The Top Gear MEGATHREAD!!!!

[Counterfit]

What if the win Le Mans instead?

I think Ferrari has won that more times too

 

[iGav]

My observations...

That Morgan sure looked like it handled... even in the wet! I'm really not a fan of them though, that said I do hope that in the quest for U.S. sales that they don't totally lose their character.

Still confirms that the 300 SL remains one of the most beautiful cars ever... not sure I agree with him about it being the first supercar though.

The MPV race was a waste of time, much like the caravan conker game... just filler material.

hobbit needs to spray his Charger black, and pronto...

And is it just me or can JC really not drive?? I don't think he hit the right line once...

Sabine... sublime as always.

oooh I'd take the SLR over an E Type... I love the SLR's front/mid poise, however there's a couple of things I'd change if I ordered one.

First... the interior is pure tat in an ALBA/AIWA cheap hi-fi kind of way, worse even than the ludicrously naff Zonda interior, so that'd need some ticks in the options box to try and sort that one out, I'm sure McLaren could accommodate though!

Second... those taillights what on earth were they thinking?? they spend zillions developing the car only to blow it down Halfords for the taillights...

But apart from that, yeah... in black please

 

[iGav]

This weeks observations...

The new Golf GTi looks rather handy... (there was a better review of it on 5th Gear last week with a DSG) it's certainly a big improvement on the nasty MK3 and MK4 GTi's though which were near sacrilegious in their execution.

Have to admit I'm not a big fan of the new (non-GTi) Golf, looks a tad banal to me, nevermind looking half a decade old, but for some bizarre reason it works with the new GTi, I think it'd be better in black though, 'cos you get the '80's red pinstripe in the grille

Can't say I'm a fan of any hot hatches, I thnk if I were in the market for one though, I'd probably go for the Megane 225, it's more risky than the Golf, and a league ahead of the Civic Type-R.

Apart from that the only other thing worthy of a mention was the 'Buy a Porsche for £1500' feature... I thought Hobbit had a stroke of genius buying a 924, until he ripped out it's interior and stuck flames down the side that is...

Also reminded me that even after all these years, the 928 is still a damn fine looking piece of kit! made a nice table by the way! heheh

 

[edesignuk]

The "buy a porsche for £1500" thing was absolutely brilliant! Much more amusing than the normal (and boring) caravan bashing .

 

[iGav]

The "buy a porsche for £1500" thing was absolutely brilliant! Much more amusing than the normal (and boring) caravan bashing .

Certainly was... it's just more entertaining that the usual filler stuff that they throw in when they've got nothing else to report.

Even more disturbing though is that its made me really want to buy a 928 and spend several grand doing it up...

5th Gear got in on the caravan act last week, and that was only mildly more amusing because Tiff got a good hiding and ended up flipping his caravan almost taking the Sierra with it

What car are you thinking they should restore?? the Cooper from last night is probably the one most deserving of being restored, purely from it's historical significance, but I think I'd still like to see the Probe (Clockwork Orange car) restored, there's only a handful of them and it's just so damn unusual.

 

[Savage Henry]

The coffee table intrigued but the lounge chairs scared me ... what sort of freak would want to buy them, Pawsh or nort?!

I still think the 'sleb drinving around the circuit has ben done to death now. I mean, Cliff Richard?!!, honestly..... Still, the blind bloke beating Whitely was a good twist.

And my final remark: it still has to be Moon's Chrysler.

Luxembourg, your points please ......

 

[russed]

The "buy a porsche for £1500" thing was absolutely brilliant! Much more amusing than the normal (and boring) caravan bashing .

it was sheer genius. even my girlfriend found it funny and she hates top gear. i think they were stooping a bit low getting cliff on, seriously that guy needs to retire just to save all of our sanity. and that new gold looks rather nice, it makes up for the last few efforts. the last version was sooo poor.

 

[4409723]

The table was amazing, I need to find a V8 block and do something like that.

 

[mpw]

...Even more disturbing though is that its made me really want to buy a 928 and spend several grand doing it up...
...

There's a 928S lives a few doors down from me which is used daily but is still in showroom condition (except the leather interior which is suffering a decade + of arses'). Black with black interior.

I was always a fan of the 928 and it's nice to walk past this well looked after example.

It was sad to see the 928 & 944 looking so tired on the show. I have fond memories of a sunny afternoon spent in a 944 Turbo Convertible just after I passed my test in '92/3. My boss blocked my Fiesta in at work and when I asked him to move he just handed me his keys and said I could use his car. He was the coolest boss, with a massive collection of cars including an F40, at least two other Ferraris and several Bentleys amongst others. He once handed the keys over to move a £600,000 vintage Bentley! Tempting but I had to decline.

