Top Gear thread

[Mustangfan2003]

I was just thinking that with the ads the show seems rushed a bit.  How would you guys feel about a top gear like show to air on HBO or Showtime? 

[the Teuton]

I was just thinking that with the ads the show seems rushed a bit.  How would you guys feel about a top gear like show to air on HBO or Showtime? 

It would be a much better show.

[hotrodalex]

But it would have a much smaller audience.

[MaxPower]

Who's the random dude on the end?

That's the guy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the ex-boyfriend--he was naked in it, hence the Rutledge joke about having clothes on.  I don't know what his name is.

[the Teuton]

But it would have a much smaller audience.

But it wouldn't be in any sort of imminent danger of having its plug pulled early on, either.

Look at Californication. It's only gotten more popular the longer it's been on.

[Mustangfan2003]

But it wouldn't be in any sort of imminent danger of having its plug pulled early on, either.

Look at Californication. It's only gotten more popular the longer it's been on.

Yeah it's rare that a show on those networks gets the plug pulled early. 

[the Teuton]

Yeah it's rare that a show on those networks gets the plug pulled early. 

The hosts on History also seem too reserved to give their negative thoughts towards cars. Even the SLS review was half-hearted.

Kid Rock said he hated the Suzuki. No one else has come up with such an honest opinion on that show.

Also, personal nitpick: They explain the wrong things. Why explain about slow parts of race tracks, yet when their explanation behind the contest rules on the American cars resurrection episode were glossed over at best, as well as the new Roadmaster. Who designed it? Why that design exactly? Why didn't they explain what was going on at the beginning of the show with it?

[Mustangfan2003]

I can tell you why they were reserved, Mercedes helps pay the bills.  Kinda like when Jalopnik had Toyota ads plastered everywhere you didn't see anything negative posted on the site until the ads were taken down. 

[Rich]

On tonight:

Tanner goes to England to try out a sports car made from wood--with surprising results, and the three of them race against each other from Miami to Key West in car, boat and plane. Michelle Rodriguez gets on the Top Gear test track.

yes!

[the Teuton]

I can tell you why they were reserved, Mercedes helps pay the bills.  Kinda like when Jalopnik had Toyota ads plastered everywhere you didn't see anything negative posted on the site until the ads were taken down. 

I thought that was beyond disingenuous.

[Colin]

Three sports cars, bought in Georgia, air-freighted into Iraq, a trip across the Syrian desert, some breathtaking scenery, and the final arrival in Bethlehem......... it can only be the Top Gear Christmas special......... definitely worth watching! It's just finished airing here in the UK.

Enjoy!

And yes, all praise to the Fiat Barchetta!

[68_427]

Three sports cars, bought in Georgia, air-freighted into Iraq, a trip across the Syrian desert, some breathtaking scenery, and the final arrival in Bethlehem......... it can only be the Top Gear Christmas special......... definitely worth watching! It's just finished airing here in the UK.

Enjoy!

And yes, all praise to the Fiat Barchetta!

Been downloading it.  Can't wait to watch.

[hotrodalex]

Been downloading it.  Can't wait to watch.

Same here. It's gonna take awhile though. Lots of people downloading, not as many uploading... My share ratio is way over 1 and I've only downloaded 13%.

[68_427]

Vuze estimates just under an hour left for me.  72% right now

[68_427]

As I posted that the DL speed went to almost .5mb/s

[Laconian]

As I posted that the DL speed went to almost .5mb/s

VTAK

[CJ]

[hotrodalex]

Watching the original right before watching the American version is not a good idea.

[Mustangfan2003]

I already saw the US version and about to watch the UK version. 

[SVT666]

This is painful.  I'm downloading it off Finalgear.com right now and I'ma averaging about 30 kB/s.

[SVT666]

I was expecting an epic journey across the middle east...but what we got was very underwhelming.  Almost boring.  I wouldn't even waste my time watching it if I were any of you who haven't seen it yet.

North Pole = Epic
Vietnam = Epic
Bolivia = Epic
Botswana = Epic
USA 1 = Nearly Epic
USA 2 = Nearly Nearly Epic

Iraq = Epic Fail

[Mustangfan2003]

Yeah I admit this one was a little bit of a let down. 

[ChrisV]

The hosts on History also seem too reserved to give their negative thoughts towards cars. Even the SLS review was half-hearted.

No other American car show ever says anything even SLIGHTLY bad about the cars they review. Ever watch Motorweek, or the half hour infomertials masquerading as car and truck shows on Speed? Fact is, Tanner had said earlier in the year that they were told they didn't have to pull any punches with the cars if they felt like it.

[L. ed foote]

No other American car show ever says anything even SLIGHTLY bad about the cars they review. Ever watch Motorweek, or the half hour infomertials masquerading as car and truck shows on Speed? Fact is, Tanner had said earlier in the year that they were told they didn't have to pull any punches with the cars if they felt like it.

Correct.  And it's not like Tanner was lavishing praise all over the Morgan in yesterday's episode.

If people are looking for "OMG, I can't believe I have to drive this piece of shit, let's drop an anvil on it" type criticism, I don't think they're going to find it.  There are better ways to get your point across.

[hotrodalex]

Well the US hosts don't have many ways of getting their point across. Their vocab is very limited. It's not something that will make me stop watching, but I do notice it. Of course maybe it's just that the British hosts simply have a different vocabulary because they live in a different country, and the British audience thinks their vocab is limited too.

[Raza]

I'm watching the GM episode now.  I'd choose the Corvair. 

[SVT666]

Well the US hosts don't have many ways of getting their point across. Their vocab is very limited. It's not something that will make me stop watching, but I do notice it. Of course maybe it's just that the British hosts simply have a different vocabulary because they live in a different country, and the British audience thinks their vocab is limited too.

You think this because you never hear the words the British hosts use because they are from another country.  If you haven't noticed the British hosts use the same vocab in every episode.  (i)Brilliant(/i) being the most common word they use.

[the Teuton]

You think this because you never hear the words the British hosts use because they are from another country.  If you haven't noticed the British hosts use the same vocab in every episode.  (i)Brilliant(/i) being the most common word they use.

I disagree. Yes, they use a British vocab, but it's more poetic, more fluid.

Listen to the American hosts and every other sentence is a simile--which the Brits do, too, but they don't make a habit of it in the same obsessive way. The Brit hosts can get away with it because they're smooth enough to make it work. The American hosts all seem bogged down by their lack of knowledge of the English language.

Also, come on, they survived going into Iraq...and the end...I thought this episode was a perfect example of why the American series will never be as good as the British one. You think they could do the same thing?

[Laconian]

Do they flog the words awesome and awesomeness to death?

[Rich]

That is AWESOME