Any body else catch the "The 914 replaced the 356" line?

I agree with silver74insocal... "this show isnt about cars its about 3 dudes...2 of which have absolutely nothing to contribute."

But Tanner did state that the 914 was one of the best handling sports cars of the 70s

Setting here now looking at the new USA top gear...914 very cool .

I have the distinct feeling he didn't have any idea where 1st or reverse was. I don't think it was the trans

Unfortunately, even with the 914 coverage, this show sucks. Maybe it's the English accents, but Top Gear UK is great, but this US abortion should be put to rest before enthusiasts are all vomiting.

Now, let me tell you what I really think..............

Just finished watching the episode.

Heard the comment about it replacing the 356....where did that come from?

I think that VI was right, he didn't know where 1st and R were on the pattern since it probably didn't have the original knob.

Foust should stick to his battles with Paul Tracy on Speed. He only knows the new muscle and supercars.

I thought Tim Allen would have gone faster. He looked PO'd.

Oh and "Cars 911", the car lot, is here in Glendale. I wonder if we'll be seeing that car at local events.

Downloaded ...

Was fun but way from TOP GEAR UK...

Click to view attachment

It may have been the linkage, or it may have been an actual Tranny issue, but it wasn't ignorance of the shift pattern:



From the Jalopnik article...

Side note: Was the author of the Jalopnik post one of the two 914 test drivers actually shown in the episode last night?

I appreciate Tanner's enthusiasm to buy it in the first place. They didn't bag it, wreck it, or call it names... fine.

That said, it was the lamest episode I've seen so far. I forwarded through Tim Allen, and the Stig drove nothing.

The biggest lesson of used cars wasn't even highlighted... you make money on the buy side... buy anything right and you'll make money...

Tim Allen did suck. He has raced in PRO SCCA I believe. Not funny and slow.

I have never been in the car business personally but I agree with Rob's comment about making money on the buy side. Good example of this is trade-in values.
The guy with a members only jacket made his money on the buy side.
I bet a can of wax & grease remover takes all the black off the 1$ Lexus...

Whats even funnier, is that Tanner owns a 912!

Wow, there's a comment that could come back to bite one on the backside.

Yikes!

Would have rather seen them drive a 914 then try and sell one. Rather a boring episode.

I wonder if that was the first test driver wearing the Flying Lizard Racing shirt. Maybe he was just a crew member that was thrown on camera for the sake of speeding up the filming.

After viewing that sad excuse for a "Top Gear" last night, I watched a few episodes of season 9 Top Gear (original) on Netflix. What a difference.

I won't say that the Brits KNOW more about the cars, but they certainly have better presence on-screen. Much more thought-provoking comments.

And the filming - worlds apart. Really makes me appreciate the old episodes. Glad they are all on Netflix "Instant-Watch".

Now if the U.S. version could showcase some grassroots cars (914, 240z, etc.) in an episode, we might have something special. Something timely and American.

Good point. I thought it was pretty corny.

I have watched most of the episodes and I just do not like this show. The UK version is entertaining, but the US version is just horrible.

The black Honda 85 Si was a really great car (I had several) and they should have done a head to head shoot out with it and the new CRZ !

I hope the show does not get renewed, or they dump the cast !

I don't think the US TG is a total waste. The Moonshine Run, Drifting Competition, Lancer in the snow, and GM revival were entertaining enough... The race in the Keys wasn't bad either.

I think TG needs to decide if its a "mainstream"show (yawn), or a car show.. if its the later, lets see more cars and technical information..

I mean, what's wrong with people smashing cars and acting stupid?

I've seen all of the episodes and I think what it boils down to, for me, is this:

1. DRIVE THE CARS!
They spend a lot more time talking about cars, talking about other stuff, and doing goofy stunts... In the UK version, you get Clarkson (and sometimes Hammond) driving something new, tearing around the track, or a countryside road, and really reviewing the car with a lot of clever humor interwoven... which leads to #2:

2. Casting
I like Tanner. He's a great driver and a pretty intelligent guy. But none of the cast members combine the automotive knowledge, driving skill, and charismatic TV presence of any of the Top Gear UK cast members. I'd start by replacing Adam Ferrara with Adam Corolla, find somebody (maybe with deep technical/engineering smarts) to replace Rutledge.

