Tag: Top Gear

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Hyundai Top Gear

Hyundai releases Top Gear spoof

Hyundai Top Deer spoof

Hyundai recently launched a couple of new TVCs that rip off Top Gear. Disturbingly called “Top Deer” the ads centre around the show’s familiar air hangar set and, of course, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The ads have been very well executed, there’s no denying that. But is the actual premise of the ads just a wee bit twee? Similarly, are the Top Gear presenters now so well stereotyped that a deer, a hamster and a tortoise are all that’s needed to fulfill their roles?

There’s two ads ready for view after the break. Have a look and see what you think. Remember, season 15 of Top Gear starts in the UK on 27 June.

[via TopGear.com]

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Top Gear Top Gear Australia

Top Gear, Season 15 – due to start in July

Top Gear cast

A number of sources are currently suggesting Series 15 will premiere on UK screens in July. BBC’s scheduling of Top Gear during Germany 2006 shows it is unlikely they will air Top Gear while the World Cup is underway. The final of South Africa 2010 is on Sunday 11 July. This all points to a possible return for Top Gear on Sunday 18 July.

Meanwhile, speculation is building that Channel Nine plans to revive Top Gear Australia with a six episode series to air during 2010. There’s nothing official just yet, so watch this space.

UPDATE 7 June: The boys will be back on UK screens from 27 June.

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Top Gear

Easy riders

Top Gear - Vietnam Scooters

Two of the scooters used in the Top Gear Vietnam Special have recently been purchased by the UK’s National Motor Museum. The 1967 Piaggio Vespa 150cc VBC Super used by Jeremy Clarkson and the rather inappropriately decorated c.1973 Honda 50cc Chaly will be added to the museum’s permanent World of Top Gear exhibition.

Prior to being sold at auction by Bonhams the scooters were on display at the Saigon Scooter Centre. Now, the two-wheeled exhibits will join the many four-wheeled icons from Top Gear at the Beaulieu attraction.

For more check out www.beaulieu.co.uk.

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Top Gear

Some say his best friend is “Nessie”…

The Stig at Loch Ness

Another random Google Street View sighting of The Stig. Last year he was spotted at an office block in Hammersmith. Now, he has been spotted on the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland. While that first spotting might have had some legitimacy, given the office block is supposedly the Top Gear offices, I dare say his latest messing with “Nessie” is a well executed prank.

Playing around with the Google Street View sighting you can see it looks like The Stig made his own way there, either by Honda Civic Type R or a Vauxhall Astra. Let’s hope it was the Civic, hey. Whoever is responsible, fair play, it’s a great gag.

[Source: Final Gear]

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News Top Gear Toyota

DIY Top Gear Polar Special

Toyota HilUx - Arctic Trucks Experience

It’s now approaching three years since the Top Gear Polar Special first went to air and the company behind the cars from the episode are giving you the opportunity to fill Jeremy Clarkson’s shoes. Reykjavik-based Arctic Trucks Experience are now offering a variety of self-drive tours around Iceland. You can choose from daily trips, 2-5 day tours and longer tailored expeditions, all experience the amazing terrain and scenery that Iceland has to offer.

If you reckon the GFC is a minor inconvenience then you really should go to Iceland and do one of these tours. The poor buggers there got absolutely smashed by the financial doom and they need all the help they can get! Check out arctictrucks-experience.com for more.

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Top Gear

Top Gear movie – Around the world in 80 cars?

Top Gear world tour

As most readers will know Top Gear recently embarked on its latest world tour with their Live show. But, if the Mail Online is to be believed Top Gear will soon be setting off another global challenge. This time, though, it won’t be broadcast on your television screens. No, apparently, Top Gear have plans to make a full length feature film. The flick has already been anointed with the working title of “Around the world in 80 cars”.

The premise of the movie challenge will see Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May circumnavigate the globe in the cheapest and most unreliable cars available.

