I've been watching Best Motoring/Option videos since I found out about them in Okinawa circa 1995. They've been my automotive equivalent of pro wrestling and skin flicks ever since, and it's sad to see them go away.
...but I'm also glad that I'll never have to witness them sandbag a Corvette again.
Back in the early days of Napster, grainy Best Motoring and Classic Top Gear video clips were the crystal meth that fueled my auto addiction. I'm nostalgic for the show, but have to admit that I haven't watch an episode in ages.
It was always hard to find episodes that were in dubbed in english. 
Tom Heath wrote: ...but I'm also glad that I'll never have to witness them sandbag a Corvette again.
QFT . . .
That's more sandbagging than usual . . . 
If the guy in the Porsche could shift he'd have won. And my 4.3 Chev Astro apparently revs higher than a ZR1 Vette !!
I did notice that everyone but the GTR and LFR seemed afraid of the upper end of the tach
Aww... I liked how they always had a camera on the driver's feet so you could see what he was doing. But I'll pass on the dubs, give me decent subtitles any day.
Strike_Zero wrote:Tom Heath wrote: ...but I'm also glad that I'll never have to witness them sandbag a Corvette again.QFT . . . That's more sandbagging than usual . . .
Was screaming at my screen watching that guy in the ZR1 drive. Those are some bullE36 M3 times. I refuse to believe that the most powerful and second or third lightest car there was also the slowest.
Do these videos have a history of sandbagging American cars?
JohnGalt wrote: Do these videos have a history of sandbagging American cars?
Ever play any of the Gran Turismo games? All the fast American cars are sandbagged in a major way. That didn't come from nowhere.
Duke wrote:JohnGalt wrote: Do these videos have a history of sandbagging American cars?Ever play any of the *Gran Turismo* games? All the fast American cars are sandbagged in a major way. That didn't come from nowhere.
Now that you mention it i remember how i could never get my corvette in GT3 Aspec to turn well...
But seriously short-shifting a ZR1 at 6k? They don't come with a SBC anymore. Though watching the ZR1 blow by the F430 on the strait was fun.
Did you see the corner that the dude in the ZR1 came out of at 2K rpm??? Wow.
How about the guy in the 911 missing shifts just as he is about to overtake the Lexus!
The gingerly way of lackadaisically pressing on the throttle pedal, super slow, short shifting, and gratuitous missed shifts . . . no sandbagging there . . .
Or the GT2 not passing under brakes, must have been a HPDE. No point no go.
That was painful to watch. I don't think the ZR1 ever even hit boost honestly...
JohnGalt wrote: Do these videos have a history of sandbagging American cars?
They have a history of sandbagging anything that isn't japanese. I seem to recall a TVR Cerbera getting handily outperformed by a stock NSX.
I still have VHS copies of "The Type R Legend" and "Roaring VTEC".
In the height of the late 90's/early-2000's Honda craze, this stuff was indeed pornographic.
Sad to see it go. Another sign of the lessening state of tuning in Japan overall.
Relax guys, the ZR1 driver was just worried that if he pushed it too hard, it would blow up in his face.
We all know that pushrods are Neanderthal technology. He wouldn't dare push it harder than a '70s VW diesel.
Javelin wrote: That was painful to watch. I don't think the ZR1 ever even hit boost honestly...
I couldn't watch the whole thing, due to the sandbagging (and crappy driving) involved.
I had a problem getting past the start. Soon as they were close enough to the camera so I could see the gaps (after what, 5 car lengths?) Its pretty obvious it was gonna be a wank fest.
This could have been huge, if someone did stuff like this, but more accuracy, maybe with some humor thrown in. If only...
*disclaimer
not saying TG is perfectly accurate. They make no bones they like Brit cars best. But they dont flub lap times/etc.
At least not this badly-
(Just out of frame is the starting line)
In every episode I've seen of this show, the Japanese car always squeaks out the win, usually they are more subtle than this.
In an even match the P-car would win, Corvette FTL. 
Duke wrote:JohnGalt wrote: Do these videos have a history of sandbagging American cars?Ever play any of the *Gran Turismo* games? All the fast American cars are sandbagged in a major way. That didn't come from nowhere.
Nuh-uh, a 440 Cuda totally tops out a 110 miles an hour.
Too bad they're going away. I watched those videos religiously when I first started modifying/tracking cars. The mountain road battles were the best - really pointed out the difference between all-out track suspension and fast street driving. Some of the antics were pretty funny too in a typical Japanese TV kind of way. This last video didn't sum up the best parts of the show, so it's too bad. I too stopped watching after the ZR-1 failed to annihilate the pack on the straights.
Still, reminds me of the time when I spent more money on my car than anything else, ate peanut butter sandwiches to afford track time and would cap off an average 12-14-hour day with another 5 hours in the garage, generally joined by a couple friends. Good times.
Apperently someone over at that Rag Jalopnik reads here. Guess what is on the front of the website today?
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