[20x03] July 14th, 2013

[20x03] July 14th, 2013


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Anyone has any idea where were those deserted towns and all? Wow that's really surreal..
 
so still no Golf VII (GTI) -.- though it got mentioned :p

That's actually bad news if you ask me. How can they still do a "proper" test of the GTI when they mention its laptime in passing during the news?

Anyway: Much, much better than the last two, luke-warm episodes.

Proper road-trip with minimal cocking about (although I could've done without the silly "cooking"-joke). Some obvious references to the excellent "911 and rivals on the Isle of Man"-film (the chaps sitting down for dinner to discuss the cars, the Stig arriving as luggage). But these moments didn't ruin the piece.. they felt more like homage and not like rip-offs. Speaking of which: Instead of taking three fairly old super-cars we've seen again and again on the show, why not squeeze a new one in there... like the new Porsche 911?

Oh, and yes: Maybe it's just my eyesight failing, but isn't there a huge scratch on James' R10 during the roof up/down-race? Check 32:47 when Jezza puts on his glasses and check the paintwork behind the R10's air-intake.

But I'm nitpicking.. highly entertaining episode with quite a few genuine laughs in it. Definetly re-watchable. Guest was good, even the news was good and funny and included a very pretty bird with a great rack behind RH.

On a side note: I really want to know more about that empty airport and the empty village and suburb they shot in. Those places really didn't look all that abandoned.. more like (as they pointed out) a setting from a Zombie-flick. Heck, that airport still had stuff like seats, office equipment and monitors in it .. it looked like you could easily re-open it within a few days.


Overall: 9/10


Who knows what Ferrari might say? "No more car for BBC!"

They couldn't care less. Even if TG had totalled that Ferrari, there are things like insurance *and* the fact that the whole *show* (not just a segment of it) was basically one big Ferrari-commercial.



S.
 
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They couldn't care less. Even if TG had totalled that Ferrari, there are things like insurance *and* the fact that the whole *show* (not just a segment of it) was basically one big Ferrari-commercial.



S.

Do you think? I thought it was a big commercial for the McLaren, like the review some seasons ago. Why they felt the need to tell in the news segment that the McLaren is faster than the Ferrari? Also, the pictures thing at the beginning (the only thing that spoilt the episode in my opinion). was meant to say that the McLaren is showing off more than the Ferrari.
 
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On a side note: I really want to know more about that empty airport and the empty village and suburb they shot in. Those places really didn't look all that abandoned.. more like (as they pointed out) a setting from a Zombie-flick. Heck, that airport still had stuff like seats, office equipment and monitors in it .. it looked like you could easily re-open it within a few days.



S.

I think somebody mentioned it before, it is an international airport that was operational until last year, so it would be expected to have a lot of the equipment still there.
 
Do you think? I thought it was a big commercial for the McLaren, like the review some seasons ago. Why they felt the need to tell in the news segment that the McLaren is faster than the Ferrari? Also, the pictures thing at the beginning (the only thing that spoilt the episode in my opinion). was meant to say that the McLaren is showing off more that the Ferrari.

Irrelevant. You still get 45 minutes of gorgeous shots of the Ferrari blasting through beautiful scenery. It's the overall exposure of the product that counts, not the conclusion the presenters come to. Unless the reviewers completely bash the product, (basically telling people they'd be stupid to buy it), it's mission accomplished for the manufacturer/PR-guys.

Yes, you could argue that the film was indeed a commercial for all three cars - and in a sense, it is. But: In the end they all say they'd buy the Ferrari regardless of their "results", so I'd say it came off best in the piece.

And (as I've pointed out above), there's still such a thing as insurance. And the fact that a mult-billion-?uro company like Fiat couldn't care less about the cost of replacing a piece of bodywork or even an entire car. And I'm also pretty sure that losses/damages due to ham-fisted car-journalists are calculated into their PR-budget. Those things happen all the time at press-events and to cars they loan to magazines for reviews.

S.
 
Irrelevant. You still get 45 minutes of gorgeous shots of the Ferrari blasting through beautiful scenery. It's the overall exposure of the product that counts, not the conclusion the presenters come to. Unless the reviewers completely bash the product, (basically telling people they'd be stupid to buy it), it's mission accomplished for the manufacturer/PR-guys.

