[11x04] July 13th, 2008

[11x04] July 13th, 2008


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Very solid episode, improvement on 11x03. Gave it a 9 on this basis..

Review on the alfa was great, very honest of clarkson by the sounds.

The epic race was entertaining, How the hell did James and Richard end up on different trains?? and Clarksons utter joy at getting the Sat Nav working was great to see!

The news was good, road signs bit are funny, and May and the Dacia... still gets a chuckle..

So far i am unable to fault the episode...Top gear is back.. (for this week anyways lol)
 
I would say it is definitely so far the best episode this season, however definitely not one of the better episodes I have seen. I give it a 9/10

They need to get better guests.
 
First off let me say I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. It had everything I'd been looking forward to in this series wrapped up into a single program.

That said, I've had another look at the 8C review. I wanted it to be epic but it lacked a little something. The drawn metal sound effect and the matrix-style-attempt at moving around the car just stood out and not in a good way. It sort of pulled me out of the review to say "why the hell did they do that?" and if I'm to get a sense of the car from a TG review I can't be ripped out of the review with silly little bits like that.

The other thing that hurt the review was what little chance we get to really take the whole thing in. It's mostly close-ups of various bits of the car, but we never have a chance to get a really good look at the whole of the interior or exterior. It's like going to the Louvre, waiting in line all day, then finally getting up to the Mona Lisa and only being able to see her right shoulder and then her left hand and that's it.

When Jeremy says the handling is off SHOW ME the car handling badly. Don't show me a powerslide intercut with Jezza's babbling, show me a tight corner with the car oversteering and/or understerring.

And lastly, that opening music is great. A nice, soft bit to help set the mood; that this isn't a footballer, but a ballet dancer. Then you have to go and muck that all up with the quick cut into some fast music. It's like watching the Nutcracker cast with Manchester United. Give us a slow build here. You're not a 16 year-old on his first time out with a girl, you should know how to treat us right. There should be a slow build here, gradually upping the pace. It's an Italian car. The film should be like a gentle Italian lover. All passion and soul. And without any fiddly gadgets like a Maranello whore.
 
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What an epic episode! For me, everything was perfect. Loved the race! I was on the edge of my seat, especially at the end of the race. The panicked look on Hammond's face after receiving May's phone call, and all that frantic running about had me in stitches, christ if i was in a foreign country with signs in a language i don't understand and i got lost like that i'd panic and probably just die straightaway.

Overall, great job on the episode! 10/10!
 
What is this?

33o2sz5.jpg

it means "animal be careful"
 
a great episode, the race indeed lived up to the title of EPIC, it was great to see the TG crew in one of my favourite countries which is Japan.
The Alfa was gorgeous as always and May's bit with the Sandero is always great :D
all in all 10/10 hands down
 
Fabulous episode. I was worried this thread would be full of "I bet Clarkson turned off his GPS on purpose to make it closer by getting lost, and then turned it back on when Richard rejoined James", but thankfully it isn't.
 
I give it a 9. Loved it. Pure and simple.

The 8C is sublime and I liked the colour, so sick of red Italian cars.

Any Ferrari anorak to confirm / refute May's claim about the Ferrari engine?

That beaver comment almost had me choking on my dinner. Hilarious, not simply just the comment but the priceless look of confusion and ignorant bliss on her face. :lol:

Also loved how Clarkson had the Chinese characters on his head band upside down and the wrong way until he had it the right way towards the end.

Thank you Top Gear for such wonderful entertainment.
 
That comment that JC mentioned about Ferrari ("Ferrari only look good because they're Ferrari) is so true. I never quite liked the styling of a lot of Ferraris. They all take a bit of getting use to looking at.

Lamborghinis on the other hand look amazing, especially that amazing looking Reventon.
 
I feel a bit sorry for giving it only 9, but it can not match with 10x01 (best driving road), still it would take its place in my top 5 of all episodes, maybe even top 3. I can not wait for test of Maserati GranTurismo, which is has the same chassis and engine as Alfa Romeo 8C, but it is cheaper, and (in my opinion) better looking.

