[13x01] June 21st, 2009

[corradoboy]

the FXX was amazing...that car is simply heads and shoulders above anything else. You could just tell that lap was going to spank all other times

Err, except the Aston Martin DBR9, which is another track racing variant of a road legal supercar which did a 1:08.6 in the hands of real Stig, not 7x world champion Schuey.

 

[nitrous9200]

It did feel a bit awkward in some spots but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really can't complain about free entertainment that, even at its worst, is a thousand times better than anything else on TV here. The preview looks awesome though, lots of fun adventures and hot girls

 

[Mr. Nice]

A+ 10/10

This was just an excellent and very well done show. It had a very finished and polished feel. I do have to agree with others here, that the news felt a little weird, awkward, and over or underdone in spots... but beyond that, this is going right up there as one of the most epic Top Gear episodes as of yet. The Evora review was excellent, despite people here giving it some negative remarks because they actually dislike the car and are hardcore Porsche fans...

Awesome film, great imagery, great challenge, and great choice of epic vehicles. Thank you, for what I can only describe as one of the best shows as of yet.

 

[MH07]

The FXX shouldn't stay on the board, its no different to the Le Mans bred Aston.

 

[NOHC]

The FXX shouldn't stay on the board, its no different to the Le Mans bred Aston.

I imagine they'll be totally inundated with a letter proclaiming this very thing next week.

I loved it. The last two minutes had my sides hurting from laughing. The race segments were absolutely beautiful, especially the train parts.

But the FXX, jesus, that thing sounds like it'd eat your whole family and ask for seconds.

 

[vg007]

It was a very, very good episode, one of the best! Of course Schumacher isn't the Stig, but it was a damn good way to introduce the star of the week.

The cinematography in the race was epic, those sweeping heli shots of the train in the green hills with the blue sea right there, ah, just beautiful.

Sure the Evora review was a bit lame, but half-assed reviews are just as much Top Gear's specialty as the occasionally stunning ones (like the fiesta last series).

 

[narin]

My favorite part was JC's coal fried egg sandwitch.

ditto

 

[Ghostwolf]

Epic man, epic!! (no further explanations required.)


10/10

 

[Meio]

Err, except the Aston Martin DBR9, which is another track racing variant of a road legal supercar which did a 1:08.6 in the hands of real Stig, not 7x world champion Schuey.

I think you're still missing the concept of The Stig, but yeah the FXX didn't impress.

 

[qaz0101]

100% correct. Hamilton will never touch Schumacher's greatness.

It's clear from Silverstone last year that Hamilton is immune to a wet track, thus the 4 second rule doesn't apply to him and Schumacher is faster.

edit: Now that we know Schumacher is the Stig can we stop trying to prove that he is not Schumacher?

 

[controlspecimen]

Also a little disappointed Jeremy tried to feign relief at not having to ride the motorcycle when clearly Hammond was going to be riding it all along - why else would he have his leathers with him in his car?

I don't mind if some things are scripted, just don't try to make me believe that they aren't, BBC!!

This also annoyed me. They did the same thing in Vietnam when they pretended to try and buy a car. They are not actors, and it shows when they try that stupid nonsense. Just accept each presenter's vehicle of choice as a given like they used to!

 

[makst]

Decent episode, but no great, 7/10; maybe my expectations were too high.

Of course schumi isn't the stig, but I'm sure it was schumi who drove the fxx. Wonder why he didn't do a lap in the liana...

 

[awdrifter]

Great opening ep for this season. This is the only SIARPC that I watched. I can't believe they got Schumacher for the interview, and it's probably him driving the FXX around the track too.

Lotus Evora. It's a good looking car, but something is missing, it just doesn't feel supercar-ish. Still a great car, but maybe not a supercar.

The 1949 race. Now this is a proper epic race to begin the season. I was surprised the Jag was that reliable. May didn't have any mechanical troubles at all. For a 60 years old design, that's very good.

Overall, 10/10. Glad we finally get some real Top Gear instead of the imitations.

