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| REPORT: Jeremy Clarkson against female Top Gear host, calls audience members 'oafs'
August 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm
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| Filed under: Etc., UK, Celebrities 
Top Gear chief oaf (read: presenter) Jeremy Clarkson is no stranger to controversy when he speaks. In fact, he rather seems to thrive on it, which undoubtedly is a big part of the appeal of the show. Earlier this week, he spouted off again apparently in an attempt to irritate (or bemuse) women everywhere while at the same time alienating his core audience.
While discussing Top Gear at a television conference in Scotland, Clarkson apparently indicated that he didn't think a female presenter would be able to hold her own in the testosterone-infused environment that is the Top Gear studio. According to Clarkson: "I think a girl would be a disaster, seeing the chemistry we have now...you bring a girl in and you start taking the piss out of her, that would look like bullying."
At the same event, Clarkson also referred to most of the live audience at the show as oafs, using that as a justification for bringing some of the attractive women in the crowd up to the front. In this case, it may be hard to argue, and Jezza was probably just verbalizing what the hosts of many programs such as NBC's Today Show are thinking when they look out the window at the people standing in the street hoping for a few seconds of screen time.
What do you think - is Clarkson right or wrong? Could Top Gear benefit from a female voice, or is it better off as a boys' club? Drop your fellow reader a line in 'Comments.'
[Source: The Guardian | Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty]REPORT: Jeremy Clarkson against female Top Gear host, calls audience members 'oafs' originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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| Spy Shots: Toyota 4Runner snagged ahead of Texas debut
August 30, 2009 at 4:03 pm
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| Filed under: Spy Photos, SUV, Toyota  Thanks to one particularly sleuthy Autoblog reader, we now have a ton of useful information about the upcoming 2010 Toyota 4Runner, including the fact that its powertrain options will consist of a 161-horsepower four-cylinder and a 268-horsepower six. The new body-on-frame SUV is slated for debut at the State Fair of Texas later in the month, but the boys at Car and Driver managed to obtain a set of spy photos that shows the truck both inside and out.
We can clearly see that Toyota will be endowing the 2010 4Runner with an upright, squared-off look, reinforcing the vehicle's position as one of the brand's off-road capable offerings. Those looking for a more sedate ride and swoopier appearance can choose from Toyota's car-based Highlander or Venza crossovers, but the 4Runner figures to be in the thick of the off-road capable hunt, along with the Land Cruiser and FJ Cruiser. Expect the next-gen 4Runner to go about its business with a number of new features that add to both its off-the-road credibility and the luxuriousness of its interior, the latter of which has fallen well behind the curve ahead of the new model's arrival. Full details will be released on September 24, so stay tuned.
[Source: Car and Driver]Spy Shots: Toyota 4Runner snagged ahead of Texas debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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| SPOILER ALERT: Reversals of Fortune at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix
August 30, 2009 at 2:07 pm
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| Filed under: Motorsports, Europe  2009 Belgian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery
You asked for it, you got it, racing fans. For decades, Formula One has been dominated by a handful of teams. The world titles have been shared between Ferrari, McLaren, Renault (formerly known as Benetton) and Williams since 1984. And the fans complained: Not enough competition. The small teams stand no chance of winning. Bigger budgets mean bigger trophy cases. And so on and so forth. Well this season has certainly shaken things up. Teams that were once relegated to the back of the field have been winning races, while that quartet of formerly elite teams has been scrambling to keep up. But while Jenson Button and Brawn GP's dominance at the start of the season came as a huge, almost entirely unprecedented surprise to everyone inside or outside the world of grand prix racing, nobody could have anticipated what happened this weekend.
Those who tuned in on Saturday for the qualifying sessions at the Belgian Grand Prix were shocked to find Giancarlo Fisichella and his Force India car sitting on pole. Yes, Force India. The team that never scored a single point, never crossed under the checkered flag in any position better than ninth, and seems to retire from as many races as it finishes. Behind him on the starting grid came fellow Italian Jarno Trulli in his Toyota, followed by BMW's Nick Heidfeld. The big names, meanwhile, were scattered down the order: Rubens Barrichello, fresh off his victory in Valencia, qualified fourth. Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, sixth. Red Bull's pair of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber - the main challengers to Brawn's title lead - placed eighth and ninth, while defending champion Lewis Hamilton, two-time world champ Fernando Alonso and title leader Jenson Button qualified twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively. That's one heck of a messed-up starting grid, especially on a circuit as universally loved by the drivers as Spa Francorchamps. But how the race would unfold would prove just as surprising. Follow the jump to read on.
Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: Reversals of Fortune at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix SPOILER ALERT: Reversals of Fortune at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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| eBay Find of the Day: 1968 Chevrolet Corvette SCCA racer recreation
August 30, 2009 at 11:44 am
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| Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet 
1968 SCCA Chevrolet Corvette tribute - Click above for high-res image gallery
Next up on the auction block is every Corvette-loving Walter Mitty's fantasy come true, a 1968 SCCA Corvette hardtop convertible race car. Okay, maybe that's not everyone's idea of the perfect Corvette, but for those of you old enough to remember the glory days of SCCA Trans-Am racing circa 1968, this car should hit all the right buttons. What started life as a perfectly adequate, four-speed 327/350 optioned 'Vette, has been transformed into the very special race car tribute you see in our gallery. It's a street car that looks an awful lot like the Trans-Am racers of the late '60s and early '70s.
The good folks at 2nd Generation Automotive Restorations are the ones who turned it into what you see here today, minus this car's current fire-breathing factory race engine, a genuine Bowtie ZL-1. That's right, the current owner found one of the factory's limited edition Ram Jet ZL-1 engines (number 155 of only 200 made) nestled in a '55 Chevy show car. The engine had just 36 miles on it and needed a better home. We'd say the result is pretty spectacularly awesome. This very car was featured in the August 2007 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines and can be yours for a Buy-It-Now price of just $60,000 - it would probably cost nearly twice that much to replicate it today. If this sounds like the right car for you, you'd better act fast. Bidding ends today at 7 PM PDT.
[Source: eBay Motors]eBay Find of the Day: 1968 Chevrolet Corvette SCCA racer recreation originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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| Kas and Coffee at Ford's Premier Automotive Group
August 30, 2009 at 10:03 am
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| Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Ford 
2010 Ford Ka - Click above for high-res image gallery
Look what we spotted at the weekly Cars & Coffee gathering today in Irvine. Right there amidst the Cobras, Ferraris, Ariel Atoms and Toyota 2000GTs sat a perfectly ordinary looking 2009 Ford Ka. Well, it was an ordinary 2009 Ford Ka, but its presence in California was rather surprising. After all, Ford hasn't said that they are going to be bringing this European COTY nominee to these shores any time soon.
Does this add credence to the notion that this little Fiat 500 platform-mate might be headed Stateside or is it just a typical example of models from other markets getting passed around to U.S. operations for a little looky-loo? Ford reps on hand were tight-lipped, but we did hear one mention the "Mazda1" in passing. Since Mazda shares the parking lot with Ford at this site, it's possible Mazda was taking a closer look at it as well.
Whatever the official line, we noticed quite a few show-goers giving it appreciative glances. While some were lamenting the time when these tiny European shuttles might be mandated as replacements for their high horsepower sports cars, others seemed to admire the lines and packaging, especially when price and gas mileage came up. If the special editions are part of the deal, we say bring 'em over! Whatever Ford decides to do with this little Ka, we'll try to keep you posted. Until then, check out our gallery below.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.Kas and Coffee at Ford's Premier Automotive Group originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 
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