From Edmunds.com:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — We’ve known for quite some time that the hit BBC show Top Gear is coming to America. Producers of the show originally wanted to use the British hosts for the U.S. version, but decided the trans-Atlantic shooting schedule would be too demanding.

In mid-January, NBC announced the U.S. version of Top Gear would air on its network rather than a cable outlet like Speed or ESPN. At the same time, BBC producers were feverishly screening American automotive writers as potential hosts, hoping to give the new show “journalistic credibility.”

NBC has since decided to tweak its original plan. Several on-camera automotive journalist candidates received phone calls this week from the BBC stating the network now wanted to take the new Top Gear in more of a “celebrity direction.”

An existing NBC relationship with known automotive enthusiast Jay Leno, and the fact that his current Tonight Show contract expires in 2009 could make Leno a front-runner. Actor and Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld also has a lasting NBC relationship as evidenced by his guest stint on NBC’s 30 Rock and heavy rotation of Bee Movie promos that also aired on the network. We wouldn’t “bee” surprised to see him in the running as well.

What this means to you: Expect American Top Gear to air without the old-school car magazine editor in a threadbare tweed jacket. — Carol Moody, Correspondent

This could either be good news (credibility, skill in front of the camera, etc.) or bad news (obvious reasons), but it’s too early to tell. We’ll have to wait and see.

[Once again, thanks to bafranksbro for the tip.]

UPDATE: This may turn out to be entirely a rumor. We’ll have to see.

Craig Plestis, NBC Universal’s senior vice-president of alternative programs and development talking about Top Gear and their version of it:

“I love that little bit of wonkiness that happens with the show,” Plestis says. “It’s not a vanilla show. They get into the car culture. Their enthusiasm is infectious. It’s funny. It’s entertaining. It flies by. And, if we do our job correctly with the casting, hands down, it will work.”

NBC has not yet given a projected airdate for its “Top Gear.”

“I would like it sooner [rather] than later,” Plestis says, “but I’m not going to rush it. I’m going to get this one right.”

More at Zap2it.

[Props to bafranksbro for finding the article.]

BigJ was great enough to find me a copy of yesterday’s Fifth Gear and I’ve torrented it up for you all. Enjoy.

The Scene was slow today with releasing their rip (some group named “iNGOT” did today’s rip) and I’m unable to find a copy of it. I am looking though and will have a torrent out ASAP.

If you just can’t wait for our super fast public torrent, MotorWorld.net (previously known as Jabba’s World) has their own rip, but you’ll need to sign up to download.

We are looking for new co-location due to our current host’s mis-interpretation of copyright law and false reports by the ESA.

We need 5U of space for 2 servers, preferably in the US, with 2TB of bandwidth/month. We are fully compliant with the United States DMCA and International Copyright Laws. Send us an offer or any questions to hostingoffers @ finalgear.com .

Thanks!

In other news, our IRC server is down, but that’s unrelated. We’re hanging out at #gear on irc.chatsociety.net meanwhile. Our IRC server is back up!

Top Gear has revamped their newsletter and made it a lot easier to subscribe. In it you’ll find behind the scenes photos, articles on new cars, links to classic Top Gear TV segments, plus lots more.

I certainly subscribed. Will you?

Fifth Gear is back which is great news with us going through decent automotive television show withdrawal.

If you use µTorrent, please make sure to upgrade to the latest version, 1.7.6. All previous versions have a bug where a remote user could crash your copy of µTorrent and in some cases, possibly even get into your PC.

So again, if you use µTorrent, please make sure you’re running the latest version!

UPDATE: I almost forgot — this exploit applies to the BitTorrent branded client too as it’s just µTorrent with a different name.

UPDATE #2: If you’d like to read more on this, TorrentFreak has a good article.

UPDATE #3 (1/21): µTorrent v1.6.1 is immune and safe to use. All other versions besides 1.7.6 and the latest 1.8.x alpha are unsafe (that includes 1.6.0).

NBC has ordered a pilot for “Gear”, an American version of Top Gear, that will be officially announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (January 19-27).

The pilot will be filmed at a secret location around Los Angeles equipped with a race track and hangar where the show will be filmed in front of a audience.

NBC reality chief Craig Plestis said the network already is getting numerous inquiries from car companies that had heard rumblings about a U.S. remake.

“This is a favorite of all automobile companies as it shows their cars in such a great light,” he said.

NBC reality chief Craig Plestis said he is a longtime fan of “Top Gear.”

“It all comes down to subject matter — it’s a cool show about cars,” he said. “It’s very compelling for us because we have a great platform and space on the network to have such a show.”

Among “Gear’s” popular segments that will be replicated in the U.S. are races where the hosts have to reach a destination using different modes of transportation, road tests, challenges like converting and refurbishing existing cars into anything from a stretch limo to an amphibian and celebrities racing a midsize car. (”American Idol’s” Simon Cowell holds the record for fastest lap time with a Chevrolet Lacetti.)

The series will premiere at 11 p.m. on March 4th before moving to its regular time period at 10 p.m. March 11th. [This seems unlikely. -Viper]

Who would have ever thought the writer strike could possibly be a good thing?

Discussion is taking place on our forums if you’d like to weigh in and predict how good (or bad) the show will be.

[Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, MovieWeb, gaurdian.co.uk]

As mentioned previously, Australia’s SBS is currently working on creating an Australian version of Top Gear with it’s own presenters and segments.

Well, about a month ago, they started looking for people to host it. So, if you’re in Australia and think you might be the right person for the job, make sure to check that URL out. You’d better hurry though as applications are due in by February 1st!

In other Top Gear Australia news, not everyone is happy with SBS’s investment into producing a localized version of the show, namely actor Chris Haywood.