Top Gear Season Finale (sad)

[carsismeZ06]

I actually amost cried.

Just to clear things up, Top Gear will be back, but the magnificent performance machines of today won't.

[Vash]

Well most people just never get to .. or should drive a V12 car like that.

99% of the kids in USA would kill themself or someone else.

It's almost better to let some things stay elite.

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

i don't follow it that much, is there a new technology that could really be a replacement for these engines? i haven't heard of anything.

Yes, there are multiple examples of engines providing increased efficiency and power in the works. The government knows about these, and you will hear more and more about them in the next few years. I am looking online for an article that I saw had been published.
i hope so

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by Zeus

I think the V8's and V12's are going to be replaced by something much, much better.


The world loves speed. So much so that it is unrealistic to think that the next generation of engines (not the eco crap hybrids lexus has) will not have performance variants... our grand kids will wonder why we put up with combustion inefficiency for so long. Can you imagine an engine that would dyno at the wheels nearly what it made at the crank through increased efficiency?


I feel like we are a bunch of old Englishmen talking about how they dont want to see the Canons slip away in favor of some bolder technology.

The feelings are not what you are describing. The V8's are efficient enough, they are just being forced out because half the population believes in a man made global warming being caused by car emissions. Add on top of that a fear that petroleum is running out when there is so much of it untapped. It is arguable to say a 4 cylinder engine running at 4 times the rpm's to generate the same power that an 8 cylinder gets is better simply because it uses less gas. The wear and tear of a 4 cylinder engine with much faster moving parts means it probably won't last as long which is why we see 8 cylinder cars lasting over 400,000 miles in some cases while V6's die out much sooner when pushed.. It makes no sense to spend $40,000 on a Chevy Volt with $30,000 of it subsidized by the Government (that means we the taxpayers are paying the difference in increased taxes) while the lithium ion batteries lifespan is around 10 years before it needs replacing and the cost of just the batteries is around $20,000 alone. How is that more efficient than a regular gasoline engine where you will never spend that kind of money on gas and to fix it in ten years. Just my two cents..

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by Supermans

The feelings are not what you are describing. The V8's are efficient enough, they are just being forced out because half the population believes in a man made global warming being caused by car emissions. Add on top of that a fear that petroleum is running out when there is so much of it untapped. It is arguable to say a 4 cylinder engine running at 4 times the rpm's to generate the same power that an 8 cylinder gets is better simply because it uses less gas. The wear and tear of a 4 cylinder engine with much faster moving parts means it probably won't last as long which is why we see 8 cylinder cars lasting over 400,000 miles in some cases while V6's die out much sooner when pushed.. It makes no sense to spend $40,000 on a Chevy Volt with $30,000 of it subsidized by the Government (that means we the taxpayers are paying the difference in increased taxes) while the lithium ion batteries lifespan is around 10 years before it needs replacing and the cost of just the batteries is around $20,000 alone. How is that more efficient than a regular gasoline engine where you will never spend that kind of money on gas and to fix it in ten years. Just my two cents..

I agree with you completely. I prompt you to reread my original post.

[stovt001]

Man I almost started crying when I first watched that. I was really worried when I saw the speculation it signaled the end of Top Gear. I was more than a bit relieved to see those rumors squashed, but the segment still depressed the crap out of me.

I think they key here is to move performance cars out of the mainstream eye. As long as the masses are driving inefficient vehicles, government busy-bodies will view all "non-green" cars under the same dark lens and will punish anyone who uses them for any purpose. On the other hand, if the masses move towards "green" vehicles and performance cars are used by enthusiasts for select pleasure drives on back roads or races on tracks on the weekends, they might fall off the government's radar. Oddly, I think the best outcome for us is for the high-performance car to go the way of the horse - not an appliance for every day commuting, but a tool for the weekend hobby. And in that case, we might even get a little purity back in the cars, and forego this 20-way power seat, 50 cupholder, 900 airbag, blind-spot warning, speed-limited nonsense. Leave that stuff for the weekday eco-commuting cars.

[nester7929]

There will always be people like us, people who drive because they enjoy it rather than out of necessity.

While the performance cars of tomorrow will not share the same mechanics of the performance cars of today, they will still be built in the same spirit. In fact, as soon as they get carbon nanotubing figured out, we'll have batteries that can go for hundreds of miles and can completely recharge in less than ten minutes.

I'll definitely miss the rumble of the V8 though.

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by stovt001

Man I almost started crying when I first watched that. I was really worried when I saw the speculation it signaled the end of Top Gear. I was more than a bit relieved to see those rumors squashed, but the segment still depressed the crap out of me.

I think they key here is to move performance cars out of the mainstream eye. As long as the masses are driving inefficient vehicles, government busy-bodies will view all "non-green" cars under the same dark lens and will punish anyone who uses them for any purpose. On the other hand, if the masses move towards "green" vehicles and performance cars are used by enthusiasts for select pleasure drives on back roads or races on tracks on the weekends, they might fall off the government's radar. Oddly, I think the best outcome for us is for the high-performance car to go the way of the horse - not an appliance for every day commuting, but a tool for the weekend hobby. And in that case, we might even get a little purity back in the cars, and forego this 20-way power seat, 50 cupholder, 900 airbag, blind-spot warning, speed-limited nonsense. Leave that stuff for the weekday eco-commuting cars.

Limiting the numbers made of sports performance vehicles will make the prices skyrocket into a whole new stratosphere.. The appeal of the V8 Camaro is that it is the poor mans corvette.. What you are wishing for will bring the Camaro to a $45,000 car or higher and a standard corvette into the $60,000 range.. In essence the middle class no longer will be able to afford them. Obviously this can occur if Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler are forced to make less of these muscle cars/sports cars in order to be able to meet a fleet MPG fuel average for all vehicles combined. Add on top of that gas guzzler taxes, higher insurance premiums due to the cars being more rare..etc.. So I have to disagree with you..

[Mr. Wyndham]

Again, I say I don't think performance is going anywhere...and now, I feel comfortable ammending that I think radical improvements in fuel economy aren't necessary for them to exist.

Realistically speaking, the only thing preventing an automaker like GM from making every car a performance, fuel-slurping car...is CAFE. When I speak of CAFE, I get a nasty taste in my mouth...but that's about it -- because CAFE is little more than a nuisance, imo. GM almost meets the standards TODAY...

Continuing to speak realistically...GM's portfolio in about 4 years will be super-efficient. The addition of the Cruze(40+hwy), Spark(expected 45+hwy), Aveo replacement(at least the same as Spark), Orlando(see Cruze), and VOLT(100+mpg) will ensure that. And since CAFE is fleet-wide...this means that GM just afforded themselves lots of wiggle-room for performance cars.


Just my .02, I suppose...but I'm not worried, or sad.

[GTAHVIT]

I prefer this outlook by Jay Leno.

Skip to 5:10

[Vash]

Not only that it's all about how you care for the car and I don't know why he would be so sad cause he's rich. I mean to him a $100,000 ZR1 is "rubbish" (yea I know he was joking but not about the bumper).

And when you stop making things the ones made go up in value. So really it almost makes a neat underground and atmosphere for nostalgia but killing them off.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by GTAHVIT

I prefer this outlook by Jay Leno.

Skip to 5:10

+1...except for the Honda part...

[GTAHVIT]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

+1...except for the Honda part...

LOL agreed...

[franknbeans]

Lost the website that has allthe topgear episodes hosted in Hirez... can anyone point me in the right direction?

Think it started with a C