• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 Fiesta ST Forum and Fiesta ST community dedicated to Fiesta ST owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the Fiesta ST Forum today!


TV Show - Top Gear

Which Series is Your Favorite? (of the ones you've seen)

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

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • D) America - William Fichtner , Tom Ford and Antron Brown

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    25

Intuit

3000 Post Club
Messages
3,574
Likes
2,168
Location
South West Ohio
#1
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
1615340148896.png

B) UK - Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May
1615340267866.png

C) America - Jethro Bovingdon, Rob Corddry, Dax Shepard
1615340348547.png

D) America - William Fichtner , Tom Ford and Antron Brown
1615340383942.png


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

2000 Post Club
Messages
2,921
Likes
3,051
Location
Pleasant Garden
#2
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

6000 Post Club
Messages
6,130
Likes
5,750
Location
Los Feliz (In the City of Angels)
#3
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

2000 Post Club
Messages
2,236
Likes
2,894
Location
New England
#4
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.
 


OP
Intuit

Intuit

3000 Post Club
Messages
3,574
Likes
2,168
Location
South West Ohio
Thread Starter #5
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.
 


M-Sport fan

9000 Post Club
Messages
13,967
Likes
6,666
Location
Princeton, N.J.
#7
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. [thumb]

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


Jabbit

2000 Post Club
Messages
2,236
Likes
2,894
Location
New England
#8
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.
 


Messages
30
Likes
30
Location
Iowa
#11
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

Active member
Messages
748
Likes
779
Location
Pacific Grove, CA, USA
#12
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.)
 


M-Sport fan

9000 Post Club
Messages
13,967
Likes
6,666
Location
Princeton, N.J.
#15
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. [wink][driving][raceflag]
 


Clint Beastwood

2000 Post Club
Messages
2,583
Likes
2,317
Location
Laguna beach
#16
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. [wink][driving][raceflag]
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.
 


OP
Intuit

Intuit

3000 Post Club
Messages
3,574
Likes
2,168
Location
South West Ohio
Thread Starter #17
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
 


Messages
40
Likes
48
Location
Wichita, KS, USA
#19
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.
 


Messages
201
Likes
388
Location
Ball Ground, GA, USA
#20
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.
 


Similar threads



Top