Aston Martin DBR9 - Top Gear.....an email to...
Discussion
Just thought I would post a copy of an email I sent to Top Gear after they failed to even mention Le Mans on last Sundays show......
After introducing the Aston Martin DBR-9 a couple of months ago on your show, telling the Great British public how it will run riot in the GTS sports car category, vanquishing (excuse the pun) all of its major rivals including: Maserati MC12, Ferrari 550 & 575, Dodge Viper, Saleen & Lamborghini.
Interestingly no mention of the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, the bench mark race car in the GTS (now GT1 as of 2005) catorgry over the last 4 years!!!
Granted the Aston took a lucky win at the 12 hours of Sebring earlier this year after the lead Corvette C6-R (the C5-R replacement) was inadvertently taken off the track by a back marker handing the Aston victory. Then at Silverstone in the Tourist Trophy, Corvettes were not present & the Aston's were able to take victory for a second time.
Now to the big one! Le Mans 24 hours, no mention of how the all conquering Aston Martins performed on your show, the week after the race. Well just for the record the best placed Aston finished 3rd, behind another Corvette 1st & 2nd in class! Thought you might at least mention this on your show after giving the Aston its TV debut. Also I find it difficult to understand how the debacle of an American GP gets a mention on your show when you fail to even note the fact that the Audi R8 took its 5th & final overall victory before retirement at Le Man in the hands of Tom Kristensen (and team), Mr. Kristensen making it 7 victories at the classic race, surpassing the great Jacky Ickx in the process. After all, Le Mans, Indy 500 & Monaco GP are widely regarded as the worlds 3 big motor racing events!!!!!!!
Regards,
Nigel Bowman (a Corvette C5 owner)!!!
After introducing the Aston Martin DBR-9 a couple of months ago on your show, telling the Great British public how it will run riot in the GTS sports car category, vanquishing (excuse the pun) all of its major rivals including: Maserati MC12, Ferrari 550 & 575, Dodge Viper, Saleen & Lamborghini.
Interestingly no mention of the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, the bench mark race car in the GTS (now GT1 as of 2005) catorgry over the last 4 years!!!
Granted the Aston took a lucky win at the 12 hours of Sebring earlier this year after the lead Corvette C6-R (the C5-R replacement) was inadvertently taken off the track by a back marker handing the Aston victory. Then at Silverstone in the Tourist Trophy, Corvettes were not present & the Aston's were able to take victory for a second time.
Now to the big one! Le Mans 24 hours, no mention of how the all conquering Aston Martins performed on your show, the week after the race. Well just for the record the best placed Aston finished 3rd, behind another Corvette 1st & 2nd in class! Thought you might at least mention this on your show after giving the Aston its TV debut. Also I find it difficult to understand how the debacle of an American GP gets a mention on your show when you fail to even note the fact that the Audi R8 took its 5th & final overall victory before retirement at Le Man in the hands of Tom Kristensen (and team), Mr. Kristensen making it 7 victories at the classic race, surpassing the great Jacky Ickx in the process. After all, Le Mans, Indy 500 & Monaco GP are widely regarded as the worlds 3 big motor racing events!!!!!!!
Regards,
Nigel Bowman (a Corvette C5 owner)!!!
Good word Nigel - hopefully it will get through!
My own rant after watching a little of Tg last night - that Nissan abortion. They went on about how good it is, not saying one thing bad about it. The few shots of the dash showed that it had the same style as an Action Man toy from the early eighties, and similar quality of plastic. Considering how much time they spent in the few minutes they gave the C6 when they reviewed it, on moaning about the dash, I would be surprised that this was missed out in the Nissan alternative lifestyle overpriced gaudy fashion accessory SUV thing. I say I would be but have come to accept that TG is another British publication that is biassed against the Corvette.
In truth, I think that's part of the charm of Vette ownership. It's good being badmouthed, it only serves to surprise others when shown what a good car it is!
