Thor had a hammer too

**maxlouis** · 12-08-2014, 23:51

At the risk of opening old wounds, a somewhat precocious small boy visited last year and asked with genuine surprise why I would ever waste money on building “the slowest car ever on Top Gear…” Because of the universal reach of Top Gear, that does seem to be a popular, if not the default perception of the otherwise uninitiated - that feature may have been ‘good TV’ but it was a perverse misrepresentation of almost every aspect of the cars (including the price of Corse J). My suggestion, to redress the balance, is to find a really sorted example (a certain Gp 4 Alitalia Hawk comes to mind – no need for special effects) and invite a serious driver to tackle the TG track, - film it - and stick it up on you tube billed as “Slowest car ever on Top Gear!” I think if we were able to persuade someone of the ilk of Kenny Brack to undertake the challenge it would get serious hits and the positive results might redress some of the ‘Stig’ma…

**Skelly** · 13-08-2014, 08:23

Originally Posted by maxlouis

At the risk of opening old wounds, a somewhat precocious small boy visited last year and asked with genuine surprise why I would ever waste money on building “the slowest car ever on Top Gear…” Because of the universal reach of Top Gear, that does seem to be a popular, if not the default perception of the otherwise uninitiated - that feature may have been ‘good TV’ but it was a perverse misrepresentation of almost every aspect of the cars (including the price of Corse J). My suggestion, to redress the balance, is to find a really sorted example (a certain Gp 4 Alitalia Hawk comes to mind – no need for special effects) and invite a serious driver to tackle the TG track, - film it - and stick it up on you tube billed as “Slowest car ever on Top Gear!” I think if we were able to persuade someone of the ilk of Kenny Brack to undertake the challenge it would get serious hits and the positive results might redress some of the ‘Stig’ma…

Slowest car TG so what it doesn't matter. I got a strat because i wanted one not because its fast.
I've never had anyone come up to me and say that its the slowest car on TG. Usually its Awesome, Brilliant, love it, the amount of atttention they get when driving around is mad.

At the camp site (recent trip to Le Mans) there was all sorts of cars more expensive and faster cars than mine, but mine got the must attention
I find you either love them or hate them

**maxlouis** · 13-08-2014, 09:04

I love 'em (or more accurately am totally obsessed) and my point - and I'm serious about it - is that a well set up car with the right driver would be v fast around that track and should embarrass some contemporary exotics. And a youtube feature of it would, I imagine, be pretty 'hitworthy'. It would just need some organising.

**john** · 13-08-2014, 10:10

I agree. Though choose which car on merit for it's performance.
The whole issue blew up through ill considered over enthusiasm in the first place.

**catswhiskers** · 13-08-2014, 11:29

From my own point of view, I don't really care what the Top Gear perception was. I don't think many people on here (or anywhere else for that matter) really take anything Clarkson says seriously on any subject let alone Stratos related topics. By todays standards, the Stratos is not a fast car nor does it need to be proven to be. It's a unique piece of motoring history and that should be enough to preserve it's reputation. I remember a few years ago, Phil (Bernard) took his Hawk round the Chatsworth rally stage and then went round the same stage with Steve Perez in his original Stratos. Conclusion...no difference in overall peformance.
Another thing, if you wanted to field a fast stratos replica, I don't think you could get faster than Neil's (turbonutter) Corse with 500+ bhp. Now that IS awesome.
I say let sleeping dogs lye. The Top Gear episode is forgotten, leave it that way. Just my two penneth.
Mick