Jeremy Clarkson goes to America to check out cars they have for sale over there, and the cost of importing them to the UK. Taken from season 15, episode 5.
Around the same time (early 1990's) he did a review of the old Mustangs of the late 60's to early 70's. He was very enthusiastic about them, and even finished by saying "God bless America, they certainly make mighty fine cars" I still have the show on video somewhere. Oh how times have changed.
Gary Dunn I think that's just Jeremy growing from a young adult to an aged man. My father use to be a huge fan of small, fast, fun cars with a a stick shift, but now he prefers more modest looking cars, with big slushy v8s.
***** Yeah, well Jeremy now likes big V8's and V12's as long as they are made this side of the Atlantic. In this country will still prefer stick shift cars, because we have more control over the engine. It suits our less relaxed lifestyle.
2000 British pounds = $4000 US = $8000 Cdn lol Seriously. Nobody would ever buy a car again if they saw Canadian sticker prices. An average car in Canada is over $30,000.
The bits about 'setting yourself up as the villain, then get the inappropriately titled Lincoln Town Car and paying extra for the violin cases' wasn't?
Reminds me of the tax joke that James May did later on top gear. It was about how many forms of tax you have to pay just to buy and drive a car in the center of London. 🤣
@@sahhull, exactly! Taxed to death and taxed upon death. The government doesn’t care about us! Forcing grieving families to pay even more tax is beyond evil and an absolute disgrace! This is why I am an anarchist!
The Rusty HubcapUS Why is the sales guy NOT wearing an Eagles shirt?maybe it's because the stores in Miami were sold out of Eagles jerseys. That's common, since the Eagles ARE America's team!
+Gwasgray I think there was a huge odometer scandal around that time. Dealers would turn back the odometer and sell the cars to unsuspecting people at a seemingly large discount.
+Acid Soup Yeah, but what I meant was Clarkson has had a habit of changing his mind about cars over the years. He once praised the Renault Alpine GTA (which went on to sell less than 10 in the UK) then years later destroyed one in one of his DVDs.
+Acid Soup almost every dealership in nyc was doing that back then. my dad knew a guy who owned a used car lot and the guy did it to every single car there. he ended up having to flee the country to canada when the cops came looking for him
If I was told that I could buy a olds Cutlass like that for 4000.00 dollars today: *SLAMS MONEY DOWN ON THE DESK IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING THE CAR OUT FIRST*
+lemkelegion I have just bought a 1992 Cadillac Sedan Deville 4.9 V8, for £1100.Complete with MOT, I just insured it on classic car insurance for £139, with a 3000 mile policy. great car.
@@capitalismsucks9590 it’s not nearly as funny as it used to be. Clarkson punched a producer, which was the last straw for the BBC. There were other antics they put up with too.
@@AK-tl2nm Noone could have predicted a portion of the UK would all go and get lobotomies so they could believe every word Boris Johnson said and vote him into power, thus shitting on everything the country stood for.
Sval Bard I think the thing is pricing. Yes, they weren't always that great, but they were priced accordingly. Nowadays, American car companies cut corners like no other, but still advertise and price as though you were buying premium quality.
@@GHOSTpssrby I mean compared to the crap we have today you pay $60,000 for a car that would only last 80,000 miles. I did a research on that Mercury Cougar he has there costed $14,000 back when it was new, and if you buy the high end version of it which is the Lincoln Mark Vii, which had 5.0l engine with extras costed $25,000.
Oh my god. This is a clip from another dimension. Look at how young Jeremy was, how lively he looks, LOOK AT HOW HE WAS PRAISING AMERICAN CARS AND THE UNITED STATES AND OMG THAT HAIRCUT THIS IS JUST SO FUCKING STRANGE TO LOOK AT
Clarkson is actually a big fan of muscle cars and most American cars. He says the things he says on modern-day top-gear because it's humorous, and honestly just for fun.
I had an 89 Grand Marquis with a 5 liter engine. That thing was a beast the hood was like 12 feet long. It would cruise at 100 mph on the highway so easy. I loved that car it was like driving a king sized bed around town. I think it got like 4 miles to the gallon but gas was 99 cents a gallon. Those were the days.
A 70s Oldsmobile in the 90s? Worthless! You see, that’s why I have a hard time (yes, I know I’m in the minority) appreciating cars like this. People back in 1992 didn’t want cars like that. Yeah, this is a great example of one, but it’s still an 20yo domestic. You see, people now, and even ten years ago, going nuts, spending upwards to 6 figures on one, but I still see it as the car no one back then wanted. Why is it so special now?
@@UmmYeahOk it's emotion. These old cars from the late 60s through the 70s were cars my generation grew up with. In the 90s we were growing and still living the young life. Now we're older and more sentimental and like all older people, kinda wish for things that made our youth great. I would love to find a 1972 green plymouth fury ii.
Yea damn, I was going to say something about the inflation of the dollar since then but even at that $4000 is only $6811 in 2015. That's just low enough to not explode percentage wise like higher cost things (houses / college).
in 1992 you could already. As a Lithuanian, I would know- we used to buy things in Poland that came from Europe, and go to Russia to sell them for x amount of money. Those were easy times for big money from those kind of things.
Yeah, maybe already in 1992 you could, but still the political system changed not so long ago back then, it was just the third year as Poland switched from communism in 1989. And 99% of the people were poor as f*ck. Not much changed today to be honest. So the disproportion is huge, as in 1989 you could only buy vinegar and had to wait a couple of hours in a few-hundred-meter long lines just to buy some meat which would run out anyway when it was your turn to shop... And the wealth in the video. Well, you surely see where I'm at.
@Mick's Budget Rigs well... Our "intelligence" got destroyed during 1795-1918 times and WW2 + that awful comunism. Until the older generations die off we still will have a shithole instead of a country
Bill Hill I agree. Those are great engines. Standard maintenance and they will run forever. Single cab short bed F150 with the straight six and 4wd and you have a great truck.
+ACEGAMER120 i bought a 91 F150 a few months ago as a winter beater. 4.9L I6, 5-speed, 4x4, long bed, nearly rust free (little bit around the rear wheel wells), 174,000 miles on it. paid $600 for it. only thing wrong with it was it needed a windsheild and the 4X4 didn't work. replace the junk auto hubs for manual hubs and the 4x4 works great. the windsheild cost $70 installed.
