Top Gear S21 Episode 2 (9 February)

colm_mcm

In a well-travelled episode, Richard Hammond is on the shores of Lake Como to test the very pretty Alfa Romeo 4C, a super-lightweight, mid-engined coupé from Italy’s famously stylish – but not famously reliable – car maker. His enjoyment is cut short by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson on a quad bike, demanding a race.

Clarkson also travels to the genteel surroundings of Bruges to test the 904bhp McLaren P1 – a car that is hybrid-powered, like a Toyota Prius, but goes a bit faster. Meanwhile, James May visits Camp Bastion in Afghanistan and actor Tom Hiddleston is the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME
2/7. Richard Hammond gets behind the wheel of the mid-engined Alfa Romeo 4C on the shores of Lake Como in Italy - but his enjoyment of the lightweight vehicle is disturbed by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson, who demands a race against his quad bike. Jeremy also visits Belgium, putting the McLaren P1 hypercar to the test in Bruges and around the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One circuit - and its combined power output of more than 900bhp generated from electricity and turbocharged petrol V8 power is likely to cause astonishment. Meanwhile, James May spends time at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan to learn about the army's vehicle redeployment efforts, and Thor star Tom Hiddleston tries to coax the best time he can muster from the Reasonably Priced Car.



Radio Times

Katunga

this is going to be a great episode looking forward to it all week

colm_mcm

Same here, not sold on the headlights on that Alfa though.

bnt

Seriously, Jezza? Knowing all we do about how lethal quad bikes are, you go offroad without even a helmet?

I8A4RE

wonder how long the waiting list will be after 9pm

knucklehead6

I'd quite like that (sure to be ridiculously expensive) quad.

Not overly gone on the episode so far though.

IvySlayer

Was that just an advertising slot for the quad?

Mike Litoris

Alfa bit was quite good. I think I'll have a shower or something during this army bit. Terrible.

Mycroft H

Really enjoyed the military bit.

Red Kev

Would have like to see and hear more of the Alfa, maybe even a comparison with an old Alfa or an equivalent present day car. Not sure what the Quad brought to it, though it's a massively cool machine. Loved the way the wheels go in just like Bond's Espirit.

TG is probably the UK Army's best PR machine at this stage.



EDIT: Voted 4/5 because the McLaren saved it.

Leonard Hofstadter

Since when did a motoring forum cover the military? I know there's been features on the military before, but it's always been some sort of comparison between a car.

The Alfa feature was a bit **** to be fair, very little information about what the car is like to drive, acceleration, steering, throttle response, gearbox, it was a feature that happened to have an Alfa in it as opposed to a feature that was all about the car. It was totally dumbed down to the lowest common denominator - as if the car was an inconvenience to the Italian lakes (which admittedly are beautiful) and the quadbike-cum-jetski.

knucklehead6

In fairness the military bit was not quite the usual recruitment job.

cml387

It demonstrates what vast amounts of money the British spend on military hardware.

I wonder is it worth it (and I speak as an anglophile).?

spank_inferno

Rather nice hotel.

Anyone know what is is called?

cml387

Tom Huddlestone is a brilliant mimic Heard his George Saunders on Simon Mayo's R5 film review.

DuckSlice

That mclaren!!!!! What a beautiful car.

colm_mcm

That McLaren is unreal

Mycroft H

The P1 is an amazing piece of engineering.

Zascar

I loved that episode, miles better than last week. Love the Alpha, I wonder how much it will be over here

McLaren is incredible, interesting the way he said it's really a new era in motoring.

mike65

Take that McLaren to Lake Garda when I win the euro lottery!

Ghost Train

That McLaren does look unreal, want one

colm_mcm

So is there no boot at all in the alfa?

knucklehead6

cml387 wrote: »

It demonstrates what vast amounts of money the British spend on military hardware.

I wonder is it worth it (and I speak as an anglophile).?

what would you prefer if you were out there? Lots of spending money on military hardware or standard landrovers.... I know what i'd prefer

knucklehead6

Yeah, all told a solid episode.

Leonard Hofstadter

The McLaren bit was the only good but. The Alfa bit should have been good but there was practically nothing about the car other than it being too wide. That's the kind of thing you'd have in a boring magazine like What Car?

DuckSlice

Does anybody know the name of the song that was played at the end of the mclaren bit?

BorneTobyWilde

Mclaren was awesome.
It's the car , chicks dig the car
http://s11.postimg.org/xo181slmr/8887er.jpg

Duggy747

That P1, utter savagery of a car!

spank_inferno

Shame we didn't get to see the P1 on the track with the Stig

colm_mcm

etxp wrote: »

Does anybody know the name of the song that was played at the end of the mclaren bit?

