Good point, good guy.

^he is so right about Americans liking crashes & celebrity cars…but he forgot to mention Nascrap…uh oh I mean Nascar. Sorry.

He also forgot to mention how networks take something and turn it into something else. Example, “Pinks”.
The show where they have the most rediculous negotiations before they race for their cars.
“ok, you give me 4 car lengths with 1 wheel off the car, and you start out in 5th gear.”

Another is “unique whips” or whatever that crap is called. The show where a cheesy “tuner” takes his UNBELIEVABLE team of experts to install TV in headrest sand 28inch wheels on a vehicles to create their “unique whips”. Pathetic if you ask me.

this coming from the guy who was on payback worst show ever

Not just ‘Payback’ he has probably been on every car show. You want boring car shows? Try ‘Chop Cut Rebuild’ or ‘Dream Car Garage’ Different from ‘Unique Whips’ but they are at least as boring, and they aren’t American shows, I am pretty sure they are Canadian.
And lay off of NASCAR. You sound ignorant.

Yup, those shows on Speed you mentioned are crap. Chop/cut/rebuild was awful. Lame projects. Dream Car Garage is also a snoozer… And you’re right. They’re Canadians. I also didn’t like TLC’s “wrecks to riches” – that shop owner is an ass, and I rooted for him to lose money each show. Best car show in America? RIDES. And even it needs a little help in the accuracy department. RIDES works cause it’s a focused hour on a different topic each episode. No meathead hosts like on TRUCKS! TopGear is certainly the best carshow period. I still like 5th Gear However, Tiff Needell can drive circles around Jeremy Clarkson. And I can admit to viewing Nascar regularly,

Those aren’t the worst shows – have you seen Motorweek on PBS?
They NEVER say anything critical about ANY car they “review” – Zzzzzzzz…

Oh, man I forgot about motorweek… That thing is a sad display of mediocrity. I haven’t seen it in years. Hell I thought they quit making it.

The sad thing was that Motorweek WAS the best US car show! They would test a exotic car and never break the speed limit.
Top Gear is the most entertaining auto related show ever. Their are some other good ones from Europe, but not in english.
Every american car show seems obsessed with mods and bling (whips) or arguing incessantly (pinks).
And sorry, NASCAR is prowrestling on wheels. The “Fans” care more about talking smack about their favorite driver and collecting crap with his number on it than they do about the cars. Ask the “typical” NASCAR fan to tell you some technical details about the cars.
That said, I do enjoy the rare race on road courses. But 1 mile or less ovals?? Please.

I like that – Nascar = Pro-Wrestling on wheels. It’s true the average nascar fan is pretty much a weak minded, republican voting, budwieser swillin’, 10th grade educated, bible thumping sinner. That southern redneck charm BS doesn’t go far up in the NW. Probably why the closest track to here is in Vegas. Nascar has been trying to get a track built up here, and keeps getting shown the door. All that said, I still like to watch autoracing, be it Nascar, ALMS, CART/Indy, or F1.

wow jay leno is a douche
americans thoroughly enjoy shows like Top Gear, so long as they have a smidgen of interest in the topic. Basically anyone smart enough to watch the Discovery channel as it was is someone who has the maturity to enjoy a show without crashes and celebrity bling. While that may be what the media portrays as the most popular thing, its only what is promoted. YouTube numbers of topgear views just go to show how enthusiastic the American public is about Top Gear. Just like its been said that country music is still the #1 selling/grossing genre of music, although it gets much less attention with Americas increasingly stupid youth, particularly the 18-25 crowd and often times younger, which much of todays media is aimed at. Americans like us need shows like Top Gear, and we need them to be promoted. When it was on discovery i rarely saw commercials, and often times it would just be on at midnight and such. Don’t listen to Jay Leno, Britian/discovery, bring us back top gear, and STOP bringing us lame ass shows like “unique whips”. Awful.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO IM SO SORRY 2 GIT OFF DA SUBJECT

BUT DATS THE CAMARO HES LEANING ON LOL CANT U TELL

CAMARO KING

i love top gear best car show and i love overhaulin foose is god and i love the way he repair cars

Please bring back Top Gear and 5th Gear to the States. Top Gear had me hooked when the first episode I saw had Granny’s doing burnouts, seriously any show that does any of the crazy things they do needs to be shown in the States. As far as my favorite automotive show, it has to be Shadetree Mechanic. I also enjoyed Victory By Design, American Muscle Car, My Classic Car, Barrett Jackson, Monster Garage, American Chopper, Classic Car Restoration, Overhauling’, Horse Power TV and the old shows that use to be on TNN and SpeedVision/Speed Channel. How I long for the days of SpeedVision/Speed Channel and TNN. And those are just the shows I can think of off the top of my head.

I would agree, though I don’t watch TV much, I would have to say that I go out of my way to tivo or catch a race or auto related show and Top Gear was a fav. I have a hard time believing that a financial case cannot be made for it on SPEED.

