Clarkson returned his Ford GT.....
#1
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
Clarkson returned his Ford GT.....
damn..... he already had a generally negative opinion about pretty much anything American...... this hasn't helped the situation.
read all about it here:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...1677058,00.htm
(Jeremy Clarkson is that bloke on Top Gear.)
read all about it here:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...1677058,00.htm
(Jeremy Clarkson is that bloke on Top Gear.)
#2
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
btw - an "immobiliser" is a car alarm in Britain.....
#3
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (12)
I have been watching Top Gear via torrents and in the previous few episodes he did mention the trouble he was having with the car. First it was too wide for the west london roads, 9 feet to be exact, and knowing the West London roads i can say that he is right. He mentioned that when he drove the car in the US it felt fine, but in london its not the same thing, i guess thats a mistake on his part. In the following episode he mentioned that the car just wouldnt start and he had to leave the car in the studio and borrow another employee's car to get back home. I didnt think that he would return the car due to that particular reason since he had to wait for it for two or so years
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#10
Senior Moderator
None of your links seem to work, but this one should.
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...677058,00.html
Sorry, Ford, I have to ask for my money back
By Jeremy Clarkson of The Sunday Times
Thirty-five years ago I promised myself that one day I’d own a Ford GT40, the blue-collar supercar that took an axle grinder to Ferrari’s aristocratic halo at Le Mans. But 25 years ago my dreams were dashed as I grew too tall to fit inside.
Happily, in 2002 Ford announced that it was to build a modern-day version of the old racer. It would, they said, cost less than £100,000 and do more than 200mph. They also said it would be much bigger than the original so pylon-people like me would be able to drive it.
And so, two years ago, having tested a prototype in America, I placed an order for one of the 28 that were coming to Britain.
As the months groaned by there were rumours of big price increases, insatiable thirst and catastrophic suspension failure. But there were also rumours of the supercharged V8 pumping out 550bhp and a mountain of torque so massive it was breaking the testing equipment. So I didn’t mind.
I didn’t even mind when it arrived at my house one month ago inside a truck which had “On Time” written down the side. As we know from America’s arrival into the second world war, their concept of “on time” differs slightly from ours.
And anyway, it looked so gorgeous, a mass of bulging muscle struggling to contain that massive 5.4 litre supercharged heart. It doesn’t look like a GT40 but it looks like a GT40 looks in your head. And it’s huge. Longer than a Volvo XC90 and as wide as a Hummer.
Which is why, on its first run, to London, it was like a blue and white Pied Piper trailing a stream of ratty hatches in its wake. Everyone was taking pictures, waving, giving me the thumb’s up. Never, not once in 15 years of road testing cars, had anything drawn such a massive crowd. And never had the crowd been so overtly supportive.
Of course you can’t run a car like this without a few problems rearing their head from time to time. It’s too wide for the width restrictions on Hammersmith bridge — backing up earned me a slot on the traffic news that morning. The turning circle means every mini roundabout becomes a three-point turn, and at oblique junctions, as is the case in a Ferrari Enzo, you absolutely cannot see if anything’s coming.
But set against this is a surprisingly quiet and civilised ride. It’s like a power station. Silent, as it gets on with the job of brightening up your life.
Mind you, you are constantly aware of the Herculean power that nestles just over your right shoulder. Partly because you can see the supercharger belt whirring away in the rear-view mirror and partly because it makes a deep, dog-baiting rumble when you do put your foot down.
Ford asked that I keep the revs below 4000 for the first thousand miles. But since 100mph equates to 1900rpm it’s not really a hardship. And at this speed you’re doing 15mpg, which isn’t bad at all. But three days later everything started to go very, very wrong.
Leaving the Top Gear studio, the immobiliser refused to un-immobilise itself. So the car was pushed into the hangar and I went home instead in a rented Toyota Corolla.
Ford sent a tow truck, changed the immobiliser and delivered the car to my house the following day. “Is it fixed?” I asked. “Yes,” they said.
It wasn’t. At three in the morning the alarm blew. And then again at four. This meant my wife started to refer to it as “that f****** car”, which took away a bit of the sheen, if I’m honest.
The next day, on the way back to the garage, I received a call on the hands-free phone from the tracker company. “Your car’s been stolen, sir,” said the man. “I’m sure it hasn’t,” I said, “because I’m in it.”
Fearing that I might be the burglar, the man asked if I could give him my password. Tricky one that, since I have a different password for everything on the internet and can never remember any of them. And that’s a big problem, because the man at the end of the phone has the power to remotely shut down the engine.
