Comments by "" (@neutronalchemist3241) on "Top Gear" channel.

  1. Infact he restored the car and took it for a while after the episode.
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  2. When they put it on the dyno, the engine was clearly knocking. Jeremy seized it by running without coolant and with "0" oil pressure. It was a miracle it could still develop 80 bhp.
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  3. The 488 Pista just won GTpro Class at the 2019 24H of Le Mans.
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  4. +Stoka It has to be said however that, while Jeremy's car would have required a major restoration, James' one would have been easy to fix.
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  5. One is beautiful, and is not the green one.
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  6. The engine begun to knock after Jeremy run without coolant around the track.
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  7. "Dishonest" compared to a VW owned brand is pretty laughable. Road and Track clocked the F40 0-60 at 3.8 sec in 1991 (Ferrari official spec. is 4.1 sec. to 100 kmh / 62mph), and Quattroruote hit 326.193 km/h (202.687 mph) with it.
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  8. Those were the worst three samples the production could find, that could still move on their own power, for show's sake. It's really not so difficult to find cars that barely moves if you want to make fun of a certain model. Three years later, Mike Brewer, of Wheeler Dealers paid only £8.750 for a Dino GT4 in slightly better conditions that Hammond's (that was the best of the three here), Restored it to mint conditions for £3.000 and sold it for £13.000. Those were the real prices back then.
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  9. The engine IS a Ferrari (and you can see at 3:30 that is marked "Ferrari"). It's the same of the 308 GTB/GTS (and the chassis is the same too for that matter).
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  10.  @leandrebonsaint153  It looks like a Ferrari 250 GT. Ironically, modern Aston Martin cars look more like '60s Ferrari than '60s Aston Martin. https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/oeqgp/s1/ferrari-250-gt-berlinetta-lusso.jpg
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  11. Back then all knew the F40 was a last hurrah. The last "best supercar in the world" that would have been a pure car, made only of mechanical engine, suspensions and bodywork, and that the future would have been of cars like the 959. Like the 037 in the WRC, it was the last winning effort of a generation at it's sunset. And that's why it's so regarded still now, while the 959 is just an old car with an odd look.
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  12.  @LN997-i8x  It's called "seizing". "Jeremy seized it by running without coolant and with '0' oil pressure. It was a miracle it could still develop 80 bhp."
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  13. Simply Matt was driving the Stelvio into its mechanical possibilities, while Chris was destroying the Volvo, that infact broke suspensions and engine mounts during the test.
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  14.  @ferrari2k  Seizing means that the lubricant film between two metallic surfaces breaks and those came in contact, damaging each-other due to the heat generated. Most of the seizings doesn't result in the engine locking up.
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  15. Three years later, Mike Brewer, of Wheeler Dealers paid only £8.750 for a GT4 in slightly better conditions that Hammond's (that was the best of the three here), Restored it to mint conditions for £3.000 and sold it for £13.000. Those were the real prices back then. Here Jeremy, Richard and James bought the worst samples they could find that could still move for show's sake.
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  16. '70s and '80s japanese cars rusted like there was no tomorrow, German low-end cars had very "old style" mechanics (Opel simply used GM platforms with smaller engines).
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  17. It looks like a Ferrari 250 GT. Ironically, modern Aston Martin cars look more like '60s Ferrari than '60s Aston Martin. https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/oeqgp/s1/ferrari-250-gt-berlinetta-lusso.jpg
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  18. None of those was a supercar back then. They were mid engined sportscars, meant for daily driving. No version of the Mustang II (those cars' contemporary) had power comparable to them. the hottest version, the King Cobra V8 developed puny 139hp. the Merak, the least powerful of the bunch here, started with 190hp. The 351 equipped versions of the previous generation had comparable or even superior horsepower, but they had also four drum brakes, rear leaf spring suspensions, four gears, and weighted at least 100kg more than those sportscars. Ultimately had been the "European" disks brakes, indipendent coil spring suspensions and OHC engines that won.
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  19. It had been also the last car to use Lampredi's FIAT Bialbero engine. One of the most victorious egines in history (two World Sportscar Championships won with the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, one World Rally Championship won with the Lancia 037 and six World Rally Championships won with the Lancia Delta).
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  20. They were made to drive, that means to steer and brake, not only to go on a straight line. The engines of the US made cars you mentioned were exceptionally heavy, and mounted on heavy cars with high centre of gravity and questionable suspensions and brakes. No contemporary US muscle car stand a chance against one of those three in a circuit. Moreover, the three cars of this episode were "second tier" supercars (they were not even considered supercars back then, but "sport coupè"). The contemporary Lamborghini Countach had a 4l 370hp V12 engine (same hp, but way lighter than the7l of the Torino). The Maserati Bora had a 310 hp 4.7l V8, and the Ferrari 365 GT/4 BB a 380hp 4.4l 12 cylinder boxer. Those were the supercars.
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  21. The car was sold after the episode, and it's probably still around. As MrSupercar said, the alternator not charging the battery is annoying, but very easy to fix.
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  22. The F40 had a 600 BHP factory upgrade, and 19 factory built F40 LM with 720BHP.
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  23. The episode was aired in 2005. Those were the worst three samples the production could find, that could still move on their own power, for show's sake. It's really not so difficult to find cars that barely moves if you want to make fun of a certain model. Three years later, Mike Brewer, of Wheeler Dealers paid only £8.750 for a Dino GT4 in slightly better conditions that Hammond's (that was the best of the three here), Restored it to mint conditions for £3.000 and sold it for £13.000. Those were the real prices back then.
