Clarkson rants on Americans and Mustang

Mr_Q · Sep 22, 2006

Page 2 starts his Mustang rant, although he approves of Roush's offerings.

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2006/08/stories/15/1.html

Fourth Horseman · Sep 22, 2006

"So why, you may be wondering, do I own a Ford GT?" ... "The power is American, yes, but it's tamed and sophisticated by Europeans. It's a metaphor, in other words, for the perfect world."

Somehow this metaphor doesn't seem to work for me. Would this be tamed and sophisticated like the two world wars? Or perhaps it's more tame and sophisticated like the genocide in Bosnia. Three events all brought about by European political paralysis, not tameness nor sophistication. While Mr. Clarkson is whinging on about aggressive Americans perhaps he should take a moment to contemplate the arrogant European.

Rock36 · Sep 22, 2006

Clarkson kinda has a flobbery brain....

He is just like every other retard that wants to compare a $25K Mustang GT to a $40K BMW or Aston Martin or some other car it was never meant to compete with. Oh and all of his data on the GT500 is completely dated....he said it still has 475 bhp, and no suspension improvements or brake improvements.

I knew he was off his rocker when he talked about the "new found fondness of modding." American's have been tweaking thier cars for generations. Dumb @$$.... He is an arrogant European.

Marine One · Sep 22, 2006

What an arrogant snot. His column is more of a slap at our society than our cars.

"The slightest mistake causes at the very least a great deal of horn blowing and, at worst, a three-second burst from some kind of powerful automatic weapon."

I don't know about anyone else here, but the last time that I carried an automatic weapon while traveling in a vehicle it was while traveling down the Baghdad Airport Road, also known as the "Highway of Death" and "the most dangerous road in the world".

Thank good our founding fathers had the gonads to declare our independence.

Ever own a British car, say a Triumph, MG, or Austin Healey? I rest my case!

SVTdriver · Sep 22, 2006

Rock36 said:
Clarkson kinda has a flobbery brain....

He is just like every other retard that wants to compare a $25K Mustang GT to a $40K BMW or Aston Martin or some other car it was never meant to compete with. Oh and all of his data on the GT500 is completely dated....he said it still has 475 bhp, and no suspension improvements or brake improvements.

I knew he was off his rocker when he talked about the "new found fondness of modding." American's have been tweaking thier cars for generations. Dumb @$$.... He is an arrogant European.

I guess someone should show him the races of the fr500 beating the BMW's

LV51FER · Sep 25, 2006

Clarkson is a sensationalist journailist and often says things just to provoke a reaction. Indeed, after slagging the Corvette C6 and the Z06 on the Top Gear programme, he wrote in the Sunday Times about how he liked the C6 and in fact a stock C6 appears in his Top 10 of cars he'd like to own.

He also had Stig drive a stock Mustang GT agaisnt him in an Exige S and to be fair, he didn't get very far. In short, he may mock the engineering but has a grudging respect.

Now having read that article, he is right about modifying a hardcore track car like the Exige. He is also right about the see-saw suspension of the stock Mustang GT which rises and falls like a speedboat. He is also right about the qualities of the Roush Mustang.

What he is wrong about is the social perception of the Mustang in the UK. It commands attention and has most people salivating at the very sight of it. So don't worry about it or his opinions. We don't and to be honest, he doesn't either.

Finally he says 475bhp. He is almost certainly referring to the metric figure in PS which is power measured at the back wheels as opposed to horsepower which is quoted at the crank. In Europe, they always quote the metric figure.

Ernad · Sep 25, 2006

And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't.

wow, what an idiot!

Rock36 · Sep 25, 2006

LV51FER said:
Now having read that article, he is right about modifying a hardcore track car like the Exige. He is also right about the see-saw suspension of the stock Mustang GT which rises and falls like a speedboat. He is also right about the qualities of the Roush Mustang..

I agree, a highly specialized car like a Exige is probably designed just like it should be. Especially when it is not a mass produced car like a Mustang. Though maybe a little extra power couldn't hurt

LV51FER said:
What he is wrong about is the social perception of the Mustang in the UK. It commands attention and has most people salivating at the very sight of it. So don't worry about it or his opinions. We don't and to be honest, he doesn't either...

