Z Draci
Well-Known Member
Every so often, I read about an American getting insulted by a review on a Top Gear episode. Why?
For starters, Clarkson bought a new Ford GT. He knew full well it was built in the US and that it has a truck engine. He didn't care because he thought it was a good car. If he hated American cars so much, he would have just bought a DB9 for a bit more.
Hammond has a Dodge Charger and loves it for what it is.
Yes, they sure hate American cars. They hate them so much that they'd spend their own personal money to buy one AND drive them every day.
I really believe Top Gear is not biased against American cars. They have just become so tired of inferior American cars that they have simply given up hope. You know what I mean. Americans are obsessed over cost cutting and increasing profits at any costs. (i.e. out-sourcing and hiring of illegal immigrant workers) This is why the cream of the crop Corvette and Viper are under-engineered and incomplete cars. They may be able to do one thing very well, but not others.
Of course, there are those that give one or two exceptions to the rule. If you do that, people will present more than one or two examples from every other country in the world. There hasn't been enough of great American cars that has really caught the attention of the world.
Corvette? Viper? Even Japan has THREE icons--Skyline, Supra, NSX. Let's not even begin European countries . . . TVR alone has more icons than that!
Top Gear is a show that doesn't promote mediocrisy. One does not get an "A" for effort on this show. If you don't completely blow away the presenters, one will not get noticed.
Clarkson has repeatedly bashed on every single car company out there. He points out flaws in cars like his beloved DB7 or masterpieces like the SLR. Based on what Americans have been producing in the past, he thinks every new American car will follow suit. He is waiting for an American car that will completely change his attitude towards them. Obviously the most recent American cars weren't enough to change their minds. (Obviously the Ford GT wasn't enough. Maybe Saleen should send over one of their new creations huh?)
Americans also need to understand that there is a whole different world outside of their borders. People have different tastes and have different standards. Something that is loved and cherished in the US can be completely useless in another country. A Mustang or a Corvette may be completely good in America, but can be pointless to own in the UK. Those cars cost substantially more and cost more to insure/maintain. A lot of the cars in the US aren't sold in the UK either (and for good reasons).
Also, Americans aren't used to the blunt humour that is presented on the show. This kind of humour is pretty common in Europe. You can hear a group of men all from different countries poking fun at each other's countries and laughing about it. If you even joke about an American, they will get so defensive that a brawl can soon break out (as well as a lawsuit for the damages created by your comments
)
I hope I didn't upset anybody with the last few comments. These are only my little opinions. Nothing to get exciting about!
For starters, Clarkson bought a new Ford GT. He knew full well it was built in the US and that it has a truck engine. He didn't care because he thought it was a good car. If he hated American cars so much, he would have just bought a DB9 for a bit more.
Hammond has a Dodge Charger and loves it for what it is.
Yes, they sure hate American cars. They hate them so much that they'd spend their own personal money to buy one AND drive them every day.
I really believe Top Gear is not biased against American cars. They have just become so tired of inferior American cars that they have simply given up hope. You know what I mean. Americans are obsessed over cost cutting and increasing profits at any costs. (i.e. out-sourcing and hiring of illegal immigrant workers) This is why the cream of the crop Corvette and Viper are under-engineered and incomplete cars. They may be able to do one thing very well, but not others.
Of course, there are those that give one or two exceptions to the rule. If you do that, people will present more than one or two examples from every other country in the world. There hasn't been enough of great American cars that has really caught the attention of the world.
Corvette? Viper? Even Japan has THREE icons--Skyline, Supra, NSX. Let's not even begin European countries . . . TVR alone has more icons than that!
Top Gear is a show that doesn't promote mediocrisy. One does not get an "A" for effort on this show. If you don't completely blow away the presenters, one will not get noticed.
Clarkson has repeatedly bashed on every single car company out there. He points out flaws in cars like his beloved DB7 or masterpieces like the SLR. Based on what Americans have been producing in the past, he thinks every new American car will follow suit. He is waiting for an American car that will completely change his attitude towards them. Obviously the most recent American cars weren't enough to change their minds. (Obviously the Ford GT wasn't enough. Maybe Saleen should send over one of their new creations huh?)
Americans also need to understand that there is a whole different world outside of their borders. People have different tastes and have different standards. Something that is loved and cherished in the US can be completely useless in another country. A Mustang or a Corvette may be completely good in America, but can be pointless to own in the UK. Those cars cost substantially more and cost more to insure/maintain. A lot of the cars in the US aren't sold in the UK either (and for good reasons).
Also, Americans aren't used to the blunt humour that is presented on the show. This kind of humour is pretty common in Europe. You can hear a group of men all from different countries poking fun at each other's countries and laughing about it. If you even joke about an American, they will get so defensive that a brawl can soon break out (as well as a lawsuit for the damages created by your comments
)I hope I didn't upset anybody with the last few comments. These are only my little opinions. Nothing to get exciting about!
Well said, I was getting tired of people bitching.