83 with a 300 straight six, 500 bucks not running, put the pan back on, pretty sure there were some leaves in it, filed the points, $60 new carb, been going for 4 years, frame rusted so bad the shackle mount folded in 90 degrees, just leans a little now
learned to drive a 73 in 08 my buddies dad paid $2200 for. It had faded to pink but only had 80kmiles so it still got the job done. Every driving lesson needs a backroad turnaround and at least a burnout
or the fuel prices went very high in the UK, this is without the import price and other stuff, american cars became "not worth the money" any more. If i had millions i would import an american car, hell yeah you would stand out and look good.
***** jeremy doesnt like the new vette what are you talkin about. he said it makes you 12 percent more attracted to your sister when hammond said that there is a zo6 version of the c7
You know, just two years after this aired, I was stationed in the UK. It was a very welcoming and friendly culture, that was - for the most part - absolutely overjoyed to have me over. I quickly picked out favorite restaurants, pubs, relaxation spots, and entertainment venues. But one thing I never did there, even with the discounts and sponsored used lots, was buy a Rt hand hand drive car. The prices were just outrageous, not to mention the added expenses to get it road legal. I drove my Grand Am till it died (and it wasn't exactly easy on some of those village roads) and bought a Mazda 323 from a friend that was going back to the states (still a Lt hander.) Good times those; sadly, a stark contrast to today's climate. The Mazda never quite got the looks that the Pontiac did. lol.
My dream car when I was in high school in the late 80s was a 69-73 Mach 1 Mustang. They were a dime a dozen in great shape for an average of around $2500 back then. Those same condition cars are in the tens of thousands.
When I was a kid in the mid 2000s I lived in State of Mexico, Mexico, and there were two guys in my old town that owned mustangs mach 1, one of them was black & gray and It was in mint condition, I saw it for the last time in 2014; the other one was yellow & black but its owner neglected it a lot and was always dirty... :(
Now this is strange.Jeremy Clarkson NOT calling American cars "rubbish, dreadful," but actually being objective. Absolutely astounding. Btw, I remember when those cars were new.
That's interesting. I personally think a stick makes you pay better attention. Instead of just pressing down on a pedal and drifting off into space, a manual forces you to stay alert for gear changes. Also, it makes people put down their coffee/phones/whatever in order to drive. Convenience shouldn't factor into it. I've been driving a manual my entire life and have never had an accident. If anything, it has helped to prevent several accidents because I have much more control over the car.
Just 6 years prior to this the tables were turned. The US dollar was peaking and you could import a lot of classic UK iron on the cheap. I regret not buying an early 60s Bentley then for under $6K. Jaguars (3.8s and Mark 10s) were coming into the US for $3 to $4 grand. Great times
I've seen Jeremy Clarkson before. He has the best haircut ever in the 90s import. The penalty against the story is not playing by the posted speed limits and regards to nothing major.
For those too lazy, the Mercury Cougar’s base price is about $13,000 US and final cost including import is £15,700 ($21,600) today _(or for rough estimate in £ today multiply by 2; for $ today multiply base £ by 3)_
I paid $500 for mine, bought it off an old lady..110k miles and a very small amount of surface rust..not bad for a Canadian car since we salt like crazy here
He don't hate all american cars, just the old long bouncy yank tanks, he actually likes old mustangs and euro ford, his favorite film of all time is bullet because of the mustang and that famous car chase ruclips.net/video/mjLyazGET08/видео.html&ab_channel=ArjanN
$7,600* you forgot inflation exists bud. Also, there is no way that olds was mint. Judging a car by the paint is a great way to get stuck with a junker.
ugh! after watching that car salesman, i need a bath. "we'll get you in a car today. just let me have a talk with my manager. you drive a real hard bargain." i wish dealerships just had shelves and cashiers like any decent business. and i wish i had that sweet Cutlass.
About '92 when I bought my first car, a snow white 79' Cadillac Coupe D'Ville, for $1500. It stopped traffic in Beverly Hills, people gathered around the car at the gas station. Today a similar condition costs $25.000.
Naked Acres his opinions are the same still. US cars and UK cars are styled just a bit differently and named differently. Except US sedan cars no longer run on diesel.
@mike x - That's not true, even the worst US cars of the mid 70s got better mileage than 8. The cars in this video get better than that by a lot; for example an 89 Cougar got 22 mpg, a Turbo thunderbird got more like 24, The pickup and the Camaro would get 18-20. The cutlass is older, maybe 15 mpg depending on the engine. Not great, but they all had more power than English cars.
Depends how you compare the cars, of course the American cars are gonna have more power, but over there they were very heavily emmissions strangled, so yes whilst a big V6 or V8 might have more power, your comparing two very different classes of cars, y'see here in Britain most cars are (and still are today( 1.0-2.0 litres, that's our normal size, and we got about 70-150ho depending on who the manufacturer was and the model of car, yes we had higher output V6/8s but they were reserved for bigger cars. Now in the USA the average car in the 90s had either a 6 or 8-cylinder engine, there were 4s about but not anywhere near as many as Europe, and the big engines, could only get about 100-200hp out of that much bigger engine, although to be fair that meant they were very relaxed ans so lasted through the years, plus they used less fuel on the highway but in town they were quite thirsty. Plus we had a lot more interest in diesels at that time and diesels now account for most of the new cars here in Britain. So whilst I totally agree with you that US cars were good, comparing them to British cars is kinda like comparing Titanic to a small ocean liner, they both do the same job but they're totally different in handling and feel as well as power, but for the situations they were both designed they both do excellent ,just try taking an American car down our twisty roads and loads of sharp turns here in Scotland and you'll see what I'm on about.
Samthebam4044 Well, I wasn't trying to say that the cars here (I am american) were exactly as efficient as ones in Europe (though that has as much to do with emissions as it does size). Americans have never really cared much about 'volumetric efficiency', that's something our engines almost never excel in, but in terms of gas mileage in proportion to horsepower, we do pretty well; especially now with V8 cars getting 26 mpg highway. Even the stereotype that american cars couldn't take a corner was rather untrue by the mid-80s, though I can see how a full size US car/truck would be rather ungainly in urban Europe.
