Jeremy Clarkson on American drivers
08-29-06, 08:36 PM
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Jeremy Clarkson on American drivers
Americans, although loud and brash were basically harmless. But now things have changed...
August 25, 2006
We have an image of the American motorist, his big flobbery stomach, flobbering from state to state in a big, flobbery car with big flobbery suspension at a flobbery 55mph. For many years, I've argued that the heart of the average American motorist beats approximately once every 15 minutes. Technically, they're in a coma. But, sadly, this is wrong.
Nowadays, the American motorist drives at the same speed we do, 80 or 85. And he's the most aggressive creature on earth. If you wish to change lanes on the freeway, because, say, your turn-off is approaching, you can indicate all you like, but no one will slow down to let you in.
They won't speed up, either. They'll just sit there until you remember you're in a rental car and make the move anyway. Then you'll get a selection of hand gestures that you never knew existed. I know of no country in the world where motorists are so intolerant of one another.
The slightest mistake causes at the very least a great deal of horn blowing and, at worst, a three-second burst from some kind of powerful automatic weapon. Then we have the question of tailgating. Of course, this happens elsewhere - I've actually been nudged by a nun in Italy - but there's nowhere it happens so often as on the American freeway.
Everyone sits as a matter of course about three feet from your rear end. Which, when you're being followed by a Kenworth truck and you're doing 80, and he has an M16 carbine, and you need to turn left, and the person on your inside won't let you in, can be a bit unnerving.
It isn't how they drive that's changed, either. It's what they drive. Now, for every nondescript Kojak-style saloon, you'll see two Evos or Subarus. And almost every car has been modded in some way. My favourite was an orange Lotus Exige parked at the pumps in the middle of Death Valley.
"Yeah," said the rather serious-looking driver when I approached, "I've given it two degrees more camber on the back, fitted a 25 per cent softer compound on the front, uprated the supercharger..."
"So," I said after I'd had enough, "you've ruined it".
He was genuinely taken aback. I believe there's a sense over there that car makers are pretty incompetent. And that if GM, Chrysler and Ford can't make a car properly, then what chance do those funny little trolls in Europe have? Never mind the l'il yella fellas from under the rising sun.
I tried to explain to our American friend that the Exige was put on sale after much development work and that if a two-degree shift in rear camber would make it handle better, then he could be assured that it'd be sold that way in the first place.
But he was having none of it, launching instead into a long list of things he'd done to make the Toyota engine run cleaner and better than Tojo had managed. If you want to know what these measures are, he'll almost certainly still be there. It's the only garage in Baker. You can't miss it.
Anyway, the thing is that, thanks to the new found fondness for modding and pimping, and the more aggressive driving style, there are a great many modded and pimped cars on the market. Most of which seem to be based on the new Ford Mustang.
That's no bad thing. With its see-saw damping and damp dishcloth V8, the standard product is like one of those 'girls next door' you see featured in FHM. You sense that with a bit of lighting here and a bit of eye shadow there, you could turn the pasty-faced teenager from Pontefract into the next Claudia Schiffer. Shelby's given it a bash with mixed results.
There's lots of power - 475bhp - but the handling, steering and brakes remain untouched. Which means you're paying extra, simply to have a bigger accident. Roush is different. Roush currently fields, I think, five of 43 Winston Cup Nascar racers, which makes the company a bit like Ferrari, McLaren and half of Williams rolled into one.
Roush is also responsible for the alarm/tracker on my GT, so that's not so good. But I don't allow personal issues to cloud my judgement. Actually, I do allow personal issues to cloud my judgement - it's why I punched Piers Morgan - but on this occasion, I'm going to play it straight and say, straight out, the Stage III Roush Mustang is a delightful way of going fast for not much money.
This opinion rather baffled the salesman. "But it's $43,000," he said incredulously. Precisely, that makes it £23,800 and that, for a supercharged V8 muscle car is amazing, really. "Yes," said our man, "but our car only produces 415bhp which is a lot less than you get from Shelby or Saleen." To his astonishment, I wasn't bothered.
415bhp endows the Roush 'Stang with a 0-60 time of 4.9secs and a top speed of something or other. No one's tested it. But I can tell you the speedo only reads to 140. So in a straight line, it's not that epic. It is, however, when you get to a corner because it's lowered, firmed up and injected with a bit of beef. It's 15 per cent stiffer than normal and to be honest, so was I.