 

[Carrie]

I loved that. I know that there's the hype and the let down, but I felt that they'd been listening about the "faked" stuff, and this felt so much more genuine, especially during the race. The bit with the first train stop and Jeremy was joking around with the blokes was lovely. It felt much more season seven to eight.

As for Schumacher, I was spoiled but I was hoping they'd have the "real" Stig showing that it was a joke. I know it's not really him, that there are probably many. Then I remembered the trailers for the return of the Black Stig with him coming out of the sea.... think they'll do anything with that?

 

[CrzRsn]

9/10. Would've been 10/10 if it were not for the Stig fiasco/Schumacher interview.

 

[corradoboy]

Wonder why he didn't do a lap in the liana...

As stated previously, he has a very restrictive contract with Ferrari which stops him from publicly driving other vehicles. Probably why he said he drives a Fiat as a daily hack when everyone knows he has a selection of Brabus Mercs amongst many others.

 

[OldSkoolGP]

I am so glad Top Gear is back!!! Where to start?

Series Preview: I saw a ZR1. They have to put that around the track. It's the best american car ever.

The race: That was not the greatest race ever, but I think it was the coolest. I love old school engineering, and steam train are a personal fave of mine. That was awesome to watch Jeremy shoveling the coal. And has he lost weight? He reminds me of me even more!

The news: I'm kinda surprised they didn't talk about GM at all. Koenigsegg buying Saab should have at least been worth mentioning. What did they go on about? Pet vets? Ok, seriously. They need to talk about GM at some point.

The Stig: Even if Schumacher isn't the Stig, how cool was it to have him on the show? He is a true gentlemen and probably the greatest driver ever. I still think there are multiple Stig's for whatever the circumstance dictates (it's just logical), but I wouldn't be surprised if for the supercar laps, they call him up. After that first idiot couldn't get a Murcielago around the track in under 1:28, why not bring Schumacher in?

I gave it a 10 based on the race and the Stig bombshell. News needs improvement.

 

[Dresden]

Well, I rated it as 7/10. The FXX is not supposed to be on the board. They didn't show the lap of the Lotus. The Stig is shown to be Schui. The ending was tacky, not funny. The news was terrible and at times it was the acting was obvious and the dialogue felt scripted. I mean, where was the BIG news? Chrysler, GM, Fiat, Konigseggeggeggeggegegg?

These men have been doing a lot recently and maybe they are just tired of it all. All in all though, it was a good show. I wish I could have enjoyed the race a bit more; in the old ones there was some down time or a little bit of seriousness and this was so rush rush and ha ha funny. Oh well, the preview looked great and I'm looking forward to next Sunday.

 

[flydiscovery]

Hamster speaking into his helmet was odd, too. It sounded like they recorded it afterwards in a recording studio, also because his gestures didn't match.

I don't doubt this in the slightest. If they got really crap audio from the live take, I can certainly see them going back and re-recording. They re-film things all the time and Jeremy gives a scripted voice over of every race. If they did re-record I have to imagine the original was so bad we should be grateful.

Why no mention of GM and Chrysler going bankrupt? Pontiac over and done with? The Chinese buying Hummer? Koenigsegg buying Saab? It's like none of it happened...

Because they've said many times they don't care about the credit crunch so long as they have cars to drive. I do expect some pot shots in the future but they were also short on time.

This also annoyed me. They did the same thing in Vietnam when they pretended to try and buy a car. They are not actors, and it shows when they try that stupid nonsense. Just accept each presenter's vehicle of choice as a given like they used to!

Couldn't agree more. Jeremy's acting in SIARPC was pretty poor as well. Schumacher looked more at ease than he did. For what it's worth they're excellent actors all things considered but sometimes they seem to play to their weaknesses instead of strengths.

Edit: Definitely a 9 from me (that IS the point of this thread, duh). Also been wondering this since the preview pics, has Jeremy lost weight?

 

[bartboy9891]

I think you're still missing the concept of The Stig, but yeah the FXX didn't impress.

Isn't the DBR9 an actual race car? The FXX, with some tweaks, can be made into a road legal car. Even the tires it comes with are apparently road legal. I thought it was pretty impressive all things considered.