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The Top Gear MEGATHREAD!!!!

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iGav said:
Ask yourself, how is a Atom more sensible?
Ask yourself, how is a Caterham more sensible?

If you ask me, a Radical makes a more sensible road car than both of the above.
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Caterham - A car you can use every day (I know people who do) and it goes round corners at low speed.
Atom - A car you can pretty much use every day and it goes round corners at low speed.

A Radical is a nightmare, apparently, it suspension is too hard and ride height is too low for most british roads.

I think iGav has finally lost it! ;)
 
I think you're all splitting hairs...none of those cars are actually "sensible" - in the sense that none of them could withstand the conditions my car puts up with in the course of a year - or even a summer for that matter.

But the Caparo is probably the fastest road legal car in the world...when it isn't on fire. :D You just knew it was going to clobber the lap record...still waiting to see what the Veyron can do though.

Great episode, the London race was brilliant.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I think you're all splitting hairs...none of those cars are actually "sensible" - in the sense that none of them could withstand the conditions my car puts up with in the course of a year - or even a summer for that matter.

But the Caparo is probably the fastest road legal car in the world...when it isn't on fire. :D You just knew it was going to clobber the lap record...still waiting to see what the Veyron can do though.

Great episode, the London race was brilliant.
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I want to see the Veyron go around the track just as much as the next person, but I don't know if it will be able to beat the Koenigsegg. The Koenigsegg is 200hp less than the Veyron, but it weights a hell of a lot less. Plus, I have a feeling that the Veyron might handle like a bit of a pig with the giant 16 cylinder engine in the back.

Nonetheless, I hope The Stig gets his hands on it one day, because I do want to see what it can do. Even if it doesn't beat the Koenigsegg, it will definitely put up an amazing lap time.
 
I don't expect it to beat the CCX either, but I bet it will be very fast and it will be much easier to drive than the CCX or T1.

It has a lot of power but it is very heavy.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I don't expect it to beat the CCX either, but I bet it will be very fast and it will be much easier to drive than the CCX or T1.

It has a lot of power but it is very heavy.
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I think it will. The Top Gear test track isn't especially challenging technically, there by favouring cars that are maybe less dynamically able, but more accelerative, in which area the Veyron comfortably exceeds the CXX.

I expect if the circuit were to be more demanding, they'd be a much greater gap than the 9 seconds between a car like the Caparo and the Atom for example, because of the formers cornering potential and lateral acceleration abilities, an advantage that is somewhat eroded on a circuit with only one high speed corner.

Now, I must respond to Markleshark, bartelby. :)
 
iGav said:
Now, I must respond to Markleshark, bartelby. :)
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I'm not trying to start an argument with you, iGav, opinions and all that.

I think the test track is designed well, actually. Long-ish straight, fast (Flat out) corner, long sweeping slow corner, long sweeping corner tightening into a slow corner and 2 slow corners.

Tests just about everything in a short lap.
 
Markleshark said:
I'm not trying to start an argument with you, iGav, opinions and all that.

I think the test track is designed well, actually. Long-ish straight, fast (Flat out) corner, long sweeping slow corner, long sweeping corner tightening into a slow corner and 2 slow corners.

Tests just about everything in a short lap.
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There's nothing wrong with the design. It's just not an especially demanding layout, with a lack of mid/high speed corners which is where gains can be made.

When you view the overlay in GoogleEarth it's apparent that there is a bias towards a more powerful and accelerative car because of the number of slow corners, rather than a dynamically able one (which is why the Elise isn't all that high on the list for example) and as you say it's a short lap... hence why the difference in times are not as pronounced as one would expect on a more challenging circuit.
 
Conditions sometimes play a role as well...the lads have tested cars in pretty wet conditions before.

With the CCX being so scary at speed the Veyron, despite it's weight, will have an advantage. And if acceleration is the deciding factor the Veyron will almost certainly win, with it's AWD and endless power.

Do we know who designed the track? Was it a professional driver, or track designer or...? I think the design is somewhat limited by the fact that it's a runway, so lit would be hard to do lots of high-speed corners.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Do we know who designed the track? Was it a professional driver, or track designer or...? I think the design is somewhat limited by the fact that it's a runway, so lit would be hard to do lots of high-speed corners.
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No idea, doesn't look much like a Tilke job though... :p as you can see, a drive down to your local shops is probably more challenging... :p
 
Yeah, I got a less-nice overlay for Google Earth too...pretty cool. Seeing as I've never had the chance to drive a road car on a track of any kind it would probably prove quite a challenge for me. :eek:

Someday when I'm middle aged, fat and in better financial circumstances I will attack the 'Ring and get in the way of some real drivers. :D
 
yg17 said:
I want to see the Veyron go around the track just as much as the next person, but I don't know if it will be able to beat the Koenigsegg. The Koenigsegg is 200hp less than the Veyron, but it weights a hell of a lot less. Plus, I have a feeling that the Veyron might handle like a bit of a pig with the giant 16 cylinder engine in the back.
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Fifth Gear reviewed the Veyron around their track. Tiff Needle said it handled brilliantly with and without traction control on.

It was posted on youtube for a while.
 
TBi said:
Fifth Gear reviewed the Veyron around their track. Tiff Needle said it handled brilliantly with and without traction control on.
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Gordon Murray's stated similar, which is one of the main reasons why I'd expect it to beat the CXX time, by a good couple of seconds... the more interesting question however would be whether it would end up being closer to the time of the Caparo than that of the CXX.
 
There aren't many American sports cars to test...there's the Panoz Esperante, the Saleen S7 and very little else, unless you count Cobra counterfits...there are lots of tuner companies of course, and some of them, like Lingenfelter or Callaway, are pretty sophisticated.
 
combatcolin said:
Tasty girl Clarkson got to help him with his new "seat".

And as he's so bloody tall, he would be looking right down her top....:cool:
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Yeah, quite the pair. Her reaction to the 'chair' said it all. Heh.

yg17 said:
Not a bad episode, but not the best so far this season. Although that motorohome Jeremy showed at the end is f**king amazing :eek:
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That. Was. Class. If I had a million pounds, I'd have one. I wonder what you could actually fit (Car wise) in that bit underneath. Very Cool.

Fearless Leader said:
i nearly died at the motorhome racing
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Yeah, well good. Have you seen the people carrier one they did? Not a patch on that. Genius.

I also thought the road test of the BM and the Merc was good, the camera work was brilliant. All in all, a great episode.
 
Markleshark said:
That. Was. Class. If I had a million pounds, I'd have one. I wonder what you could actually fit (Car wise) in that bit underneath. Very Cool.
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I imagine it's built to order so the space is sized to the car you specify. The Weisman that was in that one is awesome, but quite low. I think height would probably end up being the limiting factor.
 
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