Shazam isn't throwing anything up

DuckSlice

colm_mcm wrote: »

Shazam isn't throwing anything up

Yea I tried that but nothing, it's from some movie but I can't think which one.

ScrubsfanChris

spank_inferno wrote: »

Shame we didn't get to see the P1 on the track with the Stig

The weather put a stop to that I would guess, but they did say they will lap it the same time as the Porsche 918

aha_sender

I'm know in live with a the McLaren move over Scarlet Johansson

pixelburp

etxp wrote: »

Does anybody know the name of the song that was played at the end of the mclaren bit?

Do you mean the part where Clarkson described how the rear wing adjusts automatically? It was from Vangellis' score to Blade Runner, the Main Title track iirc.

As for this weeks episode, it was more enjoyable than the first, that's for sure. A lot less slapstick comedy thank god. The Afghanistan segment was quite interesting tbh, it wasn't particularly jingoistic and highlighted an intriguing corner of vehicle engineering

DuckSlice

pixelburp wrote: »

Do you mean the part where Clarkson described how the rear wing adjusts automatically? It was from Vangellis' score to Blade Runner, the Main Title track iirc.

As for this weeks episode, it was more enjoyable than the first, that's for sure. A lot less slapstick comedy thank god. The Afghanistan segment was quite interesting tbh, it wasn't particularly jingoistic and highlighted an intriguing corner of vehicle engineering

No I mean the bit at the end when he stopped speaking just before they go back to the studio.

bnt

etxp wrote: »

No I mean the bit at the end when he stopped speaking just before they go back to the studio.

According to a commenter on the Top Gear blog:

It's called Carnage by Paul Englishby from the BBC TV Drama "Luther"

DuckSlice

bnt wrote: »

According to a commenter on the Top Gear blog:

Yea that is exactly where I heard it before, thought it was a film I heard it in.

veetwin

First half decent Top Gear in many years. Tonight the show was mostly about cars and not the egos of the presenters/producers. None of this blowing up stuff nonsense or convertible camper van challenges. Hopefully a sign the show is moving towards the car fan.

spank_inferno

pixelburp wrote: »

Do you mean the part where Clarkson described how the rear wing adjusts automatically? It was from Vangellis' score to Blade Runner, the Main Title track iirc.

As for this weeks episode, it was more enjoyable than the first, that's for sure. A lot less slapstick comedy thank god. The Afghanistan segment was quite interesting tbh, it wasn't particularly jingoistic and highlighted an intriguing corner of vehicle engineering

The development in military vehicles is stark.

The smaller recon vehicle is about 2 -3 times bigger than the land rover.

Seeing the land rover on patrol compared to the new vehicles looked like a different era.

Tzar Chasm

that was a decent car based episode. I gave it a 4, but i'm not sure if I considered it above average only because the average is sliding.

Dempsey

The development of the military vehicles was interesting stuff but the McLaren P1 was :eek: A magnificent feat of engineering, cant wait for the stig to get his hands on it.

mickyellow

spank_inferno wrote: »

Rather nice hotel.

Anyone know what is is called?

http://www.fivestaralliance.com/luxury-hotels/lake-como/castadiva-resort

Just outside Como town. Stunning spot.

ScumLord

Mike Litoris wrote: »

Alfa bit was quite good.

Evo did a car of the year video with the Alpha in it and they didn't give it too good of a review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT4WXokoAx0

They said the engine wasn't good enough and the steering was horrible. It's a wonder TG didn't go into the fact it's unassisted steering at all.

The Black Oil

Missed it, will try and catch up.

For those wondering about songs and music, lads over here usually map out the episodes pretty extensively, though it may take them while to fill in the gaps. Here's the forum link for series 21. http://forums.finalgear.com/wts-tg-season-21/

I8A4RE

I gave last nights show an excellent but looking back I'd give it a very good. I'm just wondering though which episode over the years would have got a majority of excellent in the poll?

colm_mcm

I8A4RE wrote: »

I gave last nights show an excellent but looking back I'd give it a very good. I'm just wondering though which episode over the years would have got a majority of excellent in the poll?

Vietnam special

Dolph Starbeam

Below average from me, Average at best. The P1 was the only good thing about the episode, it is going to murder the track when the Stig gets it. Another boring celebrity and a pointless race.

Nody

I'm inclined to average as well; the race should have been far better (were was the tension, the issues, talking smack?) and it ended up being a waste of space. The military add was once again "go away and ignore" time which could have been done better leaving only the final review of the P1 as anything close to interesting.

I8A4RE

colm_mcm wrote: »

Vietnam special

I agree but which standard 1 hour episode would make the grade.

colm_mcm

I8A4RE wrote: »

I agree but which standard 1 hour episode would make the grade.

That one with Rachel Riley on it!

I8A4RE

I would have to say the episodes with Amy Williams in it.