The Inimitable Jeremy Clarkson


Jeremy Clarkson


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Thread Starter #16
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Love him or hate him, but you have to give it to the guy that he is still surviving despite having made such comments about various car makers that would never make any friends with anyone. How many times do we read/hear such stinging, caustic comments about any car/car maker in any other motoring magazine/ TV show apart from Top Gear? Indian journalists desist from making such comments lest the auto maker wont let them touch their next product for testing. But Jeremy Clarkson keeps on testing new car after new car and gets away with it all. Surprising or courtesy efforts of other Top Gear men/women?
 
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Love him or hate him, but you have to give it to the guy that he is still surviving despite having made such comments about various car makers that would never make any friends with anyone. How many times do we read/hear such stinging, caustic comments about any car/car maker in any other motoring magazine/ TV show apart from Top Gear? Indian journalists desist from making such comments lest the auto maker wont let them touch their next product for testing. But Jeremy Clarkson keeps on testing new car after new car and gets away with it all. Surprising or courtesy efforts of other Top Gear men/women?
First of all the BBC is funded publicly taking out of the public's pockets in excess of 17,000 crore rupee annually, as soon as you own a TV whether you watch BBC or not.

When you look at a lot of males in Britain they survive too in their relationships despite treating their partners like dirt. These are the people Jeremy Clarkson made his success on. This is hardly a testimony of quality or class.

He is nationalist as well as racist. He is talking down India and many other countries like Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, to name a few.

People with style do not go down the JC route.

There are not that many people who watch Top Gear in Britain that any of the car companies would have reason to worry. I heard quite a few people saying that it is a great show, but they are talking rubbish. Hmmm

But everyone to their own.

By the way, he just the other week nearly lost his job when he just about saved himself by publicly apologising.
 
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Well he is not exactly Idol material but a critic,most of the things in the show are usually scripted,
I had read (read only) couple of his review. They are very much interesting and intriguing.

From technical point of view his words leads you no where. rather they are not so transparent or clear for the popularity he enjoys.

When it comes to India I agree .Indians do not deserve Good cars but Vans and Rikshas only so let us forget anything said concerning India .
 
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I was a fan of this guy and I did not care much of his "reviews"...it is just an entertainment show and not an autoshow. BUT the recent indian episode was nonsense. I dont know why they spent so much money to make such a dud.
And Of course its scripted
 
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Being Indians, we would certainly not take nicely to all that has been said and shown in the India Special Episode but can anyone comment how well this episode has been taken up by people in other countries?
 
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Being Indians, we would certainly not take nicely to all that has been said and shown in the India Special Episode but can anyone comment how well this episode has been taken up by people in other countries?
Other reviews i read said that it was disappointingly boring & some of the other specials like previous Iraq & Vietnam were very nice,even i did feel the Indian special was a bit of a drag considering the hype,but there was no mention of any racism in foreign reviews,atleast the ones i was reading the moment it was aired in uk as i was looking to download it just after 2 hours of airing,
 
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Other reviews i read said that it was disappointingly boring & some of the other specials like previous Iraq & Vietnam were very nice,even i did feel the Indian special was a bit of a drag considering the hype,but there was no mention of any racism in foreign reviews,atleast the ones i was reading the moment it was aired in uk as i was looking to download it just after 2 hours of airing,
Then you probably haven't seen the following links(I had posted them before and they both are from the UK itself.). Jeremy might be put on a leash this time. I have already sent a complaint to BBC for that matter as well, I just can't take this anymore.[anger]

Jeremy Clarkson in row over Top Gear India special | Media | guardian.co.uk

Jeremy Clarkson accused of 'racist' India toilet jibes after Top Gear Christmas Special | Mail Online
 
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there are a lot of people of who love and hate him. i absoulutely love him though i agree his comments are sometimes offensive ( i havent watched the indian special just yet). but thats his style. blunt and aggressive. and you have to accept him the way he is. also another important thing is that one should not really take him all that seriously.
 
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Slightly off the topic but relevant nevertheless. As we all know, he is both a writer and a presenter. So what do we think he does better? Write or Present? Personally, I rate his literary skills much higher than his presenting ones. I am yet to come across another automotive journalist who manages to capture the romance behind a deserving car the way Clarkson does. Just read the last couple of paragraphs of his review of the Ferrari 275 GTS (and the paragraph in which he compares a soul stirring car to a book/painting) and you would understand what I mean:

When you drive into a village these days there is often an electronic sign that flashes on to tell you how fast you’re going. That’s very useful . . . but not half as useful as a sign to tell you how much of a berk you look.