 

[russed]

is it just me or is fifth gear really really rubbish? i watched it for the first time last night and it is pants! they are too sensible - who gives a damn about human crash tests (leave that to the designers) show us some decent cars!

 

[edesignuk]

is it just me or is fifth gear really really rubbish? i watched it for the first time last night and it is pants! they are too sensible - who gives a damn about human crash tests (leave that to the designers) show us some decent cars!

Yes. Far to serious. If I want a serious review of cars I might actually be able to afford I'll buy car magazines. If I want to watch TV car programme, I want something exciting!!!

 

[russed]

Yes. Far to serious. If I want a serious review of cars I might actually be able to afford I'll buy car magazines. If I want to watch TV car programme, I want something exciting!!!

yeh who cares who far human knees are meant to bend legally and how soft bumpers are?

oh and that new ferarri 440 or whatever it is, looks like some really horrible american car from the front. those two triangle shaped things at the front, they look really odd!

 

[iGav]

is it just me or is fifth gear really really rubbish?

I quite enjoy it... it's the perfect antidote to 'Top Gear', but just to play devils advocate...

What I like about it is that it takes the original Top Gear format i.e. actually gives useful information about the car, what it's like to drive etc and presents it. It also covers a range of cars. Sure it's not as entertaining as such as 'Top Gear' but it 1000x more informative and accurate + it has VBH as well!

The problem I have with 'Top Gear' is that it lacks cars, period. (5th Gear crammed 3x as many reviews into half the time) Sundays show featured the Golf GTi (which wasn't an especially good review 5th Gear last week was better) but apart from that. nothing. Except a feature on £1500k Porsches which was funny, but not worthy of taking up as much time as it did and lets not mention Cliff 'f**kin' Richard... eh'!

I also hate it's inaccuracies, like JC calling the Ferrari Enzo Ferrari, an F60.... WTF! It doesn't stop there, I find 3-4 major inaccuracies per show without even thinking about it, that's too many.

I also dislike JC's limited vocabulary, which seems to consist of 'astonishing' and 'sensational'... and his self opinionated views as in the case of the Aston Vs Ferrari feature, even though the Ferrari was faster, better built, more reliable and without doubt the better car he chose the Aston because he's bored of Ferrari's.... so he chooses a car which breaks down (alot), is slower, doesn't handle as well etc because he's bored of Ferrari???????

But 'Top Gear' is a more entertaining show to watch, is very funny and I love JC's dry wit. I love the way it's shot, very stylised and makes good use of post production (like the slow mo's of Aston and Ferrari wheel spinning). And of course they have the Stig where 5th Gear has Tiff... but then 5th Gear has VBH... heehee.

Anyway.. I watch 'Top Gear' for the humour and the thrashing of supercars, but I watch '5th Gear' to actually know what the cars are actually like.

new ferarri 440 or whatever it is, looks like some really horrible american car from the front. those two triangle shaped things at the front, they look really odd!

I'm not a fan either... it looks odd as you say. I never liked the 360, and the F430 is kind of the same car especially in profile.

But it looks damn good to drive, superb oversteer control and balance and that trick diff.... and it was interesting to see the differences the driver aids make... and the auto-blip on the downshift is in the words of JC... 'sensational'... heheheh.

I would have a dilemma though, if I won £10 million on the Lotto on Saturday, there's not one new Ferrari I'd buy... and in all honesty there is something very, very wrong when that is the case.

 

[russed]

... but then 5th Gear has VBH... heehee.

she has to be one of the worst racing drivers i have ever seen. i went to oulton park back in the good old days of touring cars, and in two races that she took place (renault spider cup and something else) she managed to crash in front of me. they were such basic mistakes and just made her look silly!

she isnt as nice looking as she used to be also!

with regards to the ferarri, the driving side of it looked pretty tasty but i think the entire range are getting a bit bloated look wise and i think they are trying to appeal to the american market a bit more (especially with the growth of f1 following in the us). what happened to good old pininfarina styling?

 

[edesignuk]

I would have a dilemma though, if I won £10 million on the Lotto on Saturday, there's not one new Ferrari I'd buy... and in all honesty there is something very, very wrong when that is the case.

So what would you buy?

 

[iGav]

she isnt as nice looking as she used to be also!

But... she's a damn sight more attractive than the Top Gear mob... and I reckon she's a better driver than all them as well... (Stig excepted of course) did you see her feet when she was driving a Radical?? the girl has some fancy footwork I can tell you..

what happened to good old pininfarina styling?

I asked exactly the same question in the Superamerica thread...

So what would you buy?

Honestly I'd need to think about it... none of the current Ferrari's (except the Enzo and that's now out of production) really do it for me, same goes for Porsche and Lamborghini.