I threatened him, lightly, with some physical harm, but this didn’t work so I had to guess. “Aardvark,” I ventured. “Abacus, Aesop, additional . . .”
Eventually he took pity and I was able to deliver the car back to Ford with some stern warnings about the alarm, the immobiliser and the tracker system, all of which seemed to be malfunctioning. As a courtesy car they gave me a Ford Focus, with a diesel engine. Nice.
Two days later the GT was back. “Is it fixed?” I asked, again. “Yes,” they said
Five minutes out of the Ford garage I received a text to say my car had been stolen. And then, in the next half hour, three more. So, counting the two I’d received before I was even out of bed, that meant my car had been stolen five times before 9am.
This time I rang Ford and explained that I would personally come over there and insert the whole car up the chairman’s backside if it wasn’t fixed. And while I was on the phone a yellow warning light came on the dash.
“There’s a yellow warning light on the dash,” I bellowed, like Michael Winner, only angrier. “Oh, that’ll be something to do with the engine management system,” said the man with the bleeding ears. “You’ll need to get it looked at . . .”
When Ford gave me the car back after its third hospital trip in as many weeks, I didn’t ask if the security system was fixed. Because the notion of it still being broken was simply inconceivable.
So imagine my surprise when, one hour later, while at my daughter’s school play, I heard a familiar siren. I couldn’t believe it. The alarm had gone off again.
In a fury this time, I called Ford and explained, loudly, that Roush, the company charged with servicing and maintaining the 28 GTs in Britain, was plainly incompetent. And that there was simply no point asking it to fix the alarm again because it’d had three goes already.
I then did something the man at Ford wasn’t expecting. I asked for my money back.
And that, the next day, is what happened.
They put £126,000 in my account and sent a man to pick up the car. “Is it the alarm system?” he said. “They all do that.”
So there we are. A 35-year dream. A two-year wait. Ten years of damn hard work. And what do I get? The most miserable month’s motoring it is possible to imagine.
Strangely, however, as the GT rumbled down my drive for the last time, I felt like Julie Walters watching Michael Caine getting on the plane at the end of Educating Rita. I actually cried.
There’s a very good reason for this. I genuinely believe that some machines have a soul and I can’t bear to think of my Ford sitting in a warehouse now, unloved and unwanted. It is fine. It is perfect. It knows it’s a great, great car that was ruined by a useless ape who fitted a crummy aftermarket alarm system.
Ford has said I can buy the car back any time. It has even lent me an Aston Martin DB9 while I make up my mind. I don’t know though. I just don’t know.
Normally I finish these columns with an opinion of mine. But this time it’s the other way round. I’d love to hear yours.
One thing: I know I could sell the car privately and make a £50,000 profit. But I have never profited from my position as a motoring journalist. And I never will.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Ford GT
Engine 5409cc V8 supercharged
Power 550bhp @ 6500rpm
Torque 500lb ft @ 3750rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 14.6mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 N/A
Acceleration 0-60mph: 3.8sec
Top speed 212mph
Price £126,000
Verdict So good you can have mine
Rating Five stars
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...677058,00.html
Sorry, Ford, I have to ask for my money back
By Jeremy Clarkson of The Sunday Times
Thirty-five years ago I promised myself that one day I’d own a Ford GT40, the blue-collar supercar that took an axle grinder to Ferrari’s aristocratic halo at Le Mans. But 25 years ago my dreams were dashed as I grew too tall to fit inside.
Happily, in 2002 Ford announced that it was to build a modern-day version of the old racer. It would, they said, cost less than £100,000 and do more than 200mph. They also said it would be much bigger than the original so pylon-people like me would be able to drive it.
And so, two years ago, having tested a prototype in America, I placed an order for one of the 28 that were coming to Britain.
As the months groaned by there were rumours of big price increases, insatiable thirst and catastrophic suspension failure. But there were also rumours of the supercharged V8 pumping out 550bhp and a mountain of torque so massive it was breaking the testing equipment. So I didn’t mind.
I didn’t even mind when it arrived at my house one month ago inside a truck which had “On Time” written down the side. As we know from America’s arrival into the second world war, their concept of “on time” differs slightly from ours.
And anyway, it looked so gorgeous, a mass of bulging muscle struggling to contain that massive 5.4 litre supercharged heart. It doesn’t look like a GT40 but it looks like a GT40 looks in your head. And it’s huge. Longer than a Volvo XC90 and as wide as a Hummer.
