[03x14] April 11, 2019 - Funeral for a Ford

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I knew something was up, watching the episode: the mouse hovered a bit on the end section and I noticed images that couldn't fit with TGT. Plus, I already knew the format was changing.

However, for a moment my heart sank when Jeremy said they were ending it, as if he was saying there there wouldn't have been a Season 4... My eyes got watery with relief when he confirmed they are still going on, only in a different format.

I realize now how dear I hold their work and the time passed watching them. I knew it was so, but I didn't think it was so much so.

It's the end of an Era, and I will miss Conversation Street a lot, but it was right for them to move on, and explore new territories.

Go on boys! I've just renewed my Amazon Prime, and I can't wait for the next Season!

EDIT

Oh, and bring Abbie with you, when you need someone who knows how to drive really fast.
 
Thought the Ford segment was done quite well although it was far from their best work and went on a bit too long.

Have to say Jeremy getting very emotional at the end actually made me feel quite uncomfortable although I fully understand why he felt that way considering how much of his life has been spent writing studio/tent scripts, reviewing cars, interviewing guests and blasting around race tracks. Was a nice touch for them to get old TG footage from the Beeb for the montage.

8/10

I really hope they can make the Series 4 all specials series work, it will be a challenge in itself keeping the shows fresh every week.
 
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I've been off this forum for a long while due to a mental illness and life complications.
Just finished watching the episode an hour ago, and I can't believe it... I knew that this day will come, but... I've been a Top Gear fan and an avid viewer since their first season, I used to watch it on BBC World that time and wait for the repeat, then I became a torrenter when they moved to BBC2 and so on till The Grand Tour. I don't know what to say... still crying till now honestly.
 
Absolutely loved all of it. One of the best episodes and indeed one of the best bits of TV I've ever seen. It encapsulates what it means to care about cars. Even if you're not fussed about the Cortina or the Mondeo, you can see the passion which drives the guys on. Which drives us all on.

It reminds me of the Top Gear episode where he drove the Vantage V12. Except this one really was the end of an era.

11/10.
 
Interesting stuff in the documentary, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here actually. Though I wonder if this means we could see another series of The Reassembler.
 
Damn ninjas cutting onions in here...
 
To be honest:

Don't care about these old Fords too much. I have no personal connection to any of these old cars (also not in my family). But it was an entertaining episode but for me no where near like a real "special" they did.

But I wonder about the reason why they change the format. I was really happy about the recent change (getting rid of the celebrity and his/her round on the track). Never liked that and most time skipped it, even in old Top Gear.

I assume, on Amazon they can track which parts of the episode are skipped and therefore the celebrities had to go. But I wonder about the studio segment. Always found it very entertaining and amusing. Wonder how many people are out there, who just watch the film sections and skip the 3 guy joking around.
 
Maybe Amazon wants them to put out the whole series in one block or something, the studio segment is usually recorded as the show goes out (Unless they do it differently with the Grand Tour) and it wouldn't really work coming out as a single block of episodes. Some of those old Top Gears are a real slice of time when the go on about the latest deals you can get on a Ford at the dealer or whatever.
 
As the world's biggest Mondeo fan, this episode made me equally happy and sad.

I'm glad they paid tribute to the regular Ford saloon, because it is a segment across all manufacturers that's losing a war to awful, awful crossovers.

The trio tribute was nice too. Sure the BBC licensing wouldn't have been cheap, but very nice to see a compilation from both programmes.
 
As the world's biggest Mondeo fan, this episode made me equally happy and sad.

I'm glad they paid tribute to the regular Ford saloon, because it is a segment across all manufacturers that's losing a war to awful, awful crossovers.

The trio tribute was nice too. Sure the BBC licensing wouldn't have been cheap, but very nice to see a compilation from both programmes.

Speaking of Ford and their line up, isn't it part of the reason the Mondeo isn't selling as well that there's a competing product in the Focus? I feel like they're more or less in the same market
 
There's crossover for sure, but they are a good bit different in size. From a personal review perspective, despite rave reviews I actually thought the latest model was a downgrade. Quality dropped significantly with the move to Valencia, as did materials with the desire for a global car for the US as well as Europe. They also got too damn big (particularly wide) due to the demands of the US market.

If you want to regularly move four people though, or need a big estate, the Mondeo is still a better bet than the Focus and it always was, just as the Cortina was that bit bigger than an Escort.
 
ut I wonder about the reason why they change the format. I was really happy about the recent change (getting rid of the celebrity and his/her round on the track). Never liked that and most time skipped it, even in old Top Gear.

I assume, on Amazon they can track which parts of the episode are skipped and therefore the celebrities had to go. But I wonder about the studio segment. Always found it very entertaining and amusing. Wonder how many people are out there, who just watch the film sections and skip the 3 guy joking around.
At least some of what you are saying is probably true. The tent is also possibly still expensive and requires a lot of effort to maintain despite it being in the same location for the last two seasons. I'm just guessing but suspect the change for season 4 is more commercial than anything and not what they would want as their first choice.

