[09x13] July 24th, 2006

[molson3530]

Most shocking - McLaren costs :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: For every service interval you can buy prety good new supercar... :?

Yeah, but in a car like that 6000 miles is like 8 years of driving
Great episode! F1 was amazing

Edit: Is this car an LM or modified GTR? Can't seem to work it out.

From what I gathered, it was a GTR modified back to close to LM spec. I might be wrong though...

 

[VMLN8R]

Okayish episode, but really, what is wrong with their production team? They should've shortened the plane, airbag and Vicki and made the F1/Enzo a proper test, it was so abrupt. Oh and man is the Jason guy a moron. He is such an idiot.

Even in the 997 Turbo bit, he goes on about how he ordered his 911 before even sitting in it. Do viewers really care? He said the same about the F430, and then said he didn't buy it.

 

[Buba]

Ohh, man... Vickis at it again... Is G really measured via GPS? I doubt it... That chick doesn't know anything, and she shows us week after week how dumb she is. Let her get pregnant or something (various members would like to take a "shot", I guess) maybe we wouldn't have to see her every ep.

I really enjoyed the rest!

About the 320si: The really good thing wasn't even mentioned. Its 500 Euros cheaper than a similar specc (nice alloys, leater, better seats..) 320i and has more grunt. Its also 3 seconds a lap faster on the small Hockenheim track, so its a bargain!

 

[fbc]

Ohh, man... Vickis at it again... Is G really measured via GPS? I doubt it...

With the device she was using, yes. I don't know how accurate it will be, but since GPS knows the path your vehicle is taking and how fast you're going, from that it can figure out what G you've pulled.

 

[the_eye]

one good thing

one good thing

the one good thing in this episode for me was recognising bits of road that Tom was travelling along thinking "oh nice" .. (and nice car).

And by now (after watching this one season of Fifth Gear) I want to strangle Vicky, I think. That squeal is so annoying, incredible.

 

[Buba]

Ohh, man... Vickis at it again... Is G really measured via GPS? I doubt it...

With the device she was using, yes. I don't know how accurate it will be, but since GPS knows the path your vehicle is taking and how fast you're going, from that it can figure out what G you've pulled.

In that case: Shame on me... She is still pretty dumb, though

 

[fbc]

^ She's been bugging me a bit this series - I don't know why, I'm usually a big fan

From the Driftbox website:

DriftBox uses a GPS system with an update rate of 10 samples per second, which is the fastest GPS engine in its class. From this you get a very accurate speed (?0.1kmh), cornering g-force, acceleration g-force and a very accurate distance measurement (?10cm in 400m)

...

DriftBoxes are now being used by to measure acceleration, lap times and Drift Angles by many car and bike magazines, such as EVO, AutoExpress, Autocar, Redline, Max Power, Banzai, Japanese Performance, Performance BMW.

The BBC program Top Gear have been using one during filming, and so have Jason Plato and Tiff Needell in the new series of Fifth Gear on channel Five.

Note there's also other units that use accelerometers to measure G forces.

 

[ryosuke]

wow, that must have been the best episode of FG ever...i absolutely loved all of it.
the bimmer looks like a great sporty entry-level saloon and just look at that engine! its good to see that not everyone has forgotten how nice an engine can look like.
the plane/car stunt thing was great too, jason flying the plane got me grinning from ear to ear, i can only imagine how cool it must be to be enabled to fly a plane like this. with my suffering from motion sickness i fear i'll never be able to experience soemthing like this firsthand without vomiting all over the place.
i also loved the enzo vs. macca bit, its nice to see that even someone like tiff gets so aroused by an F1. i missed some kind of conclusion though, but that was only a slight drawback.
and tom was brilliant as usual. :lol:

 

[Tayyar]

bike stunts were cool

 

[Jimi Hendrix]

This last espisode of 5th Gear was quite good. They have made a great effort this seasons with 13 episodes and a lot of cars tested.

 

[MadCow809]

Most shocking - McLaren costs :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: For every service interval you can buy prety good new supercar... :?

