The Top Gear MEGATHREAD!!!!

[Sly]

Damn right... the same goes for the Enzo's naturally aspirated V12 which incredibly hits 800PS in the FXX.

To paraphrase Gordon Murray (one of the men responsible for the F1's V12) if you have to go forced induction, then supercharger is a damn sight better than a turbocharger. but a properly developed naturally aspirated is the best of all.

Nice to see we are on the same wave length on this one. We had a guest lecture by Gordon Murray when I was at Uni, he even bought in bits of the car. The man is a genius

 

[iGav]

Nice to see we are on the same wave length on this one.

I'm sure there'll be other stuff we'll agree on and disagree on... variety is the spice and all that jazz

I don't carry thread vendetta's though... unless of course someone disses Strongbow!!! that's unforgivable.

 

[mpw]

I'm sure there'll be other stuff we'll agree on and disagree on... variety is the spice and all that jazz

I don't carry thread vendetta's though... unless of course someone disses Strongbow!!! that's unforgivable.

THWACK! THWACK! Mmmmmmm....Strongbow.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

J.C. talks crap though... I suspect that it won't be all that long before another car truly supercedes it, take a look at the 288 GTO then a couple of years later came the 959, a couple of years later we had the F40, a couple of years later the XJ220 a couple of years later the EB 110 GT/SS, a couple of years later the F1/F50 a couple of years later the Enzo a couple of years later the Veyron. Swings and roundabouts my friend.

Well, I certainly agree that Clarkson is full of it.

I find it particularly ironic that Clarkson often portays your stereotypical American as fat, loud, and opinionated...whereas Jeremy himself is, well, you see where I'm going here. He's pretty American for a Brit.

How much faster can a road car be before diminishing returns make the numbers pointless? If the Bugatti could hit 300mph it wouldn't really mean anything more since it is a road car. And you can't go that fast on any road. But yeah, I be in my lifetime we'll see a 300mph hyper-exotic. The Mclaren F1 was tops for what, 11 years? Let's see how long the Bugatti reigns.

 

[iGav]

Trouble with the Renaults .. very good Engines but their build quality and styling is shocking!!!!!!! i mean uuughhh!!!

I agree on everything except the styling... I think the Megane 225 is a stonking looking piece of kit I mean, compare it to the Astra for example... in one of the most conservative segments, I think Renault should be applauded for actually giving a sh*t about design, love it or loathe it... it makes a bold statement, especially against Vauxdull and Honda's amazingly OAP Civic Type-R.

 

[robbieduncan]

OAP Civic Type-R.

You were saying?

 

[iGav]

You were saying?

Nothing shows up for me???

I take it it's based on the incredibly crap looking new Civic though?

 

[robbieduncan]

Nothing shows up for me???

I take it it's based on the incredibly crap looking new Civic though?

Is this any better? I think it looks quite cool.

 

[link92]

How much faster can a road car be before diminishing returns make the numbers pointless? If the Bugatti could hit 300mph it wouldn't really mean anything more since it is a road car. And you can't go that fast on any road. But yeah, I be in my lifetime we'll see a 300mph hyper-exotic. The Mclaren F1 was tops for what, 11 years? Let's see how long the Bugatti reigns.

For me the McLaren F1 is still the best car ever built. In 11 years if the Bugatti is still that fastest, then I'll start thinking about it.

There again, it was only 11mph faster than the Koenigsegg CCR (which held the record for less than a year, until the Bugatti Veyron went on sale), whereas the McLaren was 23mph faster than the Jag XJ220.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Is this any better? I think it looks quite cool.

I like it better than the previous type-R hatchback, but it looks a little blingy in that orange - maybe if I saw it in black....anyway it looks good but I wouldn't buy one over a Golf GTI or a hot Focus (if they ever sell one again in the states ).

 

[iGav]

Is this any better? I think it looks quite cool.

I thought that was the one you meant... certainly less OAP than the outgoing, quasi-mpv-oap-mobile, heheh tries too hard though IMHO, it's like the new SEAT's, they already look dated.

Oh, have you seen the new Civic's interior???

 

[iGav]

the Jag XJ220.

The big Jag really could've been an awesome car... had they stuck with the V12 and 4WD as intended, rather than the botich and scarper Metro power V6 2WD bodge job that they ended up with.

