Car news has been relatively mundane lately… I haven’t had a slower week then this in a long time. So, in light of that, I have found this very odd forum posting listing the “101 Uses For Jeremy Clarkson.” Some of my favorites include Faith Healer, Extra on Lost, and Gargoyle… Enjoy at your own risk here.
It’s no secret that Bugatti has refused to let Top Gear’s Stig take a Veyron around their test track, despite having loaned them numerous other Veyrons for top speed runs and car vs plane contests. Well, thanks to some very rich individuals over in the UAE, it looks like the Stig will finally get behind the wheel; albeit in the hills of Abu Dhabi and not Dunsford Park.
Reportedly, Top Gear sent out an urgent distress call to anyone willing to lend them a Bugatti Veyron for a “photoshoot.” However, instead of one, they got three. “No other place in the world could we have found three Bugattis in a span of 48 hours,” said Charlie Turner, the creative director for the magazine.
There is also a report of a Koenigsegg CCX taking on two of the 1001hp Bugatti supercars.
We didn’t realize it was a Top Gear event until we went to dinner and a group of Brits sat at the next table and started arguing about how they would cut the shots of three Veyrons doing 200 mph down the Abu Dhabi corniche with the Jebel Hafeet shots…something about the Stig being chased out of town by the Veyrons in a Koenigsegg. - Evolve.ae forum member
The photo to your right is of the Koenigsegg CCX on set with the Veyrons… So by all indications, all of this looks to be true.
[Source: PassatWorld, et al]
Information on Season 11 of Top Gear has just hit the web, thanks to Top Gear themselves. Apparently Season 11 will feature a whole host of new changes, mostly in an effort to get back to their basic formula for success: lots of fast cars and lots of good laughs.
Things we have to look forward to? An epic “mega car” battle filmed in Japan (and they do really mean epic); the new Mitsubishi EVO X battling the new Subaru WRX STI; Jeremy Clarkson’s much beloved Mercedes CLK Black getting a spin around the track (see latest issue of Top Gear Magazine), and “hopefully” a review of the Mazda Furai.
Most exciting for me is that we’ve finally come up with another big race - you know, car versus something or other. The last time we did one was a couple of years ago, with the plane against the Veyron, and in hindsight we lost the plot in that one - too pompous, too overblown and preposterous, too much work on the scripting to make it funny. This one is back to basics, more hardcore, mega car, mega opponent, with a solid premise. And a clue for the geeks: we did it in Japan.
I can’t wait.
[Source: Top Gear]
Is this photo from the set of the new American Top Gear? A lot of people are saying yes. The photo was taken at the El Toro airfield, and in the background you can see a red Ferrari F430 and a blue Audi RS4. You may also notice the far left Porsche’s license plate that reads “BBC TV.”
If this really is from the set of America’s Top Gear series, then I’m pretty impressed. I was expecting a bunch of Dodge Challengers and Ford Mustangs to be running around spinning out of control.
UPDATE: Some people are claiming that the satellite image you see to the right is of Top Gear America’s test track on the El Toro airfield. However, this seems pretty unlikely considering that this image is undated, and most Google Earth images are at least a few months old. Not to mention the tire tracks are mostly from previous car events including numerous SCCA races. But, it still nevertheless gives some idea of what to expect.
[Source: Jalopnik]
Perhaps Top Gear is running out of cars to test drive, because word is their latest stunt involves a fox hunt… The fox in question is Jeremy Clarkson who’s behind the wheel of a 4×4 Daihatsu. Richard Hammond goes horseback with the Ledbury hunting team and about 12 hounds to chase down Clarkson over a six mile area. BBC isn’t giving out any spoilers as to what happens, so we’ll just have to wait to see how it ends come June when the new season starts.
[Source: Horse and Hound]
Richard Hammond, otherwise known as Hamster on BBC’s Top Gear program, has decided he’s now worth double his previous salary. His agents are arguing that because of the media attention garnered by his 288mph crash of a jet powered dragster, and his ensuing recovery from the serious brain injury he suffered, Hammond’s star power has now sky rocketed.
Previous reports have him making about £15,000 a show, and that he wants that increased to £30,000. However his agents do make it clear that they are not trying to price him off the show because “Hammond loves Top Gear and would never leave.”
Captain slow, aka James May, is also requesting a larger pay day, while top-hat Jeremy Clarkson has already inked his new deal.
I say give them what they want as long as they keep entertaining me.
[Source: The Sun UK]
Top Gear has a nice sports sedan battle, pitting the Lexus IS-F against the BMW M3, Audi RS4 and Mercedes C63 AMG.
For me it goes like this: I want a C63 to play with, because it makes me feel like a 17-year-old, but it’d tire me out if I drove it everyday. I want an RS4 day-to-day, but think I’d hanker after something more throttle-adjustable now and again. The M3 is the best all-rounder, but I’m not really into the M3 image and ubiquity.
So there’s the Lexus. Brilliant, exciting, slightly mad Lexus. It’s flawed. It’s not for the hardcore among us. But for some reason I’m drawn to it. Drawn to the technology, drawn to the fact there’ll only be 150 in the UK per year. Drawn to its oddness.
Full Article: Lexus IS-F vs BMW M3 vs Audi RS4 vs Mercedes C63 AMG
