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The Grand Tour Thread
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Doc HM
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Nov 19, 2016, 07:25 PM
 
Ok, so what did the car we's and not car we's think.

Much better effort than actual TG, mostly simply down to the existing chemistry. The three stooges simply looked happy to be back so gained much slack.
Not sure finding that Americans use different words for car parts is worth more than 2 seconds of time and in general the studio/tent malarky was a bit misfirey.

The car videography was excellent though and the big test was entertaining.

All in all am looking forward to part two. Never got to part two of TG.
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mindwaves
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Nov 20, 2016, 10:30 PM
 
Besides a few episodes of TG, I couldn't stand those men. Three old farts (there I said it, one or two of them needs a haircut) reviewing cars in ridiculous situations.

I much prefer Motor Trend, although the current hosts are a bit too comical lately.

edit: But I will give the new show a shot and see how it goes.
     
mindwaves
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Nov 21, 2016, 09:57 AM
 
Just watched the first 15 mins of it. So, so boring. Way, way too much talking and not enough action and details about the cars. Won't be watching any other episodes.

Waiting for the next MT episode now.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Nov 21, 2016, 10:36 AM
 
The first version of Top Gear was a classic car reviewing show where they would give honest opinions on family hatchbacks etc etc. That was mind numbingly dull. Especially after a decade or two.

New TG was funny because of the silly things they did. My favourite part is where they build their own silly vehicles for a challenge. "Toybota" still makes me chuckle.

I like fast cars but talking about them is almost as dull as watching them do laps.
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Laminar
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Nov 21, 2016, 11:20 AM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
Just watched the first 15 mins of it.
I think much of that was introducing the new series. I'm interested to see what future episodes look like, especially when they're somewhere besides America.

I liked it, minus the terrible American new stig. Don't give him stupid, fake lines to say, I want to hear how the car feels and drives and handles from a real driver.
     
osiris
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Nov 21, 2016, 02:19 PM
 
The first 15 minutes or so nearly brought tears of joy, the rest of the show lagged at times.
If you hate the personalities of Clarkson, May and Hammond and loathe the banter even more, you might as well not watch the show - it's much more than just cars, it's 3 Brits in all their glorious imperialist splendor. I love 'em.


The show will find its way over time, for now many are just happy to see them together, as I am. Serious stuff will work its way out, eventually.
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osiris
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Nov 21, 2016, 02:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
Besides a few episodes of TG, I couldn't stand those men. Three old farts (there I said it, one or two of them needs a haircut) reviewing cars in ridiculous situations.

I much prefer Motor Trend, although the current hosts are a bit too comical lately.

edit: But I will give the new show a shot and see how it goes.
communist.




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osiris
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Nov 21, 2016, 02:22 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
I think much of that was introducing the new series. I'm interested to see what future episodes look like, especially when they're somewhere besides America.

I liked it, minus the terrible American new stig. Don't give him stupid, fake lines to say, I want to hear how the car feels and drives and handles from a real driver.



communist





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Paco500
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Nov 26, 2016, 05:37 PM
 
I was hoping the first episode was just teething issues. The second episode was, in my opinion, even worse.

I think that far and away my least favourite thing about the Chris Evans Top Gear is that they tried to remake the same damn show, but without Clarkson, May, and Hammond it was never going to be as good. Sure they tweaked things here and there, but the little changes they made only highlighted that it wasn't what it was, and was therefore inferior. A great example of this is that when they had the Stig do a power lap of a car that wasn't street legal, they put it on the board anyway (well on an board connected to the board). The format that Clarkson, May, and Hammond created on the BBC is not the only was to do car/comedy/chat show. They should have been brave, mixed it up, and tried something new.

And then along comes The Grand Tour.

I think that far and away my least favourite thing about The Grand Tour is that they tried to remake the same damn show, but without the BBC it was never going to be as good. Sure they tweaked things here and there, but the little changes they made only highlighted that it wasn't what it was, and was therefore inferior. A great example of this is that when they had the American do a power lap of a car that wasn't street legal, they put it on the board anyway. The format that Clarkson, May, and Hammond created on the BBC is not the only was to do car/comedy/chat show. They should have been brave, mixed it up, and tried something new.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Nov 27, 2016, 08:51 PM
 
The dead celeb joke is going to tire out fast.

The special forces bit was cool but not as car related as perhaps it could have been.
I wondered if they might use their budget to buy one of those abandoned towns you see for sale in the US as a replacement for their test track. That would have been potentially fun.

I'd like to see more of the daft contraptions they used to build themselves on TG.
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Paco500
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Nov 28, 2016, 04:50 AM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
The dead celeb joke is going to tire out fast.
I think it stopped being funny by the time they got to Carol Vorderman.
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
The special forces bit was cool but not as car related as perhaps it could have been.
The thing about Tog Gear videos was that while I knew they were staged, the best ones had at least a whiff of realism
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I wondered if they might use their budget to buy one of those abandoned towns you see for sale in the US as a replacement for their test track. That would have been potentially fun.
Couldn't have been worse.
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I'd like to see more of the daft contraptions they used to build themselves on TG.
This is what I'm talking about above- I loved these episodes. Of course I knew intellectually that they didn't really do all the work themselves, but you COULD believe it for the sake of the show. I liked that bit.
     
osiris
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Nov 28, 2016, 10:47 AM
 
I think these are growing pains of the new show - hopefully it will work out. But I am now in the camp that the show needs to be better with more creative, more challenging bits of goodness focused around motoring. I find myself not being able to watch a full show without falling asleep. It could be all the wine, but it may be the show.
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Laminar
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Nov 28, 2016, 10:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
They should have been brave, mixed it up, and tried something new.
Certainly their Day After Tomorrow bit was mixing it up and trying something new - more of a comedy film than a car film.
     
