Top Gear Fudges Tesla Test
Well, not the test itself. The video of the test, which clearly shows the Top Gear crew pushing the Roadster back to base after, apparently, running out of juice. Only it didn’t. Wired reports that “According to Top Gear’s spokeswoman, footage showing the Roadster being pushed into the garage was filmed to show what would happen if the car’s lithium ion battery went dead.” So Top Gear didn’t drain the upteen hundred li-ion cells after 55 miles of hard-charging? “Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla’s performance on the day it was tested,” the BBC said in a statement. Clear as mud, as the Brits would say. Does that mean we can trust Clarkson’s assertion that the Roadster requires 16 hours to charge? Or, indeed, anything he says? I’m all for infotainment, but Top Gear gets its street cred from telling the truth about cars. This is a major hit to the brand’s core. You can get the Top Gear 10: The Complete Season 10 at amazon here >>
Top Gear 10: The Complete Season 10
The Big Book of Top Gear 2009 & the official calandar >>
You remember last week’s episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson drove the Tesla Roadster around the Top Gear track? Remember how in that episode, a silver Tesla being tested was shown taking a dump on the track after a mere 55 miles?
That’s entertainment, right? These are great examples of how producers, much like politicians, embellish the information in order to make good TV. I think NBC did it by rigging a car or truck to explode.
Tesla ought to sue. It would appear that these purported tests need to be monitored by an unbiased group. TG, among others, is part entertainment. This makes the show interesting as well as informative.
My old boss used to live and breathe Consumer Reports, while my dad always said they were biased. Where do you draw the line though? And how can you be sure the tester is objective in his reporting?
2008: Best supercars
2008 was a good year for supercars. A very good year, in fact. From four-door Lambos to American muscle that actually goes round corners, we’ve been treated to a whole bunch of insanely fast, insanely expensive metal that proves the supercar is far from on its last legs. In fact, it’s healthier than ever.
Here’s some of our favourite supercar stuff from the past 12 months. Click on the blue bits and appease your need for, er, speed…
Lambo LP560-4: Or ‘the new Gallardo’, as it’s better known. Faster, harder, pointier and still just slightly unhinged…
Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider: A drop-top version of an ultra-lightweight supercar? Confusing, yes, but just imagine the noise…
Rolls Phantom Coupe: They call it the ‘sporty Rolls’. Which is an oxymoron like ‘benevolent dictator’, we think. Jaw-dropping in every sense.
Aston Martin One-77: Only 77 of Aston’s million-quid supercars will ever be built. Let’s club together and get one, hey?
Lamborghini Estoque: We thought a four-door Lambo might look a bit, well, un-Lambo-like. And then we saw the Estoque…
Caterham Levante: A 500bhp Caterham with twice the power-to-weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron? Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Pagani Zonda R: It’s the last ever Zonda, so it’s only fair that the R is the fastest and most expensive iteration of the mad Italian hypercar…
Corvette ZR1: Top Gear’s supercar of the year… and proof that the Americans can build a proper fast car.
Merc SLR Speedster: Quite simply one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen. How does 217mph with no windscreen sound to you?
Audi R8 V10: Audi’s brilliant supercar gets the big V10 out of the Gallardo. Let the sibling rivalry commence…
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