Top Gear S18E01

Top Gear is back!

Apparently they have some issues with the newspaper??

And although I already knew thru spy photos on some forums, Top Gear is going China in this season!
I expect a lot of joke on the 山寨 cars lol.

Back to the episode. I don’t put spoiler warning. You know you shouldn’t read a “review” before you watch the show.

So, the 3 boys gathered 3 old or tested super cars and see which is better or the closest to the F458.

From the left, the Noble M600, McLaren MP4-12C, Lambo Aventador. These 3 cars usually don’t come together when comparing to a F458(Well the Mclaren do). The only common thing is the engine placement, but that’s it. Well this is Top Gear, not a laboratory, who cares.

Actually, when I first saw the trailer, I didn’t pay much attention to the Noble and thought it’s an R35. imho, performance-wise, I think the R35 would be closer to the Ferrari. But it’s front-mounted. The Noble however, does suit Richard I must admit. As the youngest of the three, of course he’ll go for a stick shift machine.

The McLaren, suits Captain slow too lol. The look is just….kind of boring. If I didn’t know this brand b4, I’ll probably think it’s more of a Lotus. Yes, the Noble is even shorter on this aspect but Mclaren had put much much more of resources on the design department.

Jeremy’s Lambo, V12, enough say.

Nonetheless, the challenges begin. First the Nardo Ring. When I first see the photo, I thought it’s some LHC brother.But it turns out to be more of a big giant, 12KM, Daytona Speedway.

So they want to achieve the highest speed on that oval track. The result is no surprise. The Noble is a car built for speed. No luxury, no drama, pure speed. The power to weight ratio is the highest. For Lambo, high speed is always it’s category. McLaren is short on the power-side, and the result is clearly showing that.

After that:

 

We usually see this kind of situation in some $3000 super car challenge. With a brand new car, it’s something rarely seen. lol, poor Hamster. Somehow, his car got a new paint job.

The second challenge is the traditional race to a restaurant. Well, super cars always have hard time in small cities, especially big Lambo. Hammond couldn’t even join the challenge.

The third challenge is a hard core race around Imola. Jeremy mentioned some heroes’ name including Senna of course. Having a mix of a few long straights and some tight turns, the result is close.

The Aventador certainly benefit from the straights, as well as the M600. The MP4-12C should shine at those turns, but the hands behind that wheel is of Captain slow’s haha. Without any electronic help, Richard Hammond’s M600 probably struggled, and he indeed went off-road. I was thinking the Aventador would have a hard time at the turns, but reviews say that its handling is much better than her ancestors. Judging by the result, big displacement+4WD+computerized auto gearbox+carbon frame seems to be the way to go.

There isn’t any conclusion from the show. Nor should it. These 3 are really very different cars at different price tags. But one thing is clear.

The Lambo is gorgeous! The look, the sound, the drama. It’s just perfect.

Flame!

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Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: will.i.am

Is he nervous? Why was he seems stuttering? Ron is younger and speaks much better than him. And the so many jobs he has? That only makes me think he is just overrated. I don’t believe anyone that can excel in so many areas. Black Eyed Peas’s songs isn’t bad, but only in CD. Their live performances are never good, from the few times I see on the TV, on Victoria’s Secret Fashion show, etc. I respect his producer or “CD singer” job. But can’t people these days just focus on one thing? That concept car….looks like some concept 15 or 20 years ago….

And why did he drive an auto? Can he not shift? I knew there were stars who tried their first time of a manual on Top Gear. No balls.