Thread: Top Gear Australia

So anyone going to see the real thing while out here???
Ticketek Australia

Just bought my old man 2 tickets for Xmas... now to find some cheap flights and accommodation too

OK I am going to nit pick here.
They asked Julia whatever why she didn't drive a French car. Then she said , Oh I learned in a Chrysler Centura.
The boys should have know that a Centura, is Nee Chrysler 180 nee Simca 180 which is, wait for it, a French car.

Bit weak when they were rabbiting on about history and the old Starfire as if they actually know about cars.
Regards Philip A.

Julia Zemiro to replace Charlie Cox... she's as irreverently annoying as Clarkson, and obviously knows more about cars than the 3 TGA amigos and who cares if she doesn't?

The problem with the local pesenters is obvious: lack of cred and lack of TV presence.

They all may have talents and abilities in the car biz, but as (common) unknowns, rising up to the mantle of what comes from TGUK is an onerous task.

As noted before, all of the TGUK presenters were well known prior, but the TGA guys are not and Charlie is officious and disrespectful of his partners.

TGUK is friendly banter, but TGA is a competition between the presenters.

I wonder if Charlie is taking 'acting' lessons from Dicko?

Originally Posted by PhilipA

The boys should have know that a Centura, is Nee Chrysler 180 nee Simca 180 which is, wait for it, a French car.
Regards Philip A.

About the only relationship between the Centura and the Simca 180 is the body - the relationship is about as close as the old Commodore and its european cousins on which it was based and has the same basic body but not much else.

Garry

Watched it for the first time last night....thought I was watching a "Fast Forward" **** take of the original Top Gear!

About the only relationship between the Centura and the Simca 180 is the body - the relationship is about as close as the old Commodore and its european cousins on which it was based and has the same basic body but not much else.

And the point is?? The four cylinder was exactly a Simca 180. The body is what makes the car. Falcons and Cortinas shared drivelines and engines but a Cortina is a Cortina and a Falcon is a Falcon.
Having worked for Ford Australia, I would never claim a 6 cylinder Cortina was an Australian car, even though it only had the body of a Cortina.

Anyway, I guess it depends on your point of view. I consider a Commodore to be an Opel Rekord.ie a German car and better for it.
It was meant tongue in cheek.

Here is a quote from Go Auto.com.au which shows I was not totally correct anyway. It started as a Hillman!! or at least Humber.
hrysler KB/KC Centura
April 1975-June 1978

Since the Chrysler Sigma was actually a Mitsubishi design, we must go further back, to the hapless Centura, to track the company’s last true medium offering in Australia. The Centura was conceived in England during the latter 1960s to be a Humber, before the Roots Group was taken over by the Chrysler Corporation, which then shifted the rear-wheel drive mid-sized sedan’s development to its other European acquisition, Simca. The French aimed to take on Ford’s MkIII (TC) Cortina with this car, called the 180, with Chrysler Australia also following suit. The resulting Centura had plenty of local content, including 3.7 and 4.0-litre Hemi in-line six-cylinder engines (tied to three-speed manual and three-speed auto gearboxes) to complement the French 2.0-litre four versions. But industrial strife stranded the completely knocked down body parts imported from France on Australia’s docks for two years, delaying the Centura’s local launch until 1975. By then, the design was dated (particularly inside), and Chrysler could not price the Centura cheap enough to take on the high-flying Japanese competition, led by the top-selling Datsun 180B. The market ignored it, so Chrysler Australia turned to the Sigma for salvation, and the Centura faded into obscurity.

Originally Posted by Quiggers

Julia Zemiro to replace Charlie Cox...

Good 'Ole Quiggers!
still an eye for the right thing
She'd make a great Clarkson

mind you by the end of her segment I'd just wished she'd shut up,,,

Ive been a Top Gear UK fan ever since I can remember really and have to admit Ive downloaded the first two Australia episodes and watched them.

I agree its early days yet but certain aspects of the show are BETTER than the UK one. The big appeal to me is the fact that they say what they like - "its crap", "its sh*t" etc etc... Our UK show is wrapped in political correctness which sometimes strangles itself.

I think as the 3 blokes get to know each other the show will get better and blossom. Take a look at the early Top Gear UK shows - they were pretty poor! If you want proper poor television, have a look at some of the early Richard Hammond shows - he was truely awful... now he's great!


I for one will continue to watch.