Doc HM  (op)
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Nov 28, 2016, 03:21 PM
 
Their new test track is about 2 miles from my house!!!!!
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Laminar
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Nov 28, 2016, 03:36 PM
 
Do you know the old lady??
     
sek929
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Nov 28, 2016, 04:02 PM
 
The American test driver schtick is terrible, the rest of the show is okay so far. I'm willing to give it a chance.
     
Paco500
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Nov 28, 2016, 08:22 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
Their new test track is about 2 miles from my house!!!!!
Which I guess makes it about 22 from mine- cool.
     
Paco500
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Nov 28, 2016, 08:24 PM
 
I also live about 10 miles from the 'rebel base' in Star Wars Episode 7. All this cool stuff filming around me and I don't find out about it until they have packed up and left.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Nov 28, 2016, 08:34 PM
 
I feel like Amazon won't let them make jokes as controversial as some of the ones the BBC put up with and thats why they are missing the mark a little.
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mooblie
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Nov 29, 2016, 07:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I feel like Amazon won't let them make jokes as controversial as some of the ones the BBC put up with ....
Maybe Jeff Bezos sees himself as the new Lord Reith? Upholding standards and all that, especially if he is described as a "notorious micromanager"...
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Paco500
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Nov 29, 2016, 09:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by mooblie View Post
Maybe Jeff Bezos sees himself as the new Lord Reith? Upholding standards and all that, especially if he is described as a "notorious micromanager"...
While who knows the full truth of it, I heard an interview with the Producer of GT (and the former TG producer) in which he claimed Amazon had given them complete editorial control- even less meddling than they got from the BBC, which he claimed was also almost non-existent.

Perhaps they are self-regulating a bit.
     
Laminar
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Nov 29, 2016, 11:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I feel like Amazon won't let them make jokes as controversial as some of the ones the BBC put up with and thats why they are missing the mark a little.
Do you have any examples of controversial jokes they got away with?
     
Waragainstsleep
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Nov 30, 2016, 06:46 AM
 
Clarkson used to make jokes about truck drivers murdering hookers all the time on TG.
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subego
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Nov 30, 2016, 06:51 AM
 
The real test will be if Amazon lets Clarkson cold-cock a producer.
     
osiris
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Nov 30, 2016, 09:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Do you have any examples of controversial jokes they got away with?
oh, lots of insulting comments about nationalities - you name it, the French, Mexicans, Vietnamese, Argentinians, Americans...
Just the stereotypical stuff you would expect from a group of rich 12 year old imperialists.

But I loved ever minute of it, I like non PC humor.

here's a wiki that catalogs the jokes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_controversies

On Mexico's new car:

"Cars reflect national characteristics... a Mexican car's just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat"

On a new German BMW: "...suggested turn signals that displayed Hitler salutes, "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland" (in reference to the Nazi invasion of Poland), and "ein fanbelt that will last a thousand years", a reference to Adolf Hitler's propaganda slogan of "the thousand-year Reich". "
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Laminar
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Nov 30, 2016, 10:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
oh, lots of insulting comments about nationalities - you name it, the French, Mexicans, Vietnamese, Argentinians, Americans...
They've made it clear that the only reason they're shooting in different locations is so that they can insult that location, so I don't think that's going to slow down.
     
osiris
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Nov 30, 2016, 10:12 AM
 
That's oddly reassuring! But they've been somewhat on the soft side, at least the first two episodes.
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Thorzdad
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Nov 30, 2016, 06:55 PM
 
The show's ok. Not really much different from what they did before on TG. Mike Skinner as the driver is terrible, though. The good ol' boy shtick gets old quick.
     
Paco500
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Dec 7, 2016, 12:41 PM
 
Most recent episode was, in my opinion, the best thus far. Could be it's finding it's stride.
     
osiris
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Dec 7, 2016, 01:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
Most recent episode was, in my opinion, the best thus far. Could be it's finding it's stride.
Episode 3? I really enjoyed that one too - felt right.
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Doc HM  (op)
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Dec 7, 2016, 02:38 PM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
Most recent episode was, in my opinion, the best thus far. Could be it's finding it's stride.
I wonder if that's because it was a "home episode". It felt a lot more immediate, with talk of the roadworks around Oxford etc. More like an older TG episode and a lot less forced.

Knocking down Clarksons home was a bit staged (obviously) since he's building a new house on the spot. Apparently he's in a spot of planning bother as the local council (Chipping Norton) don't regard demolition as being the same as extending and modifying.
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subego
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Dec 7, 2016, 03:00 PM
 
The Pentagon needs to start using "extension and modification".
     
osiris
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Dec 8, 2016, 01:39 PM
 
What I like about Ep 3 was the cinematography - I guess you can't screw up Italy, but some of the shots were very nicely done. They have a good DP. But Ep 3 definitely felt like an old episode of Top Gear.
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Dec 12, 2016, 02:04 PM
 
Yeah, great camera work. Reminded me of the classic V12 Vantage send-off episode, truly gorgeous.

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Doc HM  (op)
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Dec 12, 2016, 04:13 PM
 
Not so grand tour this week. Still in Witby.

Not engaged with the eco cars schtick. Too silly. Also maybe enough of the rain spattered car photography?

High point "turbo's are gods way of telling you you don't have enough cylinders"
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Laminar
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Dec 12, 2016, 04:19 PM
 
Yes, the crap car challenges were good because they had real challenges to overcome, with some manufactured shenanigans along the way. This time there were no challenges, no real goal, and 100% manufactured shenanigans. It was about as pointless as the Top Gear Reliant Robin race from the latest season. If there's nothing at stake, there's nothing to care about.
     
   
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