The Car Show on Channel 9

DAVID PATERSON · 27 May 2006, 03:46 (Ref:1619938)

Has anyone ever watched this and what did you think of it?

It's never been much chop, but it is definitely much worse than it used to be. I got to the end of today's episode and just felt cheated. What a waste of time and effort! I want my half hour back.

Glenn Ridge is the host and he really should know better. I have never heard of the other presenters and not only do they lack credentials they seem to lack the ability to do their job well.

The worst part of today's show was a blatant rip-off of a practical joke that did the rounds of the internet last year. You take a bland Japanese shppoing trolley off the used car lot and literally chop it up, removing any part which is deemed to be excess weight, then run it down the quarter and see if it goes faster than standard.

For reasons I don't understand, they cut the doors off, rather than simply unbolt them and then found it was slower, until they had a brainstorm and removed the tailgate too!

Eventually, the car was gutted and the roof was removed from the b-pillar back, in order to reduce weight. Oddly, they didn't remove the horn or air cleaner!

In the end, it did a 17, 1 second quicker than the standard car. Big Deal.

racer69 · 27 May 2006, 04:04 (Ref:1619942)

And where was the official timing? The woman driving had to tell the bloke what time they set.......it could have been anything.

mmciau · 27 May 2006, 04:09 (Ref:1619945)

Channel 9 have got to put some sort of dribble on so they can recycle the electrons!!

Time fill junk!!

Mike

00 XR8 · 27 May 2006, 07:22 (Ref:1619976)

David, I watched the show this afternoon also, and came on here to start this exact thread, lol.

What an absolute waste of time this show is. Last week they summed up a comparo between an FPV GT and a sports bike by telling us the GT is better if you have a family and the bike is better in traffic. They didn't need to waste any petrol to tell us that.

Also, does any one else find it rather silly that the "Yokohama Hotlap" thing is trying to find out the best car of all time or whatever they say, but a different person drives each car. Isn't that a rather unnecessary variable?

I realise the budget maybe lacking slightly, but I really think they could try harder than they do. Hopefully next week they tell us why they cut that Corona to bits, as everything they "discovered" about air drag and weight vs speed was so bloody obvious it was embarrassing. And if Morley had made one more joke about wanting to have sex with the female presenter in the back of the wagon, I was going to call the police.................

Lame.

johnh875 · 27 May 2006, 07:55 (Ref:1619986)

Sounds like I didn't miss anything this week.

Re the cut up a car and drag it - I remembered when I saw the promo last week that it had been done yonks ago with a Datsun 120Y. It was in the dying days of Car Australia magazine (Dec93/Jan94 issue) and the journo was one David Morley. For the record they started with a poo-brown 120Y from a wreckers and 20.2 @ 70mph and ended up with a whole lot less car and 18.1 @ 85mph.

I also saw the (remains of the) Corona up at Heathcote last weekend - they cut the 120Y up a lot more

PVDA · 27 May 2006, 12:13 (Ref:1620140)

I've only subjected myself to a handful of the Car Show but I have to say they really are just a poor imitation of Top Gear on the BBC.

Now that's a motoring show.....

Uncle Cranker · 28 May 2006, 02:10 (Ref:1620520)

I think the best episode was when 'The Car Show' highlighted the good work of Racesafe who enacted some Australian Motoring Karma, and chopped the bejesus out of a mid 80's Camira with the Jaw's of Life.....

Another quality winner of Wheels Car of the Year.......

Notso Swift · 29 May 2006, 06:02 (Ref:1621680)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVDA

I've only subjected myself to a handful of the Car Show but I have to say they really are just a poor imitation of Top Gear on the BBC.

Now that's a motoring show.....

New Eps of top gear will be on in about 6 weeks (and counting) straight after the World Cup in the Monday 7.30 pm slot.
Love it - A car show that even my wife likes to watch, and prime time.

retro · 29 May 2006, 06:22 (Ref:1621685)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notso Swift

New Eps of top gear will be on in about 6 weeks (and counting) straight after the World Cup in the Monday 7.30 pm slot.
Love it - A car show that even my wife likes to watch, and prime time.

I still can't make up my mind if I like the new Top Gear or the old Top Gear.

I loved watching Tiff Needall and Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Barlow and Quentin Willson flogging cars around various tracks and countries.

This new version is slicker but lacks the character of the old version.(which you can now see on Foxtel as 5th Gear.(with Jason Plato)

............Comments anyone.

.

racer69 · 29 May 2006, 07:58 (Ref:1621727)

I like Top Gear, but prefer 5th Gear.

Some of the stuff Tiff Needell and Jason Plato do are gear to watch, particularly their 'races' (eg.. the Porsche and the BMW). The crash tests are quite interesting as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notso Swift

New Eps of top gear will be on in about 6 weeks (and counting) straight after the World Cup in the Monday 7.30 pm slot.
Love it - A car show that even my wife likes to watch, and prime time.

They might be new to SBS, but the same episodes aired on Foxtel (on BBC World) more than a year ago.

Dobbo89 · 29 May 2006, 10:29 (Ref:1621837)

[QUOTE=retro]I still can't make up my mind if I like the new Top Gear or the old Top Gear.

I loved watching Tiff Needall and Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Barlow and Quentin Willson flogging cars around various tracks and countries.

This new version is slicker but lacks the character of the old version.(which you can now see on Foxtel as 5th Gear.(with Jason Plato)

............Comments anyone.

.I too prefer 5th gear, I like the head to head at their race track, but my favorite story was the one I saw a couple of weeks back where Tiff tried to make the Lotus esprit go 200mph on a budget.

