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Star in a reasonably priced car - Amy MacDonald, total petrolhead; Audi R8 and Ferrari owner!
Race is compromised by the fat journo bring a £60k car to the party.
Same old same old..............
Race is compromised by the fat journo bring a £60k car to the party.
Where a £35k Audi or BMW with a 3 litre diesel and a huge fuel tank would have been a MUCH better tool for the job! 😕
Where a £35k Audi or BMW with a 3 litre diesel and a huge fuel tank would have been a MUCH better tool for the job!
Hammond & May said that !
I'm sure that Toyota used to be called a GT85.
It'll be canny when it's 4 years old, £6000 and you hoy some proper sized back wheels on it.
Hammond & May said that !
Ah right, think I was out the room at that point...
hoy some proper sized back wheels on it
Hahahhaaha you're kinda missing the point 😀
It only has 200bhp and the rear tyres are 215/45! More than you'll ever need and gives the best compromise in all weathers.
AE86
[img]http:// tbn:ANd9GcSiublYtYlwi_OYiV_YBDGQd6ZWVInvIlT3zNMK5PfukAJtkPQuHw[/img]
Same as my old one, silver over black face lift version. Best car I ever had. Sold it to a lad who put it on its roof! Then had the temerity to phone me up and ask if I knew anyone else who would have one for sale. As if! They go for big money now.
Image wont load damn.
Where a £35k Audi or BMW with a 3 litre diesel and a huge fuel tank would have been a MUCH better tool for the job!
Yeah, but EVERYONE's got one of those. What's the point in that? Yawn-tastic.... 🙂
I thought this weeks was fairly entertaining, one of the good ones!
The choice of the Ford was, presumably, driven by Carroll Shelby's passing away?
The choice of the Ford was, presumably, driven by Carroll Shelby's passing away?
Indeed. I'd like to hear more about him.
This series is utter tosh!
I have been a fan of the show for a long time but no I can see what everyone else is on about.
the shelby was being followed the whole distance by a range rover used as a camera car... so whatever clarkson drives is irrelevant isn't it?
600-odd bhp etc etc etc
kinda ruins the whole premise....
This weeks was slow, last weeks much better.
I fear some of you miss the point about it being entertainment. It's not serious, if JC used a diesel Audi a4 then most of the viewers would have fallen asleep or committed suicide.
the feature had a great section on him, and there was a documentary on bbc4 not too long ago
mtbfix - Member
The choice of the Ford was, presumably, driven by Carroll Shelby's passing away?
Aye, and the fact its Clarkson's own car..
Aye, and the fact its Clarkson's own car..
Hmm. You [i]sure....?[/i]
That plate "M600FMC" or something like that I think might be owned by Ford to put on their press cars. FMC = Ford Motor Company
Aston Marten have V8 AML or something similar for the same purpose.
Where a £35k Audi or BMW with a 3 litre diesel and a huge fuel tank would have been a MUCH better tool for the job!
Don't think that was the point really - granted he wouldn't have had to stop for fuel as often, if at all and he wouldn't have been as knackered as he said he was, but assuming that he stuck to the speed limits all the way through France (which is VERY difficult not to do given the Froggies love of speed traps and timing on the autoroutes) would he have won? I doubt it.
No way does he own that.
granted he wouldn't have had to stop for fuel as often, if at all and he wouldn't have been as knackered as he said he was, but assuming that he stuck to the speed limits all the way through France (which is VERY difficult not to do given the Froggies love of speed traps and timing on the autoroutes) would he have won?
From my (very limited) experience of filming/photo-shoots/etc it probably took them 2 - 3 days to make the journey with external camera shots, city traffic shots, food & comfort breaks, and so on. It's not [i]really[/i] a race. Or is it? 😕 😯
I imagine they had the 'race' then backed up a bit over the next couple of days to film the fill-in stuff like traffic and filling the tank etc.
However, it's clear to me that Clarkson lost that one by a long way, whatever they were making out on the film.
Still entertaining TV though. I'm not sure I'd have preferred Call The Midwife.
From my (very limited) experience of filming/photo-shoots/etc it probably took them 2 - 3 days to make the journey with external camera shots, city traffic shots, food & comfort breaks, and so on. It's not really a race. Or is it?