Jeremy's line about beaver was hilarious :D Still, I do not know why Japanese girls do not wax themselves.
 
It was good, haven't rated though but I'd reckon a 7 or 8. I still like the all the other races they have done better. This one seemed short, not the amount of film they showed but the distance they traveled, only 400 miles? All the others felt longer, maybe its because they crossed multiple countries. This gave it a more epic distance feel about it. Crossing Japan, the short way does't feel very epic to me. I imagine this couldn't be helped too much because they needed a close race and somewhere the bullet train could go so I won't complain too much about it. I'm not a fan of the GTR either so that kind of brought it down a little bit to me and I found myself really rooting for the train. The tension was real and gripping though and the Bill Oddie thing had me laughing, along with the whale songs and some others.

About the 8C, love the car to death but I think it got a bit of an unfair rap after the test. A 1:38? C'mon that shouldn't be close to what that car would get in even fair conditions. That was the single worst track conditions I have seen a car tested in on Top Gear. Even with the bad handling JC was telling of, with 450 hp, lightweight, and an LSD I would think it could get at least into the high 1:20s. Watching the stig drive it, you could see how gingerly he was approaching corners to keep in on the track. Shame they couldn't get a good day to test it on. I imagine they time they had the car was very limited so they had no choice.

EDIT: Also, like many of you have said, have Richard and James become a side show to Jeremy? I mean, JC has always been the face of Top Gear but I've never found myself questioning the lack of exposure of Richard and James when it comes to reviews up until this series.
 
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Any Ferrari anorak to confirm / refute May's claim about the Ferrari engine?

Yep, the California's the first Ferrari ever to have a front-mounted V8-engine (technically a front-mounted mid-engined V8, as the engine is behind the front axle, that's just too pedantic.)
 
I wonder if the constant accidental slipping the Dacia Sandero into the news could be a hint at the new resaonably-priced car...
...after all, the whole concept of Dacia as a brand calls for a Dacia being the reasonably-priced car.

Apart from that: solid episode, eventhough some of the Presenters vs. Japanese laguage bits were overacted. I simply refuse to believe there's no "english" button on ticket vending machines in tokyo.
 
I wonder if the constant accidental slipping the Dacia Sandero into the news could be a hint at the new resaonably-priced car...
...after all, the whole concept of Dacia as a brand calls for a Dacia being the reasonably-priced car.

Apart from that: solid episode, eventhough some of the Presenters vs. Japanese laguage bits were overacted. I simply refuse to believe there's no "english" button on ticket vending machines in tokyo.

not another RPC, there's only just enough names on the board for it to be interesting now.
 
Yep, the California's the first Ferrari ever to have a front-mounted V8-engine (technically a front-mounted mid-engined V8, as the engine is behind the front axle, that's just too pedantic.)

we should juts blast them with emails point that out just to may off :mrgreen:
 
not another RPC, there's only just enough names on the board for it to be interesting now.

C'mon, the Sandero has been mentioned every episode this season and it is very reasonably priced... and such a crap car that i'd rather invest the same amount of money in a late-70s saloon. The perfect RPC if you want to see two wheels falling off during the same lap.
 
Loved the episode, rated it a 9/10. Thought the sexual banter that ran through the ep was perfect (esp. the the beaver bit at the petrol station!). I don't know diddly about the SIARPC but they played up to Jeremy's sensibilities quite well. Kate really caught my eye, though I wish she was the one laying down the innuendos, not Fiona Bruce. The race was phenomenal! So close, I just wish the boys had beat Jezza. As for the 8C...it's an Alfa, what can really expect? The looks were jaw dropping, aided by the photography and effects. After Jezza's brutal review I can't wait to see him shoe-horned into the new mini-fighter from Alfa (MiTo?) in the future. Of course that car is more in May's line, but I can see Jeremy jumping all over it to bemoan another small car.
 
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