Author Topic: Jeremy Clarkson-The Good The Bad The Ugly (Read 10251 times)

Viking · « **Reply #210 on:** January 11, 2007, 12:50:15 AM »

I thought you were done with me Mini D? I'm not from Great Britain either. What "incredibly insulting statements" have I made? Yes I think the show was funny because it made fun at you Americans, but then I think it's fun when they make fun at the Germans and the British and the French and even the Norwegians. Norwegian comedians are experts at poking fun at Norway, and I don't find it one bit insulting no matter who is doing it. I feel sorry for you; must be awful not having a sense of humor.

Excel1 · « **Reply #211 on:** January 11, 2007, 04:22:11 AM »

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Originally posted by eskimo2
Like I said, I hate myself, that’s why I drove Fiats (but only as a second car, you can’t count on them as a primary). They all sucked and I also spent more time fixing them than driving them. I also have a good sense of humor which is why I liked the 500.

No problem eskimo, I understand your Fiat hobby, with me it was old English Fords and Vauxhalls... some of them good, some not so good and some just out right punishing to own. But I liked them all. I've still got a 39 year old high maintenance gas guzzling Ford that I'm keeping because I refuse to believe that the 1970s are over, and also it's fun to drive.

FastFwd · « **Reply #212 on:** January 11, 2007, 04:27:56 AM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
yes they are but... they can be very practical. My elky is, after all.... somewhat a pickup. I can load a big screen TV into it or a fridge or.. bring home a V8 and transmission in the back... it will cruise on the freeway at 70mph at two thousand rpm all day long or..100 mph at less than 3 thousand. it has air conditioning and a huge interior... it has brake and suspension upgrades and handles well.

But Lazs2, many of those new Euro turbo diesels - even ones made by Fiat LOL - have similar gearing, and will therefore cruise all day at 70mph at 2000rpm... or 100mph at less than 3000rpm. They have air conditioning too. And they handle very well - even without brake and suspension upgrades. The difference between them and you're elky is that they can go about four times as far on the same amount of fuel.

Now that the Porsche 911 has crept into this thread, I knew a guy who had a 1977 Carrera 3.0 - one of the air cooled ones. He's a very good driver and said it needed absolute concentration to drive it, something which not everyone has.

Excel1 · « **Reply #213 on:** January 11, 2007, 05:23:12 AM »

The oil burners my be getting quicker but I can only imagine owning one as like getting socks for Xmas.

Drop a 351c and an AOD tranny into a 1960s era English MK4 Zephyr with a 3.7:1 diff ratio shod with 14" rims and it'll lope along all day at 70mph at 2,000rpm.

But it won’t do 100mph at 3,000rpm, the tranny kicks down to 3rd at 90mph. But that’s not a problem, at a 100mph it's making 5,000rpm of Clevo music, sounding like an engine should, and not a hopped-up tractor

lazs2 · « **Reply #214 on:** January 11, 2007, 08:34:51 AM »

lot's of apples and oranges... what clarkson misses is the real automotive scene in America.

For most of us, cars are just raw material. I never have bought a new car and have never seen more than one model from either your-up or America at a time that looked like something I would buy... well maybe a couple of American ones right now intrigue me.

The chevelle and BMW comparrisson is strange.. the chevelle is 60's tech and the bimmer is 80's tech... upgrade the chevelle to 80's suspension and drivetrain and it will beat the bimmer in everything. Park both cars and no one will even look at the bimmer.

clarkson is for automobiles that he can purchase... he is a ruling class kind of guy that thinks only the well off.. the better people should have supercars. That is what makes him so...so... your-0-peeean and... so wrong.

Fastfwrd.. my elky may cruise at 2 grand but it will rev to over 6 grand through the gears and probly over 5 grand in 6th.. do the math. Do those diesels rev to 6 grand?

moot... the Lincoln does not really wallow.. in fact.. it gets around corners pretty fast.. it is perfect for most roads.. I have never had trouble following anyone around twisty roads... it is also, like I said, the most comfortable car I have ever driven. It is very roomy. It is also pretty boring to drive.

It would be perfect with a little better shocks and a blown 400 hp mustang motor for a little kick now and then. I paid like 12 grand for the car used. I have put 50k on it with no trouble at all. What could I possibly buy here that would compete with that?

I don't know what parts for your-0-peean cars cost over there but here... they are ridiculous... you can't even afford stock parts for em much less hot rod stuff.

The euro trash cars are already high strung.. not much left in em for the garage guy.

The main difference is.. cars are a fun sport here SEMA is a multi billion dollar a year industry catering to hot rod parts for cars... that would and could not exist in your-up with the raw material you have available.

The closest thing to the American car scene for the average hot rodder is Australia and... they drive on the wrong side of the road but... other than that... they get it.

To most of us the euro scene is just a bunch of class warfare with boring crap boxes on one end and the lords car on the other and no real way to do anything else.

lazs

AKH · « **Reply #215 on:** January 11, 2007, 09:21:50 AM »

Clarkson is a ruling class kind of guy? You really are clueless about our country and the other "euro-peons."

Viking · « **Reply #216 on:** January 11, 2007, 10:05:59 AM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
lot's of apples and oranges... what clarkson misses is the real automotive scene in America.

No doubt … but that's not the point of the show. Discovery does shows like that. With the exception of one episode Top Gear and Clarkson have always been about the new standard cars that people can buy (and some they can't). The modding scene has never been one of his features.

