Driven Unveils First Originals: Nelson, Hartford, Foust Lead Slate

Driven, the ad-supported, subscription-free streaming platform for car enthusiasts, has announced its first original programming slate: four series headlined by engine builder Tom Nelson, co-founder Emelia Hartford, "Top Gear USA" host Tanner Foust and NHRA champion Antron Brown, premiering in early 2027.

The announcement comes ahead of Driven's upfront presentation to advertisers on Nov. 3 at SEMA in Las Vegas. The platform's beta program has drawn more than 15,000 users over the last few months, according to the company, and has "helped shape the platform's technology, features and community experience, with members continuing to influence its development."

First announced last December, Driven was founded by car enthusiasts including longtime producer Michael George, Foust and "Gran Turismo" actor Hartford. Beyond the four announced titles, the company says its lineup will "anchor a library of content from established and emerging creators, and complement conversations in dedicated communities where enthusiasts can connect, discuss their interests, share projects, and exchange knowledge."

The platform is available now on iOS, Android, web, Apple TV, Google TV and Amazon Fire TV, with additional connected-TV platforms planned.

What does Driven promise that cable car shows don't?

CEO Michael George positions the slate against the conventions of manufactured reality television. "We built Driven to bring premium storytelling and authentic car culture together," he said. "Enthusiasts want to go deeper into the people, the craft and what's really at stake. These four originals deliver that – without fabricated timelines, fake ticking clocks, or manufactured drama. The ambition, setbacks, and breakthroughs are real."

The claim of unscripted authenticity is, of course, a marketing promise; the proof arrives only with the 2027 premieres.

The four originals

• "Art of Speed" — Six one-hour episodes starring Tom Nelson, created and directed by Michael George and produced by Emelia Hartford. Shot over five years inside Nelson Racing Engines in Chatsworth, each episode tracks one build from bare block to first ignition, including Maximus, the twin-turbo Charger built for "Furious 7," and F-Bomb, David Freiburger's 1,500-horsepower Camaro. It ends in Iceland.

• "Pikes Peak" — Three one-hour episodes starring Foust, Ant Anstead and Jenson Button, following Radford Motors' hundred-day build of a million-dollar customer car that Anstead decided to race up Pikes Peak before delivery. Directed by Tom Lofthouse and Dan Hack. The result, per Driven: Radford's first race ever, and a win.

• "Queen of the Mountain" — A single 90-minute documentary starring Hartford. After Pikes Peak sent her home before the summit a year ago, she returned with a new Corvette ZR1 putting 1,064 horsepower to the rear wheels and a cage she welded herself. Despite carbon wheels banned mid-week and a failed tech inspection, she set a time of ten minutes, eleven seconds — the fastest woman ever up the mountain, in the fastest rear-wheel-drive production car Pikes Peak has seen, on her first run to the summit in the race's 104th year.

"Go or Go Home" — Three 30-minute episodes directed by Ben Carter, spending an NHRA season with Antron Brown, four-time champion Steve Torrence and the family-run teams fighting billionaire budgets. Shot at Bristol, Sonoma, Charlotte and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.

All descriptions come from Driven itself; no independent verification of the films' claims accompanied the announcement.

Future series, the company says, will feature talent including Ben Collins ("Top Gear"), Anstead ("Wheeler Dealers") and Formula 1 World Champion Button. Whether a subscription-free model can fund premium documentary production at scale is the question the Nov. 3 upfront — and the advertisers in the room — will begin to answer.