BBC Studios Digital Brands has partnered with car care brand Turtle Wax to launch a new Top Gear partner-funded original YouTube series called Speed Cleans.
Hosted by Top Gear America’s Tom Ford, the series follows his journey across the US to uncover the filthiest cars in the country – and the subcultures that spawned them.
Produced by Top Gear’s production team, BBC Studios describes Speed Cleans as “a fun, accessible entertainment format with broad appeal” which still delivers “the automotive credibility die-hard automative fans expect”.
The partnership is devised by BBC Studios Digital Brands, which manages the auto brand’s online presence, in partnership with Turtle Wax. BBCS said the series is “a bold example of how BBC Studios Digital Brands is evolving into a new kind of creative partner, one that blends the storytelling power of a studio with the agility and commercial strategy of an agency. Through this hybrid model, BBC Studios is helping brands like Turtle Wax connect with audiences in fresh, culturally relevant ways.”
Devina Seth, director brand partnerships at BBC Studios commented: “Top Gear and Turtle Wax share a passion for cars, storytelling and transformation. Speed Cleans is a celebration of automotive culture in all its messy glory, and Turtle Wax was the perfect partner to help us bring that vision to life.”
Daren Herbert, chief marketing officer at Turtle Wax, added: “What people drive is more than a machine – it’s a direct reflection of the person behind the wheel. Teaming up with Top Gear for this series allows us to lean into that in a really cool way. From lowriders to electric Rolls-Royces and beyond –– this series leans into this concept of ‘car personalities.’ And Turtle Wax? We want to be the go-to car care brand that allows people to bring the best out of their car – whatever they drive.”
Each episode of the 5-part series dives into the myths, madness and mechanical glory behind some of America’s most extreme, expensive and rare vehicles, while elite speed cleaners tackle the dirt in four hours or less, using whatever products they have at their disposal. Highlights include drifting a $500,000 electric Rolls-Royce Spectre across a salt lake until it’s coated in sand, dust and silica. The series also sees the team clean a Ford F-150 Raptor R after a punishing off-road race from Reno to Vegas.
BBCS said the series is shot in full cinematic style, “with the cleaning process captured using high-end timelapse and super slow-motion rigs to create deeply satisfying, ASMR-inspired transformation sequences. The result: eye-popping before-and-after reveals designed for maximum shareability.”