I even have a name for such a device: a cock-o-meter. The idea being that it would process an image of your face, your hair and your clothes, and marry this information to the sort of car you’re driving. You’d then be given a score out of 10.

BMW M3s driven by people with shaved heads would get 10. Saabs driven by people in linen jackets would get maybe one or two.

And anyone in a Ferrari 275 GTS – even if they were a curious mixture of Bill Gates and Kim Jong-il – would get zero. In this car it is impossible to look like a cock.
Even if you are one.

This is not one of the great Ferraris. It is not a 250 GTO or a Daytona. It’s not a shark-nose racer or an F40.

Many car enthusiasts have never heard of it. Even among the Ferrari cognoscenti it’s a little known oxbow lake, Tim Henman with wire wheels.

If you liken Ferrari to the Who, it’s not Baba O’Riley or My Generation. It’s more like Happy Jack.

Part of the problem is that even by the contemporary standards of 1964 it really wasn’t very good.

The best thing is that it had an unusual fixed propshaft which, because the engine moved around on its rubber mountings, would wear out in moments. This meant owners never really had a chance to discover that the braking system was made out of what appeared to be veal. For stopping a GTS you’d have been better off opening the door and running your shoe along the road.

For reasons lost in the mists of time, the 275 was fitted with 14in wheels, which meant the discs had to be smaller than the engineers would have liked. They were fine for popping to the shops for milk, and at speed they’d work once or maybe twice. But after that I’m afraid you were going to meet your maker with a rather surprised and annoyed look on your face.

There was another interesting issue, too. Ferrari decided to fit a small two-man sofa instead of a passenger seat, saying they’d made a 2+1. And indeed they had, but woe betide the man who put a girl in a skirt in the middle. Because every time he went for fifth he’d get a slap.

None of this matters though, because, and I’m afraid I can’t take any argument on the matter, this is the prettiest Ferrari ever made. And that would make it the prettiest thing ever made, including Raquel Welch, who owned one.

I worry about modern Ferraris. They are deeply, deeply impressive and my respect for the technological abilities is boundless. They really do feel very far ahead of all other cars on the road. But emotionally they leave me unaffected: cold.

The 430, the 599 and to a lesser extent the 612 are as brilliant as laptop computers. But what I want from a Ferrari is not science and maths. I want heart and soul. I want love and affection. I want them to be less like a laptop and more like a book or a painting.

Perhaps this has something to do with the company’s current, and misguided, obsession with putting as much Formula One trinketry into the road cars as is humanly possible. Square steering wheels with gearchange advisory lights. Flappy paddle gearboxes. Five-way traction control. Look under the bonnet of a 599 and you’ll find the plastic sheet fitted to shroud the radiators has been sculptured to resemble the nose of an F1 car. That’s not clever. It’s naff. Drive past a cock-o-meter in a car like this and it will explode.

In the early days Ferrari road cars were not designed or marketed to exploit the company’s track stars. When the 275 came along in 1964 it had nothing in common with the V8 F1 car that John Surtees used to win the championship that year. And there was no attempt to pretend it did, as there is now with the grand prix tinsel and traction control malarkey.

Back then, yes, Ferrari’s racers kept the name in the headlines, but the road cars were made for playboys. People like Porfirio Rubirosa, who at 3am in a Montparnasse nightclub called New Jimmy’s suddenly remembered he was due to take part the following morning in a tennis tournament in Monte Carlo. Giddy, shall we say, after an evening in Paris he roared off in his Ferrari and did well, making it as far as the Bois de Boulogne before he veered off the road and into a tree, dying instantly. The 275 came from the days when Ferraris were bought by the white knights, the people who invented the jet set, not a bunch of IT consultants who want a flappy paddle gearbox so their stupid friends might think they’re Michael Schumacher. See a 599 and who comes to mind? Gary Neville? Philip Green? See a 275 and it’s a different picture that fills your head. It’s Grace Kelly in a headscarf cruising down the Promenade des Anglais. It’s Gianni Agnelli stepping off a Riva speedboat in St Tropez and screaming down the Riviera for a dinner date in Portofino. That’s why the 275 is a cock mask.

When I saw one in the flesh for the first time last week I didn’t really want to get in it and go for a drive. And not only because I knew the brakes wouldn’t work and I’d end up all dead. No. I didn’t want to get inside because then I couldn’t look at that gasp-inducing Pininfarina styling any more.

