[07x05] December 11th, 2005

[Jail80]

There is no Top Gear next week, because some men are playing with each others balls or something. It's a sport thing apparently.

-> -> -> ->

[Lonegunman]

FFS!

I mean, honestly, don't you people have anything better to do than whine about the latest TG (which had the world's best and fastest car) being a bad, disappointing episode? Top Gear's cinematography and scripts are still excellent for a car show and you couldn't wish to get better presenters than JC, Hamster and May. It's just sad to read so much complaints written about Top Gear. Just look how much **** there is on the TV these days.

Long live Top Gear!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally Posted by Lonegunman

FFS!

I mean, honestly, don't you people have anything better to do than whine about the latest TG (which had the world's best and fastest car) being a bad, disappointing episode? Top Gear's cinematography and scripts are still excellent for a car show and you couldn't wish to get better presenters than JC, Hamster and May. It's just sad to read so much complaints written about Top Gear. Just look how much **** there is on the TV these days.

Long live Top Gear!

FFS!

I mean, honestly, don't you have anything better to to then register on an Internet forum just to whine and complain about people who are complaining and criticizing an episode of Top Gear?

We're just expressing our displeasure about the fact that this latest episode has been hyped through the roof and was actually rather sub-par compared to the high standards shown by past episodes of Top Gear.

I really don't think this episode is going to make anyone stop watching TG, but maybe our displeasure will filter down to the TG staff so they realize that Jeremy Clarkson spouting off about the speed of a fast car for half an hour doesn't cut it.

If people never expressed their displeasure towards something they consider relatively poor, nothing would ever get changed, would it?

[roaming]

Originally Posted by Scud

If it was then Hamster and May would have had a JET airplane and not a washingmachine.

James probably only has a prop license.

Originally Posted by BerserkerCatSplat

And they didn't really show enough of the veyron, no idea how it looks inside based on this episode, only fast glances as it rides past....

I also would have liked to have seen more of the interior.

[roaming]

Originally Posted by GraemeH

I think the problem with the race was pacing. The thing that struck me was that clarkson got all the 'this is fast blah blah' stuff out of the way in the first shots, then the rest was either him repeating or giving other stats. A better idea would have been for him to start from the start so it felt more coheasive; have him talk about the companies struggle to make it, then the stats, then as he gets to a good road a bit into the race, hammer and do the 'this goes like a bastard' stuff as if it was the first time he'd driven it hard. It makes the viewer feel more like they're on the journey with him which is what made the first 2 races so good. You felt like you were along for the ride and finding out about the car as he was. Not like someone had driven a car and spent a thousand miles telling you about it.

Also, the races are more atmospheric if they start when its dark and end when it's dark. More of an epic feel, it's just the psychology of it. It was something i didn't like about the SLR race, too.

I have to say that I agree there. And about the SLR race too.

[Lonegunman]

Originally Posted by BerserkerCatSplat

FFS!

I mean, honestly, don't you have anything better to to then register on an Internet forum just to whine and complain about people who are complaining and criticizing an episode of Top Gear?

We're just expressing our displeasure about the fact that this latest episode has been hyped through the roof and was actually rather sub-par compared to the high standards shown by past episodes of Top Gear.

I really don't think this episode is going to make anyone stop watching TG, but maybe our displeasure will filter down to the TG staff so they realize that Jeremy Clarkson spouting off about the speed of a fast car for half an hour doesn't cut it.

If people never expressed their displeasure towards something they consider relatively poor, nothing would ever get changed, would it?

Just to let you know, I've been browsing this forum for months.

Some people are just so hard to please... displeasure, that's the funniest word I've ever seen written about a car show's episode.

[SR71]

Pffffftttt......well that's the sound of the air coming out of the balloon, I was expecting so much from this episode that after watching it I felt so let down. Not to say that it was a bad episode, just that I expect so much more from TG. They had the best engineered car in the world and didn't show us anything other than 1million similar shots of the car driving on a straight line. I was wishing they would show us the detailed shots of the engine, the interior or even a closeup of the brakes but nothing of that sort. If the acceleration of the car could not be shown since it was being driven on the public roads at least show us the awesome braking power of the car.

Hope they filmed the segments on the track. One question, does BBC insures the cars it drives on TG so incase they break down, they can be fixed (think how much the insurance for the Veyron would be)? I ask this question because I remember the time when they drove the classic racing car on the track in the last season and had to pay for the repairs when the owner was pissed off by the treatment to the car.

I sincerely hope/wish that some British Billionaire/Millionaire buys the Veyron and then lets TG test drive it properly on their track just like the drummer for Pink Floyd let them do it on his Ferrari Enzo.

PS. Expect to see the Veyron on Clarkson's DVD next year. Hopefully he will find some faults in it by that time.

[Lonegunman]

Originally Posted by SR71

One question, does BBC insures the cars it drives on TG so incase they break down, they can be fixed (think how much the insurance for the Veyron would be)? I ask this question because I remember the time when they drove the classic racing car on the track in the last season and had to pay for the repairs when the owner was pissed off by the treatment to the car.

I sincerely hope/wish that some British Billionaire/Millionaire buys the Veyron and then lets TG test drive it properly on their track just like the drummer for Pink Floyd let them do it on his Ferrari Enzo.

Good commenting there, SR71. I think that's the key question. Did BBC insure the Veyron? If not, there is no way JC could have done loads of tyre smoke etc. And even if it was insured, the factory probably wouldn't have allowed the car to be driven racing-style. After all, we're talking about a car, which costs £5 million to make.