***** The 4.3 V6 was a product of the 80s, so, there goes their "sleeping". The 305 was especially sluggish, yes, but it offered V8 power bands and reliability with essentially the same mpg and hp as the V6. Even the lo-power 302 had more hp than the 300, with the HO 302 having nearly twice the hp. Both the 300 and the 302 were exceptionally longlasting engines - some lasting 400,000 miles, but neither was distinctly better than the other in that regard. The 302 and the 4.6 were not only as reliable/long-lasting as Japanese engines but in many cases lasted much longer.
The 305 was never quite as hearty as a a 350, nor as powerful, but what do you expect for something thrown together to meet EPA fuel mileage laws? The 4.3 and the 3.8 were both flawed in their own ways. Cutting off two cylinders from a V8 makes a poor V6 in placement in the bay and heat management, I was never arguing that the were that good. The improved Vortec 4.3 was better though. But the 302, especially in HO form was still better than the 300 I6. While the 302 could be traced back in architecture to the late 60s, the 300 was exactly the same as it was in 1965. Both were very stout and had similar mpg, but even the lo-po 302 had more hp let alone the 225 hp HO. The Windsor engines were not powerhouses of volumetric efficiency but provided good longevity, mpg, and torque. What does the fox body platform have anything to do with the argument of engine quality? In any case, I've had a fox body (lincoln) up on jacks and was able to shut the doors easily; something I wasn't able to do with a VW of the same era. Car companies definitely lied quite a bit in their hp ratings prior to 1972, but by the 80s the ratings were fairly accurate. Besides, why would Ford lie and give the 302 higher hp ratings but not do so with the 300 if it was more powerful as you seem to imply?
***** Well, like EPA fuel economy ratings, hp and torque and even 0-60 figures aren't exactly accurate to the real world. But they are very good for comparison purposes; while two engines may not make 225 hp and 150 hp in real life, you can still easily gather that the 225 hp one is more powerful than the other. You can't exactly go and modify a car and complain about it cannot handle the modifications - all cars, from all countries, are to built to a stock specification. Once you modify something, any expectation you have towards how the other parts of the car handle the non-stock modification should go out the window. Europeans 30 years ahead? What? I assume you mean Germans, since they are the only Europeans importing into the US in any great number these days, and if that is the case I don't see your point. VW currently has the oldest engine in production in the Jetta S; the 2.0 shares many parts with engines from the early 70s and has worse volumetric efficiency than all the modern American V8's, 53 hp/liter. Mercedes is only advanced because they are incredibly expensive and don't have a direct US competitor except for Tesla, which is has a much more advanced drivetrain for sure. As to BMW - well, look back 25 years: one of the very cars with the 'shameful' 302, the Lincoln Mark VII, was up against the BMW 6 series. The BMW was basically the same as it was in 1976, with less hp than the Mark and less modern styling. Its straight six had worse fuel economy, its tech was overall less advanced (such as rack and pinion steering VII vs recirculating ball in the 635csi), and the BMW still cost 150% as much.
+Sean Kane Yeah.. our cars aren't built like they used to be. You will never again see a car coming from a America built good as a 72' Cutlass or lasting as long.
+Sean Kane Im sure he still does, if you remember way back to the first or second season, the audience and the trio agreed the best car company of all time is ford. Whether either of them still holds that sentiment is unknown, but at one point the audience actually didn't mind them, and Clarkson never really stopped.
The working class people in Britain love fords just as much as the working class people in the states, its the car company for the people over there too, the american cars that Clarkson actually hates are those huge ridiculous bouncy yank tanks, he actually loves old mustangs and old muscle cars, newepisodes.co/watch-the-grand-tour-online-free/67557/season-3-episode-14-funeral-for-a-ford ruclips.net/video/mjLyazGET08/видео.html&ab_channel=ArjanN
i was just thinking how different he was back then. 2014 clarkson would call all of these vehicles rubbish. then make snarky comments about all the guns/brown people/burger joints in florida
I'll never forget visiting England in the mid 80s. They all drove little shitbox cars. And then I spotted a 2nd gen Camaro. It looked absolutely massive driving on the narrow streets. Ive been back to England several times since then. Don't really recall seeing too many American cars.
What gets me is that most of the cars in the UK, and I live here, are owned by the Americans. Ford is....well....Ford, Vauxhall is GM even Fiat has become nearly Chrysler. I hate American cars, now let me drive off in my Focus.
Hey, it could be worse, you could go out and buy a Jag or a Rover only to find out it was owned by the Indians, or you could pick up a Mini or a Rolls only to find out that they are both owned by....ZEE GERMANS!!!!
Bryan Usrey the focus is designed and built in europe. all vauxhalls/opel are designed and built in europe. the companies that builds them being ultimately owned by an american company doesn't really have much to do with the car itself. and fiat bought chrysler, not the other way around. apart from that your post's entirely accurate
That wonderful exchange rate lasted right through the 90s I think. I recall going there a couple times and returned to look at my bank statement and realised I could’ve spent more money while there. Great days.
This may be the first time I ever heard him saying anything nice about an American car or even the United States.
Old top gear was more of an informational show, not the entertaining one we see today.
Around the same time (early 1990's) he did a review of the old Mustangs of
the late 60's to early 70's. He was very enthusiastic about them, and even
finished by saying "God bless America, they certainly make mighty fine cars"
I still have the show on video somewhere. Oh how times have changed.
Gary Dunn I think that's just Jeremy growing from a young adult to an aged man. My father use to be a huge fan of small, fast, fun cars with a a stick shift, but now he prefers more modest looking cars, with big slushy v8s.
***** Yeah, well Jeremy now likes big V8's and V12's as long as they
are made this side of the Atlantic. In this country will still prefer stick shift cars,
because we have more control over the engine. It suits our less relaxed lifestyle.
he even decides to buy one wait until Hammond finds out about this.
"4000$, so just a little over £2000." Oh those were the days.
I remember feeling rich when I went to florida in 1989
2000 British pounds = $4000 US = $8000 Cdn lol
Seriously. Nobody would ever buy a car again if they saw Canadian sticker prices. An average car in Canada is over $30,000.
@@differentname8051 i remember feeling rich when i went there in 2007
Now thanks to Brexit, the value of the £ has fallen.
