Sod Top Gear.....

Was it bad?

To all those who imagine the 75, purposefully destroyed by JC, to be bad, just this: would *you* hand over your car to JC so that he can "test" it and "form an opinion about it"??

Will the forum-member hand with the Rover Vitesse hand his car to JC to have it abused the way Top Gear seems normal? Will his doors keep on? Will he like his car to be filled with water? Will PeteM hand this turbo-Range over to JC unless it is bought and paid for?

I've seen how the Bentley was trashed, I remember a AMG-Mercedes with bald tires at the South France racetrack after 30 miles of "JC- testing"... Well: very difficult to blown up tires for no reason what so ever. I am a bit surprised that Bentley even allowed it.

As for some "TG-jokes": how would you react if someone drove into the rear of your car when you are waiting at a roundabout? When Nobby Nobson slams his door in your side and comes laughing at you? Don't know about you but I flick from a semi-normal person to wanting to kill for far less.

The 75? A great car, the last of the real Alfa's and thanks to its build qualities I (as well as my little brother as we both crashed one) am still alive. On track and with only minor stuff done to it: very entertaining and capabel machine. In my over-and-done-with street racerdays: underestimated and never beaten. Tom - former owner of not 1, not 2 but 3 AR's 75 and still likes them- De Moor

"Mike P" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Yep, also badged as Nissan Cherry Europe.

Tom De Moor gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I was reading elsewhere about the Fiat Coupe they did the other week - a BBC researcher bought it semi-anonymously.

Didn't they borrow the Hamilton Le Mans-winning C-type a few years ago on the explicit promise they wouldn't thrash it - then promptly did so?

They may have brought them cheap but how much did they spend getting them road worthy ? Anyone notice the 75 had brand new Goodyear F1's on it ?

It's all done for telly, it's all done for effect, pity they didn't have the balls to really roll the 75.

Anyone else notice that with the lack of the Stig JC's oversteering skills seemed to have got a lot worse......

They have a terrible reputation for the way they treat cars, but with such high viewing figures it's still very cheap advertising for the manufacturers.

Geoff gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It's one thing with a manufacturer demo. With a historic car like the Hamilton (Duncan, not Lewis...) C-type, it's another altogether.

It's not much of a sport, they keep falling over with those pencil skirts.

That one had a different engine though.

And when was the last time they did anything with a historic vehicle ?

I wonder if Clarkson or Hammond will be at Goodwood this weekend and if they will be allowed to drive anything other then a press demonstrator.

Geoff gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Fuck knows, because I don't watch it - but after the Hamilton episode, who'd lend them one anyway?

%steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Sure about that? I always thought the Cherry _Europe_ was the same car as the Arna bar the badges. The Japanese straight-four engined versions were just Cherry (and were truly awful - a friend had one)

That was my point, they don't.

That *may* be but I suspect that at Bentley's a sales person is being kicked and yelled at.

JC is fading into shavness: is blowing up a tire of a car which represent the best Britain can come up with, a sign of respect to the people who made it? How much repairs are needed to mask that kind of stupidity? Is that the kind of publicity such Bentley requires to sell? Do aneone feel better knowing the Flying B costs 200 UKP and could be smashed by a hammer worth 1 quid?

Me thinking TG is out of inspiration: maybe get a Rolls next time, tell how good it is, what it stands for and then drive it through a wall. See the wall wins, what a rubbish car that Rolls...

I must be getting old: towing the wrecked ALfa's to a show where people come with better than new ALfa's, polished beyond imagination. Maybe that is considered funny, maybe it is just pathetic or insulting.

Tom De Moor

2000 UKP for the bonnet emblem.

My sister in law used to be on the sales team for Bentley (might be again soon if things go well), and they're unlikely to complain about the cost of a tyre and a bit of fettling in exchange for probably £25k worth of advertising. If one person buys a Bentley after seeing that one on Top Gear it's more than worth the cost of a tyre.

Face it, every time a car magazine gets their hands on a quick Bentley there are plenty of pictures of them going sideways with smoke pouring from the rear tyres. It's one of those things that a Bentley does really well, even the old Turbo R does it well - but don't ask me how I know ;-)

Clarkson: "But if you own a Veyron and want to let us test it on our track, the BBC budget could go as high as £30 for the use of your car for the day."

Errm it's a German car with the involvement of some Belgian or other. Don't blame us for it.

It made me want one more hehe :-)

TR4 (2-3 years back) depending on your definition of historic.

Same here, shame I was just turned down for a job converting a company to offline CNC programming, I can't afford the Flying B as a student.

When I had my Skoda Estelle, a twunt in a BMW slammed his door against mine in a car park, getting out, while I was just about to.

I said do you mind, and his reply was "It's just a s**te old scrapper" I replied, "Yeah suppose you are right" got out and slammed mine against his 5 times. I've only seen that look once, and it was a masterpiece.

6' 2" tall, 17stone and dressed all in black with big boots and spikey hair with Oakley wrap arrounds. And he was about 4' tall in his M&S crinkly shiny suit.