Hansen
New Top Gear is in full production swing for Series 24 as Matt LeBlanc has been seen filming driving the Avtoros Shaman, a gigantic 8X8 all terrain vehicle, thru a reservoir in Isle of Man. Top Gear was filming a skit where LeBlanc used the Avtoros Shaman to rescue a family stranded in a dinghy. The Shaman was able to traverse the reservoir handily, however, the £90,000 vehicle quickly broke down after reaching dry land.
The monstrous Russian 8X8 all terrain vehicle has been fitted with a surprisingly small 3.0 liter four cylinder turbo diesel and a six speed manual transmission, which can be seen here in LEGO form. That powerplant is used to haul the vehicle’s weight of 10,000 pounds, resulting in a slowly 50 mph top speed. However, all of that hardware is no good if you’re broken down on the side of the road. Top Gear halted filming as the broken down Avtoros Shaman backed up traffic for an hour, as the crew tried to resuscitate the vehicle.
Get a sneak peek at #TopGear TV as @Matt_LeBlanc tackles the bonkers Avtoros Shaman on the Isle of Man pic.twitter.com/gywpR9nKEY
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) October 21, 2016
Meanwhile, LeBlanc doesn’t look like the Captain Slow type as he can be seen on the side of the road having a cigarette, chatting with the crew, and not fixing the broken down car. Perhaps he’s more of the Jeremy Clarkson type.
We can’t help to think how this incident symbolizes the Top Gear show as a whole. The gigantic but clearly underpowered Avtoros Shaman tried to tackle a difficult task, only to breakdown quickly after attempting the feat.
The revamped Top Gear show was the result of Jeremy Clarkson’s firing in the Spring of 2015 when he had assaulted a producer of the lack of a warm meal. The rebooted Top Gear came back to the airwaves earlier this year with a giant cast consisting of Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmidt, and Eddie Jordan, in the hopes of retaining the interest of millions of fans. However, the large Top Gear budget and cast failed to attract viewers due to the lack of on-screen chemistry between the cast members, and perhaps due to the hardcore Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May fans revolting the show altogether. The show did so terribly in Series 23 that Chris Evans stepped down, handing the reigns over to Matt LeBlanc, who also has other show commitments in his life.
Great to be back at the TG track with @Matt_LeBlanc, @harrismonkey and @MrRoryReid earlier today… pic.twitter.com/1nlQD60Q3a
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) October 17, 2016
Now for the production of Series 24, BBC has established a new Top Gear trio in hopes of rebuilding the show from its lowest point since it was revamped by Andy Wilman and Jeremy Clarkson back in 2002. Some questions remain: Will people watch the show given that the old Top Gear trio has now moved on to much greener and more exciting pastures with The Grand Tour? And will this cast breakdown again as the BBC and Top Gear try to recreate the formula that made the old show so successful?
(Source: Daily Mail, Photo Credit: FameFlynet)
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