@@LG-ro5le with the amount of money we've been printing because of this corona shit you might as well pop back over
This is the first time I've seen Clarkson go through an entire segment relating to America without a single snide comment. How times change
Before Clarkson earned a reputation as a bit of a knob. I blame the fame and wealth he got from Top Gear.
The Grand Tour has a good episode about American cars. Clarkson drove a Lincoln Continental.
You mean Jeremy Crockett. Geesh I did not miss that part of my life.
The bits about 'setting yourself up as the villain, then get the inappropriately titled Lincoln Town Car and paying extra for the violin cases' wasn't?
Because his anti-Americanism is a bit.
The days when America seemed like a far away mystical land.
When the good days were almost dead
Makin Bacon What?
Take me back
Yea. Of course before 2008.
Times when the middle class really existed!
Now $4000 will get you an OEM 68 charger grille and a couple of mufflers
The pound was worth about double back then.
Hazztech
Not dollars though
Imagine buying a car for that much back then though even though it was alot in todays money
Inflation dumbass
I bought a 2011 Ford Escape in almost-factory condition for CA$3,000 flat. It's not difficult, you just need to find the deals.
Not many current Top Gear fans know Jeremy Clarkson used to strap a dead poodle to his head for the entire decade of the 1980's.
And 90s
the poodle just got a haircut after that
@@ianstrijker9576 it was on his chin in recent months.
Probably also missed the part where he sounded like he just came out of finishing school, lol classic BBC
I did it also and paid alot for said poodle
What? Clarkson praising American cars?!
That's what I was thinking lol
You only praise American cars if your Richard Hamend
OliiesChanel But he just did.
+Steiner Miller (ScienceLabs) thank you
he's actually a Ford fan.
After paying a tax and paying the tax on a tax... classic Clarkson
Reminds me of the tax joke that James May did later on top gear. It was about how many forms of tax you have to pay just to buy and drive a car in the center of London. 🤣
Tax is no joke... Welcome to ripoff Britain.
Taxed to the grave then your relatives will be taxed on what you left behind.
@@aaryeshg.6526, oh yes. I have seen it. Here it is: ruclips.net/video/UWZaePvABRY/видео.html
@@sahhull, exactly! Taxed to death and taxed upon death. The government doesn’t care about us! Forcing grieving families to pay even more tax is beyond evil and an absolute disgrace! This is why I am an anarchist!
Yeah I like the way they even tax on the shipping and insurance.. you all should revolt haha
Seeing all these 70s 80s and early 90s cars in mint condition makes me incredibly happy
With you 👍
OH MY GOD!
HIS HAIR!
Waltham1892 "They've even got vintage models like me...with a bit too much hair...and an ill-fitting jacket."
+Waltham1892 He looks like Mel Gibson in ''Lethal Weapon''!!!
Waltham1892 bob ross FROOOO
Waltham1892 redfoo with the big afro!!!
The Rusty HubcapUS
Why is the sales guy NOT wearing an Eagles shirt?maybe it's because the stores in Miami were sold out of Eagles jerseys. That's common, since the Eagles ARE America's team!
Miami Vice Clarkson has been spotted
+Dacrazy-can Then he runs to the nearest pub! XD
***** He's AFRO-Man!! XD :P
The correct term here is "Brit-fro".
It's 'kah-may-row' not 'ca-ma-row'.
Oh classic Clarkson English fuck up
He went into a barbershop and said "I am from England but want to fit in here in Florida" the barber said "I got you, fam."
I love how the Lincoln rolls by with the belts squeaking lmao
Rubbish.
@@nathankoroush7918
Flubbflosh
My dad had a 95 tow car belt always squeaked
That was a 10+ year old boxy Lincoln with squeaking belts.
Two weeks later, Clarkson probably changed his mind and decided these cars were all rubbish.
+Gwasgray I think there was a huge odometer scandal around that time. Dealers would turn back the odometer and sell the cars to unsuspecting people at a seemingly large discount.
+Acid Soup Yeah, but what I meant was Clarkson has had a habit of changing his mind about cars over the years. He once praised the Renault Alpine GTA (which went on to sell less than 10 in the UK) then years later destroyed one in one of his DVDs.
Gwasgray Thats because he more than likely got some pretty hefty kickbacks to say he liked it.
+Acid Soup almost every dealership in nyc was doing that back then. my dad knew a guy who owned a used car lot and the guy did it to every single car there. he ended up having to flee the country to canada when the cops came looking for him
Yeah, he drove and sang the praises of the Mazda RX-8 and in the same video, in the studio, slammed it as "roobbish."
If I was told that I could buy a olds Cutlass like that for 4000.00 dollars today: *SLAMS MONEY DOWN ON THE DESK IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING THE CAR OUT FIRST*
That's 4000 quid not 4000 bucks
+lemkelegion I have just bought a 1992 Cadillac Sedan Deville 4.9 V8, for £1100.Complete with MOT, I just insured it on classic car insurance for £139, with a 3000 mile policy. great car.
Earth 2
You sir, are a lucky man.
+ZIPPER978 What is bucks?
+Sam R dollars
Bruh Jeremy Clarkson really gave his heart and soul to Top Gear for so many years.... It's such a shame how it had to end
Unfortunately it was Clarkson's own doing, a victim of his own madness (or knobbishness to be more precise).
@@madgavin7568 did Clarkson punched you too?
@@swilleh_ be mad about it but he’s right
@@SVdreaminSo what did happen to top gear?
@@capitalismsucks9590 it’s not nearly as funny as it used to be. Clarkson punched a producer, which was the last straw for the BBC. There were other antics they put up with too.
Damn he said "outside the EEC" instead of "EU"! That's how old this clip is
Yup
Nah, he just predicted Brexit.
@@AK-tl2nm Noone could have predicted a portion of the UK would all go and get lobotomies so they could believe every word Boris Johnson said and vote him into power, thus shitting on everything the country stood for.
@@Hellwyck what did the country stand for?
This video is he-didnt-complain-about-the-auto-transmission-on-the-camaro year old
It's really nice to see Jeremy talking about American cars and not calling them all "rubbish"
Sval Bard I think the thing is pricing. Yes, they weren't always that great, but they were priced accordingly. Nowadays, American car companies cut corners like no other, but still advertise and price as though you were buying premium quality.
