The History Channel Presents: The Most Powerful Cars in Automotive History

The History Channel Presents: The Most Powerful Cars in Automotive History

AUTOMANIAC Hosted by Bill Goldberg

Series premiere Wednesday, June 1st @ 10 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Buckle your seat belts-it's going to be a wild ride. Hosted by pro wrestling and feature film star Bill Goldberg, AUTOMANIAC puts you in the driver's seat of the coolest, hottest, fastest and most unusual vehicles ever to hit the road. Each episode of AUTOMANIAC focuses on an unusual theme, such as vehicles driven by gangsters, police departments, hot rodders or the super rich. Incorporating a mix of history, technology, the culture and hands-on participation from Goldberg himself, AUTOMANIAC takes viewers into the garage, under the hood and out on the road to show how these amazing cars work and what makes them the hottest wheels of any era. The History Channel(R) one-hour weekly series AUTOMANIAC premiere airs Wednesday, June 1st @ 10 p.m. ET/PT.

AUTOMANIAC host Bill Goldberg was named one of the 100 most powerful people in the sports industry by The Sporting News. Goldberg has had a longtime passion for cars and motorcycles and has a collection of over two dozen vintage cars, from an all-original 1959 Chevrolet to a 2003 Ferrari Modina 360. Goldberg's starring roles range from the upcoming films The Longest Yard and Santa's Slay to his roles in Warner Brothers Pictures' Looney Tunes: Back In Action, Ready to Rumble and Universal Soldier II.

Episodes include:

GANGSTER CARS (June 1st at 10 p.m.): Smooth, sleek and glamorous, these cars helped make outlaws like John Dillinger, John Gotti and Al Capone look like gentlemen. Their cars could go from zero to 60 faster than most police cars. Some were bulletproof; others weren't. This episode looks at such cars as Al Capone's 1929 V-16 Cadillac, Bonnie & Clyde's 1934 Ford Deluxe Four-Door Sedan, John Dillinger's Hudson Terraplane 8, and armored versions of the S- Class Mercedes, one of the protective cars of today's mobsters.

MOONSHINE CARS (June 8th at 10 p.m.): Today's NASCAR circuit has its roots dating back to Prohibition. During that era, a variety of vehicles had roles in transporting illegal bootleg liquor. Searching for any advantage over the Feds who sought to close them down, they modified Detroit's best cars into hot wheels that they raced against each other on Sunday afternoons-and then raced for their lives and livelihood.

SUPER CARS (June 15th at 10 p.m.): Superfast, supercharged and superbeautiful, these are the ultimate sports cars. The ideal marriage of art, engineering and passion, these cars are sleek, powerful expressions of affluence and freedom. Ride along in cars such as the Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari F-40, the Saleen S7, and the McLaren F1 Road Car, the fastest passenger car in the world.

MUSCLE CARS (June 22nd at 9 p.m.): They're some of the baddest cars ever built. High performance, fast cars from the 60s and 70s, powered with large V8 engines. We'll trace their history from the Pontiac GTO -- the first true muscle car -- to the Yenko Camaro to the Shelby Cobra. We'll also burn rubber in Goldberg's own Mustang Lawman, a one of a kind muscle car that went to war to entertain troops overseas.

DEATH CARS (June 29th at 10 p.m.): As long as there have been cars, there have been accidents and death. This episode looks at the circumstances behind the automobile-related deaths of 1950s icon James Dean, cowboy star Tom Mix, sexy screen siren Jayne Mansfield, and standup comedian, Sam Kinison.

LOWRIDERS (July 6th at 9 p.m.): They spray brilliant sparks when scraping over asphalt. They dance down dark alleys like a salsa performer. They hop higher than a kangaroo. These cars are a unique combination of art and sophisticated technology welded together to create the ultimate automobile phenomenon. From their Mexican origins to today's car shows throughout the world, they have become some of the coolest cars to cruise the boulevards of America's roads.

