Lancia Motor Club

Yes folks, on Wednesday 9th April on BBC3 at 7pm BST, it's being shown again, to be followed shortly after on iPlayer.
Hard to believe it was first broadcast in November 2009.
Beware of throwing things at your TV however. LCD and Plasma are not as robust as a CRT!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p4z1y/Top_Gear_Series_14_Episode_3/

...too late to get a court injunction.....or just blockade the big eejits house in Chipping Norton?


P

Am I missing something here?

In what way is it negative? ???

I suppose whilst they praise and highlight the achievements.....the last word always seems to end up as a word beginning with R


P

Yes, they complain about some of the short-comings, but to actually put LANCIA up there speaks volumes, in my opinion. So yes, you might dislike their apparent "bad attitude", but I think it's good for us. As the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity.
Happy motoring!

Most people, even my 7 year old understands that TG is pure tongue in cheek entertainment, there were far more positives than negatives. 

I heard that Hawk Cars had some issues after the programmed was aired, but seeing it again it wasn’t that bad against them. I thought they made a fair point saying kit cars are only as good as the builder.   

I agree with Julian on that : I would not buy a car that Clarkson had built but I would by one built by James May. It was a pretty good point. There's also a line of shop windows next to some lights in Bristol (on the A36) and believe me , it is pretty good looking at the integrale reflection when I happen to stop there !

The stratos lap is wonderful and I do which they had a retro-board of some of yesterday's heros - just to be able to watch them do the familiar power lap curcuit ...

Gerry and the owner were very upset about that programme, TG were quite specific about the livery/spec of the car that they wanted and there was only 1 car out there available. It was given to TG on the understanding that it was for static shots only as it hadn't been run for almost a year. Needless to say they ran it and caused considerable damage to the car which resulted in TG paying a very large repair bill.

After the show I believe Gerry had 6 or 7 orders. No publicity is bad publicity indeed.

I'm not aware of any true petrol head out there that views TG as a serious programme anymore, merely a comedy one!

Guy

Agreed. It is last of the summer wine ....

But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, I think they are very smart in what they do

Agreed, they make a fortune from marketing their humour around the planet.....

Fortunately most people are intelligent enough to realise what they're watching!

...thats ok for the intelligent types................but what about the remainder.....all of it swallowed hook line and sinker......especially when Ester came on board and it was taken as gospel!

P

My kids were chastising me for getting annoyed at TG when we watched it on catch up last night. I think humour took the front seat and one wonders if TG would have gone to the same extremes for a manufacturer currently selling in the UK. I suppose that we all feel frustrated that the significant automotive advances pioneered by Lancia and Lancia's place in automotive  history ended up playing second fiddle to slapstick comedy.
I was taking my 2000HF Coupe out of the garage the other weekend when a neighbour expressed much interest and admiration before launching into the Lancia rust scandal - it sometimes takes a thick skin! Anyhow, let us all be content that we are able to enjoy and appreciate what is so special about owning and driving these great cars!!

I enjoy TG as just mindless entertainment to wash over me. I watch it for those once in a while views of cars like the new Alfa 4C and the new Disco Volante. Have to say production and photgraphy values are top class and you have to admit it is more fun than a bloke with a pipe and cardigan extolling the virtues of an Austin Allegro. The rust thing - reminds of many years ago camping at the big Silverstone historic weekend with my Fulvia beside the tent. As I was summoning up energy to get up a group of blokes walked past. One said, 'Look at that, the old Fulvia. They were right rot boxes'. I felt like saying 'Hmm, because MGB's, Spitires, Midgets etc, weren't were they?". Let's face it, every car built back then was a rot box. At 10 years old, my Mk III Cortina was like a metal doily. Have to say though, the metal is exceptionally thick on a Fulvia. I had mine Waxoyled when it came over from Italy 20 years ago, and so far it's looking good.

I still think JC is a Moron, clever and rich though he may be, and I don't find him entertaining in the least, not keen on the midget twerp Hammond either, but  I like James May, so I suppose it can't all be bad.
Just goes to show to what level standards have sunk.
That's my Grumpy Old Man contribution for the day ;D

Brian
8227 8)

JC is clever in appearing to be a moron to make money but when he wants to be he can be quite a good serious presenter. Two programmes he presented which I still remember as excellent were a documentary about his father-in-law who won a VC at Arnhem and quite recently, the disastrous convoy to Murmansk. Just remembered another one he did - the raid on St. Nazaire. It's a shame he doesn't do a few more in this vein as he tells a story very well. Hammond, indeed, is a twerp of the highest order. May is a quite likeable eccentric.

Not forgetting JC's championing Brunel as person of the millenium (I seem to remember that?)

Anyway, to stand up for Hammond and having met him and spent a day photographing for TG magazine, he's a nice guy and real car enthusiast - he certainly knew his stuff. I've also met May and he was exactly as you'd imagine.

It is very cleverly crafted entertainment that has generated huge amounts of revenue for the Beeb ...

Even if you dont like  Clarkson , the production is superb, the photography, the locations, the scripting , it all goes together  very well . as long as you don't take it seriously and treat it as an entertainment presentation it's very good.  The Lancia  episode shoule be taken in the same light . Didn't they do one about Alfa as well ? . Thanks. David. ;)  ;)