It seems like Rutlege was just put there to fill the "odd guy" Captain Slow spot. Like he wouldn't quite fit in, but that would be his fit. Unfortunately, he isn't funny, isn't particularly graceful on screen, and seems to just be there to look stupid.

First off lets get this staight. 356 replaced by 912, replaced by 914, replaced by 924.

Although this episode featured one of our favorite cars, this episode all on its own proved that this show is trying too hard to be entertainment and not about cars.

ANY ONE with car knowledge would not have painted it before sorting out the shift linkage, or the misfiring.

And the fat kid who says he "has flipped cars all his life," spray paints a Lexus? Come on, that was just embarrassingly stupid.

Some producer is forcing them to do this, because he thinks its similar to what the Brits do on their show, and we find that show more entertaining because of it.

WRONG on both counts, Mr Producer. Let the guys ACTUALLY do what they think would make the car sell. Let the humor happen out of the real situation and the characters involved. NOT manufactured by silliness like spray painting a Lexus.

Oh. And the TG UK episode where they went to a car auction, was a specialty auction for special interest vehicles, with some very interesting choices, not run-into-the-ground family sedans.

Yet another bad choice from a know-nothing producer. "Gee, all car aucctions are the same, right?"

NOPE!!

This POS show is making even "Chasing Classic Cars" look good, and I used to bag on THAT show until this one came along.

I will say, Tanner at least acknowledges the 914 is a great handling car, so he must know something.

If you want to see how to REALLY flip a car for a good profit, watch "Wheeler Dealers." Mike doesn't always make a profit, but at least he always puts a hlaf way decent car back on the road in solid driver condition.

Be nice if they got a properly setup 914GT on their track to see how it compares to the modern cars. Someone start a petition.

Is the American Top gear really as bad as I have just read over the last few pages?? What a shame, it's an excellent 'Entertainment' program over here in the UK... Top Gear started off as a car show and in all honesty it isn't anymore - it's an entertainment show with cars thrown in.. It's still good over here as the presenters are just right, (although the lesser two newbies (Hammond and May) have set off on their own accord doing various other programs, some of which are really really good)) It is a really funny watch and I live about 20k from where it's filmed so sometimes see the cars about on the country roads round here..

Shame yours is so bad as it's a great show (I blame the shows producers for selling the idea anyway - we don't have a Jay Leno car show wannabe over here...)

EDIT - Oh and by the way as said before, if Clarkson had the opportunity to get his hands on a 914 he would slate it until the cows came home, he hates Porsches and the worst car (in all the presenters eyes) is the VW beetle, so the 914 would be burned at the stake!!

I went on the IMBD site ..and yes the producers are the people calling the shot's, So if they have no clue that's what you will see.

Real soon here I will be starting to shoot a show about a shop here in my area, and it will feature a 914 conversion.
So please be on a look out,I will PM some of you guys for your help. I hope to show some of the nice work that has been done here.
I'm doing the treatment now and will be shooting a pilot when it's done.

BTW I would like to talk with some of you guys that work on these cars for a living as well.

Sounds great !!! ...

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

I may be calling you to do some driving....

Funny, I watched the program last night really late on mute while my wife slept.
I had the sub titles on.
It was actually funny if I read the jokes with a british accent.

I think they should add a brit as one of the hosts.

Rich

Possess heavy right foot, will travel.

but at least with "chasing cars" his dumbfoolery is extremely funny because he is always trying to be so serious and this makes for great stories to tell friends. There is nothing so far on TG US i want to tell anyone about as when you try to be funny you are'nt. I really like paul tracey on "battle of the supercars" though and am surprised he was not chosen as his hard nose no BS style is entertaining and that should be the most important thing.

Um.... Rod. Just so you know, some of us (i.e. thousands) watch Top Gear on Sunday evenings just like you do. Thank God for the interwebs.

Many of us have been fans for years, witnessing James May's first episode (season 2 in this version of Top Gear), the launch of the black stig, the rise of the white stig, numerous references to Keira Knightly, traversing the English Channel (multiple attempts) and Hammond's rocket car fiasco. Who doesn't remember Oliver?

BTW: Jezza makes the show. His no-holds-barred approach and honesty make the show fun. If he doesn't like a car, he doesn't like it, so what? That doesn't mean everyone should think like he does. God forbid, we'd all be wearing triple denim enables on Clarkson Island.

Figured I should add this too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuO-8S_0Wg

My embed-fu is weak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuO-8S_0Wg




...