GHOSTpssrby
Not to mention the cars back then were built like tanks.
SageKT That too. If nothing else, they could take a beating.
@@lighthousesnewstolenaccount this was the 70s and nineties, not decades known for good american cars
@@GHOSTpssrby I mean compared to the crap we have today you pay $60,000 for a car that would only last 80,000 miles. I did a research on that Mercury Cougar he has there costed $14,000 back when it was new, and if you buy the high end version of it which is the Lincoln Mark Vii, which had 5.0l engine with extras costed $25,000.
Oh my god. This is a clip from another dimension. Look at how young Jeremy was, how lively he looks, LOOK AT HOW HE WAS PRAISING AMERICAN CARS AND THE UNITED STATES AND OMG THAT HAIRCUT THIS IS JUST SO FUCKING STRANGE TO LOOK AT
Film yourself talking and doing stuff now, then look back at the recording in 40 years time, and then you would probably say the same about yourself 😁
@@leopoldblueskyI recently found some pictures of myself from 1990. I was 20 with a flat stomach and muscles, now I look like a big bag of pudding!!
@@jacktorrance2633 Me too!
Clarkson is actually a big fan of muscle cars and most American cars. He says the things he says on modern-day top-gear because it's humorous, and honestly just for fun.
You still alive
@@NiKo44433 ya
He is a secret American too!
i would be confused if anyone though clarkson hated muscle cars, they tick every part of his checklist. cheap fast easy power, even today.
The three best things about this video are: Jeremy's hair; Jeremy's BBC accent; and the car salesman's Miami Dolphins jumper.
My Nan knitted me a Washington Redskins woolly pulley for Christmas when I was little.
And the first scene of Clarkston getting out of the Couger with the perfectly lined up shot of the American Flag and the Israeli flag behind him.
Jezza's hair in the '90s: *B i g*
Jezza's hair in the 2000s: _No_
Jezzas body:
"set hair to: no.
set stomach to: very."
Oh no! Anyway....
I had an 89 Grand Marquis with a 5 liter engine. That thing was a beast the hood was like 12 feet long. It would cruise at 100 mph on the highway so easy. I loved that car it was like driving a king sized bed around town. I think it got like 4 miles to the gallon but gas was 99 cents a gallon. Those were the days.
The mid 80's until the First Gulf war gas was so cheap. I bought gas in the spring of 88 in Des Moines, Iowa for 68 cents Regular(Leaded) 10% ethonal.
Wish I could buy a 72 cutlass for that price these days.
A 70s Oldsmobile in the 90s? Worthless! You see, that’s why I have a hard time (yes, I know I’m in the minority) appreciating cars like this. People back in 1992 didn’t want cars like that. Yeah, this is a great example of one, but it’s still an 20yo domestic. You see, people now, and even ten years ago, going nuts, spending upwards to 6 figures on one, but I still see it as the car no one back then wanted. Why is it so special now?
@@UmmYeahOk they aren’t as common anymore
And as people have poured money into them, they’ve gotten more desirable
My mums friend had an oldsmobile. It did 7 miles to the gallon...
@@UmmYeahOk it's emotion. These old cars from the late 60s through the 70s were cars my generation grew up with. In the 90s we were growing and still living the young life. Now we're older and more sentimental and like all older people, kinda wish for things that made our youth great. I would love to find a 1972 green plymouth fury ii.
Cash for Clunkers happened. End of story.
I seriously wish there was a place to watch the ‘77-‘01 series of Top Gear. Would be really interesting to see.
Hmm, those times when you could get a classic 70s car for $4000.
Mateusz Wojtkiewicz You can get a badass 60s for nothing as well.
Really? I thought thay are quite expensive these days.
+Mateusz Wojtkiewicz pounds
Yea damn, I was going to say something about the inflation of the dollar since then but even at that $4000 is only $6811 in 2015. That's just low enough to not explode percentage wise like higher cost things (houses / college).
*****
after spending 150,000 on the restoration
4000$ for the Cutlass? That's a bargain man. Crazy prices.
A bargain for 1992.
Jagged bacon For our standards it still is.
true
POUNDS. NOT DOLLARS.
HeadStriker There's no reason for full caps. That just makes you look hiiiighly idiotic.
Him thinking Lincoln Town Car is a gangster car and not a grandma car which it is is the funniest thing
In black, though, they do look pretty sinister.
If he had a 1965 Lincoln I would say it's a gangster car but that one not so much lol
LoL, back in 1992 in Poland you couldn't even buy toilet paper or butter...
But nobody in Poland had one of those ;)
in 1992 you could already. As a Lithuanian, I would know- we used to buy things in Poland that came from Europe, and go to Russia to sell them for x amount of money. Those were easy times for big money from those kind of things.
Yeah, maybe already in 1992 you could, but still the political system changed not so long ago back then, it was just the third year as Poland switched from communism in 1989. And 99% of the people were poor as f*ck. Not much changed today to be honest. So the disproportion is huge, as in 1989 you could only buy vinegar and had to wait a couple of hours in a few-hundred-meter long lines just to buy some meat which would run out anyway when it was your turn to shop... And the wealth in the video. Well, you surely see where I'm at.
when central heating was something exotic in the UK
@Mick's Budget Rigs well... Our "intelligence" got destroyed during 1795-1918 times and WW2 + that awful comunism. Until the older generations die off we still will have a shithole instead of a country
I currently own a 91 F-150 with the 4.9L straight six and it still runs almost like new. Too bad the body is rusting around it.
best motor ever made
Bill Hill
I agree. Those are great engines. Standard maintenance and they will run forever. Single cab short bed F150 with the straight six and 4wd and you have a great truck.
+ACEGAMER120 i bought a 91 F150 a few months ago as a winter beater. 4.9L I6, 5-speed, 4x4, long bed, nearly rust free (little bit around the rear wheel wells), 174,000 miles on it. paid $600 for it. only thing wrong with it was it needed a windsheild and the 4X4 didn't work. replace the junk auto hubs for manual hubs and the 4x4 works great. the windsheild cost $70 installed.
