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Debuting May 20, 2025, Amazon Prime’s newest coming-of-age drama, Motorheads (2025-)1, follows the lives of highschoolers living in Ironwood, Pennsylvania, who befriend one another due to their love of automobiles.
One character in particular, Caitlyn Torres (played by Melissa Collazo), stands out from the bunch throughout the entire show. Caitlyn’s status as a female lead in a show that is made up of a majority of male characters in a male-dominated field makes her stronger and unique compared to any other female characters on television.
Through her love, knowledge, and passion for automobiles and mechanics, Motorhead’s main female lead Caitlyn Torres breaks and fights against gender stereotypes society has placed on women and shows what it means to be a part of the automobile industry as a woman.
‘Start Your Engines’ — A Quick Motorheads (2025-) Overview
Before getting into who Caitlyn Torres a little bit more and for those who may or may not know about the show, let’s quickly get into what Motorheads is really about, learn more about some of the main characters, and what the show stands for.
Motorheads, created by John A. Norris, takes place in the old town of Ironwood, Pennsylvania. Twins Caitlyn and Zac Torres, (played by Melissa Collazo and Michael Ciminio) who are originally from Brooklyn, New York move back to Ironwood with their mother Samantha (played by Nathalie Kelley) to live with their uncle Logan Maddox, a former NASCAR mechanic (played by Ryan Phillippe).
The twins’ father is Christian Maddox, a very well-known street racer and getaway driver for a bank heist of over $12 million. Caitlyn and Zac don’t know much about their father as their mother had just found out she was pregnant with them when the heist took place. Since that moment, Christian disappeared without a trace leaving his family in the dark about his whereabouts.
When the twins arrive in Ironwood, they try to make their connection to Christian Maddox a secret, but that soon goes out the window when the twins meet Harris Bowers (played by Josh Macqueen), the leader of the rich kids crew of Ironwood. Zac and Harris begin to be at odds with one another once Zac befriends Harris’ girlfriend, Alicia Whitaker (played by Mia Heely), and challenges him to a street race.
The twins befriend Marcel Crawford (played by Nicolas Cantu), Logan’s neighbor, who is an outcast and aspiring graphic designer, and Curtis Young (played by Uriah Shelton), a motorcyclist and another outcast. They begin to work together to get the twins’ father’s old yellow Dodge Charger to race against Harris.
Throughout the ten-episode series, the audience is taken back in time to really figure out who was also involved with Christian Maddox during the heist and what is still going on in the present day. Ironwood is an old town that is beginning to suffer from economic damage due to the influx of robberies taking place. But despite the troubles the city may face, one character in particular doesn’t let that get in the way of doing what she loves: Caitlyn Torres.
Meet Caitlyn Torres — Daughter, Driver, Disruptor
As previously established, Caitlyn and her twin brother Zac are the children of Samantha Torres and Christian Maddox. When she and her brother moved to Ironwood and discovered that her uncle had their father’s car in his garage, Caitlyn knew that the number one thing she had to do was to get it to work.
While Caitlyn prefers to be more hands-on when it comes to anything relating to automobiles and mechanics, her brother Zac, feeling pressured to live up to their father’s reputation and prefers to race. This is also where we begin to see the great twin bond between the two as they work together to get their father’s car to work again.
On top of Caitlyn being very efficient and passionate when it comes to automobiles, her character’s personality can also be described as being direct yet sympathetic, which also makes her be seen as the “superior twin.2” Her character knows right from wrong and only wants the best for not only herself but for those close around her. These traits about Caitlyn also sets her apart from any character on this show and even other television shows’ main female leads.
Caitlyn’s personality also sets her apart from the other female characters throughout the show and makes her stand out more. Although her personality is portrayed as being quite strong, Caitlyn goes through a lot of emotional rollercoasters throughout the show. One of her biggest priorities alongside getting her father’s car to work again, is to learn more about who her father was and unravel his disappearance.
Caitlyn also gets involved with the character Curtis throughout the show. The two share a kiss at the beginning of the series, which is where we begin to see something blossom between the two. Despite having feelings for Curtis, Caitlyn’s main priority is to work on her father’s car, which then leads to tension between the two.
