Top Gear

Top Gear

by Techsfurniture ~ Sunday, April 25, 2010

Top Gear



Many people know about the 2008 Top Gear pilot that was filmed for NBC but wasn't picked up. Now, the American version of Top Gear is actually going to happen -- History Channel has comissioned ten episodes, the first of which will run late this fall. The hosts will be Adam Ferrara, actor and comedian; Tanner Faust, racing and stunt driver; and Rutledge Wood, Speed Channel NASCAR commentator.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS
It's only saved 1kg, but Porsche re-designed it anyway. It sums up the whole philosophy of finessing perfection, this obsession with detail. To give you another example, the carbon-fibre rear wing has a non-uniform profile between the sides and centre because the airflow is different over the wheelarches compared to the middle of the car. And the amount of downforce this RS generates at 100mph is the same as the old car had at 190.

The exhaust silencers are now titanium, the single-mass flywheel has had 1.4kg shaved since the gen-one RS, the brake hubs are aluminium and save 1.2kg a corner. The list goes on: lightweight wheels; aluminium body panels; plastic rear window; canvas straps for internal door handles; no heavy, flappy paddle gearbox (Preuninger: "Grandmas can use paddles. They aren't challenging"). Even the leather has gone from the dash and doors - tap on the roof and it sounds thin, like a caravan's. There's also an option to spec a lithium-ion battery, which brings a 10kg weight-loss benefit. And costs £1,268.

Top Gear



Many people know about the 2008 Top Gear pilot that was filmed for NBC but wasn't picked up. Now, the American version of Top Gear is actually going to happen -- History Channel has comissioned ten episodes, the first of which will run late this fall. The hosts will be Adam Ferrara, actor and comedian; Tanner Faust, racing and stunt driver; and Rutledge Wood, Speed Channel NASCAR commentator.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS
It's only saved 1kg, but Porsche re-designed it anyway. It sums up the whole philosophy of finessing perfection, this obsession with detail. To give you another example, the carbon-fibre rear wing has a non-uniform profile between the sides and centre because the airflow is different over the wheelarches compared to the middle of the car. And the amount of downforce this RS generates at 100mph is the same as the old car had at 190.

The exhaust silencers are now titanium, the single-mass flywheel has had 1.4kg shaved since the gen-one RS, the brake hubs are aluminium and save 1.2kg a corner. The list goes on: lightweight wheels; aluminium body panels; plastic rear window; canvas straps for internal door handles; no heavy, flappy paddle gearbox (Preuninger: "Grandmas can use paddles. They aren't challenging"). Even the leather has gone from the dash and doors - tap on the roof and it sounds thin, like a caravan's. There's also an option to spec a lithium-ion battery, which brings a 10kg weight-loss benefit. And costs £1,268.

If you want to throw away weight, you can. Specify bucket seats to lose 10kg, swap the enamel bonnet badge for a sticker, remove the radio and aircon, change the xenon headlights to halogens (and ditch the washer units in the process)... continue this process of subtraction as far as it will go and you'll end up with a car that's 25kg lighter than the GT3. That's only the weight of a small child, but it's still impressive because the RS is 40mm wider than the standard GT3, which is itself not a fat car. Look at it another way: in stripped-out form, the GT3 RS is only 80kg heavier than the Porsche Cup racer. As Preuninger puts it, "Lightweight is fun. You have to appreciate the grams." Oh, we appreciate the grams alright.

This is a pin-sharp car, but there's comfort now, a new respect for your fillings and spine. Don't for a moment think the RS can't be driven every day. OK, at idle the lightweight flywheel rattles like a tin of nails and the revs jump around like a racing car. The interior light pulses slightly as the revs rise and fall - it's not rough, but these are the key reasons Preuninger says customers would choose the GT3 over the RS. The latter lacks refinement, relatively speaking. Nor is the rear wing to everyone's taste. But other than that, this car is surprisingly easy to drive for long periods of time.

All of a sudden, taking it rallying makes perfect sense. Yes, the GT3 RS - rallying. A car with a front spoiler that crunches horribly when driven over sleeping policemen, yet one which a quick YouTube search reveals tackling snow stages. So we head up the Col de Turini in the French Alps to see just how well 450bhp, rear-wheel drive, semi-slick tyres and snow mix.