Top Gear

[ungreat]

Laughed myself silly at that

Can't wait for the rest of the series, something decent on TV for a change (especially now E4 have taken the new series of The Big Bang Theory off...).

If you want to watch The Big Bang Theory new episodes they are indeed online for free.Watched 5 over the weekend (Episodes 10,11,12,13 and 14)
An especially good one one was what their lives would have been like if they'd never met Sheldon!

 

[richw]

Should have had a Peugeot 109 GTI if you could find one - shucks I meant 106 or was it 5 doh !! oh god it may even have been 20 whatever !!!

309GTI? late 80s early 90s.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markleveson/8151604581/

 

[hairyhandedfool]

or possibly a 205 GTI

 

[richw]

309GTI? late 80s early 90s.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markleveson/8151604581/

or possibly a 205 GTI

I assumed the 309 due to the comment "if you can find one" as there are many 205 GTIs about but hardly any 309 GTIs.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Maybe (I couldn't possibly comment having seen neither 'in the flesh' for a number of years), but I always thought the 205 was the car to own (out of those two).

 

[Class172]

Going back to the programme, it took me a while before I worked out where they were in Droitwich - at first I doubted Jeremy said the name, but when they mentioned the Hill Climb, I realised they had been here.

 

[Roverman]

Yeah I was surprised not to see a 205 GTi as I recall Clarkson saying on one of his videos (Top 100 cars?) that it was brilliant and the 106 GTi was also a favourite of his!

I have to confess to being disappointed with the usual puerile antics (Car Alarms, Fake Moustaches, OTT stunts, silly mistakes, boring stereotypes). I am also confused as to how Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May who are surrounded by advisors, experts and car traders, how they ended up with 3 lemons? The XR2i with the later Zetec engine should have made mincemeat of that hillclimb!

 

[richw]

XR2i with the later Zetec engine should have made mincemeat of that hillclimb!

As soon as he said he paid £700 for a xr2i I knew it would be a dog from the price, they're going for that kind of money as spares/ repair these days.

 

[bnm]

I am also confused as to how Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May who are surrounded by advisors, experts and car traders, how they ended up with 3 lemons?

The challenges, particularly when they involve 2nd hand cars, are primarily entertainment, rather than factual. They are obviously scripted. Neither Clarkson nor May were really in their hot hatches when they were blown up. Hammond didn't really roll his Nova twice. These types of challenges are not meant to be consumer advice pieces.

Yes, they could've done a proper review of late 80's/early 90's hot hatches, telling people what to buy and what not to buy, finding the best on the market, road testing and comparing with modern equivalents, but that would've been a little dull. That's why this sort of stuff was quickly dropped (along with Jason Dawes) after the 1st series of 'new Top Gear'.

Leave that sort of stuff to Fifth Gear on Discovery (although I suspect they might also go a bit more 'entertainment' to survive) and let the boys continue to cock around.

'New' Top Gear, is primarily entertainment and aspiration. Very little is dedicated to genuine consumer advice any more. And what little there is, is done in an entertaining way, rather than journalistically. When was the last time you saw a new base model (the sort of car most of us end up buying) seriously reviewed on Top Gear?

 

[harry42]

The challenges, particularly when they involve 2nd hand cars, are primarily entertainment, rather than factual. They are obviously scripted. Neither Clarkson nor May were really in their hot hatches when they were blown up. Hammond didn't really roll his Nova twice. These types of challenges are not meant to be consumer advice pieces.

Yes, they could've done a proper review of late 80's/early 90's hot hatches, telling people what to buy and what not to buy, finding the best on the market, road testing and comparing with modern equivalents, but that would've been a little dull. That's why this sort of stuff was quickly dropped (along with Jason Dawes) after the 1st series of 'new Top Gear'.

Leave that sort of stuff to Fifth Gear on Discovery (although I suspect they might also go a bit more 'entertainment' to survive) and let the boys continue to cock around.

'New' Top Gear, is primarily entertainment and aspiration. Very little is dedicated to genuine consumer advice any more. And what little there is, is done in an entertaining way, rather than journalistically. When was the last time you saw a new base model (the sort of car most of us end up buying) seriously reviewed on Top Gear?

And that...is why I watch it.

As mentioned, those who want to know about detail and proper advice go to fifth gear.

