***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 4 *****
Quite simply, the best episode ever tonight (25th July) and in this one episode they demonstrated why this show is so successful.
From fun on the ice, to the world's fastest car, to the world's most popular actors to a piece on arguably the best Formula 1 driver.
How do they follow this though??
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 28 Aug 10 at 02:23
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Yes a good one, the first one I have watched all the way through for a while.
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Because of the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz bit my wife was going to watch at least that bit. She watched probably 90% (had some ironing to do). And was interested in the Senna coverage.
If they did more shows like this then we'd complain less. And Tom Cruise appeared to be fast as was Cameron Diaz.
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>>And Tom Cruise appeared to be fast as was Cameron Diaz>>
The latter topped the (not yet too long) fastest drivers wall chart listing initially until JC revealed that Cruise had just pipped her time.
But Cameron appears to be no mug behind a steering wheel.
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>> The latter topped the (not yet too long) fastest drivers wall chart listing initially until
>> JC revealed that Cruise had just pipped her time.
They haven't had Simon Cowell on the show for a re-run yet. Bring him back, then get JK and Kevin McCloud to severely thrash him :-)
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Forgot to say that Cruise's two-wheels final corner flourish was very spectacular...
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The only fast driver from the last car to judge this by is Peter Jones and Rupert Grint beat him.... so assuming Peter Jones drove the C'eed well then Cruise was fast.
Maybe they need a stig time to aim for? If the stig did it in 1 minute 41 sec then you know the car can go faster without compromising safety too much.
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Excellent show for a change, no silly Komic Kapers and James May seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. Ref. Tom Cruise, it's claimed (in some authoritative circles) that the Ducati used in the fil is a fake based on a much smaller bike as old Cruise is rather lacking in the stature department.....
Guess he won't be buying a GS sometime soon...!
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If you see the rerun of the show, check out the heels on his shoes. He has cuban heels, AND lifts inside. Either way he is still a S/A.
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Hands up all those who think Cruise was driving when it went up on two wheels?
The cynic in me says he wasn't but they have now created a vision that they will always be able to refer to. They will probably even name it Cruise corner.....
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Hands up who thought the Touareg was driven down the ski slope by the Hamster.
Not me. As capable driver as he is there was an element of familiarity with the route and very aggressive controlled drive in a very experienced rally driver sort of way.
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I certainly didn't think Hammond was driving down that 'course'.
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No chance, think of the shows insurance bill, even if we are paying it.
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As soon as I saw a shot where the front wheels were turned into the line of a corner, well before the corner, then the other way to provoke controlled oversteer before the turn, I thought of Y Muller ice racing or a top rally driver, not Hammond.
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Willman (exec producer of the show) was on Chris Evans this morning. I thought I heard that the F1 piece was expensive to show (probably due to Bernies pension fees) and will only be shown once more, tonight on BBC2, then not shown again.
So if you want it, tape it.
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>> So if you want it, tape it.
Or grab it from iPlayer. And take off the DRM.
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Its easier to tape or pvr it. Wont have DRM, and better quality.
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Why the discussion on who was driving what and when?
It's an entertainment show pure and simple. A cartoon would be just as factual!
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But don't you want just a bit o honesty sometimes - so much is faked on TV nowadays that it's impossible to tell what is 'real' and what isn't.
Anyway, I don't think that Hammond was driving the difficult pieces in that course.
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>> The cynic in me says he wasn't but they have now created a vision that
>> they will always be able to refer to. They will probably even name it Cruise
>> corner.....
Or tom turn
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>> The only fast driver from the last car to judge this by is Peter Jones
>> and Rupert Grint beat him.... so assuming Peter Jones drove the C'eed well then Cruise
>> was fast.
>>
>> Maybe they need a stig time to aim for? If the stig did it in
>> 1 minute 41 sec then you know the car can go faster without compromising safety
>> too much.
>>
And you'd need to allow for the different body weights of a giant such as Peter Jones compared with a midget that is TC.
