Clarkson # 39; s car years Episode 2 - How Japan conquered the world ... and then lost (Part 2)
And if the publisher collared me as I scuttled by the office this morning, pretending to be busy, I knew what he wanted, I wanted to name my car of the year, and I do not like taking decisions of this nature or any kind where my scuttling and harassing behavior.
It didn t work Clarkson, he said, when he had me cornered at the water cooler What is your car of the year, it is the Alfa 4C, I said with pride because I d incorporate my opinion on something No, silly, he replied that came out last year, but it is the best car I have driven this year too, I stammered.
It was not good You must vote for the best new car, and few of his cruel, I think it's like being told to vote for the best dog in the world, and not be allowed to choose your own because you have done this last year.
But those are the rules, so I did what I do every year a breakdown by country of all that's new and fresh producing nations cars in Britain, there was the McLaren 650S which is breathtaking breath, and America, the Corvette Stingray, which is certainly the biggest surprise in Italy gave us the Huracán and the 458 Speciale, which is tempting, if only because it's 458 seems last week James s Germany the new Polo is huge, and the i8 is a giant step for mankind, even if it doesn t do what it says on the tin 134mpg Yes, of course.
I then had a quick gallop through France, momentarily stopping on the Twingo and whatever fast Clio Renault has developed this week, then in my head, I jumped to Japan where there was nothing, but a dark gray mist and drizzle a light spot.
Come on, Jeremy, I thought it was Japan's Orient power house, he must do something you want, but it was not good Once I reduced the Nissan GT-R to do not even remotely new, inside my head was a complete blank.
I wrote about Honda's woes before there was a time when its exhibition halls were full of cars with pop-up headlights and Thunderbird Two electric roofs, and Rowan Atkinson in a bombing about making NSX Growly of noise with his induction system but what they Some not very attractive soft-roaders, a sedan with a name I can not be bothered to remember and a sedan that I Styled like it where's the new NSX they talked for so long that I'll tell you where, alongside the Nürburgring, surrounded by firefighters taking pictures of the charred wreckage on their mobile phone and the new S2000 it even easier It is not meet one.
Honda returns to F1, and I'm sorry, but that's the point because this F1 fan will say Yes, I am very impressed by the power of its engines and the skill of its hybrid propulsion technology, so I'll buy CR -V.
Toyota suffers from much the same problem Yes, he's excellent GT86, but where are the Celicas and Supras What happened to the days when he made a special rear-wheel drive version of the Corolla just so young people could derail and what about that four-wheel drive coupe that was a nostril Why none of his cars have more nostrils.
Gallops through the cars they sell these days is like being in a coma It's areola, or is this bit around your nipple Same thing, I guess then there's the Prius, which I can do nothing that hasn t been said before and the new Land Cruiser, which I can say nothing, because there are no words in any language that manage quite grasp his heroic dreadfulness, I do not even have go about the RAV4.
Lexus had a burst some time we got the LFA, which is the best car I've ever driven Yes, it was riddled with mistakes and given a price tag that was higher than George Michael, but my God , to drive, it was sublime And it replaced Nothing, as far as I can see.
Subaru used to sell us Imprezas that cornered like asteroids, and the Outback Legacy is the only car that James, Richard and I agree it was brilliant, but the new is not bright at all and Mitsubishi used having all kinds of attractions such as the Evo and now Pinin and No Wait No, nothing.
Daihatsu used to make a car called GTti It was the first road car ever to produce 100 horsepower liter, and because he had three cylinders, it sounded like he was mad that I loved so on the press launch in Japan, I turn around, broke down and was flying is the Daihatsu house make a car like that today some fun thing for fans something that lives in us all no, he did what we call Sirion, that is in the world of cars as gasoline bunch wilting chrysanthemums sit station at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Nissan obviously makes the GT-R, and long which may continue, but outside of that, it's pretty athletic or nothing interesting or it did the 240 and the 260 and the 280 and 300, and then just stopped.
It is unclear why this is so, we know that the Japanese economy was jolted in the Mariana Trench for a while, but that's the great thing about the country's industry, it is always has its sights on the export market, then why it is not doing exciting things, flashy now for all new funds in China and Russia.
I agree that, moreover, demand is falling children no solution plus sport air filter and large exhaust pipes petrol cars is now so expensive that teenagers speak mpg instead mph but simply look at how BMW and McLaren and Ferrari report that demand for the g-forces and heartbreaking engine note is still there.
Unfortunately, there are things niche, and Japan has never been very good that Japan was always the bottom line, and the truth is, there is more money to make the sale of one billion areolas that there is to actually sell a half-dozen fire-breathing V10 SFT.
It is, of course, an exception to all this Mazda is poised, as I write, to unveil his new and very hip MX-5 The only true sports car is now on his shoulders rests not only the future of society, but the country that gave birth as an automotive giant.
I pray that this Sá huge success I pray million are sold in California and the South of France every five minutes because it s s need to wake up the rest of the auto industry moribund Japan a pointer, lighthouse, a car that shows them there is still money to do fun things.
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Clarkson on Japanese cars Top Gear, Clarkson, cars, machinery.