Autoblog

Fast N' Loud is Wheeler Dealers, American style

Zach Bowman — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Humor

If you've ever sunk a Saturday afternoon watching a Wheeler Dealers marathon on BBC America, we don't need to tell you the show is plenty addictive. A tag team salesman and mechanic snag slightly run-down cars and SUVs, fix a few simple problems and flip them for a profit in the UK.

Now it looks as if the Discovery Channel is set to unleash an Americanized version of the show. Fast N' Loud follows a shop as they seek out classic cars and trucks, customize them and work to sell them at a profit. It looks a bit like American Pickers met Pimp My Ride and Overhaulin in a bar bathroom and this is the fruit of their rendezvous.

We will, of course, tune in if for no other reason than the guys look to have gotten their hands on an early '50s Oldsmobile Coupe. That's one of our favorites. The show premiers on Wednesday, June 6 at 10 p.m. Eastern on the Discovery Channel. Scroll down to check out the teaser for yourself.

Continue reading Fast N' Loud is Wheeler Dealers, American style

Fast N' Loud is Wheeler Dealers, American style originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC America reveals first trailer for Richard Hammond's Crash Course

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Celebrities

When it was made public last summer that Richard Hammond was unhappy with his lot in life on Britain's Top Gear, insiders said he would "get the bigger, more defined role that he deserves." We don't know yet what's in store for him during Series 18 of TG, but it appears he definitely has a bigger role in his new BBC America series, Richard Hammond's Crash Course.

The show puts Hammond in all manner of big vehicles with the apparent intention of running over all manner of little vehicles. It premieres on April 16 right after the season premiere of Top Gear, and there's a much more exciting explanation of it in the official BBC trailer after the jump.

Continue reading BBC America reveals first trailer for Richard Hammond's Crash Course

BBC America reveals first trailer for Richard Hammond's Crash Course originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear's Top 40 series headed for your TV, America

Jeff Sabatini — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., UK

Please note: This is your one and only warning to set your DVR. You have until Monday, November 28, at 8:00 pm. That's when BBC America will air the world premiere of the newest Top Gear spin-off: Top Gear Top 40.

Now we might normally be a bit critical of a television series that advertises itself as a greatest hits pastiche. In some ways, it kind of reminds us of those terrible sitcom episodes they used to slap together all the time back in the '80s, with characters "remembering" bits from old episodes. But this is different. This is Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond doing what they do best. This is Top Gear.

How can you not get excited about re-watching clips like "Ferrari Daytona vs. Powerboat" and "Commie Cars" from Season 12? Or "Top Gear vs. Germans" from Season 11? Or "Veyron vs. Eurofighter" from Season 10?

Trust us, we've peeked at the 40 segments the show plans to feature, and nobody should be disappointed. In fact, the list of 40 clips comes from voting suggestions made by the general public, so there's even less reason to fear. Read the entire press release after the jump.

Continue reading Top Gear's Top 40 series headed for your TV, America

Top Gear's Top 40 series headed for your TV, America originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear host Hammond to get own car show in America

Zach Bowman — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Whether you love Top Gear USA or think it an affront to comedic decency, one thing's certain: the show seems to have helped spawn a new wave of car-themed programming. Adam Carolla's The Car Show has taken to the air as a result of The History Channel's move into fuel-soaked entertainment, and now The BBC is striking back. The Beeb has announced that Richard Hammond will be getting his own show on BBC America soon. Called Hard Drive with Richard Hammond, the program uses a similar format as the UK's World's Toughest Driving Tests.

Hammond will travel around the United States, driving and competing in some of the toughest vehicles our country has to offer. We're sure he'll meet some genuine characters along the way as well.

Hammond isn't the only Top Gear presenter being awarded an American show. James May will also take to BBC America with James May's Man Lab U.S. based on the UK version of his program. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Top Gear host Hammond to get own car show in America

Top Gear host Hammond to get own car show in America originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:26:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Top Gear USA runs with the bulls - Click above to watch video after the jump

On Monday, October 18th 2010, Michael Harley and I had the opportunity to attend a taping of an episode of the upcoming Top Gear USA series. As we all know by now, the show is a new version of the BBC original and as a huge fan of that show, my expectations were set to "neutral" for the American spin-off. Harley and I entered an old airplane hangar located on the former El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California and were immediately impressed by what we saw.

Hit the jump for our impressions.

Continue reading Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show

Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear Season 15 hitting BBC America Sept. 27

Chris Shunk — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., UK, Celebrities, Humor

If you're like us, you've been catching bits and pieces of Top Gear Season 15 on the Interwebs with few complaints. We'll take what we can get, after all, but the world's greatest automotive entertainment show is best watched on a pristine wide-screen television set. Beginning September 27, we won't have to interface our Macs and PCs to check out Clarkson, Mays, Hammond and the Stig, as the show will air uninterrupted on BBC America on September 27. How can you pass up the opportunity to watch Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz (mostly Cameron Diaz) rock a Kia Cee'd on the TG test track in high-definition? The show will run on Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

With TG hitting BBC America next week, we will soon have two shows to watch this fall containing the words Top Gear. Top Gear USA starts airing on the History Channel in the Fall, with Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood replacing the UK's big three. Good luck on that assignment, fellas.

[Source: BBC America]

Top Gear Season 15 hitting BBC America Sept. 27 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear returning to BBC America this month

Noah Joseph — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Getting the latest episodes of Top Gear on the revolutionary side of the Atlantic has always been a bit of a misadventure. Some episodes were aired on the Discovery Channel. BBC America ran a few as well. And of course there was the ill-fated NBC project to Americanize the program, much as they did in Australia, which never panned out. But with all these ups and downs, the internet has been the only reliable way of watching the show enjoyed by car nuts world wide.

Now reports indicate, however, that the show will be returning (hopefully on a permanent basis) to BBC America. FinalGear, the online clearing house of all things related to British car shows, reports that Series 13 - the show's previous season - will begin airing on Monday, January 25 at 8 pm. Once 13 has run out, the Beeb's Yankee channel will immediately commence showing the 14th season that's currently on the air back in the Isles. That ought to start on March 15. And to sweeten the deal, each episode will be made available on iTunes for $2 apiece 24 hours after they've been shown on BBC America. So whether your cable box or your iTunes is your chosen purveyor of visual entertainment, you've got your options laid out for you.

[Source: FinalGear]

Top Gear returning to BBC America this month originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear faces mounting criticism over costly new stunts. Again.

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Earnings/Financials, UK, Celebrities

Top Gear fans greet each new season with more eager glee. Top Gear critics have taken to welcoming each new run with more criticism. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the latest "How dare they!" comes from a Minister of Parliament (MP) and Friends of the Earth, who want to run TG up the flagpole for "extravagant costs" and 'wanton destruction" -- those two things coincidentally being two of the things that fans love most.

The show went to Belfast, Ireland to film a few segments that included lofting a car to the top of a gigantic crane, launching a Renault Twingo into the sea, as well as a bit of garden variety drag racing. The MP, Gregory Campbell, is aghast at the apparent cost of such stunts, and even more aghast at the fact that the BBC won't reveal exactly how much the stunts cost. The supposed tally is £200,000 ($315,150 U.S.) for Belfast segments that might make up 10 minutes of the show.

Joining Campbell in outrage is Declan Allison from Friends of the Earth, who said: "The wanton destruction of tens of thousands of pounds worth of machinery impresses no-one. It's a wasteful extravagance and, in the middle of a global recession, in very poor taste."

So there. The complaints will probably have as much effect on the show as previous complaints, which is to say, pffffft. We're far more interested in finding out what Clarkson meant when he said that show heads want "black Muslim lesbian" presenters.

[Source: Belfast Telegraph]

Top Gear faces mounting criticism over costly new stunts. Again. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear coming to America in HD?!

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Celebrities

Pinch us. Could it be that our dreams - which, incidentally, we proudly share with Sandra Bullock - of watching Top Gear in High Definition may soon come true? It certainly seems like a real possibility now that BBC America officially launched its HD programming on Monday, July 20 at 6am. Since it can't be seen yet on any cable or satellite service, we're guessing it's still in beta testing.

So far, the British Broadcasting Corporation has chosen to air a brace of science-fiction shows like Torchwood, which apparently was a smart move as it's got people buzzing about the channel's launch on Twitter. Fortunately, it sounds like plenty more is on the way. Says BBC publicity Veep Amy Mulcair:

Everyone's very keen to see [the channel] and we're very keen for them to see it. And we're glad to say there are a number of deals that will be announced imminently.

Naturally, we're hoping those deals bring us Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in stunning HD beamed right into our living rooms. Now, would it be too much to ask for a schedule that brings us new episodes simultaneously with their British debuts?

[Source: Multichannel]

Top Gear coming to America in HD?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear episodes now available on Xbox Live Marketplace

Noah Joseph — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games, UK

Here around Autoblog's virtual offices, there are few things on which we love to spend our down time more than watching Top Gear and playing on our Xbox 360. So it comes as a special bit of parenthetical news that the hit British BBC show has now become available directly on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Season 10, 11 and 12 are now available on the Microsoft content site, with each 570MB episode costing 160 points (equivalent to $2).

Unfortunately, some edits have been made to the downloadable installments, with licensing concerns forcing them to replace some of the music, and while the 12th season episodes remain in their full 60-minute glory, seasons 10 and 11 have had their episodes trimmed down to 50 minutes (give or take), usually at the expense of the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment and the news (which isn't newsworthy anymore anyway...that's what we're here for). Check it out on the Xbox Live Marketplace for all the details.

[Source: Xbox Live Marketplace via FinalGear.com]

Top Gear episodes now available on Xbox Live Marketplace originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC America to air full Top Gear episodes for seaon 8

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe, First Drives

Final Gear is reporting that the BBC America will start airing full episodes of the 8th season of Top Gear later this month. No more of those watered down 30-minute "specials" we saw on BBC World. No more downloading overseas episodes from the net. No more American Top Gear with no recognizable connection to the real deal. Just the same one-hour episodes they get in the UK, piped straight into our homes via BBCA. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May engaging in stunts and challenges, celebrity guests trying their hand at lapping in identical, moderately priced vehicles, and The Stig wringing the most from the latest crop of hot hatches to supercars -- it's all there. The new episodes will start airing August 20th at 8PM ET. We can't wait.

Jay, thanks for the tip.

[Source: Final Gear]

BBC America to air full Top Gear episodes for seaon 8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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