Latest Autocar gives C6 vert a reasonable write up - 4 out of 5 stars, but moan about 'useless' extras such as keyless ignition. If the same had been on a TVR, they'd have gone mad about what a great idea it was, totally missing the point that said extra on said car would undoubtedly break within two weeks...
Rant over...
My own rant after watching a little of Tg last night - that Nissan abortion. They went on about how good it is, not saying one thing bad about it. The few shots of the dash showed that it had the same style as an Action Man toy from the early eighties, and similar quality of plastic. Considering how much time they spent in the few minutes they gave the C6 when they reviewed it, on moaning about the dash, I would be surprised that this was missed out in the Nissan alternative lifestyle overpriced gaudy fashion accessory SUV thing. I say I would be but have come to accept that TG is another British publication that is biassed against the Corvette.
In truth, I think that's part of the charm of Vette ownership. It's good being badmouthed, it only serves to surprise others when shown what a good car it is!
Latest Autocar gives C6 vert a reasonable write up - 4 out of 5 stars, but moan about 'useless' extras such as keyless ignition. If the same had been on a TVR, they'd have gone mad about what a great idea it was, totally missing the point that said extra on said car would undoubtedly break within two weeks...
Rant over...
Probably just set myself up for a JC pi** take next Sunday, but I still think Le Mans should have been mentioned for the reasons set out in my email. However I hear u Francis & I agree, the less people interested in corvettes is better for us a little bit of exclusivity never did anybody any harm!
vetteheadracer said:
Why don't they stick to a key?
Because there's nowhere to stick it in the 'start' button :-)
The C5 HUD is functional and easy to read, the C5 looks like they took inspiration from the 'Pioneer Jumping Dolphins' kinda display. Funk it up and make it harder to read. D'Oh!
-kenski
I should think then on the add things that it doesn't need that funk it up, we'll see the '07 model year cars standard fitted with Neons and Blue washer jets...
On the subject of keyless, despite the fact it was sometimes troublesome on 90's C4's, I did really like the keyless entry on my mates LT1, that was trick and convenient. I'd like keyless start too - until it stopped working!
On the subject of keyless, despite the fact it was sometimes troublesome on 90's C4's, I did really like the keyless entry on my mates LT1, that was trick and convenient. I'd like keyless start too - until it stopped working!
The feedback I heard from US owners was that it was a fun gimmick until they started to worry that the cars were actually locking because they were too far away from the car to hear the mechanisms engage :-)
Being a GM product the likelihood of failure at some point is relatively high :-)
-kenski
Being a GM product the likelihood of failure at some point is relatively high :-)
-kenski
This may help explain the TG silence. Amongst the reading material in our smallest room is a book by JC called "Never Played Golf". On the subject of golf Mr Clarkson and I are in complete agreement. However, his book contains a chapter called "It shouldn't happen to a Vette" and it's rumoured that L81 knows this chapter by heart. Clarkson says,
"I slithered elegantly into the vibrantly shiny cockpit, the 5.7 litre engine burbled into life and the sleek nose edged its way on to Las Vegas Boulevard. It felt good.
"But then I ran over a piece of chewing gum. Did you know the Vette has no suspension travel at all? The wheels are connected directly to your buttocks.
"OK. I'll let you into a secret. The Corvette is a slow motor car which does not handle at all. The car just slides, which must be why it has traction control. But this comes in so viciously and so early that I decided to turn it off and .... whoops, eek and wa-hey, guys and gals, we're going backwards! I was doing that post-trauma bit where you breathe out and lower your shoulders by five yards when an officer of the law arrived.
"The guy knew his cars and pretty soon the conversation turned to the car that had nearly killed me. "Do you know the problem with the Vette?" he said. "It's the worst goddamn car in the whole world. It spins so easy you can park one outside a store and when you come out it'll be facing the other way", he added.
"I've always liked the Corvette and once toyed with the idea of buying one. But I'm better now.