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Originally posted by lazs2
The chevelle and BMW comparrisson is strange.. the chevelle is 60's tech and the bimmer is 80's tech... upgrade the chevelle to 80's suspension and drivetrain and it will beat the bimmer in everything. Park both cars and no one will even look at the bimmer.

Actually the BMW is 1970's tech. That the picture is of an '80s example is incidental. You may compare it to '70s American cars if you like, but if I understand Mini D correctly pre-1968 is preferable.

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Originally posted by lazs2
clarkson is for automobiles that he can purchase... he is a ruling class kind of guy that thinks only the well off.. the better people should have supercars. That is what makes him so...so... your-0-peeean and... so wrong.

Clearly you don't know him. Most of the cars that are tested on Top Gear are affordable for the majority of Europeans (Western Europe anyway).

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Originally posted by lazs2
I don't know what parts for your-0-peean cars cost over there but here... they are ridiculous... you can't even afford stock parts for em much less hot rod stuff.

Depends on the car and what parts. There is a large market for after-market parts here. My BMW is lowered, stiffened, upgraded suspension parts (sway bar, shocks), sports exhaust and the engine is chipped and tuned for a modest increase in HP. For that I've spent about $1500, perhaps $2000 in parts. Another $1200 for new wheels with high-performance tires. I don't know if that is considered expensive where you are.

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Originally posted by lazs2
To most of us the euro scene is just a bunch of class warfare with boring crap boxes on one end and the lords car on the other and no real way to do anything else.

I'm sure that's all you see, but I think you might be overlooking something. While there is little or no hotrod scene in Europe, the "euro scene" as you call it is known as the streetcar scene … you know, the kids with their noz-ed up ricers and VWs with outrageous body kits and paint. If you hadn't been older than dirt you would have gathered that the streetcar is the hotrod of today, and many of these "crap boxes" will out race any old school hotrod you care to mention.

A few pictures so you can see how out of touch you are:

There's even a small Fiat there for Eskimo to enjoy. These kids spend a lot and work a lot on their hobby, and I'm sure they enjoy their cars as much as you did and do with your old geezermobil.

Viking · « **Reply #217 on:** January 11, 2007, 10:51:14 AM »

Here's a Swedish streetcar. A completely insane 1971 Opel Manta with a Volvo 4-banger turboed and intercooled to 500+ hp. Mostly home built modifications.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5064355047013688839&q=opel+manta

Awesome!

FastFwd · « **Reply #218 on:** January 11, 2007, 10:53:11 AM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
Fastfwrd.. my elky may cruise at 2 grand but it will rev to over 6 grand through the gears and probly over 5 grand in 6th.. do the math. Do those diesels rev to 6 grand?

Probably not, but do they need to? A gasoline powered engine reaches max torque somewhere around 3300rpm. A typical diesel might red line at 4500rpm, but will deliver max torque as low as 1800rpm. So from max torque to red line is about the same for both types of engine - about 2700rpm difference in each case.

I'm just reading about some of these eurodiesels - one German maker now has a 4.2 liter V8 turbo diesel which can reach 60mph in less than 6 secs and is speed limited to 155mph - which probably means it could go faster still. And - overall fuel consumption is 30mpg. What gas mileage do you get in the elky?

Viking · « **Reply #219 on:** January 11, 2007, 10:57:58 AM »

LOL 0-60 in 1.64 sec.

(Edit: The Opel I mean.)

Viking · « **Reply #220 on:** January 11, 2007, 11:03:33 AM »

Here's a Norwegian old early 1990s BMW M5 with a 1000+ hp and 1000+ nm of torque. Also a lot of other "streetcars" on the circuit.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8071895731410147277

Viking · « **Reply #221 on:** January 11, 2007, 11:11:53 AM »

That BMW had real problems getting all those horses on to the road with only rear wheel drive. Really need 4x4 for a 1000 hp.

lazs2 · « **Reply #222 on:** January 11, 2007, 03:00:05 PM »

ok... gshlotz... so you admit that there is no hot rod scene and then you show some pics of econboxes modified and drag racing... we have those two... they are just a small part of our multi billion dollar industry.. I think we know a little more about it than you guys.

We can have a 1000 or more hp motor delivered to our homes or build on in the garage. Most don't but it is nothing to see 500 hp cars that guys making walmart wages own. You can buy a 500 hp crate motor for less than 5 grand.

excel gets it (like I said.. the aussies get it) they have been building real hot rods all along.

gshlotz (viking) points to a few euro hot rods and acts like it is a big deal... for every one he can find I can find 100 or more better performing American Hot Rods.

I may be wrong about the top gear guy... don't watch the show and have only seen the utube ones and every one had very expensive cars being shown.

fstfwrd... again..you missed the point... if both cars cruise at 2 grand... but one runs out of gas at 4500 and the other at 6500... which will have the higher top speed?

lazs

Viking · « **Reply #223 on:** January 11, 2007, 03:07:48 PM »

I haven't pointed to any "euro hotrods". I've shown you a few streetcars. 500 hp crate engines you say. Apt name for them since they weigh half a ton. Europeans can get 500 hp out of a vacuum cleaner, and so can the Nippons.

Did you see that Norwegian BMW? 1033 bhp from a 3.8 liter inline 6. That's engineering.

Choocha · « **Reply #224 on:** January 11, 2007, 03:21:43 PM »

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