Autoblog

UPDATE: This picture was actually shot when Batman Begins was released -- in 2005. So don't expect to see the Stig doing his thing in the Tumbler anytime soon. Check out the rest of the pics at Flickr; we're off to drown our disappointment in a pint.


We don't have any details on when this happened or if when Top Gear will air the man in white piloting Batman's meanest machine. But with the Tumbler making its recent appearance at the British GP with Toyota, was there any doubt that something like this was going to go down? We're taking bets about what kind of time the Tumbler is going to set around the TG test track. Check out the current Power Lap times and make your own predictions in the comments below.

Here at Autoblog, we make no effort to hide our enthusiasm for the hit BBC series Top Gear. But while our compatriots over in the British Isles get to watch the show on their public television stations, American viewers (comprised mostly of Autoblog readers, of course) have had to make do with the on-again, off-again airing of Top Gear episodes online. For our part, we've done our best to bring you the latest episodes in our weekly night watch video postings.

Fortunately, with the American version of the show speeding into production, NBC is indicating that the show will be available for your viewing pleasure on its website. According to NBC, the episodes – which will be aired weekly in primetime starting sometime this year – will also be available for viewing online each week, along with a special aftermarket segment that's sure to blend the excitement of the annual SEMA show with Top Gear's own unique flavor. Stay tuned for more Top Gear news as NBC brings the show. Thanks for the tip, Adam!

[Source: NBC.com]

It should come as no surprise that Jeremy Clarkson is pulling down more cash than his Top Gear cohorts. Not only does Clarkson own a stake of the show's rights, he's more of a figurehead for the series than either James May or Richard Hammond. Clarkson has become nearly an adjective to describe any auto pundit expressing a strong opinion in a certain manner. While May and Hammond seem happy enough with their slightly-diminished status in the show hierarchy, rumors about flat-out contract rejections and threats of departure are flying behind the scenes.

James May's people state that they're not looking for parity with Clarkson's £2-million yearly earnings, but they are aiming for the best deal possible. Arlington Enterprises spokesperson, Annie Sweetbaum, has commented that nascent negotiations are progressing, and that the BBC's first offer is never the one accepted. Hamster's people dodged commenting, but we're sure his representation also aims for the fattest checks it can secure. Nobody has yet publicly threatened to take his ball and go home, but one imagines that it could come to that if no agreement can be reached. Shoot, we'd love to see what the BBC's offering; perhaps we can weasel our way into Top Gear as cheaper alternative hosts – not that we'd be any good, but with the dollar worth about three pence, getting paid in Pounds or Euros sounds pretty good to us. Thanks for the tips!

[Source: BBC]

Jeremy, Chris, and Dan push us right up to the cusp of three digits with Autoblog Podcast #99. The topics are wide and varied, such as motorcycles in the Autoblog Garage, the Acura NSX on the 'Ring, and Volkswagen's semi-bogus third-party fuel economy numbers. Some people thought last week's 'cast was too short, so this week, we fill an hour. Now for those of you who think this is too long, we really are trying to please everybody. See you next week for the epic extravaganza of Podcast #100. We're still taking suggestions, too -- hit us up at podcast at autoblog dotte comme.

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The debut of the U.S. version of Top Gear is supposedly only three months away and Popular Mechanics had a chance to sit down with Adam Carolla, the import's new front man, to discuss the show, his co-hosts and what buns are in the oven when the series debuts this September.

Make the jump to read all the details.

After yet another incredibly long break, Clarkson, Hammond and May have returned for the 11th season of Top Gear. The first episode aired last night on the Beeb and, as expected, the entire show has been posted on YouTube, broken up into six different clips. Hit the jump to see the dynamic trio race an M3 against a Prius, introduce a new character into the lineup, create their own interpretations of the ideal police car, test the Ferrari F430 Scuderia and work their way through the "news" that's piled up during their hiatus. The BBC isn't too keen on having their content floating around the You-powered Tubes, so if the videos posted below the fold aren't around by the time you make the jump, there are always other sources to get your fix.

When I was a kid there was this terrible car show on television that was sponsored by a certain automaker that shall remain nameless. Every week – that is, every week I could bear to watch it, at least – the hosts would review a car from that company, and guess what? They always liked it! And that's what makes Top Gear such a hit. Because the BBC is publicly-funded, they don't have advertisements. (Notice that downloaded episodes of Top Gear run an actual full hour, instead of the usual "hour-long" shows that run 45 minutes.) Without advertisers, Clarkson and company are free to say what they want about whatever car they're reviewing, and so journalistic integrity remains intact, even as they catapult caravans and play soccer (sorry, "football") with hatchbacks.

