Top Gear - in the good old days

[wingman]

Do many people remember Top Gear as it used to be in the 1980s?

Chris Goffey and William Woolard doing lengthy, serious, earnest reviews of bland middle-of-the-road hatchbacks...  Coverage of motorsport such as the BTCC and the good old Lombard RAC Rally somewhere in Telford...  Tony Mason going out and patronising some female rally drivers...  No audience, no Stig, no test track, no sarcasm, no caravans, no supercar racing, no jokes, and maybe once a series - if you were lucky - they'd maybe get a sports car along as a special treat?

Funny how things change...

Oh, and they had a great Elton John track as the closing title music:  "Out Of The Blue".

[strapping young lad]

if they kept that format i would imagine top gear would have been axed

people want to be entertained, since the advent of the internet enables you to read and view reviews online now.

[thermidorthelobster]

if they kept that format i would imagine top gear would have been axed

They did, and it was...

[Eeyore]

Yes, because lord forbid we might actually want some informed motoring comment!  :lol:

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[carbore]

Do you remember that serious faced blond woman who fond it impossible to talk about a car without saying "safety features". They put her in a race once and she cried, now compare that to Penny rally driver  that used to be on C4 driven (more class than Vicky BH IMHO)

Also Chris Goffey who used to present it is the father of one of the members of the band Supergrass (and thats not a wikkipedia fact, its a propper one!)

[adafish]

i remeber them testing a series 3 down at the army tank testing site, against....i think..the Dihatshu( :!: ) and another Motor..then seeing the video been played again at the BINGLEY HALL MOTOR SHOW in Brum when i was a kid

[thermidorthelobster]

Also Chris Goffey who used to present it is the father of one of the members of the band Supergrass (and thats not a wikkipedia fact, its a propper one!)

Danny Goffey - and it's on wikipedia too :)

[Guardian.]

just about remember with the lombard rac coverage, and about cars we can afford!
i do watch it now if its on but have to say dont rate it much, like most the crap on tv today.
who remembers bod?

[Dr Evil]

I've got most of the Lombard rac rallys on video, recorded from "top gear rally report" Really very serious stuff, William Woolard did not have a sense of humour IMHO, but the coverage was very good and the 6R4 did sound fantastic.
Top Gear is now fun to watch, but serves no purpose for information, just a bunch of 'boys' getting their rocks off with fast cars and getting paid for it. :roll:

[Disco-Ron]

I have a Propaganda cd, which has the soundtrack to what used to be the RAC rally... in the gold old days when they used integrales, siera's, 6r4's and the like..... there's nothing better to listen to while i'm blatting along on a nice A road in my Impreza........ :twisted:

Here... have a listen..... it'll bring back images you thought you'd forgotten!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w_q58CFfAo

[Bush Tucker Man]

Do many people remember Top Gear as it used to be in the 1980s?

Chris Goffey and William Woolard doing lengthy, serious, earnest reviews of bland middle-of-the-road hatchbacks...  

I do indeed, plus I also remember Angela Rippon testing.

Wasn't Sue Barker also on it???


Chris Goffey testing the (VM) diesel Range Rover in Italy & it being a total loss up hills

[thermidorthelobster]

Ah yeah, I recognise the music!  Wasn't it an instrumental they used on the telly?

[Grumpy]

Yep "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers :lol:

[thermidorthelobster]

Sorry, another post got in before me :)  I meant the Propaganda music.  Wasn't it used in the rallying stuff, in instrumental form?

[lee celtic]

wingman wrote

Chris Goffey and William Woolard doing lengthy, serious, earnest reviews of bland middle-of-the-road hatchbacks... Coverage of motorsport such as the BTCC and the good old Lombard RAC Rally somewhere in Telford... Tony Mason going out and patronising some female rally drivers... No audience, no Stig, no test track, no sarcasm, no caravans, no supercar racing, no jokes, and maybe once a series - if you were lucky - they'd maybe get a sports car along as a special treat?

Funny how things change...

yes things do change thank god because the above sounds like fifth gear :lol:  :lol:  :lol: (they set fire to the cool wall gits)

the only thing worse is the french guy on motors tv reviewing any car ,He sounds like he's reading a phone book  :roll:

[Range Rover Blues]

I like Top Gear as it is, it's a laugh.  Let's be honest, I can't afford the reasonably priced car at the moment let alone anything else.

As for informed and reliable reviews, just remember that the motoring press are just journalists with driving licences.  Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Yes I know it's annoying that Clarkson has no idea of what makes a car go, and they get payed for "cocking about" but let's be honest, I'd love to work on that show.

[Grumpy]

Jessica was the theme for the old Top Gear and the music by Propaganda for the rally reports

[Drift]

I like Top Gear as it is, it's a laugh.  Let's be honest, I can't afford the reasonably priced car at the moment let alone anything else.

As for informed and reliable reviews, just remember that the motoring press are just journalists with driving licences.  Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Yes I know it's annoying that Clarkson has no idea of what makes a car go, and they get payed for "cocking about" but let's be honest, I'd love to work on that show.

Ive just imagined that post in a James May voice  :shock:
Wiered  :?  :lol:  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

I like Top Gear as it is, it's a laugh.  Let's be honest, I can't afford the reasonably priced car at the moment let alone anything else.

As for informed and reliable reviews, just remember that the motoring press are just journalists with driving licences.  Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Yes I know it's annoying that Clarkson has no idea of what makes a car go, and they get payed for "cocking about" but let's be honest, I'd love to work on that show.

Ive just imagined that post in a James May voice  :shock:
Wiered  :?  :lol:  :lol:

:(biglaugh):

[littlepow]

I like Top Gear as it is, it's a laugh.  Let's be honest, I can't afford the reasonably priced car at the moment let alone anything else.

As for informed and reliable reviews, just remember that the motoring press are just journalists with driving licences.  Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Yes I know it's annoying that Clarkson has no idea of what makes a car go, and they get payed for "cocking about" but let's be honest, I'd love to work on that show.

Ive just imagined that post in a James May voice  :shock:
Wiered  :?  :lol:  :lol:

:(biglaugh):

In his wingback chair smoking a pipe?

[Drift]

I like Top Gear as it is, it's a laugh.  Let's be honest, I can't afford the reasonably priced car at the moment let alone anything else.

As for informed and reliable reviews, just remember that the motoring press are just journalists with driving licences.  Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

Yes I know it's annoying that Clarkson has no idea of what makes a car go, and they get payed for "cocking about" but let's be honest, I'd love to work on that show.

Ive just imagined that post in a James May voice  :shock:
Wiered  :?  :lol:  :lol:

:(biglaugh):

In his wingback chair smoking a pipe?

Spot on  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[CaptainColourful]

The whole point of TG is that it's entertainment.

 It's "Boys with Toys" getting away with blue murder.... It's funny and witty ... 5th gear is patronising and full of not very interesting "facts" spewed out without any passion....
If we want facts and figures we can find them on the net or in magazines or even in showrooms !

TG at least gives us the chance to dream and have a laugh ... long may it continue.