Joe Ferrer and his crew from BS&F Auto Parts on Bronx River Avenue get a turn in the spotlight as Speed Channel has scheduled Hard Parts: South Bronx, a new 13-episode reality series, for launch in May 2012.
Specializing in hard-to-find auto parts, BS&F is a family business, opened in 1980 by Ferrer and his father, who ran a shop in Manhattan for 40 years.
"What people will find is this is not a program about auto parts," executive producer Mark Hickman of New York-based NorthSouth Productions said in a Speed release. "Auto parts and cars relate to everyone's life, and the parts are really a way for us to get into ‘Why is this car important to me?' and the stories behind that.
"We had a private detective come in driving a minivan," Hickman added. "He uses the minivan for stakeouts and then picks up his kids at school. It's not the image you think of ... we're praying the elephant truck breaks down."
"This area of the South Bronx is a world unto itself; a subculture that most people -- including many in the surrounding boroughs of New York City -- know very little about," Robert Ecker, VP of programming and executive producer for Speed, said in the release about the primetime docu-series. "Yet the daily challenges that Joe faces in running his business are universal; he's truly an ‘Everyman.' Maintaining a family business in a difficult economic environment is something that many Americans can relate to, now more than ever."
Later in the summer (tentatively July), Speed will roll out another new series, Whipped. Partnering with Scott Larsen, executive producer and co-creator of the hit series Wipeout, and his production company, Hey Larsen Inc., Speed has slated 13 episodes of Whipped, a one-hour competition game show where contestants get the chance to show off their driving skills, personalities and courage on extreme obstacle courses. The catch: contestants risk damaging their own rides for the chance to trick out their "whip."
Speed also is bringing back new seasons of Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, Car Warriors, My Ride Rules and Pass Time.
Car Warriors, which gets a special preview airing on Feb. 24 after live coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Daytona before settling into its weekly time slot Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, gets a format overhaul, with auto aficionado Jimmy Shine taking over the host role as each week a pair of auto shops square off in a 48-hour build, with each team getting the services of one of the Car Warriors "lead technicians."
"As we move forward in 2012 and beyond, our original programming efforts extend in many different directions," Ecker said in the release. "There are several exciting projects already in the pipeline and others in various stages of active development. We are very excited about the new projects we're working on that will begin rolling out on the network within the coming year."
Subject to change:
Dumbest Stuff on Wheels (season 2) premieres Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. ET; 13 episodes.
My Ride Rules (season 2) premieres Feb. 28 at 10 p.m. ET; 13 episodes.
Pass Time (season 9) premieres Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET; 12 episodes.
