Autoblog

VIDEO: Top Gear pits BMW X5 M against Audi Q7 TDI and Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Videos, Audi, BMW, Land Rover

Why the whole world loves Top Gear - click above to watch the video

If you're like us - and odds are very good you are - you have an evergreen problem. Namely, getting your significant other to feel one-tenth of the excitement about cars that you feel. Sure, you've tried explaining that while you almost drove off the freeway, it's okay because you were trying to catch up with a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car. Or that waking up at 5:30 am on a Saturday to stand around in a parking lot drinking coffee and gawking at old cars is a perfectly normal family activity. You've probably even suggested that she might be happier driving to work in a Citroën DS. Maybe that last part is just us. But maybe not.

Well friends, we have found the solution. The following ten minute clip of Jeremy Clarkson waxing extra poetic about three "mad" SUVs is practically guaranteed to delight even the most fervent, dyed-in-the-wool car hater. It's simply brilliant. Why? Because it's Jeremy at his very best. Yes, of course, he insults stewardesses, environmentalists and the mentally ill all the while powersliding around an abandoned air strip. But he does it all in his 100-percent totally lovable way that frankly we find impossible to resist. Even those spouses that think your big, fat V8, "sounds wasteful" are sure to become fast fans. How could anyone argue with "sliced dolphins?" Make the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Top Gear via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear pits BMW X5 M against Audi Q7 TDI and Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged

VIDEO: Top Gear pits BMW X5 M against Audi Q7 TDI and Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Leno gets a ride in the new McLaren MP4-12C

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, UK, Celebrities

Jay Leno getting a ride in the McLaren MP4-12C prototype - Click above to view the video after the jump

A month ago, Jay Leno got a glimpse behind the scenes at McLaren, where the late-night talk show host and car nut got a tour of the facility and had a chance to sit in an early version of the company's newest roadcar in the studio. While Jay was on the other side of the pond he even stopped in at Top Gear to do a lap in the Lacetti. Well, apparently he ran a couple of laps in another car while he was at the Top Gear Test Track too. One camo-covered McLaren MP4-12C prototype.

After the jump you can view a video of Leno ride along in the new McLaren supercar, wax poetic about the 12C's power, its handling and its totally bespoke construction. Jay even wrote up an article for The Times recalling his experience. Read here and watch here.

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C

[Source: Times Online]

Continue reading VIDEO: Leno gets a ride in the new McLaren MP4-12C

VIDEO: Leno gets a ride in the new McLaren MP4-12C originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not digging Top Gear this season? Read this.

Dan Roth — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., UK, Celebrities, Humor

Season 14 of Top Gear is nearly finished, and some fans are singing "The Thrill is Gone" where before the tune had been "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." The creators have heard the complaints and producer Andy Wilman doesn't disagree that something is different this time around.

While Wilman's not in league with Internet whiners lamenting about how the show feels overly scripted, he does acknowledge the complaints while stating unequivocally "it doesn't necessarily mean we're going to do anything about them." The overly-scripted feel isn't on-purpose, says Wilman, and while he does acknowledge that things have changed, there have been flashes of the simple formula that's gotten TG to its current stature of greatness. The refusal to submit to any Internet pressure isn't arrogance, says Wilman, "we're not wedding DJs taking requests."

If you don't like everything, Wilman posits, then the creators of what many call the best car show ever haven't stopped trying. It may not all work all the time, but they're not going to give up trying things, right up to the end. When does it end? It's been rumored that this is the final season. Of course, it was rumored that Season 13 was the end, too. "This incarnation of Top Gear is nearer the end than the beginning," says the producer, but clearly the team isn't ready to hang it up just yet.

[Source: TopGear.com]

Not digging Top Gear this season? Read this. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Noble M600 attempts to kill Clarkson, embarasses Enzo

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos

Noble M600 - Click above for an updated high-res image gallery

No climate control. No sat-nav. No ABS. No ESP. What the Noble M600 lacks in luxury and safety amenities it makes up for in raw, mechanical brutality. And you know what? That's okay.