And, I am continually surprised at the absolute depth of idiocy that pops up here on a board about CARS! Ironpony42, I Live in the NW, have a higher degree in engineering, am a devout Christian, and love almost all autoracing including NASCAR. Your description of what ‘doesnt go far’ in the NW is inane hot air. The only reason I can see for someone making such a statement here is because they are lonely and have no where else to go.

I think there’s a very interesting point in all these responses about why a show like Top Gear wouldn’t work in America. Yes, Tiff Needell can drive circles around Clarkson, but Clarkson can write circles around Tiff, and that’s the ultimate key to his job. What makes Top Gear work more than anything else is how focused the show is on entertaining, not only through interesting premises, but also through simple things like clever turns of phrase. Things like that just don’t happen in equivalent American programming. I’m not saying that Americans are incapable of doing these things, it’s just that for whatever reason they don’t do them.

Most of the auto programs in the states aren’t even about cars, per se. Everyone is trying to copy the success that was enjoyed with American Chopper and American Hot Rod, which are essentially dramatic programs that are focused on the characters rather than on what the characters are doing. Everyone in a shop is slotted into a role and the producers edit the show accordingly. I’m not necessarily saying this is a bad idea, all I’m saying is that it’s not a model for a program that is actually about cars.

As evidenced by my posting on LLN, I’m into cars, and that was the main reason I got interested in Top Gear. That being said, writing is a bigger part of my life than cars probably ever will be, and its the writing that’s kept me interested in Top Gear. I mean, off the top of my head, I’m hard pressed to think of any automotive journalist besides Clarkson that has described the sound of an engine as being, “like Barry White eating wasps.” What Top Gear, and I am referring to new Top Gear, does best is entice the parts of our brains that make us love cars in the first place. Clarkson has been doing that for years, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Hammond and May were picked to accompany him on the show because they’re concerned with doing exactly the same thing. What a lot of other publications/shows might simply refer to as intagibles, Top Gear makes tangible.

Simply speaking, regardless of genre, Top Gear is television at its finest.

/no

5th gear is a crappy substitute by the way

its like buying the store brand when you could get oh so much better

Fatstrat,
Im Sorry but I won’t lay off Nascar.
It pisses me off that most of the time I turn the TV on to watch some racing(F1,WRC,GTC,etc.) that actually involves some skill and all I get is a bunch of advertisement-filled hicks driving in circles, oh Im sorry, OVALS. It’s BORING. Then, like we don’t have enough of it already, they come out with NASCARTV!!!WTF.

well stated Neves, although the stupidest car show has to be “The King of Cars” perpetuating the stereotype of car salesman. I would like to see more F1 coverage and a High Definition Speed channel. I thoroughly enjoy dream car garage and sports car revolution. Top Gear would do fine in North America, in Canada we get it on sundays on the BBC canada channel. what the hell did “Camaro King”’s comment add to the discussion?

I am soooooooooo tired of Jay Leno being the self-appointed spokesperson for the American vehicle enthusiast; I sure as hell didn’t appoint him. That being said, Richard Hammond is the best of the commentators on Top Gear as his enthusiasm and open-mindedness is and one of the most charming aspects of the show. I loathe the television, but watching Top Gear episodes is an exception. Smart, witty, and charming—like no other—with no equal.

Richard Hammond(Top Gear) is awesome.
Tiff Needell(5th Gear) is the best driver(ex-F1 driver) on any of these shows. And he also is the best at giving a review. He doesn’t put down the cars and give stupid opinions like that other british handjob, Jeremy Clarkson. I hate that douche. All he does is ramble on and on with those stupid metaphors. Makes me wanna punch him square in his nose.

I’d have to disagree with Leno on this one. Americans I would have to say are not into just car crashes and mods. It’s that exact attitude that gives us what we have. Basically, if shows like Motorweek don’t have a viewership, then Americans must not like car shows. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Americans don’t like Motorweek, and that is that. Top Gear is awesome. Can anyone draw a comparison between Top Gear and Motorweek? They bother feature cars, that’s about it. If Americans are not into car shows, then why do millions of issues of car and driver fly off the shelves. Gives us a show that views like Car and Driver reads, they’ll have some success.

I sortof like Nascar, I’m more of a Need for Speed kindof person though. Leno also didn’t say American doesn’t have alot of Car Shows. We don’t though.

I totally disagree with Leno, and I hope that his network continues their pattern of ripping off successful BBC shows (Coupling, The Office) and decides to make an American version of Top Gear. And I hope they do it right.

Top Gear is, first and foremost, about entertainment. Their formula–witty hosts, beautifully shot footage, exceptional editing–would work as well for a show highlighting the latest and greatest in carpet stain removers or food blenders. I’ve shown Top Gear to people who really could care less about cars and they love it because, in the end, the cars are just the vehicle (no pun intended) for the formula. Americans do like those kind of shows (you know, shows that are good and not crap) and the formula would totally work over here.

Best car shows on TV in America:
The shorts that come on the TVs at Advance Auto Parts. Informative. Concise. Ballsy. what more do you need?

Whats wrong with Overhaulin I liked that one… course Chip Foose is doing all the mods on this one too..

Just sorry i can’t get Chip Foose to do my 1967 SS camaro on overhaulin… would be SWEET..