‘Under The Hood’ — Gender Stereotypes In The Garage
Being a female lead in a male-dominated industry (the automobile industry) is something often seen in many television shows and movies. This also then leads to gender stereotypes. What Motorheads does differently that makes the show more unique is that they tend to shy away from what society thinks is “normal” for men and women.
The automobile industry is often characterized as a “male hobby.” As a result, men are seen as more knowledgeable regarding anything related to the industry, whether it be about driving performance or decision-making (such as when buying a car). Also, Caitlyn’s investment in the automobile industry and mechanics helped her feel more connected to her father — someone she barely knew.
In every episode of the show, Caitlyn becomes very hands-on on her father’s car and is very familiar with how the car should be fixed. The audience also often sees her visiting the junkyard throughout the show to find the necessary parts. This is also where the audience sees her take the lead on this whole project with the boys (Zac, Curtis, and Marcel).
Even when Caitlyn was pressured and talked down upon by Harris and Harris’s friend Noah (played by Myles Erlick), she knew what she was doing was right and didn’t let it get in the way of what she loved and enjoyed.
This is also where the show Motorheads did a great job of not only being a good young adult television series, but also shying away from what and how society views the automobile industry as a “male-dominated” industry.
‘Real-Life Reflections’ — Car Culture Beyond The Screen
With the show taking place in the fictional town of Ironwood, Pennsylvania, the directors of the show do an excellent job of setting the overall scenes and also characterizing car culture (drag and street racing)3 as a whole. As car culture dates all the way back to the 1950s, there have been many shows and movies based on car culture and the automobile industry, and Motorheads is another one to add to the list.
An aspect of the show that does a great job of showcasing the large car culture that Ironwood holds is the many different cars shown and driven throughout all ten episodes of the show. Christian Maddox’s Dodge Charger, Samantha’s Maxda RX7, Logan’s Mustang, and Harris’ baby blue Porsche4 are just some of the various cars driven throughout the show that have helped grasp the attention of the audiences.
Not only does the show do a great job of showing how big car culture is through the cars itself, but it also does so through car repair and street racing. Racing is also a huge part of the show, with Zac and Harris being involved in most of the races shown both on the street and in the dirt.
The attention to detail on the work being done on the twins’ Charger also helped the series stay true to what car culture is and is known for. Also, another aspect of car culture is car auctions, and in episode 5, “Value,” a car auction takes place in the city of Ironwood and brings the whole city together.
Motorheads is also seen through the lenses of the main characters who are playing high schoolers, which is a representation of the demographic of individuals interested in car culture as a whole.
‘Passing The Torch’ — Caitlyn’s Impact On A New Generation Of Motorheads
Caitlyn’s resilience and willingness to challenge gender norms and stereotypes through her love and knowledge of automobiles have opened many more doors for fans, especially young female fans, to do the same. Through this ten-episode season, her character shows that it is okay to be a little bit different and to also get your hands dirty once in a while. Although the show left on a cliffhanger, with discussions of a potential second season5, her character may even evolve more.
Society unfortunately continuously places gender norms and stereotypes on women and men today, but through Motorheads and Caitlyn’s character, it felt like a breath of fresh air that audiences were missing on their screens today. Her character also shows that television is stepping in the right direction when it comes to the breaking and challenging of gender norms and stereotypes still faced in society today.
Footnotes
- Motorheads (TV Series 2025– ) ⭐ 7.5 | Drama. (2025, May 20). IMDb. ↩︎
- Forde, Mariba. “REVIEW: ‘Motorheads’ Drives On The Road To Glory.” Nexuspointnews. 16 May 2025. ↩︎
- Bhattacharya, Debapriya. “Is Motorheads Based on a True Story?” Moviedelic. 22 May 2025. ↩︎
- Benzinger, Lee. “10 Coolest Cars Driven In Motorheads Season 1.” Screenrant. 31 May 2025. ↩︎
- Tassi, Paul. “The Latest Update About ‘Motorheads’ Season 2 On Amazon Prime Video.” Forbes. 19 June 2025. ↩︎