[09x02] February 4th, 2007

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BTW, can't they find someone with a Veyron and put it on the track just like the Enzo? (hence, there will be no constraints on how to test it)

It took them a few years to be able to get hold of the Enzo, the Veyron is even rarer and vastly more expensive plus most have not been delivered yet. It will take them along time to wait for someone to give them theirs and take it out on the track.

I think the main problem will be that out on the track is a serious strain on a car, as has been mentioned on the show alot of cars don't do laptimes the first time they are down because they breakdown. I guess VW doesn't want to have to take one of the press cars off duty to get it fixed while the car is still in demand.

Now if they got a Bristol Fighter to the test track, that would be a real achievement!

Anyways, looks a very good episode, mixing a car review with some mucking about should hopefully provide the right mix of car and comedy to keep everyone happy!
 
Look at it from VW's perspective. EVERYONE is raving about the Veyron right now. They don't need any more publicity (and its January/Febuary, ie, cold/damp, they'd send it out on a warm sunny day). VW won't bother sending them a Veyron until they need to boost exposure. And its not like they are struggling to sell the car, they've already had to increase production to keep up with demand.
 
You can't go 288 MPH in a Veyron.

well you dont know for sure and some german mag has done 251Mph

my understanding is that no one is quite sure how fast the car can go. there'll be a theoretical number somewhere, but i understand that the michelin tyres are the limiting factor here, michelin cannot be certain that the tyres will be safe at speeds any higher than that.
 
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well you can and some german mag has done 251Mph

my understanding is that no one is quite sure how fast the car can go. there'll be a theoretical number somewhere, but i understand that the michelin tyres are the limiting factor here, michelin cannot be certain that the tyres will be safe at speeds any higher than that.

there you have it.... it won't hit 288
 
OK I was putting the point a bit strong - actually I do like cars it's just that I think you can get car reviews in plenty of other places - Top Gear should be about three blokes pissing about more than the car reviews.

And you can't find shows with some guys fucking around anywhere else?

There's enough scripted "reality" shows on TV already. Top Gear needs to stick to it's roots.

I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the chemistry between the guys, but it needs to be centered around their love of cars. For example, I think the three supercars to Milau bridge episode is about the perfect mix of them arguing and car reviewing.

On the other end of the spectrum is the building of the caterham kit car, where it was basically arguing, with no mention of the qualities of the cars.


hit up youtube and you can find plenty of cocking about in cars, granted they dont pull it off quite as well but its there

TG is scripted mostly in the studio, JC said himself that what is said and done in the studio runs to a script. the features however arent. they of course are planned, time and place, but what goes down is generally produced on a make it up as you go along basis.
 
there you have it.... it won't hit 288

sorry ive just read what i wrote.

i just said you can hit 288 and then explained why you cant lol

It took them a few years to be able to get hold of the Enzo, the Veyron is even rarer and vastly more expensive plus most have not been delivered yet. It will take them along time to wait for someone to give them theirs and take it out on the track.

I think the main problem will be that out on the track is a serious strain on a car, as has been mentioned on the show alot of cars don't do laptimes the first time they are down because they breakdown. I guess VW doesn't want to have to take one of the press cars off duty to get it fixed while the car is still in demand.

Now if they got a Bristol Fighter to the test track, that would be a real achievement!

Anyways, looks a very good episode, mixing a car review with some mucking about should hopefully provide the right mix of car and comedy to keep everyone happy!

yeah, didnt they say in the Enzo test that the clutch would only withstand 3 full bore starts?

i wouldnt wanna give them my million dollar car only to have it come back with grass/mud in the vents, no tread on the tyres and a vapourized clutch
 
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sorry ive just read what i wrote.

i just said you can hit 288 and then explained why you cant lol



yeah, didnt they say in the Enzo test that the clutch would only withstand 3 full bore starts?

i wouldnt wanna give them my million dollar car only to have it come back with grass/mud in the vents, no tread on the tyres and a vapourized clutch

Koenigsegg wasnt too unhappy, and the STIG crashed the CCX.
 
No it is limited to 249 but if you took the limiting off it might get close. Maybe he won't get as fast but he could get close enough for a few references about it.

What a crazy thought, even Volkswagon don't have the balls to do that.
 
I'm looking forward to the 3-way Coupe test. I'm a big fan of the RX-8, always have been, I love the look and sound of the Brera but I think Japan may have it over Germany and Italy here. The RX-8 consistently gets good reviews, and JC really liked it, save for the wet-road handling. I'm not sure about the TT. I still kinda think "Hmm, a Beetle/Golf in drag." whenever I see one. As far as the whole playing golf thing, I'll say this: Last time I was on a golf course, I was hit in the neck by a golfball over long range, leaving a "4" printed on my neck for about half an hour.

I don't think I've seen a proper Veyron review yet, so if James is doing it, that'll be great. I like the way he does his segments. Even if he is just going around an oval trying to hit 400Km/h, that's plenty good for me. As far as track testing it, well look at what happened to the XKR! No way is VW going to let Stig take it on the track just yet. There's still hope it might go later in the season, when it stops snowing.
 
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I don't think the costs of the veyron are really the reason why they don't put it on the track, since they also put the renault f1 on the track. I can't tink of any other reason then vw won't let them do it. There has to be some rich veyron owner who wants to show off his car on the best motoringprogram on tv today?
 
Look at it from VW's perspective. EVERYONE is raving about the Veyron right now. They don't need any more publicity (and its January/Febuary, ie, cold/damp, they'd send it out on a warm sunny day). VW won't bother sending them a Veyron until they need to boost exposure. And its not like they are struggling to sell the car, they've already had to increase production to keep up with demand.

That's strange, because I just read an article saying they were having trouble selling just the 300 they were planning...
 
...and all three get thrown off a golf course in a riot of bad driving and appalling trousers.

I just went golfing this weekend. Don't know if I like golf or not, but damn I sure want a golf cart.
Rear Only Brakes + Wet Fairway + 1 case of smuggled Heineken = Hilarity.... and almost getting thrown off the course.
 
I'm sorry, but the only important thing this coming episode is SIMON PEGG!
 
cornering abilities? come on, the spoiler, the aerodynamic properties of the car? its awesome! plus those big fat tyres!!

Um, you do remember that the Veyron has an instability problem that was (rather embarassingly for VW) demonstrated in public at the Monterey Historic Races (at Laguna Seca) a few years back, right? The wheelbase is a bit too short, so sans computers, the thing wants to spin.
 
No it is limited to 249 but if you took the limiting off it might get close. Maybe he won't get as fast but he could get close enough for a few references about it.

Um, no.

The Veyron is speed-limited because it's unstable. The wheelbase is too short in proportion to its width.
 
That's strange, because I just read an article saying they were having trouble selling just the 300 they were planning...

Doing this in front of some of the world's richest people probably didn't help much:

spin.jpg
 
VW claims that they've solved the instability problem. Ha ha.

Their solution? Rather than reengineer the car to make it longer, they just put a speed limiter on it, played with the suspension a bit and cranked up the dynamic stability control. If that sounds like a bandaid fix to you, you're not alone in thinking that. Apparently rich people aren't *quite* stupid enough to fall for that.
 
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