I recently caught up with Senoia's Rutledge Wood, who has thrived on History Channel's 'Top Gear," now in its fourth season.
He said Atlanta's very own Snow-mageddon earlier this year inspired "Top Gear" to create a school bus that c0uld handle a Winnipeg snow storm.
"We put a big lift kit on a school bus and made it four-wheel drive," Wood said. "44-inch mud bogger tires and a snow plow! It was really awesome. We went to Caribou, Maine and worked it through six feet of snow."
Other subjects: the perfect race car to take to work. A 1980s sports car throwback theme. He drag raced a car in Gainsville Fla. that ended up at a crazy 60-degree angle. He's created a car for a zombie apocalypse by combining a Toyota Camry on a Ford F-150 frame.
The U.S. edition of "Top Gear" has taped 62 episodes so far and Wood said there's no end in sight.
Why does History keep giving him and his two buddies carte blanche to act like adolescents? "We have a really young audience" compared to most History shows, he noted, the type advertisers covet.
"I couldn't believe how many families watch it together," Wood said. "I can't believe how many six, seven, eight year olds watch us. And a ton of woman, too!"
Wood said he knows he is not the eye candy. His colleagues Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust qualify. "You'd think the dude with man boobs and bad vision would draw the ladies," he joked.
And he knows the chemistry among the trio makes the show. "We genuinely love each other," he said. "We all want to see each other do well. We still want to beat the other two." Or irritate each other like brothers.
One time, Wood held a pair of mannequin hands and kept touching Ferrarra with said hands. Ferrara eventually got fed up, grabbed the hands and shoved them out of the vehicle, then sat down quietly. "We were all quiet for a moment," Wood said. "Then we just looked at each other and started laughing."
One idea in homage to Peachtree City that has yet to be done: create the world's fastest golf cart. "I'm still pushing for the crazy golf cart challenge," he said.
Wood just recently had his third child. "I think I've always been the dad of the show," he said. "I'm the one that's always concerned about the other two. They like to laugh when I get scared." (Tanner has a daughter. Adam has a dog.)
He said it's been years since he's even had a speeding ticket. Foust? He's been pulled over twice while they were all together. And he's the crazy driver, one time going so quickly, Ferrara threw up out of the back of this minivan, Wood said. "Tanner's the best wand worst driver among us," Wood said.
Not surprisingly, Wood is a car collector. He has 11 right now. "Way too many," he admitted. "I'm the redneck. I'm the broke Jay Leno! My stuff is not as nice as his. I have this 83 Honda Civic wagon for some reason. I have a lot of silly cars."
On TV
"Top Gear," 9 p.m. Tuesdays, History
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