Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
CarChasesFanatic ◊ 2007-11-05 15:27	aaaaah poor it!
Star Wars Fanatic ◊ 2007-11-05 16:04	It deserved it, it was useless
antp ◊ 2007-11-05 16:22	It's Clarkson who is useless
CarChasesFanatic ◊ 2007-11-05 16:39	Quite a rare car nowadays, it is not a useless car
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 16:39	I remember Clarkson saying in the past that the Lancia Beta was one of the most flimsy, rust-prone cars ever. So why did he choose one for this challenge?
chris40 ◊ 2007-11-05 16:45	Probably because of the budgetary restriction. And it wouldn't have been so rust-prone in Botswana.
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 16:52	Well, they chose old cars for the challenge, not because they couldn't afford new ones. It wouldn't be as interesting if they all drove brand new Range Rovers that never broke down. I wonder if he gained more respect for this car after he spent time in it going through harsh terrain.
twingoman ◊ 2007-11-05 16:55	They had a budget in terms of buying the cars - £1500.
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 16:59	Yes, but that's to make it a challenge, Top Gear can easily get brand new cars. -- Last edit: 2007-11-05 16:59:10
Kowalski ◊ 2007-11-05 18:06	antp wrote It's Clarkson who is useless No. Clarkson is alright. Ken Livingstone is useless, though.
dudley ◊ 2007-11-05 18:07	Kowalski wrote Ken Livingstone is useless, though. Ha! Corrrrrrrrrrrrectamundo!
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 18:42	Say what you will about Clarkson, he makes entertaining programming. Most motoring programs, especially the more amatuerish ones shown on satellite/cable channels like Bravo and Men & Motors are pretty boring unless you are really interested in the cars they are focusing on, some of the presenters are such dullards. I've always loved watching Top Gear since I was very young, but if you catch an old episode from the early or mid 90s it's amazing how staid it looks now, I wonder what it was like in the late 70s and 80s. It used to be basically a televised version of what you'd read inside an ordinary motoring magazine, no big challenges, no fun experiments, no races, it relied on the talent of the presenters like Clarkson, Quentin Willson, Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Steve Berry to make it watchable. Top Gear just wasn't quite the same when Clarkson left it in 1999. Imagine what the program would be like now if only James May presented it, it would get boring very quickly. -- Last edit: 2007-11-05 18:48:53
Star Wars Fanatic ◊ 2007-11-05 20:30	Indeed, it is no coincidence that half of Top Gear's viewership was lost as soon as Clarkson left the show. Clarkson is, in essence, what makes Top Gear Top Gear, although more recently the chemistry between the three of them has evolved to such an extent that it almost overrides that theory. Can you imagine Top Gear without one of them?
dudley ◊ 2007-11-05 20:50	Not at all. It's like being in the pub with your mates.
Bravada ◊ 2007-11-05 22:05	I would actually have nothing against James and Hamster outing Clarkson, he is just annoying. I would love James to present, he has much more taste for the quirks of the automotive world than the usual set of fastest cars.
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 22:14	Maybe Hammond could carry Top Gear on his own, but Captain Slow James May would be boring by himself. He's OK, but he doesn't have the charisma to be entertaining on his own. Does anyone remember the third guy they had before May? If Clarkson died in a crash, then Hammond and May could just about do it on their own, but it wouldn't be the same without him. Although I'm very glad Hammond survived his crash, he would be sorely missed on Top Gear.
Star Wars Fanatic ◊ 2007-11-05 23:41	Yes, Jason Dawe presented in the first series of Top Gear and didn't fit in at all.
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-05 23:52	I can't remember him at all now, they always show Top Gear repeats on UKTV Gold, (now called "Dave" for some reason ) but they never seem to show the ones he was in. I've heard rumours/jokes that Hammond and Clarkson hated him!