A Top Gear source has been quoted as saying, “Jeremy and the boys have become increasingly involved in outrageous stunts – but this will be their toughest. Driving around the world in different clapped-out cars will be no mean feat and should make the perfect road movie.”

In a move sure to raise the ire of recent critic Jeremy Bass, the source continued, “A feature-length film of the boys’ adventures is something that can be released in cinemas all over the world. It will also be a guaranteed big-seller on DVD when it is released, and that is a growing market.”

Given Jeremy Clarkson’s role in Love the beast, one wonders if the Top Gear leading man was inspired by Eric Bana’s foray into feature length car movie making.

Whether this rumour proves true or not may be another thing altogether. Filming a movie-length challenge that takes in numerous continents will place huge time demands on the stars and crew. Can they find the time? And, more importantly, can they make it work?

UPDATE 11 January: It appears as though the Top Gear movie plans may have been the fantasy of a Daily Mail reporter. At least, that’s what the chaps at Final Gear are speculating. The link below is now dead, so it may be safe to assume the worldwide special plans are now bunk.

[Source: Mail Online]

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Top Gear

Top Gear enters Season 15 with “decade’s greatest” title

Top Gear - Bolivia special

UPDATE 7 June: The boys will be back on UK screens from 27 June.

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Top Gear, fresh off the back of its fourteenth season, has just been named the “Greatest TV Show of the Noughties”. This news is the culmination of a poll run by Channel 4 in the UK, the results of which will air on British television screens next week.

Richard Hammond, one of Top Gear‘s star trio, said, “I could never say what the reason is for Top Gear doing so well since we started it, but I think there’s always a sense that we’d still be doing it even if the cameras weren’t here and that makes it real.”

Of course, BBC2 first broadcast the original format of Top Gear back in the late 1970s. However, while it enjoyed a stellar run of some 24 years, at the start of the 2000s the show was cancelled. This paved the way for the emergence of Fifth Gear on Channel Five. But it wasn’t long until the BBC relaunched Top Gear with the current format running since 2002.

Series 14 has attracted some criticism and the program’s long time Executive Producer, Andy Wilman, felt the need defend the show’s direction posting comments on the Top Gear website.

Going into Series 15, then, Top Gear faces its toughest test in some time. Will the baggage of the decade’s greatest title add to the burden of recent criticism, or will it spur the production team on to bigger and better things? While I do think Top Gear will finish before it makes a twentieth season, I do expect that Season 15 will rectify some of the wrongs committed in recent series. Wilman and his trusty trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are no mugs, they will put things right.

We shall find out later this year when Season 15 goes to air. If it wasn’t for the 2010 FIFA World Cup I would nominate 19 June as the premiere date, however, the football may mean an early start in May with a hiatus before recommencing in July. This is what BBC did with Season 8 so as to avoid clashing with Germany 2006.

[Source: The Press Association]

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Top Gear

I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like

Top Gear 14x05

Internet criticism has led to Top Gear‘s Executive Producer, Andy Wilman, to write an article defending the show. In line with the old adage about criticising art it would seem many an internet fan doesn’t know much about producing a television show, but they know what they like. And, according the the masses, they don’t like Season 14 of Top Gear which is more than half way through its current run.

Wilman admits that the crew has been up against it this series, “Personally I’ll be glad to see the back of it. We’ve done some good stuff this series, but we were too rushed and too knackered to get everything right.”

He also understands that they may have pigeon-holed the three presenters too tightly, “I do believe we’ve now got the presenters playing to their TV cartoon characters a bit too much – Jezza the walking nuclear bomb, Richard the daft Norman Wisdom, and James the bumbling professor.”

But Wilman also explains that the show’s philosophy is to never die wondering if a new idea will work, “it is just us pushing in a different direction, because we’re still very much obsessed, as a team, about attempting new things with cars on TV.”

At the end of Season 13 there was much talk that it marked the end of the road for Top Gear. While that turned out to be more internet scuttlebutt, Wilman does reveal the end of the show will happen sooner, rather than later, “It’s fair to say this incarnation of Top Gear is nearer the end than the beginning, and our job is to land this plane with its dignity still intact.”