With NBC "gearing" up for its own version of the hit car show, reportedly to be called simply "Gear", the fear was that, as the show would be dependent on commercial advertisements, the recently-announced team of co-hosts would be reigned in by the bean-counters regarding what they could and could not say about the cars they'd be reviewing. Thankfully, on a recent episode of his radio talk-show, Adam Carolla revealed that no such limitations would be imposed by NBC on the show's editorial autonomy. You know, this may just work out yet. Thanks for the tip, T Bray!

[Source: FinalGear.com]

Attention all you Top Gear fans out there! While most of us will never be a big enough star to actually appear on the fabled British motor show as one of its "Stars in a reasonably priced car," the Top Gear website has added a virtual chance at fame and glory. Take a crack at the real Top Gear test track just like The Stig! Pilot your Chevy Laceti around Chicago Corner, through Hammerhead, past The Follow-Through, and blast out of Gambon for the perfect lap. Current lap record holder is Alan G. with a blistering 1:41:193. If you think that's easy to beat, know that we only managed a 2:02:011 on our first full lap. It's not as easy as it might at first appear, as the rather crude graphics belie the trickiness of the controls and course. Check out the "Time to burn?" tab on the site to see how you would match up against Simon Cowell, Hugh Grant, and the Well spoken man. Hopefully you'll be able to beat at least Jimmy Carr. We'll keep at it and try to at least beat Brian Cox before the show returns to British airwaves this weekend for Series 11.

[Source: Top Gear]

Top Gear has just officially announced who will be hosting the U.S. version of the popular car show born in the UK and now officially scheduled to appear on NBC sometime this fall, and the winners are... (drum roll, please): Adam Carolla, Tanner Foust and Eric Stromer. Everyone knows Adam Carolla, of course, having watched him hit the big time hosting The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel. He now hosts his own nationally-syndicated radio show called "The Adam Carolla Show". Tanner Foust brings some actual professional driving cred to the show with a resume that includes stunt driving in "The Bourne Ultimatum," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and "The Dukes of Hazard". He's also a winning rally driver, has medaled in the 2007 X-Games and hosted "Supercars Exposed" on the SPEED Channel. Eric Stomer was the last to be cast and when you see him, you'll probably say "I know that guy." He's hosted an HGTV show called "Over Your Head", was a former soap-opera actor and spent a lot of time in construction (and on construction-related TV shows). Guess we'll pick him to win the amphibious vehicle challenges. We surmise that producers may have picked Stromer because he's a hunk of man meat, but also because he can bring in a big female audience from his time spent on HGTV.

The press release after the jump also reveals what each host drives, and as you would imagine, Carolla (who will now be referred to as Jezza Jr.) sports a garage full of Lamborghinis, Maseratis, two Ferraris and an Audi S4. Foust makes do with a simple, tricked out BMW M3. Stromer... a Camry Hybrid. Something tells us Stromer better come equipped with a thick skin. So what do you think? Does Top Gear USA now appear better suited for success or does the show have Bucket of Fail written all over it?

[Source: NBC, Top Gear]

You may remember Alex Roy from his book, The Driver, about his team's record-breaking run across the U.S. in a BMW M5, but he's also a deep automotive insider that gets information from a number of cloaked sources who wear dark sunglasses and pass manilla envelopes under the yellow lights of parking garages. He's got some new information about Top Gear's plans for the U.S., and what's interesting is that it doesn't involve the TV show. It seems that TG hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond may be developing a touring car show for the U.S. called Top Gear Live. If you're thinking it will be like the famous MPH car shows they do in the UK, you're wrong, so so wrong. According to a document Roy has seen, Top Gear Live will be Circue-Du-Soleil meets Stomp... with cars. We're thinking a stage, lots of ramps, people playing instruments made out of car parts, dancers, etc. So let's recap... the three greatest automotive TV personalities of all time want to do a live, traveling road show in the U.S. that marries theatrical production qualities with their famous brand of car humor and mechanical destruction. Of course, we can't say for certain that any of this is true, but Roy's sources tend to reliable. We're not exactly sure if we want them to be reliable this time, though. Can't we just get new episodes of the original Top Gear here in the U.S. in a timely manner? Is that too much to ask? Click the source below to visit Roy's site where he explains what he knows in his own words.

[Source: Gumball114.com, Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty]