Top Gear 10 – The Complete Season Ten (BBC DVD/Automobiles/Sports Cars)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B
After a
failed attempt to do a U.S. version and with competition only from the MotorWeek in said market, the original
British version of Top Gear is the
terrific, underrated and (because each show is twice as long as MotorWeek) the best regular TV series
on automobiles on TV. As a trio, Jeremy
Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James Gray do for fun cars what Roger Ebert and
Gene Siskel did for motion pictures by bringing to life not only the facts and
opinions, but the fun, energy and excitement that draw people to them in the
first place. Now, BBC America has issued
The Complete Season Ten of this
newer incarnation of the show on DVD.
We have
not covered the show before, but did cover Jeremy Clarkson‘s underrated solo
show Heaven & Hell (2005) where
he takes on the best and worst cars as he sees them. He does much the same on the show, but in
competition and debate with his co-hosts.
There is also the funny segment where they put “a star in a
reasonably-priced car” and you never know who is going to show up. Then there is the studio audience, fired up and
standing around to enjoy the trio in action.
Car
adventures from this season include add Lamborghini brakes, Bentley twin-turbocharged
engine and Audi R8 frame parts to a VW Golf GTi W12. Then a Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin DBS
and Porsche GT3 are taken to Italy to finds the best road in the world. We also get a new piece on customized
amphibious cars, revisiting a riotous, previous one. As a gag, Clarkson tests a Peel P50 car,
which turns out to be the smallest production car ever made. Tests of older discontinued models include
two trios: ’81 Lancia Beta 2000 Automatic, ’63 Opel Kadette and Mercedes-Benz
230E in one segment, Rover SD1, Triumph Dolomite “Dolly” Sprint and Datsun
Princess, all in so-so condition compete. A set of pre-Model-T era cars are tried out,
as well as the newest technology for the latest autos.
Then you
get the outright tests. This includes an
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and separate DBS tests, a Caparo T1 test which
is a street car that looks like a formula racer, then an actual one in the
Renault R25. A Honda Civic Type R is
tested. There’s An Alfa Romeo 159 GT
test, a BMW M5 touring vs. AMG Mercedes E Class comparison test, a Suzuki VXR8
being sold as a Vauxhall test, a Fiat 500 reborn is tested and original briefly
discussed. We get the amazing Ascari A10
super exotic car is put through some laps, setup by the by the less expensive
Daihatsu Materia. Then there is separate
Audi R8, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 599 and Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead. The season is rounded out (now in any order
either) by a Jaguar XF, BMW M3, Mercedes C63 and Audi RS4 test.
If
anything, the show was always as rich and exciting as the print edition and its
popularity in the U.S. is only on the up swing.
This set should only help maters.
Like the
solo Clarkson DVD, the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a little soft,
in part because of the slight stylization of the slightly overblown Video
White, but this is in HD and the result is good enough that I wanted a Blu-ray
version because the car footage is great.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is just fine for what is a new show. There are no extras, despite the room left on
the discs, but maybe next time.
For more
fun with Clarkson, try his solo look at cars on DVD here:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5282/Clarkson+–+Heaven+&+Hell+(Automo
- Nicholas Sheffo