[gauss07]

the problem i have with the veyron segment was how much it was focussed on clarkson instead of the car i mean come on, it's the world's most expensive and fastest production car surely there must be more to look at other than clarkson's face... which is not the prettiest to say the least but yea, there could be more shots on the interior, the engine bay, the undercarriage, the electronics and all the intricate details. for example the startup sequence of the instrument cluster was so pretty but it only lasted some nanoseconds. a total waste of probably the only time they are going to get the bugatti in the near future.

[SL65]

Originally Posted by gauss07

the problem i have with the veyron segment was how much it was focussed on clarkson instead of the car i mean come on, it's the world's most expensive and fastest production car surely there must be more to look at other than clarkson's face... which is not the prettiest to say the least but yea, there could be more shots on the interior, the engine bay, the undercarriage, the electronics and all the intricate details. for example the startup sequence of the instrument cluster was so pretty but it only lasted some nanoseconds. a total waste of probably the only time they are going to get the bugatti in the near future.

I rekon they might have it on again next season. Remember with the SLR? Richard drove it in S.Africa and 6-months later, Jeremy drove it on the track....and then again for the challange. I know the SLR aint as rare but still...

For the producers of the program, they know its obvious that they have just had the "worlds most powerfull car in the world" and not put it on the track for a lap so I feel certain they will have on again at some point. Hell its TopGear, car manufacturers love to throw their cars on the show for a Clarkson valuation which might not always be good. So Bugatti won't have any problem giving it to TG again.

[kanderson]

I know it has already all been said. I'm disappointed in this episode because we never actually got to see the car do anything other than zoom past the camera. It was like listening to someone describing how good a porn movie was.

[Dins]

Originally Posted by oliB

Well, 4200 pounds would translate to exactly 1905 kg.

really? then the google numbers were wrong, i even used a calculator. maybe that is why i'm not doing so well in finance

[driedees]

It's great that Top Gear got the Veyron in their show and actually drove the damn thing straight trough Europe. I agree with every one of you saying that the focus was to much on Clarkson: show us the details of the car, don't just talk about them!!!
Can't we all chip in to help BBC pay the Veyron's ensurance
The other segments were really cool, a would like to see more of the Porsche vs. Porsche contest. Especially because May presented it, I really like his sense of humour.

[oliB]

Originally Posted by Dins

really? then the google numbers were wrong, i even used a calculator. maybe that is why i'm not doing so well in finance

1kg equals 2,205 pounds. Many people think 1kg=2 pounds, that's only good for a rather rough estimate though.

Originally Posted by driedees

The other segments were really cool, a would like to see more of the Porsche vs. Porsche contest. Especially because May presented it, I really like his sense of humour.

There's one thing i noticed about that Porsche segment, which I find rather lame. They wanted it to look like the Stig did those laps in front of the audience, when in reality the stadium was actually empty and they just edited the audience in.

Am I right?

[driedees]

Originally Posted by oliB

There's one thing i noticed about that Porsche segment, which I find rather lame. They wanted it to look like the Stig did those laps in front of the audience, when in reality the stadium was actually empty and they just edited the audience in.

Am I right?

I think it was said before, TG shot the Porsche segment on different days. Still agree with you, it's lame to make it seem the Stig drove the cars in a full stadium... FinalGear will always spot faults

[kanderson]

I had to go back and watch that part again, and I extracted a few clips. There's certainly a difference in the number of people, but the stadium wasn't empty. Considering TopGear probably didn't have access to the track until after the real race, most of the audience probably left before the Stig raced.

I don't think it's deception any worse than the Stig's dubbed-in music and Clarkson's lack of driving skills.

Clips of the Stig:






Clips without the Stig:

[RichW]

Sonething I thought of last night.

Clarkson left the Eurostar 10 minutes before May and Hammond. First of all, he shouldn't of been on the same "Public Transport" as the other pair, he should of been on a Seacat or a Ferry.

But more importantly there is NO way he could get the Natwest Tower before them driving up the motorways. Its EASILY an 1:15 to 1:30 from Folkstone to Central London. The Eurostar train takes 35 mins to get to Waterloo, then a short Tube ride Waterloo to Bank (5 Mins) and a walk up the street (5 mins max)

This was the most obviously rigged one. Which is stupid as if May and Hammond had won, it wouldn't of affected anything. In fact it would of made the other races more lifelike. Clarkson CANNOT possible win every one.

[kanderson]

TopGear is a scripted entertainment show, not reality. They are carrying along with them a huge production crew, and they have to stop and setup for staged camera shots all along the route. I can't imagine the camera crews loading up their gear, speeding past the Veyron far enough ahead to unload and setup just to show the Veyron zipping past again and again. The filming probably occurred over a few days, and not during anything that resembled a "race". The BBC certainly can't afford 100 crews standing around waiting to take pictures of a car passing by.

[No Boss]

Originally Posted by kanderson

TopGear is a scripted entertainment show, not reality. They are carrying along with them a huge production crew, and they have to stop and setup for staged camera shots all along the route. I can't imagine the camera crews loading up their gear, speeding past the Veyron far enough ahead to unload and setup just to show the Veyron zipping past again and again. The filming probably occurred over a few days, and not during anything that resembled a "race". The BBC certainly can't afford 100 crews standing around waiting to take pictures of a car passing by.

I know that's been discussed early in other threads. A lot of the artsy shot of the Veyron speeding by and front on road shots aren't taken during the race. I know in the thread about the SLR the said most of those shots were taken on the drive back. I'm guessing thats what the did for the Veyron race, got all the shots on the drive down to Alba/Turin. Because just as you said, it would be impossible for these crews to get these shots during the race.

[gtrietsc]

So, am I the only one who noticed that in the Marcos segment, the jetliner it was parked next to had no engines?

I guess I noticed because the Marcos was was boring looking to me.

Otherwise, even though the race end was staged, and even though it could have been better, I really did enjoy this episode. Definately not the best race though.