Reviewing Top Gear’s Richard Hammond ‘68 R/T Charger Review

[Rustymuscle]

I Know This Is Old News, But We Review "Top Gear's" Ridiculously Biased Review of the '68 Charger R/T
http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/video-top-gears-richard-hammond-drives-a-68-rt-charger/



Oh, do I ever hate "Top Gear." Well, the British version anyways. These readily prejudiced and unanimously biased chortling meat puppets do little to actually inform rather than perform like a trio of hooting circus seals. So why the Charger, say over the Mustang? Hammond explains, "Because bad guys always drove Chargers" and proceeds to reference "Bullitt" (even going so far to use the theme music). The problem is that the Charger Hammond cites as being the inspiration for his love of the car was a triple-black R/T with yes, the Super Commando 375-horse 440 but also touted the A-833 4-speed, not a green, street-modded '68 with a 727 automatic.

Light 'em up,
Kevin Shaw
Editor
Street Legal TV

[375instroke]

I thought it was a great review.  What do you want?  Car & Driver telling us how much luggage space it has, or what the dB level at 60mph is?

[mikesbbody]

It's not such a bad review but they generally don't like American car's that's for sure
That Tall idiot Jeremy Clarkson? is the worst when it comes to talking shit about American car's.
On the plus side, he's a big Global warming critic 

[squeakfinder]

 I didn't think it was a bad review but at the end when the three of them are standing in front of the audience talking, the 68 he purchased is on stage with them. Well, it wasn't the one he drove, but a really bad example of are car's. I remember it was some kinda puke green or yellow with a hood scoop .  

[Charger440RDN]

Why is it that all of these reviews talk about the "massive size" of the charger?!   I never thought a 2nd gen Charger was all that massive. But then again I grew up in the 80's riding in big land yachts.

[PocketThunder]

I thought it was a great review.  What do you want?  Car & Driver telling us how much luggage space it has, or what the dB level at 60mph is?

            stroker, that was awesome!  hahaha 

[mikesbbody]

Why is it that all of these reviews talk about the "massive size" of the charger?!   I never thought a 2nd gen Charger was all that massive. But then again I grew up in the 80's riding in big land yachts.

The Charger is a very Big car to the Brits as for a C Body etc just Massive! did you see the size of Richard Hammond's Garage? Tiny! 

[UH60L]

Yeah, I love how he says "it fits" then opens the door and bumps the string, hehe.  I'm sure he would have a storage area for all his cars though, not just a little standard British garage.

Then of course he goes on to make it seem like owning one means you have to hang out with gray hairded country line dancing folks....

Overall, I like the video, because for the most part, they like the car, which is not common for them with american cars.  (and I like it because they allude to the fact that it only lasted a few years was gone, as I really dislike the car they are selling currently under the name charger)

I like the episode where they came to the US and drove the corvette, the caddy and the challenger, too. 

[mikesbbody]

"I like the episode where they came to the US and drove the corvette, the caddy and the challenger, too."

Yes, that was a good episode apart from the usual condescending talk from Jeremy in regards to the Challenger  they seem to think that if a car is made outside Europe, it's no good.
What about the "burnout contest" they had? Hammond couldn't get the Challenger to do a Burnout? WTF?

[Charger440RDN]

I think they refer to big american cars as "Yank Tanks" 

[ionracer24]

What a douch......

[moparguy01]

I lovethat show. But you guys need to think of this is a different way. If I was driving ferraris lambos high end jags etc, I'm willing to bet I'd think most American cars suck too. You think a 40k challenger is as good as a 300k dollar Ferrari?  I know which I think would be a better car....

[mikesbbody]

I hear what your saying but, the price of a car doesnt IMO make it a good car are Ferrari's and Lambo's nice car's? sure! would a prefer one over a nice classic Charger, Challenger etc? no way! it's 2 completely different types of cars. My Dad is British and believe me when I tell you I heard him talk so much shit about American cars when I was growing up (maybe that's why I don't like Clarkson?  ) so, I grew up loving Ferrari's it didnt take me long to realise they are a rich man's car and I'd never be able to afford one but I could afford the "Yank Tanks" that my father talked shit about so that's what I got  and btw, British and European cars often had American Motors, Transmissions, etc why? maybe their stuff was no good? 

