Mad About Cars

BBC’s Top Gear show has in recent years become one of the UK’s most popular TV shows. Originally devised in 1977, the show was produced by BBC Birmingham, and was broadcast by BBC 2. For its first 24 years, the show was presented in a magazine-style format, compromising of various short articles, usually headlined by a review of a new car (quite often an exotic supercar or luxury car which led to criticism from some, although the programme counteracted by reviewing plenty of ‘everyday’ cars as well). Other features included topical issues on road safety, features on used cars and motorsport (a spin off series called ‘Top Gear Motorsport’ was produced during the 1990s)

The most popular presenter of the show was Jeremy Clarkson, who whilst often criticised for his outspoken views, helped make the show a success. However, when Clarkson left in 1999, the show’s fortunes suffered, as viewing figures halved from six to three million. Many of the key Top Gear presenters (including Tiff Neddell and Vicky Butler-Henderson) left the show, later producing a very similar show on Channel Five called Fifth Gear.

In response, Top Gear was totally revised in 2001 with great assistance from Jeremy Clarkson who re-joined the show.  He was accompanied by Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe (replaced by former Top Gear presenter James May after the second series).

Since the re-launch, the series changed from being a magazine style show to a studio set up, filmed from the Top Gear ‘headquarters’ an airfield complete with hangar and test-track. The format of the show has changed from being a factual, magazine show to an entertainment show, featuring unique races between cars and public transport and challenges where the three presenters are pitted against each other. A popular character on the show is the mysterious ‘Stig’ a ‘tamed racing driver’ who is always seen in overalls and helmet and test drives cars on the show’s test track. The Stig’s identity is unknown (originally the character was played by ex-sports car driver Perry McCarthy, but the current Stig’s identity remains a mystery although strong rumours circulate as to the true identity.)

The new show has become a huge success, drawing in much large audience figures than that of its predecessors. Some feel the new show is more of an entertainment show than a true motoring show, although the show’s popularity will seeming sly ensure that Top Gear will remain the nation’s favourite car show

MTV’s popular show Pimp My Ride has become one of the most popular car programmes of the last decade, running for four years until 2007 (with versions of the show still being produced in other areas of the world). The basis of the show is relatively simple, a viewer whose car is in poor condition asks the presenter (in the US version, rapper Xzibit) to ‘pimp’ their ride. From this, the presenter takes the car to a custom garage, who build a dream custom car from the viewer’s old car. Typically, the viewer will have genuine reasons why they deserved to have their car pimped, they will either be portrayed as a hard working person who deserves a good break, or the car is a tired old family hand-me-down, deserving of a makeover.

The level of customisation performed on the old cars is exquisite, and tailored to meet the driver’s interests or livelihood, with unique features and accessories added to change the car beyond all recognition.

The show has become one of MTV’s most popular worldwide shows, and a UK follow-up was also produced, with hip-hop DJ Westwood taking the presenter’s role, along with this a version of the show is also produced in the Baltic countries, along with a Brazilian version of the show.

In addition, the UK version of the show has also ‘pimped’ celebrity cars, former Happy Mondays member Bez has his prized London Taxi (complete with Chevrolet V8 engine) featured on she show, along with a special edition where a Volkswagen LT van was pimped for Madonna for use in her music video ‘Sorry’

The show (and name) has entered popular culture, and the producers of the company, Viacom, have looked to preserve the brand name with a number of legal threats made against businesses that have tried to use the ‘Pimp My’ name for their business.

The 1976 film ‘The Gumball Rally’ was one of a number of 1970s films that took inspiration from the ‘Cannonball Run’ rallies across America, made famous in the 1970s. In these unofficial race events, competitors drove across America (typically between New York and California), with the fun, rebellious events capturing the public’s imagination (and later giving inspiration to the ‘Gumball 3000’ rallies of the early millennium)

‘The Gumball Rally’ was a comedy film, with lead character Michael Bannon (Michael Sarrazin) summoning together car enthusiasts to compete in the ‘Gumball Rally’, a high-speed race between New York, finishing at Long Beach California, in the shadows of the Queen Mary ship.