I'd guess they do and film the race on the way and get the filler shots on the way back.
Having the Range Rover camera car in every shot was shoddy filming and editing though. It did make a mockery of the whole thing as, even though it is obviously very hyped for TV, you don't want that veil lifted every 10 secs.
kinda ruins the whole premise....
Funny - like you or anyone is actually interested in whether a car can beat public transport down to Italy.
It's just a vehicle for a bit of banter and some cars.
New series of Fifth Gear starts tonight....
I thought the number plate M600MFC meant the dashboard was made of melamine faced chipboard.
New series of Fifth Gear starts tonight....
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........
Indeed 😐
Who the hell buys enough Amy MacDonald records to afford her 3 Audi R8s, two Ferraris plus whatever else she has. Mind boggling. I thought the record industry was dead and no one makes any money nowadays???
Who the hell buys enough Amy MacDonald records to afford her 3 Audi R8s, two Ferraris plus whatever else she has. Mind boggling. I thought the record industry was dead and no one makes any money nowadays???
I doubt they were paid cash for. You can get most Supercars on short term lease deals with specialist finance houses. That said it would probably still be about 2K per month, but i guess she can cover that.
She said she'd sold 5 million copies. That sounds like enough to me.
All the FMC cars are Ford Motor Company press cars. The GT500 is theirs, not Clarksons.
It's also not £35k when you get it into the UK. Like a lot of people who live in cloud cuckoo land, they chose to ignore the duty and VAT that has to be paid on any import. If you pick up a brand new GT500 for £35k, you'll have around £1000 shipping, plus 10% duty plus 20% VAT, plus around £1000 to get it through an IVA test before you can tax or drive it. Call it £50k, then buy an Audi instead.
More importantly, for a biking forum, how did May lose his mini race?! 🙂
I imagine they had the 'race' then backed up a bit over the next couple of days to film the fill-in stuff like traffic and filling the tank etc.
The only place Top Gear races do actually happen is in peoples imaginations.....
I enjoy Top Gear. It's a bit of light entertainment for a Sunday evening. It can be quite funny, and interesting. Jeremey Clarkson is a bit of a knob, Richard Hammond is very irritating, and James May looks increasingly more like he's really only in it for the money. They make a good team however, it's a formula that works. Yes, the show format has run it's course, and is dying on it's arse, but until people switch off, they'll continue to make the show, as it's a money spinner for the BBC.
I admit last night's show was crap; just to obvious and contrived. And the car wasn't at all interesting really. About 10 mins of content stretched out to fill a show. As for star in a car; I have never heard of half/have absolutely no interest in most of these people, and it's the point of the show where I can get up and go to the toilet/make a snack etc. The programme makes seem like they've run out of ideas, and even the presenters seem to be admitting this now. Flogging a dying horse.
It's still way better than most of the crap on ITV though.
35k does seem to be a bit of a stretch:
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201218468700642/sort/default/usedcars/price-from/500/model/mustang/make/ford/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/1/keywords/gt500/radius/1500/postcode/eh546hn?logcode=p ]for sale if anyone fancies the 12mpg hole in their pocket[/url]
I love Top Gear, but even I was a little bored with it last night. As much as Mustangs look fun and sound great, i'd much rather a US coast to coast or something in a supercar than to trip to Italy.
And who knew Amy McDonald was so popular (but exceedingly dull)
More importantly, for a biking forum, how did May lose his mini race?!
And he wasn't wearing a helmet, surely he now has to burn in hell?
It'll be canny when it's 4 years old, £6000 and you hoy some proper sized back wheels on it.
You are seriously missing what the GT86 is about.
No-one over 10 years of age actually believes these races are real do they?
Good grief, you'll be telling me you believe the X Factor isn't fixed next...... 😀
After thinking "Hmmm, not the worst I've seen..." after the first episode, last night's was awful. Surely even the most diehard fans must admit that it was stretching it a bit. Another race won by minutes? Wow!
From what I've heard about the GT86 / BRZ they are ok cars, but not particularly exciting to look at, but mostly that they are missing a bit of power. 197bhp needs a little bump up to say 230bhp to make it feel more "alive".
And who knew Amy McDonald was so popular (but exceedingly dull)
She's the human iPad!
