Automotive Modifications: May 2016

Flop Gear cast creates a new low... lowest audience in a decade. 3 of the presenters didn't appear. And the guest star in a reasonably priced car? Doesn't drive a car. Ker-flop

lowest opening show viewing figures in a decade... wow. The last time the ratings were this bad, was 2006

How bad was it? People switched over to Antiques Roadshow. Yeah... that's pretty bad when you'd rather learn about what was found in a attic than try to be entertained

Summed up perfectly in this quote: Top Gear 2016 is to original Top Gear as Ghostbusters 2016 is to original Ghostbusters a tweet from James Delingpole

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/30/top-gears-first-episode-branded-boring-and-badly-presented-by-fa/

The news comes as host Chris is odds on to be fired from Top Gear after figures confirmed the show was a ratings flop.

Bookies now offer odds of ¼ that it would be the last series of the show with Chris Evans at the helm and ½ that the show would be axed altogether.

Top Gear drew an average of just 4.3 million viewers, and at the same time, other channel, Antiques Roadshow drew 3.8 million viewers. Yeah, all the hype, and ridiculously overpriced hosts, and they barely had better ratings than vases and sofas.

Top Gear lost its regular title of being Sunday night’s most watched show in England to Countryfile, which peaked at 5.3million viewers and had an impressive 27% share of viewers.

Brad Pitt was supposed to be the guest star, he bailed, they replaced him with a cook and an actor who has zero car credibility

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/7186064/US-fans-take-a-swipe-at-charmless-Top-Gear-as-revamped-show-makes-debut.html

Jalopnik did a good review of it... http://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-top-gear-1779481253

So did Drive:
http://www.thedrive.com/a-list/3743/12-thoughts-on-the-revamped-top-gear-premiere

the screaming eagle, flaming chicken... the Trans Am hood bird (PS, I never claimed to have everything you ever wanted to know, stupid ass Scott Aho of Minneapolis, screw you)

it started out small and simple, but, well... the 70s, you know? The cars got weaker, the decals got bigger and gaudier.... just like the shirt collars

http://www.firebirdgallery.com/Hood_Birds.htm

The new Top Gear... huh, seems to have problems. Here is the new version of the "star in a reasonably priced car" - It's a rally cross mini (over priced BMW), and they use paved and dirt segments of the airport

I don't think it has any of the charm the well known experience had. Time will tell if it gets less distracting. Maybe it was just the known places where we'd pay closer attention to see if the drivers would lose it on Hammerhead, or miss the last corner and womble on the grass before the finish line