Yeah, but in a car like that 6000 miles is like 8 years of driving
Great episode! F1 was amazing

Edit: Is this car an LM or modified GTR? Can't seem to work it out.

tis an LM

 

[istanl]

Most shocking - McLaren costs :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: For every service interval you can buy prety good new supercar... :?

Yeah, but in a car like that 6000 miles is like 8 years of driving
Great episode! F1 was amazing

Edit: Is this car an LM or modified GTR? Can't seem to work it out.

tis an LM

Are you sure?

 

[Hans75]

The sound of the McLaren F1!!! The sound!!! (even better with BIG speakers, mind you.) I think I'll rip the starting sequence comlete with the ingnition and fuel pump sounds and will play it every morning instead of the alarm clock!

 

[geeman]

From what I gathered, it was a GTR modified back to close to LM spec. I might be wrong though...

I got the impression that it was a GTR modified to being street legal.

 

[Hugh Peters]

Do you reckon they had to dampen the noise from the exhausts to be road legal?

 

[Steve Levin]

Ohh, man... Vickis at it again... Is G really measured via GPS? I doubt it...

With the device she was using, yes. I don't know how accurate it will be, but since GPS knows the path your vehicle is taking and how fast you're going, from that it can figure out what G you've pulled.

I'm going to vote "possible but improbable" on this -- GPS accurracy isn't THAT good -- especially when just a meter or two difference would probably double (or half) the estimated G loading.

I suspect it has a GPS speedometer in it, but that the G-meter portion is done by accelerometer, which can be done very cheaply with very high accuracy.

Steve

 

[istanl]

From what I gathered, it was a GTR modified back to close to LM spec. I might be wrong though...

I got the impression that it was a GTR modified to being street legal.

Actually you are right. GTR chassis #016R. This is what it used to look like: http://www.readytofix.com/Inventory/McLaren_F1_GTR.htm and
this is what it now looks like (as of 2005) http://www.maranellomotorsport.com.au/displayCarSold.asp?c=5

Pretty expensive car. 1.16 million euros!!!! Only 1 of 4 road registered GTRs.
God I love this car, never thought the Enzo would be overshadowed this much!!

 

[MidnightRaver]

Best episode of the 5th Gear season! It's too bad that the F1/Enzo bit
wasn't expanded on though. Spot on 5th Gear crew.

 

[fbc]

Ohh, man... Vickis at it again... Is G really measured via GPS? I doubt it...

With the device she was using, yes. I don't know how accurate it will be, but since GPS knows the path your vehicle is taking and how fast you're going, from that it can figure out what G you've pulled.

I'm going to vote "possible but improbable" on this -- GPS accurracy isn't THAT good -- especially when just a meter or two difference would probably double (or half) the estimated G loading.

I suspect it has a GPS speedometer in it, but that the G-meter portion is done by accelerometer, which can be done very cheaply with very high accuracy.

Steve

From my eariler post:

From the Driftbox website:

DriftBox uses a GPS system with an update rate of 10 samples per second, which is the fastest GPS engine in its class. From this you get a very accurate speed (?0.1kmh), cornering g-force, acceleration g-force and a very accurate distance measurement (?10cm in 400m)

So they're claiming it's all done extremely accurate & rapid GPS data.

 

[Rapier]

I still say the supercars should have been tested on the track, prefer a head-to-head inc times. But I was really hoping for an LM as it NEVER has been on tv as far as I know.

What Vicky said about the BMW was b*llsh*t tho, it not to "celebrate" the ETCC/WTCC succes. They NEED to produce a car like that or the race cars wouldn't have been allowed to ditch the vavletronic system of the normal 320i, as well as numerous other things.
It's a cheat , nothing other then that.
And that FG is giving one away isn't a surprice either. They don't sell like hot cackes to say the least.
(in the Netherlands 77 of the original 79 cars haven't been sold and they are availble for about 3 months now. Compare that to the mini JCW GP, that was sold out before the official launch....... )