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  24. Jeremy's car had an engine problem right from the start (Richard noticed the smoke during the first trip), lost coolant during the track race and, judging by the sound, had a cylinder knocking during the dyno run. It was a miracle it could still develop half of it's intended power.
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  25. He simply likes the British brand more. McLaren 720 being slightly ahead of the Ferrari 488 "The McLaren comes form another planet". The 488 Pista being slightly ahead of the 600LT "but the McLaren gives the best driving experience".
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  26.  @pineappleracing6547  Between the 488 Pista and the 600LT there are only 29kg difference in curb weight.
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  27. Even slamming a turbo on a 70's four cilinder Fiat twincam of the same age you can tune it to 400 bhp. Those were simply the four cheapest used mid engined sportscar (none of those was a supercar back in their days) they could put their hands on in 2005, brought to race regardless of their conditions. They are not representative of the real performances of well, or even decently, mantained samples.
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  28. The 488 Pista just won GTpro Class at the 2019 24H of Le Mans.
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  29. It looks like a Ferrari 250 GT. Ironically, modern Aston Martin cars look more like '60s Ferrari than '60s Aston Martin. https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/oeqgp/s1/ferrari-250-gt-berlinetta-lusso.jpg
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  30. Actually it falled because he hit it with the helmet.
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  31. Actually Hammond restored his Dino and kept it for many years. The Urraco was sold, and is probably still around (the damages to the alternator and/or rectifier were annoying, but likely easy to fix). The Merak was scrapped (and it had probably been a mistake, since the engine was not that rare, and the prices of those cars skyrocketed in the subsequent years).
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  32. The engine was seized from the moment he raced without coolant. Without repairing it, it was only a matter of time.
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  33. For usability, it probably is.
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  34. The "Italian" sentence doesn't make any sense actually. However, provided the car is sufficiently worn out, you can beat it on foot also.
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  35. I imagine they bought the Mercedes with the lowest price they could find, and then they put it on the bench without even checking the fluids. Otherwise the comparison doesn't make sense.
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  36. None of those cars was a supercar back then. Those were mid engines sportscar, meant for daily driving, aimed at the same market of the Porsche 911. The "purpose" of the episode was to buy the cheapest samples of mid engined sportscar on the market and make them run like they were, regardless on how easy it would have been to restore them in running conditions (IE, May' electrical problem was a £ 200 worth damage on the alternator, or rectifier, at worst). At those conditions you'll always find shitty samples of any car's model.
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  37.  @AiOinc1  And the effect of not having oil pressure is?
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  38. Had they found one, ironically it would have been the only real "mid engined italian made supercar of the '70s" of the episode. Marketed almost exclusively in the US.
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  39.  @AiOinc1  Yeah, they put the coolant on cars because it's useless. Especially if you are running around a track.
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  40.  @jds355  Sorry, I quit Reading at "Italian build quality".
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  41. The engine of the Dino (that's the same of the 308 GT) is very reliable actually. Every engine is unreliable if not properly mantained.
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  42. It's funny to read people reasoning like those were the normal conditions you could find those models in, only because they seen it in a TV show. Those were the worst three samples the production could find, that could still move on their own power, for show's sake. It's really not so difficult to find cars that barely moves (NSX too) if you want to make fun of a certain model.
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  43. '70s specs reported SAE bhp (where the engine was not required to move the alternator, water pump, cooling fan...), that had to be lowered 10-15% to obtain current DIN bhp. That said, the Ferrari lost very little, and probably only required a little tuning (the dyno run was made before even replacing spark plugs and liquids and, looking at the color of the oil they changed later, I bet filters were dirty too). The Urraco had a more serious loss, but it was running on battery energy only, and that accounts for something too. The Merak seized while running without coolant and with "0" oil pressure. Was clearly knocking, and It was a miracle it could still develop those 80 hp.
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  44. Actually none of those was a "supercar" back in the '70s. Those were mid engined sportscar, aimed at the same market of the 911.
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  45. '70s specs reported SAE hp, that has to be lowered 10-15% to get the actual DIN hp. That said, Richard's car lost relatively little (a little tuning, and it would have recovered all the HP it was supposed to have). James's car required a little more attention (it was low on oil pressure), but nothing dramatic. A carbureted car can easily loose 25% of it's power if not adequately tuned. Jeremy's car raced without cooland and had one cylinder knocking during the dyno run. It would have required a major restoration.
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  46. The Dino was a usable car actually. Like a 911 of the same years, but more powerful.
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  47. The dyno measures BHP to WHP loss by measuring the passive resistance of the drivetrain to rev the wheels. It's not a perfect measurement, but an acceptable approximation. However, '70s specs reported SAE bhp (where the engine was not required to move the alternator, water pump, cooling fan...), that had to be lowered 10-15% to obtain current DIN bhp. That said, the Ferrari lost very little, and probably only required a little tuning (the dyno run was made before even replacing spark plugs and liquids and, looking at the color of the oil they changed later, I bet filters were dirty too). The Urraco had a more serious loss, but it was running on battery energy only, and that accounts for something too. The Merak seized while running without coolant and with "0" oil pressure. Was clearly knocking, and It was a miracle it could still develop those 80 hp.
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  48. Provided the car is sufficiently worn out, you can outrun it on foot also.
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  49. I'm wondering if someone EVER robbed a bank in a Rolls Royce.
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  50. Hammond repaired his Dino, and took it for a while. The Lambo was repaired too, and is probably still around, while the Maserati was scrapped. From the year of the show, the price of a Merak almost doubled, that of a Urraco doubled, and that of the Dino almost tripled.
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