Before YouTube car builds and viral swaps took over the internet, there was a wild, chaotic era of car TV — and it shaped everything.

In this episode of prjct.POD, we look back at the shows that defined early 2000s car culture: Pimp My Ride, Top Gear, Horsepower TV, Overhaulin’, Monster Garage, Orange County Choppers, and more.

We talk about the practical (and often totally impractical) builds, how ridiculous some episodes got (lava lamps?!), and how today’s creators — from Hoonigan to Mighty Car Mods to Donut Media — built on that legacy.

Then we shift gears to modern YouTube. Why do low-budget garage builds sometimes outperform high-production channels? What makes a car video “sticky” in 2025? And where does prjct.Garage fit into all of this?

🎧 Whether you’re here for the nostalgia or trying to build a car YouTube channel yourself, this one’s for you.