Which is why, on its first run, to London, it was like a blue and white Pied Piper trailing a stream of ratty hatches in its wake. Everyone was taking pictures, waving, giving me the thumb’s up. Never, not once in 15 years of road testing cars, had anything drawn such a massive crowd. And never had the crowd been so overtly supportive.
Of course you can’t run a car like this without a few problems rearing their head from time to time. It’s too wide for the width restrictions on Hammersmith bridge — backing up earned me a slot on the traffic news that morning. The turning circle means every mini roundabout becomes a three-point turn, and at oblique junctions, as is the case in a Ferrari Enzo, you absolutely cannot see if anything’s coming.
But set against this is a surprisingly quiet and civilised ride. It’s like a power station. Silent, as it gets on with the job of brightening up your life.
Mind you, you are constantly aware of the Herculean power that nestles just over your right shoulder. Partly because you can see the supercharger belt whirring away in the rear-view mirror and partly because it makes a deep, dog-baiting rumble when you do put your foot down.
Ford asked that I keep the revs below 4000 for the first thousand miles. But since 100mph equates to 1900rpm it’s not really a hardship. And at this speed you’re doing 15mpg, which isn’t bad at all. But three days later everything started to go very, very wrong.
Leaving the Top Gear studio, the immobiliser refused to un-immobilise itself. So the car was pushed into the hangar and I went home instead in a rented Toyota Corolla.
Ford sent a tow truck, changed the immobiliser and delivered the car to my house the following day. “Is it fixed?” I asked. “Yes,” they said.
It wasn’t. At three in the morning the alarm blew. And then again at four. This meant my wife started to refer to it as “that f****** car”, which took away a bit of the sheen, if I’m honest.
The next day, on the way back to the garage, I received a call on the hands-free phone from the tracker company. “Your car’s been stolen, sir,” said the man. “I’m sure it hasn’t,” I said, “because I’m in it.”
Fearing that I might be the burglar, the man asked if I could give him my password. Tricky one that, since I have a different password for everything on the internet and can never remember any of them. And that’s a big problem, because the man at the end of the phone has the power to remotely shut down the engine.
I threatened him, lightly, with some physical harm, but this didn’t work so I had to guess. “Aardvark,” I ventured. “Abacus, Aesop, additional . . .”
Eventually he took pity and I was able to deliver the car back to Ford with some stern warnings about the alarm, the immobiliser and the tracker system, all of which seemed to be malfunctioning. As a courtesy car they gave me a Ford Focus, with a diesel engine. Nice.
Two days later the GT was back. “Is it fixed?” I asked, again. “Yes,” they said
Five minutes out of the Ford garage I received a text to say my car had been stolen. And then, in the next half hour, three more. So, counting the two I’d received before I was even out of bed, that meant my car had been stolen five times before 9am.
This time I rang Ford and explained that I would personally come over there and insert the whole car up the chairman’s backside if it wasn’t fixed. And while I was on the phone a yellow warning light came on the dash.
“There’s a yellow warning light on the dash,” I bellowed, like Michael Winner, only angrier. “Oh, that’ll be something to do with the engine management system,” said the man with the bleeding ears. “You’ll need to get it looked at . . .”
When Ford gave me the car back after its third hospital trip in as many weeks, I didn’t ask if the security system was fixed. Because the notion of it still being broken was simply inconceivable.
So imagine my surprise when, one hour later, while at my daughter’s school play, I heard a familiar siren. I couldn’t believe it. The alarm had gone off again.
In a fury this time, I called Ford and explained, loudly, that Roush, the company charged with servicing and maintaining the 28 GTs in Britain, was plainly incompetent. And that there was simply no point asking it to fix the alarm again because it’d had three goes already.
I then did something the man at Ford wasn’t expecting. I asked for my money back.
And that, the next day, is what happened.
They put £126,000 in my account and sent a man to pick up the car. “Is it the alarm system?” he said. “They all do that.”
So there we are. A 35-year dream. A two-year wait. Ten years of damn hard work. And what do I get? The most miserable month’s motoring it is possible to imagine.
Strangely, however, as the GT rumbled down my drive for the last time, I felt like Julie Walters watching Michael Caine getting on the plane at the end of Educating Rita. I actually cried.
There’s a very good reason for this. I genuinely believe that some machines have a soul and I can’t bear to think of my Ford sitting in a warehouse now, unloved and unwanted. It is fine. It is perfect. It knows it’s a great, great car that was ruined by a useless ape who fitted a crummy aftermarket alarm system.
