Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Ideal sports car

I'd say the new Subaru BRZ / Scion FRS or what y'all would call the Toyota GT86 fits his criteria perfectly.

+1

I think Top Gear has just turned into a Glossy Magazine on TV , with yob journalists as presenters who get off in expensive sports cars that very few people can afford. All done in bad taste and with little factual information.

I think you're all off the mark. I really think if you got through to the 'real' JC you would find him a petrol head like the rest of us who would be happy to sit and talk cars for days. Yes opinionated and yes a bit right wing (car wise) but in reality a complete car nut.

ok, so now you think I've gone mad but I base this on his very original articles that he wrote in Performance car a long long time ago. A time where he learnt writing a standard article on a few interesting cars made him very much like the rest of his peers. A time when he also realised that stating a dislike in a funny manner (and he was funny) generated a reaction and he began to get known.

He has honed this skill so 'well' that I admire his ability. His comments and barbed statements are so so focused that he knows exactly who he's offending and more importantly, far more importantly, who he's dragging on side.

Insult the Mexicans? Who cares, they don't buy much of his work anyway, but the majority who do will find it amusing at least.

Slag off a Morgan? Close knit community maybe, but a small one at that. The rest of the petrol heads, most of whom have absolutely have no affinity for our cars, will not take offence and think wow he's outspoken, cool innit.

wreck a Marina? How many Marina lovers/owners?

The only time he came close to the mark was when he ripped the vevtra apart but again I think he was quite calculated as even the majority of Vectra drivers would be company bods who knew it was monotonous and didn't have a passion for what was a company car.

His demographic is young average petrol heads with a limited spend budget. Praise and parade the unobtanium to get them salivating, Slag the odd one off, you won't upset them and keep them worshiping at the altar of JC.

A clever man, a real petrol head but driven to promote himself. A motoring politician of the highest order.

I wonder how close I am with my analysis?

PS I really do think, as evidenced by this latest article above, he would love (does love?) Morgan for what they really are. And he understands more than most that some cars are more than metal

I agree with most of what you say Boshly.

Picking on minorities, a bit of cheap sound byte in the interest of ratings, no depth to the comments.

How much is the script/direction and how much is his personal view would be my question.

I think a V6 Roadster does match his description. I would prefer he did not gain access to one personally !

I agree with Boshly and let's not forget that Hammond and his father are Morgan fans. It would be against Top Gear 'rules' for them all to publicly agree about Morgans. May keeps pretty quiet, so I suspect he has a sneaking regard for the marque too.

James May likes and appreciates Morgans (having been converted by Hammond). May is an excellent journalist and this is a very good piece on the Morgan Roadster -

http://www.topgear.com/uk/james-may/james-may-morgans-2005-04-01

My original post was not intended as a blast against Top Gear or any of it's presenters, it was just that the gist of Clarkson's Sunday Times article struck a chord with me; his definitions of what makes a good sports car sounded like a good description of my own pride and joy.

As far as TG goes, by and large I'm with Boshly. I get that much of it is tongue in cheek, and should be taken as such, and there's usually something in the show that makes me laugh. As Hammond is the Malvernite, and James May a closet Morgan fan, it falls to Clarkson to be the Mog hater. The same dynamic holds true for 911's.

I agree,

A Mog is a Mog and meets exactly the expectations and the profile JC is describing.
And TopGear is TopGear - if also perhaps during the years a little bit predictable it is very funny entertaining.

Boshly rocks!!! In a concise way he described exactly what TG is all about. Crikey, even my wife likes him, JC that is ( she doesn't know Boshly )
The world would be a boring place if we all had to read Auto Car or What Car etc.
What we really need is for Morgan to let TG have an Aero for an extended test, preferably in Italy, so we can really enjoy Sunday evenings.

Reg

I've spent quite a bit of time with JC and found him to be a thoroughly charming and decent chap. Whilst his columns agitate many - he's berated several cars I've owned - there's always a vague truth in what he writes. As a bloke, in the flesh, over lunch/drinks - he's great company.