Top Gear Australia Responds To Damage Claims

tga
Dec 11, 2008
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Last week we reported on claims that Top Gear Australia may have taken things a little too far during the filming of stunts and reviews for season one. Reportedly, TGA's "jackass" behaviour ran up a $200,000 damage bill to cars featured in the series, the most notable being a reported $25,000 damage to a Lamborghini Gallardo and $30,000 damage done to Holden Astras during the highly controversial lawn bowls segment. (Can't see how anyone arrived at that Astra total.)

BUT... there's always two sides to every discussion and TGA's Warren 'Wazza' Brown has recently come out to defend the show's antics and put the allegations into context.

Wazza told Carsguide that TGA is no different to its UK sibling in that the premise of the show is to engage in "eager driving and wild and silly stunts". He also said that while such behaviour is an integral part of the show, the program is essentially about passion for motoring, and not wanton disregard or disrespect of motor vehicles.

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The on-screen action is all part of the appeal, he said.

 

"One of the reasons the UK version has climbed toward the 500 million (yes, the half a billion viewers mark) is because they pull no punches. The same for Top Gear Australia." 

 

Warren concedes that the TGA team pushes cars to the limit so that they can comment on their performance capabilities. But he also points out that the majority of automotive media outlets do the same, and sometimes damage can occur as a result.

With regards to stunts, Wazza claims that Freehand (the production company) works closely with car manufacturers to ensure they are comfortable with the stunts or conditions in which we would be filming. If that's the case, then why has TGA raised the ire of said manufacturers?

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The crux of Warren's piece boils down to the view that TGA feels that its stunts and review segments are inline with those on TG UK and that some damage is almost unavoidable when it comes to testing cars fully.

This raises the question though: would manufacturers here care if TGA had as much pull as the TGUK? Top Gear Australia is still in its infancy. It will be some time, if ever, before it can gain the kind of traction and viewer numbers the UK show pulls. Would this change opinions?

We'd love to hear what you think on the topic. Let us know in the comments.


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Comments

  • Ken [reply]
    2 years ago 0 points
    Warren's comments are appreciated and it is acknowledged the show is in it's infancy but what we do want is some serious road testing of vehicles, and less silly antics like lawn bowls. What the UKTG has is a natural flow, TGA appears more contrived and lacks fluidity.
    Like to see more of the problems people have with new cars revealed so that manufacturers are forced to lift their game. I applaud TGA for giving it a real go but a little less of the Aussie laid back larikinism might help.
    I will keep watching TGA as I'm a motoring enthusiast.
  • Tony D [reply]
    2 years ago 0 points
    About the only thing I didn't like about the Astra Lawnbowls was that they didn't really talk about the Astras. We have an Astra stationwagon work and it's absolutely rubbish, so I want to know what the other models are like...
  • Bluey [reply]
    2 years ago 0 points
    Who cares - the TG Aussie version is crap !!

    I stomached the first show - RUBBISH - and watched part of the episode with the drive in Tassie - how could they stuff that up ???

    Give me vintage reruns of TGUK any day over this tripe !!!
  • Charlie [reply]
    2 years ago 0 points
    Manufacturers complaining that a Top Gear damaged cars, knowing what Top Gear is like, is like going to Melbourne and complaining that it rains all the time.
  • Dave [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    The TGA show is painful to watch, trying so hard to be funny runs very thin.
    I gave up watching when they touted an episode as the "Big One" when comparing Holden and Ford, they did a pathetic job of reviews and ended by saying (and I quote) "they are both great cars"!!! No critical analysis at all. I have never owned Falcon OR Com and now I NEVER will.

    Each segment is presented as an ametuer review (like a high school project) and the little "whoa" calls that are repeated over and over and over as they attempt to break traction whilst cornering and then re-gather control make me sick, seriously, who drives like that and who would want to? (unless you drift your kids to school ech morning?)
    Just comment and review honestly, thats all, not what you think we want to hear or what you think the manufacturers want so they keep giving you cars to test.
    The aussie show will automatically have an aussie feel, we could not reproduce the UK version if we tried (obviously)

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