[13x03] July 5th, 2009

[DubyaStep]

How tall is Ken Block anyway? He is very nearly too tall for that racing seat. I didn't notice if he was ever standing next to James, who is certainly not short.

remember, the seat is custom made to the driver to put him at his est position in the car, so, it may appear that he is tall but he could very well be just sitting up high. i know when im on a track of anykind i like to be up so i can see more than when im just driving around town when i have the seat laid back.

 

[Martin]

An okay episode over all. I thought the Black review was well done. The Ken Block bit seemed totally pointless... a rally driver that can do slides and other car tricks? A bit underwhelming frankly. The cinematography is the only thing that saved that segment. At first SIARPC seemed to go well but as it went on the guest got more and more annoying. Challenge was fun as usual.

 

[rps]

Holy hell, I've never seen an episode of Top Gear polarise the audience like this.

Well, personally I think the bulk of you are badly wrong - it was fucking awesome!

I also liked it.

News was hilarious, especially car sauna. 61?C in a car - jesus... no wonder dogs and kids die in locked cars.

Yes, but I wondered were Jeremy was placing the thermometer. It looked liked he was putting it just below the windscreen, where the temperature is probably a bit higher than under the roof, where they were.

Only question mark was why no mention of the Koeningsegg-Saab deal? Surely that's newsworthy?

This season they seem to be avoiding news, for some reason. A pity, since it was usually one of the best bits.

SIARPC... now, I have no idea who the fuck Michael MacIntyre is, and I agree, he's a bit over the top, but I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a guest segment.

I get the impression that the people who liked him were the ones that didn't know him. Maybe the ones which already knew him are tired of his style.

Ken Block... yeah, it was staged and so forth, but fuck me it was worth James' plane ticket over.

I suspect the reason it was James May doing that bit was because he (and his camera crew) went to America for the U2 flight and the Apollo documentary and so Top Gear saved some money.

BTW, Ken Block was impressive, but I would also suggest to search for Gigi Galli in youtube. Galli does some spectacular stuff and with the chronometer running.

 

[flydiscovery]

remember, the seat is custom made to the driver to put him at his est position in the car, so, it may appear that he is tall but he could very well be just sitting up high. i know when im on a track of anykind i like to be up so i can see more than when im just driving around town when i have the seat laid back.

That makes sense. If he sits up very much higher though, he'll loose protection from those things to the side of his head (which I assume restrict lateral head movement in a crash?).

 

[DubyaStep]

That makes sense. If he sits up very much higher though, he'll loose protection from those things to the side of his head (which I assume restrict lateral head movement in a crash?).

well, they are part of the seat. they are meant to do not only protection but also to help keep your neck from breaking from driving around high g turns for hours on end, kinda a stress releiver for the neck. so, no, he wouldnt as that would be atken into acount when the seat is custom made. lets just say that most custom racing seats are molded to the person directly, to put it simple.

 

[ChevyCobb]

I was really hoping James was going to pull up in a Dacia Sandero.

 

[liquid_rockface]

I gave this episode 9/10! I found it thoroughly entertaining, and for me maybe one of the best episodes so far.

Only things that let it down: I didn't like the news much. Not sure why, I just didn't find it too funny or car-related. And the AMG Black Merc review was a bit dull and predictable. At least a car like that should be tested in a scenic location or something, the test track is getting awfully boring. All the time just watching Clarkson throw it round corners.

The Ken Block thing was totally amazing! I literally got tears in my eyes when I saw the car jumping after the motorbike, with the plane in the opposite direction. That was just the most amazing scene I have EVER seen! Also, him taking it in and out the warehouse is really awesome. Such precision.

I liked the SIARPC a lot. Very funny. His driving was nuts, too bad he got such a slow time. Is the track really that difficult??

The car challenge was simple but very entertaining. The part with the dogs was hilarious. Their protesting was also very very funny!

Car sauna was pretty hilarious too.

 

[Sony]

The merc part was great. The small cars part was boring and stupid. Im pretty sure 90% of people on the road would find the Proton Satria Neo a good looking car despite the stupid name. I always think its a nice car when they trash it in TG Australia.
The guest was so not funny to the point he was annoying.
The dog part in the end was cute.
But I have to applaud the Ken Block segment. BRILLIANT. The camera, the dia(mono)log, everything. I loved it, it was like candy for the eyes at times

 

[prizrak]

Everyone seems to be going nuts over the Ken Block segment but compared to his other videos it wasn't really anything that special. Woulda been more interesting if they had an actual race on dirt vs the bike.

 

[The Bloody Awful]

You're not in the minority Biomech! Many thought this episode was awesome. The negatives always stand out as they're so unexpected.

 

[salguod]

I'd just like to say thanks (sarcasm) to the person who neg repped me for saying that I didn't find Michael McIntyre that good and didn't leave their name in doing so.

Am I not allowed to have my own opinion? which I did say it was in my original post.

 

[SadOldBint]

I really liked this episode!

I'm not madly keen on Michael MacIntyre, but thought he was really funny! Jeremy's "2, 4, 6, 8" chant made wine come out of my nose Small car challenge with the dogs was just hilarious!

Yay - I've made my first post, after being a long time lurker! Hello everyone!

 

[apd796]

decent episode not great but not bad either.

 

[FDaihatsu]

Brilliant episode. 10/10.

