Top Gear tv show
 

Quick question, is it big in the US? I saw it referred to in another thread;

(http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=207373#post207373)

...and just wondered how many of you guys watch it?

It's arguably one of the best programmes on UK TV, we love it.

PS You can take what they say about American cars with a huge dose of salt, no-one is safe. The French fare worst, but that's kind of justified ;)

I love this show. They did a new Boxster review last year and were a little hard on it. As I recall (in typical English dry humor), they said it was too perfect and that was its problem....

its one of my favorite shows. and to be honest clarkson is pretty scathing of all cars for the most part so I dont think many people take it personally. I like to think us "yanks" as (clarkson would say) are fairly thick skinned. :cheers:

Top Gear is one my all-time favorite shows.
The challenges are the best part like the Rocket Robin, and driving across Africa. But while they are hard on the Boxster, it is the gold standard they compare every other convertible in the price range against and it often wins. James and Richard are Porsche fans, Jeremy is the kind of idiot that buys a Ford GT. :cheers:

I love Top Gear... I watch every episode.

I believe James said he owns a Boxster and Richard owns a 911.

Clarkson seems to HATE anything Porsche. I've heard him say Porsche has the laziest design department. The 911 hasn't changed in 30 years and the boxster is a carbon copy front to back. He hated the Cayman. I don't know what his problem is with Porsche. Maybe he's just trying to create drama with the other two.

One word...Cockster!

Oh, absolutely he is..... Still makes me chuckle the time he threw Richard Hammonds t-bar roof from the Nissan 3000 (I'm probably wrong on that make/model) down a crevice in the alps, and Hammond had to drive with just one roof panel in when it was snowing... :D
They have a friendly hate for each other......just brilliant to watch.

Most of their episodes can be seen on their website archives. A favorite challenge has Clarkson racing two cars (one a 987 Boxster, the other an AMG CLK) on a course running through a small village, with Irish Guard snipers hiding in various buildings with with laserguns. Car with fewest lethal hits wins. Totally unscientific but quite twisted and fun.

that's this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhoazBcLYY

http://s180500392.onlinehome.us/posts/clarkson.png

This is my favorite show. We usually watch full episode from final gear.
Chris

I pay for an upper tier from Cox just so I can watch Top Gear. One of my favorite episodes was the one where they got 'salt fever' driving a Challenger, a Corvette (built in Kan-tuckie), and a Caddy. That was the one where they had to do the report in a 'factual' mode so they could stay in the US.

I certainly don't take their American snipes seriously. All in good fun. But FYI, we're not all fat here.

Doesn't James own a Cayman, not a Boxster?

I don't pay a dime to watch TG. I download bit torrent files of it for free here:

http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/

BTW, this is legal as it's publicly broadcast as far as I know.

They post episodes the second they're finished on Sunday nights. I download them ever Sunday evening and watch them on Mondays.

I really hate the fact that on Comcast they only show really old episodes from last year and are always lagging behind.

One of the producers bought a Cayman (Cockster!) but I believe in a recent 911 review episode James said he went out and bought a Boxster.

I blame Top Gear for getting me to buy my Boxster. Was never that into cars and mechanically retarded but that show sucked me right in. Saw the Boxter in one episode - never saw one in real life- and was like, dammmmmm that is a cool car. Next thing I know I am on ebay and Autotrader checking out what is available and again was like - dayyyyyum I think I can afford one of these....... those bastards ...now I even have the frikkin umbrella! Thank God its not a show about florida real estate!

Watch all episodes, new and old. Always something fun and interesting, even if I don't agree half the time.

Liked the episode with Shuey as "The Stig"...his Ferrari FXX really ripped the course at 1:10...unofficial, of course.

Absolutely Love Top Gear. Watch it every Monday and DVR as much of it as possible. My wife even enjoys it!!

I always used to watch it when we had BBCA. We cut back to basic cable, and I was very disappointed that we no longer get Top Gear. :(

When does it start up again?

The next set of six or seven episodes typically starts in June. If you check www.finalgear.com they keep it updated with countdowns till the next episode.

Chris

Have to admit, I'm not such a fan. What they don't know or appreciate about cars would fill a library.

IMHO, they belong on Comedy Central and if it's automotive comedy I want, I'll take Click and Clack, the Tappet Bros. over these guys anytime.

Have seen a few good segments on TG, but so few it really doesn't make it worthwhile for me.

Some want Chocolate and some want Vanilla...

Cheers!

What I love about TG is that they test drive exotic cars the same way I would if I knew I didn't have to pay for replacement tires or brake pads. They drive them like they stole them and push the cars way beyond their capabilities.

Compare this to the PBS show Motorweek from Owing Mills, Maryland, which never says a negative thing about any of the cars they review and the friggin' show puts me to sleep it's so dull and lifeless. It's like watching consumer reports on quaaludes.

TG is pure entertainment to me, who give a different high-end car a starring role as a guest each episode.

Each week though, Jeremy makes a comment that Americans are all fat and lazy while completely ignoring the fact that England has a serious obesity problem... and he's no skin and bones actor who could stand to lose 20 pounds himself.

>> ignoring the fact that England has a serious obesity problem

Unfortunately, very true.

I can only nod solemnly :D

And bad teeth.....don't forget our bad teeth! :D

Thankfully, I don't think that's so prevelent nowadays. Well, you can find some tombstone teeth people in Scotland I guess.... And Norwich. But Norwich is full of people with webbed feet etc, so it's fully explainable. :D

Man, I watched this show a couple of times this past week on BBC America and was really disappointed. I may be wrong, but I think I remember the show back in the day having a lot more test drives. Now it seems to be geared towards stupid "reality" show type stuff- most of which is staged. Really disappointed...

That's weird
 

That is exactly verbatim of what I was going to say!! :) :cheers:

I hate that show! I have watched every episoid for the last three years and I hate in even more.
I'll hate it again when I watch it tonight off the TEVO.

I'm sorry...
Did you really just compare Top Gear to Click and Clack?

You just compared a show about humorous trio of moto-journalists vs a pair of humorous auto mechanics.

Three guys who actually test and torture cars, from top dollar exotics, to $1500 clunkers, and think of all different ways to amuse us, in comparison to two guys who don't even repair cars anymore, who think of new ways to mildly insult their callers and each other? Who stopped test driving cars after declaring the Toyota Corolla the most car anyone ever needs, and anyone who buys more car is an idiot?

You made this comparison?
On this forum?
Really?

BC.

I really love TG. It may not always be unbiased or factual. But its humorous and the cinematography is amazing. Their budget is ridiculous! No one but the BBC could ever pull it off like that.

I'm all caught up with all the UK seasons (14 finished and 15 is coming in the summer right?). I try to watch the episodes the day it comes out in the UK, although that is a bit hard here in the states.

It's not as big as it is in the UK I'm sure, but it has to be a pretty big thing since BBC America shows Top Gear and they were considering having an American version of it (got canceled for some reason).

A lot of that show is scripted for humor and appealing to Europeans (especially the British). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since American shows try to make America look great too, but it's the cause of some of the hatred and punishing reviews that are put out.

Jeremy isn't happy with any Porsche at this point other than the 944. According to him:
The 911 hasn't changed and is ugly
The Boxster looks like it was lazily designed
The Cayman is just a filler for a gap in the market
The Cayenne is the ugliest SUV ever
The Panamera looks like an Austin Maxi

And he prefers Ferrari because they have "soul" (what I consider a word car journalists use when they have to justify their personal liking of one car over the other).