AGAINST ALL ODDS

We’re somewhere east of Flagstaff, Arizona, in the Coconino National Forest. A bustling film crew crunches back and forth over shifty piles of ancient lava rock. There’s no one around for miles; cellphone service is nonexistent. One car has stubbornly conked out halfway up a steep hill. We’re losing light, and fast.

In any other situation, this would be a recipe for disaster. But on Top Gear America, this unexpected turn of events is par for the course. And as a producer on the show, I’m seeing it all occur in real time.

For the past 28 seasons and counting, the U.K. version of Top Gear has been the gold standard of high-quality automotive content. Originally a straightforward review series, it underwent a dramatic transformation in 2002. Although the show was as informative as ever, it was also now wildly entertaining to boot, topped off by epic filmmaking.

But ’s real draw was the iconic trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond as the hosts. They were