So perhaps it wasn't the guys on the show that couldn't get the Lambo's to go much faster than my '03 cobra convertable... Maybe the boss (producer) wouldn't let them.

Why do they have to gay everything up and TV and make straight white guys look so stupid and lame?

Jackwagons!

Watched the show last night. I am glad they didn't rip on the 914 and Tanner gave it some Kudos. Its a shame they didn't try to address the 1st/Reverse shift issue. I got a kick out of watching them test drive it in traffic with the large trucks!

Richard

OK.

You could be watching Dancing with Biggest Loser. C'mon, at least it occaisionally mentions cars. I'm going down with the ship probably.

The Clarkson Island bit is pretty funny. Brits got self-depreciation humor down. Americans are too hung up to laugh about ourselves.

As a straight white guy, I can verify that I usually look pretty stupid.

Watched 3 Hours of real Top Gear last night. Even the lame episodes, like the homemade caravans episode last night, are funny in their own way.
Clever British humor. Hammond wakes up, shoos the sheep out of his caravan. Total of 30 seconds of camera time for the gag, and its funny aftermath.

The American version of this would have taken 5 minutes of camera time, as the host tells us what is happening, we see it over and over, then they tell us why it was funny, then after commercial break, they recap it for us in case we forgot how funny they are.

THAT is the biggest entertainment difference. And its how you fill time when you have a limited budget.

The CAR difference is even bigger. When given a chance to buy a cheap used car, the Brit version selects: 944 S2, 350Z, Capri, MGB, Austin, etc. interesting cars.
US version selects, old Lexus, Buick wagon, and a POS Pontiac.

In my past life as a TV executive, I was often asked to replicate a successful program on a fraction of the budget. If you make smart decisions, you can pull it off to a degree.
The US version is obviously a cheap, sttripped down version of the original. The budget for the entire season is probably less than one episode of the Real Thing. They would have been better off to use that small budget to create an entirely new concept, and do it well.

I was about to say you should be on the writing team. Now I know why
can I pick your brain

People fall in love (TV wise) with people. Why else would my sweet kind loving wife watch American Choppers?

Surely. PM me for e-mail.

That is why I hate watching TV nowadays. There are so many shows on History, Discover, etc that could easily be a 30 minute show but they stretch it out to an hour. The rehashing of information and repetition of clips gets annoying.

I think there are three things that makes the UK show better, and the US a flop

1) The UK presenters, while they entertain, are still automotive journalists. They do know some good tidbits of cars, and while none may be a race and stunt driver like Tanner, they hold their own

2) The Chemistry. They have reached a good position where they can interact and present an onscreen charm. This is not easy; it's just organic. I think the English tradition of humour makes it even more difficult to replicate, since, well, the English are better at those jokes. (I did live in London btw, this isn't some generic stereotype, but just an observance between our two cultures.)

3) Production. The BBC pays alot of money for their show, and it shows. While the do recoup the costs of syndicating it internationally, it's still well done. The US version attempts it, trying to do interesting cinematography, but yet, fails. They use wide angle shots when they shouldn't, they overexpose car footage scene, and the result is a hog bodge of poorly done work. The themes for the shows only bury's i.

I think they could get better though, after all, Top Gear UK ran for a long time before they hit their good stride. I think the issue is the producers need to really take a look at the show and see what can make this work beyond relying on the name of "Top Gear." While the US, like Australia, want a Top Gear geared towards our market, bringing the name alone won't suffice.

Just a quick update on the car.

It came into Renegade as a conversion candidate from a local Las Vegas guy maybe two months ago. It was already orange, so obviously the episode was shot sometime before that. Interestingly no one mentioned the Top Gear connection. It wasn't the best starting point for a conversion, so it was put up for sale on Ebay where it was a no sale. The owner ended up selling it to a friend after we got the shifting sorted.

No one bothered to fix the shifting problems prior to us seeing it, it wasn't driver error. There were three main shifting issues. The shifter itself was rotating making it feel like a tail shifter. So it was welded. Then after shift bushings and proper adjustment all the gears were present and accounted for.

Had Tanner spent $240 to have the shifting fixed instead of installing the new steering wheel and shift knob he would have been in much better shape.

Not surprisingly it will also need a clutch soon thanks to all those 2nd gear starts.

So is there any video of the Top Gear 914?