83 with a 300 straight six, 500 bucks not running, put the pan back on, pretty sure there were some leaves in it, filed the points, $60 new carb, been going for 4 years, frame rusted so bad the shackle mount folded in 90 degrees, just leans a little now
Got a 87 4x4 4.9, borg warner t18. Toughest of them all.
Clarkson: are the Brits hard to deal with?
Car sales man: (wanted to say) yeah they're tight as a ducks arse
The 1972 Cutless is by far the sexiest car in the entire video!
learned to drive a 73 in 08 my buddies dad paid $2200 for. It had faded to pink but only had 80kmiles so it still got the job done. Every driving lesson needs a backroad turnaround and at least a burnout
WRONG! The Z/28
@@tylerfabish5578 second on the Camaro
I'd have the Towncar
Damn near 10k for one that condition these days
This was before Top Gear realized they could get higher ratings by being anti-American.
This was a time when the world still loved America, but then Bush... well, and the rest is history.
or the fuel prices went very high in the UK, this is without the import price and other stuff, american cars became "not worth the money" any more. If i had millions i would import an american car, hell yeah you would stand out and look good.
Richard Hammond still loves America and American muscle.Clarkson also loves the new Vette.
***** jeremy doesnt like the new vette what are you talkin about. he said it makes you 12 percent more attracted to your sister when hammond said that there is a zo6 version of the c7
***** true if Richard saw that cutlass he would be buying it is 5 seconds flat.
You know, just two years after this aired, I was stationed in the UK. It was a very welcoming and friendly culture, that was - for the most part - absolutely overjoyed to have me over. I quickly picked out favorite restaurants, pubs, relaxation spots, and entertainment venues. But one thing I never did there, even with the discounts and sponsored used lots, was buy a Rt hand hand drive car. The prices were just outrageous, not to mention the added expenses to get it road legal. I drove my Grand Am till it died (and it wasn't exactly easy on some of those village roads) and bought a Mazda 323 from a friend that was going back to the states (still a Lt hander.)
Good times those; sadly, a stark contrast to today's climate. The Mazda never quite got the looks that the Pontiac did. lol.
wow 4000 dollars for a cutlass convertible thats such a steal, hell they were so cheap not like now
My dream car when I was in high school in the late 80s was a 69-73 Mach 1 Mustang. They were a dime a dozen in great shape for an average of around $2500 back then.
Those same condition cars are in the tens of thousands.
When I was a kid in the mid 2000s I lived in State of Mexico, Mexico, and there were two guys in my old town that owned mustangs mach 1, one of them was black & gray and It was in mint condition, I saw it for the last time in 2014; the other one was yellow & black but its owner neglected it a lot and was always dirty... :(
Blame boomers for crashing, scrapping and generally neglecting them
inflation
That's about $65-6700 CAD. For that price in 1992, you could almost buy a new car in Canada. 5 years earlier, you actually could.
it would have been funny if that camaro was the same one he used in 2006
Its easier to import a car to the UK than it is the the U.S.
That's because England is far more free than the USA.
@@sjowners in this sense yes but overall no because for example we don’t need a tv License
The TurboCoupe made my heart skip a beat. Such good, weird cars. Too bad that one didn't have the five speed.
That turbo coupe should have been a huge hit in the UK considering they’re the ones who designed the engine, and the entire Fbody chassis those years.
Now this is strange.Jeremy Clarkson NOT calling American cars "rubbish, dreadful," but actually being objective. Absolutely astounding.
Btw, I remember when those cars were new.
Clarkson's afro then was EPIC! He has to have some African ancesorship!
octacle
we all have african ancestorship yo
Raymond Johansen
Not all of us.
John Matthews yeah all of us
Paul Cronin
Some of us have varying levels of Neanderthal DNA so, no, not all of us.
I love how Mr. Clarkson brought the price down from $4,000 to only $2,800. Well done Jeremy! Thanks for the video.
That's interesting. I personally think a stick makes you pay better attention. Instead of just pressing down on a pedal and drifting off into space, a manual forces you to stay alert for gear changes. Also, it makes people put down their coffee/phones/whatever in order to drive. Convenience shouldn't factor into it. I've been driving a manual my entire life and have never had an accident. If anything, it has helped to prevent several accidents because I have much more control over the car.
Agreed
I do wonder what arguments the automatics have in their favour.
Kept waiting for Jezza to go, “Of course, every single one one of these are agricultural, wayward loons compared to any European car... yadda yadda
that's exactly how he'd say it too lol
I would love to see Jeremy looking back on this episode, knowing how much he loves American vehicles.
Just 6 years prior to this the tables were turned. The US dollar was peaking and you could import a lot of classic UK iron on the cheap.
I regret not buying an early 60s Bentley then for under $6K.
Jaguars (3.8s and Mark 10s) were coming into the US for $3 to $4 grand.
Great times
Clarkson: “Flashiest Car in Town”
1989 Camaro Z28: “Awww thanks” **blushes**
Crazy to see these cars this new and good condition. Now almost them all are in very rough shape
Wait... A 72 CUTLASS HAD A AUTOMATIC RETRACTABLE ROOF!? *THAT STILL WORKED IN 92!!!?*
my damn 300 Chrysler door handles barely function.
I've seen Jeremy Clarkson before. He has the best haircut ever in the 90s import. The penalty against the story is not playing by the posted speed limits and regards to nothing major.
A cutlas convertible for 4000$ in that condition just makes me want to cry.
Damn, gotta LOVE that Cutlass.
That Cutlass is awesome.
This is the most pro American I've heard Clarkson be
I love my country. But there’s a reason the world’s opinion (including Jeremy’s) has changed over the years. We are not blameless.
@Sterling Archer uhm... A lot of people are to blame for the recent downfall of the US.
The first and only time Jeremy has and will give a positive review to American Automobiles.
or anything american period. 😂
Clarkson?
With a muscle car?
WitherTux ikr
well he loves mustangs and then the american Ford GT ;)
He also seems to like the Dodge/Chrysler Viper as well, Matthew Smith.
His favorite film of all time is bullet, he loves old mustangs and Euro fords ruclips.net/video/mjLyazGET08/видео.html&ab_channel=ArjanN
0:48 so THIS is where Doug de Muro came from
I like how when he talked about the Lincoln Towncar it drove squeaking across the screen
15 seasons by 1992? I had no idea Top Gear had been on so long!
