That zany trio from Top Gear (the original British version, not the spin-offs shot in the “colonies”) have been all around the world. They’ve shot specials in Africa, South America, the Middle East, Vietnam, Japan, Iceland, the North Pole, and even here in the good old U-S-of-A. So where are they now? India.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were spotted by legions of their fans out of the billion inhabitants of India driving around the subcontinent in a convoy of British classics: a Mini, a Jaguar and a Rolls-Royce. Just what kind of challenges the producers have got them performing remains to be seen, but if the previous specials serve as any indication, this should be a good one.

Of course it’ll still be a while before the episode airs (it’s almost certainly the holiday special that Clarkson spoke about last month), so in the meantime we’ve got two videos after the jump: one showing the Hamster loading some cans or something onto his vintage Mini, and another old-school episode of Jeremy Clarkson’s Motor World shot in – you guessed it – India. After you’re done watching those, check out more images of the BBC boys shooting in India by visiting Team-BHP using the link below.

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It has become a tradition that Top Gear cooks out a Christmas Special every year. Jeremy Clarkson has let slip what viewers can look forward to in terms of this year’s Top Gear Christmas Special. As it turns out, James May, Richard Hammond and the curly-haired host are taking to India for filming this year.

At this point, it’s unclear exactly what the trio will get up to in the Asian country, but given that Clarkson hasn’t had kind things to say about the area in the past, we’re all but guaranteed some sort of multi-cultural dust up. Previously, Jezza has called the country’s roads a “war zone.” Clearly, he hasn’t seen what passes for a network of streets in Detroit.

Last year, the Top Gear crew drew the ire of both Muslims and Christians after the trio were filmed wearing the traditional Muslim hijab and depicted the birth of Christ with a baby Stig in a manger. At least they’re an equal opportunity offender. Head over the UK’s WitneyTV to watch the full Clarkson interview talk about India, along with what stars he’d most like to see in the show’s Reasonably Priced Car.

SOURCE via WTV

Jeremy Clarkson’s perpetual foot-in-mouth disease shows no signs of letting up. The latest dust-up doesn’t really have anything to do with cars at all, which is the Top Gear host’s actual area of expertise, of course. Instead, Jezza railed against languages other than English.

I think we are fast approaching the time when the United Nations should start to think seriously about abolishing other languages. What’s the point of Welsh, for example? All it does is provide a silly maypole around which a bunch of hotheads can get all nationalistic.

This quote was taken from Clarkson’s weekly newspaper column. In response, Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards sent a letter to the BBC, suggesting that a “senior representative” of the organization shouldn’t be making such comments.
The BBC released a statement saying it “will not comment on comments made by Jeremy Clarkson in his column.”

SOURCE via Metro UK

With the racing simulator’s only real competitor, Gran Turismo, sucking wind, Forza Motorsport is kicking in teeth and taking what it wants. An example, you ask? Not only will Forza 4 feature the M12 FAV Warthog from Halo, the combat vehicle will receive an introduction from none other than Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame. How’s that for a few of your favourite worlds colliding? Word has it that the Warthog isn’t the only vehicle that will receive the Jezza treatment, as the game’s Autovista mode will introduce players to a wide variety of new metal.

Clarkson approaches the imaginary attack vehicle with his typical sarcasm and snark, which results in the kind of hilarity that we’ve come to know and love from the portly presenter and columnist. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself, and cruise on over to the Forza site for more information on Forza 4.

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Spinning off isn’t usually a good thing when you’re making a show about cars, unless the spinning in question relates to the series itself and not to the cars being driven. And while Clarkson, Stig, et al, have certainly spun enough cars on and off camera, their mishaps are surpassed by the number of spin-off shows that have resulted from the original BBC program.

Disregarding the other shows that Hammond and May in particular host, and the magazines, and the traveling road show and everything else, Top Gear has led to additional series in Australia, Russia, the United States, China and South Korea. And those are just the ones we know about. Now, word on the high street is that another series is planned for the Netherlands.

The latest spin-off is reportedly being put together by the publisher of Holland’s Autoweek magazine and the producers of Veronica, a local TV station that already broadcasts the British and Australian versions of the show in Holland.