😀
More cars and less (much, much less) ego and I may start watching it 'live'.
Until then I will carry on watching in iPlayer so I can FF through all the Clarkson and Star in a cheap car sections.
the series started so well but has reverted to the normal re-hashed storylines... disappointing.
can't help but think the Subaru brand might be diminished by releasing a re-badged Toyota.
Until then I will carry on watching in iPlayer so I can FF through all the Clarkson and Star in a cheap car sections.
+1. although I was even nodding off during the fast forwarded bits
I imagine they had the 'race'...
Seriously?
No-one over 10 years of age actually believes these races are real do they?
+1.
Cant believe anyone thinks they are anything other than well-planned, completely contrived and scripted entertainment slots. I doubt with all the logistics theres any semblance of a 'race' in the timing of the 2 journeys.
I remember one of their aerial stunts where a contraption drifted into airport airspace and was chased off by a police helicopter hearing lots of indignant "how reckless!" comments, as if it wasnt meticulously planned for months and didn't involve the full co-operation of the various authorities.
I am reluctant to let daylight in upon magic but good grief...
I doubt they were paid cash for. You can get most Supercars on short term lease deals with specialist finance houses. That said it would probably still be about 2K per month, but i guess she can cover that.
this... I guarantee, number of cars she's had she'd never had kept any have kept any for very long.
From what I've heard about the GT86 / BRZ they are ok cars, but not particularly exciting to look at,
Hmm. Only in your opinion though. Other opinions are available! I'm no fan of Jap cars at all, but that looked pretty decent to me.
but mostly that they are missing a bit of power. 197bhp needs a little bump up to say 230bhp to make it feel more "alive".
Drivel. It only weight 1.24t, a bit less than a 1.6 Focus. That's more then enough power. Most fun car I've ever owned only had 50bhp. Could still slide it anywhere and everywhere I wanted to 🙂
Cant believe anyone thinks they are anything other than well-planned, completely contrived and scripted entertainment slots. I doubt with all the logistics theres any semblance of a 'race' in the timing of the 2 journeys.
I can't believe anyone thinks that anyone might think they're real races.
However, they are still a tired overused device. Oh look, Jezza blames France for losing. Ho ho.
Driven a GT86 - people keep harping on about those tyres, but it's not really an issue is it? Not sure, but from memory the Sierra Cosworth had norrower tyres fitted and that had a bit more oomph and perhaps a bit less mass. If you're from a rwd background you'll keep that car on the road easy enough. Guess people just want to moan because it's a Toyota?
As for Top Gear.... I may be wrong, but didn't anybody notice the "we're just coming into Paris" bit where there were snow capped mountains in the background?
PeterPoddy - MemberFrom what I've heard about the GT86 / BRZ they are ok cars, but not particularly exciting to look at,
Hmm. Only in your opinion though. Other opinions are available! I'm no fan of Jap cars at all, but that looked pretty decent to me.
but mostly that they are missing a bit of power. 197bhp needs a little bump up to say 230bhp to make it feel more "alive".
Drivel. It only weight 1.24t, a bit less than a 1.6 Focus. That's more then enough power. Most fun car I've ever owned only had 50bhp. Could still slide it anywhere and everywhere I wanted to
You missed the bit that said "from what i've heard", I dont mind how they look tbh, but I havent driven one, so can't express a useful opinion.
Darcy, at least 2 posts along the lines of them having the race then going back to shoot filling slots so grown adults think there is some genuine parallel journey race element to it (hence my use of a quote for the hard of attention).
I agree they've done the idea to death, last weeks ep1 was the last one I'll be watching this series.
I haven't driven one, so can't express a useful opinion.
Are you new to the forum?
No, but I'm fed up with people not reading things properly.
I agree they've done the idea to death, last weeks ep1 was the last one I'll be watching this series.
Aye, me too.
Thing is I end up watching the shite so I can join in the loverz vs haterz discussion here on a Sun/Mon. 😆
And a 🙄 at myself.
Saw a GT86 on the M56 this afternoon looked pretty good to me.
