Your ideal episode...

For me it would have to be.

Ferrari 458 Italia
The race across Japan
SIARPC - Jonathan Ross or Jimmy Carr
And the British Sports Cars challenge - (that's a safety feature) :D
 
1 - Ferrari Enzo review.
2 - News
3 - Second hand supercars for less than 10k s7 e4 / Pendine sands film s4 e5
4 - SIARPC - Stephen Fry
5 - Cool Wall
6 - If there is time, a film like the rolls royce corniche / 600 grosser one with JC & JM s11e5 OR The South Pacific (daewoo lacetti!) cars from s5 e9

of course not necessarily in that order, and kind of interwoven into eachother at whatever points a good editor would choose.
 

It's close to 12x06 in my book. Terrific SIARPC, one of Jezza's best reviews ever (the Asbo ST), terrific news segment, funny as hell Cool Wall, and a great road trip...ruined by that interminable sequence of them exiting the parking garage. That just went on forever. 12x06, on the other hand, has no weak moments.
 
03x02, 04x03, 05x01, 05x06, 5x08, 06x02, 06x11, 07x03, 10x06.

Those are, IMO, the best normal episodes of Top Gear they've made (10x06 is a hidden gem). So naturally, they are the most ideal for me. If I had to cobble one together though:

1. Opening film (10x06); "You want sport? Get an M5, turn the traction control off, and mash your foot... into the Axminster..." - Jeremy Clarkson




2. News (10x06)
; "I've got bird flu, be nice..." - Jeremy Clarkson




3. Second film; (06x09) "I don't want to go in, it's full of lesbians... dancing..." - James May




4. SIARPC; (05x04) "They may was well just have a sign saying: 'Random accidents ahead. Life's a lottery - Be lucky...'" - Jimmy Carr




5. Final film; (12x07) "The reason it's the car of the future, is because it's just like the car of today..." - James May

]

Never watched that sequence of videos before though, so it might actually be rubbish. Sounded good in my head though :D.
 
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^^^ Citing source episodes would be nice for those of us who archive and don't like streaming.

10x06 a "hidden gem"? Only if it's a zircon. The Manchester airport explosions in the closing review reached ludicrous levels, the SIARPC guest suffered from the Sports Person Curse Of Dull, one of the features was so "terrific" that it was held from broadcast for two years, and there was another moronic, identical Hammond Inappropriate Vehicle Racing waste of time. However, your choice doesn't make me want to pummel you senseless like your citing of 03x02 does.
 
Too many to list down here. Still, some of the best of the recent times, for me, are:

Ferrari 458...Absolutely, unbelievably, mesmerizingly brilliant! :)

Audi R8 V8 vs Porsche Carrera4S...Love the bit where Hammod power-slides the Porsche into the frame. I still get goose-bumps watching that.

The BMW 1M review from S17!

Hammond's work from Abu Dhabi (SV, Mclaren SLR, Veyron, Mclaren F1).

Lancer EVO-VIII vs the big bad Murcie!

And I quite liked the very first review on the VW Phaeton in Top Gear done by Jeremy (very unusual, but still). I have only one thing about the big-burly VW now. Respect!

Wait, this is not it and there are a lot more to list down...;)
 
^^^ Citing source episodes would be nice for those of us who archive and don't like streaming.
Cheers, will add in sec.

10x06 a "hidden gem"? Only if it's a zircon. The Manchester airport explosions in the closing review reached ludicrous levels, the SIARPC guest suffered from the Sports Person Curse Of Dull, one of the features was so "terrific" that it was held from broadcast for two years, and there was another moronic, identical Hammond Inappropriate Vehicle Racing waste of time.
Generally speaking, I agree with you. James' Alfa test, Motorhome racing, and even the Type-R film are not brilliant by any stretch. But I like an episode where it feels like I've got a lot of value from the hour. Whilst not their finest work, I think it's a solid episode and as a whole, greater than the sum of its parts.

However, your choice doesn't make me want to pummel you senseless like your citing of 03x02 does.
Hah, yeah well you probably won't like that one :p. How do you feel about the rest of my selections bar those two? Would you agree that the shows' golden period was between Series 4 - 8?
 
this thread is rather enjoyable.
 
Generally speaking, I agree with you. James' Alfa test, Motorhome racing, and even the Type-R film are not brilliant by any stretch. But I like an episode where it feels like I've got a lot of value from the hour. Whilst not their finest work, I think it's a solid episode and as a whole, greater than the sum of its parts.

The problem is that if the parts are worth zero individually, the biggest sum you can achieve is zero, so that isn't saying much. There are just too many "What is this shit?" moments in 10x06 for me to keep it running.

How do you feel about the rest of my selections bar those two? Would you agree that the shows' golden period was between Series 4 - 8?

On the second point, yes, if you ignore Top Gear Dog, and most of us can. The other selections...I'm not a big Porsche fan. I don't take an active loathing to them like I do BMWs, but there's an active apathy there that makes me FF through Porsche segments. You obviously are a Porsche fan, so those episodes with Content von Stuttgart get a better view from you. As a soldier in the Great War in your country, you definitely wear a red uniform, which explains why every single Monaro review they did gets the thumbs up (and they did way too many in too short a period of time; I got really, really sick of seeing that thing). 05x01 was the last gasp of Outright Silly Top Gear, broadcast while Ambitious But Rubbish Top Gear was still being formed; the opening segment just kills the episode. The remainder are really good selections.
 
1. TVR Sagaris
2. News with Porsche pipes
3. 1500 pounds coupe that isn't a porsche challenge (first half)
4. SIARPC: Jenson Button(first appearance) or Simon Cowell(second appearance)
5. 1500 pounds coupe that isn't a porsche challenge (second half)

THE END
 
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this thread is rather enjoyable.

Glad you think so. Might keep us entertained until S18 kicks off.
Just thought that each other's "best" bits would, at least, be enjoyable for all the others.
 
It's close to 12x06 in my book. Terrific SIARPC, one of Jezza's best reviews ever (the Asbo ST), terrific news segment, funny as hell Cool Wall, and a great road trip...ruined by that interminable sequence of them exiting the parking garage. That just went on forever. 12x06, on the other hand, has no weak moments.

I can't remember it at all. Completely forgettable. Good Top Gear was made untill ~series 8.

EDIT: I just checked which episode it was. You are completely out of your mind, saying it had no weak moments.
 
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1. 458 italia review
2.News(i always liked the news segment)
3.Top gear race classic , bugatti veyron vs plane
4.SIRPC ,Jay leno/Rowan Atkinson
5.race continued :)

i like topgear when its 70% car review mentality and 30% fun and silliness. the fun can go to up by 20%. any more than that , then the staged acting comedyreaches its limits for me. I dont mind pianos and explosions though
 
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