[13x07] August 2nd, 2009

[13x07] August 2nd, 2009

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Pikey is slang for Irish Gipsy, or something like that. There is a reasonable explanation in the movie Snatch.

I would say they are probably equivalent to white trash rednecks in America.
 
Jay Leno looked disappointed with his lap time, and I'd be too if I were him. Despite owning that many cars, and cutting the second last corner of his lap, all he could muster was a mid-level standing on the SIARPC board.

The Aussie musclecars were cool, the advert segment hilarious, and the Aston conclusion a bit awkward. Lamborghini, Pagani, and Ferrari will start producing the next generation of supercars in the upcoming year, so why worry at all?
 
About that ending . . .

The thought that occurs to me is that the Top Gear format is going to change, and in a way that Jezza doesn't like but nonetheless has to accept.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seemed to be actually *LESS* super- or hypercars featured on this series than in previous ones. Ep 1 -- Ferrari on loan. Ep 2 -- the Lambo and the Veyron, plus a few others. And that's it -- you can't really call the Merc AMG Black or the Jag XFR supercars.

So it seems to me that the next TG season is going to focus even more on (a) affordable fast cars, (b) cars with new fuel technology like hybrids (EW!) and (c) old cheap bangers that you can have fun in. Any supercar eps will probably feature only those from the past.

IOW: NO MORE NEW SUPERCARS DEBUTING ON TOP GEAR. THAT's the takeaway I'm getting from that ending.
 
Looking back at the Aston segment its probably saying the world where interesting cars were made is coming to an end,soon they will all be identical souless boxes. Hammond did say that Audi, BMW were all making pretty much identical cars for the bussiness class. Which is true.
Compared to the stark differances cars had between each other up to the 90s cars now so simillar and dull, even the colours are all washed out and greys. The only cheap cars that are different are things like the new 500 and Mini, and they are copies of 50s designs.

Also with the eco legistation and new saftey regulations fast, thirsty cars are loosing their place in society, its a sad tale and I think the Aston segment covered it in a brilliant way.
 
nate_bartlet said:
After watching the Vantage, it almost felt as if they were signing off the series altogether.
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felt something like that to me, too.

BUT in the trailer (show 1) there was Hammond with some kind of plane-loading-truck! I think they will put it in the next season like the iChair that Hamster drove in Japan.

Strange feeling still remains : is Jezza pulling out? He said he felt it`s like driving an ending!
Similar thought : there was no DVD-Special by Clarkson exclusively like 'Thriller' this summer.

>> Hope dies last, it will be a thought/rumor until next season...
 
cuthbert said:
Similar thought : there was no DVD-Special by Clarkson exclusively like 'Thriller' this summer.
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Those normally only come out once a year, around november/december time, so the next one should be out around then as well.
 
TomCat said:
Make you wonder though. When the show finally does come to an end, they can make a very emotional ending segment with 3 (of their favorite) cars driving off into the sunset as the credits start to roll.
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It doubt it'll end permanently any time soon. As long as there's people who like cars and enjoy this shows format, there will always be something like it. It might have different presenters. It might have a different name (e.g. very occasionally Fifth Gear has brief flashes of Top Gear-ness). BBC have had a car programme of some sort for decades.

The biggest danger to Top Gear is that the format might become stale.. in about 50 series time. By which time I thoroughly expect our favourite three presenters to be reviewing the latest ion-drive wheelchairs, while showing us how slow the Bugatti Veyron was back in the dim n distant noughties. I just hope Jeremy's face doesn't get the Ariel Atom treatment in 2059 (eugh wrinkly rolls of flesh) :lol:
 
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Very heartfelt ending. What he said makes me think about all the great things that have come and passed.

We are witnessing the end of an era.:cry:



:cheers:
 
Wyvern said:
And then came the Aston Martin film.

I still can't decide whether that elevated the episode to something special or whether I need to watch it again so I don't feel like I've been hit by a runaway train before making a more considered judgement, but right now I'm thinking it might well have been the stand-out film of the series. It all seemed so damn final that even though I know work for series 14 is already underway, it felt like it was all a smokescreen and this really was the end.

Still, it's not, so phew.

But what it was was a wonderfully constructed piece of film that didn't need an awful lot saying. We already know how an Aston Martin review goes, so Jeremy didn't need to repeat the same old things all over again - which is fine, because the car was more than capable of speaking for itself. As far as I'm concerned, there is no more beautiful sound in motoring than an Aston Martin, and it's hard for me to think of a more beautiful sight. The V12 Vantage is going to split opinions - as Jezzabelle has already proved, not everyone is going to like it, but I think it is stunning. And the film itself felt like a requiem, not only for V12 powered Astons, but for the love of driving. Some people wanted more films about cars - well, that was probably the most evocative and true piece they could have done. This is a car built for the love of driving, and the world at large says this kind of vehicle has no place. It wasn't about the Aston itself in the end - they could have used a Ferrari or a Lambo, a Mercedes honed by AMG, a Porsche, the list goes on... it wasn't about the car tself, in the end, but what it's really for. The days of the car as a symbol of freedom are gone. The world wants us all in eco-boxes, wedged nose-to-tail with other eco-boxes. There are people who'd rather we took no pleasure from driving at all.

And really, as petrolheads, I think in years to come we'll mourn that more than the loss of Top Gear, when the end eventually comes. I think it brought it home to me in the end that much as I'll be sad when the boys are too old or broken to do it any more, when they can't come up with anything else they want to do, I'll have some great friends I've made through the show, I'll have the shows themselves to watch over again and it will have left a fantastic legacy of entertainment. What I'll never get to enjoy is the freedom of the road in the way my dad had it a generation ago, and the cars designed to make the most of that freedom. That makes me sad.
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I think you've nailed it, Wyvern. When I watched, I didn't get the sense that this was the end of Top Gear. What I saw was a funeral mass; a beautifully filmed, beautifully scored memorial for what they see as the end of an automotive era. And unlike previous reviews, there was none of Jeremy's usual bombast. Just this mournful soliloquy, set amidst the lonely roads and red poppies -- haunting and sad, full of remembrance.

