What really annoys the big man is that his former partner Matthew Carter ordered a Ford GT at the same time, took delivery at the same time, and hasn't had any problems at all. I think JC will have it back once the guys have fixed the aftermarket anti-theft gear which is all that really went wrong.
HJ
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It's amazing how quickly Ford offered a full refund to JC - presumably to stop the ongoing negative publicity - I bet they wouldn't be so keen to hand back the cash to their other customers with similar problems?
Steve
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Heres a link to the story :- tinyurl.com/7w26t
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I wonder if his slipped disc may influence his decision there?
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Steve
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The only thing that surprises me about the whole JC/GT40 debacle is that he can fit into it.
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The only thing that surprises me about the whole JC/GT40 debacle is that he can fit into it.
He couldn't fit into the original GT40. He had to get Noel Edmonds to do it instead on an old series of the Original TG. The new one's taller a few inches taller, so his head can now fit ;o)
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if you register your car in the IoM, don't you have to say good morning to the little people? See what you get when you are cruel to the fairies Jeremy!
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Not surprising that Ford took it back and offered a refund - article in the DT on Saturday suggested that asking prices are now around £250k so as a second hand car what are Ford going to advertise it for?
Or if JC is so clever why didn't he just sell it?
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Or if JC is so clever why didn't he just sell it?
Read the link in Corsa Driver's post to find out!
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"Read the link"
...in which he says: "But I have never profited from my position as a motoring journalist"!
Excuse me while I take the opportunity to book Swine Air...
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"...in which he says: "But I have never profited from my position as a motoring journalist"!"
His entire income is based on the fact he is a motoring Journo!
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I think what he means is that he earns his money honestly by writing articles, doing TV work etc but that he would not use his status to obtain a Ford GT40 and then sell it on at a high profit. Okay so it's busted, but he still thinks it would look a bit niffy were he to sell it. In the same vein he also refuses back handers, cash to promote a given make of car and so on. At least that's my take on his stance. Seems the car was fine apart from the (non-Ford) immobiliser and alarm.
Leif
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Excuse me while I take the opportunity to book Swine Air...
Bing Bong Oink Oink, Mr Jagworth to Gate 19 Bing Bong
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"Bing Bong..."
LOL!
WRT backhanders, is this not the same JC who once boasted that he didn't need to buy a car as he already had a garage-full of Jaguars 'on loan' from the factory?
What surprised me about the GT40 was that he had actually paid for it in the first place!
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"prices are now around £250k"
For one that works, I assume. :-)
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That was really his rationale for walking away from the old Top Gear and several car magazines in that the largesse handed out by the big manufacturers was made on the tacit understanding that you didn't rock the boat and he was getting flak from some of his fellow journalists for doing so.
I was impressed at the time but as the new Top Gear has just descended into nonsense like the trip to Oslo then I can't really see how his stance is relevant any more.
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This forum, with its wilingness to damn, would be absolutely destroying Clarkson if he had dared sell that car for a profit and be seen to take advantage of his position.
Given his unsportsmanlike behaviour in not behaving in such a way which we could have criticised with gusto, we have to resort to damning his potentialy moral actions with cynicism.
I wonder what you have to do to ensure that you are not knocked by the Backroom ?
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Oh how I wish - the first thing you are issued as a moderator, after 1/4 of a ploughmans and a dodgy pint, is a target to be nailed between the shoulder blades and a smaller one over the heart [we didn't give Alan the smaller one].
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>>and a smaller one over the heart
That rather assumes that moderators have a heart...
::Ducks and runs away shouting it's only a joke:: ;-)
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"I wonder what you have to do to ensure that you are not knocked by the Backroom ?"
There are alternatives?
Confused francophile of Surrey.
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I agree Mark.
Clarkson has behaved properly in this matter as he always does, even if one doesn't like his opinions.
He placed an order for the car, and Ford know he can afford it. He paid full price for it, despite Ford knowing that it would be excellent publicity for them if he got one anyway and he kept shtum about the freebie.
He took delivery and it was a lemon. He complained, car was not fixed and he has his money back. If it had been anyone else and knowing that a profit of up to £100,000 could be made we wold have sold it, but...he didn't.
Now maybe he didn't because if he got found out, he would have been ridiculed and ran out of town, but for whatever reason, he did the right thing. Good on him.
The reason why he is popular is because he speaks his mind and tells the truth. Try getting Tony Blair onto Top Gear!
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Back on the thread subject, do you think he sold it to get an F430 - he did say in TG magazine that it was a lot better than his GT and that he had wondered if he'd bought the wrong car.....
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non-motoring stuff removed.
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hey you removed my post regards him selling to maybe get an F430!
not fair. ;-)
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As Clarkson didn't want to profit from his position, I offered to take the Ford off his hands and resell it myself at the higher price. Then he would have a clear conscience and I would have 50-125K profit. Haven't heard back from him yet!
Seriously though, he could get the Ford back, resell it and donate the difference to charity.
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Although I don't agree with everything he says, Clarkson does make some fair points. I think he his quite honest in his opinion.
I think a lot of journalists have prefrences to marques and models, and will rate them highly no matter what the shortcomings.
Tiff Needell (Jason Plato and probably quite a few others) on all things BMW, Quentin (remember him) - on Merc's. Yes Clarkson, is a Jaguar fan, but I think he still gives a balanced view (he does knock them. When he does not, I don't think he attempts to hide it - and you can see this from a mile off.
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He says in his column in the new Top Gear mag that the next car he buys may be a new BMW M5. Reckons its better than the Ferrari F430 he had a little while ago.
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>>I think a lot of journalists have prefrences to marques and models, and will rate them highly no matter what the shortcomings.>>
A genuine motoring correspondent cannot be persuaded, bribed and bullied into making statements or verdicts that are not true.
It would soon become very obvious to readers.
I remember being in the company, at breakfast, of the big Vauxhall chiefs the morning after JC's infamous comment on the then new Vectra - they were not happy bunnies...
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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