Anyone watch Top Gear?

jordanvraptor

Founding Member
Aug 3, 2002
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Oregon City, OR
Those limeys really seem to rag on American cars... They put a GT500 on a dyno and said that it wasnt making 500 hp without taking into consideration the driveline loss to equate to engine HP...:bang:
Wouldn't mind having their airfield to play around on....:D
There was also a cool vid of a jet car rolling at over 250 mph when the right front tire blew out...:jaw:
 
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Watch that show whenever I can. They have very humorous opinions and sketches but when they beat up the GT500 sort of put a thorn in my side. A little snobby but still fun to watch. I have not seen an American T.V. show throw a GT500 around like that. Some of the cars they have on there I never knew even existed. Informative if anything.
 
I saw the GT500 episode. I thought it was funny they indicated that the number part of the car name was supposed to be the horsepower rating.

Also, I thought that the european horsepower measurement was different. :shrug:
 
you guys do realize that they are used to testing range from £1,000 to £1,000,000

although the mustang may be badass in our eyes, how many of us have had a chance with an ariel atom, or a ferrari fxx???

they are unbiased from what i've seen, and i've watched a LOT of top gear!

with a curb weight of 3920lbs, you wouldnt be able to create a "track capable machine" that had the civil manners of a street car.

i imagine throwing a MM Maximum grip package, would completely change their minds, however, the civil manners are taken away. at the same time, if the car weighed 1,000 to 1,500 less, it would be a different machine. stock.

sidenote:
anyone watch the 2 part series of when they tried to destroy the toyota hilux?
 
Every chance I get.

I agree the horsepower comment on the GT500 was disingenuous, but other than that they were right to blast it. With a price tag of $41K (assuming you could buy it for that) it seems lacking.
 
Having watched a lot of shows, they have made many comments in reference to "brake horsepower" and rwhp. They know the difference. So to act like the GT500's claim of 500hp as compared to any other manufacturer's claim was just ridiculous
 
On demand baby!!! love that show

I couldn't even tell you what day and time that show is on but why do I care with on Demand. If you are watching it to get good unbiased performance numbers, you are watching the wrong show. I feel it is for pure entertainment value. Their contest to build the best amphibius vehicle had me laughing:rlaugh: , and to see them take a Z06 and start from a dead stop in fifth gear and run it all the way up to 185mph without shifting is something you will see no where else. They also said that the Z06 was one of the best cars they have had on the track but then followed that up by saying no way they would take that car to drive on the road.
 
If you pay close attention to the episode where they compare the Roush to the 'Shelby' convertible you will notice that they say that the Shelby has a 4.6 liter supercharged motor.

"What Shelby do is fit the standard 4.6 liter V8 with a super charger, only it's bigger than Roush's. You get 475 brake horsepower."

This statement was taken straight from the comparison video, conjugation errors and all.

I wonder why Top Gear really feels the need to egg US automotive manufacturers on? Hmm.
 
I wonder why Top Gear really feels the need to egg US automotive manufacturers on? Hmm.
Ya think they're really being all that unfair? As I remember, in that GT500 video they made comments on the Roush and had nothing but good things to say about it.

A really good Top Gear episode is the one where they test the supercharged Ariel Atom. What a ridiculously cool toy.
 
I just watched the one where they drove through the south... funny episode!
If you drove through the UK with signs painted on your car saying "football is for pansies" or "Go F the queen"

You would probably be beaten to death before you made 2 miles.
They fail to mention that during the episode though.
 
If you drove through the UK with signs painted on your car saying "football is for pansies" or "Go F the queen"

You would probably be beaten to death before you made 2 miles.
They fail to mention that during the episode though.

most people here would just think its funny to see such writing on the side of a motor, especially round manchester where people from the universities do that sorta crap anyway...