Obviously they make the 'races' look closer than they are and probably shoot more footage of the car on the drive back but why would they bother spinning it out over several days if they didn't have to? If it was a non-parallel thing shot over a week continuity errors would inevitably creep in. Isn't it just easier anyway to have an actual race rather than act one out?
I may be wrong, but didn't anybody notice the "we're just coming into Paris" bit where there were snow capped mountains in the background?
I'll have to watch it again for that bit! There was one moment when I wondered if the sun was in the wrong place if they were meant to be travelling north to south. Maybe it was all done with mirrors.
How do you think they film the external shots?
One of the cars is supposedly stuck in traffic.
So the cameraman must be stuck in traffic too.
How does he get in front of the car, film it going past then get back in it/catch up in a support vehicle?
All in real time.
How about an external shot of someone jumping on a train which then pulls out of a station?
How does the cameraman get to the destination to film them getting off?
Maybe they have cameramen everywhere, who knows.
And there are loads of continuity errors - just have a look next time you watch. 🙂
Position of the sun in the sky for a start, it's all over the place.
EDIT - just noticed the above post - not just me then.
Sorry, it's all a complete fabrication.
I'm gobsmacked that anyone could possibly think otherwise.
Isn't it just easier anyway to have an actual race rather than act one out?
Yep.
But much harder to film an actual race than to fabricate one.
The camera crew have the whole journey back to film the car stuck in traffic etc. Shots of trains pulling out of stations can be other trains. I'm sure of the hours of in-car footage they take of Clarkson they happily shuffle the order about to fit the storyline better without worrying about the position of the sun, but none of that means they don't just travel down there in one straight run. Why would they mess about using more camera crews and days than they need?
I can't believe there is so much effort here to state the bleedin' obvious. I'm pretty sure no one needs convincing...!
my understanding is..
The "race" is filmed realtime. each presenter has a crew with them. Clarksons stuff is generally done on the in car cameras
May/Hammond do their thing with the camera crews.
Pickup shots of trains passing/traffic are done later.
exteriors of the car Clarkson is driving are done after.
In the Bugatti Veyron film they raced to Barcleys tower realtime, then another crew with the stig (Ben Collins) driving returned the car and picked up what was needed.
With a bit of pre planning (they'll do a lot..) its not that hard to film a race realtime
I did see May on a ferry doing one of these things a few years back. Judging by his eager expression, and the sheer and utter boredom of the camera crew, at least he does the things in one go. I felt sorry for the camera guy sitting in the boot of the Rangie.
But if you want boredom just watch Ice Road Truckers. Mate had me watch a couple, but as far as I can tell nothing at all happens. It's just lorry drivers driving trucks to and fro in a bit of ice.
Somebody tried to tell me there was no Father Christmas, I feel the same after reading this thread 😐I can't believe there is so much effort here to state the bleedin' obvious. I'm pretty sure no one needs convincing...!
Amy Macdonald...utterly boring person to listen to...songs seem to be ok but I'd leave the room if she arrived to chat to people.
Clarkson did say that in the us the Ford was 35k so he didn't quite follow the rules as it doesn't cost that in the uk.
I'm watching it but only so I can understand the complaints on here...it's poor tv but does have moments of humour...
This didn't go quite according to script;
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/video/2013/feb/11/top-gear-helicopter-crash-video ]Link[/url]
Scripted.
A former colleague of mine is James May's sister. Apparently they do the races for real. However only the shots with the presenters in them are filmed at that time. The rest are filmed with a staffer driving the car on the return leg of the journey over 2 or 3 days depending.
Well, Gadget Show races definitely aren't for real - did some filming in Edinburgh for one a few years ago, and it was stop-start all the way.
With one of those CCTV vans with a camera on a telescopic pole as escort - every break in filming, the camera operator would extend his pole and nosey in people's windows 🙂
197bhp needs a little bump up to say 230bhp to make it feel more "alive".
I agree - what was the 0-60? Something like 7.7 seconds isn’t it? How did they make it so slow?
Apparently they do the races for real.
Mmmmm.... And it just so happens they are nail-bitingly close. Every single time.
😯
Impressed at how this survived - the two crew walked away!
[img] 
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top gear has gone downhill, but i still watch it.
the 'news' section on the last episode was dire, i fast forward through 'star in a car' and the best bits are when the do a race together.
the specials are great though.