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Could it be the Cee'd is now getting run in, so has more power available as the series goes on?
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The engines are very tight when new, at least my diesel was. Now at 5,000 miles it has loosened up well.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 26 Jul 10 at 20:14
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I'm not a huge fan although I always try to watch it and watched this one on iplayer.
The whole thing was made a bit lopsided by the presence of the Cruises in all their sinister Hollywood glory, not all that charming in my book either of them although you never know what people might be like in person until you, er, do. Has Mrs Cruise had any cosmetic surgery one can't help wondering? Of course his dentist deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor. But they thanked our man fairly nicely, in a condescending sort of way, for helping them promote their nosediving new straight-to-DVD film.
I thought James May looked as if his piles were playing up more than usual although he enjoyed redlining that absurd Bugatti thing in top, as anyone would have done.
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Mrs Cruise? I didnt see Katie Holmes anywhere. I saw Cameron Diaz though...
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IIRC, Tom Cruise shares the same height issues as the Hamster. No micky taking about it though.
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Nature of my work occasionally brings me into close proximity with so-called "celebrities" Fashion industry social events mostly where they've been hauled in at great expense by a brand trying to up its profile or when they've been drafted in ( again at great expense ) to consult on, or even more ludicrously purport to "design" a collection to which they then apply their name. As it happens I was standing next to and chatting to one such individual only the other day in the head offices of a major UK fashion chain.
Preposterously enough I had to agree to deny all knowledge of having encountered that person if asked by any lurking journos.
Anyway, the point is, almost always one is given a strict set of guidelines before being allowed into the presence of these people. Certain conversational subjects are taboo ( such as their history with chemicals for example ) Remarks on their appearance are a no no unless limited to pleasantries. No handshaking, kissing etc unless they initiate it and so on. I can quite imagine that it may have been the case that making no reference to Mr Cruise's height was a condition of the interview.
Having said that, some of the ones you would imagine to be precious are absolutely not and some of the ones you would think would be friendly and relaxed are impossibly conceited in real life.
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Mon 26 Jul 10 at 21:52
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I also assume that any references to the Church of Scientology were banned as well.
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Stayed in a hotel/apartment in Florence around the corner from somewhere ickle Tom Cruise will have probably visited. I think some rooms overlooked the place where the Scientology people stayed. Walked past the entrance etc many times.
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>> Mrs Cruise? I didnt see Katie Holmes
Ah, ooh, shows what I know. Apart from that though, what has Rome ever done for us?
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I recorded TG on my £50 LG DVD recorder that I bought to replace the ole VCR,
I put the prog on last night but it bored the tits off me tbh,
So I didn't get to see the 2 yanks drive an excee'dingly good Kia,
I didn't go a bunch on that Cameron Diaz either or whatever her name is,
I enjoyed the first 2 progs of the new gnu series though,
so if anyone thinks I should watch the other arf of the program - speak now, or forever hold thy peace :)
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yes Dog the ayrton senna bit by jc was sincere and very moving
i have no interest in f1 but i think it was the best piece of journo jc ever did
the rest of the programme was indeed rubbish
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I didn't go a bunch on that Cameron Diaz either or whatever her name is,
Dog,
I am of an age that can't help thinking of Dr Cameron in Dr Finlay's Casebook everytime I read/hear her name. Fearsome driver though.
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From some of the chat on here, I'd thought TG had finallly come up with a decent programme.
Watched the early part last night and couldn't keep my eyes open.
Just confirmed my view that TG is no longer worth watching.
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We came this close (>>> <<<<) to killing Tom Cruise. You can't say the BBC doesn't try to do a public service... ;-)
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Iffi, what would you like to see on Top Gear?
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...Iffi, what would you like to see on Top Gear?...
Less jerking around and the reintroduction of proper motoring journalism.
At present, it's just thre blokes having vaguely motoring related fun - great for them, but to me it's like sex - not a spectator sport.
Cars are essentially dull lumps of metal, and the rask of making them interesting in not an easy one, but TG has gone about it in the wrong way.
I don't watch the programme, but buying and selling is one area they seem to ignore.
And you can get plenty of personalities, by which I mean, interest, in that.
Fly-on-the-wall reports from car showrooms, follow a trader around an auction, follow a deal from start to finish, including stuff from the customer.
Where do new cars come from? Report from an import centre.
How do cars get to the garage? Report a day in the life of a transporter driver - film of someone such as gb on here at work would make fascinating viewing and listening.
Valeting - Stu - or another valeter - has plenty of tales to tell.
None of the above ideas are entirely unique, there's an old saying in journalism, there are no new stories, only names, dates, places and people change.
But I reckon features such as I have suggested would slaughter TGs present output.
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>> But I reckon features such as I have suggested would slaughter TGs present output.
Compared to Car darts? boats made from cars? the italian supercar wrecks with Clarksons engine innards errupting from the exhaust pipe? Setting fire to a caravan?
At times TG has had me in tears of mirth. Your lot would have me in bed early.
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Depends on whether you believe its intended to be a motoring program or an entertainment program.
I believe it is intended to be entertainment, and if it was aimed more seriously at motoring I wouldn't watch it. I suspect that the amount of people wishing/willing to watch an entertainment program with cars in it is considerably higher than those wishing to watch a grown up motoring program.
Having said that I do believe its gone past its sell-by date.
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>>>But I reckon features such as I have suggested would slaughter TGs present output.
Iffy, tell me your tongue was planted firmly in your cheek when you made that comment?? Is this the same Top Gear that, I think, is BBC's 2nd most profitable product and sold all around the world?
Tonight Mr Average Australian, we were going to show the new Veyron but instead lets follow this car transporter driver........
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i read iffyies post
and thought
what a great programme that would be
i got filmed today-
hope if it goes live my grey bits look good :-(
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...e were going to show the new Veyron but instead lets follow this car transporter driver....
Bobby,
I can't believe viewers are not bored to tears of shots of the latest supercar drifting around a test track.
My point is that cars are inanimate, boring objects, but people are living, interesting beings.
Look at what people are talking about on here from the last programme - Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Ayrton Senna - spot the connection?
OK, Senna's dead, but I'm sure you get where I'm coming from.
So you don't make a programme about cars, you make a programme about people who are something to do with cars.
One of the ways Top Gear does this is by making the presenters the stars of the show, which is an easy, safe and predictable thing to do.
Get out and about, knock on a few doors, and you never know what fascinating characters you might uncover.
But it's far easier to ring Amanda at the press office and get her to deliver the latest toy for you to play around with.
And ideas can always be developed - how about getting the transporter driver to test what he usually only delivers?
That would give you the best of both worlds.
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>> I didn't go a bunch on that Cameron Diaz either or whatever her name is,
Oh I dunno, I expect if she asked me nicely......
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Join the queue behind Rattle.
JH
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>>Oh I dunno, I expect if she asked me nicely......<<
She's getting on in years mind ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CameronDiazJune09.jpg
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She was all over Jeremy Clarkson but she wasn't wearing any of that strange hair gel on.
You know - she wore it in Theres something about Mary
I was wondering if that was where Jedward got the idea ...........
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>>Fearsome driver though.<<
I'll watch the remainder tonight after the Devon disaster on Ch. 5 then Pugley,
I had heard about her driving earlier, just as well she didn't get her mitts on the Veryon then :O)
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Yeah, well - I watched the 2nd arf hour of TG just now and it was worth watching for the piece on Ayton Senna alone,
Plus Mr. Cruise doing a wheelie of course = Top (Gun) Man!
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Why all the carping about TG ? So many views are focused on how we see it in this little island. It's not just for the tiny audience in UK - it's a worldwide phenomenon with many spin offs. It's making millions for the commercial arm of the BBC. If it turns into a copy of a cheapo Channel 5 programme it'll delay the UK economic recovery by all of maybe ...er.... 30 minutes.
E.g. There was I on a platform at the main Delhi railway station and the bookstall was selling Top Gear magazine. A week or so later I saw posters promoting it in northern India close to the Himalayas.
Keep on trucking guys.
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Yeah, well - I watched the 2nd arf hour of TG just now and it was worth watching for the piece on Ayton Senna alone,
>
>>>>>>>>>> told you :-)
real jouno stuff with a real tear
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Shows JC can be quite good at serious stuff as we was on that programme about Brunel.
But Top Gear is entertainment which happens to use cars... I still enjoy it enough to watch when it's on.
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>> Shows JC can be quite good at serious stuff as we was on that programme
>> about Brunel.
That documentray JC did on Op Chariot in WW2 (HMS Campbeltown ramming the docks in St Nazaire) was top dollar.
His passion about it was glaringly obvious and showed me he has a lot more to him that his on screen buffoonery.... and his willingness to be politically incorrect, (which I admire).
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All three of them are really good at that and have done many excellent documentary style programmes showing that they can do it... which makes me all the more frustrated that they can't do the same for a motoring programme without going into childish mode...
But hey-ho, it sells well all over the world so what do i know, eh!
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>> That documentray JC did on Op Chariot in WW2 (HMS Campbeltown ramming the >>docks in St Nazaire) was top dollar.
>>
Anyone got any ideas how I could get hold of a copy of it. I'd like to see it again.
Bear in mind i'm a bit of technophobe.
A Google search shows it was made by an outfit called North One Productions, BBC search comes up empty, as do a few others.
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Just trying to download it via BitTorrent now. If it downloads okay I will sort out getting it to you.
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It's slow.... need someone with the file on that is seeding it as a torrent to turn on their computer. Barely getting 1Kb/s!
Maybe it will spring into life overnight. I'll leave it downloading on the NAS because I think it will be interesting to watch. Not seen it myself hence the download.
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Westpig, if you still want a copy of this show then contact me via the mods. You may already know my email address (maybe we exchanged emails before). I finally got a complete copy via the net.
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>> Westpig, if you still want a copy of this show then contact me via the
>> mods. You may already know my email address (maybe we exchanged emails before). I finally got a complete copy via the net.
>>
Very grateful thanks to rtj70 for putting himself out and helping me on this.
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((>>>>>>>>>> told you :-) real jouno stuff with a real tear))
Yeah.
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Top Gear
absolutely great tonight
jc got hammered for his tongue slavering tonight for last weeks programme (well deserved )
and tonights offering going to old haunts----first class
i was going to comment on anyone who doesnt shed a tear for our lost history has never had dirt under their nails but they basically said the same
last episode 10/10
tops--------
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 00:46
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So is it me or did Wilman and Clarksgon listen to the fans and actually drive the product the way people wanted it to AND they suceeded? I think they have nailed it with this last series, ive been very impressed and my word they have upped their game with the celebs - id heard of all of them which is a first for an entire series!
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 00:47
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Last few weeks... Jonathon Ross no longer on the BBC. Celebs want to be on a BBC show with good ratings.... they end up on TopGear. Simple.
This sort of thing could always have happened but they went on Woss' show. Last week Cruise and Diaz were pushing a film that flopped in the States. Going on the BBC to try and rescue something. Tom Cruise is likely to have fees based on income at the box office.
Edit: And I bet it was not shorty driving all of the fast lap ;-)
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 00:47
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To the 'celebs' get paid to go on the show I wonder?
I agree this series has been brilliant and it really makes 5th Gear seem really stupid. The only slight inaccurate bit is they said the British sports car is dead but Lotus is still going very strong. It may be owned by Proton but they are still designed and made in the UK.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 00:47
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A pity they didn't make more of the end sequence with all the classic British sports cars in the empty TVR works... must have taken quite a bit of organising for maybe a minute of screen time, although I understand they sometimes have to drop entire items through pressure of space. I spotted at least a Jaguar and a Morgan in there, both marques still going of course.
The gag about fuel injected Astras catching fire was hilarious, I personally knew of three examples in the late 80s / early 90s that had fuel hoses come adrift and variously spray petrol all over the exhaust manifold / dump 10 gallons in Sandy market place one Saturday evening.
Fantastic programme again tonight, excellent series throughout, can't wait for the next one.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 00:46
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To be honest I can imagine nothing more boring about a Goffey going on about valve clearence settings for a car he is testing driving. Is that what people want?
Although I do think there is a need for an old fashioned road test car programme but it is for a different audience. Top Gear is a bit of fantesy and in the dull motoring world we live in today that is no bad thing.
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>> To be honest I can imagine nothing more boring about a Goffey going on about
>> valve clearence settings for a car he is testing driving.
What? Even when he's reviewing one of these?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M22RRH_Jat4
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Rattle, there's more to motoring than road tests... or drifting a supercar round a track whilst making inane comments... a point that the TG presenters seem to have forgotten in their blind quest for audience ratings!
You only have to look at the threads on this and other general motoring forums to see just how much variety can be had!
Last edited by: hobby on Mon 2 Aug 10 at 22:20
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I like TG just the way it is, I even quite liked 5th Gear when I remembered it was on.
If I want lots of tedious facts about current cars spec and pricing I'll read the back pages of a motoring mag.
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>> I even quite liked 5th Gear when I remembered it was on.
Currently Thursday evenings, and repeated Saturday mornings on Channel 5.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 3 Aug 10 at 12:53
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>> Rattle, there's more to motoring than road tests... or drifting a supercar round a track
>> whilst making inane comments... a point that the TG presenters seem to have forgotten in
>> their blind quest for audience ratings!
>>
>> You only have to look at the threads on this and other general motoring forums
>> to see just how much variety can be had!
>>
I thought, at one point that Clarkson, in his silly way, mentioned that there was/is a new Nissan Micraout but then passed straight, on thus giving the audience something to titter about as though it was infra dig to discuss such fripperies.
I, for one, would have liked to know about this car, in a sensible grown up way that is clearly not possible on this 'Goon show'.
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>> would have liked to know about this car, in a sensible grown up way
'Oh yes, and there's a new Nissan Micra.'
What more is a sensible grown-up going to say than that? It would take ages to establish that it was 3 mph slower than the old model at the top end and didn't handle quite as well, but still used a bit more petrol (or whatever). These are trivia surely?
Anyway, would a sensible grown-up person fit inside a Micra?
:o}
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Basically TG in its current format sells, and it sells well High Audience figures, and worldwide Audiences justify its budget
In this “throw it away” , and it “non user interference” world of goods, people aren’t interested in spark plug gaps, valve clearances and what not
I am, but I am catered for with the likes of Wheeler Dealers on the cable channels., which in all honesty the BBC should be catering me for I’m sure they could and it would be right at home on BBC2 or BBC 4.
I like it, and I like it more that SWMBO can sit down and watch it with me ( this means that I actually get to see it instead of recording it and watching it late at night). Quite frankly I don’t think she would have watched it in its original format and she isn’t the slightest bit interested in spark plug gaps, valve clearances and what not.
Because if it doesn’t work “then Citroen can fix it” and “I don’t see why it shouldn’t work after all its got diesel in it”
Last edited by: Redviper on Tue 3 Aug 10 at 15:40
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Its a nissan micra, what more do you need to know. Its for girls, so there is no need for you loose any more teeth over it OG.
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Just watched the final episode in the series and even wifey enjoyed it,
Liked the Diamond dogs, luved the new Ferrari,
I think JC is TG (Top Geezer?) he makes the show!
The Jensen factory was interesting/sad,
I might even think about buying a TV licence
I'm still thinking :)
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>> I'm still thinking :)
Hehehehe!
I really enjoyed Top Gear on Sunday. I burst out laughing when Clarkson was musing about the anagrams in the registrations of Hammond and May's cars then the camera pulled out to show the registration number of his - just pure funny!
I do understand where people are coming from when they complain about Top Gear not taking motoring seriously. This incarnantion does, after all, bear the same name as the version that did in depth reports with the likes of William Woollard and Chris Goffey. However, it's a very different beast now and I, for one, couldn't give a fish's tit whether the challenges are staged - it's funny and entertaining and I love to watch it.
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Went to see Day and Knight tonight (freebie promo thing) - absolute tosh ! :-)
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But that's why it bombed in the US isn't it? And why Cruise and Diaz appeared on TG. They'd have been on Jonathan Woss but he was forced to quit and the show was no more.
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It was a real pants film.
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>> It was a real pants film.
>>
His pants, or her pants? ;-)
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Good show.
Didn't like Hammond jumping on the boot of the Jensen whilst Clarkson was attacking the fuel cap with a hammer. Bit similar to the butchering of that Lotus excel the other week.
Before anyone says, yes the cars were paid for, so they can do what they like to them I guess.
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Always fancied one of those Jensen Healeys. Still do probably. Bloke I used to know had a yellow one.
Stayed in a hotel above the Bristol showroom in London the past few nights. Parked in the car park under the hotel. There's a section of the car park where the Bristol stock is kept. They must have some arrangement. Some of them are gorgeous.
I probably want one of those too. Almost certainly will never have one though. Piggy bank not quite well stocked enough.
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there was a bristol in the car park at harrogate on sunday
the car was better than new and even the tyres were right for it
a peach of a car if i ever saw one
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"there was a bristol in the car park at harrogate on sunday
the car was better than new and even the tyres were right for it"
would that be Avons...
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What model bb?
I'd have any Bristol given the chance but the 2 litre ones are the most beautiful. Engine cribbed from BMW but 400 to 404 had fabulous alloy bodies.
e
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wish i had taken a photo now but this is the car i saw,same colour too ,brown ish but it looked so right on this car and yes i think they were avons marc
tinyurl.com/2vppbl7
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Looks like a 411 to me. Not as pretty as a 2 litre one but a very fine large-engined, practical fast luxury motor. Still aluminium bodied in those days too (mostly plastic now because it doesn't corrode... doesn't look as good either unfortunately).
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I saw a Bristol Brigand on the M3 this morning. Brigand. Has there ever been a better name for a car? Only a Bristol Bounder or Bristol Cad would be better. :-)
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>> Brigand. Has there ever been
>> a better name for a car?
Beaufighter. The names for old cars are far better than the boring combinations of numbers or words they have now.
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>>Always fancied one of those Jensen Healeys<<
I used to tune and hence road test loads of those + Lotus etc., etc. but tbh they never really floated my boat,
I tuned 5 cars a day 6 days a week for 14 years and have owned over 40 cars meself, like,
Hard top cars, soft top cars, auto/manuals/turbo's/DERV's etc. etc. etc.
Probably why I now drive The Ultimate Driving Machine ...
An Almera :-)
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I always fancied a Jensen Healy as well - I remember they had pretty good write ups in contemporary Autocar and Motor.....one subtlety in the show was the mention of the MX5 being the best British sports car - Japanese cracked it, a car with all the attributes of a British sports car and properly built as well as a decent turn of speed and soul....
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A Cornish motorist claims vandals who turned over his Reliant Robin car were copying a stunt on the BBC television show Top Gear.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-10942752
He mentions at the end of the article "petrol consumption is great" - except when upsidedown!
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 12 Aug 10 at 20:39
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Sgt Steve Reid of St Austell Police said: "This kind of thing happened before Top Gear. It's not a new phenomenon.
yup sure did. As a youth we chased one driver down the road, he only just got away.
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That's mean, really mean ! I can't abide the silly wee cars but they do seem to be very fondly regarded by their owners. Must be quite upsetting for the poor guy.
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yes,most 3 wheeler drivers morged up to a lada
wonder why he got left behind in the grand 80"s russian scrum?
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25th July show - Old Navy
