When I heard TG was filming in Argentina, I knew it would not end well.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29474422
Fair use quote:
BBC News said:
The crew of BBC's Top Gear have left Argentina after facing protests over a number plate which appeared to refer to the 1982 Falklands War.
The team, including host Jeremy Clarkson, have been filming in South America for a Top Gear special.
The show apparently provoked anger among locals by using a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL.
The BBC confirmed the show's decision to leave, but denied the offending car was chosen for its number plate.
The BBC said the number plate was an "unfortunate coincidence"
Andy Wilman, executive producer for Top Gear, said on Thursday: "Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme; to suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate, or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original is completely untrue."
The team departed three days early after being denied permission to film by local authorities.
Which Falkland Islands you talkin about?
Appleseed wrote:
Which Falkland Islands you talkin about?
The British ones. What others are there?
Well yous got your Japanese Falkland Islands, your Hawaiian Falkland Islands, your Aleutian Mother Falkland Islands. Which Falkland Islands yous talkin about? (Read with a New York accent)
From another article:
They had provoked anger by using a 1991 Porsche 928GT coupé with the registration number H982 FKL, which politicians and army veterans suggested could be seen to refer to the Falklands conflict. Local councillor Juan Manuel Romano said the digits 269 on the number plate of the Ford Mustang Richard Hammond was driving were close to the 255 Britons killed during the 1982 war. He added that the numbers 646 on James May's Lotus could be taken as a reference to the 649 Argentinian casualties.
I dunno, it sounds like a stretch to me.
oldsaw
UltimaDork
10/3/14 6:42 p.m.
I'm betting Clarkson made some comments about the milfiness qualities of Cristina.
patgizz
PowerDork
10/3/14 7:34 p.m.
stuart in mn wrote:
From another article:
They had provoked anger by using a 1991 Porsche 928GT coupé with the registration number H982 FKL, which politicians and army veterans suggested could be seen to refer to the Falklands conflict. Local councillor Juan Manuel Romano said the digits 269 on the number plate of the Ford Mustang Richard Hammond was driving were close to the 255 Britons killed during the 1982 war. He added that the numbers 646 on James May's Lotus could be taken as a reference to the 649 Argentinian casualties.
I dunno, it sounds like a stretch to me.
it sounds to me like juan sucks at math.
stuart in mn wrote:
From another article:
They had provoked anger by using a 1991 Porsche 928GT coupé with the registration number H982 FKL, which politicians and army veterans suggested could be seen to refer to the Falklands conflict. Local councillor Juan Manuel Romano said the digits 269 on the number plate of the Ford Mustang Richard Hammond was driving were close to the 255 Britons killed during the 1982 war. He added that the numbers 646 on James May's Lotus could be taken as a reference to the 649 Argentinian casualties.
I dunno, it sounds like a stretch to me.
So some are numbers that could represent other numbers that are different? I'm sorry but that is the dumbest thing I have ever read
Sounds to me like someone was looking at a reason to get their panties in a twist.
Woody
MegaDork
10/3/14 7:47 p.m.
The Argentinians understand that there are only ten choices for each position in any given number, right?
Keith Tanner wrote:
Sounds to me like someone was looking at a reason to get their panties in a twist.
Pretty much. They've had so much legitimate (or as I call it, "funny") controversy surrounding them in the past that places pretty much assume that whatever they're doing is offensive
I was supposed to read the title in my Waylon Jennings voice, right?
Without any history, I'd think its a pretty ridiculous stretch. Since "trouble with the locals" seems to be part of their standard shtick, who knows? When you make your living being intentionally provocative and irreverent where ever you go, maybe people are quick to assume you're trying to be provocative and irreverent. Don't get me wrong, I think they're occasionally hilarious (Driving under the influence of mustache was classic, although the rest of the bit was terrible), but clearly they go out of their way to tweek people.
They're sort of the internet trolls of television.
They probably didn't help matters by driving through Buenos Aires doing the L sign and yelling "loooooosssers". And asking for directions to the home of General Belgrano at every petrol stop.
if we apply that same logic... then anybody in the Middle East Driving a 911 is offensive to those that died in the World Trade Centre
mad_machine wrote:
if we apply that same logic... then anybody in the Middle East Driving a 911 is offensive to those that died in the World Trade Centre
Or... in this case were they driving a 912.
patgizz wrote:
stuart in mn wrote:
From another article:
They had provoked anger by using a 1991 Porsche 928GT coupé with the registration number H982 FKL, which politicians and army veterans suggested could be seen to refer to the Falklands conflict. Local councillor Juan Manuel Romano said the digits 269 on the number plate of the Ford Mustang Richard Hammond was driving were close to the 255 Britons killed during the 1982 war. He added that the numbers 646 on James May's Lotus could be taken as a reference to the 649 Argentinian casualties.
I dunno, it sounds like a stretch to me.
it sounds to me like juan sucks at math.
Argentina is not Mexico. I get where you're coming from, but it's kind of like making a "maybe they should put down the baguette and wave a white flag" joke about the Germans or something. Which, now that I think about it, is hilarious.
JFX001
UltraDork
10/4/14 12:24 a.m.
Wait...Clarkson got a Porsche, May got a Lotus...and Hammond got a Mustang? He really is an American.
Well, H982 FKL has been registered to a Porsche 928 since, you guessed it, 1991:
DVLA said:
Vehicle details for H982 FLK
Vehicle make PORSCHE
Date of first registration 30 May 1991
Year of manufacture 1991
Cylinder capacity (cc) 4957cc
CO₂Emissions Not available
Fuel type PETROL
Export marker No
Vehicle status Tax not due
Vehicle colour GREY
Vehicle type approval Not available
It also is taxed and has a good MOT.
For all your British plate inquiries
All of this is to say of course that I do not believe that Top Gear was intentionally trolling.
The whole thing reads to me like a fabricated PR piece by BBC.
Apparently the Argentines decided that complaining loudly to the media was insufficient and took matters into their own hands: Top Gear crew 'chased by thousands and ordered out of country'
Sigh. Silly Argentina, they're grumpy right now because we (the US) are suing them and got confused thinking it was Top Gear America that they were kicking out.
Although I liked TGUKs road trip to New Orleans when they got pelted with rocks in Mississippi/Alabama for things they wrote on each other's cars.
Wally
MegaDork
10/4/14 12:45 p.m.
At first I thought it couldn't be on purpose but now I can picture Clarkson stalking the Porsche's owner waving money at him until he finally relents and sells it. That kind of dedication to a gag that could have gone unnoticed and amused only him just makes me like him even more.
