[03x13] April 5, 2019 - GT Special: Survival of the Fattest

Rate this episode of out of 10

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    Votes: 0 0.0%
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    Votes: 1 1.9%
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    Votes: 2 3.7%
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    Votes: 5 9.3%
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    Votes: 14 25.9%
  • 10

    Votes: 31 57.4%

  • Total voters
    54
Very good ep, but a few of the items were a bit too staged to give it a 10. Hard to believe that James would be that gormless about driving through the bog. Great music was definitely a +.
 
Boy, the things these alcoholic morons do for us... ;) Impressive special. If this was Top Gear, John would be put on a plinth in the studio for sure!
 
Looks like it was this -

http://oxgvt.com/

Gordon Murray.
Funny, after Jeremy noted it was a mid-engine design with a central driving position, I thought 'why not call it Gordon instead of John?' Now I see this! ;) (but of course, Jeremy doesn't like the McLaren F1 for reasons I've only seen as nonsensical)
 
Rewatching it, they had nothing but rations and Wilman isn't there is the only bollocks I can find. It's really good.
 
That was fantastic, really glad I actually bothered to watch this one. I was actually expecting lots of breakdowns and moaning about how unreliable Land Rover stuff was, but there was none of it. It appeared that they didn't use the diff locks on most occasions to ham up the drama and they could've definitely crossed that river in the first location without drowning the engine, but that isn't much to pick on.

It looks like the car itself was a real mix, special axles with leaf spring seats and disc brakes, parabolic springs, hydro steering, a Series steering column, Tdi/gearbox combo from something later (mounted at the back with backwards shifting- a terrible idea and it's a miracle they didn't break it with all of that bouncing), pedals looked like Discovery or Range Rover (that pedal pad matches) and the screen was Defender-ish. I'd love to inspect it close up but I doubt I'll ever be able to.

Seeing places like this makes me want an aircraft of some kind that I can just fly out to places like this, plonk it down and live there for a while, then move on as I wish.
 
The guys also acted more human and less cartoony in this episode--Hammond actually got to be smart and take-charge while May was impulsive and impatient. And how long has it been since we've seen them complimenting and even high-fiving each other? The episode felt and looked like a genuine adventure, amid hyper-majestic scenery and awe-inspiring vistas. If this is what the next season will be like, we're in for a treat.
 
Rewatched, rewatched and rewatched again, it's great.

"Hey, Hammund"
 
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Just getting around to watching this now. I'm a little behind, but came to say I thought the episode was terrific.
 
I think this is one of the best episodes of Top Gear/Grand Tour ever. It was just brilliant. I had one or two little niggles, but it was spectacular. This episode had the strongest sense of adventure of any of their specials, and it may actually have had the best scenery as well. It was like a cross between TG/GT and Lord of the Rings at times, even going through the marshes lol. There likely won't be that many Grand Tour specials left. It brings me great joy that they made something this brilliant, up their with their best work, before the end. I normally don't like the montage segments before the very end, but when they played the music from the first US special's montage, the very first special like this, I got a bit emotional. Thank you so much, Clarkson, Hammond, May, Wilman, and everybody else who's ever been involved with this show.
 
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