There's no finesse, it's not like a BMW in any way, but for sticking the tail out and keeping it there using nothing but the throttle, it's in the same league as that other colonial upstart, the Monaro VXR. This begs a question, then. Would it be possible to import such a car to Britain?
I'm not talking about the technicalities because, of course, you simply put it on a ship, pay some tax and within a few weeks, it'll be outside your house, ready and road legal. No, I'm talking about the sociological issues. Would it be possible to import this car... without causing all your friends to die laughing. At you.
Tell someone you drive a Mustang and no matter what it is, you'll come across as a bit of a local DJ. We think of it in terms of Bullitt. Everyone else thinks we look like we may be married to our sister. And do you really want a car with two stripes down the bonnet? And exhausts which sound like Katrina?
In America, this works. But that's because they are so much more aggressive than we are. They gave the world KFC. We gave the world the cream tea. And I suspect driving a Roush Mustang here would be like dipping a chicken drumstick into strawberry jam.
And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't.
So why, you may be wondering, do I own a Ford GT? That's simple. The body is British, the gearbox is British, the steering rack is from an Aston, the chassis was set up by a couple of guys from Lotus, the wheels are German and the brakes are Italian. The power is American, yes, but it's tamed and sophisticated by Europeans. It's a metaphor, in other words, for the perfect world.
August 25, 2006
We have an image of the American motorist, his big flobbery stomach, flobbering from state to state in a big, flobbery car with big flobbery suspension at a flobbery 55mph. For many years, I've argued that the heart of the average American motorist beats approximately once every 15 minutes. Technically, they're in a coma. But, sadly, this is wrong.
Nowadays, the American motorist drives at the same speed we do, 80 or 85. And he's the most aggressive creature on earth. If you wish to change lanes on the freeway, because, say, your turn-off is approaching, you can indicate all you like, but no one will slow down to let you in.
They won't speed up, either. They'll just sit there until you remember you're in a rental car and make the move anyway. Then you'll get a selection of hand gestures that you never knew existed. I know of no country in the world where motorists are so intolerant of one another.
The slightest mistake causes at the very least a great deal of horn blowing and, at worst, a three-second burst from some kind of powerful automatic weapon. Then we have the question of tailgating. Of course, this happens elsewhere - I've actually been nudged by a nun in Italy - but there's nowhere it happens so often as on the American freeway.
Everyone sits as a matter of course about three feet from your rear end. Which, when you're being followed by a Kenworth truck and you're doing 80, and he has an M16 carbine, and you need to turn left, and the person on your inside won't let you in, can be a bit unnerving.
It isn't how they drive that's changed, either. It's what they drive. Now, for every nondescript Kojak-style saloon, you'll see two Evos or Subarus. And almost every car has been modded in some way. My favourite was an orange Lotus Exige parked at the pumps in the middle of Death Valley.
"Yeah," said the rather serious-looking driver when I approached, "I've given it two degrees more camber on the back, fitted a 25 per cent softer compound on the front, uprated the supercharger..."
"So," I said after I'd had enough, "you've ruined it".
He was genuinely taken aback. I believe there's a sense over there that car makers are pretty incompetent. And that if GM, Chrysler and Ford can't make a car properly, then what chance do those funny little trolls in Europe have? Never mind the l'il yella fellas from under the rising sun.
I tried to explain to our American friend that the Exige was put on sale after much development work and that if a two-degree shift in rear camber would make it handle better, then he could be assured that it'd be sold that way in the first place.
But he was having none of it, launching instead into a long list of things he'd done to make the Toyota engine run cleaner and better than Tojo had managed. If you want to know what these measures are, he'll almost certainly still be there. It's the only garage in Baker. You can't miss it.
Anyway, the thing is that, thanks to the new found fondness for modding and pimping, and the more aggressive driving style, there are a great many modded and pimped cars on the market. Most of which seem to be based on the new Ford Mustang.
That's no bad thing. With its see-saw damping and damp dishcloth V8, the standard product is like one of those 'girls next door' you see featured in FHM. You sense that with a bit of lighting here and a bit of eye shadow there, you could turn the pasty-faced teenager from Pontefract into the next Claudia Schiffer. Shelby's given it a bash with mixed results.
There's lots of power - 475bhp - but the handling, steering and brakes remain untouched. Which means you're paying extra, simply to have a bigger accident. Roush is different. Roush currently fields, I think, five of 43 Winston Cup Nascar racers, which makes the company a bit like Ferrari, McLaren and half of Williams rolled into one.
