Mighty Car Mods

Mighty Car Mods (formerly Mighty Mods) is a YouTube channel that focuses on DIY car modifications and car-enthusiast culture. The web-based channel was created by hosts Blair Joscelyne (known as Moog) and Martin "Marty" Mulholland. Debuting on January 9, 2008 the show runs in mini-seasons where Marty and Moog buy a car, modify that car, and then test the results. Sometimes they will each buy a car and modify them separately so they can then battle them against each other once the modifications have been completed.

Mighty Car Mods
Blair Joscelyne (left) and Martin Mulholland (right) photographed in 2010
Genre	Documentary, comedy, mini-series, cars
Created by	Blair Joscelyne Martin Mulholland
Theme music composer	Blair Joscelyne
Opening theme	Gavin Tyrell
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	12
No. of episodes	480
Production
Production location	Sydney
Running time	20-40 mins
Distributor	YouTube
Release
First shown in	January 8, 2008
Original release	December 14, 2007
External links
Mighty Car Mods YouTube Channel
Mighty Car Mods Official Website

While typically based in Sydney, Australia, Marty and Moog have travelled extensively and filmed their journeys to create mini-movies from locations such as Japan, Cuba, Germany, the UAE, America, Switzerland, the UK, New Zealand, and more. They also host a news-style show, called The Unicorn Circuit, on their second YouTube channel (MCMtv2) which keeps fans up to date with MCM and wider automotive news, as well as fan-based submissions.

All music used in the show and in associated feature films is composed and produced by Moog, with editing and uploading handled by both he and Marty. The mix of technical content with irreverent, sometimes quite random, humour and high production quality has found a fanbase among a wide demographic of people, leading to Mighty Car Mods videos to have been viewed more than 680 million times, making MCM one of the most successful shows of its type on YouTube.

History

Moog and Marty are long time friends, having met within the music industry. Blair chooses to use his stage name "MOOG" in the show and he is responsible for composing, performing and produces the music content for the series, playing several instruments himself. Marty is an accomplished musician and sometimes performs some music used in the series as well.

Moog is a composer and music producer, whose music can be heard in commercials, which include Telstra, Arnotts, Optus, Amex, Ford, BMW, Coles Supermarkets, Loveable Lingerie, IBM, L’Oreal, Heinz, OPSM, Subaru, Origin, Lexus, Jetstar, Touchstone Pictures, Visa Inc, Mazda, Cascade Brewery, Discovery Channel, Renault, Wrigley Company and Village Cinemas.[1] He has released a number of solo albums and he has been involved with a variety of different bands, musical projects and sound making activities.[2]

Marty works in the music/audio production industry and he is a sound engineer by trade.

Mighty Car Mods debuted in January 2008 with a video of working on Moog's 2001 Daihatsu Cuore with typical entry-level modifications of the period. The show was originally going to be called 'Clean & Green Car' and was to be about economical cars with a focus on small Japanese cars and sustainability.

Format

Each episode commences with a semi-animated introduction created by Gavin Tyrell, followed by Marty and Moog talking briefly about what the episode will entail, sometimes with a showcase of the previous episode's highlights. Episodes vary in duration, from 15 to 60 minutes, but most will typically run about 20 minutes.

The general format for episodes involves buying a car and modifying it in a particular style or for a particular purpose. Sometimes Marty and Moog will buy a car independent of each other and modify them to then battle head-to-head in a series of specific challenges, as with their recent $10,000 rear-engined challenge. Some cars feature in only a handful of episodes due to the simple nature of the modifications involved, while others have run for months due to the complexity and scale of the modifications being undertaken.

Typically, cars featured in builds will be given a name—often a pun such as Yaris Hilton or Taylor Drift—to build an identity with viewers. The show was originally filmed on Marty's mother's driveway and garage, but was moved to a private indoor location in Sydney in 2015, following issues with people posting spoilers or causing traffic issues in the suburban street.

The MCM duo have released several feature-length films documenting automotive-focused travel, such as Turbos and Temples, Kei to the City, Chasing Midnight, and Turbos and Temples II, have drawn critical acclaim and positive accolades from around the world. They have also produced automotive mini-series including Lend us a Ride, and The Cars of Cuba, which have been filmed in parallel with their regular series, and several of their films and seasons have played on Discovery Channel, and on in-flight entertainment on Qantas airlines.

The terms "mad" and "chopped" coined by Marty and Moog, are often attributed to the show in Australian pop culture.

Cast

Originally debuting as a "phenom" with a soldering iron, Marty typically shows more technical expertise and hands-on mechanical skill in videos, while Moog will often handle creative tasks involving design or aesthetics. As both Marty and Moog are amateur mechanics with no formal qualifications in automotive repair or engineering the two will enlist the help of qualified experts for more complex tasks.

Special guests include Miles "Dose Vader" Stinton, Scott "Tuning Fork" Hilzinger, Benny "Mechanical Stig" Neal, and Alan "Turbo Yoda" Butler. Typically these guests are known by their nicknames and have built a following of their own since appearing on the show. Both Turbo Yoda (with his offsider Woody) and Mechanical Stig have both created their own YouTube series. Turbo Yoda now hosts The Skid Factory[3] while Mechanical Stig operates Benny's Custom Works and its matching YouTube channel.

Reception

Part of Mighty Car Mods' success stems from the hosts' relatability as everyman car enthusiast as well as their humorous and laconic nature, and their desire to tackle complex tasks and learn new skills along the way. Their first feature-length film titled Turbos and Temples was well received by critics and motoring fans when it premiered at Hoyts Cinema, Fox Studios, in Sydney, Australia. The film continues to attract many viewers on YouTube, achieving over 2.5 million views. Their second feature-length film Kei to the City has attracted an enthusiastic reception with more than 4.3 million views on YouTube.

In 2018, to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Mighty Car Mods released a limited-edition hardcover 128-page book titled The Cars of Mighty Car Mods, featuring illustrations of all the cars they worked on in their first 10 years. This was updated for 2019 with a further 30 cars added and The Cars of Mighty Car Mods: Modified Edition sold out in only one week.

References

1. "BLAIR JOSCELYNE : ABOUT". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
2. "Blair Joscelyne Biography". Retrieved 25 January 2013.
3. Kelly, Iain (31 May 2018). "The ultimate guide to wiring a car, by Turbo Yoda". CarsGuide.