Okay, so the guys at Top Gear can’t pronounce Bathurst, but this is one funny video. Who in Europe is going to understand Australian V8 supercar sedans and the legendary Bathurst 1000? Here’s a few things you might get about this Holden VXR8 Bathurst edition: it does 0-100 in 4.6 seconds, has a V8 turbo charged, supercharged engine and with 45,000 pounds there’s “limitless vulgarity”.

This is not a businessman’s car, believe me. In fact, it’s like the sophisticated look for Aussie men from the country, or who aspire to country. And if you’re a real farmer, you might want to try the HSV VE Maloo R8 “ute”. Otherwise known as a “pick-up” but we’re in Australia, not the US.

There is nothing hick and country about the Maloo ute, though. This is one fast, mean, pick-up: see how the “fatest ute in the world” with five seconds to reach 100 km/hr, stacks up against the Audi A8. It’s equipped with a 6.2-litre V8 with 490 hp. Wanted to know about Australian cars? You have got to watch this video!

Continue reading: Top Gear and V8 supercar sedans: Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition and Holden HSV Maloo pick-up

Jeremy Clarkson drives the Aston Martin V12 Vantage in this video. The presentation is blanketed in pathos, with Clarkson saying that he feels like he’s driving an ending. Otherwise, the verdict on the six-litre V12 with 510 hp is: “It’s fantastic. It’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”

Continue reading: Top Gear drives Aston Martin V12 Vantage

In this video we see lead AC/DC singer on Top Gear, get behind the wheel of a car and really drive. Given the rock star culture, we’d not very surprised this guy drives like his pants are on fire. After all, AC/DC has the second most sold album of all time, Back in Black.

Brian Johnson first drove a Ford Popular sit up and Beg, with a beige exterior and salmon pink interior. He says: “It was mine, and it was freedom.” I know what he means, except that my first car was a 12-year-old Corsa that my boyfriend sold me.

The interview with the AC/DC lead, complete with talk of sex in the back seat of a Mini, continues into the heavy metal phase and the heavy metal vehicles (whatever they are). But check out the video for Brian’s tidy corners and “smooth violence”. By the way, if you wanted to know about the throttle pedal on the 1928 Bentley LeMans 4.5-litre, apparently it makes “your arse go like a rabbit’s nose”. One to enjoy.

Source | Autoblog

Continue reading: AC/DC lead drives on Top Gear: one seriously quick rock star

We know that Top Gear does some crazy stuff, and has the budget to boot, and word is the nutty British crew might attempt a recreation of the famous Mini car chase scene from The Italian Job. The original version with Michael Caine has the scene filmed in Coventry, but set in Turin.

The remake of the classic had plenty of poetic licence for a modern audience, but seemed to be hinged on the fact that the car chase would be replicated, this time in Los Angeles. Apparently, Top Gear might try the stunt in Belfast, as the city promotes its new sewers project.

While the Top Gear team have done just about everything, this is the first time they would race underground. We leave it up to you in the comments field to suggest other stunts you’d like to see Top Gear attempt.

Source | BBC via Autoblog

Continue reading: Top Gear to recreate Italian Job sewer scene

I love the style of the new Jaguar “design direction” and in case you were wondering if it’s all style and no substance, here’s Top Gear to the rescue. In this video the new Jaguar XFR is compared to the ultimate in sports sedans - the BMW M5.

Apparently 155 mph is not actually the top speed (Jeremy gets at least 162 out of the Jag), the XFR is really comfortable and you can do corners like an F1 driver “wearing brogues”. Really impressive features include the suspension and electronic differential. “Perfect, even when you’re driving like a complete lunatic”. I’m sure Jaguar is thrilled…

The M5-XFR challenge is an interesting one, and you’ll have to watch the video to see who wins around the track (although the XFR is voted better on the road).

Continue reading: Top Gear: Jaguar XFR vs BMW M5

Apparently the Panamera S does have some “drama and theatre” about it, doing things “a supercar does, only it’s got four doors”. If you wanted to get away from the fun of Top Gear racing the Royal Mail and beating a letter to northern Scotland, and get closer to knowing something about Porsche’s sedan, the place to go is the roads of Inverness.

