GRIDCRASHER

Top Gear test America’s finest cars for new series


BBC show showcases pretty cars we can’t even buy in the UK

Top Gear in America

Last week, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and little tiny Richard Hammond were spotted in San Francisco respectively testing out a 2009 Corvette ZR1, a Dodge Challenger SRT8, and a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V .

Top Gear in America

Over the weekend, rumours that they are filming another hour-long Top Gear in USA show were fleshed out as the boys were spotted at the Bonneville Salt Flats (where there are no corners to test the ropey handling of those lumbering American motors), where they sported some rather fetching baseball caps.

See more pictures of Lord Clarkson et al after the jump…

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Posted: September 23rd, 2008 by Ryan Bailey

Victory for Top Gear! DfT to review pointless road signs!


Government use bureaucracy to combat bureaucracy

Pointless/ Funny Road Sign

During the most recent series of Top Gear, Clarkson et al made a big deal about the great expense the Department for Transportation (DfT) goes to in order to tell us completely pointless information on the roads.

For once, the government has actually listened to a campaign mentioned on the motoring show, and plan to launch the biggest review of traffic signs in the UK for forty years.

AA President Edmund King sez:

“Clear, concise, relevant road signs help reduce congestion, CO2, frustration and accidents. Confusing signs do the opposite so we welcome a root and branch review of the UK’s traffic signing system and will seek the views of AA members to help the Department for Transport come up with signs fit for the 21 Century.”

See plenty more examples of pointless/ funny/ utterly made-up road signs after the jump…

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Posted: September 16th, 2008 by Ryan Bailey

BBC launches Top Gear channel on YouTube


Clarkson and co get down with the kids

clarkson-jeremy.jpgExcellent news for Top Gear fans. The programme has now got its very own channel on YouTube. And as this has been setup by the BBC and all above board, it should mean that the videos actually stay up there rather than disappearing when the internet police spot them (as is currently the case). While this is all very good for you, it does not make life much easier for Gridcrasher because embedding is disabled on all the videos, which means we can’t put them on the site for you. Bugger!

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Posted: August 28th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Downing Street defends Jeremy Clarkson petition response (with video)


Top Gear presenter for PM petition

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The government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after making a light-hearted video in response to a petition for Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson to be made Prime Minister. (Btw, the petition is now closed)

The clip, posted on Number 10’s You Tube site, was created after 50,000 people backed a motion for Clarkson to replace Gordon Brown as PM.

Downing Street said the clip had been created by a member of staff who had a “spare half hour” and had not cost any extra money. But the Conservative Party said it showed the government had lost touch with reality.

Watch the offending video below…

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Posted: August 20th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

F1 legends: Murray Walker commentates on snooker (with video)


“He’s missed it! Fantastic!”

Hilarious proof from the archives that Murray Walker can make any sport seem interesting. Even snooker.

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Posted: August 20th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Top Gear presenters get £10,000 per-show pay rise


Clarkson’s co-presenters shown the money

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Top Gear is safe! So relax: fix yourself a dirty great mojito or do whatever else you do to relax.

James May and Richard Hammond weren’t happy with the fact that Jeremy Clarkson earned a lot more than they did, but we can reveal that both May and Hammond have negotiated healthy new contracts with the Beeb. The pair will now earn an extra £10,000 per show, which puts them more in line with Jeremy Clarkson.

Celebrate this good news by watching Hammond and May play car football

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Posted: August 1st, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Top Gear’s The Stig identity revealed! (with video)


The biggest mystery in motorsport, solved?

This video claims that Ben Collins is The Stig. Englishman Collins has driven in NASCAR and F3, and worked as a consultant on Top Gear.

We have to admit, The Stig’s voice does sound remarkably similar to that of Collins. And Scottish racing driver Susie Stoddart said in an interview that she knew for a fact that Collins was The Stig.

So there you have it. Case closed. The Stig IS Ben Collins. Er, maybe.

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Posted: July 29th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Top 10 introductions to The Stig on Top Gear


Our favourite intros to TV’s No.1 mystery driver

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1. “Some say he has a digital face, and that if he felt like it, he could fire Alan Sugar…”

2. “Some say 61 years ago he accidently introduced Her Majesty, the Queen, to a Greek racialist…”

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Posted: July 7th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Be a star in Top Gear’s reasonably priced car!


Can you beat Simon Cowell and celeb chums?

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If you are not a real celebrity, but want to behave like one in the comfort of your own worldwide web, then here’s a way. This simple game, a new addition to Top Gear’s website, recreates the infamous “Star in a reasonably priced car” feature. Steer your car through the tricky Hammerhead, then accelerate out of Gambon to see how you match up with the likes of Simon Cowell (the fastest star yet) and actor Brian Cox (the slowest).

We’re not very good, so far anyway. Our best time is a frankly shit 2:05:11, which we have no doubt that you can beat with some ease.

Play the game

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Posted: June 18th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Jeremy Clarkson admits doing 186mph on UK roads


Calls for BBC to sack Top Gear host after speeding admission

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For the record, Grid Crasher thinks Clarkson is a Premier League tool. Smug, arrogant, blinkered, xenophobic, badly dressed, pompous, self-aggrandising… we could go on and on about JC’s faults. He is undoubtedly the worst thing about Top Gear - who else could make James May look like a cool guy?

That said, when we heard that Clarkson had admitted speeding on a British public road (in the Limehouse Link tunnel, to be specific) at 186mph, in a Bugatti Veyron, we smiled. It’s a typical admission from this massive-headed wind-up merchant, uttered with the sole intention of annoying lefty liberals who don’t own cars. There’s nothing wrong with winding up liberals, but at 186mph? That’s almost 120mph faster than the national speed limit.

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Posted: May 30th, 2008 by Ollie Irish