Yes, you could argue that the film was indeed a commercial for all three cars - and in a sense, it is. But: In the end they all say they'd buy the Ferrari regardless of their "results", so I'd say it came off best in the piece.

And (as I've pointed out above), there's still such a thing as insurance. And the fact that a mult-billion-?uro company like Fiat couldn't care less about the cost of replacing a piece of bodywork or even an entire car. And I'm also pretty sure that losses/damages due to ham-fisted car-journalists are calculated into their PR-budget. Those things happen all the time at press-events and to cars they loan to magazines for reviews.

S.

Thanks for your thorough reply, you have some points there. :)
I would have the Ferrari too, but not because I'm italian (I never liked the 430 or the 360), that car is just breathtaking. :mrgreen:
 
"You could buy a cook for 70 thousand pounds" (May looking at Clarkson).... rofl

Really enjoyable episode. The road trip harked back to the Isle of Man episode (Aston Martin, M6, 911).

8/10 ... minus 1 for using the Ferrari 458 again.
 
A solid 9. Great camera work, felt original and spontaneous for much of the main film (even though I am sure it wasn't).

A proper episode of TG. I just wish the ratio was 5 proper episodes and 1 for the 8 year olds and the braindead rather than the other way around.
 
Hi everyone, since a lot of you have questions about Spain and the things in this Top Gear episode I've decided to register and share a few things.

First of all, the road in Sierra Nevada doesn't end there, and it indeed has a use and goes somewhere. Sierra Nevada is a very big ski resort, but it's also a National Park, so the road is closed to traffic at about 2500m of altitude. But it goes higher and higher and it's, in fact, the highest paved road in Europe. That road services a big radiotelescope, and the buildings (bars and stuff) and infrastructure of the ski resort. BTW it's a pity they didn't get to cross the barrier, because the views are even more amazing there, although the road it's in worse condition.

About the airport, yes, it's closed, they didn't make anything up. It's the Aeropuerto de Ciudad Real (1.100 million ? to the bin). The worse thing is that there are a lot of airports like that in Spain. The Aeropuerto de Castell?n cost 150 million ? and has never really operated, has never seen a plane. And there are more airports all over Spain without flights, or with only 2 or 3 a week.

The "ghost city" they raced in, is a failed project in Sese?a of building 12.000 new houses (plus hospitals, malls, schools...) in the middle of nowhere. In the end, "only" 5.000 houses where finished, and hardly any of them are inhabited. It was the biggest private project in probably the history of Spain, and alongside the airports mentioned before, the biggest "icon" of the financial crisis and the property bubble. But desserted places like this can be seen everywhere, and I literally mean everywhere, in Spain (before the crisis, Spain was building more new houses in a year than France, Germany and Italy combined).

All in all, everything you saw was real except the road bit, and it presented Spain in a very fair light, we are really that much in the shit. But I do think they missed a good opportunity with Granada and Sierra Nevada to show the real beauties of Spain, and the coast roads are great too, they used way too many highways.

Well that's all, hope it helps a little.
 
My Feelings on this episode, I liked it but I gave it an 8 instead of a 9 for some reason, I think because it ended abruptly... do people actually live in Spain? And why can't Audi buy Ferrari and tell them how to make a car properly, or maybe Ferrari could just hire some germans, or adopt some babies and have them sent to Germany on alternating years for education with one italian parent and one german parent so that they retain the madness but with a German work ethic and sense of quality; I think that could work.


Do you think? I thought it was a big commercial for the McLaren, like the review some seasons ago.

You mean the big commercial which they ended by saying "I'd buy the Ferrari" and actually James May has bought a Ferrari Italia and are you talking about the series 16 review which they concluded that the McClaren was quite boring and that the Ferrari was much better? Or the Italy road trip where James May effectively said, and this is not an exact quote "The Ferrari gives me more fizz" and "Every thing is just a little bit better in the Ferrari"; Yeah They're really pulling for McClaren on that show those Top Gear guys must be in McClaren's pocket.

8/10 ... minus 1 for using the Ferrari 458 again.

I would actually be quite happy if they used the Ferrari Italia in every Top Gear Series from now on, up until the successor was launched and they do the power test for that car, the apparently v6 turbo mid engined ferrari which will reflect their F1 cars, and if that's crap they can continue using the Italia because it's the best car in the world, it disintegrates, but it's the best car in the world.
 