At the age they are reaching and the fact they are slowly falling apart, more sleeping rough/poor accommodation, more up to their necks in water/mud/sand, dodgy food, uncomfortable cars and terrain and just purely being at the four corners of the world for long periods of time is possibly not their first choice these days. Jeremy said himself he truly hated making the Mongolia special but they appear to be committing themselves to more of that kind of challenge?

I'm certainly not complaining about the change though, the tent segments have always been the weakest part of TGT for me. On the other hand, the tent or TG studio serves a purpose and helps split video segments apart and link from video to video. How it goes without it, we'll just have to wait and see.
 
Every bit of this episode. So awesome. The way they were reminiscing. Fords of yesteryear are so good that it’s a shame the US didn’t get those. Yeah we had mustangs and other big v8 sedans but, the emotion that TGT brought to the cortina, Sierra, and Mondeo is something special.

Seeing Jeremy getting choked up and then shots of the crowed with tears down their faces. Oh man... These three men have touched so many lives and really helped fuel the car enthusiast world.

That said, I do hope they can continue on for many more years.
 
At least some of what you are saying is probably true. The tent is also possibly still expensive and requires a lot of effort to maintain despite it being in the same location for the last two seasons. I'm just guessing but suspect the change for season 4 is more commercial than anything and not what they would want as their first choice.

At the age they are reaching and the fact they are slowly falling apart, more sleeping rough/poor accommodation, more up to their necks in water/mud/sand, dodgy food, uncomfortable cars and terrain and just purely being at the four corners of the world for long periods of time is possibly not their first choice these days. Jeremy said himself he truly hated making the Mongolia special but they appear to be committing themselves to more of that kind of challenge?

I'm certainly not complaining about the change though, the tent segments have always been the weakest part of TGT for me. On the other hand, the tent or TG studio serves a purpose and helps split video segments apart and link from video to video. How it goes without it, we'll just have to wait and see.

The most likely reason is that Amazon allows them to see more specific analytics than they could ever do in the BBC and people generally dropped or skipped on the tent segments. Presumably this is also the actual reason that they dumped the celebrity thing.
 
The most likely reason is that Amazon allows them to see more specific analytics than they could ever do in the BBC and people generally dropped or skipped on the tent segments. Presumably this is also the actual reason that they dumped the celebrity thing.

Yes, that is what I meant when I said for commercial reasons. I didn't mean they are changing purely because the tent is expensive but it's more a commercial decision based on many factors including money, viewing statistics, general feedback and more. They are giving the people what the data possibly suggests they want more of.

The guys themselves would probably like more comfy hotels, nice food, plenty of alcohol, good roads and comfortable cars, not the opposite. Credit to them for taking themselves out of their comfort zones even more for our enjoyment. ;)
 
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Haven't watched it yet, but really looking forward to it for obvious reasons. Saw a few of the promo clips they dropped on Youtube yesterday/today and the Ford bits look pretty great.
 
I give it a ten.

A pretty earnest documentary on the British Ford saloon. My dad had driven Renaults nearly all his life, but shifted for driving a Mondeo for the last 11 years. Even though we don't particularly like the car these days because it costs so much money to keep it going, I can still feel a bit of a connection to this film. It was really rather heartwarming at the climax with this incredible gathering of Fords and the drivers singing hymns, some of which in their Ford regalia, and the photo montage of Ford owners and their cars. It was really quite sweet.

And then the end bit, which I didn't expect. I was expecting the show to carry on since I knew it would but all be specials from that point, but didn't see how emotional it would get. There's no denying that I've been part of this viewership since the beginning and having a montage of all their best bits from The Grand Tour AND Top Gear was a pretty special few minutes of viewing, right down to the Vampire crash that hasn't officially been shown since the one and only broadcast of Top Gear Season 1 Episode 1. Just wished they could have actually said the words Top Gear at one point.

The Grand Tour isn't dead, but it did feel the end of an era like it was. The Grand Tour will most probably live up to its name more than ever before, which I feel didn't do so any more than Top Gear. Still, the emotions and the goodbyes and all that, this year has rather done a number on us as everyone knows.
 
Am I the only one who noticed Clarkson's daughters and ex-wife in the front row?
 
I'd never have guessed the end would involve the boys taking on the British class system and Jeremy weeping, but it was a great way to bow out. It's a bit of shame Amazon has mandated a format change after TGT had finally nailed its format. This season was certainly the show's best so far, and though the Mongolia special bodes well for the next season, I'll miss the variety of the old format.
 
Still crying too. They've just been such a big part of my teens and early 20s.
 
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