think, before.

-You had one of these?
-I think so.

Is this a chevy?

It's a chevy,
that's correct.

-So the car I had...
-Right.

-...Was a chevy.
-Right.

-'55, two-door.
-Right.

-A nomad.
-That's correct!

'56 chevy nomad, very good.

Very good.

Feeling confident now?

-I feel better.
-All right.

You ready for car number two?

-Ready.
-No peeking!

Okay, let's blow the horn.

[horn honks twice]

-okay.
-Let's start the engine.

[engine starts, revs]

when I hear the horn,
I thought to myself,

there is no way
that's an american car,

but now that I'm listening
to the engine,

-it could be.
-Ah-ha!

come on in.

My '63 1/2 ford falcon
drives more like a rally car--

which it was.

The falcon was one of ford's
first compact cars,

and this model got
a v8 engine

that was a trial run
for the new mustang.

-it's a ford.
-It's a ford, that's correct,

it is a ford.

-It's not a mustang.
-It's not a mustang.

I think I have
a very good idea now.

[jay]
using all his skills.

As you can see, daniel
takes this very seriously.

Intently studying
every facet of the automobile.

-Well, I know it's a falcon.
-It's a ford falcon,

-that is correct.
-Between '65 and '68,

-'69, maybe.
-Close--'63 1/2.

But you got it!
Ford falcon, very good,

-very good.
-There you go.

Sometimes it's good
to be a little smart, right?

Not a smartass,
but a little smart.

All right,
daniel is two-for-two.

One more to go.

Can we hear the horn?

[horn honks twice]

seventy percent of cars
have that horn.

Yeah, all right.
Let's start it up.

[engine starts, revs]

[daniel]
okay. This is a newer car.

It's supercharged.

[jay]
well, the engine is modern.

It's been resto-modded.

this one does not have
a giant airplane on the hood

to give it away this time.

This 1972 toyota land cruiser
is a legendary off-road vehicle

in its own right.

But thanks to
a magnificent resto-mod by icon,

it now boasts
an ls 6.2 liter v8

making 430 horsepower
and 450 pound-feet of torque.

[daniel]
it's gonna be very tough for me,
jay.

[jay]
this is a tricky one.

[daniel]
I mean, it's definitely
an off-road car.

[jay]
off-road car that you can drive
on the road, that's correct.

Okay, you will have to give
me a little more...

More guidance.

I'm between a jeep,
a hummer, or a land cruiser.

-This is a land cruiser.
-So it's a land cruiser?

[jay]
is it a land cruiser,

but what country
is it from?

-Japan?
-Japan is correct!

A land cruiser from japan,
that's correct, my friend.

You wanna drive it?

-Let's go for a spin.
-Let's go for a spin, come on.

I'll grab my falcon.

[upbeat rock music]

[engine rumbles]

[engines roar]

so what do you think
of that icon?

Hey, lemme tell you,
this thing has decent power, eh?

-It feels pretty good.
-Oh yeah, it's got

some real power,
it's quick.

[daniel]
it feels pretty good,

for the amount of tire
that it has.

So you must bring
a whole new fan base to nascar,

-yes?
-That's part of the fun,

you know?

Being a little bit different
coming from mexico.

When I moved to the us
back in 2011,

I didn't speak english,
so...

Back then, I was a little
embarrassed to say that,

but now,
I'm proud to say that,

because I have learned
that a lot of people

have come to this country
the same way.

So it's pretty cool,
you know,

to be a little different.

[jay]
so what do you wanna do
that you haven't done yet?

What would you like
to accomplish?

[daniel]
you know, for me,
racing is priority.

To win more races,
championships.

But something that is important
for me as well

is to change
the culture of the sport

a little bit.

When I came to the sport,

it was almost impossible
for a mexican driver

to come to the united states.

And slowly, with me
having good results,

winning races
and championships,

that has changed.