With curb weight of 2,810 pounds, a row-your-own six-speed manual and 650 horsepower and 618 pound-feet of torque on tap from its Volvo-sourced, twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, the M600 is a purist breath of fresh air in an era of tech-laden, heavyweight supercars. But stats (0-60 in three seconds, top speed of 225 mph) only tells half the tale.

Clarkson and the crew take the all-new, £200,000 Noble around the Top Gear test track and the results are predictably deranged. Not only does the traction control only have two settings - on and off - but keeping the mid-engine beastie in check proves too much for TG's ham-fisted frontman. That means it's a job for the Stig. And you can check out the results and its supercar-crushing lap time after the jump.

Gallery: 2010 Noble M600

Continue reading VIDEO: Noble M600 attempts to kill Clarkson, embarasses Enzo

VIDEO: Noble M600 attempts to kill Clarkson, embarasses Enzo originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear crew responds to gay audience kerfuffle by bringing on the Village People. Sort of.

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: UK, Celebrities, Humor

What to Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May all have in common with the Village People? Well, nothing really, except for the fact that all of them were present and accounted for at last Sunday's taping of Top Gear in Britain. Sort of... actually, it was four men that the BBC crew hired to dress up like the stereotypically gay musical group of "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man" fame.

So, the next logical question: Why? To prove that Top Gear isn't homophobic, obviously. Just last week, word hit the Interwebs that a gay couple had been denied tickets to the super-popular British show due to a rule that TG's cast be made up equally of men and women. The BBC claims it doesn't deny gay people from its audience as long as the 50/50 rule is adhered to.

Never one to back down from controversy, Jeremy Clarkson reportedly said during the taping, "The truth is, we welcome homosexual couples. We particularly like the lesbian sort... I saw a film about lesbians on the Internet once. It looked very interesting." This is sure to smooth over any tensions between the gay community and Top Gear, dontcha think?

[Source: Mirror.co.uk]

Top Gear crew responds to gay audience kerfuffle by bringing on the Village People. Sort of. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: BBC says Top Gear doesn't ban gay couples from show audience

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:09:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., UK, Celebrities

Is the BBC discriminating against gay couples? As is often the case, that depends on whom you ask. How so? It seems that Top Gear, the Beeb's ridiculously popular car show, has created a rule stipulating that its audience be made up of 50 percent males and 50 percent females, and at least one gay couple was allegedly denied tickets "unless [they] took a couple of female friends."

A BBC spokesperson has responded to the kerfuffle saying, "We do not - absolutely do not - discriminate against same sex couples... the whole implication that Top Gear is in any way homophobic is completely wrong." Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights charity Stonewall, doesn't quite seem to agree: "It's very odd, but what do you expect from pigs that grunt? Regrettably, with Jeremy Clarkson involved, it's not surprising. The show itself is full of stereotyping of both men and women - but it's funded by gay and lesbian license fee cash as well as everyone else's."

The BBC adds that it doesn't even handle the actual ticketing for the show. A company called Applause Store issues the tickets in quantities of two. Says the spokesperson, "We don't ask people to apply as a couple, we ask them to apply as people."

[Source: AOL TV UK]
Note: AOL owns both AOL TV and Autoblog, but the two share no editorial affiliation.

REPORT: BBC says Top Gear doesn't ban gay couples from show audience originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paper: Guy Ritchie wrecks four reasonably-priced cars on Top Gear

Alex Nunez — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, UK, Celebrities

When fans tune in to watch (or torrent) tomorrow night's episode of Top Gear, they'll get to see Snatch director Guy Ritchie regale Jezza, Hamster, and Captain Slow with tales of his stint as the program's Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car.

According to London's Daily Mirror, which spoke to a source who attended the taping, it seems Ritchie wound up doing his best H.B. Halicki impression, killing four of the reasonably-priced crapboxes in his effort to set the fastest celebrity lap. Sloppy track conditions were to blame, says Madonna's ex, according to the Mirror's snitch.

Whether he actually succeeded in his mission to land atop the leaderboard will be revealed during Sunday's broadcast, which, according to the tabloid, also sees the boys race airport equipment and bombard a ferry using hatchbacks as munitions. That, friends, sounds like some quality television.

