[13x07] August 2nd, 2009

[13x07] August 2nd, 2009

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The show seemed out of order and off base after the first segment with Richard. The VW ads segment was tasteless, lame and much too long.

And yes, a V12 Vantage is about as politically incorrect as you can get so it's days are numbered. The show however will continue in November.
 
Being an Aussie I was immensely proud of the first 2 cars obviously.

Its a message not just to the people of Britain but to the people of Australia.

Buy the cars, stop wasting money on boring boxes out of Germany, they're excellent at what they do and they're world class for fun, excitement and speed.

On the ending, was about to shed a tear, very sad and beautiful, very true as well.
 
The best SIRPC ever, one of the best Cool Wall segments(and deciding to bring it back in the last episode), great reviews from Richard, Jeremy and James interacting and the final segment with the Aston, and we know Jeremy loves his Astons. All these things combined with the News gave the episode some finality all the other 100+ episodes did not have. Whatever TG's future is, we should be grateful we've had the chance of experiencing it
 
The ending got me all worried, just like everyone else, I'm guessing. Still, very good, and funny episode to end the series on, but I was confused when Jezzer ended the show by simply saying, "Good night." and then another minute or so of V12 Vantage cinematography. Still, can't wait to see the return in November.

-GT
 
I've finally gone through 15 pages to get to what I want to say about this episode and the series as a whole.

It was a 8/10 from me, I thought the VW ads were a bit worn out and didn't really warm up to Jay Leno that much (although his F1 story was good but other than that, he tried to sound funny but you could tell he wasn't).
I really enjoyed the VXR8 Bathurst (really shits me when they said it differently, but oh well) and HSV Maloo reviews. Just proves to show that we can make some decent cars from our part of the world and be a lot more exciting than the pickup trucks and businessman cars they have in Europe. Now I want a Maloo, since I can't stand the Supercharger whine of the Bathurst. But I still would go for a Monaro in the end.

Anyway, back to the show. The news was good for once in a while, with an insight of Brain Injury and the difference between Aspergers and Asparagus lol. The Cool Wall was great and I wish they would show more of the segment but if you have seen the Extended version of 12x05 cool wall from the Challenges 3 DVD, you would know half of the stuff would only be suited for after the Watershed. (I could've sworn that one of the ad men said "shit" at some stage and this is all before 9pm I'm guessing...although mind you, in Australia, some shows have people swearing at 7pm or during midday even in the crappy midday movies)

And now that last bit. At first, I felt a bit weird but then after some time off to think about and to read what other had to say (+1 to Wyvern, MWF, The Ranter and another guy but his name is off the tip of my tongue) and I think it's not really the end of Top Gear, but one day. I think what Jeremy was trying to do was to stress out the importance of these engineering feats because the Government and Eco-mentalists want us to do the right thing, when there are other ways to do the right thing. And I must admit, I was sad to see that Aston Martin go around Yorkshire with all the pretty flowers, moving clouds and running deer in the film. Awesomely shot, methinks. I think it was a different way to say Goodnight, rather than the good old "And on that bombshell" line. And also to say "Think about it." Which we have.

And now onto the series. I do believe it was bit of a see saw season, just like 11 and 9. Some great bits like Mallorca and the Train Race and some crappy bits like the Cheap Car Review and Letter vs. Porche Maxi. (sorry Panamera). But they can't please everyone since we are all different, but at least they will learn from what they do and won't do in series 14. But can I also point out that if they take an extended break, you seem to guarantee that they will get some good ideas running through them, like they did in Series 10, which IMO the best series from them. However, any episode is a good episode.

So yeah, what now?
 
Jeremy wrote this in the august edition of Top Gear Magazine:

"Just last week, while filming for Top Gear, the car I was testing suffered a terrible accident. I won't say more than this because you won't have seen it yet (...)"

So I wouldn't be too worried when it comes to the future of Top Gear.
 
Oh. My. God. Best season send off ever. In terms of reviews that cover the love of cars (more than the actual car being reviewed), this is right next to the CLK Black review. Beating it even.

Amazed.
 
