Dax Shepard is a Detroit native who grew up in the city. Furthermore, the automobile industry was his family’s business. His father worked for Ford as a salesperson. His mother began her career at General Motors as a night shift janitor. She did, however, become a fleet manager at the proving grounds after years of hard labor. She later formed her own company to organize vehicle launches for GM. Dax Shepard, a teen, began assisting with the automobile launch photoshoots. For action shots, he remembers drifting in Corvettes and Impalas.
By the age of fifteen, the family company had prepared Shepard for a job at Sports Fab, a prototype-building specialty shop. Sports Fab created many of the company’s most famous prototypes before GM’s in-house performance division. Shepard recalls riding his moped to the shop to work on the Snake Skinner ZR1 and the big-block Impala SS during the winter. And becoming the stunt driver for prototype photoshoots was one of Shepard’s favorite aspects of his new Sports Fab job.
Dax Shepard’s Passion for Cars
Dax Shepard, the host of Top Gear America, is a car enthusiast. He’s been on Conan boasting about his 700-horsepower Buick Roadmaster station wagon, and he’s previously shown off his garage in MotorTrend. Shepard’s vehicle addiction is about much more than what he has, though.
94 Roadmaster
Shepard informed us, “I’m into all automobiles.” “I’m at a loss for words…” That isn’t the case. I’m not longing to drive a car from before the 1940s, but I like pretty much anything you put gas in. Motorcycles are my passion. I enjoy off-roading and classic automobiles, and I believe I have a diverse taste in classic cars. I enjoy it when someone takes an automobile that no one else thinks is cool and turns it into something cool.”
Mercedes-AMG E63
Adventure, fun, and a great deal of pandemonium! Join us on the trip and watch the two-part debut of Top Gear America.
Nothing is sacred, according to Shepard’s automobile ethic. In terms of performance, look, and comfort, anything may be enhanced. He has no qualms about knocking down a classic to make something cool, as his restomod ’67 Lincoln Continental sedan proves.
67 Lincoln Continental
Shepard remarked, “I don’t revere numbers-matching, original paint, or any of nonsense.” “I have a number of beloved 1980s movies, but I don’t watch them on a Zenith 17-inch TV.” On a 78-inch TV, I watch them. Despite the fact that they are still my favorites, I want them to be the best they can be. As a result, I’d like cars to stop, accelerate, and turn. I’m not a purist in the least. “I’d probably wreck any car.”
The Continental, which appeared in his 2012 film Hit and Run, is without a doubt the most well-known example. Its ancient MEL 462-cubic-inch V-8 has been replaced by a 700-hp fuel-injected Ford Racing crate motor, which left plenty of rubber in our parking lot as he drove away. The construction is completed by big wheels, coil-over suspension, and Wilwood brakes.
1967 Lincoln Continental
Even though he and his mother both worked for General Motors at one point or another, his life in Michigan didn’t begin with 700-hp vehicles. Shepard’s first car was a 1976 Pontiac Catalina that he purchased for $400 because it was inexpensive and had a big-block engine. It was quickly replaced by an ’84 Mustang.
“When I was in high school, I had a ’84 Mustang GT that I stripped down, rebuilt, and did everything on because I was broke. I performed everything on every automobile I owned until approximately 15 years ago when I began to make money, but it was getting less and less.
84 Mustang GT
Cars only lasted a few weeks back then. My ’84 Mustang, which I purchased in 1992. So, at seven years old, you’re already a jerk. The weld on the passenger seat had failed, and it was all over the place. Its heater core, which was six years old, failed. Everything was in order. “The f—king shocks were shot,” says the narrator.
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Of fact, it was on the sand dunes that Shepard had his worst accident.
He described himself as “not a huge crasher.” “I’ve gone off the track a few times, but not in a huge fashion that did any damage.” I honestly haven’t done so. Once upon a time, I cartwheeled a Razor. That’s probably all there is to it. In the sand dunes, I went end-to-end in a Razor. We had to drag it back with a sand vehicle in reverse after ripping off all of the control arms upfronts. The Razor had to be turned around. Nothing was linked to the front end any longer. But I believe that’s the only wreck I’ve ever had.”
He’s also crashed on a motorcycle, resulting in shoulder surgery, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding.
“When I first met Jethro, one of the first questions he asked me was, ‘Why do you ride bikes?‘” he explained. “And I’m like, ‘It’s really simple: sub-400 pounds and 200 horsepower.’ What are your plans for obtaining that power-to-weight ratio?’
“Also, similar to off-road, what I like about bikes is that you can’t wreck one.” For the past ten years, I’ve owned a [Suzuki] GSX-R drag track bike. My current track bike is an [Yamaha] R1. I’ve never replaced the pads before. Every 3,000 miles, I change the oil.
You can just drive and ride them at 13,000 rpm eternally, and they’ll be OK. You’re continuously adding shit on, just like a race car. Tires, brakes, and all of that, but a motorcycle, dude, there’s no better bang for your dollars. You also can’t spend $25,000 on a motorcycle, right? I’m a big fan of Ducatis. It’s the equivalent of a Ferrari for $20,000. It’s insane.”