[Source: Mirror.co.uk | Image: Dave Hogan/Getty]

Paper: Guy Ritchie wrecks four reasonably-priced cars on Top Gear originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fifth Gear: Hope yet for Britain's other car show?

Noah Joseph — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:39:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, UK, Celebrities, Rumormill

Our heart goes out to the crew at Fifth Gear. It really does. Because it's got to be tough living in the shadow of the BBC show that spawned it. We're talking about Top Gear, of course, and by any other yardstick, Fifth Gear is a fantastic car show. But its popularity has never approached what Clarkson and company enjoy, which has reportedly led to UK's Channel 5 decision to cancel the show. Which is really a shame.

All hope may not be lost, however, as reports indicate that Channel 5's decision isn't final just yet. But if it is, the show's lead host Tiff Needell has hinted that it could very well get picked up by another network altogether. Alternatively, Needell could get a show of his own. If he does, we hope he takes some of his co-hosts with him. Because short of Jezza, Hampster, Captain Slow and the Stig, Fifth Gear's ensemble is one of the best - on the airwaves or off. Thanks for the tip, Paul T!

[Source: Tiff Needell on Twitter via iCars Singapore]

Fifth Gear: Hope yet for Britain's other car show? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear builds Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust, an ER-EV to answer the Chevy Volt

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:45:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Videos, Celebrities, Humor, Electric

Click above to watch videos after the jump

Many electric vehicle fans out there are constantly complaining about how long it's taking automakers to bring plug-in vehicles to market. We've had commenters on this site claim that automakers should be able to bring EVs to the street in six months. Apparently even six months is too long for the crew at Top Gear.

For those unfamiliar with the format of the show, most episodes involve the producers giving a challenge of some sort to hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. The most recent episode, aired this week on the BBC in the UK, included just such a challenge. The boys were tasked to build their own answer to the extended-range EV Chevrolet Volt.

In a mere 18 hours they transformed a TVR Chimaera (interesting choice since a chimaera is a mythological creature composed of parts of a number of animals) into the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust pictured above. Once the i-Thrust was completed, it was turned over to Autocar magazine for an independent road test. As you might guess based on the photo, the results were not surprising and are a testament to perhaps taking all the time you need when developing a car. You can grab a copy of AutoCar's full road test as a PDF or just watch the entire Top Gear segment and video of the Autocar road test after the jump.

[Source: Autocar]

Continue reading Top Gear builds Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust, an ER-EV to answer the Chevy Volt

Top Gear builds Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust, an ER-EV to answer the Chevy Volt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next in line to get irked by Jeremy Clarkson? The Romanian government [w/VIDEO]

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Top Gear in Romania - click above to watch video

Another day, another country that hates Jeremy Clarkson's guts. Or at least, another country that is seeking an apology from the Top Gear host for his no doubt rude, but no doubter funny comments about said country. In this case, it's the former Iron Curtain nation of Romania. Seems that during the series' season 14 opener, Jezza had some less than flattering observations about the country that shot former "Conductor" Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife before they could even be tied up and blindfolded.

Clarkson's offending remarks? He referred to Romania as "Borat country." He also donned the silly-looking pork pie hat above and stated, "I'm wearing this hat so the gypsies think I am one. I'm told they can be violent if they don't like the look of you." He also called Romanian water "Communist water" and mentioned that Romanians like to express their sense of humor with guns. Pretty innocuous stuff if you ask us. Especially compared to cracks Clarkson's made about other non-British places. Like Germany, America and Malaysia. Regardless, the Romanian government is apparently expecting an apology. We think they'd have a better chance at satisfaction by issuing a Whamber Alert. In any case, you can see the offending footage in its entirety by clicking through to the jump.

[Sources: Telegraph; YouTube]

Continue reading Next in line to get irked by Jeremy Clarkson? The Romanian government [w/VIDEO]

Next in line to get irked by Jeremy Clarkson? The Romanian government [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STUDY: If you're gonna make us pay for a bloke's writing, it bloody well better be Clarkson

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

We'll admit up front that this news item is minimally car-related, but bear with us. In response to News Corp's Rupert Murdoch's repeated threats to bury all of his content behind a pay-for-it-wall, the UK's Guardian conducted a poll asking readers which online columnists they'd pay for. The not so shocking result: Jeremy Clarkson, number one. Number two is Charlie Brooker, who we've heard of. The next eight? Not so much. But here's the point.

