TV Show - Top Gear

[Intuit]

So there seems to have been three... four (as I'm discovering) different runs of "Top Gear".

There's:
A) USA - Adam Ferrera, Tanner Foust, Rutledge Wood


B) UK - Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May


C) America - Jethro Bovingdon, Rob Corddry, Dax Shepard


D) America - William Fichtner , Tom Ford and Antron Brown



I was introduced to it with "A" and ran into "B" looking for "A". Seems like "A" is about impossible to find on the net. Search engines seem to default to the "B" and "C" versions. Haven't watched "C" and "D" but home-team bias aside, "A" seems to be far more entertaining/interesting than "B". It seems that "A" last aired in 2016 and currently VICE network has picked up some small part of their lineup... that they keep re-airing over and over.

Of the ones you've seen, which is your favorite? Any episodes in particular we should catch?

 

[Ford ST]

B and nothing else. Those three are the best and will always be the best. They are the original and truly the best not just my opinion I would say well over 90% of people agree with that.

Do you know the show "the grand tour" ?



Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[Dpro]

B its the original and the dry British Humor was off the charts. The way they clowned on each other just everything about the show. Oh and ripped on all the bad American cars. lol
All the American versions are pale in comparison.

 

[Jabbit]

Yeah Top Gear UK is so-so the first few seasons then goes ballistic. Far and away the best. Wasn't their one with Matt Leblanc and Chris Harris too? Chris Harris is legit.

 

[Intuit]

I agree the OGs are just that - original and good. Nothing taken from them at all. 🙂 But I do like the antics and hardware of the USA "A" version better. I especially like that Detroit episode where they had a GM, Ford and Dodge performance cars.

 

[RubenZZZ]

Top Gear will always be Jeremy, Richard and James.

Watch every season if you can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, B here as well.

Clarkson is a pompous asshole, but he is a HILARIOUS pompous asshole (well beyond the classically 'dry' Brit humor!), and May and Hammond work really well with him, and the light rivalries/tensions/egos/razzings & insults, etc., play off of each other to perfection.

Some of their material was a real waste of airtime, (i.e. the 'Caravan' episode, etc.) but it was ALWAYS hysterically entertaining!

 

[Jabbit]

I agree the OGs are just that - original and good. Nothing taken from them at all. 🙂 But I do like the antics and hardware of the USA "A" version better. I especially like that Detroit episode where they had a GM, Ford and Dodge performance cars.

You know the UK crew did US trips a few times as well.

 

[PunkST]

B as long as you can get past clarkson's habit for causing drama and damn near getting the film crew and his co hosts killed in south America.

 

[pixelzombie]

The UK guys for sure, but not when they were acting like assholes just to create drama for the cameras.

 

[Funkster]

This is going to be a landslide victory for Top Gear UK. I haven't watched the new US version, but I am a big Dax fan.

 

[Fiestig]

Hmmm I would place them like so:

1. B
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. Grand Tour
6. USA - Adam Ferrera, Tanner Foust, Rutledge Wood (It's the best knockoff. The traveling episodes are pretty entertaining outside of the copycat indoor format.)

 

[Intuit]

Won't find anything like this on the UK version.

View: https://youtu.be/Yaep0qiU8xc?t=1014

Yip... it's a Fiesta... heavily modified of course.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I'm honestly shocked this is even a question

 

[M-Sport fan]

Won't find anything like this on the UK version.

View: https://youtu.be/Yaep0qiU8xc?t=1014

Yip... it's a Fiesta... heavily modified of course.

I've seen him compete in that car (with a different Rockstar livery at the time) in one of the very first U.S. Rallycross events ever held in this land.

(This was a wheel-to-wheel, high speed, World Rallycross style event. which that car was built for, and to their rules, NOT the SCCA solo around the cones style events in which member on here, JDG competes.)

It was at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. in 2010 <-(I believe), and he won against a bunch of Scoobies and other machinery.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I've seen him compete in that car (with a different Rockstar livery at the time) in one of the very first U.S. Rallycross events ever held in this land.

It was at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. in 2010 <-(I believe), and he won against a bunch of Scoobies and other machinery.

Yeah he's pretty cool. I dig the cast of the newer top gear, but it doesn't feel like top gear.
It's very tough to make an old UK equivalent top gear in the US, since they'd get sued for trash talking pretty much anything.

 

[Intuit]

Tanner goes on about bringing the crown home, but failed to tell us that he chose the Euro version of the Fiesta LoL...

View: https://youtu.be/cxzSsfS8lDk?t=96

...Not that it really matters since the *only* thing domestic about it is the Ford badge. His chassis and *maybe* windshield are about the only things Fiesta. Top Gear as we know is a show that intentionally avoids being serious and technical though. Did mention they're using a 2L engine for the 600HP so I wonder whether they crammed an altered Focus RS setup in there...

@M-Sport fan - Might be able to find a full event video ? - https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rallycross+New+Jersey+Motorsports+Park+in+Millville

 

[Intuit]

Okay this tells us (a little) more about the setup and what's in it...

View: https://youtu.be/GNqhOwuXZMY?t=1

 

[EcoBoostN]

The uk version was by far the best, just three friends having a good time around cars. Real bunch of just genuine people, really miss that show and the Grand Tour as well.

 

[iammacey]

Top Gear UK from Series 2 - Series 7 was epic. Series 8 through their exit were great, but not as good. They had genuine moments, but the humor was contrived and repetitive.

Series 23 introduced Rory, Harris, LeBlanc, and Chris Evans. It had a few bright spots, but Chris Evans was absolutely terrible.

Series 24 - 25 with Matt, Chris, and Rory was excellent. Real chemistry, great reviews, and the three really found their vibe. The audience segments struggled, but the reviews and road trips were great.

The current series is quite good. I hated to see LeBlanc exit, but keeping Harris makes the show. And Freddie and Paddie have their moments.

The thing with TG, for me, has always been when the presenters are heartfelt and authentic.

The Grand Tour has struggled to capture that. I still watch because I love Clarkson, Hammond, and May. And I love the cinematography. I like their new format of one - two specials per year.

I liked TG America with the original cast. I don't love the current iteration with Dax.

I'm grateful there are still car shows available and I hope someone, or a group, can create something new that gives the feeling of friends talking authentically about cars and busting on each other in the process. Without the need to follow a formula for the sake of branding.