Star Wars Fanatic ◊ 2007-11-06 00:16	Here he is: He didn't have much involvement, the only section he had to himself was about used car deals which was actually rather drab and slowed the pace of the programme.
G-MANN ◊ 2007-11-06 00:32	Are there any clips of him on Top Gear on the internet that you know of?
Star Wars Fanatic ◊ 2007-11-06 13:55	No, unfortunately not, probably because of the lack of interest towards him.
dudley ◊ 2007-11-06 14:29	He did the consumer bit, concerning new and used cars, like Quinton Willson. He's got a used car column in In Gear, the Sunday Times' motoring/gadget supplement. -- Last edit: 2007-11-06 14:30:32
crazyforcars12 ◊ 2007-11-08 19:57	This episode made me laugh, and a nice selection of cars.
bowjm ◊ 2007-12-09 21:01	I love Betas, so I'm biased. I think the car got a hard time on the Top Gear show. Although it was in good external condition it clearly hadn't been maintained well; at the start they showed the engine bays was full of coolant leaks and the battery they fitted was so tall it was shorting out on the underneath of the bonnet.. Doh! Having said that I think Top Gear made a great piece of TV. The story wouldn't have been so entertaining if the cars had been totally reliable now would it
Voyska ◊ 2008-02-10 10:55	Amazing how there was coolant (or wiper fluid it could be) leaking onto the spark plugs at the beginning! The moment the battery shorted on the bonnet, the Beta would have further problems with the starter motor. Tis a shame.
paul4990 ◊ 2008-05-02 00:48	in an interview at MPH 08 africa jeremy says he has the only working part on his desk at home, the headlight
ecclefechan ◊ 2008-06-03 12:55	G-MANN wrote I remember Clarkson saying in the past that the Lancia Beta was one of the most flimsy, rust-prone cars ever. So why did he choose one for this challenge? In Jeremy Clarkson's 1996 "Unleashed On Cars", while searching for the worst car in the world he looked for a Lancia Beta, but couldn't find one. He said "Remember the Lancia Beta? A car made of steel so thin you could read through it. I'm talking about a car with all the strength and integrity of a piece of plasticine. We scoured the land to find a Beta, and this is all we could come with...". He then drops a hub cap, some wires and a few other small parts on the ground and says "Apparently its owner drove through a puddle once. But no one knows if the Lancia Beta was the worst car ever made, because it never lasted long enough for anyone to find out." So yes, there's a certain irony that he chose a Lancia Beta for this, and didn't make any reference to what he'd previously said about the Lancia Beta!
G-MANN ◊ 2008-06-03 14:49	ecclefechan wrote In Jeremy Clarkson's 1996 "Unleashed On Cars"..... I know, I have that video
harlezy212 ◊ 2008-10-11 21:13	twingoman wrote They had a budget in terms of buying the cars - £1500. Yes, and the rules also was that the car must be 2WD, and not designed any way for off-road use.
Willie ◊ 2009-08-27 23:39	Useless or not, nice... I am sorry for that car!
Gamer ◊ 2014-07-31 18:13	"Bad Jeremy"
Iron Maiden ◊ 2016-09-17 01:16	Original and Lightweight Pics
emosun ◊ 2017-04-28 09:02	after filming the crew abandon the car right at the border gate where it stopped at the end of the episode. over the years it had parts picked off of it , the car is no longer at the border crossing which can be seen on google street view -- Last edit: 2017-04-28 09:02:36
Bowl of Rice ◊ 2019-06-30 15:24	i saw a picture of the car in someone's garden on imgur. it still had the cans and 1 skull on it, but no wheels (it was propped up on bricks at the front)
antp ◊ 2021-02-10 09:32	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZJjFsAxN7s Jeremy Clarkson's Lancia has been found in Botswana
JohnSmith1882 ◊ 2024-11-02 23:04	It's still there. Well, what remains of it... /vehicle_1927685-Lancia-Beta-Coup%C3%A9-828-BC1FL-1981.html -- Last edit: 2024-11-02 23:04:44

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1981 Lancia Beta Coupé Automatic 3a serie [828 BC.1FL]

1981 Lancia Beta Coupé [828 BC.1FL] in Top Gear, Non-fiction TV, 2002-2015 Ep. 10.04

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