Top Gear - Units of measure

Hi all,

I'm a big fan of Top Gear in all of its incarnations (no pun intended), UK, AUS, US.

Now, when the statistics for a car are given, I of course understand the US version, and the AUS version are all in metric units that I can run through a converter.

However, are the UK units the same ones that I'm familiar with? I'm fairly certain that when gallons are mentioned they mean Imperial gallons, but is the mile the same as a US mile (5,280 feet). Is the pound (weight) 16 ounces?

This comes to mind because there are some small cars, e.g. VW Polo, that get incredible mileage and it made me wonder why they aren't available here.

Kent

What is an Imperial Gallon?

Imperial gallon is a unit used in the United Kingdom, equal to 10 pounds of water at 62°F. It is an equivalent of about 1.2 US liquid gallon used in the United States.

Crazymike said:

I absolutely love the UK version! The mile and the pound measurements are the same, but I really don't know about the gallon. My guess is the American gallon just because the imperial gallon isn't used often anywhere that I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

Oh, man. If it is the US gallon (which I really don't think it is) wouldn't that just wind up our UK friends to no end?


Now for the editorial comments:

The UK version is far and away the best. Why no one has beaten the stuffing out of Jeremy Clarkson is beyond me. Seems that he's just one of those guys that everyone loves to hate.
I've seen them all from series 1 onward, including the specials. Some of them I've watched multiple times.


The Australian version is good, it follows the Top Gear format nearly exactly. The team hasn't really gelled, if you know what I mean. I've seen all of these from series 1 onward.


The US version is rather tepid but still watchable. Doesn't follow the Top Gear format very closely. It seems that the "Clarkson persona" has been split between Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust. I like Ferrara, he's just being the stereotypical New Yorker. Foust is very good at what he does, but is more than a bit up himself. I've seen all of these from season 1 onward.

MrNeeds said:

What is an Imperial Gallon?

Imperial gallon is a unit used in the United Kingdom, equal to 10 pounds of water at 62°F. It is an equivalent of about 1.2 US liquid gallon used in the United States.

I did know that 1 Imperial gallon = 1.2 US gallon, didn't know that was the definition. I've learned something!

So what you're saying is, that in general everyday use, when someone in the UK mentions a (liquid) gallon, it's implicitly understood that it will be an Imperial gallon.

correct, I've always known a gallon to be that, it can be very confusing when metric system comes into play, it'll be so much easier if there was a universal measurement but it's always going to be either metric or imperial

MrNeeds said:

correct, I've always known a gallon to be that, it can be very confusing when metric system comes into play, it'll be so much easier if there was a universal measurement but it's always going to be either metric or imperial

I was in school in the 1970's when the big push for metrification was on in the US. Didn't really seem to stick, hardly anyone outside of scientific endeavors are even familiar with metric measurements.

Aside from bottled liquor and soft drinks, everything is still in "standard" units. Fuel is dispensed in gallons, foodstuffs are packaged in pounds and ounces, roadsigns are in miles.

I suppose that the metric units familiar to most Americans are liters and watts.

Lava King said:

The UK version is far and away the best. Why no one has beaten the stuffing out of Jeremy Clarkson is beyond me. Seems that he's just one of those guys that everyone loves to hate.

UK originals are generaly the best.

Clarkson is simply the only Clarkson - in the world :)

(But there's undoubtedly a very loooong list of those who'd love to thump him)

The Australian version is good, it follows the Top Gear format nearly exactly. The team hasn't really gelled, if you know what I mean. I've seen all of these from series 1 onward.

From a locals perspective - it's not good.

The first season was an abortion and the original line up were a bad fit. The new line up has improved it a little.

Oddly enough, following the Top Gear format exactly is why the Australian version is poor. The chemistry between May, Hammond and Clarkson is hard to replicate. You can tell that off screen they are mates and this is reflected in the show.

In both the Aus and US versions, this lack of off screen chemistry is apparent and sometimes a little awkward to watch.

The visual filming style, star in a car, 'dedicated track' for leaderboard times, over the top and staged stunts etc - that works.

The Stig does not. Neither do the 'Stig intros'. They should have ditched the Stig when they had the chance. Or at least a new colour...

The US version is rather tepid but still watchable.

True. I can watch it, but it just doesn't 'grab me'. I find I get up halfway through and flit around with it on in the background.

Doesn't follow the Top Gear format very closely.

Which sort of works to it's favour. It suffers less than the Aus versions feeling of 'copyitis'.

It seems that the "Clarkson persona" has been split between Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust. I like Ferrara, he's just being the stereotypical New Yorker. Foust is very good at what he does, but is more than a bit up himself. I've seen all of these from season 1 onward.

I just want to hear Ferrara say "Fah-get abowt it" , "bada-boom bada-bing" and "Hey, I'm walking here. C'mon!"

Foust is indeed a little full of himself, but he hovers just under the line of being unbearable. If Ferrara and the other bloke continue to rib Foust, and he takes it with good humour, it could be the beginning of good on-screen chemistry.


I have to wonder how much longer the UK version will exist. The episode count has been slashed over the last couple of years. Filming for the season now looks and feels like it's been shot in a very short space of time.

Hammond and May are appearing every other minute in some special series of theirs. You get the sense that Top Gear is not the priority now.


(Protip: Avoid James May's ManLab. Bloody awful that was )