Then there is a brief cameo by a Harley Davidson that he blows up. I didn’t exactly get why, except he now gets to smirk, “Now that is what I call a hog roast.”
But really, who cares about a bike going boom when the Dodge Viper is up next? Despite all the warnings by various governmental agencies warning him that to get in the Viper and drive is to die (literally), he jumps in anyway. And nearly dies. “A big red V10 axe murderer,” he calls it, spinning crazily out of control. “I do like it though,” he says, his eyes alight with that manic gleam that shines from them whenever he’s having fun. Alas, he doesn’t love it enough to not compare it to the BMW Z4, which he describes as a “bit rubbish”. I might not know much about cars, but I do know an insult when I see one.
But wait! What’s this? It’s a Ford GT. Of course, it’s about as American as “America’s national anthem, which was written by a Brit”, what with all the Europeans that worked on it. But like the American Navy, he says, which was also engineered by a Brit before the Americans finessed it, the GTX1 is much more American in character and a complete dream.
Look! It makes lovely sounds, goes really fast, isn’t as expensive as its European counterparts and… are you ready? Steers around corners! Yes! He loves it so much he actually bought it.
Now, lest you think this is a documentary by a sniffy Brit about how much America sucks, let me hasten to tell you that you’re only half right. Sniffy Brit he might be, but Clarkson seems genuinely baffled about the quality of American cars. After all, he points out, Americans make the fastest airplane in the world (the Blackbird SR-71), put the first man on the moon, and engineered a city that never runs out of water in the middle of a desert (Las Vegas). Clearly, this is a country that can do better.
Clarkson being Clarkson, he obviously has a couple of theories to offer, chief amongst them his hypothesis that Americans don't build their cars to last because they're a society used to the disposable. As his pet example is the '94 Buick, I found it a little hard to argue but you might have better luck.
Article comments
1 - Dan Mosqueda
I love Top Gear. I was offended initially by Clarkson and he went way over the top in getting his point across. But the take-away is two-fold:
1. Throw away society - this means US consumers don't generally demand much. Billy Bob will drive his pick-up a few years and than wants another one.
2. Our engineers (and more than the likely their bean-counter masters over them) either can't or won't engineer a good car. Obviously it's NOT American workers since BMW and Mercedes build the majority of their SUVs and even some sports cars in America. Also Toyota exports Avalons and Sequoias made in America. So, it's the guys WAY back at the drawing board not bothering to put that extra effort to make our cars compare to those of Europe.
Of course the Prius isn't American. I wouldn't own one, but there is no denying the economics of owning one now. It's not a performance car and doesn't pretend to be. I wish EVERYONE drove on because than gas prices would finally go down.
So, Jeremy, enjoy America. Our food and coffee puts UK food to shame. Try not drinking coffee in styrofoam mate, get it at one of millions of cafes like the Colorado Coffee Merchants (www.coloradocoffeemerchants.com). Our cars are ok. They should be much, much better. If we put our mind to it, we could shame Mercedes and BMW and absolutely trounce anything put of England, but we're pretty content, apparently, cranking out 10 million cars and selling them knowing they'll be cast aside in a few years.
2 - Eric
What's been killing American automobile quality is the UAW. Unions KILL businesses; make no mistake: they tear a company apart from the inside out. Look at the Chrysler/Chevrolet merger. They're doing it because the unions have disemboweled them. Ford is better off than they are, but I'm guessing it's not by much.
I would NEVER allow a union to take over my company. I'd fire every one of those bastards and replace them with people who just want to help grow a company in the fiscally healthiest way possible. Unions are selfish, greedy & corrupt. If not for this government 'bailout', every one of those union bloodsuckers would be permanently out of a job.
Chrysler and Chevy both would go completely under. And it would have been because both companies ALLOWED the unions to take them down. The unions would have done it to themselves and they'd blame anyone else they could think of because if they can't pull in $40+/hour, then someone else has to be to blame. They should be making a quarter of what they are now.
3 - cliff2003
hmmm clarkson does rub things in a bit,1 thing being in the states for 1 yr is they have a strange charisma on cars, usually boring like there roads
4 - cliff2003
oh should be quiet on last comment, as most americans come originate from europe silly me, maybe they need to take a trip back or learn from the Japanese. yes USA is the best in the world but most of their stuff comes from China??? Even levis made in mexico along with millions of flags out side there houses now come on!!!
5 - cliff2003
americans are just cowboys!!! take a look at West virginia etc imagine them making a car in that state no wonder the amish ride horse and buggy LOL in nearer states scared of the consequences in the future!
6 - Transatlantic
cliff2003....shut up already.
Your posts are about as accurate as your grammar.
As for this movie, Clarkson pretty well sums everything up in his opening lines. He hated everything before he even tried it. Clarkson's sharp single-minded personality really kills him as car reviewer, and his tests are pretty laughable as well.
By the way....anybody who thinks they can trick the viewers with a V6 Mustang and call it a V8 doesn't deserve to review cars.