Why I think James May will like the 86.
 

Anyone see Episode 3 of Top Gear this week where James May compares the Vauxhall Corsa VHR Nurburgring and Fiat Panda?

Summary, he liked the Corsa but it's not nearly as fun to drive as the Panda on the streets because first the Corsa was designed for the Nurburgring (one of his new pet peeves) and two, you can't drive it on the edge on the street.

He loved the Panda because it was just plain fun to drive just about anywere (again the reason I have a love affair still with my MK1 MR2 long gone).

I think he could have easily been describing the 86. I chuckled every time he mentioned something about "those skinny tires" which I believe are the same ones on the FR-S but not sure.

I also liked Jeremy's comment complaining about the "on the street fun" by saying (paraphrasing) "You're not going to be able to drive the Panda sideways in a roundabout!"

I tend to agree with James and Richard ((who after all is "an American in British clothing") more than Jeremy anyway, but in this case I think James is spot on in explaining what a fun street car is.

Sorry, I couldn't find a video link to the segment, but if you haven't seen it I believe its worth catching.

I wonder who will actually do the review/comparison of the GT86 and BRZ. Perhaps 2 of them? How awesome would it be if they had a whole episode dedicated to them? "Which is better, the BRZ, the 86, or something else? To find out, we went on a journey across Europe."

Too bad we won't see that until 2013 at the earliest.

Why not this summer? I assume they will have it then. Although I doubt it will be a road trip type show.

Top Gear, for whatever reason, isn't airing this summer. I suspect that it's probably because of the Olympics being held in London this year.

No he'll say it would have been a great car but it was ruined by the Nurburgring. ;)

ugh, i was so hoping to hear what those three would say about the 86/brz. Oh well guess ill have to listen to the idiots on the american version. I love the British version better than the american version

The American version is growing on me, but definitely prefer the British version. Of course, it sucked the first couple of years too until they hit their stride.

Wish we got the Aussie version, or a couple of others here. I enjoy the different prospectives and seeing the "native" cars we'll never see in the US.

Apparently it's been bumped in favor of "Britain's Got Idol Factor".

I saw that episode and thought that as well. May will probably like it, provided the ride isn't too stiff.

Clarkson will complain about the lack of power, but Hammond will like it -- he's a big MX5 fan.

:lol: That is really rich coming from Clarkson (if it's a true quote) - the guy is a fat pig, at least 250 lbs. He tries to hide it sometimes but there is enough footage around showing he's well into his final trimester.