Ford has said I can buy the car back any time. It has even lent me an Aston Martin DB9 while I make up my mind. I don’t know though. I just don’t know.
Normally I finish these columns with an opinion of mine. But this time it’s the other way round. I’d love to hear yours.
One thing: I know I could sell the car privately and make a £50,000 profit. But I have never profited from my position as a motoring journalist. And I never will.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Ford GT
Engine 5409cc V8 supercharged
Power 550bhp @ 6500rpm
Torque 500lb ft @ 3750rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 14.6mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 N/A
Acceleration 0-60mph: 3.8sec
Top speed 212mph
Price £126,000
Verdict So good you can have mine
Rating Five stars
#11
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Originally Posted by fdl
I didn’t even mind when it arrived at my house one month ago inside a truck which had “On Time” written down the side. As we know from America’s arrival into the second world war, their concept of “on time” differs slightly from ours.
... it’s a great, great car that was ruined by a useless ape who fitted a crummy aftermarket alarm system.
... it’s a great, great car that was ruined by a useless ape who fitted a crummy aftermarket alarm system.
I'm also surprised that Ford took back the car because of a defective aftermarket alarm. That's not really Ford's responsibility.
#12
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by quantmonkey
Of course he's got to work in the anti-American jab someplace in his review.
I'm also surprised that Ford took back the car because of a defective aftermarket alarm. That's not really Ford's responsibility.
I'm also surprised that Ford took back the car because of a defective aftermarket alarm. That's not really Ford's responsibility.
It's probably in their best interest to keep Jeremy happy.
#13
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If the alarm came with the car, it is Ford's responsibility.
He went back 3 times and it didn't get fixed. Sounds like a lemon to me.
EDIT: maybe not... if it was really aftermarket alarm he installed somewhere else. but, it sounds like it got installed by someone from ford or dealer..
He went back 3 times and it didn't get fixed. Sounds like a lemon to me.
EDIT: maybe not... if it was really aftermarket alarm he installed somewhere else. but, it sounds like it got installed by someone from ford or dealer..
Last edited by sipark; 07-05-2005 at 11:13 AM.
#14
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
damn... wtf is up with those links... I get a bunch of gibberish when I click the "fixed" link..... the one I posted come up blank.... ahhh, I see the prob... there is a ".uk" at the end of the domain
#15
Pit Stop?
I don't even know what to say. I feel bad for Clarkson, he really did love the car yet his dreams were dashed by a shoddy alarm. It's a pity, but then again he has an SL55 so he needs to quit his bitching!
#16
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Minch00
I don't even know what to say. I feel bad for Clarkson, he really did love the car yet his dreams were dashed by a shoddy alarm. It's a pity, but then again he has an SL55 so he needs to quit his bitching!
But wait... I've heard of SERIOUS problems with the Gallardo too... to the tune of, getting the car replaced!!! hmm.....
#17
Registered Abuser of VTEC
Originally Posted by srika
and aren't exotics SUPPOSED TO have problems??? I guess in a day and age when Gallardo is setting the bar for quality exotic, the answer is no.
But wait... I've heard of SERIOUS problems with the Gallardo too... to the tune of, getting the car replaced!!! hmm.....
But wait... I've heard of SERIOUS problems with the Gallardo too... to the tune of, getting the car replaced!!! hmm.....
#18
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by youngTL
NSX's are relatively trouble-free, or so I've heard.
#20
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by srika
and aren't exotics SUPPOSED TO have problems???
I dont know, having my alarm constantly going off would be embarrasing and annoying.
#21
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by fdl
I dont know, having my alarm constantly going off would be embarrasing and annoying.
#25
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Originally Posted by sipark
If the alarm came with the car, it is Ford's responsibility.
He went back 3 times and it didn't get fixed. Sounds like a lemon to me.
EDIT: maybe not... if it was really aftermarket alarm he installed somewhere else. but, it sounds like it got installed by someone from ford or dealer..
He went back 3 times and it didn't get fixed. Sounds like a lemon to me.
EDIT: maybe not... if it was really aftermarket alarm he installed somewhere else. but, it sounds like it got installed by someone from ford or dealer..
He probably had the dealer install it, they were probably clueless to how it worked and followed the directions the best they could. You do not "RETURN" a car for this.
#26
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by Eggplant-EX
the dumb fuck was pissed at the alarm system?????? I can understand if it was engine related.. geez!!
I'd dump any car in an instant if I went through the same trouble. He was probably more tolerant than I would have been.
#27
Registered Member
What would you expect ,"Of course he's got to work in the anti-American jab someplace..".