DAVID PATERSON · 30 May 2006, 03:20 (Ref:1622572)

I really like both Top Gear and 5th Gear and let's face it, both of them are so far above and beyond every other car show ever made, it's just ridiculous.

woodbine · 30 May 2006, 04:58 (Ref:1622613)

My favourite Top Gear moment has to be Tiff taking a McLaren round the Lotus test track. His commentary consisted mainly of "whoaar, woo, yeha". It didn't make much sense but it got the experience across beautifully

As I don't have Foxtel I (and my 10 year old son and wife) are all looking forward to the return of Top Gear. Now if they can just show the episode where Mansell took the Suzuki round the track....

DAVID PATERSON · 31 May 2006, 09:46 (Ref:1623645)

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodbine

my 10 year old son and wife

Whoa man, that's just weird.

StuiE · 31 May 2006, 10:17 (Ref:1623663)

Not a fan of 5th gear, it just bores me. That said all the Aus made car shows are worse, Drivetime TV in WA is an example. The car show has never ben any good, even back 10 yrs ago when it was pretty different (may have been WA only the one I saw). There was one on ch 10 a while ago too, with Micheal Stahl?

Top gear is much better IMO, everything seems exciting and funny.

The episodes on BBC world are chopped down to 30 mins (or used to be) and only had the cover story, you really need all the other little stuff with it though.

DAVID PATERSON · 1 Jun 2006, 02:19 (Ref:1624304)

Michael Stahl hosted Drive on Ten, it was knockoff of top Gear, but not as good.

racer69 · 1 Jun 2006, 07:55 (Ref:1624373)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtr69

Not a fan of 5th gear, it just bores me. That said all the Aus made car shows are worse, Drivetime TV in WA is an example. The car show has never ben any good, even back 10 yrs ago when it was pretty different (may have been WA only the one I saw). There was one on ch 10 a while ago too, with Micheal Stahl?

Top gear is much better IMO, everything seems exciting and funny.

It depends what you are after in a car show, 5th Gear is looking to inform the viewer (eg... their stories on things like mileage, crash tests etc..), while in a lot of ways Top Gear these days is about having fun with cars.

The Top Gear of 2006 is very different to the Top Gear of 2000 or 2001. Back then it consisted of among others Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson, and was a very similiar show to what 5th Gear is now. Tiff, Vicki and others didn't like the way the BBC wanted the program to go, so went off and started their own show (5th Gear), Jeremy Clarkson hosted the 'new Top Gear' from 2002 and that style continues today with that program.

**GTRMagic** · 1 Jun 2006, 09:10 (Ref:1624420)

Are the episodes of The Car Show as presented in the wee hours of the morning first run shows, or are they repeats? The competitions and motorsport events are all current...

I really should find a cure for this insomnia..

Rombles1 · 1 Jun 2006, 11:13 (Ref:1624502)

Quote:

Originally Posted by racer69

It depends what you are after in a car show, 5th Gear is looking to inform the viewer (eg... their stories on things like mileage, crash tests etc..), while in a lot of ways Top Gear these days is about having fun with cars.

The Top Gear of 2006 is very different to the Top Gear of 2000 or 2001. Back then it consisted of among others Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson, and was a very similiar show to what 5th Gear is now. Tiff, Vicki and others didn't like the way the BBC wanted the program to go, so went off and started their own show (5th Gear), Jeremy Clarkson hosted the 'new Top Gear' from 2002 and that style continues today with that program.

I made the mistake of watching Top Gear a couple of weeks ago.... was a repeat of a show from 18 months ago. The mistake I made, though, was not taking an oxygen bottle! My wife was listening from the other room and thought I was watching my DVD of BASEketball again.... she banned me from watching that the first time I watched it after I laughed so hard I forgot to breathe....

I really need to get a life.

DAVID PATERSON · 5 Jun 2006, 03:00 (Ref:1627267)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Are the episodes of The Car Show as presented in the wee hours of the morning first run shows, or are they repeats? The competitions and motorsport events are all current...

I really should find a cure for this insomnia..

GTR, the daytime show and the wee small hour episodes are all first run, in fact one is a repeat of the other. However, the daytime episde is rated G and goes for 30 minutes, the night time show is rated M and goes for an hour, so it's the same stuff, with a bit extra.

DAVID PATERSON · 25 Jul 2006, 02:33 (Ref:1663810)

I wacthed the Car Show again on the weekend. I thought I'd giove them another chance. A waste of my time. It hasn't improved one jot, it actually seems worse. They haven't replied to my email yet, i guess they never will.

Conversely, i watched Top Gear last night. What a hoot! Fun stories, funny, clever presenters who have great rapport, love what they do, know their stuff and genuinely get on well. Very, very enjoyable.

pink_bits · 25 Jul 2006, 02:52 (Ref:1663817)

I love Top Gear!! It's an awesome show, the guys have a great sense of humour and are not afraid to bag anything!

mayhem · 25 Jul 2006, 03:01 (Ref:1663820)

The Cheap ----box Challenge was a beauty, what Hammond did to that BMW in an effort to turn it into a racecar was hilarious!

Henry · 25 Jul 2006, 03:32 (Ref:1663826)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayhem

The Cheap ----box Challenge was a beauty, what Hammond did to that BMW in an effort to turn it into a racecar was hilarious!

It was brilliant... couldn't stop laughing at that poor old XJ-S... a worhty follow-up to the Porsche challenge of the previous year...

StuiE · 25 Jul 2006, 12:56 (Ref:1664156)

Brilliant it was!

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