[Nacho-RT74]

I lovethat show. But you guys need to think of this is a different way. If I was driving ferraris lambos high end jags etc, I'm willing to bet I'd think most American cars suck too. You think a 40k challenger is as good as a 300k dollar Ferrari?  I know which I think would be a better car....

not everything in a car is just power... is handling, braking, comfort etc...

sorry guys, but even my parents 1975 Mercedes it is VERY SLOW and I love my Charger, you can't believe how wonderfull is to drive it... handles and brakes WAAAAY BETTER. I feel really safe on my parents car... just just one year diff with my Charger. It is simply another world.

then building quality is another stuff WAAAAAY BETTER on the Mercedes. You can see how "cheap" is an American car ( at least those years related ) againts an European car, average. American cars are just fun to drive because power and maybe design, depending on tastes, but not about the rest.

be honest yourself

[Mefirst]

Now I'm really going to step into it, but here goes... America has NEVER built a great car, ever!!! You have built several cool looking cars, but never a car that handles and rides like a European car. You could offer me what ever kind/size of new American car and Id still rather have a small European hatchback, only for the simple reason, the Eurobox ride is so much better.. The concept of corners and handling seems it has never crossed the American mind, it just not in your genepool.. and that's kinda weird, cause most of you are of European decent.. something must have happend over the generations... Yes there are car that handle good over in America, but who built them.. Not Americans, its European engineering..

..well flame away.. but the more you flame, the more a twit you will be...

My

[six-tee-nine]

Well I guess there is a whol wold between the cars we drive in Europe and the ones people in the US are used to drive.
Over here in Europe the opinion on US cars is very simple. You love em or you hate 'em.
Also people are also chauvinists thats why France is loaded with French cars and has waaaaay less German cars on the road. In Germany I think over 80% are Audis or Beemers and Mercerdes'......
Another issue is the fact that the roads over here seem to be alot smaller wich asks for smaller cars.

About Clarckson and his crew, they will shit on everything that is not british. Give them the best new BMW M5 or AMG Benz and they will actually love it but they will tear it down because the trunk is too small or the cup holders are in the wrong place. They never complain about the cup holders in an Aston Martin.
Plain chauvinism of the british (who seem to forget that they made some serious junk in the 70's and 80's)

[BigBlackDodge]

Now I'm really going to step into it, but here goes... America has NEVER built a great car, ever!!! You have built several cool looking cars, but never a car that handles and rides like a European car. You could offer me what ever kind/size of new American car and Id still rather have a small European hatchback, only for the simple reason, the Eurobox ride is so much better.. The concept of corners and handling seems it has never crossed the American mind, it just not in your genepool.. and that's kinda weird, cause most of you are of European decent.. something must have happend over the generations... Yes there are car that handle good over in America, but who built them.. Not Americans, its European engineering..

..well flame away.. but the more you flame, the more a twit you will be...

My

So you have driven every car that America has ever built?


BBD

[Ghoste]

The more we flame the more of a twit we'll be?  Well then let me be one of the first and biggest twits because that is one of the stupidest things I have ever read on the internet.  Basically if I don't agree with you on the incredible superiority of European engineering, then I am just wrong?  Having driven many American cars and many of your vaunted Euroboxes I can safely say that there is very very little that I like about most of the European cars.  Poor visibilty in the exotic supercars, little room in nearly all of them, mechanical problems out the wazoo once they are more than about 5 years old.  I for one do not find them to have a superior ride or superior handling.  If you are talking about the high end sports sedans, there are American equivalents whether you choose to accept it as fact or not.  If you are referring only to the more commonly available "Eurobox"  or "small European hatchback" then you become even further out in left field.  And to imply that any America car which does offer anything that resembles your standard of handling only does so because of European engineering is also ridiculous.  There is engineering input from around the world in these days of global platforms and there are brilliant innovations coming from all areas.  The real truth is that if you actually compare modern cars within the same price points you are going to find a great deal of performance parity around the world.
But what do I know?  Even though I drive a variety of cars every week as part of my job I'm just another boorish slob from the colonies.