In some ways, I suppose, it’s a bit like the old Fiat 124. But because of the 72-spoke wire wheels and the four exhausts you just know it’s a bit more special than that.

And it is. Under the bonnet there’s a 3.3 litre V12 engine. We forget these days that to the Ferrari purist the V8 is a coarse aberration, an American import which has no place providing the propulsion and the soundtrack in a real car. A Ferrari must have a V12 in the same way that a real guitarist must have a Fender Stratocaster.

Of course by the standards of the 21st century it’s a woeful engine, drinking enormous quantities of petrol through its six carburettors and only handing 260bhp back in return. You get nearly as much as that from a Vauxhall Astra these days, and the same sort of performance. Zero to 60 in around seven seconds and a top speed of 149.

The handling is similarly out of date. This may have been the first car in the world to be fitted with independent rear suspension – not a lot of people know that. Not a lot of people care. But you need to be a brave man to find what it feels like at the limit. I wasn’t. Not with the owner watching.

All I know is that at surprisingly moderate speeds the wheels feel like they’re not really connected to the car at all, flopping over in the arches as the suspension fails to keep the tyres in flat contact with the road. At 50, in a gentle bend, the rubber was howling in protest.

This was fine by me because the slower you drive this car the more time it takes to get somewhere and the longer, therefore, you are in it. If it had had a stereo, rather than a medium-wave radio, I’d have slotted Matt Monro into the CD, and with the strains of On Days Like These filling the cabin I’d have set off at 30 and spent a month driving to the south of France.

Sadly it’s very difficult to buy one. Just 200 were made and only 14 had right-hand drive. They come onto the market from time to time and go for around £200,000 – roughly what it would cost to buy a new 599.

I’d go for the old car in a heartbeat. It’s not big and it’s not clever and it’s certainly not fast. But possibly, just possibly, this is the most exquisite car I’ve ever driven. Because here, wrapped up in 14 feet of steel and glass and wire, we find everything – everything – it was that made me fall in love with cars in the first place. A ton and a half of style, heart, and soul.
 
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there are a lot of people of who love and hate him. i absoulutely love him though i agree his comments are sometimes offensive ( i havent watched the indian special just yet). but thats his style. blunt and aggressive. and you have to accept him the way he is. also another important thing is that one should not really take him all that seriously.
Errm, if I were offensive to you, would you just say: "Drifter I just love the way you are!"?

And I wonder how you would react if I am in due course even more aggressive, blunt and insulting are?

So, someone explain to me why it is okay that Jeremy Clarkson can offend whom ever he likes and this is fine, but if anyone else does it it will not be okay.

Maybe I miss the point, but I think it is just plainly low level soap opera stuff he churns out.

In contrast Fifth gear is hardly appreciated by the public, which is a real automotive program with at least one presenter who knows what she is talking about. She at least won the Maserati cup.
 
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Errm, if I were offensive to you, would you just say: "Drifter I just love the way you are!"?

And I wonder how you would react if I am in due course even more aggressive, blunt and insulting are?

So, someone explain to me why it is okay that Jeremy Clarkson can offend whom ever he likes and this is fine, but if anyone else does it it will not be okay.

Maybe I miss the point, but I think it is just plainly low level soap opera stuff he churns out.

In contrast Fifth gear is hardly appreciated by the public, which is a real automotive program with at least one presenter who knows what she is talking about. She at least won the Maserati cup.
I remember watching one of Clarkson's recent DVDs in which he is competing against Viki Butler-Henderson (who was driving a Ferrari California) for a single lap in an Aston. Viki lead the lap for the most part though Clarkson won eventually. At one point when he is trying hard to overtake her, he comments: "I wish I worked with people who could drive like Viki." [clap]
 
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Trivia: List of cars that he has owned:

1. Ford Cortina 1600E
2. VW Scirocco
3. Scirocco MK II
4. Alfa Romeo GTV 6
5. BMW 3.0 CSL
6. Mercedes SLK 55
7. BMW Z1
8. Ford Escort Cosworth
9. Ferrari 355
10. Mercedes SL 55
11. Jauguar XJR
12. Ford GT
13. Lotus Elise 111S
14. Aston Martin DB9 (Loaned to him by Ford when his Ford GT was with returned back by him)
15. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
16. Ford Focus ST
17. Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black
18. Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon
19. Range Rover TDV8
20. Volvo XC90
21. Mercedes 600
22. Volvo 850R (wife)
23. Aston Martin V8 Vantage (wife)
24. Mitsubishi EVO X (wife)
25. Caterham R400 (wife)
26. Land Rover Defender (wife)
27. Ford Fiesta 1.3 (daughter)
 

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India demands BBC for an apology over the Top Gear India Special row!

