1992 Top Gear 968 review..

[Steve PH]

I originaly stuck this in the random video thread in O/T but I suspect its a bit more relevant to you lot. This footage is one complete half hour episode of Top Gear.

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the new 968 and Jag XJR-S. How posh does Jeremy sound? Its as if he has learned to relax over the years and be a lot less "BBC" if you know what I mean!

Other stuff includes a review of a round of the British rally championships including a very young Colin Mcrae.

And a buyers guide to the classic Golf mK2 gti

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2170880578449028520&q=top+gear+1992

[CJFusco]

Interesting that many of the 1980s status items to which Clarkson "says goodbye" have come back into vogue...

[ERAU944]

lol, clarkson is an idiot

anyone who picks the dated look of that jag over the 968 needs their head examined!

[CJFusco]

I don't think Clarkson is an idiot at all; actually, I think he's remarkably intelligent and charismatic in an unconventional sort of way. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have achieved the remarkable success that he now enjoys. Hell, I know of 17 year-old girls, who don't even know what model car they drive, who would recognize Clarkson if they saw him on TV.

The problem with Clarkson is that he has a completely transparent Old Tory bias that shines through in his scripted analysis of new cars. I say "scripted analysis" because when he is sponteneous, his emotions take over. When his analysis is premeditated, however, he is almost stereotypically British: Old and English = Flawed, but full of character; German = Well-executed, but inherently boring; Italian = Fun, and to be taken seriously; American = might be fun, but not to be taken seriously.

When Clarkson doesn't work from his own script, however, he tends to stray from his particular idiom. For example, while driving the Cayman S:

"This is fantastic!"

While reviewing the Cayman S in the studio:

Boring, too septic, "only cocks drive Porsches".

Clarkson is very intelligent, and very entertaining, but he is a slave to his own biases.

[CJFusco]

ADDENDUM: Perhaps the biggest indication of Clarkson's intelligence is his occasional ability to overcome his bias. For example, in his TOP 100 CARS, he ranked the 944 Turbo #35, the 928 #28, and the 996 Turbo #2.

[Schumi]

I have yet to see Top Gear review the 997 turbo.. I think that is coming up this next season (9)...

That should be interesting. Almost every review I have seen or read has pretty much alluded that the car is the greatest thing, ever.

[AaronM]

Sorry, but after this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi5lJI0mjKU

I'm not inclined to give Clarkson any credit at all. He blatantly mis-represents the car. He takes a V6 convertible and represents it as a GT. The V6 has a deliberately soft suspension for its mission as a commuter car, and the convertible models have a suspension that is softer still. He even claims the car he's testing has a "4.6 litre V8 with 300 horsepower" despite the fact that he's testing the base V6 convertible model.

I wouldn't mind a bit if he'd been honest about which car he was testing, but when there's deception going on that is as blatant as that...

Clarkson is an arrogant bastard. He's intelligent and charismatic, I will grant that, but he doesn't give his viewers much credit.

[EMBPilot]

regardless, ive got to admit...THAT was funny

[AaronM]

Originally posted by EMBPilot
regardless, ive got to admit...THAT was funny

I'm not entirely sure that even a 951 would be much faster around a 1/4 mile oval that's got blown sand all over it.

Have you ever driven on a 1/4 mile oval? It's essentailly a constant 1st-gear corner.

[CJFusco]

How do you know he was testing the V6 model?

[ERAU944]

oh, geez, the grille (minus the obvious extra set of lights you get with the GT), the missing GT emblems on the sides of the car, and on the trunk, the apparent lack of GT standard dual exhaust...

[strath44]

Well first that video made my day!! Not sure i missed it but i don't actually hear v8 being mentioned at all i hear '4.6 heart with 300bhp' did i miss it ??

[CJFusco]

Originally posted by ERAU944
oh, geez, the grille (minus the obvious extra set of lights you get with the GT), the missing GT emblems on the sides of the car, and on the trunk, the apparent lack of GT standard dual exhaust...

I believe that the extra lights are an option on each model... and it's possible that the European version of the Mustang ditches all the emblems, etc. The British aren't quite as badge-happy as we are over here.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I think there is more to consider here, especially considering that American cars in Europe are often aesthetically different from the same cars in the US.

[ERAU944]

possibly, but i've only ever seen GT models with badging and lights. that is left hand drive model as well... oh and let's not forget those tiny wheels. oh yes, and let's not forget that the sign says willow springs, which if i'm not mistaken is in california.

V-6. NOT 4.6l, NOT 300hp... squidgy suspension, heavy (which i suppose should have helped on the track)... but not a GT model.

anyway, the long and short of it is, i maintain my position.

[CJFusco]

Yeah, you might be right. I hadn't taken into account the fact that they're testing the car in the states.

Just out of curiousity, how much power does the V6 make?

[ERAU944]

two hundred and somethingdy (230 or so) if i'm not mistaken.... ah just checked the website. quoted from the 2007 brochure 'the 4.0L v6 dishes out a "rousing" 210 hp' LOL!!!!!!!

quite rousing indeed... quite

[CJFusco]

And the car probably weighs 3500+, too.