The Lamborghini Aventador looks much better in Atomic Orange than it did in Rental Car White on series 17, episode 6, when it was first tested by Hammond. Clarkson gives this car the perfect treatment, not spoiling it with too many faux-Italian cliches. He is correct to praise the dramatic appearance. I was never happy with the front end of this car because of the pointless bulge straight in the middle, making it look like a body kit on an older Lamborghini, but with any color besides white, it blends well and you can focus on the beautifully sculpted sides and rear end. I have been warming up to this car very rapidly. Compared to 2001, when the Murcielago came out and I insisted the Diablo looked better for over a year aftward, the Aventador seems to be growing on me much more quickly. Although it looks to be too high-tech on the inside to be really enjoyable, I think it's only a matter of time before I find it to be the prettiest Lambo ever made, which must make it about the best-looking Italian supercar ever. They have made the new 6.5L V12 sound just as good as the outgoing 6.2L V12, which had an original design going back to the 1960s. Feast your ears on what may be the last-ever brand new V12 engine. It's so howlingly beautiful a noise, you just can't get enough.
The Noble M600. How far Noble has come! They first were shown on Top Gear back in the second-ever episode, in 2002. Back then their only car was the 2.5L Ford-engined M12, which looked like an ugly kit car and sounded like a mouth-breather. I respected the budget performance, but never wanted one. Noble now makes a premium supercar with 650 hp from a 4.4L turbo V8 from Yamaha (sorry, it's NOT British-made or British-designed). It still has a bit too much stupid turbo whistle, but it finally looks pretty darn hot, and Noble is still the coolest car company name around nowadays.
I've always respected them for sticking around, and I really would hate to see this company go under like nearly all British car companies. When the clutch shattered on Hammond's M600, I felt genuinely sorry for the poor little car, and felt REALLY sorry for Noble. How can a company that sells 50 cars a year keep its doors open if 300 million people just see their only model car break down on a TV show, even when the host is TRYING to like the car? Noble, according to Hammond, got his phone call about the breakdown and immediately sent a driver to take him another M600 all the way from the factory in Leicester. I about wanted to cry when I heard that, because even though it was an extraordinary gesture of service and it was something that only a small, honest company would care to do, it's not enough to erase the vision of the spectacular, unscripted failure of a very important component on one of their cars.
The McLaren has been my personal favorite for a while, because it's simply the commonsense approach to supercars. McLaren is an actual racing firm, unlike the other two, and it shows in their top speed, which is "only" 205 mph. They have sacrificed top speed for agility, which is how real racing works, unless you've gone back in time to Group B or Can Am. McLaren couldn't find an engine that matched their specs, so they built their own: a 3.8L V8 with two turbos. V8 in a British supercar? Yes please. Consequently, the McLaren is the fastest around the Top Gear track, and it is amazingly said to have the most comfortable ride of any supercar. It is also significantly cheaper than the others. That's a neat 1-2-3 punch. It has a fairly anonymous front-end, but it has almost the same beautifully sculpted sides and rear as the Aventador. In profile, they look pretty darn similar. I do believe that the McLaren will age well and it will be significantly more reliable than the other two cars.
Oh, and they do some fun things in the episode. The Lamborghini's V12 will give you eargasms. There's some racing around an Italian Grand Prix track. Clarkson surprises everyone by getting a lap time of within 3 seconds of the Stig's pace in a Ferrari 458, for a time of 1:59. While the McLaren may have had the worst time of 2:06 in the hands of James May, it was still faster by a second than the Ferrari 458 around the TG test track. So I would chalk this up to May simply not being as fast a driver as Clarkson.
The scene in the garage really spoke to me. Talking to your car might be nutty if it's taken too seriously, as though the car is actually a person. But when it's done properly, as a man invoking his thoughts and aspirations to a machine, it's beautiful. Think of it as though you're making your heart open to all the affection and love that went into the design and construction of the car from its makers.
This depends on the car. Some cars aren't made with love and they can never be loving, honest machines. They were simply made to sell and earn money, and the engineers and assembly personnel are not especially proud of it. Examples of this would include Kias and many old GM cars. If it's a complacently-designed and poorly-made car, it's like opening your heart to a serial abuser. But when Hammond gave the Noble a pep talk, and said "I'd love us to win," he was speaking with sincerity and emotion that comes from an honest experience with a machine. If it's an honest car, it's like opening your heart to your true love. British car makers, especially TVR and Noble, are almost invariably created with this kind of love. They didn't make much money for the company, but the company loved to make them.
Not all was sweetness and light, however. I seem to remember an interview with a rapper which was extremely embarrassing. Clarkson was meaninglessly pandering to the youth by making out will.i.am to a genius. I'm still washing my eyes out with bleach to clear the image of that gullwing Lancia Delta (iamauto, Mr. i.am's car company). Equally embarrassing is Intel proclaiming "it is very important to attract the youth culture" as a rationale for hiring will.i.am as a "creative consultant." Beg your pardon, but I just don't see the link. I understand that Mr. i.am has many diverse interests and talents, but to proclaim him "the most inspiring person we've ever had in that sofa" seems like hyperbole. A final note of thanks for requiring an automatic transmission, just like Alice Cooper (who is much cooler). Why do all American ambassadors of culture lack the ability to shift gears manually?
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