4 Ways Top Gear Misled The World On American Performance Cars

It wasn’t until the eighth or ninth series that I started watching what’s now known as New Old Top Gear. Back in those days, getting full episodes in America wasn’t necessarily easy, but as a devoted petrolhead I’ll just say I found a way. At that point I’d already had a few cheap car experiences of my own, so watching a show with three blokes cocking about with cars in a similar manner as me (albeit with a MUCH larger budget) was sheer pleasure.

As a budding auto journalist with a strong automotive background, I also learned that the boys tended to stretch the truth from time to time. Hey, that’s okay; it’s a television show designed to entertain. But there were also moments – primarily during road tests – where that hyperbole was stretched to the limit in a way that might not be so obvious to casual viewers. Admittedly I have some bias to U.S. manufacturers, just as Clarkson, May and Hammond have bias to British brands.

It’s that bias which compels me to help clear the air on a few moments in New Old Top Gear where the trio weren’t entirely forthcoming in regards to some American car reviews. Informed car enthusiasts like you will likely recognise what I’m saying, but for the non-car lovers, here’s a bit more insight into a few moments that, while entertaining for the presenters, created all kinds of frustration for American auto enthusiasts.

Back in 2007, Ford unveiled the Shelby GT500 – named after the legendary 1967 Shelby GT500. In this instance, the GT500 also referred to the output of the new Mustang’s supercharged V8, which was rated at 500bhp. Hammond was putting the car through its paces, but to address the “neat” 500bhp claim, out came the rolling road (aka dyno) to get a measurement of the GT500’s horsepower. And that’s where it goes wrong.

Everyone well-versed in the automotive world knows that manufacturers rate engine horsepower at the crankshaft, not at the wheels. By the time horsepower gets to the wheels there is some power loss; that’s true for everything from the 660bhp Ferrari 488 to the 120bhp Ford Fiesta. So, when Hammond proclaimed that the GT500 actually made 447bhp, he was referring to wheel horsepower versus crankshaft horsepower. Technically he was correct, but still, the takeaway was that the GT500 was ‘down’ on power. When you do the maths to account for power loss, you actually come back at slightly more than 500 horsepower at the crankshaft.

Come on Hammond, you’re supposed to be the secret American of the bunch, yet you try to trick the world?

Here’s an instance where stretching the truth for entertainment purposes actually led to a formal lawsuit. Most people recall Clarkson’s review of the Tesla Roadster, notably that both test cars broke down and that they would run out of power after 55 miles, as opposed to Tesla’s claimed range of over 200 miles. Ultimately the lawsuit was dismissed in Top Gear’s favour because their conclusions were technically correct; under continual racing conditions the Tesla would run out of power much more quickly. Obviously.

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