Top Gear on American Cars

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Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
They all make fun of the cars that each of them have.

Clarkson is a Mercedes guy so the other guys make fun of them, Richard is into 911's and classic American cars, and James May is a Ferrari guy, and also the man from 1947....

Clarkson owned a GT40 which didn't work out very well and likes the ZR1.


This season the big ongoing joke is Richard's GT3 which could burst into flames at any moment, a few years go it was James new 458.


I think this is why no other Top Gear other than the UK version will ever be so good. These three guys have a repoire and fluidity to their dialogue that you just can't capture with a script (I'm sure Top Gear UK is scripted, but I'm also sure they give their hosts some flexibility). That all three of them are highly accomplished narrators and hosts just makes it all the more special.

Nothing against the three guys doing Top Gear US, they all seem like fine people.... but there's nothing off-the-cuff going on there. It feels like they're rigidly sticking to a script that was handed to them, as opposed to witty banter among three close friends.
 
This will make you laugh. The most enthused I've ever seen Clarkson was when he drove the Ford Probe, in the US. He loved it and predicted it would be a huge success.
 
Originally Posted By: Mykl

I think this is why no other Top Gear other than the UK version will ever be so good. These three guys have a repoire and fluidity to their dialogue that you just can't capture with a script (I'm sure Top Gear UK is scripted, but I'm also sure they give their hosts some flexibility). That all three of them are highly accomplished narrators and hosts just makes it all the more special.

Nothing against the three guys doing Top Gear US, they all seem like fine people.... but there's nothing off-the-cuff going on there. It feels like they're rigidly sticking to a script that was handed to them, as opposed to witty banter among three close friends.


If you go back and watch early episodes of the current BBC TG lineup, they were not nearly as polished as today.

I'd like to see History Channel give the US iteration time to gel. But it wouldn't break my heart if someone replaced Adam. If they could afford Leno now that he's not doing the Tonight Show gig, hmmmmm.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
If you go back and watch early episodes of the current BBC TG lineup, they were not nearly as polished as today.

I'd like to see History Channel give the US iteration time to gel. But it wouldn't break my heart if someone replaced Adam. If they could afford Leno now that he's not doing the Tonight Show gig, hmmmmm.


That's a good point, and I agree about Adam. Tanner and Rut are both cool, and given time they might be great.

I wonder if Leno would do it just for the fun of it, and not for a big paycheck. It would be interesting to at least see him as a frequent guest.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
I like him, he gets to drive cool cars and punched Piers Morgan in the face. I would buy him a beer.


11.gif


I'd buy him one
too!
 
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Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: javacontour
If you go back and watch early episodes of the current BBC TG lineup, they were not nearly as polished as today.

I'd like to see History Channel give the US iteration time to gel. But it wouldn't break my heart if someone replaced Adam. If they could afford Leno now that he's not doing the Tonight Show gig, hmmmmm.


That's a good point, and I agree about Adam. Tanner and Rut are both cool, and given time they might be great.

I wonder if Leno would do it just for the fun of it, and not for a big paycheck. It would be interesting to at least see him as a frequent guest.


I don't care for Tanner that much.

Rut is a slightly more lively May and Adam is a more oafish and destructive Clarkson, but Tanner doesn't really fit the Hammond role.

I can't see Leno not being a frequent guest.
 
I think US TG needs a whole new line, maybe keep Rut but trying to reverse engineer the BBC version is part of the challenge. They need to do things on their own.


As for Clarkson and the BBC, I enjoy it. The Brit-fandom of their UK products is the same as I see from US journalist toward US products and similar criticism to other "outside" makes. Jaguar is not that good. Folks just use different metrics for vehicles and that is fine and that is part of the fun.

Funny thing, I think Clarkson is the biggest "American" of them all. Patriotic, confrontational, outspoken, independent, and hedonistic.
 
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Originally Posted By: javacontour


I recall the SVT Lightning they had. It was hideous. The fit and finish was embarrassing.


The only examples of poor fit and finish they came up with in that truck was to leave the power outlet cover and cup holders partially open...on purpose, for theatrics and humor. The show is meant to be humorous first, factual second.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: javacontour


I recall the SVT Lightning they had. It was hideous. The fit and finish was embarrassing.


The only examples of poor fit and finish they came up with in that truck was to leave the power outlet cover and cup holders partially open...on purpose, for theatrics and humor. The show is meant to be humorous first, factual second.


No, even just looking at it, the fit and finish really WAS bad. The fit of interior panels, and interior panel gaps was horrific.
 
It was bad. That era of F-150 was bad. I used to drive one daily at work.