If you can bring
more international drivers

and more international
engineers, pit crews...

-Right.
-...More fans are gonna be

supporting the sport,
so that's cool.

[jay]
hey, daniel, I wanna thank you
for joining us,

'cause I realize this is
the only time in my life

I'll ever be in front of you
in a car,

so I'm really enjoying it.

Thank you even more, jay.

I got a new guy to cheer for
in nascar now,

so this has been great.

-Thank you, my friend.
-Gracias, amigo.

[jay]
coming up:

Actor and action star daniel wu
on what might have been.

I went to school
to study architecture.

-Wow.
-So I went from architecture

to acting.

My dad, especially.

"you wasted all that time
in school for nothing!"

[jay]
yeah, right.

[engine revs]y music]

I'm on my way right now
to diamond bar, california,

to the sema garage,

and what I'm driving
to get there

is one of the first
honda cars ever made,

the s600.

At 57 horsepower but weighing in
at just 1600 pounds,

this zippy guy
is the perfect roadster.

And I'm gonna meet a man
named daniel wu.

He's a very popular
international film star.

He's built
his version of a resto-mod.

Come on, let's go look.

[engine revs]

[bluesy rock music]

[engine revs]

hey!

[jay]
known for his
martial arts skills,

daniel wu debuted in china

and eventually hit
the silver screen

here in america.

With roles in tomb raider
and into the badlands,

this guy's quickly becoming
an international star.

[daniel]
made it here all right?

[jay]
I always feel like a circus bear
driving this car.

-But they're great, aren't they?
-Yes, I love it, actually.

They're fascinating cars.

This was their first foray
into automobiles.

Everybody thinks
it's a motorcycle engine,

but it's obviously
an automotive engine.

-Right.
-I love this era of honda,

'cause mr. Honda
was an engineer.

And he was still alive
when this was built.

Let's take a look.

-Looks very similar.
-Well, it's funny.

You have twin overhead cam,

roller bearing crank.

If this said "porsche" on it,
it would be a million dollars.

Yeah!

[jay]
well, I'm anxious to see yours.

Can we take a look?

-Yeah, let's check it out.
-All right.

[dramatic music]

wow.

[clapping]

first introduced in 1965,

the s800 quickly became
honda's flagship sports car.

Since only 11,000
were ever produced,

today, this car is
definitely a rare gem.

While daniel's resto-mod may
look similar to the original,

he's made some
mega modifications.

Like the fender flares,
the body kit,

and the 791cc dual overhead cam
inline 4-cylinder engine,

which now produces
a whopping 71 horsepower.

Okay, it's not whopping,
but it's pretty good.

-Wow, that looks great.
-Here's the outlaw version,

or what I call the chinpira.

-What'd you call it?
-Chinpira.

Which in japanese means
low-end gangster.

-Low-end gangster.
-Like a foot soldier.

The body kit was done by
pandem/rocket bunny, kei miura.

[jay]
now see, "rocket bunny"
doesn't sound gangster to me.

-Right.
-I don't know why

that makes me laugh,
like, you pull in,

"that's my car...
Rocket bunny."

[daniel]
well, it's this paradox.

Rocket! But bunny.

We brought it here
to sema garage.


he never saw the car.

-Oh wow.
-Sent him the data.

Four months later,
he sent me the kit.

And because we did
the 3d scan off this car,

everything just...
[clicking tongue]

-oh, that's great.
-...Fit perfectly.

When I got this car,

my friend had had it
in hong kong,

and it was sitting there
for five or six years

in his garage.

I bought it not having
seen it in five years,

and it came here
and it was totally rusted out.

So this is actually
a combination of two cars.

I found a donor convertible

and basically
frankensteined two together

-to make this coupe.
-Well, I had to do that on this.

I mean, these were made
of old battleships.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Japanese steel,

they got steel
wherever they could.

-Mm-hm.
-Very cool.

Well, you wanna drive mine
and see what it's like?