My big question is: did they obey the speed limit in all of this? And, is Porsche happy about the kilometres they’ve racked up in the meantime?

Continue reading: Top Gear Panamera S vs Royal Mail part two

As the lads from Top Gear say, the four door Porsche Panamera sedan “ought to be good, seeing as it’s taken them 61 years to get around to making it”. After the first road test of the Panamera by Autocar, it’s now Top Gear’s turn in the guise of racing the Royal Mail postal service.

They don’t really need any excuses to go racing cars and so the Panamera S is tested from the very South of England, and driven right up to the Orkney Isles. The Top Gear team is driving the entry level version: the 4.4 litre V8 at 394 hp. It has a top speed of about 280 km/hr, does 0 -100 km/hr in 5.4 seconds and costs about 84,000 euros.

After an amusing discussion regarding the features of this Panamera S, (ceramic brakes, leather interior, sunroof etc), we find out it is equipped with a satellite navigator installed in the dashboard. But, bear in mind there is nothing “ridiculous” about this car: it’s German. Enjoy the video.

Continue reading: Top Gear tests Panamera S against Royal Mail: part one

This is a video for the petrol head in you: one for the speed queen, turbo charged, adrenalin seeker who wants to see fast cars driven… fast. Top Gear compares the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron in what’s probably a gratuitous test for them to get out in some supercars and play around.

The “two fastest road cars of all time” get out for a speed test in which the only conclusion that can be made is not that they’re both very fast. They’re both stunning, absolutely breathtaking, to look at. And they’re both the stuff of dreams.

It may seem a little unfair to compare the Bugatti to a car that’s already ten years old, but the McLaren is no slack in mechanics and it’s lighter. For a hair raising race, and the result, see the video.

Continue reading: Top Gear compares McLaren F1 and Bugatti Veyron in drag race

The thirteenth season of Top Gear, one of the most popular car TV shows in the world, begins on June 21 on BBC. This funny trailer shows the main characters when they were children: Jeremy, James and Richard, but also The Stig with his unforgettable helmet.

Continue reading: Top Gear: the new 13th season

In the words of Jeremy Clarkson: “160 horse power in the car the size of a shoe - that’s fantastic!” It just about sums up everything you need to know about the Fiat 500 Abarth (SS version), which has just been nominated Top Gear’s best hot hatch.

You would have thought that the Fiat 500 could not have had any more success than what it already has, but it looks like the arrival of the Abarth 500 in UK is already destined to swamp the market. 200 orders online have been received, with Abarth 500 demand not slowing.

Prices start at only 13,500 pounds making it far cheaper than any comparable performance from Mini. This little scorpion has certainly got some sting in its tail. For all the low-down, watch the video after the jump.

Continue reading: Top Gear votes Abarth 500: Best Hot Hatch

British car show Top Gear is really going international. After the Top Gear Australia debut, the Russian version has now been confirmed. If we needed any indication that Russia is the next big car market, this could be it.

It’s unlikely, at least we hope despite the photo, that Top Gear will fall into the trap of a stereotypical depiction of Russia. This big country is waking up, and the production team is offering a first series of 15 episodes, to start at the end of 2008.

Local presenters will be employed, and the English firm will be present only as special guest. Apart from these differences, the same studio style and road tests will be employed - could this be the next playground for rich Russians wanting to try supercars…?

Continue reading: Top Gear Russia officially confirmed

Autoblog’s comments regarding the Australian version of Top Gear are probably fair enough - the formula at this stage, is just not working. But I give you these videos so you can check it out for yourself.

With a caveat though - the big problem here is that the British Top Gear version has been taken and planted in Australia, without too much consideration of how the local culture might react. The script writing needs to be more sophisticated, more (dare I say?) modern - who uses the expression “a pack of turkies” these days?

The above video is a test-off of “two iconic Australian cars” - the Ford Falcon and a Holden. The only problem is, it needs to be slick and smooth. It just looks like two hoons out for a joy ride, which ignores the impetus behind the program itself.

Continue reading: Top Gear Australia: video episodes - a flop or not...?