This is not top gear, its a show from before..Top gear was released in 2002 or 2003. i remember watching like 20 years ago. Fck im old.
@@bonteski2997 It was still called Top Gear back then as well. They just changed the format in 2002.
I love how all the stuff he talked about on the Ford pickup is all normal now.
For those too lazy, the Mercury Cougar’s base price is about $13,000 US and final cost including import is £15,700 ($21,600) today _(or for rough estimate in £ today multiply by 2; for $ today multiply base £ by 3)_
“It’s three years old”
Jermery 29 years later:
Its 32 years old
that is how math works yes
Loving the Miami Vice vibe there Jeremy!!
Jeremy is a gem...treat him right my British brothers and sisters.
I have a 1989 Towncar and I love it to death :D
I've got a 1985 Town Car. Love it too. :D
I still see those old Town Cars around every now and then. It says a lot about the owner of a car like that for them to have it last so long.
I paid $500 for mine, bought it off an old lady..110k miles and a very small amount of surface rust..not bad for a Canadian car since we salt like crazy here
so matthew mcconnaughey was selling used cars before he went into films, huh? :))
guguigugu He was selling cars before he was getting paid to.
Alright, alright, alright...
I was surprised there weren't any girls here swooning over that guy then I remembered that no girls watch TG. Ever
i miss the cyclone & the typhoon. Also the Grand national. but despite it being slower, my all time favorite was the thunderbird supercoupe '91
Did Jeremy Clarkson really buy the cutlass?
AMDX1325 no.
I doubt it, he was bullshitting for the BBC telly.
yes
Let's hope so
He don't hate all american cars, just the old long bouncy yank tanks, he actually likes old mustangs and euro ford,
his favorite film of all time is bullet because of the mustang and that famous car chase ruclips.net/video/mjLyazGET08/видео.html&ab_channel=ArjanN
7:10 “unfortunately you can’t buy this car, because fuck you, I’m buying it”
This is old; $4,000 for a nice '72 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible ? Today that would buy a rusted coupe.
Their talking about british pounds, not american dollars
Jack Strait's Unofficial Channel Then Ttat would be about $5,800 when this was filmed.
Snake Plissken nevermind, it must be used or something
Jack Strait's Unofficial Channel it's a 71 or 72 Olds , so yea.
Snake Plissken It would still buy a mint 4 door hardtop though!
The time Jeremy clarkson liked American cars, let alone a full size pickup truck
This had to have been the last time Jeremy ever had a positive review or opinion of American cars.
Exactly! And hard to believe that this was almost 30 years ago...
Oh to pay $4000 for such a beautiful cutlass...
In 2021. 2005 Ford F150, 150k miles $8,000 to $10,000. It’s crazy how expensive used cars have gotten.
imagine finding a mint condition 72 olds for 4,000 today
$7,600* you forgot inflation exists bud. Also, there is no way that olds was mint. Judging a car by the paint is a great way to get stuck with a junker.
@@doktorwyvern2883 way to take a hypothetical statement way too literal bud
@@kevincorbat7084 that's my specialty
ugh! after watching that car salesman, i need a bath.
"we'll get you in a car today. just let me have a talk with my manager. you drive a real hard bargain."
i wish dealerships just had shelves and cashiers like any decent business.
and i wish i had that sweet Cutlass.
About '92 when I bought my first car, a snow white 79' Cadillac Coupe D'Ville, for $1500. It stopped traffic in Beverly Hills, people gathered around the car at the gas station. Today a similar condition costs $25.000.
R.I.P jeremy's hair
Wow I think that's the first time I've seen Jeramy praise American cars! He's gotten bitter in his old age.
Common with aging
"but just wait til you see all the features it has. Air-conditioning, stereo, cruise-control, central locking.."
😂 That truck is fully loaded!
that hair tho
That f150 costs the same amount today....
Inflation and depreciation balancing out
That awkward moment when people don't understand Clarkson nowadays plays an exaggerated version of himself 🤣 of COURSE he likes American cars
I bet his opinions would be a little different know. So funny to see him ooing over an Olds when today they dump on anything under $200k.
Naked Acres his opinions are the same still. US cars and UK cars are styled just a bit differently and named differently. Except US sedan cars no longer run on diesel.
funny hearing him say something good about American cars where nowadays on the show they make fun of them all the time lol
My uncle had an ‘87 Cougar that went over 500,000 miles. Awesome fox body car!
Clarkson in 1992: 30 year old middle schooler
Clarkson in mid 2000s: mid 60s or so
Love the Lincoln towncar rolling by with the power steering belt squealing like a banshee as he says "just seven thousand pounds!"
Jeremy was Sideshow Bob..
@mike x - That's not true, even the worst US cars of the mid 70s got better mileage than 8. The cars in this video get better than that by a lot; for example an 89 Cougar got 22 mpg, a Turbo thunderbird got more like 24, The pickup and the Camaro would get 18-20. The cutlass is older, maybe 15 mpg depending on the engine. Not great, but they all had more power than English cars.
Depends how you compare the cars, of course the American cars are gonna have more power, but over there they were very heavily emmissions strangled, so yes whilst a big V6 or V8 might have more power, your comparing two very different classes of cars, y'see here in Britain most cars are (and still are today( 1.0-2.0 litres, that's our normal size, and we got about 70-150ho depending on who the manufacturer was and the model of car, yes we had higher output V6/8s but they were reserved for bigger cars.
Now in the USA the average car in the 90s had either a 6 or 8-cylinder engine, there were 4s about but not anywhere near as many as Europe, and the big engines, could only get about 100-200hp out of that much bigger engine, although to be fair that meant they were very relaxed ans so lasted through the years, plus they used less fuel on the highway but in town they were quite thirsty. Plus we had a lot more interest in diesels at that time and diesels now account for most of the new cars here in Britain.
So whilst I totally agree with you that US cars were good, comparing them to British cars is kinda like comparing Titanic to a small ocean liner, they both do the same job but they're totally different in handling and feel as well as power, but for the situations they were both designed they both do excellent ,just try taking an American car down our twisty roads and loads of sharp turns here in Scotland and you'll see what I'm on about.