Much of the film centres around the high speed race between Bannon and his rival Steve Smith (Tim McIntire). The two compete in high performance cars, with Bannon driving an AC Cobra and Smith, a Ferrari Daytona. Smith is accompanied by romantic Italian racing driver Franco Bertollini (Raul Julia), who is one of a number of eccentric characters who play out much of the comedy aspect of the film. Trying to stop the race is Police Lieutenant Roscoe (Norman Burton), and much of the film sees the drivers successfully beat Roscoe’s attempts to stop the race.

The film sees some spectacular driving sequences, with the early part of the film seeing drivers speed through an early morning New York City at over 100 mph (city streets were closed for the filming). A subplot to the film also shows two competitors stranded in New York in their Jaguar E-Type for the entire film, clueless as to how to get the car started (this was in response to Jaguar, who refused to allow an E-Type to be used in the film as a lead car)

Whilst the film is now something of a cult film, the romantic idea of cross-country car rallies continued to excite the public, with Gumball 3000 re-igniting the famous rallies.

One of Hollywood’s biggest names of the present era is Will Ferrell, who has starred in a number of popular comedy films of recent years. Movies such as Anchorman, Semi-Pro and Blades of Glory have seen Ferrell star as larger than life, tongue in cheek characters, and Talladega Nights – The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is little different, as Ferrell provides a satirical look into the world of NASCAR.

The movie is the first major NASCAR film since the 1990 film Days of Thunder, and was well timed with NASCAR enjoying a boom in popularity. Ferrell plays Ricky Bobby, whose only aim in life is to ‘go fast’, living his life by the motto ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last’, as told by Bobby’s largely absent alcoholic, drug using, racing driver.

By chance, Bobby gets a drive in NASCAR, and quickly rises to the top, along with his childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C.Reilly). However, a new driver comes to NASCAR from Formula One, gay French driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen). When Girard proves to be the fastest man on the track, Bobby pushes too hard and is involved in a big crash, which destroys his confidence and leads to him losing NASCAR drive, and with it his trophy wife, who leaves him for his best friend Naughton Jr.

With Bobby at his lowest ebb, his father comes back into his life and teaches him to regain his nerve and driving skill, leading for a final showdown as Bobby returns to NASCAR and challenge Girard once again.

Like Ferrell’s other sporting films, the storyline is tongue-in-cheek, with a lot of artistic licence used during racing sequences, most of which are unrealistic (one NASCAR race team member was quoted as saying the film would ‘set the sport back 20 years’)

However as a comedy film, it is lighthearted and enjoyable, with some satirical quips towards the world of modern motor racing. And with the sport’s Deep South values and traditions bought to the fore, in some ways it is closer to NASCAR’s traditions than its earlier counterpart, Days of Thunder.

In his lifetime, Steve McQueen was an avid petrol head, not only being a keen enthusiast of both cars and motorcycles, but also a very accomplished competitor as well. His passion for cars and bikes was shown in many of his movies, and his 1968 crime thriller ‘Bullitt’ is just such an example.

Although the film is not strictly a motoring film, it is probably best remembered for the Ford Mustang driven by McQueen, and the extended car-chase mid way through the film, where Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (McQueen) chases two hit-men through the streets of downtown San Francisco.

In the film, Bullitt, along with his team, is assigned to look after a key witness, being held under police protection prior to a Senate meeting. The witness is due to give evidence in order to assist a Senator bringing down a powerful Mafia crime ring. However, when the witness is apparently shot by hitmen, Bullitt looks into the case and later finds the true witness had conned the Senator, paying another man to take his place. The end of the movie sees a final shootout, as Bullitt confronts the witness at San Francisco airport, about to flee the country.

The most famous scene is the car-chase in the middle of the movie, as the hit men chase Bullitt, before he turns the table and chases them instead, with the two hit men being forced into a fatal accident when they career off the road into a ‘gas’ station. Two 1968 Ford Mustangs were used in the filming, with the hit men’s vehicle being a Dodge Charger. Whilst McQueen wished to do most of the driving sequences himself, friend, stuntman and famed motorcycle racer Bud Ekins also assisted.

At almost 10 minutes long, the chase, and the San Francisco backdrop, is one of the most iconic in history, coupled with the superb soundtrack of the American muscle cars along with superb camera footage. In the forty years since the film’s original release, it has gone on to become a cultural landmark.