Just watched the "apocalypse" special by Hammond and May... they are really just pumping shit out now.. I thought the "Italian Job" clarkson special was typical and pretty quickly put together. it Smoked the "offical" top gear video this gift season.

 

Episode #2 was better, I guess. The drifting blind guy was fun. Really getting tired of drift-boy, though. I like that they're establishing Ferrara as the US "captain slow".

Their "car vs skiers" race was a little better than what they did in the first episode, as it did include some real-world traffic and didn't feel quite so fake. Of course, UK Top Gear has already done that stunt. Yawn.

 

I totally forgot this was even on last night.

Well I guess that says something.

 

Tired of Tanner or the premise and jokes about drifting?

I can't believe how inept Ferrara's driving skills are. I appreciate wanting to bring someone with a comedy background, but c'mon. He should have to at least understand basic manual driving proficiency. I proclaim he'll be the first to get cut. I would be frustrated if I were Tanner, and even Rutledge. I would want to do the show with car guys, not this ignoramus.

I swear they changed Stigs.

I had real mixed feelings about driving on the roads with pedestrians the way they're encouraged to. I never gave it a second thought in EU because they're all a little faster over there (and it's not here). In the US, I'm a little more concerned.

I actually liked the first episode better, but anxious to see this weeks.

 

Yeah, I didn't want to be my usual whiney-butt about such things, but "drifting" around a parking lot full of cars and people didn't strike me as the coolest thing to be doing. These guys give no thought to the impression that they leave on young kids who are watching. "Watch me be cool like Tanner and drift around this school bus in the parking lot!"

Definitely tired of Tanner being all about drifting, whether it's in what he says or just how he drives every car that he touches. And his ego isn't playfully overstated, like Clarkson's... he's really full of himself.

Ferrara probably isn't as bad as they make him out to be. If they wanted him to be better, or even just appear to be better, it wouldn't take much to get him there. I think it's all part of their schtick. I mean, come on... they were able to teach a blind guy to not only drive stick, but drift reasonably well. They could teach Ferrara if they wanted to.

 

Good points.

Tanner's ego is a weird one...I think they create an ego for him more than he has one. That's just IMHO...even on Battle of the Supercars, they try to force him into being a trash talker/hard ass/win at all costs guy. I really think he's just one of us who had a lot of luck and enough talent to rise. I see him no more cocky than Shaun White, or Travis Pastrana, or Tony Hawk.

Clarkson's ego is more about being competitive and really not specific about driving. Seeing Tanner fail as much as Clarkson will certainly create the playful overstating. As long as he (Tanner) is competing and succeeding with the two bozos in driving competitions, it won't come off right.

 

I like to think that Tanner is a normal guy as well who has just gotten lucky to be able to do what he obviously loves for money. Not a great actor/speaker at all but definitely some driving skills.

I have to believe that Tanner did not drive like that in a parking lot and a road without some precautions, like clearing the area or shutting down sections of the roads, like they have edited into the show. On the other hand though editing this way does give the bad impression to kids that they can do this kind of thing in traffic. I don't like that one bit.

That blind dude sure got lucky with that parking brake parallel parking stunt though, that was impressive. Ok, I know it was a concerted effort by him and Tanner but still cool.

 

I really think the drifting shared_session was just dumbed down and boring compared to what they could have done. I think they should have done a true deal and really shown what it was all about.

 

As a listener of the XM radio show "Opie and anthony" Anthony apparently was a friend of Ferrar'a growing up and had some "bad driver" stories and this was long before he got picked for the show back when corolla was still the host

 

So I had a chance to see it on my friends DVR last night.

The interview was painful. I mean the guest was great, so many opps to make it better but the redneck host (well they are kind of portraying him as that) Sucked! He is all I am Mr Straightforward and I will find a joke when it is appropriate instead of just relaxing and going along with the guest. Fail. Not to mention he doesn't narrate the track time.

Watching Tanner drive the Evo was great but seriously who wants their car ripped by rocks as some kid rips through a parking lot. I got pissed when they do that stupid ish at the street meets I used to attend. Then when I realized all that crazy driving was on roads (pavement and gravel) that people were on .... I am guessing they had portions of that road closed off for awhile as he came through? But if not? C'mon.

Him ripping the Evo through the snow was great BUT did anyone else see that after he came out of the snow the car was miraculously clean with no snow on it? Hey I drove in Chi with JC, my 91 STD Hatch, through some snow for fun. Deep snow. Honda FWD is a blast in snow with its light weight frame and little 1.5L motor. And what I do know is that no way in hell was all the snow miraculously melted or fallen off by the time we headed back to the pavement. Nope, it was packed into the open parts in the front bumper, packed into the wheel well just like what we saw when Tanner was in the snow.

So what did they do stop everyone, clean the car and have him drift in with a clean car?

The Blind Comedian driving was really fun and his dog Nash at the end funny.