<<< How much do I want a Ford GT? >>>
Not as much as I want a GT3! ;-))
I really wanted one even before the show, but having now seen the grip and poise, and on a damp track, too, would really, really, love one now! A truly superb piece of kit. Very hard to believe it's only 2 wheel drive, given the stance round corners, and the way it launched out of them.
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I want a Corvette, a CL65, a new Bentley Continental, a version of every TVR model currently in production, and a Ford GT, and a GT3...
I want it all & I want it now...
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On the whole I found last nights show quite boring. What was all that nonsense at the end with Stig and the HMS Invincible? Are they killing him off as everyone knows his true idenetity as Perry Mcarthy?
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James May has dull written through his core, like a stick of rock. A funny man on paper, he should avoid television like the plague.
Interesting to see Jezza has fallen out of love with yet another manufacturer (Mercedes). Until Ford remake the Capri with a 750bhp v12 engine and medallion dispenser, will this man ever be happy?
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James May has a brain. Jezza is an Empty Shell, Piece of Meat, Another statistic on the Readout Sheet. There is NOTHING there. This program has little to do with motoring. They seem to exist to apease empty heads, rather like most, (not all) Radio stations, endless boring samey banter. The Telegraph motoring section has gone to pot except for the HJ column which up 'till now still provides some useful info.
Standards are getting lower and we rollock the young! (I didn't mean rollock!!)
Regards.
P.S. Are they on an earner with Suzuki! (Liana)
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>What was all that nonsense at the end?>
The show's sense of self-importance made visible. Having re-launched with a different look/approach to its former incarnation it hasn't introduced any new ideas since, the irreverence looks forced and it has regressed to cliched footage of fast cars tearing round race tracks.
Dull, dull, dull.
The real copout was seeing Clarkson twice failing James May's(correct name?)intelligent questions by simply saying I'm bored, I'm going to talk to the sycophantic one. Inexcusably lame.
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I suppose it must be really difficult to do a live show for an hour and it's a tribute to the presenters and production team that it's so slick. However, it's possible that 'live' isn't the best format for this type of programme although I'm sure it keeps everyone on their toes. (I remember Tomorrow's World always boasting it was live and thinking WHY??? What's the point?)Couldn't agree more about no new ideas and I'm fed up to the back teeth with supercars being razzed on a track recorded by whirling camera shots. I still like Clarkson, though, and think he's funny. I'll continue to watch it but won't make it one of my unmissables (unlike The Sopranos & 6 Feet Under).
8 ball
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I suppose it must be really difficult to do a live show for an hour
Live? And there was me thinking the show was prerecorded, but filmed in front of a live[1] tv audience.
[1]Even the audience looked bored. As soon as any audience participation was requested, Jezza just basically told them to shut up again. Charming!
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As DD said, it's pre-recorded from a live audience. I wonder what they were playing at with the Stig at the end - so what if people know who he is. But yes, I was quite bored by the end of the show - it seemed to be missing some of the charisma of the earlier ones. Anyone remember the James Bond car? The most interesting thing for me was the remote range extender skull trick thingy. Oh, and the GT3. But I sadly haven't got £100000 to spare at the moment. Come to think of it, I probably haven't got enough for a deposit ;)
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have to put up with this james may geezer writing in the motoring part of the telegraph on saturdays now.as for clarkson mega pants as my niece would say.
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Talk about polarising opinions...
I thought the show was pretty good really, James May quite refreshing both on TV & in the Telegraph, and as 4 JC - WYSIWYG!
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I just got to see the GT-40 segment and the GT3 segment, none of the on stage part of the show. It sounds like I didn?t miss anything. But I will say seeing Clarkson in Detroit and that GT-40.. WOW!! I ?wet myself? just like Clarkson lol! That was so great! The GT3 seg was ok but paled in comparison to the Ford. Finally an American car we can be proud of, I think I have an all new dream car!!
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The most interesting thing for me was the remote range extender skull trick thingy.
Can't have been a terribly interesting programme then! Why would anyone want to extend the range? You wouldn't want to unlock a car unless you're pretty close to it. As a very sensible security feature, my car re-locks itself if I don't open a door within 30 seconds of unlocking. I'm a brisk walker but, as it is, if I press the button too soon I don't get to the car in time.
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What car do you have that locks itself after 30 seconds? I had a SD1 that used to lock the doors if they were slammed too hard!
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My Acura (Honda) RSX does locks after 30 secs too.
Here are links to two clips from lat night Top Gear-
www.sleepy-fish.com/other_videos/TopGear_GT40.wmv
www.sleepy-fish.com/other_videos/TopGear_Porsche_G...v
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What car do you have that locks itself after 30 seconds?
Skoda Fabia. It's in case you press the button by accident. It's just as well because the remote has a big range. I've even tried it through a windowless brick wall. Another security feature is that it stops working if you press the button too many times when not within range of the car.