Oh, and the more you disagree with my opinion, the more of a misguided Euro-snob you'll be.

[super_dave]

Now I'm really going to step into it, but here goes... America has NEVER built a great car, ever!!! You have built several cool looking cars, but never a car that handles and rides like a European car. You could offer me what ever kind/size of new American car and Id still rather have a small European hatchback, only for the simple reason, the Eurobox ride is so much better.. The concept of corners and handling seems it has never crossed the American mind, it just not in your genepool.. and that's kinda weird, cause most of you are of European decent.. something must have happend over the generations... Yes there are car that handle good over in America, but who built them.. Not Americans, its European engineering..

..well flame away.. but the more you flame, the more a twit you will be...

My

Yeah Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaro's can't corner right.....whatever.  The best is when those British wankers take the new camaro over there and test it against an AMG Mercedes 4 door, thats the only "muscle" car to compare too?  The British cars are all garbage, look at the build quality and reliability of Jags history etc....  While there humour is quite funny, there opinions are so transparent, but that doesn't really matter.  The show is for entertainment.  Fact is America can produce the mighty Z06, never mind the ZR1, and kick ass over any European car that is not more than 2.5X price of the Z06, so while all of England could easily fit into Texas probably, maybe they are suffering from little guy syndrome over there!

MATE!

[moparstuart]

 I love this show , that said . The twits drive mostly german and italian cars and rip on american cars.
  The english build totally un-reliable cars.  Go analized your junky british car history and and then come back and rip on our american cars .   

[Belgium R/T -68]

I love this show , that said . The twits drive mostly german and italian cars and rip on american cars.
  The english build totally un-reliable cars.  Go analized your junky british car history and and then come back and rip on our american cars .   

The British carindustry died out years ago due to poor quality and terrible
design and then I'm not talking about brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover which
I don't see as daily drivers.

Per

[moparstuart]

I love this show , that said . The twits drive mostly german and italian cars and rip on american cars.
  The english build totally un-reliable cars.  Go analized your junky british car history and and then come back and rip on our american cars .   

The British carindustry died out years ago due to poor quality and terrible
design and then I'm not talking about brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover which
I don't see as daily drivers.

Per

and even jag had reliability problems back in the day , and now are fords 

[BigBlockSam]

i enjoyed that,  thanks for posting it 

[mikesbbody]

Now I'm really going to step into it, but here goes... "America has NEVER built a great car, ever!!! You have built several cool looking cars, but never a car that handles and rides like a European car"


I agree with Ghoste, that has to be the dumbest comment I have EVER read on the net EVER! flame away you say? well there's no real need you have done a good job of sticking your own foot in your mouth with that comment but I have a question, what is a guy in Sweden (who sounds like he hates American cars) doing owning a Charger? Sweden has a HUGE following of American cars why bother owing something that is far inferior to a European car? as for the handling etc what a bunch of crap! I have owned 9 uk/European cars all junk all gave me major problems I grew up watching my Father constantly fix his UK/Euro Trash junk cars as well! (you would think I'd learn but no) I have since switched to driving Japanese cars for Daily driver's and had WAY less problems I have only had 3 American cars (all from the 70's) and NONE of them have given me Major problems like the UK/Euro junk has. In fact, IMO the American cars drove so much better sure, gas consumption wasn't great but that's not everything what other Bullshit did you say...only several cool looking American cars? (whatever) name ONE from Europe/UK that looks better...good luck ps, your in the WRONG Forum Buddy!

..well flame away.. but the more you flame, the more a twit you will be...

No, the only Twit is you for such idiotic comments  

My
[/quote]

[TUFCAT]

It was "entertaining" that's about it.

I don't mind listening to other people's review of something ...as long as they're fairly well versed, and knowledgeable.

I consider the source in this case.  His automotive "wheelhouse" probably doesn't include any windshield experience from big American cars from the 60's and 70's. In fact, he was barely able to form a solid shit in his diaper when these cars came out.

Therefore, he knows jack shit about the subject matter, and his opinions have no value to me whatsoever!

Overall he did seem to enjoy driving the Charger - so that was the hook for me.