Apologise for offensive show, India tells BBC

-----Article which appeared in the Indian Express Thu Jan 12 2012------

India has demanded an apology from the BBC over its presenter Jeremy Clarkson mocking Indian culture during a Christmas special programme while driving around the country, calling it a 'breach' of agreement.

Clarkson, one of the highest paid BBC presenters known for his controversial comments, presented the 'Top Gear' programme, which since its broadcast prompted several complaints and allegations of racism.

In its January 6 letter to the programme's producer, Chris Hale, and copied to Mark Thompson, director-general of BBC, the high commission said the BBC was "clearly in breach of the agreement that you had entered into, completely negating our constructive and proactive facilitation".

The letter added, "The programme was replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity. This is not clearly what we expect of the BBC. I write this to convey our deep disappointment over the documentary for its content and the tone of the presentation".

In the programme, Clarkson allegedly made controversial comments about India's trains, toilets, clothing, food and history.

The BBC has confirmed receiving 23 complaints about the programme, and added that it would directly respond to the Indian high commission's letter.

Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who called for a BBC apology when the programme was broadcast over Christmas, told The Telegraph last night. "It seems that the reasons given by the BBC in order to obtain their visas to go to India did not disclose the true nature of the content of this programme."

"One ridiculous programme has done a lot of damage to this good relationship. A swift apology from the BBC and Mr Clarkson may go some way towards restoring our good relations and the reputation of the BBC in India," Vaz added.


Link:Apologise for offensive show, India tells BBC - Indian Express
 
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I watched the show and I did not feel any offensive material was there.He showed reality that we Indians are trying to hide.I feel that show should be taken in a good spirit.Also I feel that for past decade Government and Indian Industry is trying to paint a rosy picture of India but the truth is opposite.The infrastructure is crippling , millions of our fellow Indians are starving for food and denied on basis some technicality.Instead on Harping on Clarkson or Top Gear we should learn from it.If I Remember Clarkson was even harsh on London stinky sewage system.

Frankly many people will be angry at me for supporting Top gear but I feel there too much nonsense patriotism and we sould not bother with these unimportant things.A nation is image is not dictated by some car show but how well its people are.
 
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I watched the show and I did not feel any offensive material was there.He showed reality that we Indians are trying to hide.I feel that show should be taken in a good spirit.Also I feel that for past decade Government and Indian Industry is trying to paint a rosy picture of India but the truth is opposite.The infrastructure is crippling , millions of our fellow Indians are starving for food and denied on basis some technicality.Instead on Harping on Clarkson or Top Gear we should learn from it.If I Remember Clarkson was even harsh on London stinky sewage system.

Frankly many people will be angry at me for supporting Top gear but I feel there too much nonsense patriotism and we sould not bother with these unimportant things.A nation is image is not dictated by some car show but how well its people are.
Its not just India that's in a bad shape, The UK is in a much worse condition if you consider the height from which they have gone down. And the toilet seat on the Jag's boot, The banners on the train, The pants down at the party, The illegal lunatic hill climb race on a public road, The illegal use of our national flag on their car all were highly disrespectful and derogatory.[confused] They have violated a whole lot of laws even. Just that you might not have noticed.

Its okay for a person to talk like that about his own country or people, But one should never say that about another nation on their soil. When they do that, Its considered as racism. Ever seen a white man call a black man 'NI***R' and just go on in the U.S? Its none of their business to come here and do all that nonsense.

It was the worst ever for a Top Gear Show. There was nothing worth while to watch, Substandard third rate humour and a bunch of loonies. Do you think we can go to the UK and drive a car with a racial line painted on it about Brits and return home like they did here? They were allowed entry into India on belief that they are not here to offend anyone let alone the entire nation. They have no right to be here, We allow them here only if they are willing to respect our sovereignty and culture. Jeremy Clarkson along with BBC has mocked and abused our culture and he should apologize.

Just take a look at what the Guardian says about schools in the UK, They dont even have proper family relationships or know how to even raise children anymore, They are that daft! I prefer our nation compared with all its faults compared to a zombie-land like theirs: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/apr/05/schools-behaviour-teachers-parents
 
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