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Say it Aint So!! Top Gear USA is a GO

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doug

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Top Gear USA: First Photo From The Set Of Top Gear USA

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Coming up this weekend on the History Channel.
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[video]http://www.history.com/shows/top-gear/videos/top-gear-sneak-peek[/video]
Top Gear - Premieres Sunday, November 21, at 10/9c

One of the UK's most popular series since 1977, Top Gear now brings its high-adrenaline action entertainment to America. The series tracks the colorful history of the automobile and showcases an offbeat celebration of the art of driving, featuring super-cars, extreme stunts and challenges, car reviews and celebrity interviews, as well as the eccentric adventures of its hosts with Top Gear's customary wit and humor. Hosted by comedian and car buff Adam Ferrara, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood, Top Gear explores the history of America, one lap at a time.


Looks like they have reworked the cast many times. I hope they found the lightening they (and we) are looking for.

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I'm a closet (now out of the closet) fan of Top Gear--yea, they pissed me off with the pushing the roadster in the garage bit, and the shooting up a perfectly good Prius had me chewing nails...but all in all the program is entertaining, if lacking on the objectivity scale a bit.
 
I'm a big fan of Top Gear for it's sheer entertainment value. But when they first started talking about a US version of the show and the people they considered for the cast, it just seemed unnecessary and embarrassing. I'm happy to just keep watching the UK version, thankyouverymuch!
 
Finally watched the 2nd episode. Very good. A funny bit with a Drifting competition.

During the interview, the host opened the interview by saying to the guest he knows he has a Model S on order. Best part is that it was said as if it was cool -not a bad thing. It's clear this american show will cover the Roadster in a coming episode.
 
Finally watched the 2nd episode. Very good. A funny bit with a Drifting competition.

During the interview, the host opened the interview by saying to the guest he knows he has a Model S on order. Best part is that it was said as if it was cool -not a bad thing. It's clear this american show will cover the Roadster in a coming episode.

Should be interesting to contrast the review from the American show to the UK one. Sounds like a series worth watching, maybe I'll check it out.
 
The US version seems to be sticking somewhat closely to the "formula" of the UK original.
This includes the set with the live audience gawking at the presenters, and the aged celebrities running the track in an economy car, and some mix of military hardware.
 
And there is this.

Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust On The EV Cool Factor Tech In Cars - PSFK

Interview with Tanner Foust

I wanted to get your opinion on a very hot topic now and that’s electric cars. There’s I think a perceived canyon between what car people love, style, horsepower, performance and burning rubber and this new segment of electric cars which are technically advanced but haven’t yet generated the same kind of passion. How do you feel about electric vehicles and are you excited about them?


People drive cars for different reasons. For me, I really enjoy that process of driving a car, the action of doing it, and it’s all encompassing for me. It’s not just an A to B thing. But there are millions of those that live in the city, drive every single day, and it’s really just almost an inconvenience that they have to get in a car and drive it. I think for those people an electric car makes great sense, assuming that we’re getting the electricity from a clean source.

Although at some time in my lifetime I may have an electric car, and I do love the instantaneous torque of electric power, for me I will always have, if the law allows, some sort of very fun combustion engine that makes a beautiful sound, something that I want to wake up to, something that motivates me to get on the road. In a lot of cases, when I’m driving somewhere it’s getting into the car and doing the driving that motivates me to get out of the house, not getting to the destination. I don’t think I’m alone in that respect.
 
I don't.
The Audi R8 V10 supposedly hits 80mph in 5.8 seconds, and does the 1/4 mile in 11.5 seconds.
I have a time slip from the drag strip: my Roadster hit 86mph at the 1/8th mile mark after 8.257 seconds, and did the 1/4 mile in 12.9 seconds.
( The sport is quicker, but not enough )

However - since they used a full on race car to set their new record, I am very sure that it could be beat by the White Zombie.
The White Zombie hits the 1/8 mile at 108.63 mph in 6.443 seconds - they would just need to upgrade the brakes on it to be able stop in time.
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php
 
Well they made a big deal about traction (which the Roadster does very well) so I wondered. Three seconds is a lot to make up though. Perhaps beating the Vette.

Any rules about using a parachute or a catch net?
 
The Corvette is 50/50 weight distribution, but the Roadster is 35 front, 65 back - that will help a lot to keep traction.
Plus the Roadster is nice and smooth because it doesn't have to spin the motor up and dump the clutch to get a good launch - nor shift gears - if you watch the video again, you can see he gets the car bent out of shape on each shift.

I think a slick surface like that would give the Roadster a huge advantage over the Corvette. Enough to overcome AWD? No idea.
 
Recent episode; Rut's show mentions electrics twice.

Once as a "do I have to drive one?" negative question.

And a whole "comedic" segment about solving range anxiety by having a genny in a truck leading an electric (MG conversion).

All in all kind of weak insults that perpetuate EV FUD.