# Top Gear (BBC America) -- Americanized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855 "2013-09-03T02:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/61 "2013-09-12T12:21:04Z")
> [@keving](#): > > One of many stereotypes, perhaps. Still, the Hamster scores 6 out of 7, not bad. Clarkson is fat and likes GT40s, but in other respects fails miserably as an imitation American. And James May is terrible at geography and navigation. So by their powers combined, THEY ARE CAPTAIN AMERICA. ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/62 "2013-09-12T15:24:12Z")
The GT40 is not what I would call an out right American car. It used an American engine but they were original built in the UK (in Slough of all places). The engine is important but it’s only part of the package that made the car what it was. ---
**Author:** ![keving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@keving](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keving)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/63 "2013-09-12T15:47:50Z")
> [@glaeken](#): > > The GT40 is not what I would call an out right American car. It used an American engine but they were original built in the UK (in Slough of all places). The engine is important but it’s only part of the package that made the car what it was. It was just an example, The point is, he doesn’t really hate the things he pretends to hate. It is just for fun. I have even heard it said that, by showbiz celebrity standards, Mr Clarkson is one of the nicest and most affable celebs. Nobody has a bad word to say about him, except Piers Morgan, who doesn’t count because he’s a twat, and got punched in the face about it by Clarkson. ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/64 "2013-09-12T15:52:47Z")
I agree it’s all a bit of an act. I was just being pedantic 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/65 "2013-09-12T23:42:56Z")
> [@keving](#): > > The point is, he [Jeremy Clarkson] doesn’t really hate the things he pretends to hate. It is just for fun. I’ve also heard that he’s a Global Warming denialist. Is that part of the act too, or does he genuinely believe that anthropogenic global warming isn’t happening/isn’t as bad as had been reported/will bring the dinosaurs back or something? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/66 "2013-09-13T00:33:45Z")
I remember a couple of years ago, there was a segment on Top Gear in which James May and Jeremy Clarkson took a Peugeot iOn and a Nissan Leaf on a long drive and made a big deal about how hard it was to find places to charge electric cars. That seemed like a stupid exercise. Charging stations are rare (less so now than in 2011) and so of course people who own and drive electric cars don’t make long trips without thinking about this in advance. And I suspect that most electric car buyers only use them on their daily drive to and from work, so that the car can be recharged overnight at home. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/67 "2013-09-13T01:40:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That seemed like a stupid exercise. Charging stations are rare (less so now than in 2011) and so of course people who own and drive electric cars don’t make long trips without thinking about this in advance. “Not thinking about it in advance” is one of Top Gear’s charms. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/68 "2013-09-13T02:50:34Z")
> [@keving](#): > > One of many stereotypes, perhaps. Still, the Hamster scores 6 out of 7, not bad. Clarkson is fat and likes GT40s, but in other respects fails miserably as an imitation American. Eh? Big, fat, obnoxious, always has to be right, and his solution for all problems is the application of more power. That seems rather American to me… ---
**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:** [September 13, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/69 "2013-09-13T08:36:51Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > Eh? Big, fat, obnoxious, always has to be right, and his solution for all problems is the application of more power. > > That seems rather American to me… :eek: evidence of hypocrisy, double-standards and inconsistency in Top Gear! say it ain’t so! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fanganga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fanganga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fanganga)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/70 "2013-09-13T12:19:00Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I’ve also heard that he’s a Global Warming denialist. Is that part of the act too, or does he genuinely believe that anthropogenic global warming isn’t happening/isn’t as bad as had been reported/will bring the dinosaurs back or something? It does fit his persona of “Driving powerful cars at high speeds is awesome, and can’t possibly do any harm. Anyone who says otherwise is a contemptible killjoy.” ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/71 "2013-09-13T12:57:41Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > Bear in mind that Clarkson, at least, is very much the old man on his porch yelling at the kids to stay off his lawn. It’s certainly the character he plays on Top Gear. He also [plays one in real life](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-17867454) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/72 "2013-09-13T18:38:30Z")
> [@fanganga](#): > > It does fit his persona of “Driving powerful cars at high speeds is awesome, and can’t possibly do any harm. Anyone who says otherwise is a contemptible killjoy.” I know how to solve both problems: _Nuclear automobile engines!_ ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/73 "2013-09-14T00:19:17Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I know how to solve both problems: > > _Nuclear automobile engines!_ Bonus “did they really go there?!” points if they try it with a Nissan Skyline. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/74 "2013-10-06T20:54:32Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I’ve noticed [Lexus quote 0-62](http://www.lexus.co.uk/car-models/ct/ct-200h/index.tmex)\*, must make the maths easier. Now that I’ve gone back and seen a couple of other _Top Gear_ episodes, I noticed something else: Usually, Jeremy & company simply say that thus-and-such vehicle has “750 torques,” without giving the units. However, on one episode, Jeremy slipped up and actually gave real units for this figure. He said that the car he was driving produced something like 762 **foot-pounds** of torque. But when I look on that Lexus UK site (in the link quoted above), I see they list the CT 200’s maximum torque as 142 **Newton-meters**. (This works out to 104.7 pound-feet.) So … when Jeremy is saying “torques”, without units, does he mean foot-pounds, or Newton-meters? (I’m assuming most UK car ads list the car’s torque in Nm, based on my gigantic sample size of 1.) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/75 "2013-10-06T21:10:17Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > So … when Jeremy is saying “torques”, without units, does he mean foot-pounds, or Newton-meters? (I’m assuming most UK car ads list the car’s torque in Nm, based on my gigantic sample size of 1.) Nobody really gives a fuck - Top Gear isn’t a car review show in any rigorous way. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/76 "2013-10-06T22:04:23Z")
Jeremy has stated repeatedly that he has no idea what torque is. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/77 "2013-10-06T22:25:55Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Jeremy has stated repeatedly that he has no idea what torque is. And every time James May tries to explain Jezza and Hammond nip off for a pint or ten 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/78 "2013-10-07T04:27:25Z")
It’s a pity James May can’t just say “It’s how hard the engine is twisting the drive shaft,” and leave it at that. Even Clarkson could understand _that_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/79 "2013-10-07T17:22:07Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Nobody really gives a fuck - Top Gear isn’t a car review show in any rigorous way. Right. It’s like the April Fool’s issue of _Road & Track_ except for these guys it’s their default. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/80 "2013-10-07T18:45:51Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > There is nothing americanised about Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson would have a fit if it was. For example, Top Gear series 9 episode 3: [http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-season-9-episode-3-usa-special\_part-1\_2382196.htm](http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-season-9-episode-3-usa-special_part-1_2382196.htm) (the USA Special in which the boys drive through bubba country). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855.md?page=3)