Jeremy Clarkson writes about cars. The other day, we were arguing with a burned out (and nameless) colleague about our mutual chosen profession. Eventually he blurted out, "You're still working under the delusion that writing a good car review is somehow noble." Not that Clarkson is particularly noble, but the notion that the writer most people (well, British people...) want to read spends his days scribing about powersliding the tires off half-a-million dollar cars is quite heartening. Almost ennobling, really.

[Source: The Guardian | Image: AFP/Getty]

STUDY: If you're gonna make us pay for a bloke's writing, it bloody well better be Clarkson originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson drifts a Jaguar XKR Convertible... in flippers

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Videos, Jaguar, Luxury

Jeremy Clarkson, flippers and a Jaguar XKR Convertible - Click above to watch the video

We missed the first part of this skit, as the video you're about to watch isn't from Top Gear, but rather from JC's newest DVD ~~Dual~~ Duel. Still, it does feature the Stig. And some ridiculous-yet-somehow-jealousy-inducing car-antics. Apparently, Jezza bragged that the Jag is such an easy to handle drifter all-star, that he could smash an apple... while wearing flippers.

But he's not the only one wearing ridiculous shoes while hammering a big powerful car around a track. The Stig attempts to smash apples in a pair of wellingtons. The results, while absurd, juvenile and predictable (guess who has the easier time making applesauce), are still must-watch gearhead television. So without further ado, make the jump and watch the video.

[Source: YouTube via Axis of Oversteer]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson drifts a Jaguar XKR Convertible... in flippers

VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson drifts a Jaguar XKR Convertible... in flippers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear: A little history about everybody's favorite TV show

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

What if the Stig was known as the Gimp? It's doubtful Top Gear's mysterious racing driver - or the show itself - would have proved as enormously popular. Would you walk around in a shirt proclaiming, "I Am The Gimp?" Doubtful, but if Jeremy Clarkson and the show's producer Andy Wilman had had their way, that's what we'd be calling old Stiggy. Luckily, cooler angrier heads prevailed. Though it should be noted that the Stig was, in fact, based on the Gimp from Pulp Fiction, an "anonymous masked driver who never spoke."

You can read about all that and more in a very interesting article by the Guardian's Patrick Barkham. And it's not all about the motor-mouthed Clarkson and foul-mouthed (trust us) Wilman, Richard Hammond and James May get their proper due, too. For instance, May claims that he never would have done the show had he known how successful it would be, a point Hammond quickly dismisses. We don't want to spoil it too much more, but if you're a fan of the biggest TV show in the world (350 million viewers, constantly illegally downloaded), you're going to want to have a read. Tip of Stig's blanco racing helmet to Jon!

[Source: Guardian]

Top Gear: A little history about everybody's favorite TV show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Top Gear Season 14 returns this Sunday

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Videos, Celebrities, Humor

Jeremy Clarkson returns for Top Gear Season 14 - Click above to watch video after the jump

Guess what boys and girls? Everyone's favorite car-related show is coming back for a fourteenth season! That's fantastic news for gearheads everywhere, especially considering that at the end of last season there was some speculation that Top Gear wouldn't be coming back at all. But of course, here they are.

What adventures will JC, May and and Hammond (and let's not forget Stiggie!) get up to this season? We're glad you asked. A few months ago we told y'all about how the boys got caught in Romania driving some very precious metal (Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder, Ferrari California, Aston Martin DBS Volante) up in the Carpathian Mountains on a very special highway known as the Transfagarasan Road. And that's what we get at the very end of the preview trailer.

