Like Top Gear? Love classic cars? How about Classic Gear?

[bruce fielding]

Just noticed this (on men and motors website - don't ask...!)

Could be interesting and will fill in the nights while TG is off air...

http://www.classicgear.tv/

Aired Mondays at 8:00pm and repeated Sundays at 9:00pm

[Harsh]

wow Chris Searle...there's a blast from the past!


looks good actually, wish i'd read this ealier, could have sky+'d it, guess i'll have to wait til sunday.

[Dan H]

No series link available - I guess it's a one-off?

Recording now anyway :)

[bruce fielding]

I think there are ten of them in the series... but maybe there's a reason why there's no series link...

The jury's out frankly - I don't like Jason Dawes much, and he did himself no favours coming across as a rubbish presenter in the first piece about the Torino. I thought he was better in the Allegro, and best with his mate Mallory, I felt, but still not great.

Chris Searle looked old and tired and more of a 'presenter' than an enthusiast. But the garage he was in was amazing and full of stuff I would much rather have seen than his ugly mug. Howcome we didn't get to see more of that?

The blonde tottie is who? I don't get it. She doesn't seem to know or care.

As for the editing - it looked amateur and home made - an impression which was only added to by the appalling choice of music. It sounded like a corporate video most of the time - only I've seen better corporate videos. The footage looked like it had been eked out from a couple of domestic camcorders, one of which had accidentally been left on 4:3 when the rest of the show was in 16:9

I appreciate that this was probably made for a fraction of the budget that Top Gear has to play with, but when you haven't got the money, you have to be creative - and this just wasn't.

To be constructive, I would ditch all the presenters and put in people who might be a bit more risky and untried, but would be interested in the subject and not so unappealing that they made even pretty cars look ugly. And I'd get young, hungry people to film and edit and produce it who would take more risks, use more modern shooting and editing techniques, and make the whole thing look and feel more exciting and interesting. I would also have special features - they did one about buying an E-Type, which was good. How about common problems with classic cars and how to fix them?

The idea of a magazine programme dedicated to classic cars is a good one - but not when the magazine looks like it came straight out of a dentists waiting room.

Sorry guys. I'll give this one more shot, but it really must do better if it's to keep the audience.

[Boxer]

Idea is great but the critical element would be getting the right set of hosts. Top Gear works because of Clarkson, the Smirf, and Captain Slow. While the concept maybe great, this makes it very hard to extend and replicate.

[Redex R]

Another must watch for me anyway is The Lotus Story on Motors TV , being repeated every week at the moment , covers everything from Elans , Cortinas , Elise and plus twos and even previews Evoras.