Samthebam4044 Well, I wasn't trying to say that the cars here (I am american) were exactly as efficient as ones in Europe (though that has as much to do with emissions as it does size). Americans have never really cared much about 'volumetric efficiency', that's something our engines almost never excel in, but in terms of gas mileage in proportion to horsepower, we do pretty well; especially now with V8 cars getting 26 mpg highway. Even the stereotype that american cars couldn't take a corner was rather untrue by the mid-80s, though I can see how a full size US car/truck would be rather ungainly in urban Europe.
***** The 4.3 V6 was a product of the 80s, so, there goes their "sleeping". The 305 was especially sluggish, yes, but it offered V8 power bands and reliability with essentially the same mpg and hp as the V6. Even the lo-power 302 had more hp than the 300, with the HO 302 having nearly twice the hp. Both the 300 and the 302 were exceptionally longlasting engines - some lasting 400,000 miles, but neither was distinctly better than the other in that regard. The 302 and the 4.6 were not only as reliable/long-lasting as Japanese engines but in many cases lasted much longer.
The 305 was never quite as hearty as a a 350, nor as powerful, but what do you expect for something thrown together to meet EPA fuel mileage laws? The 4.3 and the 3.8 were both flawed in their own ways. Cutting off two cylinders from a V8 makes a poor V6 in placement in the bay and heat management, I was never arguing that the were that good. The improved Vortec 4.3 was better though.
But the 302, especially in HO form was still better than the 300 I6. While the 302 could be traced back in architecture to the late 60s, the 300 was exactly the same as it was in 1965. Both were very stout and had similar mpg, but even the lo-po 302 had more hp let alone the 225 hp HO. The Windsor engines were not powerhouses of volumetric efficiency but provided good longevity, mpg, and torque.
What does the fox body platform have anything to do with the argument of engine quality? In any case, I've had a fox body (lincoln) up on jacks and was able to shut the doors easily; something I wasn't able to do with a VW of the same era.
Car companies definitely lied quite a bit in their hp ratings prior to 1972, but by the 80s the ratings were fairly accurate. Besides, why would Ford lie and give the 302 higher hp ratings but not do so with the 300 if it was more powerful as you seem to imply?
***** Well, like EPA fuel economy ratings, hp and torque and even 0-60 figures aren't exactly accurate to the real world. But they are very good for comparison purposes; while two engines may not make 225 hp and 150 hp in real life, you can still easily gather that the 225 hp one is more powerful than the other.
You can't exactly go and modify a car and complain about it cannot handle the modifications - all cars, from all countries, are to built to a stock specification. Once you modify something, any expectation you have towards how the other parts of the car handle the non-stock modification should go out the window.
Europeans 30 years ahead? What? I assume you mean Germans, since they are the only Europeans importing into the US in any great number these days, and if that is the case I don't see your point.
VW currently has the oldest engine in production in the Jetta S; the 2.0 shares many parts with engines from the early 70s and has worse volumetric efficiency than all the modern American V8's, 53 hp/liter.
Mercedes is only advanced because they are incredibly expensive and don't have a direct US competitor except for Tesla, which is has a much more advanced drivetrain for sure.
As to BMW - well, look back 25 years: one of the very cars with the 'shameful' 302, the Lincoln Mark VII, was up against the BMW 6 series. The BMW was basically the same as it was in 1976, with less hp than the Mark and less modern styling. Its straight six had worse fuel economy, its tech was overall less advanced (such as rack and pinion steering VII vs recirculating ball in the 635csi), and the BMW still cost 150% as much.
6:50 "I mean, would you just look at that? " he was the pioneer!
3:52
RRRrrrrrggggh! DON'T LEAN ON THE WINDOW!!!!!!!!!
I was thinking exactly that as I watched the same scene.
Wait. Clarkson used to like American cars?
I know right. ..
+Sean Kane Yeah.. our cars aren't built like they used to be. You will never again see a car coming from a America built good as a 72' Cutlass or lasting as long.
+Sean Kane Im sure he still does, if you remember way back to the first or second season, the audience and the trio agreed the best car company of all time is ford. Whether either of them still holds that sentiment is unknown, but at one point the audience actually didn't mind them, and Clarkson never really stopped.
The42car our cars all of them rather it's 1910 or 2017 all of them r some of most reliable I put us behind Germany an in front of Japan lol
The working class people in Britain love fords just as much as the working class people in the states, its the car company for the people over there too, the american cars that Clarkson actually hates are those huge ridiculous bouncy yank tanks, he actually loves old mustangs and old muscle cars,
newepisodes.co/watch-the-grand-tour-online-free/67557/season-3-episode-14-funeral-for-a-ford
ruclips.net/video/mjLyazGET08/видео.html&ab_channel=ArjanN
I miss the 90s man....
We all do
Do you think Jeremy would be so nice to american cars today?
i was just thinking how different he was back then. 2014 clarkson would call all of these vehicles rubbish. then make snarky comments about all the guns/brown people/burger joints in florida
I'll never forget visiting England in the mid 80s. They all drove little shitbox cars. And then I spotted a 2nd gen Camaro. It looked absolutely massive driving on the narrow streets. Ive been back to England several times since then. Don't really recall seeing too many American cars.
What gets me is that most of the cars in the UK, and I live here, are owned by the Americans. Ford is....well....Ford, Vauxhall is GM even Fiat has become nearly Chrysler. I hate American cars, now let me drive off in my Focus.
Hey, it could be worse, you could go out and buy a Jag or a Rover only to find out it was owned by the Indians, or you could pick up a Mini or a Rolls only to find out that they are both owned by....ZEE GERMANS!!!!
***** ford owns land rover
***** Jaguar Land Rover, with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, was acquired by Tata Motors, an Indian company, in 2008
Lol, Fiat owns Chrysler! They bought and saved the brand.
Bryan Usrey the focus is designed and built in europe. all vauxhalls/opel are designed and built in europe. the companies that builds them being ultimately owned by an american company doesn't really have much to do with the car itself. and fiat bought chrysler, not the other way around. apart from that your post's entirely accurate
That wonderful exchange rate lasted right through the 90s I think. I recall going there a couple times and returned to look at my bank statement and realised I could’ve spent more money while there. Great days.
i hate the cheap plastic interiors
5:44 Yellow car!
Keith Appanah TAAAXIIIII CAAAAAABBB!
MISTER MAN!!!