Top Gear ...
- Thread starter kevinshally
- Start date
That is a very old book. I saw it years ago.
He has a point though if you read the article. [
]
He has a point though if you read the article. [
]
JC is opinionated, but sometimes comes up with the goods, witness his piece in this months TG, the one about the only reason East Europeans come here is because our roads remind them of how their's were in the '50s. I think we would agree with a fair bit of that. It does annoy me that he will not give Porsche a break, no matter how good the cars are, although he did conceed the Carerra GT, though who wouldn't?
James May however is a far better writter than JC, better taste in cars as well.
James May however is a far better writter than JC, better taste in cars as well.
I would think that it is actually very hard indeed. Just because we see a number of people power sliding on television all of a sudden we seem to assume that at is easy. How many of you have done it and not spun or ended up in a tank slapper?
As I said previously, both Tiff and JC did a better job of power sliding at MPH 05 than those bought in specifically to demonstrate the art. Many TV motoring presenters have said how good Tiff is. I guess they get far more opportunity to play with cars than we do so I respect their comments. JC may be opinionated but I don't recall he has ever suggested that he is a good driver, even to the point where he might have said..."this car even makes ME look good..."
mik_ok
New member
To be fair to JC I believe the Lotus Test driver mentioned in that particular item is a very skilled gent, and I accept that, were he to helicopter me in and film my first attempts in a similar situation, I'd probably end up looking a little silly too. However, I don't spend a significant portion of my life spanking high powered cars around open tracks and airfields. Nor have I had hours of professional tuition.
Which is why he's fine for "light entertainment" duties, but I can't hold any store in his serious criticisms or comments. Can you imagine reading a review in "What Camera" where the author admitted at the end "but I'm not actually very good at this photography malarky anyway, and I'm colour blind. But.... we decided to see many cabbages we could drop on it 'til it broke the lens...."
[&:]
Personally I find that I constantly break cameras by dropping cabbages on them so I'd love to know which stands up best to that.![[FONT=verdana,geneva"]](/forum/styles/default/pcgb/space.gif ". [FONT=verdana,geneva\"]")
On a serious note all TV car programming is seriously flawed. The mainstream channels have to make it infortainment with the emphasis heavily on the "tainment" part and the minority channels don't have the budget to get the cars/testers. Basically watch TV for fun but really, would you buy a car because of the TG/5th Gear/Men & Motors review? Of course not, you'd buy a magazine; there are any number of boring ones for workhorse cars and for proper cars there is Evo. The car makers only play ball with TG/5th Gear for the exposure.
On a serious note all TV car programming is seriously flawed. The mainstream channels have to make it infortainment with the emphasis heavily on the "tainment" part and the minority channels don't have the budget to get the cars/testers. Basically watch TV for fun but really, would you buy a car because of the TG/5th Gear/Men & Motors review? Of course not, you'd buy a magazine; there are any number of boring ones for workhorse cars and for proper cars there is Evo. The car makers only play ball with TG/5th Gear for the exposure.
Guest
New member
Clarksons reviews aren't based on how brilliant he is at track driving - they are informed opinions based on the fact that he has experienced hundreds and hundreds of cars. And lets face it - how relevant is it that someone like Tiff can power-slide a car for ever - 99% of the people watching the program have probably never even tried to power-slide!
He delivers his opinions in a light hearted and entertaining manner, which is what makes him different and has led to his success. He clearly doen't believe everything he says but he knows how to grab the attention of the press - Caravaners have received some of the worst of his mickey taking but he is himself a caravaner, who my Father photographed on a site with his porta-loo in hand.
I think the man is hugely entertaining, and an extremely talented journalist.
mik_ok
New member
Hey Steve - we'll just need to agree to disagree mate. [
]I'm with you on the relevance of lurid powerslides - Doesn't make up a big percentage of my daily driving. It's not the only area where I have concerns about his abilities though.
Clarky seems too busy trying to be funny / trying to dream up suitable likenesses of test cars to animals / objects / situations etc, and I don't believe he has the sensitivity to truly asses a car's handling.
He is however very successful, and obviously appeals to the masses. Personally I chortle far harder at some of the writers from evo magazine.
