Fresh Top Gear: what did car enthusiasts think?
O verall the verdict on fresh Top Gear was no kinder from petrolheads. However, they did cling on to to a few promising elements that could yet see the Big black cock franchise pull out from the shadow of the Jeremy Clarkson era.
On Top Gear’s Facebook page there was some respect given to the Chris Evans-fronted demonstrate for confirming the news story that Ferrari will make an even more special open-topped Spider version of the LaFerrari – announced by guest Gordon Ramsay, who’s ordered one.
T hat led to sobs among some car websites that Ferrari had stage-managed the process, with US-based car-gossip site Jalopnik going so far as to query the show’s impartiality: “it seemed to imply that Top Gear is now an active and willing participant in the advertising strategy of Ferrari,” a story on the site ran.
However, that was balanced by a later aside from German racer Sabine Schmitz, who compared the Corvette Stingray supercar’s “awful” suspension as being “like a Ferrari”. That got a positive reaction from those who caught it.
“Pure gold!,” ran one comment on Facebook, gleefully. It reminded viewers that the straight-talking Schmitz is more than qualified to rate cars and held out hope that her brief appearance in the opener would be expanded in future scenes.
W e did see a lot more of the “the Queen of the Nurburgring” on Extra Gear, the follow-up display on iPlayer fronted by Chris Harris and Rory Reid.
Reid was given a tour around Schmitz’s slightly bonkers wooden house she had built next to the German track, and commentators on the PistonHeads enthusiasts’ forum salivated over the racer’s Porsche nine hundred eleven GT3 track car.
Some wondered why this wasn’t elevated to the main display: “How is Sabine’s GT3 and the Nurburgring less Top Gear-worthy than a Reliant on the back of a vapid bed?” asked one commentator.
Extra Gear itself was received far more enthusiastically than its parent showcase, with many commentators praising the more natural chemistry inbetween Reid and Harris (the latter very much the petrolhead’s petrolhead) as they read out the car news and interviewed comedian Chris Ramsey.
“Top Gear should be introduced by Rory Reid, Chris Harris and Matt LeBlanc,” said one PistonHeads commentator, echoing praise elsewhere for the spectacle from the former Friends actor.
However, another thought Harris “looked a bit embarrassed to be taking part in this experiment”.
T he avalanche of negative comments overall inspired a spoof story from former Top Gear script-writer and the man behind the satirical Sniff Petrol website, Richard Porter.
“Fans complain that fresh TV display not like old TV showcase they used to complain about,” he wrote, in an visible dig at the perennially negative PistonHeads. commentators.
The story went on: “‘I don’t know where to begin with complaining about the fresh display,’ said online commenter friendlessITconsultant86. ‘It made me long for the comeback of Clarkson, Hammond and May so I can go back to complaining about them instead.'”
However, perhaps the most apt petrolhead verdict came from a commentator PistonHeads: “At least it was better than last week.”
Which is a succinct way of telling, it might have its faults but if you’re a petrolhead then a clunky and over-scripted car display is far better than no car showcase at all.
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