I completely agree, I can't specifically speak for the UK, but I can for other parts of Europe. I currently live in Germany, and I am fortunate to have my Stang here with me. Whenever I am driving through a city you would think I was driving an Lambo or Ferrari by all the people breaking their neck to see my car. Germans love my car! Who would have guessed, the country with powerhouses like Mercedes, Audi, and BMW, loves this car. This car gets more looks than it ever did back in the States, and I got a lot of looks back then.

LV51FER said:
Finally he says 475bhp. He is almost certainly referring to the metric figure in PS which is power measured at the back wheels as opposed to horsepower which is quoted at the crank. In Europe, they always quote the metric figure.

I think under most circumstances I would have thought the same and never dug deeper; however, the conversion from 500 HP into PS doesn't equal 475 PS. 1PS = 0.986 hp Nor is that figure (in HP or PS) anywhere close to what a GT500 is getting to the rear wheels stock, at least according to other threads that discuss the rear wheel power of the GT500.

Furthermore, I find it odd he quoted exactly 475 which was the long expected output of the GT500 until just before it was released. It only made things worse when he said there were no brake upgrades to the GT500...well that is simply just not true, so it leads me to believe his quote of 475hp is equally wrong/dated.

I hate when people like Clarkson, that speak with his authority/arrogance/cockiness, also get the facts wrong. The article was dated August 6th so all this info was out there. I also think someone with his position in the automotive world should have had his facts straight. It kinda is his job isn't it?

LuS1fer · Sep 25, 2006

Actually, it's not his first boo-boo concerning American cars, he reviewed the C6 and said it had a 5.7. Then again, one of the motoring mags over here said the C6 had a live rear axle! The trouble with the UK is it feeds on prejudice against American cars (deservedly so in many cases) which amounts in many cases to technical snobbery. It also shows a lack of research about the subject. But who cares when you can hand them their sorry asses in their technically brilliant cars.

Rock36 · Sep 26, 2006

LuS1fer said:
But who cares when you can hand them their sorry asses in their technically brilliant cars.

Well said.

Mr_Q · Sep 26, 2006

I subscribe to Car and Driver, Road and Track and Top Gear magazines. I try to get everyone's opinion so I can filter the BS properly.

SMG · Sep 26, 2006

As LV51FER said, you have to take Clarkson's commentary with a grain of salt. Anyone who's read Clarkson's articles or watched an episode of Top Gear knows that he's not always very accurate, objective, consistent, reasonable, or fair. He likes to get a rise out of people, and he does a pretty good job of it. Anyone remember the C6 Vette review where he said that its transverse-leaf IRS was so old-tech that it practically dated back to the days of the Conestoga Wagon? People who knew nothing about Vettes ran around for months claiming that the C6 was inferior because Clarkson said it uses the same leaf spring setup that's been used for years on muscle cars, pickups, etc. The reality is these comments were far from the truth, and Clarkson was well-aware that the Vette's suspension is nowhere near old-tech. This is what the guy does all the time, so there's no need to take it too seriously.

shooterm1 · Sep 26, 2006

Mr_Q said:
Clarkson rants on Americans and Mustang

really?

gee, I thought Kelly liked her new ride

FNG 2001 · Sep 26, 2006

Clarkson = Dee dee dee!

Oh, and he can kiss my flobbery American a**.

APowers · Sep 27, 2006

Totally agree

Marine One said:
What an arrogant snot. His column is more of a slap at our society than our cars.

"The slightest mistake causes at the very least a great deal of horn blowing and, at worst, a three-second burst from some kind of powerful automatic weapon."

I don't know about anyone else here, but the last time that I carried an automatic weapon while traveling in a vehicle it was while traveling down the Baghdad Airport Road, also known as the "Highway of Death" and "the most dangerous road in the world".

Thank good our founding fathers had the gonads to declare our independence.

Ever own a British car, say a Triumph, MG, or Austin Healey? I rest my case!

