I have been a petrolhead (gearhead for those in the States) since I was born. I could name every single car on our street at the age of one. I have read books and done countless school reports on cars. In 4th grade, I actually did a report on the mechanics of the internal combustion engine. I read two books on F1 cars and engine mechanics at the age of nine! I am still very much obsessed with cars and car culture. Cars embody independence and freedom and many created today are engineering marvels (Bugatti Veyron SuperSport to name one).
Top Gear is a show that celebrates cars and man's obsession with all things car-related. Each show contains road tests, challenges, news segments, and interviews with celebrities. The show is a massive success in England and there is a loyal following here in the USA. There have been several spin-offs as a result of the original Top Gear's success. It is truly brilliant television!
The three hosts are: Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. Each of these car enthusiasts blend humour and information into a truly entertaining hour-long program. Some of my favorite episodes are the ones featuring really long challenges or long film segments. For instance, the three presenters each selected a supercar and tried to figure out which one was the best. The Ford GT, Pagani Zonda, and the Ferrari F430 were the three chosen cars. They all drove through France and ended the journey on the Millau Viaduct (a massive suspension bridge in southern France). The film takes up a majority of the episode and the editing/cinematography is brilliant.
Other episodes pit the presenters against each other in crazy challenges. In one challenge, they had to buy a supercar for less than 10,000 pounds and compete in a series of tests and challenges. In another epsiode, the presenters had to cross the salt flats in Botswana in three old beat-up cars. I could go on an on, but it is really something that must be watched in order to get the full experience. Each episode is truly entertaining.
As I mentioned before, Top Gear is not only entertaining, but educational. Most episodes feature one of the presenters (usually Clarkson) testing a car. The report contains information on the cars's engine, 0-60 mph time, interior/exterior design, the car's handling etc... The road tests conclude with the Stig (more about him later) driving the cars around the test track. This time is then recorded and placed on a leader-board that tracks the all-time best results for each car. The opinions of the Top Gear presenters way heavy on many car manufacturers. Many car companies have taken their comments to heart and improved their cars (Aston-Martin and Maserati to name a few). Top Gear has tested pretty every major sports-car.
When they have celebrities on the show, Jeremy Clarkson (the founder of Top Gear) usually spends about 5 minutes talking cars and interviewing. Then he announces that the real reason they came on Top Gear was to take a "reasonably priced car" around the Top Gear test track. Each celebrity gets the time of their lap put on a leader-board. A competition ensues as each new celebrity comes on the show. Simon Cowell had the best lap on record, but I believe that Jay Kay (from Jamiroquoi) now holds the lead.
In addition to all of this, Top Gear has created a "fictional" character of epic proportions. The Stig is Top Gear's 4th presenter. He never speaks and is only used to drive the cars around the test track. There have been two Stigs. The original Stig was "killed" in season 3 when he drove a car off of the air-craft carrier, HMS Invincible. The second Stig wore white and there has actually been a lot of controversy lately about his identity. The Stig's identity is supposed to remain unknown and the audience has never seen the Stig without his trademark helmet and jumpsuit. However, the identity of the most recent Stig has been made known and it has raised all kinds of trouble at the BBC. Regardless, the Stig is incredibly famous and he certainly has a "cult" following!
In conclusion , the point of this post is to share my love of cars and Top Gear. I could talk all day about both subjects, but I am afraid that this post has been long enough. I hope that this has encouraged you to watch some of the short clips on Youtube or maybe even an entire episode. It is highly entertaining and my favorite show of all time.
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