He's a Brit. From the country where they believe in Kings and Queens and let the stinking government disarm them.
Makes me that much more proud and happy to call myself an American.
He's a Brit. From the country where they believe in Kings and Queens and let the stinking government disarm them.
Makes me that much more proud and happy to call myself an American.
#28
teh Senior Instigator
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Originally Posted by Dan Martin
If you spent $221,320.56 (converted) on a car and you were getting calls while driving it saying that you stole it, you'd probably be pissed too. Or how about having the car wake you up every night because the alarm was going off? Then taking it in 3 times to have it repaired and they never fix the problem. To make matters worse, being given a Diesel Focus to drive as a loaner for your 1/4 million dollar car while it's in the shop.
I'd dump any car in an instant if I went through the same trouble. He was probably more tolerant than I would have been.
I'd dump any car in an instant if I went through the same trouble. He was probably more tolerant than I would have been.
anyone and everyone should know you don't take an aftermarket alarm to the dealer to try to fix, hell half of the high end stereo shops who specialize in this shit can't figure out these new-age alarm systems.
You don't RETURN the car, you get a different fucking alarm.
#30
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by CLpower
anyone and everyone should know you don't take an aftermarket alarm to the dealer to try to fix, hell half of the high end stereo shops who specialize in this shit can't figure out these new-age alarm systems.
You don't RETURN the car, you get a different fucking alarm.
You don't RETURN the car, you get a different fucking alarm.
Maybe he should have just had them rip it out and get some pros to install another alarm but maybe that wasn't an option.
#31
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Thread Starter
maybe the whole thing was just a publicity stunt so he could mock the US even more...
#32
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Originally Posted by srika
maybe the whole thing was just a publicity stunt so he could mock the US even more...
Clarkson isn't as good of an automotive journalist as Tiff Needell simply because he's not nearly as good of a driver and he's kind of a prick. But really, so are we. The reason Top Gear does so well is because all 3 of the presenters are very average blokes with average character defects and that makes them somewhat endearing. And they have kickass cars and the world's best sound & cinematography/camera crews.
Clarkson takes more shit than is due to him. He's a hardcore Brit and he's an automotive enthusiast. Even on this board, we take a collective shit on almost everything the American auto industry churns out... but we get defensive when he does it. Kinda like saying to a friend "yeah my sis is ugly" but if he agrees, you'll get mad.
He's right; he could easily make >$80k just by selling that GT on the private market. And he's not doing that. That takes journalistic integrity to a good extent, honestly. So he's an average guy and he does his job well. I'm fine with that.
#33
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Typical review by him. C&D did a review of the GT and pretty much praised it amongst other supercars. Clarkson isn't a car enthusiast, rather a hater of anything American. I like how he had to throw a WW2 comment in there as well. In closing, who cares what this idiot thinks.
#35
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Originally Posted by Maximized
Typical review by him. C&D did a review of the GT and pretty much praised it amongst other supercars. Clarkson isn't a car enthusiast, rather a hater of anything American. I like how he had to throw a WW2 comment in there as well. In closing, who cares what this idiot thinks.
you missed his initial review of the gt?
#36
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#37
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Originally Posted by youngTL
NSX's are relatively trouble-free, or so I've heard.
#38
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Originally Posted by Dan Martin
If you spent $221,320.56 (converted) on a car and you were getting calls while driving it saying that you stole it, you'd probably be pissed too. Or how about having the car wake you up every night because the alarm was going off? Then taking it in 3 times to have it repaired and they never fix the problem. To make matters worse, being given a Diesel Focus to drive as a loaner for your 1/4 million dollar car while it's in the shop.
I'd dump any car in an instant if I went through the same trouble. He was probably more tolerant than I would have been.
I'd dump any car in an instant if I went through the same trouble. He was probably more tolerant than I would have been.
And I think we are reading the 'aftermarket' comment wrong...I think he means it as in after-thought, not related to the machine itself, something that wasn't necessary in the original vehicle he loved so many years ago, etc. Not the way we refer to aftermarket as something we install or the dealer installs(accessories, etc).
He was plainly referring to the stolen comment 'on his screen', so I'm sure it's part of whatever navi system it has.
#39
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Originally Posted by CLpower
you missed his initial review of the gt?
I have seen his show, but not his initial review. The guy is a tool and I simply value his opinion as nothing more than garbage.
#40
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Originally Posted by Maximized
I have seen his show, but not his initial review. The guy is a tool and I simply value his opinion as nothing more than garbage.