I'm sure at one point the genre will change to 'comedy' instead of 'factual motoring'

 

[Butts]

Yeah I was surprised not to see a 205 GTi as I recall Clarkson saying on one of his videos (Top 100 cars?) that it was brilliant and the 106 GTi was also a favourite of his!

I have to confess to being disappointed with the usual puerile antics (Car Alarms, Fake Moustaches, OTT stunts, silly mistakes, boring stereotypes). I am also confused as to how Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May who are surrounded by advisors, experts and car traders, how they ended up with 3 lemons? The XR2i with the later Zetec engine should have made mincemeat of that hillclimb!

Ah that's it 106 GTI.....

I can remember when Top Gear was a semi-serious car show with the likes of William Woolard et al - seems they transferred half the tomorrow's world team over at one point.

It is purely a entertainment show now and very lucrative for BBC World overseas sales.

 

[richw]

Ah that's it 106 GTI.....

I can remember when Top Gear was a semi-serious car show with the likes of William Woolard et al - seems they transferred half the tomorrow's world team over at one point.

It is purely a entertainment show now and very lucrative for BBC World overseas sales.

The 106gti didn't get launched until 1996, probably a little late for their feature.

 

[Butts]

The 106gti didn't get launched until 1996, probably a little late for their feature.

If they could find one a Vauxhall Chevette HS 2300 would have ripped the other three to shreds (1975-1981)

 

[DownSouth]

Yeah I was surprised not to see a 205 GTi as I recall Clarkson saying on one of his videos (Top 100 cars?) that it was brilliant and the 106 GTi was also a favourite of his!

Please tell me where in the known universe it is possible to get a 205 GTi for less than a thousand pounds?

 

[richw]

Please tell me where in the known universe it is possible to get a 205 GTi for less than a thousand pounds?

Spares and repair on eBay, but XR2i are the same can only see spares repair for sub £1000

 

[bnm]

Please tell me where in the known universe it is possible to get a 205 GTi for less than a thousand pounds?

http://motoring.trade-it.co.uk/swindon/used-cars-for-sale/peugeot-205/peugeot-205-gti-TT353B9G7

Just the sort of shed the TG boys would buy.

 

[Yew]

Memories of being about 5, when my dad picked up his White xr2 are coming back to me now

One day I'll own an old car as a toy, probably not a hot hatch, as they are ragged around a lot.

 

[Butts]

Memories of being about 5, when my dad picked up his White xr2 are coming back to me now

One day I'll own an old car as a toy, probably not a hot hatch, as they are ragged around a lot.

Get yourself a Triumph TR6 - beautiful roadster of distinctive appearance.

 

[starrymarkb]

I may now want a Quadski and a P1!

 

[455driver]

If they could find one a Vauxhall Chevette HS 2300 would have ripped the other three to shreds (1975-1981)

A Vauxhall Magnum would have done as well!

Drifts off into reminiscing mode!

 

[Butts]

A Vauxhall Magnum would have done as well!

Drifts off into reminiscing mode!

Indeed - however the Chevette HS 2300 would have easily burnt it's bigger brother off
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I may now want a Quadski and a P1!

I'll have the Alfa 4 C please
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
"Loki" did a good impersonation of Clarkson as well

 

[Butts]

I see the lads are in Burma this week, driving lorries.

Have any of them actually got a licence - however it probably does not matter in Burma.

Fancy having right hand drive cars and driving on the right :-x

 

[starrymarkb]

I see the lads are in Burma this week, driving lorries.

Have any of them actually got a licence - however it probably does not matter in Burma.

Fancy having right hand drive cars and driving on the right :-x

That's fun in a car, let alone something bigger!

 

[Minilad]

I dislike Top Gear because it has spawned lots of car "experts" who will give you chapter and verse about cars they haven't driven just because Clarkson said so

 

[Nym]

I dislike Top Gear because it has spawned lots of car "experts" who will give you chapter and verse about cars they haven't driven just because Clarkson said so

At least it's better than the armchair engineers, armchair drivers and armchair planners we find on this forum...

(And at the DfT for that matter. Very off topic, but one of them at a confrence I was at tried telling the manager of a major ROSCO how to run his business and that he was wrong on his financial calculations. A similar thing to what a lot of forum members say.)