# Top Gear: Bad Stunt, Or Misunderstanding? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347 "2014-10-04T04:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/1 "2014-10-04T04:04:40Z")
[It seems as if the cast and crew of _Top Gear_ have been chased out of Argentina by an angry mob.](http://www.itv.com/news/2014-10-03/top-gear-falklands-row-cast-and-crew-forced-to-leave-argentina-after-angry-protests/) The reason? A license plate on a Porsche they brought along with registration "H982 FLK ", which Argentinian veterans claim was done deliberately as a reference to the 1982 war, but the Brits claim was a total coincidence. Protesters [pelted the car with stones.](http://www.itv.com/news/story/2014-10-03/top-gear-stars-pelted-with-stones-in-argentina-over-falklands-row/) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/2 "2014-10-04T04:11:00Z")
I have no doubt they would do it if they thought of it, but I’m not sure I’d give them that much credit for creativity. On the other hand the fact that anybody would even notice to care without a shill to prompt them seems a bit unlikely as well. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/3 "2014-10-04T04:31:48Z")
I find it very hard to believe they accidentally used “H982 FLK” in a country that just happened to go to war in 1982 over the Falklands. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/4 "2014-10-04T04:48:03Z")
Given that a large part of Clarkson’s shtick is that he’s a culturally insensitive arrogant boor, I have a difficult time believing it’s just a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/5 "2014-10-04T04:53:55Z")
Is there a methodology for plates in Argentina? Google images seems to show either a straight line of numbers or a series of letters, mostly 2 or 3, followed by letters. The plate from Top Gear doesn’t follow that method. I have no idea what common Argentine plates look like though and I don’t know how accurate google images is. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/6 "2014-10-04T05:02:47Z")
Lets see its Top Gear. Of course its purposeful. Next you will be saying those Rednecks really did stone them. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/7 "2014-10-04T05:06:56Z")
It could go either way. It could be a genuine accident, but because it is something TG would do, you’d be a fool to believe their protestations. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/8 "2014-10-04T05:50:53Z")
[Tweets](https://twitter.com/JeremyClarkson/status/518273688865865728) from [Jeremy Clarkson](https://twitter.com/JeremyClarkson): [QUOTE=Jeremy Clarkson] All TG crew now safely out of Argentina. I just got back to UK. Horrified to see so many newspapers have the story completely wrong. The number plate WAS a coincidence. When it was pointed out to us, we changed it. As pics in this morning’s Mail show. And these war veterans we upset. Mostly they were in their 20s. Do the maths. They threw us out for the political capital. Thousands chased crew to border. Someone could have been killed. This was not a jolly jape that went awry. For once, we did nothing wrong. We had planned a good ending for the show. But thanks to the government’s foolishness, it’s now even better. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/9 "2014-10-04T05:57:17Z")
Seems to be too much to believe it’s a coincidence. And if anyone were to do it on purpose, it would be these guys. Are there very many license plates with the FLK configuration, does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/10 "2014-10-04T06:58:16Z")
UK number plates following that pattern have a single letter denoting the year (1990), up to three digits, and three letters of which the last two are an area code and the first one is just assigned serially. I don’t know what area code KL was, but for instance CL was one I used to see a lot around Norwich. Of course if the car was pre-owned then it could be a long way from its city of origin. The pattern’s changed now (it’s been revised several times over the decades). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/11 "2014-10-04T07:20:28Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I don’t know what area code KL was Per [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom,_Crown_dependencies_and_overseas_territories#Pre-2001_codes), Maidstone (which was covered by KJ-KP, KR, and KT). ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/12 "2014-10-04T07:45:42Z")
I expect it’s a conspiracy to finally get Jeremy Clarkson off TV. Well done! ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/13 "2014-10-04T07:46:31Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [Tweets](https://twitter.com/JeremyClarkson/status/518273688865865728) from [Jeremy Clarkson](https://twitter.com/JeremyClarkson): THOUSANDS of people chased them to the border? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/14 "2014-10-04T08:02:05Z")
It is a British plate (or, at least, the “number” follows the standard British pattern), and you can’t buy custom numbers from the government in Britain, although it is possible, I think, to trade them: to buy a “number” (and the associated vehicle registration) that is meaningful to you from someone who just happens to have been issued it. This one, however, really does not seem all that obviously meaningful. If it had been I986, maybe, but H986 means nothing. I am inclined believe it was a coincidence, despite how well the stunt would fit Clarkson’s persona. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/15 "2014-10-04T08:06:17Z")
It is a real UK, records show it does belong to that car. I vote hypersensitive Argentinians whipped up by nationalistic fervour in the wake of the current of the recent debt default spat. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/16 "2014-10-04T09:00:10Z")
^ Not to mention losing a World Cup Final. The Veterans doing the chasing must be from the Argentine Air Force. Can’t be anyother service. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/17 "2014-10-04T09:27:00Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > This one, however, really does not seem all that obviously meaningful. If it had been I986, maybe, but H986 means nothing. I am inclined believe it was a coincidence, despite how well the stunt would fit Clarkson’s persona. Its H982, not H986. If it was anyone other than Clarkson and the Top Gear crew I would chalk it up to unfortunate coincedence and overly-sensitive Argentinians but given the former’s history I’m a lot less willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. “This time Clarkson, you’ve gone too damned far!” _shakes fist_ ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/18 "2014-10-04T09:41:35Z")
It certainly was meaningful. Its exactly the type of thing Clarkson would do. It’s also the type of thing Argentinians have been known to do when visiting the UK. It’s a semi regular occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/19 "2014-10-04T09:52:15Z")
Sounds like a coincidence to me. Like **njtt** (almost) said, H982 doesn’t mean anything. No one thinks 1982 when they see 982 unless they’re looking for it. H82 would be more convincing to me. This is just another case of people being too stupid realize their problems are of their own making and not the fault of some evil empire. Argentina excels in this category. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347/20 "2014-10-04T13:06:08Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Given that a large part of Clarkson’s shtick is that he’s a culturally insensitive arrogant boor, I have a difficult time believing it’s just a coincidence. I also have a difficult time listening to how people can over-react to an obvious joke. Is it loser’s lurgy? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bad-stunt-or-misunderstanding/700347.md?page=2)