"It's simple really. The Americans are good at space shuttles. And we're good at cars."
So he's not the Corvette's biggest fan.
"I slithered elegantly into the vibrantly shiny cockpit, the 5.7 litre engine burbled into life and the sleek nose edged its way on to Las Vegas Boulevard. It felt good.
"But then I ran over a piece of chewing gum. Did you know the Vette has no suspension travel at all? The wheels are connected directly to your buttocks.
"OK. I'll let you into a secret. The Corvette is a slow motor car which does not handle at all. The car just slides, which must be why it has traction control. But this comes in so viciously and so early that I decided to turn it off and .... whoops, eek and wa-hey, guys and gals, we're going backwards! I was doing that post-trauma bit where you breathe out and lower your shoulders by five yards when an officer of the law arrived.
"The guy knew his cars and pretty soon the conversation turned to the car that had nearly killed me. "Do you know the problem with the Vette?" he said. "It's the worst goddamn car in the whole world. It spins so easy you can park one outside a store and when you come out it'll be facing the other way", he added.
"I've always liked the Corvette and once toyed with the idea of buying one. But I'm better now.
"It's simple really. The Americans are good at space shuttles. And we're good at cars."
So he's not the Corvette's biggest fan.
I find Jeremy Clonkson amusing. Alas he's also not very clever sometimes.
And he's lost a lot of respect points from me on liking that stupid Nissan thing (orange trash) on this week's TG. I think the crew may have all had some sort of brown envelope experience from Nissan UK. Its just a gift Mr Clarkson...
...would they please have a look at their own track times wall of fame - I seem to remember this car that spins so easily did quite well around their track...
And he's lost a lot of respect points from me on liking that stupid Nissan thing (orange trash) on this week's TG. I think the crew may have all had some sort of brown envelope experience from Nissan UK. Its just a gift Mr Clarkson...
...would they please have a look at their own track times wall of fame - I seem to remember this car that spins so easily did quite well around their track...
I read that report last week. I thought it was fair. For anyone that says the C6 interior finish is good, I would say flick that silver plastic with your finger (not too hard though, you dont want to crack it). It's no different quality to that used in a base Corsa. Its a shame, I like the C6 but a bit more time spent on the inside could have made a huge difference.
It's certainly not just the Corvette JC picks on so stop being so paranoid. He slags off Porsche every week for lazy design, his test of the 911 was quite amusing as he pretended to get confused between a 996 and a 997 and he showed the gearknob when it fell off. In Sunday's episode, he criticised the AMG SLK for having sunvisors from Matalan.
When reviewing the CTS-V, he slagged off the interior for being cheap but having sat in a CTS-V in Florida recently, I have to say I thought it was rather nice - OK, maybe more VW Passat than Jaguar but then I like a functional interior and have no quibbles about my Z28 or Z06 whereas our Honda Type R has a swathe of cheap plastic just about everywhere.
So I conclude that JC has rather higher expectations than I do about a car's interior. Ironically, I find some of the interiors of the larger and plusher quality cars to be a bit of bling and a waste of wood as I generally expect a car's interior to be elegantly functional rather than a gizmo-loaded drawing room and I would rather have functional buttons than a stupid sat-nav or I-Drive too.
As for Audi and Ferrari interiors, I'm oblivious to their appeal.
When reviewing the CTS-V, he slagged off the interior for being cheap but having sat in a CTS-V in Florida recently, I have to say I thought it was rather nice - OK, maybe more VW Passat than Jaguar but then I like a functional interior and have no quibbles about my Z28 or Z06 whereas our Honda Type R has a swathe of cheap plastic just about everywhere.
So I conclude that JC has rather higher expectations than I do about a car's interior. Ironically, I find some of the interiors of the larger and plusher quality cars to be a bit of bling and a waste of wood as I generally expect a car's interior to be elegantly functional rather than a gizmo-loaded drawing room and I would rather have functional buttons than a stupid sat-nav or I-Drive too.