Roush is also responsible for the alarm/tracker on my GT, so that's not so good. But I don't allow personal issues to cloud my judgement. Actually, I do allow personal issues to cloud my judgement - it's why I punched Piers Morgan - but on this occasion, I'm going to play it straight and say, straight out, the Stage III Roush Mustang is a delightful way of going fast for not much money.
This opinion rather baffled the salesman. "But it's $43,000," he said incredulously. Precisely, that makes it £23,800 and that, for a supercharged V8 muscle car is amazing, really. "Yes," said our man, "but our car only produces 415bhp which is a lot less than you get from Shelby or Saleen." To his astonishment, I wasn't bothered.
415bhp endows the Roush 'Stang with a 0-60 time of 4.9secs and a top speed of something or other. No one's tested it. But I can tell you the speedo only reads to 140. So in a straight line, it's not that epic. It is, however, when you get to a corner because it's lowered, firmed up and injected with a bit of beef. It's 15 per cent stiffer than normal and to be honest, so was I.
There's no finesse, it's not like a BMW in any way, but for sticking the tail out and keeping it there using nothing but the throttle, it's in the same league as that other colonial upstart, the Monaro VXR. This begs a question, then. Would it be possible to import such a car to Britain?
I'm not talking about the technicalities because, of course, you simply put it on a ship, pay some tax and within a few weeks, it'll be outside your house, ready and road legal. No, I'm talking about the sociological issues. Would it be possible to import this car... without causing all your friends to die laughing. At you.
Tell someone you drive a Mustang and no matter what it is, you'll come across as a bit of a local DJ. We think of it in terms of Bullitt. Everyone else thinks we look like we may be married to our sister. And do you really want a car with two stripes down the bonnet? And exhausts which sound like Katrina?
In America, this works. But that's because they are so much more aggressive than we are. They gave the world KFC. We gave the world the cream tea. And I suspect driving a Roush Mustang here would be like dipping a chicken drumstick into strawberry jam.
And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't.
So why, you may be wondering, do I own a Ford GT? That's simple. The body is British, the gearbox is British, the steering rack is from an Aston, the chassis was set up by a couple of guys from Lotus, the wheels are German and the brakes are Italian. The power is American, yes, but it's tamed and sophisticated by Europeans. It's a metaphor, in other words, for the perfect world.
08-29-06, 09:13 PM
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"And exhausts which sound like Katrina?"
That is a terrible comment to say....wow...
"And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't."
*smh* @ this comment also.....putting in politics when talking about cars....
That is a terrible comment to say....wow...
"And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't."
*smh* @ this comment also.....putting in politics when talking about cars....
Last edited by KneeShoe00; 08-29-06 at 09:16 PM.
08-30-06, 03:50 AM
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The response thus far amazes me. Clarkson is spot on with his comments about American traffic. I see so much road rage on a daily basis, and I produce some of it. It's an angry, hostile environment, but it works. His beliefs about American cars are also accurate. Honesly, we produce powerful staight-line vehicles that don't do corners. So? They're fast, and that's what they do well - especially for someone with a budget. The Viper and Mustang, despite their inability to do much well, still give me a semi. You know why? Because they are better at being raw, unadulterated power every time. The numbers aren't necessarily going to be better, or even always on par, but the butt dyno will be satisfied every time. Who cares if it's unrefined? Japanese engines are not exceptional (usually), German power is somewhat bland (most of the time), British power is relatively non-existance (with exceptions), and Italian power is ridiculously expensive (Fiat is not power). Conversely, Italian design, German handling, British refinement, Japanese longevity, and American power make a cocktail of a car that I would be immensely proud to own.
Clarkson has pissed me off before, yes, but this time he's got it right.
Clarkson has pissed me off before, yes, but this time he's got it right.
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08-30-06, 08:13 AM
#8
There's lots of power - 475bhp - but the handling, steering and brakes remain untouched. Which means you're paying extra, simply to have a bigger accident.
08-30-06, 10:25 AM
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+1There is a little element of truth in every joke and sometimes it hits home. Article definitely made me laugh, but yea, don't take it or him too seriously. He is a TV and magazine commentator, not some all-powerful authority that we all have to agree with.
08-30-06, 10:46 AM
#10
Super Moderator
America is a wonderful place to drive. What Clarkson describes is more akin to what I have to deal with down here in Mexico City, but the driving patterns down here come not out of arrogrance but necessity.
08-30-06, 01:07 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
I'm no fan of this automotive clown by any means, but two points he brings out in this article are right on the mark.