The video on the Aston is not about Aston Martin or Top Gear. It's more on the car industry, what's the new direction. Toyota and Honda have embraced hybrid engines and are making NSX and Supra replacements as hybrids.

I think what he means is that in the future there will not be as many million litre V50 engines. As in the supercars of today with the big cc engines are probably gonna die out very soon
 
Simply loved that one. 10/10
 
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10/10 that was a brilliant episode, no low points at all, the VW ad piece was a bit suprising, I thought it was going to be crap but it was the funniest thing I've ever seen since the 1500 pounds Porsche Challenge they did.

Jay Leno was pretty good, wished they would have talked more about cars, the story was great, I was surprised how that story ended. The lap looked very good, surprised at how slow the time was, I though he would have done a 1:46 or something, though I think he isn't used to the gearstick being on the wrong side and hit the rev-limiter a few times during the longer straights.

The ending piece is the main reason why I'm writing this. I was reading all the comments about how people through Top Gear was going to end forever. I never had that though in my mind, I got Jeremy's message loud and clear at the beginning. It is an end of an era. Environmentalist and tree-hugging Prius driving idiots are killing the quest for the perfect car. Now the perfect car is fuel economy, not how the car makes you feel when you drive it. People are content driving around in crappy boring boxes because it's saving fuel. Screw that, when I get into my car, I want to kick a raccoon. I understand that we only have one Earth and such, but we only have one life and lucky to get 95 years of life and lucky to get 70 years of that to drive around and have some sort of fun.

So when Jeremy was doing that sober piece I almost cried because he was right, to me, only the Zonda F has went with the Lamborghini Countach route and being fast, loud and crazy. The V12 Vantage is a psycho car, they just put a 500+ V12 engine inside a small little hatchback of a car, it's BRILLIANT! But what is Audi doing? A diesal R8. That's is just blasphemy. In LeMons, fine, but not in a supercar, that just not right. Do you think Ford is going to make another GT40? Do you think Honda is going to make another NSX? Or Toyota making another Supra Turbo? Will Audi fund Bugatti to make another Veyron type car? No, they are going to use that money and make eco-boxes that gives me 70 mpg and accelerates as fast a turd going uphill on a cold December morning.

It is a sad day for true petrol heads, I see more Prius' than any sort of sports car and that sickens me.


On a side note, I don't like the rims of the V12, if and when I buy that car, I want the rims of the V8 Vantage on it and I want my car yellow with green trim, like the N24 racer.
 
i dont know.........................it really seems like the very end of TG series........i hope not but .........usually the series would return on 2009/10......some say it will be back next year....
 
ExoWraith said:
The video on the Aston is not about Aston Martin or Top Gear. It's more on the car industry, what's the new direction. Toyota and Honda have embraced hybrid engines and are making NSX and Supra replacements as hybrids.

I think what he means is that in the future there will not be as many million litre V50 engines. As in the supercars of today with the big cc engines are probably gonna die out very soon
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The hybrid CR-Z in the future would be the replacement of the classic little sports car CR-X. The replacement of the NA-2 NSX is still yet to confirm, as the entire development project has been suspended.

I'd quite looking forward towards Jeremy testing the Lexus LF-A in the future,as this car could possibly one of the last dramas of the manufacturer.
 
I'm always a bit of a forum haunter, but I've decided to post a little about last night's episode - I really enjoyed it.

Series 13 has been a bit 'up and down', but I blame part of that feeling on my own huge love of Top Gear, and anticipation when a new series rocks up. I had a similar feeling with series 12, but I'm going to go back over it and I think I'll like it more (even though I still bloody well enjoyed it at the time).

This series 13 ender though was a great one - Richard's Aussie car review was good stuff, and looked lovely too - the news was a laugh - the VW Advert bit was far better than I'd expected (I was a bit "eh?", when I read about it in the TG.com preview) and was a real joy to watch (I do think now and then in every series of TG they do need to have time when they can just go nuts and get really silly - Jay Leno's appearance was a good one too, a real petrol head does indeed make for the best SIARPC.

Now - the big topic of discussion - that ending.