As for Audi and Ferrari interiors, I'm oblivious to their appeal.
5USA said:
However, his book contains a chapter called "It shouldn't happen to a Vette" and it's rumoured that L81 knows this chapter by heart. Clarkson says,
"I slithered elegantly into the vibrantly shiny cockpit, the 5.7 litre engine burbled into life and the sleek nose edged its way on to Las Vegas Boulevard. It felt good.
"But then I ran over a piece of chewing gum. Did you know the Vette has no suspension travel at all? The wheels are connected directly to your buttocks.
I wasn't aware of this book. Having said that, if it was in the smallest room then it would have been used up long ago.
Chewing gum, he says? Oh dear, it looks like I owe the local Council an apology. There I was, slagging them off to anybody that would listen & it wasn't their speed humps at all, it was used chewing gum all along
Gixer said:
I read that report last week. I thought it was fair. For anyone that says the C6 interior finish is good, I would say flick that silver plastic with your finger (not too hard though, you dont want to crack it). It's no different quality to that used in a base Corsa. Its a shame, I like the C6 but a bit more time spent on the inside could have made a huge difference.
It does make you wonder. The C6 has moved into the 50K bracket. The official UK C5 price was mid 30s and that was coupe not the more expensive vert. The Boxster S is in danger of looking a much more attractive buy and its auto hood works. Its comparable on performance, to my mind looks OK, has FAR better residuals, servicing costs are substantially higher but not an issue for low mileage users and with the residuals it makes no difference anyway, has as good as and probably better racing heritage and of course, anecdotally, has a far better quality interior and no doubt mechanicals. The only problem is my wife thinks Porsche drivers are prats.
yellowshark454 said:These are good points. If nothing else it needs a £5k discount for left hand drive in the UK market. Cadillac XLR price has clearly been backed off for UK so it could be tricky shifting many Vettes at £50k once the initial flurry of interest settles down.
It does make you wonder. The C6 has moved into the 50K bracket. The official UK C5 price was mid 30s and that was coupe not the more expensive vert. The Boxster S is in danger of looking a much more attractive buy and its auto hood works. Its comparable on performance, to my mind looks OK, has FAR better residuals, servicing costs are substantially higher but not an issue for low mileage users and with the residuals it makes no difference anyway.
American Dreams have a brand new C6 for £40k.
The Boxster is not strictly comparable. First, it's a girl's car. Second, the residuals are probably not as good as the Corvette over a long period. 1997 cars are available for around £10k. Third, it's a mid-engine car with no luggage space. It's nothing like as fast either so you might just as well compare it to a Z4 which is at least front-engines and just as ugly as the C6 to boot.
The irony about the hood working is that Autocar's long-termer constantly suffered from hood failure and the Boxster has many weaknesses because it's a cheap Porsche and not as infallible as you might think.
The Boxster is not strictly comparable. First, it's a girl's car. Second, the residuals are probably not as good as the Corvette over a long period. 1997 cars are available for around £10k. Third, it's a mid-engine car with no luggage space. It's nothing like as fast either so you might just as well compare it to a Z4 which is at least front-engines and just as ugly as the C6 to boot.
The irony about the hood working is that Autocar's long-termer constantly suffered from hood failure and the Boxster has many weaknesses because it's a cheap Porsche and not as infallible as you might think.