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Same with the Passat and the Golf
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Re-locking after 30 seconds - Seat Leon does the same, if you don't open any doors, in case you have accidentally unlocked the car and walked away....
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Same for renault master van
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>> The most interesting thing for me was the remote range >> extender skull trick thingy. Can't have been a terribly interesting programme then! Why would anyone want to extend the range? You wouldn't want to unlock a car unless you're pretty close to it. As a very sensible security feature, my car re-locks itself if I don't open a door within 30 seconds of unlocking. I'm a brisk walker but, as it is, if I press the button too soon I don't get to the car in time.
This trick is more usefull when the battery in remote is going a bit flat! Also sometimes works when there is a lot of interference.
Joe
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"Inexcusably lame"
Much as I suspected. JC is well past his sell-by date; he only has one style of presentation and his opinions are so inconsistent as to be worthless. He writes well, but of course (like Clive James) he'd rather be paid lots for doing something he's not very good at, than be paid less for doing something satisfying. A shame, really.
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Illegitimi non carborundum!
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Jeremy Clarkson admitted last night on Top Gear that he now likes diesels. Hooray; maybe we wilol get some sensible debate on the differences, pros and cons etc. on Top Gear.
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"he now likes diesels"
Now Jaguar have given him one, presumably...
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If it's sensible debate you want, I suggest you start watching question time...
On second thoughts, don't bother!
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Hang on a mo! I thought it was still good.
The Lupo thing was quite good, and a bit different from most other things on telly.
The Ford GT40 was a good report, but the GT3 report was a bit overly long and i got a bit bored with 4000 shots of sliding it and also 4000 words on the engine being at the back. yawn.
however, still a decent show, its just it was so fresh last year that we've got used to it. Star in a car is a bit poor now. give them a really really quick car - that should be fun.
How fast the cars lap the circuit is great - the only time you can see relevant differences between cars.
I think its still a good must see show. clarkson is still funny, may is still dry, and what else are you going to watch?
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The choice is simple: Don't like it - don't watch it.
I thought James May's piece on the new 5-series was a bit fawning, no mention of the base model being somewhat underpowered and as for the styling.... JC was right to call him on it. Finally the line:- 'What else can you buy for £30,000?' showed that really it was a done thing as soon as he picked up the keys.
As for the GT3 - yawn, yet another 911.
I really enjoyed the GT40 slot and learnt a lot, never knew the original was made in Britain.
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"The choice is simple: Don't like it - don't watch it."
There was a similar post yesterday which disappeared quickly...
Because it's stating the obvious I guess.
This is only a discussion over the merits or otherwise of a TV programme.
If you don't want to discuss, don't visit the thread!!
:-) (
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I deleted yesterday's post as pointless. 3500S actually had comments in his and therefore seemed ok to me.
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What was all that nonsense at the end with Stig and the HMS Invincible? Are they killing him off as everyone knows his true idenetity as Perry Mcarthy?
Maybe I was right after all.
To quote from Jezza's column in yesterday's Sun, and from the Sun's website:-
"LAST week, Top Gear viewers saw The Stig career off the end of HMS Invincible at 109mph in a souped-up Jaguar. On the programme tomorrow night, his fate will be revealed. But as The Sun is always ahead of the game, I thought I?d let you know what happens now. He?s dead."
We'll have to wait until tonight to see if it's true.
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I was going to add this to the Top Gear thread, but thought/hoped it would grow into something bigger.
If Top Gear is dull/boring/past it (which i personally dont think it is apart from a couple of segments) what things would we all like to see on it to improve it?
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I don't think we need two top Gear discussions. I've put the threads together.
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Come on guys, an hour long programme on cars; how bad is that?
Clarkson aims to be controversial & wind people up. If you don't like it, retune to House Style or some other such dross...
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A pretty critical write up on TG in this week's Private Eye. As usual sharp and to the point.Worth a read.
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Quite agree, PU. In fact, for an annual cost of less than one fifth of the licence fee, Private Eye is a lot more entertaining...
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Illegitimi non carborundum!
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If Top Gear is dull/boring/past it what things would we all like to see on it to improve it?
In answer to your question, Phoenicks, I cannot speak for us all but IMHO:
I have long thought that they get the balance completely wrong on this show. Far too much fiddling about with fast cars most of us can only dream about but not nearly enough on practical car buying - the cars that the vast majority of us have no choice but be interested in.
So, they cover the right things but need to have far less on fast sports cars which cost more than our houses, and far more on affordable cars. Something you don't see alot on is basic maintenance issues - how to diy etc.
I also think JC is at his best behind the wheel doing a pre-written car review , rather than popping live wise-cracks in front of a studio audience...