 

[XIII]

I agree on everything except the styling... I think the Megane 225 is a stonking looking piece of kit I mean, compare it to the Astra for example... in one of the most conservative segments, I think Renault should be applauded for actually giving a sh*t about design, love it or loathe it... it makes a bold statement, especially against Vauxdull and Honda's amazingly OAP Civic Type-R.

TOTALLY agree. Renault's designs are modern, fresh, and ambitious. Much better than the rest.

 

[Sly]

They did it was called the XJR15 (no 4WD though) and in many ways it was a better car than the XJ220 certainly with regards to construction anyway. The XJR15 started life as Jaguars offical works supercar where as the XJ220 was a 'Breakfast Club' project car started without Jaguars knowledge. In the end the XJR turned out to be one or the worst handling cars ever, but very pretty and sounded awesome.

 

[mpw]

They did it was called the XJR15...

I've been in one of those.

 

[Sly]

Wasn't Ellen Macarthur brilliant in 'Star in a reasonably priced car' the week before last. That girl never ceases to amaze me, she only learnt to drive a few years ago, because she had to, she has never done any track stuff before (as far as I know), she doesn't even really like driving! Her daily drive is a Volvo estate, yet there she sits at the top of the leader board and only 10ths of a second away from the F1 drivers times. Awesome

 

[iGav]

in many ways it was a better car than the XJ220.

It shouldn't have been too difficult... what was intended to be a technical tour de force and 959 rival, ended up as arguably a laughing stock... typical of the British car industry of the era... it's top speed was an even bigger farce, requiring the car to have it's cat's disconnected, and the rev limiter increased to get even anywhere near the speed its name implied.

 

[robbieduncan]

It shouldn't have been too difficult... what was intended to be a technical tour de force and 959 rival, ended up as arguably a laughing stock... typical of the British car industry of the era... it's top speed was an even bigger farce, requiring the car to have it's cat's disconnected, and the rev limiter increased to get even anywhere near the speed its name implied.

But for £85,000 would you really say no? True you could buy an AM V8 (or a 911) but the Jag would be and amazing experience...

 

[iGav]

would you really say no?

yep... especially when £49k would get you a TR a car which is generally regarding as having the finest sounding engine of any road car. is only marginally slower, and doesn't suffer from the bitch of all turbo lags.

 

[robbieduncan]

yep... especially when £49k would get you a TR a car which is generally regarding as having the finest sounding engine of any road car. is only marginally slower, and doesn't suffer from the bitch of all turbo lags.

Well when you put it like that! Still it's all in the land of make believe at the moment. Maybe one day....

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I like the look of the Jag better than the TR, but I'd rather own the TR.

Factoid: The Testa Rossa is one of only three Ferraris I've ever seen in my hometown of Cleveland - it was on a flatbed driving on the freeway. I was filled with lust.

But WTF were they thinking slapping a turbo V6 into that (IMO) beautiful XJ220 body? It's OK for a Noble but a Jag needs a V12. And a V12 would have had the balls to make good on the speed promise.

 

[robbieduncan]

A short history of the XJ220. A truly sad tale One day Britain will make world beating cars again

 

[Sly]

But WTF were they thinking slapping a turbo V6 into that (IMO) beautiful XJ220 body? It's OK for a Noble but a Jag needs a V12. And a V12 would have had the balls to make good on the speed promise.

The original designs specified a V12 (a modified version of the ones used in the saloons) but the V12 design was vetoed by Jaguar as they had already bagged it for the works/TWR XJR15. The V6 installed was IMO a better engine for the job, lighter than the V12 and dry sumped so it sits nice and low in the chassis, the V6 design also made it nice & short. The engine was original designed and used in the Group B rally Metros and is a proper race engine rather than a modified luxury saloon engine that was already 20+ years old at the time. The XJ220 turned out to be an excellent handling car, it held the lap record at the Nuremburg ring for a short while. The T.R. & XJR15's V12's may have sound good but both are too heavy and too high in the chassis ruining the handling in both cars.

 

[mpw]

...The T.R. & XJR15's V12's may have sound good but both are too heavy and too high in the chassis ruining the handling in both cars.

The TR was a boxer not a vee wasn't it? Surely it would've had a lower CofG.

 

[iGav]

The TR was a boxer not a vee wasn't it? Surely it would've had a lower CofG.

It was a flat 12, though I believe it was mounted on top of the gearbox, raising it's height.

That said, it was mounted siignificantly lower in the TR and 512M than it was in the Testarossa.