Yeah, I'd love to,
I'd love to.

-Let's give it a shot.
-Sure.

[hood slams]

[engines revving]

[engine revs,
gears shift]


daniel.

-Think so?
-Yours seems to have more

lower-end grunt
than mine does.

Yeah, it's probably because
of the custom new exhaust on it.

[jay]
so did you grow up
in oakland, california?

Yeah, I was born in berkeley.

I went to high school
in oakland.

Did you set out
to be an actor

as a young man,

or were you doing
something else?

No, I was, uh--I went to school
to study architecture...

-Oh, okay.
-...And I was gonna be

an architect.

I did five years of school,

and every summer,
I did an internship,

and I realized
the profession wasn't for me.

So in '97 when I graduated,
I went to hong kong

to see the handover

and to figure out
what I was gonna do

with the rest of my life.

And I was in a bar,

and someone cast me
to do a tv commercial.

And a director saw it
and cast me to play a lead

-in my first film.
-Wow.

And so I went
from architecture to acting,

just like that.

[jay]
that's how you make mom cry.

Say you're not gonna be
an architect,

you're gonna be an actor.

Oh, they were not--
they were not happy about that.

My dad especially,
'cause my dad was an engineer,

so he's like, "you wasted
all that time in school

for nothing."

[jay]
yeah, right,

[engines rev]

so, daniel, you got a movie
coming out.

-Tell us about it.
-It's called reminiscence

and it's directed
by lisa joy,

she's a writer
and executive producer

on westworld.

It's a sci-fi film noir,

which is actually
my favorite kind of genre,

so it was a really fun movie
to make.

I play a southern chinese
gangster from louisiana.

-Wow!
-So it's quite

a unique character
to be able to put on screen.

[jay]
well, daniel,
thank you for showing us

a piece of resto-modding

a lot of us
are not familiar with.

This thing is really terrific.

It's sort of japanese american
kind of--

what was that word again,
from gangster?

-Chinpira.
-Yeah, that's what it is.

[laughs]

yeah, we bad! Uh-huh!

[engines roar and whine]

coming up:

Rick springfield
after all these years.

[rick]
my strong suit is persistence.

I'm a stubborn mofo.

[jay]
for more cool cars,
go to jaylenosgarage.Cnbc.Com.

You know, when you talk
about resto-mods,

you usually think,
oh, a '55 chevy

with maybe a corvette engine,

or maybe a cadillac.

You don't really think of
a japanese car as a resto-mod,

but that's what this is.

This is a 2001 lexus is430.

It's been modified
by chip foose.

You know,
the legendary designer.

Rod millen as well
did the mechanical work.

Built as a one of one,

this two-tone beauty
has 340 horsepower

and over 300 pound-feet
of torque.

With its manual transmission,
v8 engine, and lightweight body,

this 430 sema build
is basically a small rocket

that drives, well,
like a luxury vehicle.

And look, it goes pretty good.

[engine revs]

the gentleman
we're gonna go see

has owned a number of lexuses
over the years,

but also has a resto-mod
in the more classic sense.

It's a '63 corvette
split window that's been,

I think it's safe to say,
heavily modified.

Lucky for us, we caught up
with him at neptune's net,

a popular seafood
and motorcycle joint...

-How are ya?
-...In malibu.

Rick springfield
may have made his name

as an iconic '80s
aussie rock icon,

but when he isn't singing,
he's acting,

in roles on hit shows
like californication,

lucifer,
and american horror story.

And if that isn't enough,

this working-class dog
also makes his own unique rum.

Cheers, mate!

-That's a cool lexus.
-Something a little different.

You've had some lexuses, right?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Now lexus has got

some high-performance stuff,
but back in the day,

they were about
quiet, dependable.

And it's still
quiet and dependable,

it's just got


-This is not a lawyer's car.
-Well, I like that.

-Now, that looks beautiful.
-Yeah, I love this car.