Blimey - I loved it - I too, like many, had this nervous sense of "is this the end, did they keep it a secret?!" - but I quickly dispelled such a thought as with TG being so huge, we'd have heard many rumours long ago. Anyway, the actual segment was beautifully edited and beautifully shot. It was a great few minutes to just enjoy the absolutely lush V12 just sweep through the hills on empty roads.

As for the issues raised by that very segment...

1) The recession will be over and things will improve in due course.

2) There's always going to be well-heeled people who can afford these cars (which aren't exactly made in huge numbers anyway).

3) I think for the average punter who doesn't give much of a stuff about cars (the sort of person who would say "oh I'll just get a Mondeo, cos, you know..."), hydrogen vehicles are the way forward (or a similar thing - mind you, I can't be doing with silly electric cars you have to plug into a coal fired power station to keep running, or are made from materials that aren't recycled - e.g. that comparison of the Prius being less environmentally friendly than that big-engineered, fossil-fuelled Merc a couple of series ago). For those that just want to go from A-to-B, or run the kids around, or duff around the city - then yes, something like a hydrogen car made primarily from recycled materials is the way forward.

In which case, I think petrol fuelled cars would then become a thing for recreation and love - kind of like how horses are generally more of a past-time, rather than a tool for work. The horse was replaced by the car, and the current car will be replaced by truly green cars for the masses.

Like horses, the petrol car will become a thing of pleasure, a more exclusive vessel of enjoyment for those who really love cars, car culture, and all the things in between. They could very well become collector's items, and I can imagine the 'classic car rally' culture expanding quite a bit as a result.

Car lovers will never go away - and as such, even when 'the truly green car for the masses' arrives, there will always be room for Aston Martin V12s and the like.

...

I guess I'm far more optimistic.

...

4) Yes, I can't be doing with this relentless war on speed - I don't think speed cameras are the way forward, and I do consider them to primarily be piggy banks. Solving reckless driving comes from seeking to change everyday driving culture and everyday driving mind sets ... but also, you're never going to make roads 100% safe, it's completely preposterous - just being alive is dangerous, and a truly free society has an air of danger about it - but you know what, it's FREE. That's what we need, now far more than ever.

Accidents aren't caused by speed, they're caused by a lack of control and a lack of attention on the parts of those who caused the accident in the first place. Speed, at most, makes the accident (caused by not paying attention) worse than it would have been at a slower speed.

There really are some people who simply shouldn't be driving, they're flat out incapable of controlling a vehicle - something needs to be done about that, nevermind all these speed cameras that treat the people of Britain like a bunch of criminals - it's part of how we are governed, and have been governed for more than a decade now - guilty until proven innocent, and always talked to (or written to) in an aggressive tone (often accompanied by lots of bold text screaming "FINE" or "PENALTY" etc).

...

I'm getting a bit off track here ... in one respect I was wondering 'where did this bitter sweet tone come from all of a sudden', with that series 13 closer ... but the more I think about it, it's about time something was laid out in such a way to really make the people think.

...

That closer has really stuck with me since last night, and I'm still thinking about it - a truly brilliant way to end series 13, and all a part of a show that was perfectly focussed on enjoying cars, and talking about why you love cars so much - and I think that is when Top Gear is at it's very best.

(e.g. the American special, African special, 24 Hour race with the BMW, cheap car challenges, to name but four examples)
 
The best ending of TV show ever !!! Magnificent. Thanks to this, Top Gear proves, that they are the best in the world, and no one can even compare to them.

@riper - TG surely will return in November this year :) But the ending of episode 7 was looking like the very end of TG.
 
The review of the Aston was kind of perfect.

Clarkson doesn't need to say anything about it, we all know it, he knew it, the car is perfection.

Its gorgeous, its got mighty power, it sounds like pre beauty.

Clarkson is giving the audience credit, as car enthusiasts, to just lay back and appreciate the car for its pure quality, to forget the numbers, just appreciate that it exists in this day and age and that cars like it have existed before.
 
!.

!.

Aston Martin said:
This is why the Aston piece was thrown in there...

Linky
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I don't think there's any connection - the Aston film, with the end credits rolling over it and Jeremy saying "good-bye" was obviously planned from the beginning.

mitchell.scott said:
Not the best episode ever in my opinion, felt very scripted and dead.
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Sorry for singleing you out from half a dozen similar comments, but WTF? Car reviews have to be scripted, just like a car review in a magazine has to be structured and thought through before being written down and not a series of stream-of-consciousness notes.
Form yourself an opinion, sit down behind your typewriter/laptop and think of a way to communicate this opinion to the reader/viewer, then do it, be it by writing an article or by getting the camera crew and go out to the track to film the footage you need. That's how journalism works. I can't believe that people are complaining about reviews being scripted.
Same goes about car adverts - they are the kingdom of scriptedness. The whole "five rules for VW adverts" almost was like a meta-commentary about the boundaries Top Gear does not set for what they can or can't do.
The news, on top of that, obviously have always been lightly scripted as in "they know what they want to talk about and thought about jokes beforehand". But still, it's the news. Whey should it be spontaneous?

All in all, the only "documentary" bits where you could complain about scripting were James and Jeremy watching each other's adverts and the reaction shots of the ad execs, none of which sounded too scripted to me.

PlaneDriver said:
Thinking about it some more, I think the Aston film brought out the emotions I think we all feel when we consider that the wonderfully fast and powerful cars we see on Top Gear may only be with us for a few more years. With new environmental regulations and such, a Scirocco diesel will be today's V12 Vantage. The common cars of 25 years from now may just be 80hp sneeze boxes.
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I'm not seeing this coming. I'm seeing the end of the petrol engine, but i don't see a sudden loss in performance. On top of that, a sportscar, (not hypercar) from 25 years ago only had around 150 horsepower, either, while a "normal" car like a VW Golf had around 50 to 60.

evoWALO said:
I noticed the episode has a clean image. Is it HD already?
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I don't think so - as it's broadcast in SD, you won't notice. Maybe they were fooling around with new cameras with better lenses, which, in turn, might be in preparation for a HD switchover.

shellygrrl said:
The Anyway Policy

I think the lot of you know what I mean by that. For those who don't, a brief explanation.

The Aston film--which did leave me a bit heavy and stunned, I must say--is the death announcement (not to mention, IMO, an uber-bombshell of an ending to any season/series of the show). The intro to 14x01 is going to be their "Anyway!" moment. Then they'll go back to the cocking about and whathaveyou that we've become accustomed to. (And, yes, I do think the Aston V12 will have a go around the track.)
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That perfectely sums up what i thought about the Aston film's message. For me, another thing that this film communicated is that Jeremy finally ran out of things to say about Astons, as all they seem to be is more of the same (call it the 911-syndrome).

Another thing that i found remarkable about this episode was how much FUN Richard had driving these Australian madmen's cars - i don't think i have seen any of the presenters enjoying himself that much for the whole series. Much more than the cars and the cinematography, let alone the review itself, all of which were TG power test standard, that made the review the best film of the whole series for me.

Same applies, if not to the same extend, to the Scirocco ads: The whole conept of this film (which had me in tears laughing) was "James and Jeremy annoy the hell out of ad execs by being even more exaggerated versions of themselves" - and especially in James' face, you could see how much he enjoyed showing ads he knew to be crap to a bunch of as execs. This little moments sometimes mean more to me than the big picture.

...and were, sadly, lacking from the Aston film, which, eventhough masterfully shot, somehow did not touch me at all - but maybe that was partly because i looked at page one of this thread while being bored by Leno and expected something even more magnificent....

9/10 from me, for seeing James and Richard having fun.

EDIT: Not to mention how many people they managed to insult in just one episode! :p

EDIT 2: As Richard said, the Supercharger goes to eleven:
spinal_tap_but_it_goes_to_eleven.jpg
 
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9/10 for me because they didn't show V12 vantage lap time

loved everything else, especially the pigeon
 
This is what I love about Top Gear. They cock about for a whole series!
But when that special episode arrives, you can't help it but just watch it over and over again!!

The V12 Vantage scene has to be one of the most beautiful driving scenes I have ever seen on tele!!
 
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