Autoblog

Writing about cars for a living is a great gig, but as we're sporadically reminded, not without its occasional dangers. Few know that as well as the guys on BBC's Top Gear, where Richard Hammond miraculously recovered from a spectacular 280+ mph jet-powered dragster crash and Clarkson was recently involved in a head-on collision on location. But with franchises being set up in Australia, Russia and the United States, we knew it was only a matter of time before one of the local hosts followed suite, but we didn't think it would be the pretty boy in the hybrid.

According to Stromer's account, he was rollin' down the street in Hollywood, sipping on gin and juice a "triple grande nonfat latte" in his Camry Hybrid when someone rear-ended him, flipping the Toyota up on its side, sliding 50 feet down the street and roof-first into a curbside palm tree. None of the airbags deployed (suprisingly) and People Magazine's "sexiest man alive" emerged unharmed, so our base audience of middle-aged women can rest easy. Meanwhile, given the incident, we're not sure if we feel better or worse about Stromer's role in the show, but at very least he's proven he can demolish puppy-tear-powered family sedans as well as he can drywall.

To listen to how Stromer was "raped in a Camry" on TG co-host Adam Corolla's radio program, click here.

[Source: The Adam Corolla Show via Jalopnik]

Filming for the NBC pilot for Top Gear has wrapped. Speculation about the show's format and hosting choices has left Top Gear fans hoping for at least a decent representation of the popular British show. Some of those prayers may be answered , as NBC brought in a number of BBC folks, along with the original Top Gear producer, the assist in the pilot's taping. The show follows the BBC version's format, right down to the set details. Also, as noted earlier, the "star in a reasonably priced car" segment gets carried over. However, the driver might come as a bit of a surprise (a really awesome surprise, at that). The signature top-notch video production viewers expect is there, though it must be said that the geography of the United States offers a richer variety of visual possibilities than you might be accustomed to seeing on Jeremy & Co.'s show.

One key to the BBC Top Gear's is the camraderie between the presenters. As such, it's probably a little unfair to compare the Top Gear of today, 11 seasons in, to a crew just coming together for the first time. Still, Carolla, Foust and Stromer are off to a good start. Their interactions during taped segments were wildly entertaining, enough to distract the show's own crew members from their tasks. Each host fits into his own role, but not the exact molds laid out by Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow. Carolla's razor-sharp wit is on full display. Causing at least one member of the audience to say, "That is the most funny Adam Carolla has ever been." Foust is also not made out to be anything more than a total car geek -- his true personality. His enthusiasm may be too technical for general consumption on its own, but it's perfectly complimented by Carolla's blunt comedy. Stromer doesn't fare nearly as well. Before the live audience, he comes across as if he were presenting a sales pitch to a room full of prospective timeshare buyers. Hopefully, he'll adapt his field mannerisms, which are far more easygoing, into his studio presence in the future. That is, if the show has a future on American television.

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]