I actually had tears well up.

It was in stark contrast to the rest of the show, and that may well have been deliberate, but it was still a great episode overall. I was genuinely in hysterics for much of it, and I can't remember when I've laughed that much so consistently.

I think this will become a classic. Well done Top Gear!

P.S. Jezza wasn't kidding when he said the Bathurst sounds like a woman in "crisis"! :blink:
 
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9/10

The Vauxhall review was good, VW ads were hilarious (but too long), news was ok, Jay Leno was good (but too short), it was nice to see the cool wall again, and the Aston V12 Vantage film was very moving, but I don't think that means it's the end of Top Gear.

Also, did anyone notice how the picture of the Z4 "glided" from Richard's hand in the cool wall segment? Powerful magnets perhaps?:blink:

Anyway, I can't wait till the next series! :D
 
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I'm giving it a 5 because of the Aston film.

Why? Not because it was poorly done, or technical issues but because I think Clarkson/TG is(are) sending the wrong message. To end the series on that sort of melancholy is totally anti-TG in my view. I do not like how Clarkson seemed resigned in that film to the fate of the super car or cars in general. I recall after the Veyron race they bemoaned that car companies would not do another "Concord" type car like the Veyron because of oil/politics/economics. Why am I not complaining about that? They didn't end a series on that note. They moved on and continued burning gas and tires on the track like usual. To leave us lingering with a potential gloomy future seriously betrays their beliefs and ethos.

Top Gear is about poking people in the eye, being offensive, brash, fun, and sometimes stupid. Clarkson and Co. have for years jabbed at the government (not just the UK), environmentalists, and other groups because they are one of the few that defends the petrol-heads. They are so fantastic because they are so un-politically correct. They aren't afraid to give their point of view even if they are dick-ish about it. They are the vanguard for those of us who love cars and bring us a taste of what's best about cars. Most of us won't be able to afford the dream machines that scream around on their track and we want and need Top Gear to bring us in. I expect them to fight back; not begrudgingly accept some fait accompli.

I hope the Aston film is just an aberration. If they at all continue along those lines then the end of TG might just come sooner than we think.
 
Scorch said:
I don't think it was the last ever Top Gear.

Here's a transcript:



To me it seemed that JC was simply highlighting that there are lots of pressures on the car industry to adapt and change. Gas guzzlers are becoming less fashionable, less affordable and less useable. That's not a critique, it just seems to be the way of the world at the moment.

I think it was also a nod at the way that many sports car manufacturers are facing lean times, what with reduced sales thanks to the credit crunch. And that at the same time those same manufacturers are being expected to pay their why by ailing parent companies.

I'm pretty sure JC was not even remotely suggesting Top Gear was over. :)
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Thank you! finally someone who isn't thick. It only took 4 pages(I'm still reading). ... sure it would be saddening if TG ended, the even sadder thing is what is happening to the auto industry.



it's a sad situation.


... I'd give it an 8!
 
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I read on top gear's site they thought about ending that episode without any credits. They should have done that.
 
captain_70s said:
Looking back at the Aston segment its probably saying the world where interesting cars were made is coming to an end,soon they will all be identical souless boxes.
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He probably was saying that, yes. But I think he's being very pessimistic. As long as there's a market for high performance vehicals there will always be manufacturers out there willing to supply it.

The problem is that at the moment the car industry has lots of different pressures upon it. They need to make the expensive move to alternative propulsion at some point soon, not just to meet political tastes but also out of sheer pragmatism: Oil is a finite resource. Then they have problems selling cars they've already built in the current economic climate. But the economy will pick up. It's not an "if", it's a "when".

Once cars start shifting in volume again, they'll undoubtedly be demand for exotica. The question is, will it be petrol driven exotica or something.. um.. more exotic. Just remember what Tesla managed before the latest generation of lithium-ion battery technology was developed.

captain_70s said:
Also with the eco legistation and new saftey regulations fast, thirsty cars are loosing their place in society, its a sad tale and I think the Aston segment covered it in a brilliant way.
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I agree with the bits about eco legislation and thirsty cars. However, I disagree that new safety regulations will have much impact on sports, super or hyper cars. The fact is that a lot of people drive these cars as much for status as performance. And while the speed limits may be tightly enforced, I think Jeremy missed a point which he made in a previous series:

Think back to when our favourite presenters were searching for the best road in Europe. Did they elect an the autobahn? No. Were they going at 150 mph? No. They looked for demanding roads with lots of twists and turns. The fun of driving isn't just about raw speed. It's about the sensation of acceleration, deceleration, lateral G and the challenge of hitting an apex just so. And that doesn't go away because some health & safety obsessed government decides to stick speed cameras all over the nations trunk roads (which are full of caravans and commuters anyway). There's no camera's out there that specifically stop you accelerating so fast that your nose touches the back of your skull after all.

Sure, I lament the lack of the open road but that's as much because there are too many people driving on them as anything else (so gerrof my roads!) :lol:

Incidentally, I vaguely remember Jay Leno saying something that made sense a while back (possibly a couple of years ago and possibly on Top Gear): He envisaged that electric / hydrogen cars will be the cars that people commute in, go shopping in etc. And that the petrol driven car wouldn't simply vanish, but would become a rare treat for when those that can afford to fill them up with fuel and take it for a jaunt. I.E. Much the same as people who own pre-war cars keep them for those bright summers days.
 
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