But I think Clarkson's perceived hatred for American cars is a touch over-blown and/or mis-stated. He (and they all) love the Ford Focus and the Ford Mondeo. He deplores heavy and bloated vehicles, and many of the American-branded cars they've sampled have had those qualities. Clarkson loves the Focus and hates the F-150. He used to own a Ford GT. I think what we can deduce from that is not necessarily that he hates American cars, but that he hates large/heavy cars/trucks that drive poorly.
 
It's television. That means 'entertainment'.

I am amazed that anyone would even consider it as factual.

I remember when he was blabbing about how bad my car was. I wish he could have been with me at Homestead as I was out-braking the guy with the trailered-in Porsche racer at around 155-160 mph as we entered the infield raceway off the big oval.

I'd be the first to tell you that my car is a bit lacking in raw road feel but it is a 4 door luxury car, not a track rat...
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I think what we can deduce from that is not necessarily that he hates American cars, but that he hates large/heavy cars/trucks that drive poorly.


unless it says Aston Martin on the front... then he is a bit less critical.
wink.gif



Actually, I know quite a few brits who are fond of Ford. One (also a former Porsche driver/dealership owner) thought Ford was an English brand growing up. There is that fondness for Ford in the UK because they tailored their products better than other US companies to that market.
 
It's television entertainment. If it isn't UK built it's garbage, with a few rare exceptions
smile.gif

(German cars, Italian sports cars, UK/German built Ford).

If it's French or US made, it's garbage... including UK/German built GM (Opel/Vauxhall).
 
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
I think US TG needs a whole new line, maybe keep Rut but trying to reverse engineer the BBC version is part of the challenge. They need to do things on their own.


As for Clarkson and the BBC, I enjoy it. The Brit-fandom of their UK products is the same as I see from US journalist toward US products and similar criticism to other "outside" makes. Jaguar is not that good. Folks just use different metrics for vehicles and that is fine and that is part of the fun.

Funny thing, I think Clarkson is the biggest "American" of them all. Patriotic, confrontational, outspoken, independent, and hedonistic.


Clarkson also refers to the war every 5 minutes whenever Germans are around. He has a great series about traveling threw Europe and the German episode is very funny.

TG also does road trips that the US show can't match, right now they are in the disputed territory of Burma, but have been to Iraq a number of times as well.

Generally outside of the US their are better driving roads with higher speed limits and more lax law enforcement. Whenever they come here they always cry about getting stuck on good roads in super cars doing 35...like Clarkson said about his SLS might as well keep it in comfort mode. Vs say Romania or Poland where you can be on better roads and let them fly.
 
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Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Generally outside of the US their are better driving roads with higher speed limits and more lax law enforcement. Whenever they come here they always cry about getting stuck on good roads in super cars doing 35...like Clarkson said about his SLS might as well keep it in comfort mode. Vs say Romania or Poland where you can be on better roads and let them fly.


*richpeopleproblems*

I get that I would prefer to live in an area where I had less to worry about when I was attacking an amazing mountain backroad, but after a great many "sport touring" trips in the southeast in the Smokey and Blue Ridge Mountains, I have yet to get a single ticket either in my car or past sport bikes.... going as fast as I felt safe. I've spent a lot of time autocrossing and doing track days, so I'm pretty comfortable pushing a car to the edge of it's traction circle.

Maybe if I had a Ferrari I'd be annoyed. But in my plebian GTI I feel like I can enjoy those roads going as fast as I want.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R

No, even just looking at it, the fit and finish really WAS bad. The fit of interior panels, and interior panel gaps was horrific.


Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
It was bad. That era of F-150 was bad. I used to drive one daily at work.


Oh please. Sit in any other mainstream circa 1997 interior and point out what's better. And yes, I am including Japanese cars in that. I have been in plenty of Japanese cars from that era with floppy door panels, fabric trim coming off, broken trim pieces, etc. Go down the Help! aisle in any parts store and you will find interior and exterior door handles for Camrys in stock, always. Lots of things break in German cars from that era too and they usually smell like crayons, but the finish was better when new, and you paid for it. They are also luxury cars, the F-150 was not, even if people option it up like one today. "British" cars from this era are often not running anyway. Not uncommon to see 3rd gen Range Rovers dumped behind shops to rot away.

The F-150 was on par with other mainstream, non-luxury vehicles. The Lighting, though a limited production version, was not a luxury vehicle. It's price tag was all about the hand built, supercharged engine under the hood.

I've driven a few of these '97-'03 trucks recently, and their interiors actually hold up BETTER than many other vehicles from the same period...no gaping holes or cracks in the dash, no broken console lids, no broken door handles, etc. The worst ones had broken down driver's side seat foam and maybe a broken armrest on bucket seat trucks.
 
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Tanner and Rut are both cool, and given time they might be great.


As in Tanner Foust??
(I've never seen the U.S. version of this show.)


yup, that's him

top-gear-usa-hosts.jpg
 
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