The formula will naturally follow the tried, tested and true format that has made the original such a success and which has already been replicated around the world. As for the Stig, well… we always thought his name sounded mysteriously Dutch. And now it will be.

SOURCE via Top Speed

Jeremy Clarkson is coming to an Xbox near you. The Top Gear presenter has reportedly joined forces with Turn 10 Studios to lend his voice and automotive knowledge to the company’s upcoming Forza 4 video game.

There’s a portion of Forza 4 called AutoVista, which is an in-game showroom where players can examine cars in great detail. Clarkson provides commentary in this area of the game, giving players his voiced-over viewpoint on specific cars.

We can only hope and assume that the commentary will include some of Jezza’s trademark catchphrases like “…in the world.” Regardless, adding Clarkson only rounds out the amount of Top Gear goodies found in the new game, all of which should be enough to have at least a few Sony PS3 owners considering making the switch to Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

SOURCE via New York Times

Whether you love Top Gear USA or think it an affront to comedic decency, one thing’s certain: the show seems to have helped spawn a new wave of car-themed programming. Adam Carolla’s The Car Show has taken to the air as a result of The History Channel’s move into fuel-soaked entertainment, and now The BBC is striking back. The Beeb has announced that Richard Hammond will be getting his own show on BBC America soon. Called Hard Drive with Richard Hammond, the program uses a similar format as the UK’s World’s Toughest Driving Tests.

Hammond will travel around the United States, driving and competing in some of the toughest vehicles our country has to offer. We’re sure he’ll meet some genuine characters along the way as well.

Hammond isn’t the only Top Gear presenter being awarded an American show. James May will also take to BBC America with James May’s Man Lab U.S. based on the UK version of his program.

Few circuits in the world have gained as much notoriety as the Top Gear test track in Surrey, England. The show’s private playground plays host to the best performance machines and biggest celebrities. But Clarkson and company didn’t design the track themselves; it was set up by Lotus.

Now, Top Gear has again turned to Lotus to design two new tracks for the Top Gear Live traveling show. The courses, B20 Raceway and Docklands GP, will be set up at the NEC in Birmingham and the ExCel center in London, respectively, where thousands of fans will gather for the veritable automotive circus. Each circuit is set up differently, and the corners will be individually named, with an opportunity for fans to vote on the names of one at each track.

Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig will perform, of course, as well as Ring-mistress Sabine Schmitz, rival presenter Tiff Needell and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell. An array of celebrities will battle for the top spot in the on-site Star in a Reasonably Priced Car competition. The highlights of the show, however, are sure to be supercars like the McLaren MP4-12C, Lamborghini Aventador and Ferrari 599 GTO, classic Group B rally cars and F1 racers past and present.

Our world has changed a lot, and we know that. We used to write on papers, send slow mail, and travel by rocky paths, but now people uses tablet for schools, and send emails, and travel by high speed bullet trains. But what’s funny is this news. Kids used to dream of becoming doctors, engineers, well probably some will say Indiana Jones and Rocky Balboa. But the peeps these days are slightly different, in a big way.

Apparently being a presenter on the hit TV BBC show Top Gear is the dream job of nearly a third of British men isn’t surprising in the least. After all, what red-blooded male wouldn’t relish the opportunity to drive the very latest (and often enough, the very fastest) automobiles every single day of their lives? And who wouldn’t love to travel to the most distant and beautiful places on the planet while acting out a slew of ridiculous stunts all involving cars, trucks or motorcycles? And, naturally, who wouldn’t want to be paid good money to do it? Read more…

Ford versus Chevrolet. Porsche 911 vs Nissan GT-R. Audi versus Peugeot. The car business is full of rivalries, but few are as competitive as Ferrari versus McLaren. Yes, you might say that the last road car McLaren ever built was the McLaren F1 supercar, which was donkey years ago. But do remember, that McLaren has been a strong rival of Ferrari in Formula One.

The two outfits have been at each other’s throats for decades around the grand prix circuit. But as tight as the competition is between the two in Formula One, and as many comparisons as we’ve seen McLaren celebrates Power Lap time between the Ferrari F40 and the McLaren F1 of yore and lore, where it’s really come to a head is with their latest production supercars: the 458 Italia and the MP4-12C. Read more…