[jay]
steve sanderson of pilot point

made this retromod version
from an original body and frame,

honoring the beauty of the '63,

but adding modern touches,
like doubling the horsepower,

air conditioning,

and an onboard
computer console,

and, of course, disc brakes,
'cause hey,

everybody likes to stop
once in a while.

-And this is wider.
-Yeah, gts customs, actually,

makes these quarter panels that
are an inch and a half wider,

so it gives it
a wider stance at the back.

And you can put
a bigger tire on.

-Gotcha.
-It's a great rear end,

-it's got a great a*s.
-Great a*s.

When you're a rock musician,
it's important.

And it's good,
they didn't hurt

-the split window design at all.
-Nope.

[jay]
hey, still a corvette, ls3.

I'd like to drive this,

'cause we're doing a thing
on resto-mods.

See if that's like any lexus
you've ever driven before.

-I bet it's not.
-Come on, let's do it.

[rick]
I'll give it a shot.

[jay]
after a quick car swap,

we hit the only suitable roadway

for resto-mods as slick as
these:

A little trail called
the pacific coast highway.

This thing rides very nicely.

It's got all the look
and the feel of my '63.

Very nice.

[engine revs]

[rick]
whoa! I did a wheelie.

-Yeah!
-How's that thing?

It's got some power,
doesn't it?

[rick]
yeah. This is a badass car.

[jay]
it is, but I'd still
rather have the corvette.

[chuckles]

what brought you out to malibu,
besides the obvious?

It was pretty much the obvious.

I--I had a friend
on the road crew

that was an english guy,
and he lived in malibu,

and he said, "malibu's
the best place on earth, mate."

we've been here for 30 years.

So what was--like,
when you first came here

and you got
american managers,

was there any crazy--
like, to me,

they told me
I should rehang my jaw...

[cackles]

...Because I was
too odd-looking, you know?

[rick]
I was pretty out-there
to begin with,

so I think they were okay
with it.

I was 6-foot-2 and I did wear


and my manag--steve said,

"I thought I was managing
a rock star, not a geek."

that's right.

Now, how 'bout your parents?

What did they think of you
going into the music business?

I mean, did they think
it was just nuts?

[rick]
they put me
into a private school.

I was really depressed,

I didn't wanna go
back to school,

and I'm in my bedroom
and my mom comes in and says,

"pete watson's
in the living room."

that's like saying, you know,

"jay leno's in the living room,
he wants to talk to you."

so I walk in and he says,
"I saw you play,

I want you to join my band."

wow! That's pretty good.

And I went to my parents
and said,

"what should I do?"

and they said,
"what do you wanna do?"

I said, "I wanna play guitar."

-oh, that's great.
-So I sold my books

and my uniform and went
out on the road with pete.

Actually, we went to vietnam.

[jay]
that's when the w*r
was going on.

Absolutely, yeah.

We played for the gis,

and we got rocketed
and mortared and shot at,

and it was pretty insane.

I almost blew the band up
with a hand grenade.

That's pretty wild.

So you were pretty lucky.

You've always been successful
almost from the get-go, right?

Yeah, when I came over here,

I had a hit called
"speak to the sky."

it was the only hit I had
in the '70s.

And then they put me
in all the teen magazines,

and it wasn't the direction
I wanted to go.

But then I got into acting

and fell into
the community of actors,

and they really saved my life.

[jay]
well, it sounds like
following your instincts

-was the way to go.
-My strong suit is persistence.

I'm a stubborn mofo, you know?

That's really been
the thing that I've tried

to instill in my kids, you know?

Never give up, never give up,
never give up.

[jay]
hey, rick,
I wanna thank you very much

for doing this,
we really appreciate it.

You're a great guy,

you got a great car here.

[rick]
well, back at you, for sure.

Meanwhile, let's see if he can
catch me in this thing.

-Let's go!
-Whoo!