MX-5 OC Forum

Loads of them:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-cars-imports-india/108860-pics-top-gear-shooting-india-teaser-video-pg-16-a.html

Much as we enjoy Top Gear, it's all starting to get a bit samey. Clarksson will buy something over-ambitious. May will get something staid, old fashioned and sensible. Hammond's car will be small and moderately girly. Then they will do a couple of "tests" to thrash the cars to within an inch of their lives so that they are more likely to break down. There will be an A-team moment when "the presenters" (but really the mechanics they bring with them) will modify the cars in some hilarious way. Clarksson will get angry, hit something with a hammer and say "how hard can it be?". Throw in some beautiful scenery, Hammond bashing into May's car and something catching fire, and then the much-abused cars will break down.

As this one is shot in India, there'll be some bits where Hammond won't eat the local food and one or all of them will have a spot of Delhi-Belly. They will bicker and fight until a few minutes from the end when they will come over all buddy-buddy.

End with misty-eyed shots of what is left of their cars and a voice-over saying how wonderfully they performed. What a shame that we lost the British car industry.

Same old TG, different country.

I'll still be watching it though!

not the best 90 minutes of tv ever....

The TG team are always good value and especially on these specials but what seemed a shame to me was that they took three pretty well looked after classics and just trashed them. They could've taken any Silver Spirit, not an anniversary Jag, not a last of the line Cooper and done all that to them. It's entertainment, I know but I watch these 'specials' now and just think how could you do that to that car - you're supposed to be enthusiasts?

Even so I'd seen better specials than that

 Very POOR and as for flying the Union Jack upside down!! insulting their own country. Planks!

Possibly not their best special but still sat through it, yes a bit predictable. Don't think I'll be watching the repeat on Dave.

Elvie:

The TG team are always good value and especially on these specials but what seemed a shame to me was that they took three pretty well looked after classics and just trashed them. They could've taken any Silver Spirit, not an anniversary Jag, not a last of the line Cooper and done all that to them. It's entertainment, I know but I watch these 'specials' now and just think how could you do that to that car - you're supposed to be enthusiasts?

Even so I'd seen better specials than that

I wouldn't worry; the Jag and the Mini were retaxed, after filming was completed. The Rolls is due early next year. None were exported. XJS Celebration models aren't actually limited editions, but just what the final MY run outs were called. The Cooper Sport looked like it was just retrimmed from the Ripspeed catalogue. The damage also looked rigged to me (why would the bonnet come off, and the front rad panel be left untouched). Allegedly the Mini was brought as a HPI write-off anyhow. Probably the same with the Jag. A £7k Silver Shadow is typically a Shadow that looks superficially ok. The refrigerant "released" I doubt was real refrigerant, given H&S guidelines.

We have no idea that the cars used were immaculate; we have no idea if indeed they were problematic heaps throughout filming. I noticed a fair amount of the crusty stuff on the exposed seams of the Mini......This programme has a record of using clever camera work to deceive us (anyone really believe that an Evo was still driveable after being riddled with .50 CAL?).

Thousands of these cars were made, and thousands survive; none of them are that hard to find. Everyday, lots of them end up in a crusher somewhere. The show gave excellent publicity for all 3 marques, and as a result at least one Silver Shadow, classic Mini, XJS will be saved from a one way visit to the scrapyard, because of increased interest in the models.

I don't really get all that upset about these programmes; this particular one seems to have served the purpose as a prelude to the launch of TG India. Car Wars is far more unnerving; it seems to be on a mission to deprive the UK of decent Legacys and  Panzer E-Classes.

I think last night`s TopGear was a major disappointment, I was hoping they might have listened to all the critisism leveled at the programme over recent years, and used the `India Special` to be a bit more William Woollard and a bit less Terry ***ckwit.

Predictable drivel.

Real shame, could have been a lot better 1/10

Dr.Eunos

 'fraid i couldnt even be bothered to watch it. totaly predictable, obviously from all the comments.  as for clarkson, so far up his own a***............. after his recent ''comments'' hes lost a regular viewer. 

captain slow had probably one of the better christmas specials i thought.

steve

India and cars/trains has so much entertainment potential  - but they didn't make the best out of it.

Loved the shots of the train interior though with people sitting up on the luggage racks - I must try that on Southern Rail....

 my 11 year son old enjoyed it and will no doubt watch the many repeats.

As an entertainment show it ok, as a car show its rubbish (IMO). 

I actually enjoy 5th Gear more at the moment

Apparently Top Gear Live is a good show - especially for kids.

I've seen Top Gear Live twice. It's okayish. Lots of stunt driving around the arena. Noisy explosions. Some humour.

Sorry, but I think Top Gear as a whole has reached its peak and it now starting the slow decline down the other side.

Once:

Sorry, but I think Top Gear as a whole has reached its peak and it now starting the slow decline down the other side.

peaked some years ago I think, now well down the slippery slope. As someone else wrote, (not sure where now) its just a tin bath sliding down a hill from becoming Last of the Summer Wine, which I stopped watching way before the bbc finally put it out if its misery.   I will still watch TG and I am still entertained by it, but found the Indian thing frankly a bit tedious, maybe if they had kept it to 60 minutes it would have been better.  Perhaps its my age or something, perhaps you get more prudish as you get older, but I also find the childish references to male body parts etc. really unecesary and just not funny, and that's something that seems to have invaded the main show as well.  Its got like they have nothing of interrest or humerous to say now so lets revert to toilet humour.