On another note, has anybody seen the writing in the end of the credits roll? It says "Some animals were harmed in the making of this programme." lolwut? Maybe it's the dogs section and maybe it's the deer from the SL Black review...

 

[shellygrrl]

I am concerned that we will start to see the Stig wearing a kilt instead of a racing suit.

Maybe he'll morph into Stig's Scottish Cousin, who will--no doubt--wear a tartan racing suit (err...skin?).

Where did topgear dog go?!

She's "gone to the farm"... don't panic, Hamster's farm!

I was gonna say...

BTW, was it just the angles, or in the middle shot of the rally jump had the plane "disappeared"? i think maybe they did the jump twice and cut that mid-air shot in, but then it might be a speeds/maths/physics etc thingy & i'm crap at that stuff

Camera/editing trickery, I think. I liked it, though!

^Where they live has a big effect on their opinions, which is to be expected, because the show is and will always be aimed at the British viewers. Americans will of course be more familiar with Ken, and not know who Michael is, for example.

I'm from the US and I had NFI who Ken was until this series.

They also missed an opportunity to review the Fiat Abarth against the new Fiesta, instead of doing all those crap small car challenges.

They already reviewed the Abarth and the Fiesta (not together) in the previous series.

Getting real sick of Mercedes and Lamborghini reviews, especially when I already know it's a shit car. There's too many cars that need reviewed before another f-ing AMG or Gallardo, like the 370z, new MX-5 and Mazdaspeed 3, the new Mustang, the new Camaro, etc.

The first two, probably; but they've already done a bit with Mustangs; and I'm not sure if the Camaro is sold in the UK. (With few exceptions, TG tends to stick to reviewing cars that are sold there, since--as noted--they cater to a British audience first and foremost.)

...but I didn't really see the purpose of the segment with him and James. I mean yes, it was pretty cool. But...I dunno, it just didn't seem right to me.

To me, it was almost no different from James's past segments with Mika Hakkinen or Jackie Stewart. The operative word being "almost".

In the other two segments, James had an active role (learning how to drive more quickly or learning the art of Finnish rallying); here, he was simply a spectator, watching Ken do his stuff. If there were something after Ken's run, where James got to have a go, I wonder if some here would've thought a bit differently about it.

As for me...

I'm not a fan of the Black, either. If I had the dosh, I'd much rather spend the extra ?100k and buy the SLR.

Michael McIntyre... He's one of those, for me, who is alright for a short time, but then becomes rather tedious to be around. After the first minute or so I wanted Jeremy to get on with showing the lap so Michael could go away already. On the other hand, that was an insane lap. Two-wheeled going into Gambon? (That doesn't look right...)

I liked both small cars bits. Part two moreso.

The piece de resistance, though: CAR SAUNA.

I like Richmondgal's analogy.

 

[flydiscovery]

To me, it was almost no different from James's past segments with Mika Hakkinen or Jackie Stewart. The operative word being "almost".

In the other two segments, James had an active role (learning how to drive more quickly or learning the art of Finnish rallying); here, he was simply a spectator, watching Ken do his stuff. If there were something after Ken's run, where James got to have a go, I wonder if some here would've thought a bit differently about it.

I think you put your finger on it exactly. I was stuck with the "this is great, but why is James May here?" It ended up coming across like they made a film and then he commented on it later, from a sound booth. It would have been interesting to see him have some kind of a go. There was also a lot more two way dialog with both Hakkinen and Stewart. James talked to them, and they talked back. Conversation with Block was rather limited.

 

[Wyvern]

The first two, probably; but they've already done a bit with Mustangs; and I'm not sure if the Camaro is sold in the UK.

We were supposed to get the new Camaro in RHD, largely as a consequence of it apparently platform sharing with the upcoming Holden Commodore from 2011, but thanks to the credit crunch and GM's extremely precarious situation, that's now not going to happen. Instead, it will possibly be imported in very low numbers - probably around 100, IIRC - in LHD, and as with the Corvette, it's highly unlikely to be pushed in any big way. I think it's a bit of a shame really, because no matter how good, bad or indifferent the car is, it does serve as a reminder that things in general are difficult in the car world at the moment, and will probably continue to be so for some time.

 

[Spectre]

I think you put your finger on it exactly. I was stuck with the "this is great, but why is James May here?" It ended up coming across like they made a film and then he commented on it later, from a sound booth. It would have been interesting to see him have some kind of a go. There was also a lot more two way dialog with both Hakkinen and Stewart. James talked to them, and they talked back. Conversation with Block was rather limited.

That would be because James was busy soiling his shorts.

 

[DubyaStep]

i really think that everyone is missing the point of the James May film. i think it was just that someone recomended that they go see this lavish and crazy track that this american rally driver uses with his friend Travis and that it would be cool to film, so, they did and they filmed it. thats it. it was just good and fun to watch and thats how it should be judged not compared to the Jackie or Mika films and that shot with the C-130 was cool. the bottom line is that it was a great film and it was well made.

 

[awdrifter]

Loved the Ken Block video, I wish James interviewed Ken Block though, he seems like a cool guy. The driving is amazing, the track looks very fun. I wish they would include it in Dirt 2.

Cheap cars, the first segment is just non-sense, but the second segment was pretty good. The MiTo looks pretty good.

SL65 AMG, Clarkson probably should've opted for the non-Black (White?) version, then the suspension and seats wouldn't be so uncomfortable. The Black is supposed to be a track version. I love the look of the SL65, looks like a DTM race car.

9/10.