A Custom Card Featuring Three Gearheads

Many years ago I was flipping through television channels, and stopped at a particular show on BBC America. It featured three guys talking about cars. And bantering about cars. And arguing about cars.

 

Although I do appreciate a nice car, I've never really been a car guy. So I almost kept flipping through the channels. 

 

But I didn't.

 

I kept watching, because despite the car-heavy content, the guys seemed quite knowledgeable. And one other thing I appreciate is listening to knowledgeable people speak about the thing they're knowledgeable about. 

 

I'm glad I stayed tuned, because this show was more than car talk. Oftentimes the guys would have to take part in a challenge of some sort—buy a 1980s sports car for under £1,500, for example—and then the producers would issue a number of vehicle-related tasks and assignments that would almost inevitably end up in hilarious disaster.

Take, for example, the time they tried to create a convertible minivan: 

 

 

 

  

Or the time when they were each tasked with transforming a standard car into an amphibious one:

 

 

Those three presenters are Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. The show is called Top Gear.

 

It was an outrageous success—so much so that the buffoonery and hilarious moments like the ones you watched above were not limited to the UK. Or even to Europe. Over the years, the presenters found themselves in much farther-flung places. Vietnam. Japan. India. Africa. Bolivia. Patagonia. Even the Arctic! And some of the challenges they took on at those locations—not to mention the scenery and cinematography—resulted in absolutely phenomenal television. Top Gear, as it turned out, was much more than a show about cars.

 

 

It was about travel. And geography. And world history. And pushing oneself to limits unheard of. (And comedy. Definitely comedy.)

 

Recently, my wife and I watched a few episodes. She's also not a "car person", and she wasn't too familiar with the show. But I have to tell you, I don't think any other television program has ever provided either of us with such a combination of intrigue, information, excitement, and pure belly laughs. 

It inspired me enough to create a custom card.

 

There's Richard, Jeremy, and James, portrayed in their young days as "future stars". Instead of a fielding position under their names, you'll find a popular moniker that each of them are known by. As for the racing helmets on the bottom left, those represent a fourth character on the show—a stoic, wordless, emotionless racing driver known as The Stig.

I'm very happy with the way this card turned out. If you're a fan of Top Gear, I hope you're enjoying it as well.

If you've never watched an episode, I highly recommend searching any number of streaming services, where you can often watch episodes for free.

 

Any Top Gear fans out there? Favorite episode? Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading.