You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Trailer for the final episode of the grand tour has just dropped. As someone who grew up watching these 3 on our screens every Sunday night before school the following day, genuinely going to miss them together doing their big adventures.
It's getting a bit dusty in here...
Glamorise cars/driving and this is what you get, don't ever remember these three doing much about deaths on our roads?
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/road-deaths-treated-less-seriously-than-other-deaths
Glamorise cars/driving and this is what you get, don’t ever remember these three doing much about deaths on our roads?
What a poor response that has no bearing on this thread, especially when there is one already existing which you have so kindly referenced? It's a serious topic that requires serious discussion but if you think the grand tour/top gear is solely responsible for road deaths then you're deluded.
Would you like love island or strictly come dancing to cover road safety as well? If you seriously look to the grand tour or any other motoring based entertainment show for guidance on road safety, you shouldn't have a license and definitely shouldn't be near the roads.
f you think the grand tour/top gear is solely responsible for road deaths then you’re deluded.
Clearly it is not solely responsible but it is part of the problem. The question is how long these three ****s have managed to keep getting paid for the shit they put out.
Yeah, if I don't like it then don't watch it...
Agrees wholeheartedly with ad4m. Dickyboy – that was a pointless post.
But the OP post is great news – they are not a patch on where they were a few years ago, but still provide great entertainment and I am looking forward to it.
On a slightly different (but still Top Gear related). Has anyone seen the Freddie Flintoff programme – his face looks seriously disfigured still – it must have been a horrendous crash.
Edit: And it looks like Hammond is in a Mk1 Capri. 🙂
And it looks like Hammond is in a Mk1 Capri
I think I saw a Stag in it too
Might finally settle a playground argument from 35 years ago, who's dad did have the fastest car?
In my class the contenders were - my dad's Stag (the biggest engine, so clearly fastest), a Datsun 240Z (probably the actual fastest, but I would never have admitted it at the time), a MK1 Capri, a Mk2 Capri, a Renault Feugo (when did you last see one of those?) an XR3i, and a 900cc MK1 Fiesta, although he never really joined in. The teachers had an MGBGT and and MG Midget, the other two walked to work.
Do young boys still argue about that nowadays? Modern ones all seem a bit boring. How many primary classes nowadays would have almost exclusively sports cars/hot hatches?
I don’t want to watch, support or contribute* to Clarkson and his increasingly rascist, bigoted fascist and conservative attitude and have been boycotting any viewing or reading of his content for years.
However, hypocritically I’m tempted to watch this final blast for the cars and humour.
*likely I already unwittingly have by being a Prime member.
Oh, to be sure I quite liked top gear but to think that a program that glamorised cars & ****ish behaviour in them hasn't contributed to poor driving & less safe roads is disingenuous at best.
My dad had two Fuegos - started with a second hand one, then a new one when he was posted to Germany and could buy tax free. It had a remote to unlock the doors! Which was pretty special at the time. It was the GTS, 0-60 in 10.2s I think. Of course, I wanted him to get the Turbo, but no chance.
ah yes, those were the days, anyone else have one of these from their yoof?
F.M. this thread had the fun sucked out of pretty quickly.
Glamorise cars/driving and this is what you get, don’t ever remember these three doing much about deaths on our roads?
You ever watched a John Wick movie?, if not you’re in for treat
I blame Steve McQueen for idiots tearing around in irresponsible ways on motorbikes.
Send Clarkson etc al to the cooler
It's Burt Reynolds fault. Cannon ball Run entirely epitomises the behaviour on the roads these days...
I also have to blame Clint Eastwood for making bare knuckle fighting and pickup trucks acceptable and for keeping an Oragutan as a pet.. The world would be a better off place without all of this. Trabants and bicycles for everyone...
Grand Tour hasn't been great overall, but realising that this is the end is quite emotional. As a car obsessed lad growing up, these 3 were my absolute idols. Adventures, ebing silly and enjoying cars was such a breath of fresh air after the tedium of fact-based motoring programs.
Back where the big adventures all began on the salt flats with Clarkson in a Lancia.
I have very fond memories of my best mates at uni and me clustering round a tv in our student house to watch the latest Top Gear, and having an absolute ball doing so.
I do struggle with Jeremy Clarkson’s rampant misogyny (though full disco that didn’t stop me watching the first two seasons of Clarkson’s Farm so I’m not all angel over here), and no longer have an Amazon Prime subscription for cost and virtue signalling reasons, but if I did I would watch this and feel a hint of sadness for the end of something that brought me and my friends joy.
There was a real touch of something special about Top Gear when it was still a car show with a bit of humour injected into it. Classic BBC. After years of formulaic repetition of the same jokes, I just find it hard to find any of it funny any more. And since it's all centered around the humour, it doesn't have a lot else going for it.
I might give it a go still but I don't think I managed more than 15 minutes of the last season.
There was a real touch of something special about Top Gear when it was still a car show with a bit of humour injected into it.
I agree, it used to be a good laugh but I grew a bit tired of it and never watched Grand Tour. Clarkson is boorish these days, I'd much rather listen to Hary Metcalfe talk about cars. Or farming.
I really do hope it’s a good one, as the last few have been woefully bad.
Anyhow just going out for a quick drive, do a few big skidz, drive recklessly quick and blow a few cars up. Anyone want to join me ?
Not sure how I feel about this. It's an odd one.
In it's heydey I was a younger man with a simpler life, who like many others quite liked cars and bit of 'edgy' 'humour'.
Consequently I loved top gear.
I even had a fastish car, drove like a bit of a dick occasionally and got a couple of speeding fines as a result.
However time has moved on, and so have I.
Them 3 haven't, and now it just seems completely tired, tone deaf, out of touch and ready for a trip to dignitas.
So, I'm definitely not sad i'll be unable to watch new episodes
But I am sort of sad that something which was a constant, and represents my former self and what was overall a great time in my life, will also be dead.
"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." - L.P. Hartley
Edit
Or maybe this is just the woke mind virus ruining everything
-----------> 😉
Or maybe this is just the woke mind virus ruining everything
That’s an interesting point - most of us try to be mindful and do what we can to be responsible people, but it shouldn’t mean we have to completely stop enjoying things that we enjoy. Watching Grand Tour isn’t going to make me drive fast and kill the planet or stop doing what I can to be a responsible adult, but I can still watch and (hopefully) enjoy it.
Watching Grand Tour isn’t going to make me drive fast and kill the planet or stop doing what I can to be a responsible adult,
It might not influence you...
...but others who are more easily led...
I don't think Clarkson is anywhere near who he portrays on TG / TGT by the way. I wonder if guilt is part of the exit for him.
Maybe I'm over thinking this 🙂
F.M. this thread had the fun sucked out of pretty quickly.
QFT
Do you moaning bastards not have a neighbourhood to watch?
I loved Top Gear and mostly loved the Grand Tour.
They had great chemistry on the shows and some classic banter. Will be sad to see it go, but I think its reached its conclusion.
Putting threads like this on a cycling forum is getting close to trolling why don't you all go over to a suitable car forum if you are getting this excited about a car tv show.
ooooh, down with Bruce
Edgy humour
That's a joke right! You are trolling me....Top Gear edgy humour, nice one! You sir are a genius and I salute you
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K7CnMQ4L9Pc&pp=ygUUdG9wIGdlYXIgc3Rld2FydCBsZWU%3D
"However time has moved on, and so have I.
Them 3 haven’t, and now it just seems completely tired, tone deaf, out of touch and ready for a trip to dignitas."
It's always been scripted TV entertainment. And they'll have been contracted for X number of episodes when they joined Amazon.
I doubt any of them have driven down the A38 with a burning caravan on one wheel in their normal everyday lives.
They've cleverly milked it for every penny they could get.
They’ve cleverly milked it for every penny they could get.
HORSE
FLOGGING
DEAD
A
Putting threads like this on a cycling forum is getting close to trolling why don’t you all go over to a suitable car forum if you are getting this excited about a car tv show.
Yes, because no-one who enjoys one of the largest shows in the World can also enjoy cycling.
It's almost as if the thread title made it very clear about the contents and yet here you all are chomping at the bit to flex your moral superiority when you could have just stayed away.
Edgy humour
If that's at me, I put quotes round it to show I didn't really mean it!
Lee's line about Clarkson coming up with bile to order for his fan base, that he doesn't really believe in himself, is bang on.
Great sketch <edit FFS. It was a thumbs up emoji I was trying to put in>
Putting threads like this on a cycling forum is getting close to trolling why don’t you all go over to a suitable car forum if you are getting this excited about a car tv show
Absolutely pathetic @Bruce, theres a reason why this forum has a separate general chat forum and a bike forum. If it bothers you, I suggest you stick to the bike forum.
It's ironic that you're saying this is trolling, when I'm convinced this is nothing more than rage-baiting from you.
Posting this thread has reminded me why I'm not on this forum much anymore, don't know why I bother. It seems to be the same sort of people that stir things up on here and spread misery in general.
All over a TV show. Get a life.
Actually while I'm thinking about it...in the earlier days of Top Gear the 'edgy' 'humour' wasn't too bad..seemed to be more dicking about but fairly harmless (?) but then there was a turning point when it got increasingly xenophobic and nasty.
About the time they stuck that offensive numberplate on the Porsche in Argentina.
I think that pretty much co includes with me starting to actively dislike them.
Cheers, signed Hand wringing liberal Middle Class liberal of Leeds attempting to justify my former self for enjoying it back in the day.
Anyhow Grandad OP needs to move with the times.
Just about all the best bits (modern equivalents) of Top Gear/Grand Tour can now be found on YouTube by younger presenters. The only thing that they don’t appear able to do because of budget is the big rad trips. Thankfully the car community is still large and I would say growing on YT. All three Grand Tour presenters have said their format is outdated and not really viable on modern TV
OP - try watching AdamC, Mat Armstrong, Jayemm, Petrol Ped, Shmee, Supercar Blondie , this is just the tip of the iceberg. I bet they have bigger audiences than Grand Tour etc. You may learn a lot about cars and enjoy them 🙂
Also I worry more about the avg driver who dies T watch Top Gear , Grand Tour who have no understanding of cars or what they are cable of. They are the dangerous ones on our roads . At least a person who has learnt to do skidz understands car control more
About the time they stuck that offensive numberplate on the Porsche in Argentina.
But as a grown up liberal man it allowed you to be outraged and keep you watching ?
think people still think it's a car show and not 3 old friends having a trip to some far away place in some vehicles.
unsure why you would compare it with youtubers who quite frankly, produce boring content because the car is the content and cars are boring
The site needs a separate motoring forum there were 13 car threads on the front page. I am sick of cars. I am sick of poor driver behaviour and given the the most dangerous age group are 18 to 50 and male that kind of sums up the people who watch and enjoy Clarksons drivel. Clarksons Top Gear crap and this program normalise speeding and using cars a play things.
People die on the roads every day.
The world would be better off with lots less car shows on TV.
About the time they stuck that offensive numberplate on the Porsche in Argentina.
That was absolutely not the case. They did do stupid and offensive things over the years for which I will not defend them, but that was simply a coincidence.
@FunkyDunk
It's a fair cop 'guv
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I don't get why some people have a hissy fit when Clarkson is mentioned, i'm not a massive fan, he's just a caricature, I like him on the Farm thing, I think he's done a lot of good, far worse thigs to get aggravated about IMHO.
Haven't watched the trailer...I sometimes used to watch Top Gear, but it was never a sit down and watch intentionally. I'm happy to take or leave the 3 of them together...I find Hammond and May good tv presenters on their own.
I'll watch this but won't really miss it...it is just a bit of daft humour entertainment rathe than anything else...
Watched the trailer now...yeah, I'll watch it at some point, but I'm not sure I'll be missing it particularly, it is just another bit of humour on the tv.
Saying that, I'd absolutely love to go on some adventures like that with a couple of mates...that aspect of it, I'm very jealous of, but aware it is almost all scripted.
The site needs a separate motoring forum there were 13 car threads on the front page. I am sick of cars. I am sick of poor driver behaviour and given the the most dangerous age group are 18 to 50 and male that kind of sums up the people who watch and enjoy Clarksons drivel. Clarksons Top Gear crap and this program normalise speeding and using cars a play things.
People die on the roads every day.
The world would be better off with lots less car shows on TV.
This forum would also be better off without you on it but hey, we can't have everything we want.
Clarksons Top Gear crap and this program normalise speeding and using cars a play things.
Agreed bikes are glamourised too. So much bad content advocating going fast on bikes and using them as play things, where the only reason for a bike is to get you from A-B. Bikes are dull horrible things and should have no place on a forum, other than discussing commuting.
Oh I missed Matt Jones, Sam Pilgrim, Sam Reynolds, bloody annoying bikers who distastefully have a liking for fast, dangerous scary cars, how dare they.
Absolutely pathetic @Bruce, theres a reason why this forum has a separate general chat forum and a bike forum. If it bothers you, I suggest you stick to the bike forum.
It’s ironic that you’re saying this is trolling, when I’m convinced this is nothing more than rage-baiting from you.
Posting this thread has reminded me why I’m not on this forum much anymore, don’t know why I bother. It seems to be the same sort of people that stir things up on here and spread misery in general.
All over a TV show. Get a life.
Oooh, keep your knickers on, it's just a joke, you know, like on Top Gear!!!
The anti wokist peeps really don't like others expressing their opinions do they!!!
I like fast cars & I like fast bikes - but apparently to some that’s not allowed & I should be given a hessian shirt to wear & banished to the allotments to exist on a diet of gruel & misery.
F ME…..some of you REALLY NEED TO LIGHTEN UP…..
I’m off to cold start my V8 & have pointless fun on my bike….!
Blimey, there's some right moral crusaders on this thread.
Don't like cars/grand tour/clarkson etc. why bother opening the thread?
I've not watched any of the Grand Tour series to be honest but used to enjoy TG...nothing better than going doing some burn outs and donuts in the local Maccies car park after watching an episode on a Sunday night 😉
Will probably watch this last hurrah for old times sake. Wonder if the Tesla can do a burn out?
I am sick of poor driver behaviour and given the the most dangerous age group are 18 to 50 and male that kind of sums up the people who watch and enjoy Clarksons drivel.
Phew, I'm 51! I shall watch and enjoy this as I do with repeats of TG and TGT 🙂
I don't even particularly like cars (only drove 2000 miles in the last 12 months) but they're much more fun to watch on tv than bicycles 🙂
I didn’t watch much of the Grand Tour. But when my kids were smaller, Top Gear was one of the things we watched most regularly together. We had a boy and a girl, and as many folks will recognise, it is difficult to find a program that everyone accepts to watch together. When I was young, my parents watched different programs (the generation game anyone?). Top Gear seems like a bit of an end of an era now for mainstream TV. I would guess that families with teenage kids are probably much less likely to watch anything together on TV - I guess they’re more likely to head to YouTube or whatever.
So this seems like a bit of an end of an era, in more ways than one.
Pretty obvious that TG / TGT completely divides opinion about it so I'm not surprised in the slightest about how the thread is going 🙂
Biscuits anyone?
It’s the last episode. Surely those who don’t like Clarkson should be celebrating
I liked the travel episodes on TG very entertaining, luckily I'm over 50 as well and drive a 20 year old van so never speed. Can we ban the Atherton's though, I find them quite inspiring and crashing my humungous enduro rig is getting a bit ouchy.
I suspect relatively few people will even register the retirement of Clarkson and co. He spent too much time dog whistling to the type of person who thinks cyclists shouldn't be on the road, so I won't miss him.
Sam Reynolds is not only amazing on bikes, his car control is amazing
https://youtu.be/EauwmLusw3c?si=dGBMa7A0prIt35wk
https://youtu.be/eldPFcjh-04?si=_3x7L0rVBt5Yk-0s
https://youtu.be/veEgI60X6Hw?si=qEK3iTPgz1FvHRL8
Disgraceful behaviour here drifting bikes
https://youtu.be/02nUs8aJvt8?si=iKaVnUq5YBL2hnSz
Forgot that Bernard Kerr loves his cars too, and Mat Armstrong is an ex BMX'er
I had a Fuego GTX in red with the trx metric wheels it was a really nice to drive
If Amazon Prime do their usual free month/week in December, I'll be watching this for sure.
I liked Top Gear back in the day but never got into the Grand Tour, which seemed quite sad and desperate whenever I watched it.
Clarkson has made no end of stupid anti-cycling comments over the years which I feel has definitely fed the anti-cyclist culture war and worsened the risks faced by people on bikes, as well as making it harder for society to achieve the benefits available via more active travel. Personally I doubt it's a coincidence that this has worked out well for the motor industry.
roli case - I agree.
Top Gear was watchable many years ago, but just lost the plot and drifted off onto something very different.
I have watched some of the Grand Tours and each one has been as bad as the previous. It's so scripted and obvious it's hard to imagine who would find it funny or interesting .. but I accept lots here do, so I guess it really is each to their own.
*I like Clarkson in the Farm - James May always seems to come across a nice guy - but Richard Hammond just grates, from his stop start style of talking .. to his silly dyed beard.
F.M. this thread had the fun sucked out of pretty quickly.
On the contrary, it's made it far more entertainingly than a bunch of car bores droning on about how they'll be weeping into their MX5s at the realisation that Clarkson and co won't be doing the same mind-bendingly dull, formulaic thing over and over and over again.
It's not really about cars anyway, they're just the backdrop to three ageing, middle class men with doomed aspirations of coolness squabbling endlessly about pretty much everything. Which will be why so many on here love it so much.
just the backdrop to three ageing, middle class men with doomed aspirations of coolness squabbling endlessly about pretty much everything. Which will be why so many on here love it so much.
Savage.... just savage 🙂
It is a scripted comedy show dressed up with cars. Easy enough to watch and laugh at the predictability of it all.
It started off pretty good but later episodes not so much, I’ll be watching it though just because it’ll have some entertaining bit in it and for the farewell.
This forum would also be better off without you on it but hey, we can’t have everything we want.
I take beer for bribes.
I quite like cars
Clarkson's a ****, with zero redeeming qualities
Didn't know they were still making the show
meh
Don't drive or have much interest in cars but these 3 idiots have been making me laugh for over a third of my life (I'm 63). Genuinely sad that they have gone their separate ways. Really enjoy Clarkson's Farm and Hammond's Workshop. James May's Japan was OK but didn't like the Italy series, will give the India one a go. Here's hoping that it's not the last time they're on screen together.
I watched it so you don’t have to.
No different from any of their other specials other than it’s their last.
They should’ve just done their first one and left it at that.
You’re genuinely not missing anything by not watching it.
No different from any of their other specials other than it’s their last.
Fewer contrived stunts and challenges which is definitely a plus. I thought it had some amusing bits and it was better for being Three Blokes Cocking Around In Cars rather than the "hilarious" pranks and scripted squabbles of previous episodes.
Plus Zimbabwe did look stunningly beautiful.
What they made little effort to hide this time was just what a massive support crew they have with them!
As a special I felt they had made better but I still found it entertaining and I have to admit that I found the last 5/10 mins a wee bit emotional.
Really enjoyed that.
You could tell it was a proper celebration of their time together, from running jokes (minus the bumping into each other) to redoing some of their previous things but properly this time. Acknowledging all the 'lasts' was a great way to make it a bit more human too. Finding the two original cars was the only contrived bit I spotted but that's because their locations have been known for a few years now, DriveTribe even did a video about it, but I'm guessing that Clarkson and May weren't aware they would be there as their reactions were obviously genuine.
I do know that all 3 of the cars used for this one are at The Smallest Cog and being worked on to restore them, wonder if the original two have found their way back to join Oliver?
Enjoyed it.
Love em or hate em you cant deny they had something special between them, cant think of many other TV presenting teams that still pulled in the numbers they did after 20+ years together. End of an era.
Lovely ending. JC's Monte Carlo looked bloody brilliant too! (love emoji goes here)
Be nice if they could make a Xmas special program.
Just once a year, they work well together as a team. Remember the awful forced hilarity with the TG follow up crew , Paddy Myguiness etc . Cringey.
Some of the production , camera work and imagination that went into TG was some of the best outside of Wide-screen big budget cinematography.
I committed hypocrisy and watched it, being fairly enjoyable for a Friday night home alone and I agree despite my recent opinion of Clarkson it was a slightly emotional ending to an era. I’m really glad the ending and credits included the crew.
Things of note I spotted were Clarkons Seamaster, Hammonds Explorer and Clarksons belly, my god the latter is a world of its own.