The James People program “People's Cars” is a series of special episodes of the BBC television company that have become part of the popular British television show about Top Gear cars. The main topic of the TV show tells how cars from an elite symbol of luxury made their way to an integral subject of everyday life of the middle class. This is the history, testing and review of the most common for their time, autocars of various countries. On August 10, 2014, the first season of People’s Cars with James May appeared on British television, it consisted of three episodes and filled the gap between the 21st and 22nd parts of Top Gear. Later episodes were released on DVD as a separate cycle.
Program specifics
Each series was shot in the same style as Top Gear, with the same type of jokes and humor, which are often associated with the events of the "parent" television show. Also in the "People's Cars" with James May involved many characters from the main transmission. The first season reveals topics: German cars of dictatorial regimes, microcars, cars that many dream of, as elite brands became prototypes of budget cars.
May tests and evaluates each exhibit for speed, comfort, durability and a number of other consumer properties. He arranges funny test drives and various competitions. In each episode of the series, James May with "folk" cars mentions a middle-class dream - prestigious brands, some of which became quite public or served as prototypes of common budget cars.
First episode
James explores the reasons for the emergence and unprecedented growth in popularity of the first generation of compact and inexpensive Volkswagen Beetle in Germany in the 1940s. This brand was gradually modernized over decades and was very common among many German families. The host of the program reviews the history of how the government of post-war East Germany contributed to the emergence of small-car brands Trabant and Wartburg. May also shows how the Fiat 124 inspired one of the best-selling cars in the world.
Second episode
May examines the history of microcars, which in recent years are once again in high demand. He runs a bulletproof test on two French compact cars Citroen 2CV and Renault 4. James explores the world of food delivery vehicles. "People's cars" with James May arranged a race between the Japanese Honda Super Cub scooter, the Japanese Daihatsu Copen roadster and the second-generation Ford Transit grocery van, which May personally drove. All this was conceived for only one purpose, to establish which transport is capable of delivering noodles faster.
Third episode
The People’s Car group with James May finds out how the luxury Silver Shadow model, released by British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, has evolved from an elite car to a consumer car. In the last episode, May tries to find out if Ford or Vauxhall are ideal cars for a businessman. Then, at Oxford, James takes in circulation two of his very favorite cars since childhood - the Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 911 Turbo. In the end, he announces his choice of the ideal "people's" machine.
Second season
On January 24, 2016, the first of three episodes of the continuation of People's Cars was released for viewers of the United Kingdom. In season two, May explores the post-war boom of the British and American automobile industries. James explores the story of the Land Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser; he challenges Ford and Toyota manufacturing technology to race through the Mojave Desert, watches the birth of the Audi Quattro, and how it evolved from a rally champion to a legend. The unchanging host finds out how steam power influenced the birth of a gasoline engine, introduces a landing vehicle and shows many more interesting stories about “popular” cars and more.