Splodgeface
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So what cars are being test drivin in tonight's(Nov. 2)Top Gear episode?
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BMW M3 CSL (£58k of impracticality)
Mk I M3
Mk II M5
BMW M1
You get the picture.....
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OK, I give up. It's 8.50, Top Gear is 50 mins into an hour long show. So far they have mentioned Lancia (a bucket of rusty bits) Volvo (a 240 jumping over caravans) and I suppose the Stig Jag and the Suzuki with Steven Fry in appeared for about 15 seconds. Other than that BMW, BMW, BMW, BMW, BMW, the cheapest of which seemed to be £60k (without radio, A/C etc).
Now that little arrogant, know-it-all chap in the leather jacket gets to the IoM and says something about the Porsche Boxster and is then shown driving a car round the Iom ---and guess what it is? a !"£$%^&* BMW.
Here's an idea for the next show - how about how many BWM CSLs an X5 can jump over?
Who sponsors this show? When did you last see a car you might drive on the show? Yes we all have our "fantasy cars" and dream of winning Le Mans and I bet we could all drive a car round the track faster than Stig, but could it be something other than a BMW?
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I thought I'd tuned into an hour's worth of BMW adverts. Went to wash the pots at 8.40am. Yawn.
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Yes, very dissapointing this last 2 weeks.
What was that nonsense about the Stig ?
Caravans , Volvos , Evil Knevil ? Boring.
They did supercars last week, why BMW M series and sports cars this week ? Why on earth was it necessary to drive on the wrong side of the road half the time in IOM ?
Important legislation concerning mobile telephones coming up with a lot of misinformation and confusion out there amongst the motoring public. TG's response, big joke and muddy the waters further.
Supercars ? once a series please.
The comparison between Polo petrol and diesel was interesting but a bit shallow. They showed that the diesel was great on M25, but surely they should have compared town use, and total cost of ownership.
I'll watch next week, but if it is all about Porches and the like again I'll be looking elsewhere.
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still enjoy TG, but not as much - presenters trying to be comedians doesn't work. They are there to report/inform and can get the stories across while using a little humour, not to "perform" - all bec there's a live, mainly blokey audience.
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That was the longest running BMW advert in history. As for the Poxster, Z4 and S2000 thing, what on earth was all that about?
I'm glad I taped the C4 prog on super string theory, if I hadn't I'd have been more upset.
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I dont like BMWs much at all but I would still like to see the new episode. Did anyone record it to .mpg or .avi? If so you could upload it to my FTP ;)
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I think the line that summed it up was "People only buy a Boxster because they can't afford a 911"
I had a job scrapping the cash together for my Rover 75. I feel so cheated that I should have bought a Jag X-type or something with more badge snobbery.
Surprisingly at least JC rated the S2000 but then he drives a £80,000 Mercedes.
One more episode and if it's no better, that's it.
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I'm not a big viewer of motoring programmes but I did catch Fifth Gear (Channel 5, shock horror) last week. It featured a comparison of budget cars such as the Ford Ka and Hyundai Getz. This was a moderately interesting item because it's amazing what you can buy for around the £7000 mark. In the olden days venturing into this sector of the market would have meant buying a Lada, a rear-engined Skoda or, worse still, an FSO (aka Polski FIAT).
The point is this item would have been of far more use/interest to the average viewer than a lot of artily filmed BMWs.
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I might be looking through rose tinted specs, but I thought Top Gear back in the early 90's was very good, they used to pack in quite a bit of stuff for 30 minutes and they had a good mix of news, car reviews etc.
Don't like the new program much (but for some reason I still watch it)
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Having regard to last night's effort, one has to agree there was a bit much BMW, but what was more annoying was all the useless waffle to make a half hour programme last an hour; which I spent waiting to see the promised RX8 which never appeared (did they lunch it?).
But I do not want a programme devoted to cars I can afford; they are too boring!
Rudolf
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I'm amazed that the opinion of the programme seemed to be that using a mobile phone whilst driving was ok. These people need to live in the real world sometimes.
I think it would be a good idea for them to have the price of the cars they time round the track to be displayed as well as the time taken, perhaps even work out a 'cost per second' for each car. Mind you, I suspect a bicycle would win then, which wouldn't do.
I feel sorry for the Isle of Man, they may well now get invaded by lots of adolescent middle-aged men in expensive cars making their roads just about unusable by anyone else, at least in safety.
I find the programme mildly entertaining but I am fed up with tyre smoke now and tests of cars which cost as much as a house up North. It's nice to see such cars tested but please, not so often. How about a 5 minute section where the technology that goes into a modern car is intelligently discussed and explained? Surely the viewers wouldn't switch off in droves if they had to think for a few minutes?
Bring back William Woollard.
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Bring back William Woollard.
5th Gear did - tonight!