Well IF Clarkson were a food he WOULD be Marmite; you either love him or hate him.
And IF one were to liken his driving skills to a car he WOULD be a Jaguar, very competent and pretty fast; above average although not up there with the best.
I'd be interested in which lenses stand up in a cabbage drop test as well, or indeed what happens if you throw a variety of camera bags through the air with a trebuchet.
And IF one were to liken his driving skills to a car he WOULD be a Jaguar, very competent and pretty fast; above average although not up there with the best.
I'd be interested in which lenses stand up in a cabbage drop test as well, or indeed what happens if you throw a variety of camera bags through the air with a trebuchet.
sawood12
New member
I think alot of people take JC too seriously and need to take him with a pinch of salt. Of course he's arrogant and opinionated but who on TV isn't. I personally like the way he is so un-PC and I like the format of the new TG. Even my wife watches TG and she can't stand car programmes (I think she fancies that Hamster bloke i'm ashamed to admit). In anycase just as a comparison you have to look at 5th Gear. What a load of old tripe - a very shabby copy of the TG format but without the big personallity of JC it is just painfull to watch. Tiff can drive cars but has the personality of a wet fish and thinks every car should be a BMW, the fat bloke with curly hair is simply boring, VBH is just an annoying pip squeak and the other bloke who does nothing but say everything should be rear drive without flappy paddle gearboxes should stick to what he does best - racing front wheel drive cars with flappy paddle gearboxes!!
I think JC has to take stock of his own car experiances - his Merc that spent most of it's time in the garage, the Ford GT with the dicky security system and other cars he mentions he's owned that have turned out to be rubbish. It's obvious he's not like the rest of us and doesn't want a competent, reliable and value for money car or else he would by the Porsche.
Just one point about powersliding - I saw a 5th gear once where Tiff was trying to teach Chris Ryan - the SAS guy who got away, how to powerslide in an M3 convertable and he found it extremely difficult, so I doubt it's easy, but it's a damn sight easier when you're practicing to do it in someone else's car and you don't have to pay for a new set of tyres and a clutch.
And while i'm on the soapbox - what about the claim in this months TG magazine that the Aston Vanquish recently beat the 997S's time round the ring?? If you read the small print it was actually about 15 secs slower until they fitted it with semi-slick tyres on the basis the 997 had an unfair advantage due to the PCCB's. Only then it beat the 997 by about 2 secs. The problem with that is by Porsches own admission the PCCB brakes are no better than standard steel ones in both stopping power or heat capacity, the only benefit they have is that they are lighter. Again, a bit of biased reporting against the Porsche.
I think JC has to take stock of his own car experiances - his Merc that spent most of it's time in the garage, the Ford GT with the dicky security system and other cars he mentions he's owned that have turned out to be rubbish. It's obvious he's not like the rest of us and doesn't want a competent, reliable and value for money car or else he would by the Porsche.
Just one point about powersliding - I saw a 5th gear once where Tiff was trying to teach Chris Ryan - the SAS guy who got away, how to powerslide in an M3 convertable and he found it extremely difficult, so I doubt it's easy, but it's a damn sight easier when you're practicing to do it in someone else's car and you don't have to pay for a new set of tyres and a clutch.
And while i'm on the soapbox - what about the claim in this months TG magazine that the Aston Vanquish recently beat the 997S's time round the ring?? If you read the small print it was actually about 15 secs slower until they fitted it with semi-slick tyres on the basis the 997 had an unfair advantage due to the PCCB's. Only then it beat the 997 by about 2 secs. The problem with that is by Porsches own admission the PCCB brakes are no better than standard steel ones in both stopping power or heat capacity, the only benefit they have is that they are lighter. Again, a bit of biased reporting against the Porsche.
As a jacket and jeans man myself I would obviously put Clarkson in the "Absolute Zero" of cool (got a Ford GT, had an English Electric Lightning, drives every car you ever dreamt of and gets to clown about in them - what else do you have to do to be cool?).
Tiff does understated cool and can still be found in the bar at the NEC at 2:00am holding his own with racing drivers half his age when JC has gone home to bed. If Clarkson were a Jaguar then Tiff is a Porsche; not the most charismatic, but gets the job done. If a Porsche is cool then Tiff is cool.