COP CARS (July 13th at 10 p.m.): These four-wheeled predators prowl the urban and rural roadways of America, hunting down speed demons, armed robbers and cold-blooded killers. From the primitive paddy wagons to today's state of the art sedans and the 2004 Crown Victoria, go on the chase in some of the most popular and powerful police cars ever made. Go under the hood to see how these vehicles are modified to be the highest performing cars on the road.

CUSTOM PICK UPS (July 20th at 10 p.m.): The pickup truck is a uniquely American concept. Built tough, rugged and reliable, they were originally designed by Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet to be workhorses, but since their inception, their owners have dedicated themselves to testing the pick up truck's limits, to expand its functions, increase its power and improve its look. Meet die-hard enthusiasts who restore, trick out and customize any classic model they can get their hands on. This includes George Barris' 1929 Model A Roadster, the A La Kart, Spencer Murray's 1950/54 Chevy Dreamtruck, Bill "Maverick" Golden's Dodge A100 "The Little Red Wagon," and Gale Banks Dodge Dakota "Sidewinder," a diesel powered pickup clocked at more than 200 mph.

EXTREME BIKES (July 27th at 10 p.m.): Not all bikes are created equal. These sleek, fast and innovate bikes were made for the rich or for speed-crazy racers. Hop on for a ride on the ultimate bikes in terms of technology, design and performance including the Indian 8-Valve Board Track Racer, the 2005 Ducati 999R, the BMW R32, the Vincent series C "Black Shadow" and the Easy Rider "Captain America" chopper.

RIDICULOUSLY LARGE ENGINES (August 3rd at 10 p.m.): Meet the innovative hot rodders who practice their craft on an unimaginable scale. This episode will showcase extraordinary mechanical engineers who have managed to cram the largest powerplants into the most amazing vehicles -- Bryan Thatcher and his massively overpowered Nash Metropolitan; the tank-engine powered roadsters of the Blastolene Brothers; Shannon Seydel and his Jet Firetruck; and some Boss Hoss motorbike sporting engines that belong in cars.

HOT RODS (August 10th at 10 p.m.): Hot Rods. They're an American pop-culture icon, revered throughout the world. Stripped down and hopped up, they started as a Southern California craze nearly a century ago, and are now found racing on streets, drag strips and dry lakes everywhere. We'll explore the colorful history of these speed demons. From the "souped up" Model T's of the 20's to the Belly Tank Lakesters of the 40s and 50s, to today's Rat Rods and fiberglass reproductions. We'll even take a ride in "Milner's Coupe", the hot rod made famous in the 1973 film, "American Graffiti."

BIKES FROM HELL (August 10th at 11 p.m.): Strap on your leatherjacket for a badass ride on the motorcycles preferred by hardcore bikers. Motorcycles include the 1948 Indian Chief (the bike of choice of the Jack Pine Gypsies), "bobbed" 1941 Crocker (the bike of the Boozefighters), the chopped Harley (of the 1960s Hell's Angels), the 2003 Honda CBR 954RR (of today's Sport Bike Freaks) and the Suzuki TL 1000S (of today's Team-X Factor), which can go a jolting zero to 100 in four to five seconds.

CARS OF WORLD WAR II (August 17th at 10 p.m.): They're the cars driven by the leaders during World War II. Dwight Eisenhower's 1942 Cadillac, FDR's 1939 Ford, Hirohito's 1930 Rolls Royce, and the 1931 Mercedes 770K and 1938 Maybach driven by members of the German High Command. These automobiles share a unique history from one of the darkest times in human history.

AUTOMANIAC is produced by Greystone Entertainment. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind.

Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, The History Channel earned five News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at http://www.historychannel.com/. Press Only: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannelpress.com/.

Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Jenna Farkas, +1-212-210-9184, or Jenna.Farkas@aetn.com

Web site: http://www.historychannel.com/ http://www.historychannelpress.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannelpress.com.

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