If you’re a fan of the show and haven’t already seen Wilman’s blog, take the time to follow the link below, it’s a very worthwhile read.

[Source: TopGear]

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Top Gear Volkswagen

Top Gear tea break – Lightning Golf

A few years ago Top Gear (Series 4, Episode 5) gave Richard Hammond a nasty shock. Let’s see what happens when they put 800,000 volts through a Volkswagen Golf, while Richard sits inside!

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Top Gear

Even more on Top Gear in Vietnam

Top Gear 12x08 - Vietnam Special

The Top Gear Vietnam Special was eagerly awaited by AUSmotive HQ, especially after our world exclusive announcing the recording of the episode, in October 2008. Now, Australian viewers can see the 75 minute episode, in full, on SBS tomorrow night from 7:30pm.

In addition to our earlier “More on Top Gear in Vietnam” post are these six wallpaper sized images from the filming. Simply click on each pic to load the 2000x1320px super image. There’s some good images, including a few from the stunning Ha Long Bay.

The good lads at Explore Indochina also have some behind the scenes images on their website. These guys were used as consultants during the episode with some of the bike modifications carried out under their supervision. If you’re ever considering a road trip, with a difference, then this is the company for you.

For a brief overview of the episode click HERE *spoilers* or simply book a spot on your couch for 7:30 tomorrow night.

(Thanks to Andrew for the all the tips.)

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Reviews Top Gear Top Gear Australia

Top Gear LIVE – A review

Top Gear LIVE - Sydney

Top Gear LIVE has now left Australian shores. Like many of the cars on show it was a whirlwind affair filled with action. That is a given, but was it actually any good? It was entertaining. Certainly. But I’m not so sure it was everything it could be.

The “show” kicked off with a series of live ads. Some were okay, some were woeful. In fact, the best ad of the night was the one celebrating the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic which was playing on a video loop before the show began.

The show itself was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and, from Top Gear Australia, Steve Pizzati. Jeremy and Richard entered the arena in a Lamborghini Gallardo and an Audi R8. A pretty impressive showing, and at some speed, given the indoor arena. Steve Pizzati followed suit shortly after, predictably, in a Holden ute. Surprisingly, the banter between the three worked quite well. Or at least, better than I expected. I was at the 5pm Saturday session, so the guys had a few shows behind them by this point.

We were told James May couldn’t make it because he got stuck at Oxford Street. An edited photo showing him at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was put up on the big screen. That would have been okay if the gay jokes stopped there. But they didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a cheap joke like anyone else, but they went overboard on the homo jokes. Way overboard.

The first segment was a stunt driving team powered by Alfa Romeo 147s. There were four cars in total and the stunts performed in such a tight space were extraordinary. A great opening to the show, it must be said.

Like the TV show, there was a challenge for the presenters to take. Who could win a race in the smallest car they could build. Steve had a suitcase that folded out into a car. Hammond had a tricycle driven by power tools and Jeremy got around in a jet powered version of himself. You’ll never guess who won. Of course, it was Clarkson. The predictable humiliation for the losers followed. This included Steve Pizzati being asked to have a motorbike bounce on his arse. In terms of comedy value, it was one step away from Fatty Vautin in drag.

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Top Gear

On that bombshell

Top Gear LIVE in Sydney 5-8 February

A quick reminder that Top Gear LIVE makes it Australian premiere this Thursday. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond will be headlining the show. Its a bit of a shame that James May can’t make it, though.

The Australian season runs from 5-8 February, with all shows taking place at Sydney’s Acer Arena. Also, another reminder that the news conference with Jeremy and Richard discussing their world tour, posted back in November is still online, click here if you’d like to watch it.

There’s a bit of banter about the show on TopGear.com as well.

I’ll be there (thanks Mum), maybe I’ll see you there too.

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