VBH has played the flirty school girl card a bit too often though, obviouisly, you still would though. [8D]. But not really cool. An MX5 perhaps?
Hamster runs the risk of becoming the male version of VBH, and you most certainly wouldn't. []. Semi Cool for a short person. Anything made by Suzuki.
Tiff does understated cool and can still be found in the bar at the NEC at 2:00am holding his own with racing drivers half his age when JC has gone home to bed. If Clarkson were a Jaguar then Tiff is a Porsche; not the most charismatic, but gets the job done. If a Porsche is cool then Tiff is cool.
VBH has played the flirty school girl card a bit too often though, obviouisly, you still would though. [8D]. But not really cool. An MX5 perhaps?
Hamster runs the risk of becoming the male version of VBH, and you most certainly wouldn't. [
]. Semi Cool for a short person. Anything made by Suzuki.
You missed James May (again).
Drinks proper beer, drives interesting cars (including a 911, and recently a Boxster S, old Bentley etc). Into motorbikes (some might call that cool, I'd call it dam cold at this time of year) Bad hair and doesn't like driving quick? Oh well...
Coolish
Drinks proper beer, drives interesting cars (including a 911, and recently a Boxster S, old Bentley etc). Into motorbikes (some might call that cool, I'd call it dam cold at this time of year) Bad hair and doesn't like driving quick? Oh well...
Coolish
Guest
New member
Based on the pub-ometer.....
Clarkson would be Pants. Too self opinionated, and you'd not be able to get a decent word in edgeways. You'd probably get him to buy all the beers though in an effort for him to show off.
Hammond would be wet. The category just suits him. He'd also be the first to duck into the loos if a fight started.
Tiff would be Rubbish. He'd be the one dangling his car keys over the bar, and the one picking the music out of the jukebox 'cos he knows best. Give it 10 minutes, and he'd be standing on the other side of the bar on his own, sipping a cosmopolitan.....
May would be supercool. The sort of bloke who you could have a good laugh with, and reminisce about Classic motors while still eying up the birds!
Plato would be wet. Too many stories about how he nudged Frenchmen off at Brands would wear thin very quickly. He'd also be a Coke man (or have 2 beers and be under the table!)
The other dipsqueak from 5G wouldn't even get in the pub to get a rating. The busom barmaid (there's always one of those, right?) wouldn't serve him for the fact he looks like a ranting Greenpeace activist, and "we don't want your sort here, thankyou"!
Last but not least, VBH. On the pubometer scale, she'd have to get a supercool. If for no other reason than (apart from the barmaid) she'd be the only other woman there. I'm sure the knitting conversations would be mind-numbing at first, but with the increase in alcohol consumption, the conversations would get more interesting to see who could pull first! (The next morning would be a nightmare though!!!! [] )
Clarkson would be Pants. Too self opinionated, and you'd not be able to get a decent word in edgeways. You'd probably get him to buy all the beers though in an effort for him to show off.
Hammond would be wet. The category just suits him. He'd also be the first to duck into the loos if a fight started.
Tiff would be Rubbish. He'd be the one dangling his car keys over the bar, and the one picking the music out of the jukebox 'cos he knows best. Give it 10 minutes, and he'd be standing on the other side of the bar on his own, sipping a cosmopolitan.....
May would be supercool. The sort of bloke who you could have a good laugh with, and reminisce about Classic motors while still eying up the birds!
Plato would be wet. Too many stories about how he nudged Frenchmen off at Brands would wear thin very quickly. He'd also be a Coke man (or have 2 beers and be under the table!)
The other dipsqueak from 5G wouldn't even get in the pub to get a rating. The busom barmaid (there's always one of those, right?) wouldn't serve him for the fact he looks like a ranting Greenpeace activist, and "we don't want your sort here, thankyou"!
Last but not least, VBH. On the pubometer scale, she'd have to get a supercool. If for no other reason than (apart from the barmaid) she'd be the only other woman there. I'm sure the knitting conversations would be mind-numbing at first, but with the increase in alcohol consumption, the conversations would get more interesting to see who could pull first! (The next morning would be a nightmare though!!!! [
] )
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