First, people often DO mess up their cars by screwing around with factory equipment and settings. Though in some cases, this can increase performance, ( usually the goal of those car owners doing it ) often it leads to other problems that are not easy to solve once the factory hardware is gone. In most cases the hands-off policy is the best.
Second, he, unfortunately, is correct that most of the big, so-called " flabby " sprung American cars are gone....replaced by today's cars with much firmer-riding and more responsive suspensions and tires. Even Buicks and Cadillacs are notably more BMW-like today than in the past. This is fine for the sports-sedan crowd ( and I'm not knocking them ) but there are people who STILL like those big, soft-riding floaters, and they are being almost totally ignored today....even today's big cars ride fairly stiffly by past standards.
I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with sports sedans....I enjoy driving a responsive sport-sedan myself once in a while, just as I also like a soft-riding car. But the world today is FULL of sports sedans, and more are coming out every day, while the big, soft-riders are being ignored.
First, people often DO mess up their cars by screwing around with factory equipment and settings. Though in some cases, this can increase performance, ( usually the goal of those car owners doing it ) often it leads to other problems that are not easy to solve once the factory hardware is gone. In most cases the hands-off policy is the best.
Second, he, unfortunately, is correct that most of the big, so-called " flabby " sprung American cars are gone....replaced by today's cars with much firmer-riding and more responsive suspensions and tires. Even Buicks and Cadillacs are notably more BMW-like today than in the past. This is fine for the sports-sedan crowd ( and I'm not knocking them ) but there are people who STILL like those big, soft-riding floaters, and they are being almost totally ignored today....even today's big cars ride fairly stiffly by past standards.
I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with sports sedans....I enjoy driving a responsive sport-sedan myself once in a while, just as I also like a soft-riding car. But the world today is FULL of sports sedans, and more are coming out every day, while the big, soft-riders are being ignored.
Last edited by mmarshall; 08-30-06 at 01:30 PM.
08-30-06, 01:25 PM
#13
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I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with sports sedans....I enjoy driving a responsive sport-sedan myself once in a while, just as I also like a soft-riding car. But the world today is FULL of sports sedans, and more are coming out every day, while the big, soft-riders are being ignored.
I love my sport sedan but sometimes I just want to be in a big cruiser with non-razor sharp steering and less than adequate rebound damping. It is amazing that these types of cars have all but been removed from the market, not by the choice of the consumer I fear either. Go Buick/Lincoln/Mercury and don't stop building our boats.
08-30-06, 02:16 PM
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i agree with u completely
08-30-06, 02:38 PM
#15
Out of Warranty
I have to wonder about those who are determined to tinker with deeply embedded characteristics of the car to turn a panel truck into a Ferrari. Appearance mods aside, we see a number of folks with great intentions willing to make gross changes to suspension, driveline and brakes to achieve tiny increments of performance without considering the fact that these issues were resolved in the development of the vehicle. Changes of this nature will affect the whole character of your car – be sure that’s acceptable before proceeding.Several on this forum have braved the consequences of voiding their warranty to install costly mods that will produce little in terms of measurable performance gains. Of course, dropping the vehicle a few inches, installing wider, stickier tires, less-compliant bushings and sway bars, and adjustable shocks will improve handling, but you have to be aware the ride quality will suffer for every increment of gain on the slalom course. Fine for a weekend club racer, but a little tough on the backside for a daily driver. You may get a quicker lap time, but speed bumps have to be negotiated with a spotter.
If your RX had serious autocross potential, someone - either Lexus or a major aftermarket supplier - would probably be offering a kit for it. The fact that it does not is probably an indication that there is an unacceptable downside to the mod.
Clarkson makes some good points, but as usual he misunderstands the application of the American car. True, practically all models - except for a couple significant throwbacks - have come a long way in the handling department. And for sheer off-the-line performance, there's still no substitute for massive low-rev torque.
Our roads aren't narrow, twisty country lanes, potholed like the battlefied at Ardennes. Ours are either broad interstates with speed limits . . . or bumper-to-bumper commuter slogs - neither of which is much of an outlet for a nervous high-strung Le Mans car that can't travel over a thousand miles without a serious oil leak or a visit from the electrical demon (Lucas be his name).
An old pal in Aberdeen - a club racer and onetime factory driver for Triumph told me a few years ago that the reason Brits have been slow to develop PCs is that they haven't perfected the means to make them leak oil in the driveway.
Last edited by Lil4X; 08-30-06 at 02:51 PM.
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