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your name is audi, you drive an audi, you have it in your avatar and you still have the need to comment on the fucking audi from the last decade?

Well ehh..why not.
I won't mock Aston Martin for spotting a Panda in the background, or High_Voltage for loving the Volvo in Africa.
We all have our little obsessions.
 
Not bad. Didn't have the urge to fast forward through the challenges nor fell asleep (like last week).

But still, the cars were the background, the main attraction was the scenery. I didn't learn anything interesting nor gained any insights on the cars, really. We've been through all of this before, there is so much already written and filmed about these cars, just taking the topless versions doesn't bring that much new to the table.

I don't know.. Top Gear just doesn't get me excited about the cars they feature any more.
 
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I gave this one a 9/10. Finally no over the top editing or cinematography, just simple exquisite road trip. Now that is what makes TG what it is! SIARPC was great with Benedict Cumberbatch (and this is from an American who does know who he is and how good of an actor he is). The news segment should be renamed "bullshitting with my mates" because that is what is has been turning into. Not complaining about it that much but it would be nice to get a little more information during news segment. Otherwise this was finally an episode that I will probably watch again and again!
 
Glad to see the Ferrari 458 get the vote of confidence from the chaps. Overall, I found the episode quite enjoyable, I give it an 8/10. Also, I'm not sure Spain is as quite abandoned as they tried to make it out to be... The SIARPC, was boring and found his lap to be even moreso. I enjoyed the Stig humor and the name they gave the their street circuit. :lol:
 
Proper TG, 9/10

I could sit here and type about every bit but i wont. All i will say is solid honest reviews that i actually learned something from. What everyone must realize is that as a car reviewer you have to be careful what you say about Ferrari, they are very anal and if they dont like you they will not give you cars. TG beating up a car like that is a big deal but since they are TG they can do that i guess. Good for them.

"pointandsquirtability". i will use this from now on when buying a car. It sums up so much in one word (yes, one word cuz thats how i added it to my brains dictionary)

anyways. One solid hour of pure entertainment.

Edit As i rewatch: Inside the airport is all time funny. That is one of the best. That is EXACTLY what we would all do given an abandoned airport with our friends. Love it!
 
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As others have said, the airport was in Ciudad Real. It was a private build, so after it was closed down there was some suspicion, that the people who pushed its construction through, only did it because they could then award their own construction companies the contract to build it.

And I don't know about the first ghost town they went through, but the second was most likely Sese?a. The layout looks kind of familiar to the 'Francis Drake Circuit' :p
 
From the pictures, it looks like "Francis Drake circuit" (Someone turn this into a real race, please! :D) is based on "Ciudad Valdeluz"

http://desertedplaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-spanish-ghost-town-of-ciudad.html

" Ciudad Valdeluz is a suburb 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Madrid, Spain. It was meant to be city of 30,000, but only 1,000 people took up residence there after construction halted in 2008 with 75% of the city unfinished due to the economic downturn.


Today, Ciudad Valdeluz resembles a ghost town with the few residents being served by a supermarket, a corner shop and a medical center open twice a week. A security patrol watches over the deserted streets and the empty buildings. "


Sad... :(
 
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From the pictures, it looks like "Francis Drake circuit" (Someone turn this into a real race, please! :D) is based on "Ciudad Valdeluz"

http://desertedplaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-spanish-ghost-town-of-ciudad.html

" Ciudad Valdeluz is a suburb 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Madrid, Spain. It was meant to be city of 30,000, but only 1,000 people took up residence there after construction halted in 2008 with 75% of the city unfinished due to the economic downturn.


Today, Ciudad Valdeluz resembles a ghost town with the few residents being served by a supermarket, a corner shop and a medical center open twice a week. A security patrol watches over the deserted streets and the empty buildings. "


Sad... :(

Great find, thanks! And one post below they also have the abandoned airport. The control tower is a dead giveaway:


Ciudad Real Central Airport, Spain
http://desertedplaces.blogspot.com/search/label/Spain

Call me creepy, but I find abandoned places like this strangely fascinating..


S.
 
I fell asleep before the show was over. I think that speaks for itself.
 
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