Plot Synopsis

SHIFTING GEARS WITH AARON KAUFMAN is a one-hour reality series that follows Aaron Kaufman and his team at Arclight Fabrication, in Dallas, Texas, as they work tirelessly to push the limits of custom car builds -- even risking the vehicles' destruction in the process. Taking on concepts and builds he's always dreamed of, Aaron extends his skills in spaces he's never worked in before and with different types of vehicles. His goal for every build this season is to test each vehicle in some of the harshest conditions known to the auto world. Aaron will be learning along the way, breaking out of his comfort zone and talking to some of the top experts in the country, all while pushing the boundaries of vehicle performance while redefining the custom car building space and focusing on vehicle builds driven by passion.

After departing Gas Monkey Garage in 2016, Aaron Kaufman set out on a new venture to open his own shop, Arclight Fabrication, in Dallas, Texas, and providing aftermarket parts for the F100 market. He then assembled a dream team of hand-selected builders -- Josh Freeman, Jonathan Rodriquez, Jason Bowman, Jeremy Webster and Jonathan Mansour -- who each bring a specific skill set to the shop.

For their first major build, Aaron proposes an Ultra4 truck -- his plan being to take an International Scout, known for its unique style, and transform it into one of the toughest Ultra4 trucks ever conceived. He has very specific goals for the build and wants it to be able to perform on asphalt as well as off-road terrains - ultimately competing in "King of the Hammers," the toughest one-day off-road race in the world, which combines rock crawling with high-speed desert racing. He's going to create a street legal beast that he can drive through some of the world's most treacherous locations -- even if that means it comes back to the shop in a million pieces.
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Season 2 of SHIFTING GEARS WITH AARON KAUFMAN premiered on Monday, September 24, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery. Last season, Aaron and his team expanded their design capabilities and took on incredibly tough builds, including the International Scout and Semi-Race Truck. Now, they're back to take on more passion projects and create new vehicles, setting the bar even higher for the Arclight Fabrication crew - Jonathan Rodriguez, Jason Bowman, Jeremy Webster, Jonathan Mansour and Jason Willis - as they continue to test their technical limits and push the boundaries of vehicle performance. Breaking further out of his comfort zone, Aaron sets the ambitious goal of building a rally car to race at the "Olympus Rally Race" in Washington State, but not before he and the guys test out their own rally racing skills at one of the best schools in the country, Rally Ready. In addition to building a rally racing machine, Aaron also wants to race it and finish on the podium, adding another element to the adventure. While the team heads back to the shop and gets to work transforming a Subaru Impreza, Aaron stays at Rally Ready to take lessons behind the wheel. Later in the season, Aaron celebrates the early hot rod era when he takes his talents to "The Race of Gentleman." Through it all, he produces inventive automobiles that push the boundaries of custom cars - and he's never afraid to drive them into the ground!

In the season opener, "Rally Time," in a flip from racing semi trucks, Aaron decides to take a stab at building and racing a rally car. Aaron and his builders try to navigate this fast-paced world they know nothing about -- where winning is rare for novices and losing can be fatal.