NEW New new new New top gear ON HOLD, RIP?

[HMC]

Just a quick heads up that it’s on again tonight bbc1 and something a bit more retro, plus bonus written off sports cars thing. The £6k budget will presumably go quite far?

[HMC]

Also presumably it’s not so much it has a catergory marker against it, but that it’s straight from a salvage place in “as crashed” state? There’s plenty more tv jeopardy Potential in that scenario.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

From memory of the news in the summer , the 3 write offs won’t be the only crashed sports car in tonight’s episode.

[HMC]

2 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

From memory of the news in the summer , the 3 write offs won’t be the only crashed sports car in tonight’s episode.

True! We are averaging a not scripted crash every episode so far this series.

[HMC]

Lots of power, damp roads, no run off areas and acres Of dry stone walling...

[andy18s]

It seems the shows researchers have been getting in touch with various Group B rally car owners and clubs,with a view of "borrowing" a number of cars for a Top Gear Special 

You can imagine how that has been discussed in various forums !

[Aston Martin]

May 2020

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

• Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

[SiC]

Those Diabolos are notorious for being a right handful and a bit of a widow maker. He simply didn't respect it enough when he floored it in the wet. Too used to letting the computer keep things in check. On a 30 year old supercar or even just high performance 30yr old car, you're on your own if you dick about like that. 

[bigfella2]

Even for someone who isn't exactly a ford fan I really did feel sorry for that Focus RS. ☹️

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Turning that Quattroporte into a Mad Maxesque buggy probably cost as much as a new one.

Interesting that there’s still accent snobbery out there, Top Gear is still made by the BBC which is the most Southern organisation it’s possible to find, regardless of if a programme is made in White City or Salford, the heart of the beast resides in Broadcasting House.  Also they don’t come much more Southern than Monkey Harris, posh former Public SchoolBoy , racing driver .

I personally find the current TG lineup very entertaining, especially as I’m allowed to watch it live on the big telly because MrsN enjoys it too, that’s never happened before.

[St.Jude]

11 hours ago, Aston Martin said:

May 2020

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

• Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

What's more I think the car had been off the road a bit before this. I always wonder what drives a person to use a small hatchback with old plastic tyres, I have no idea what planet the owner of a 30 year old supercar is on when they think it's OK to have less than perfect tyres on a widow maker.

I think the Quadraporte was stripped for parts to pay for the Ford Focus, which is a silly use of funds. They'd have been well to put that Focus in the crusher and save the Maserati. 

[SiC]

 

29 minutes ago, sgtberbatov said:

I think the Quadraporte was stripped for parts to pay for the Ford Focus, which is a silly use of funds. They'd have been well to put that Focus in the crusher and save the Maserati. 

This is prime time BBC One. There would have been the budget to fix that Maserati if they wanted to. Also I'd put money on that Maserati gearbox being fucked and possibly who heap of warning lights on too. 

I suspect that it was stripped out as it was over the calculated design weight limit for the Wall of Death. Just that's not as exciting to say on the TV. 

[cort16]

What ever way you look at it fuck going on that wall of death.  I’d have taken one look at what it did to that cayennes rear suspension and went home .

[junkyarddog]

Looked like a Ventora grille fitted to the Maserati!

[overrun]

I wasn't aware that the new series had started, butI watched last nights after seeing the thread on here and remembering that McGuiness had smashed up a Diablo.

F40, VMAX XJ220, automotive musical chairs, a poor FRS being smashed to bits and the bonus, Wall of Death - that was pretty damn serious - made for the best episode in a long, long time. IMO.

[bunglebus]

Just watched it on eye player, not a supercar guy but I absolutely love the Jag XJ220, heart was going a bit watching Flintoff get it to 200.

Hated the parking space challenge, too much like the old Top Gear smashing stuff up for no reason, especially the Focus. That's a special car and deserved better.

[Jerzy Woking]

Smashing up cars for TV car programs is the nature of the beast.

I can remember watching an episode of Fifth Gear where Vicki Butler-Henderson really didn't want to hit an old Mercedes estate with a hammer and looked both horrified and remorseful after the first tap. 

I don't think I'd be happy to do that either (hit the car or VBH)

Having seen many Wall of Death displays all over the world done with bikes and buggies, that the first time I've seen it done with road going cars. Mental.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

42 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Just watched it on eye player, not a supercar guy but I absolutely love the Jag XJ220, heart was going a bit watching Flintoff get it to 200.

Hated the parking space challenge, too much like the old Top Gear smashing stuff up for no reason, especially the Focus. That's a special car and deserved better.

The Focus was restored though, looked to be pretty well done too. The 4g wall of death test was a proper shakedown for any work done , as could be seen by the Cayman collapsing. The Maserati and to a lesser extent the Cayman were only suitable for breaking  anyway. There’s plenty of fucked un-crashed Quattroportes  about if you want throw good money after bad on a big beautiful Italian. Presumably that one will give its gearbox to another and end up as a static display in the studio.

[overrun]

1 minute ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

The Focus was restored though, looked to be pretty well done too. The 4g wall of death test was a proper shakedown for any work done , as could be seen by the Cayman collapsing. The Maserati and to a lesser extent the Cayman were only suitable for breaking  anyway. There’s plenty of fucked un-crashed Quattroportes  about if you want throw good money after bad on a big beautiful Italian. Presumably that one will give its gearbox to another and end up as a static display in the studio.

I assumed the gearbox was fucked, when it arrived in reverse. 😄

[NorfolkNWeigh]

9 minutes ago, overrun said:

I assumed the gearbox was fucked, when it arrived in reverse. 😄

I even said that to my Mrs!

[Out Run]

33 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

I even said that to my Mrs!

😂 

[SiC]

I said that too!

Also Mrs SiC said that even though it's to do with cars, she finds it more than entertaining enough to watch it too. 

[rantingYoof]

I think the format and series is now as good as it's ever been. The three chaps are clearly good mates and give a shit about one another, so the banter and commentary doesn't feel forced or awkward. They may be recycling some old formulas in terms of musical cars but to be fair who wouldn't want to give that a go? You could argue that any car they picked to do something physical would be better used on a school run or whatever...fact is the cars they have found were for sale or available at the time and anyone who bought them with cash monies could have done whatever they wanted with them.

Better for the RS to get a last hurrah on TV, even if it's damaged in the process, than to be added to a drive ornament collection of Focuses as a doner or something.



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[HMC]

+26 on that maser gearbox. They can be flakey (and presumably costly to sort) so a reasonable assumption.  That wall of death surface was a bit like a Mira pave test- it was pretty rough on them!

[HMC]

Hopefully as it’s a different trio it gives a bit more flexibility to revisiting fun ideas.

I thought the whole amphibious car thing was brilliant for instance.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Not seen any of it, but the content spoilers in this thread confirm I'll continue to give the programme a wide berth for the foreseeable. 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

They said the focus was restored, the guy who actually done the work says otherwise:







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[HMC]

It seems to have had the effect of Continual 50mph mini speed humps and centrifugal loading on that wall of death, it really pounded them - that posting sounds like the suspension mounts were mangled up 

[Out Run]

5 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Not seen any of it, but the content spoilers in this thread confirm I'll continue to give the programme a wide berth for the foreseeable. 

5 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

[SiC]

We have to remember that these cars were write offs and not particularly rare cars. The only one really is the Focus RS. Even that though will be never big bucks desirable as it has had a Cat marker against it. 

Realistically the cars would have very likely been broken up for spares, given their low value and that the parts value on them are worth far more.