What other adventures do the boys get up to during the very short ~~teaser~~ trailer? Season 14 looks to be more of the same, thankfully. You got a delivery van race, some sort of cheapo challenge where's Jezza's car catches fire, a hot hatch speeding through a drainage pipe and a homemade tank/Hummer H1. We also tracked down a late night, second bottle of whiskey type screed from one of TG's producers, but we can't make heads or tails of it. Anyhow, make the jump to watch the trailer.

[Source: BBC 2]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear Season 14 returns this Sunday

VIDEO: Top Gear Season 14 returns this Sunday originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear in trouble for mock ad depicting suicide

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Videos, UK

Top Gear ad for the VW Scirocco -- Click above to view the video after the jump

It should be well known by now that if you play with suicide on screen, you're going to hear about it. Sometimes it's from prevention groups who want shows to "stop using suicide as a punchline." When it comes to Jeremy Clarkson, though, it isn't a question of whether he knows, but whether he cares. Probably not. But this time the complaint isn't from a health group, it's from the UK's television watchdog the Office of Communication (Ofcom).

Top Gear is in the crosshairs again -- in fact, the show is coming close to making more news for the news it makes than the cars it covers -- for depicting graphic violence before the 9 PM opening for such images. The show made a mock ad for the VW Scirocco that includes a slightly violent and lingering treatment of suicide, and fifty people complained about it. In a case of art predicting life, you can see the agency exec's reaction in the fauxmercial after the jump, and Captain Slow's tidy summation.

[Source: Times Online]

Continue reading Top Gear in trouble for mock ad depicting suicide

Top Gear in trouble for mock ad depicting suicide originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK adventurer challenges Clarkson to cross Sahara in 1937 Austin 7 Ruby

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, UK

Now we're talking! If there's one thing we're in favor of its pushing cars to their breaking point. See LeMons. But what about pushing cars past their breaking point? Like across Africa? That's exactly what British journalist and adventurer Brian Milton did in 1968 when he took a 1937 Austin 7 Ruby and drove it across the Sahara Desert to meet his fiancee.

Mr. Milton has written a book about his forty-one year old adventure entitled Alexa -- the Life and Death of an Austin 7 Ruby. And to our ears, it sounds wonderful:

"I motored 1,800 miles on rough track across the Sahara... I reached a Nigeria that was wracked by civil war... I survived. But alas, my Austin 7 did not. We crashed once and ran out of water twice in the Sahara. I drove 2,000 miles on three pistons and 900 miles without brakes, lights, shock absorbers or starting motor or handle."

Mr. Milton has sent a copy of Alexa to none other than Jeremy "Torques" Clarkson, asking the Top Gear star to go on and recreate his 1968 adventure. While some might argue that driving a Lancia Beta Coupe across the desert might get Jezza off the hook, we'd totally watch him and May and Hammond kill themselves in something as dodgy as an Austin 7. Interested in reading about Brian Milton's adventure? Alexa can be purchased right here.

[Source: East London Advertiser]

UK adventurer challenges Clarkson to cross Sahara in 1937 Austin 7 Ruby originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Simply the Best - Clarkson shows Ferrari 348 much love on Top Gear circa 1991

Noah Joseph — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Ferrari, UK, Humor

Grab yourself a Zima and click above to watch the video after the jump

The Sixties came back for a while. Then the Seventies returned for an encore performance. Now, even things from the Eighties are coming back into style. But we're praying to everything holy that the Nineties stay far, far behind us. Especially after taking this trip down memory lane to a 1991 episode of Top Gear.

Yes, in case you were wondering, Jeremy Clarkson was hosting the BBC car show even back then, having started in 1988. And yes, his Brit-fro was even bigger then, even when juxtaposed against his big-shouldered, blinged-out biker jacket and high-top sneakers.

As if to foreshadow how far Top Gear has come over the past couple of decades, Clarkson (Sideshow Bob wig and all) climbs behind the wheel of a Ferrari 348 - widely remembered as a low point in Maranello's history - and loved it. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, we did manage to extract one juicy nugget of Clarkson perspective that stands the test of time: namely, that driving a 160mph sportscar around town at 30 is every bit as justifiable as driving a four-seater by yourself. We'll just edit out the Tina Turner soundtrack the next time we pull that one out of the mental Rolodex. Follow the jump to see what we're prattling on about.

