Tanner Foust sheds light on Top Gear USA in blog interview
With all our mouths salivating over the upcoming NBC version of the hit BBC program Top Gear, the guys over at Autofiends got a chance to sit down with Tanner Foust. As we revealed a couple of weeks ago, in addition to being a drifting and rallying champion, Tanner will be one of the three hosts – alongside Adam Carolla and Eric Stromer – who will be anchoring the Americanized show.
The interview makes for an interesting read, and in the process Foust casts a bit more light on what we can expect from the show. For example, while the BBC's publicly-funded format allows for full-hour shows, the NBC program will run closer to 42 minutes with commercials breaking up the shorter segments. The show's test track – en route to which Foust got lost with Jeremy Clarkson in a Callaway Corvette – is based in Orange County, California. And to the best of his understanding, Foust and his co-hosts will be free to speak their minds about the vehicles they'll be reviewing, which he promises will run the spectrum from budget automobiles to supercars, alongside "epic" challenges in true "American style where bigger is better". We'll be looking forward to seeing for ourselves. Follow the link to read the full interview.
[Source: Autofiends.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Rocketboy 9:47AM (7/01/2008)
THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I'M USED TO.
GO BACK TO DOING THAT THING THAT YOU DID BEFORE YOU STARTED DOING THIS THING.
Waaah Waaah Waah
(In before the whining..)
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Vintage 9:53AM (7/01/2008)
That was not even that funny when you first posted it, and now it's just getting annoying.
As for top gear AMERIKUH!!! F YEAH!!! We'll see. The more I hear the more I think it's going to suck. The fact that the BBC version doesn't have commercials is enough for me to completely avoid the American version anyway. As I've said before, we'll see. And I'm pretty sure I'll be right, and you'll be wrong.
Pat 9:56AM (7/01/2008)
Glad you got the first comment in :)
Good to know that Faust has been talking with Clarkson.
RG 10:48AM (7/01/2008)
I continue to be amazed by the blind hatred this show is receiving.
In these interviews they address some of the concerns of the "fans" but there is no satisfaction. Now we have complaints that the show is going to have commercials, unlike BBCs Top Gear?
Give me a break. Let's just come to terms with this now- it will not be BBCs Top Gear, period. But that doesn't mean that it can't be an entertaining automotive show.
Of course we don't know what will happen because NO ONE HAS SEEN THE SHOW!!!
Rocketboy 1:10PM (7/01/2008)
Vintage.. as irritating as everyone declaring it dead in the water even before it's been launched, with statements like this:
"The more I hear the more I think it's going to suck."
Or people that spell America as AMERIKUH because it's cool?
Or people who make statments like "And I'm pretty sure I'll be right, and you'll be wrong."?
Jon55 2:38PM (7/01/2008)
One of my big concerns with this show is it's cinematography. The cinematography in the UK Top Gear is awesome, and I only hope they carry it over to the US version.
Other than that, I'm pretty excited about this show.
Derek 4:33PM (7/01/2008)
@Vintage
I'm not sure if you're aware that in the UK they pay 139£
a year to the gubment to be able to receive "free" channels.
Not sure about you but I'll gladly keep my $280 bucks and watch through some commercials. Besides, if it's half as bad as you say it is why would you want to watch that much of it anyway?
Jason 9:55AM (7/01/2008)
True American Style?
So are they going to race from one McDonald's drive through to the next in big trucks and SUVs while talking on their cell phones?
Hahaha, I'm actually looking forward to the American version of 'Gear.' The way I see it the more car shows the better. I'm also looking forward to seeing more American supercars which don't get much love from Top Gear (ZR-1, Saleen, Viper, etc).
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DRFS Rich 10:00AM (7/01/2008)
If they're honestly allowed to speak their minds, I'll watch. I really doubt this will be as good as TG, I have my doubts it'll be as good as 5G, but if you stack it up against the crap that Spike and Speed play, and the dry, boring car-themed shows like those on PBS, it might be an entertaining watch.
... If Adam Carolla doesn't irritate the hell out of me. We'll see.
- R
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Soul Shinobi 11:53AM (7/01/2008)
My concern is the quality of minds they're speaking from.
Corey W. 10:15AM (7/01/2008)
It may not suck, but the US doesn't have the audience for this show. The love affair with cars is over in America. People don't care what they drive or what it looks like as long as the cheap plastic can last for 20 years, engine and trans for 500,000 and it get +35 MPG (city). Not that this is a bad thing, but think about the crap you see on primetime now, do you think that same crowd would watch Top Gear??? I don't... I give it 2 seasons before it's cancelled.
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BlackCanary 10:28AM (7/01/2008)
I commend you on your new hater approach. Rather than the tried and true bashing of a sight unseen show you decided to call out the country as a whole. You really can not lose with this approach. If the show sucks you can spew about that, if the show is good but is met with poor ratings (ala Black Donnelys) and gets cancelled … you can bitch about how American's are stupid. You have all your bitching and moaning bases covered.
Yeah American's don't like cars, please back that up with something other than personal conjecture.
BlackCanary 10:34AM (7/01/2008)
crap - Americans no '
Corey W. 11:21AM (7/01/2008)
Uh, you need to get a grip pal...
Are you on this blog just to start trouble?!? I'll entertain your hissy-fit for a minute because you seem to have blown my response way out of proportion. I never said the show would suck, I just said the audience is not here (U.S.) Why are you predicting what you think I would say depending on the outcome of the show??? Bitching and moaning??? WTF!! Grow up and take that drama somewhere else.
I suggest you do a little research on your own, try looking around the 1950-70's, look at how trends and lifestyles were effected by the automotive industry. It's nowhere near the same as it was back in the day, and definitely not enough to keep this show on primetime. But judging from your reply, you already know this, and desperately look for a way to deny it.
Soul Shinobi 5:41PM (7/01/2008)
I have no idea what the f*ck Black Canary is on about, but you are generalizing, Corey.
notYou 1:28PM (7/01/2008)
Call me when they trash the first American automobile that deserves it. I mean something that would affect sales, like "The Sebring? It's a piece of trash - I wouldn't buy it with your money. And it looks painful, just God-awful." (oh, and do it when the model first comes out, not when it's about to be retired/refreshed so that the mfr suddenly looks like a hero for fixing the obvious!)
Then we'll all know that it's not just a marketing fluffer for the BigThreesome.
(fyi: the goal is not to just trash American cars, but to help educate the consumer by providing real, hands-on, unbiased info so we can make better buying decisions. In the end, that'll help the domestics more than it hurts...if they survive the short term.)
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BlackCanary 2:18PM (7/01/2008)
something like this:
"Yeah, there are new cars that have that kind of weird left in the sun smell. Some of them are good. Like Audis when they sit in the sun — there’s something good about how that melting dashboard smells. But Corvettes smell like melting glue — like the dash is going to fall apart." -- Tanner
John R 10:04AM (7/01/2008)
Man, if its even half has good as Best Motoring I'll be impressed.
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speedball3 11:43AM (7/01/2008)
Agreed. Somehow Best Motoring is able to put together comparo races of a lot of cars that I really like and do it consistently. Well done!
I saw an episode of Supercars Exposed and Foust seems like an okay host, though he does look like a 16 yr old. Let's hope they get some good wheel to wheel racing going on! and tons of guest drivers!!!
Patrick 10:10AM (7/01/2008)
With All Our Mouths Salivating For The American Show? Didnt You Read The Comments On The Adam Carrolla Post? Richard Simmons Sweatin To The 90s Infomercials Will Get Better Ratings Than This
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