Hmn, you are in danger of mimicking the Americans I find on various lists who will never countenance that the Vette is not the only decent car in the World. You need to do your homework on the finances; you won't get a half decent S for anything like 10K unless you strike lucky and find a girlie in the middle of a divorce who just has to get the money to pay his wife off. Wildly off in performance terms eh? Oh come on, I bet Ron Fellows could take you apart if he was in an S
But you miss my point entirely. The C5 was a great value car, 6K cheaper new than a similarly specced S in 2001, although at a price. You don't hear Porsche drivers in Basingstoke or Bournemouth complaining they have to go to some crappy garage in Manchester to get their servicing done. Chevy have raised the bar though, the C6 is lot more expensive - although if the revised price is now 40K my point is irrelevant! They have lost an advantage. Who has the better quality reputation. Who has the better handling reputation. Who has better trade in values. Who has a nationwide dealer network. Who has the steering wheel on the right. Who has marque club that actually does something. If you are in the market to buy a 10 year old car for 10 grand this stuff is irrelevant but if you are buying new or close to (not a lot of choice with a C6!)and at a price point that can go over 50K these sorts of things have an impact. The C5 was a steal. The C6 probably isn't and tacky interiors won't help its cause because the vast majority of sportscar drivers will never get it to its limit and appreciate it can outhandle a 911.
But you miss my point entirely. The C5 was a great value car, 6K cheaper new than a similarly specced S in 2001, although at a price. You don't hear Porsche drivers in Basingstoke or Bournemouth complaining they have to go to some crappy garage in Manchester to get their servicing done. Chevy have raised the bar though, the C6 is lot more expensive - although if the revised price is now 40K my point is irrelevant! They have lost an advantage. Who has the better quality reputation. Who has the better handling reputation. Who has better trade in values. Who has a nationwide dealer network. Who has the steering wheel on the right. Who has marque club that actually does something. If you are in the market to buy a 10 year old car for 10 grand this stuff is irrelevant but if you are buying new or close to (not a lot of choice with a C6!)and at a price point that can go over 50K these sorts of things have an impact. The C5 was a steal. The C6 probably isn't and tacky interiors won't help its cause because the vast majority of sportscar drivers will never get it to its limit and appreciate it can outhandle a 911.
I suspect plenty of people could take most of us apart in an S and maybe even in a Golf GTi but let's compare drivers of equal ability or we lose the point of the comparison. The simple fact is that regardless of how well and sublimely the Boxster S handles, the C6 still thrashed it round the TG test track. In a Road and Track test, the C5 Z06 thrashed the Carrera and the NSX round Laguna Seca.
The fact remains that there is no luggage space in a Boxster. the fact remains that a Boxster S takes 5.5 to 6 seconds to hit 60 where the Vette convertible takes 4.6 and on bang for the buck, the C6 is better than the Boxster.
On residuals, it is also easy to be fooled by second-hand Porsche prices as with many German brands because they get loaded up with extras that cost the earth whereas the Corvette comes with most things standard.Even Autocar concede that at it's £51k price, it's still good value but there are loads of UK importers who do it for less. Whilst it's true that TVR and Noble offer similar performance for the money, they are only for the dedicated enthusiasts of the marque.
I'm no fan of the C6 and believe that GM Europe have a disparate perception of it's value but it is an example of an honest sports GT that will last pretty much forever.
I'm not saying the Porsche isn't a good, possibly even an all-time great car. Given a free hand, the 997 would certainly be on my list of cars I'd be happy to own.
The fact remains that there is no luggage space in a Boxster. the fact remains that a Boxster S takes 5.5 to 6 seconds to hit 60 where the Vette convertible takes 4.6 and on bang for the buck, the C6 is better than the Boxster.
On residuals, it is also easy to be fooled by second-hand Porsche prices as with many German brands because they get loaded up with extras that cost the earth whereas the Corvette comes with most things standard.Even Autocar concede that at it's £51k price, it's still good value but there are loads of UK importers who do it for less. Whilst it's true that TVR and Noble offer similar performance for the money, they are only for the dedicated enthusiasts of the marque.
I'm no fan of the C6 and believe that GM Europe have a disparate perception of it's value but it is an example of an honest sports GT that will last pretty much forever.
I'm not saying the Porsche isn't a good, possibly even an all-time great car. Given a free hand, the 997 would certainly be on my list of cars I'd be happy to own.
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