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With my usual reluctance, I switched over to it at 8.30, hoping that I hadn\'t missed the RX8 feature (a friend is very interested in one), so thanks for confirming that I missed nothing. This programme remains a waste of the BBC\'s precious resources to inform and educate; that 3 million people find it entertaining enough to sustain the project in the schedules is to me quite depressing. The cat called \"Stig\" item . . . the loutish attitude to the new mobile phone legislation . . . yet more coverage -- YAWN -- of irrelevant cars . . . we, the licence-paying viewing public, deserve better than this. And, yes, I\'ve had a numbered response from the BBC to a letter of protest, but they\'re not interested, and of course they can\'t find the resources for the sort of serious motoring programme that the other 24 million motorists would welcome.
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I dont know if i'm the only one to defend it but its a damn sight more interesting than any other car programme on telly.
Normal car buying can be decent if its short and punchy - like Driven, but if people find £7k budget buying a Getz better viewing than hearing and seeing an M3 CSL definitely need to get out more.
Its a prime time sunday evening slot - so it has to be entertaining. Who's going to like an hour of techincal dullness. Regards William Woolard that was Top Gear with capital D - for Damn its Dull.
3500's - regards the Boxster v S2000 v Z4 what do you mean what was all that about? Its about the current best everday sports car. I dont see what the complaint is? Would you rather they showed how to change the radiator on a 1989 Rover 214?!!!!
Regards the BMW thing, no one would have minded if they'd done an hour of Ferrari, but plenty more people have BMW's - slightly more relevant me thinks. Also there was talk of expensive supercars, but I do believe you can pick up an old M3 for £7k and an M5 like the one shown for £12k. not unaffordable i think. I think it was a BMW issue, so whats the problem? Plenty of magazines and programmes have episodes devoted to one make.
If i want to hear about dull as ditch water cars, buying guides on dull cars and no entertainment i'll read What Car magazine. I dont know why you're all complaining as its not a bad programme at all. You'll all be the first people to complain if its get the plug pulled and we dont have anything else.
If you dont like it dont watch it.
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I'm on the side of "it's entertainment with a motoring bias" rather than a serious motoring show.
I watch it for the humour and the sight/sound of V6s and tyre's smoking. Wouldn't take a word they say seriously. With so many channels offering programs on rebuilds, classics, kits etc, BBC has opted for the entertainment format and the viewing figures show that they have it right. A more serious program, such as the old mid-week half hour of the early 80s (cue dull chap showing you around a Metro assembly line) simply wouldn't cut it today.
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Hi,
Im new to this forum and this is my first post!!
I have to agree with Phoenicks. Although I am not a fan of BMW, I did enjoy Top Gear. JC really hates the Z4 but his overidding influence on the show did not prevent a fair test. I would have chosen the Boxster but not in yellow.
As for the show overall, its a winner. James May is very funny in many ways that JC cannot be.
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Hi Submariner, and welcome.
Thanks for the kind words. Apart from you and Nitroburner i thought i was on my own there!
Yeah, James May is funny in a certain dry way....
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There's a few of us then Pheonicks, I'm with you Submariner (welcome) and Nitroburner. I personally find it entertaining and actually like the format. On a Sunday evening it's exactly the sort of programme I need.
As for the caravans, best thing they could have done to them.
Paul
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James May in a decent Pub. Real beer and banter. I bet he's a bludy good laugh. Dry or what. (No, not the pub you fools!)
Regards.
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I'm with Phoenicks with this one, jumping caravans with a Volvo 240GL is a work of genius! Dare I say there's a a bit of a sense of humour breakdown round here?!
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Normal car buying can be decent if its short and punchy - like Driven, but if people find £7k budget buying a Getz better viewing than hearing and seeing an M3 CSL definitely need to get out more.
I don't deny needing to get out more and I only said 'moderately interesting'. The point I was trying to make is that such an item would definitely be of interest to someone looking for a new car that they could afford whereas the BMW-fest would only be of use to a well-heeled minority. I'm not rich, or even comfortably off, but could pay cash for a new Hyundai whereas most of the cars on Top Gear cost more than my house a few years ago.
Top Gear is now fairly puerile entertainment and little more although I'd agree that some of the outdoor filming looks stunning. Maybe I've become jaded because earlier this year I saw the trailer for the truncated BBC World version of the programme, in which Clarkeson seemed to be making a petrolheads' lib speech, a few many times. I do occasionally watch it for the same reason that I used to watch Clarkson's chat show. He's entertaining because he's annoying, not in spite of it.
I don't think you can say 'if you don't like it don't watch it' about a BBC programme. We're all entitled to criticise because all pay for the programmes.
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I think the line that summed it up was "People only buy a Boxster because they can't afford a 911"
There's another way of looking at that. Why pay the extra for the 911 cab over a Boxter S?
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