I do like the new Aston Martin DB9, it's a fine, understated car. But I'd be worried about it breaking down if it's anything like it's big brother and such doubt shouldn't enter the equation at that price.

I doubt I'd go for a supercar, unless I won so much that repairing it wouldn't be a problem, not that I think I'd smack it up or anything , but we live in a country that has it's fair share of scumbags who'd be only too willing to add an engraved go-faster-stripe down one side.

Imagine owning an Aston Martin though and coming back to find it'd suffered a similar fate as your MINI did in a car park...

 

[edesignuk]

I do like the new Aston Martin DB9, it's a fine, understated car. But I'd be worried about it breaking down if it's anything like it's big brother and such doubt shouldn't enter the equation at that price.

I get a DB9 in a heart beat, an Aston has always been my dream car, even in the DB7 days

The DB9 seems solid. Did you see the run where clarkson went up against the other guys going by train to where ever it was? (crap description, I know). The Vanquish would have broken down pulling out the car park , the DB9 was flawless

 

[russed]

i think i would have to have a bentley continental gt to start off with and a lupo gti as my fun car then possibly something like a nissan skyline (for novelty and fun) and then my super car is still available

 

[mpw]

So what would you buy?

Start with a Noble M14, Bentley Arnage, AC Cobra (original), Audi s4 conv., Lancia Delta IntegraleHF, Rover P5, DodgeRAM pick-up, Triumph RocketIII...How much I got left?

 

[andym172]

... none of the current Ferrari's (except the Enzo and that's now out of production) really do it for me

Contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few Enzo's available with delivery miles for list price, or slightly below.

If I had the choice I think I'd buy a new Carrera GT and send it straight to Ruf - let them work their magic on it

 

[iGav]

Contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few Enzo's available with delivery miles for list price, or slightly below.

That's what's annoying about Ferrari limiting numbers, initial speculative investment buying nonsense... Shame it's not still in production though, atleast they'd be a Ferrari I'd be able to order from Maranello.

Judging by the interest in the car, I'm surprised Ferrari didn't up the numbers like it did with the F40, the same way Porsche has done with the Carrera GT.

Anyway, I'm still thinking what I'd buy... although I think I'd be tempted to source a Ford RS 200.

Group B.... those were the days.

 

[evoluzione]

ok, so i'm currently getting to watch 2 episodes a day of fifth gear, albeit from 2001/02 it seems, but, it's much better than nothing at all!

so, let me get this straight, there's a fifth gear AND a top gear back in england???? tg still has clarkson eh? fifth gear is still on with tiff and q? i'm assuming tg went the way of match of the day at some point and then was revived? i seem to remember when i was living back in blighty that they stopped it...how long has it been back?


oh, and what's this lpg thing? liquified petroleum gas??? how is this better than regular petrol?? (in an environmental sense)


thanks guys


oh, and i also think the zonda styling is terrible.....oh, and the ford gt over here is $130k, from what i can gather, someone needs to tell clarky to get one from here and save almost half!

 

[evoluzione]

Group B.... those were the days.

indeed they were, some of the finest in motorsport history

6R4, delta S4, Stratos, Ti16 (if memory serves me)

 

[iGav]

so, let me get this straight, there's a fifth gear AND a top gear back in england???? tg still has clarkson eh? fifth gear is still on with tiff and q? i'm assuming tg went the way of match of the day at some point and then was revived? i seem to remember when i was living back in blighty that they stopped it...how long has it been back?

5th Gear is Five's car show, back in the day after JC left Top Gear back in the '90's Top Gear went on with Tiff, VBH and Quentin.

Then BBC 2 had a new head of programming (a women, who hated cars) and Top Gear was cancelled, Five seeing the opportunity of having some 4 wheel action before the softporn kicked in at 9pm signed up the whole of Top Gears presenters (excluding JC who wasn't part of Top Gear anymore) as well as the format. So basically 5th Gear is exactly the same as the old Top Gear.

After JC's failed talkshow, and a change of programming BBC re-commissioned a new series of Top Gear but with JC back at the helm, but because 5th Gear pretty much was Top Gear, they changed the format and basically added more cars to the previous JC Talkshow program, and bam. instant car program.

 

[iGav]

oh, and what's this lpg thing? liquified petroleum gas??? how is this better than regular petrol?? (in an environmental sense)!

It's cleaner and much cheaper. Generally you have a car converted to run on LPG, but it doesn't replace petrol. You have a switch you flick and the car then runs on LPG. Ideal for city centres because it's relatively clean.

Also in London, LPG cars are exempt from the Congestion Charge, which is likely to rise to £8 soon... and they see a small reduction on car tax.

Good call on the Zonda... have you seen it's interior??