Top Gear Series 14 Episode 7

Sad to say this is Top Gear’s last episode in the series so that means we have to wait a few more months before we get our weekly dose of real Top Gear action. In the words of Clarksonius: “The stupidest car in the world. A Vauxhall you might actually like. And who has won what in the Top Gear ceremony.”

The show opens with a feature on a possible cure to Jeremy’s insomnia – a reference to Lexus cars being among the most hum-drum cars ever built. But what Richard has one the track is not an ordinary Lexus. It’s the Lexus LF-A. Richard goes through the usual bits – 552 HP, 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. 202 mph. A 4.8L V10 the size of a V8 and as light as a V6 which is so lively that it needs a virtual rev counter since an analog won’t be able to keep up. It’s a great and sharp car to drive but the performance won’t be able to justify the price tage of £340,000. It’s lap time: 1:22.8 (W) – the fastest wet lap, 3 seconds faster than the Lamborghini Gallardo but costs thrice as much.

For the news, well there isn’t any since they filmed the episode (as they claim) on December 9. So insted, they offer their takes on the cars to look forward to for 2010. Here’s the list – Jaguar XJ, Aston One-77, Honda CR-Z (that’s a Z, not a V, Jezza) which they call an organic tofu dressed up as a steak thanks to the sporty design and hybrid powertrain), the Saab 9-5 (if Saab doesn’t go bust), Porsch 911 Cabrio, Citroen DS3, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the Ferrari 458 Italia.

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Top Gear Series 14 Episode 6

We apologize for bringing you the recap, a week late. Holiday break and all. Anyway, last week’s episode was a Top Gear special on their Bolivia adventure where they go from within the Amazon jungle to the Pacific Ocean.

The boys bought 4×4 cars that they’ve only seen on the Internet. Their start-off point is somewhere rignt in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. To get there, the boys ride a boat and wait on the river bank for their cars.

Their cars then arrive via a river barge. Jezza bought a Land Rover. Richard bought a Toyota Land Cruiser. James bought a Suzuki. And as with most of Top Gear companions, the cars aren’t exactly tip-top. The Suzuki’s rear tire’s flat. The Range Rover had 3.5L carby engine instead of the 3.9L . And the Land Rover’s electrical system’s busted.

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Top Gear Season 14 Episode 5

The show’s packed but not really action filled. In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, “I get scared half to death on our track. We host our own art exhibition. And a world champion is in our reasonably-priced car.”

To open the show, Jezza goes out on the track with the new Noble M600. Unlike most supercars of today, the car doesn’t boast of a carbon-fiber chassis. Instead, the Noble has a stainless steel one. It’s powered by a V8 lifted from the unflattering Volvo XC90. Only Noble had the good sense of twin-turbocharging it.

Its £200,000 price-tag might be seen as a stiff price especially since the car doesn’t even have sat-nav, climate control, and even anti-lock brakes. So what’s wrong with the current line of supercars, some of which can be had at a price much lower than the M600? Well Jezza makes the point clear as he blitzes the car past a Porsche, a Ferrari, a Lambo, an Aston, and a McLaren Mercedes. The car is fast.

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Top Gear Series 14 Episode 4

Fourth episode into the series. And in this episode – “We drive down a sewer. We powerslide across a field. Ad we do some other things as well.

To open the show, Jeremy poses a question on what is the slowest means of transport today. (One audience member shouted “James May!”) But their answer is air travel. Hammond takes over from there citing that largely to blame for the delays at the airport is due to the slow moving airport vehicles. And in order to prove a point, they resurrect an old Top Gear tradition of taking vehicles to motorsport.

They pit a list of airport vehicles in a race and that list includes – an aircraft steps, a luggage trolley, a fuel tanker, a bendy bus, a fire engine, a catering truck and an aircraft tug. Piloting the vehicles are the usual slew of touring car racers – Tom Chilton, Matt Neal, Mat Jackson, Gordon Shedden, Anthony Reid, and truck racing champion Stuart Oliver.

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Top Gear Series 14 Episode 3

Third episode into the series and Top Gear’s simply warming up. Not too much action in this one though as the show offers just a portion on ambitious but rubbish and then settles down to become a sort-of “proper” motoring program. In this show – James Wears a stripey jumper. Richard drives a stripey Lamborghini. And they name the greatest car maker in the world.

First up, is the comeback of the old Top Gear nemesis – the caravan. The boys simply just loath the caravan and it traffic-jam inducing abilities. They take a proactive measure this time, instead of smashing them up, James intends to solve the whole caravan thing by taking to the air. Remember that old news bit about James crashing into some trees in an airship, well this episode is it.

James takes a caravan and turns it into an airship. The solution’s supposedly simple. One friend drives a car to the caravan grounds another to drive a car. So while James negotiates the airways, Richard takes to the roads in a caravaner’s car – the Lamborghini Gallardo Valentino Balboni.

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Top Gear Pisses Off Romania

Romania is pissed off with Jezza’s comments about gypsies and communism. Top Gear visited Romania for their Series 14 opener where they set out to find the Transfagarasan road (which they eventually labeled as the best driving road in the world).

In the episode, Jezza and the boys continuously referred to the more rural areas of Romania as “Borat country.” Jezza also had a short comment on gypsy violence. Romanian ambassador to the UK, Dr Ion Jinag, was “surprised and disappointed” by those references.

Quite frankly, this whole political correctness thing is getting tiresome. If you can’t take Clarkson’s comments then don’t watch it. Ever heard of blue humor?

Being un-PC has been one of the main appeals of Jeremy Clarkson as a TV presenter. Might as well take him off the air if you’d force him to be politically correct. No petrol/gearhead would want that. Top Gear has got to be the best television show ever.

Source: Telegraph