I will go one step more. I work in the engineering world with some of the cutting edge technology that exist, it is part of my job to know my stuff technology wise. The same Germans that are designing suposed "best quality cars in the world" , with there "world class technology" are doing it on a Windows 3.11 platform. Outdated American technology. After working with engineers from Britan, Germany, and Barvary on a regular basis; I will buy American every time. Or until someone that is smarter than me(easy to do) can honestly convince me that anyone makes a better product than Americans.

LV51FER · Sep 27, 2006

APowers said:
I will go one step more. I work in the engineering world with some of the cutting edge technology that exist, it is part of my job to know my stuff technology wise. The same Germans that are designing suposed "best quality cars in the world" , with there "world class technology" are doing it on a Windows 3.11 platform. Outdated American technology. After working with engineers from Britan, Germany, and Barvary on a regular basis; I will buy American every time. Or until someone that is smarter than me(easy to do) can honestly convince me that anyone makes a better product than Americans.

Steady on! With Mustangs having more TSBs than a Jumbo Jet, it's hard to make a case for not making a better product. The American car manufacturers seem to operate on a philosophy of building a car and repairing it later. Owning a Mustang in the UK is a constant worry as the warranty doesn't apply here and every time a new TSB comes out, you start to worry about fuel pumps and pinion rings and what might go wrong. However, touch wood, I've been running American cars for 12 years now and have had no problems, they've creaked and rattled as good as new. However, none of my other 30-odd cars have ever broken down either. I buy American because nobody in the world offers proper V8 muscle cars and all-American styling and no other reason. I would have to say that the S-197 is certainly far better quality then in the past but has a way to go to match the Germans.

Meanwhile, back on the Clarkson subject, we have several motoring programmes over here and to say they are limp and lifeless is an understatement. Clarkson, love him or hate him, is a stirrer and is a millionaire because people love to get all stirred up and indignant.

Rock36 · Sep 27, 2006

I'll play devils advocate on this one.

According to the JD Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Rankings, the only German auto company that beat the industry average was Posche which took the number 1 spot.

Chevy and Ford, however, were right at the industry average in problems per 100 vehicles. Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen were all below the Industry average as far as problems per 100 vehicles, and incidentally below Ford and Chevy. Cadillac and GMC were actually in the top ten, the rest were Asian automakers.

The Mustang also rated 2nd in the Initial Quality Rankings for the category of midsize sporty car. It was only beat by the Toyota Solara.

I think the problem with American auto makers is they are still struggling with the terrible reputation the got in the 80s and early 90s when their quality was truly bad.

My Source:
http://www.jdpa.com/NeWs/relEaSes/pressrelease.asp?ID=2006082

LuS1fer · Sep 27, 2006

Maybe but look at the SIZE of the problems. I think that replacing the rear pinion gear may only count as one problem but would you really expect such a problem on a Toyota? Same for the fuel pump. It also seems that the Corvette C6 suffered issues with fuel gauges, the roof tearing off and so forth. So they may be individual problems but without a warranty, they seem to be very expensive ones. But again, no problems with my Mustang. Actually, that's a lie, I have an airbag light which has been diagnosed as a faulty seat belt pre-tensioner which I'll have to pay for myself.

Mrgreen94gt · Sep 27, 2006

Nowadays, the American motorist drives at the same speed we do, 80 or 85. And he's the most aggressive creature on earth. If you wish to change lanes on the freeway, because, say, your turn-off is approaching, you can indicate all you like, but no one will slow down to let you in.

They won't speed up, either. They'll just sit there until you remember you're in a rental car and make the move anyway. Then you'll get a selection of hand gestures that you never knew existed. I know of no country in the world where motorists are so intolerant of one another.

Sadly, that's all true. But, I'm certain you can find that elsewhere.

Ernad said:
wow, what an idiot!

Would explain a lot, though.

wht-v6-vert · Sep 28, 2006

Sadly, everyone so far has had emotional knee jerk reactions to Clarkson and missed the point. All those English guys are gay. They want to take long showers with each other, not drop the hammer on the street. None of them have a clue what cool is.

Clarkson rants on Americans and Mustang

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