[Source: Top Gear via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Simply the Best - Clarkson shows Ferrari 348 much love on Top Gear circa 1991

VIDEO: Simply the Best - Clarkson shows Ferrari 348 much love on Top Gear circa 1991 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear reports Stig arrested in both Dublin and Mojave Desert

Noah Joseph — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:41:00 EST

Filed under: Celebrities, Humor

Some say he has a problem with authority. Others say he's actually capable of being in two places at the same time, and getting arrested in both. All we know is that Top Gear is making less sense with every passing day.

One of the BBC car show's myriad blogs reports that the enigmatic test driver known to all as The Stig was "sensationally" arrested by police in Dublin for some unknown incident, possibly involving assault on a "hairy biker" or a swan. Not much else was said, other than that the arresting Garda officer was friendly and that the program's live action show is set to visit the Irish city in December.

Meanwhile, TG frontman Jeremy Clarkson disclosed in his regular column in The Sunday Times that the Stig was also detained in the Mojave Desert, where the crew was apparently filming another misadventure in America. According to Clarkson, "a lorry full of soldiers" mistook Stiggy for a Muslim since he's not fat. Right... For our part, we'll take both stories with a grain of salt as big as Stig's helmet while we wait for mug shots from either incident to surface.

[Sources: Top Gear Transmission and Times Online]

Top Gear reports Stig arrested in both Dublin and Mojave Desert originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Ultima claims Top Gear track record without show's authorization

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ferrari, Specialty

Ultima GTR720 around the Top Gear test track - Click above to watch the video after the break

Automotive records can be funny things. While everyone seems to be interested in knowing what vehicle is the quickest, fastest, most expensive or rarest, there always seems to be plenty of dissent when one automaker claims its product takes the coveted prize away from another. Such is the case with the Ultima GTR720.

There's no doubting that both the Ferrari FXX and the Ultima GTR are fast cars. Which car is actually faster around a race track, though, is currently up for debate. The track in question is the Dunsfold aerodrome circuit, better known to many as the Top Gear test track. Not long ago, the crew from TG invited one Stig impersonator by the name of Michael Schumacher in the super high-test Ferrari racer to take a lap around its circuit, and the tame racing driver managed to set a new record at one minute 10.7 seconds.

Here's where the mine-is-bigger-than-yours part comes in. Ultima reportedly contacted Top Gear to let them know its car could go 'round the track faster than the aforementioned Prancing Horse, but the show apparently never responded. Taking matters into its own hands, then, Ultima borrowed the track for itself and is claiming to have completed a lap in one minute 9.9 seconds - less than one full tick quicker than the Ferrari, but quicker nonetheless. Plus, Ultima says, the GTR720 was both cheaper and fully road legal while the £1 million FXX is a track-only proposition.

Wanna see it all go down on video? Click past the break to watch for yourself.

[Source: EVO]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ultima claims Top Gear track record without show's authorization

VIDEO: Ultima claims Top Gear track record without show's authorization originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STUDY: Jeremy Clarkson has world's best job. In other news, grass is green, sky is blue.

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:40:00 EST

Filed under: UK, Celebrities

We'll be the first people to admit that we find ourselves in a pretty cool line of work, but if we were offered the chance to swap jobs with any one person in the world, it very well might be with Jeremy Clarkson. Not surprisingly, it turns out we're not alone.

According to a survey of over 1,600 adults in the U.K. conducted by Shell and British automotive magazine Auto Express, one in three respondents wish they had Clarkson's job. Who wouldn't want to get paid (rather handsomely, at that) for driving fast cars and blowing things up?

Following Jezza on the list were Nigella Lawson (the British food critic, author and television presenter) and TV-wildman Bear Grylls. Other notable names on the I-wish-I-were-you list include Simon Cowell, the Queen, Richard Branson, Cheryl Cole, President Obama, David Beckham, JK Rowling, Hugh Hefner, the Pope, and, um, Father Christmas.

[Source: Telegraph]

STUDY: Jeremy Clarkson has world's best job. In other news, grass is green, sky is blue. originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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