I’ve mirrored the podcast on our server for download (so you all don’t devastate their servers), or you can listen to it here:

Click here to view the embedded media.

Thanks to JoeX and Charlie for sending in the tips!

Adam Carolla And Eric Stromer Tell Top Gear US Adventure Story originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 21 August 2009 at 00:22 GMT.

Top Gear’s American Site Moves To BBCAmerica.com originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Mon, 10 August 2009 at 21:27 GMT.

It turns out that it wasn’t really the show that is getting canceled, it’s the whole radio station in Los Angeles that’s getting canceled. The station, which is currently an FM talk station, is being reformatted as a Top 40’s music station. Cheaper I guess.

Here’s some segments from his show explaining the cancellation.

Adam announces why he is leaving:

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Explanation of why the show didn’t work in Los Angeles:

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An Update On Why Adam Carolla’s Show Got Cancelled originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 20 February 2009 at 01:49 GMT.

Adam Carolla’s Morning Radio Show Cancelled originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 19 February 2009 at 14:13 GMT.

During a press conference for Top Gear Live in Australia, Jeremy was asked about the American version of Top Gear and if he thought it was going to be shown in Australia at all. He replied that the show had been “canned” and that us Americans “just don’t get it”. Now he may have just been referring to NBC passing on the show, but it may also be really dead. I’m not sure as Clarkson isn’t usually the most reliable when it comes to these kinds of things.

Anyway, you can see for yourself at 6:30 in:

Click here to view the embedded media.

[Source: carsguide.com.au, thanks to everyone who sent in tips]

Clarkson Says Top Gear America “Canned” originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Wed, 11 February 2009 at 11:20 GMT.

Click here to view the embedded media.

You can also download the MP3 if you’d like. Thanks to TopGearSVT for cutting the relevant bit out of the podcast.

Adam Discusses Top Gear America Not Coming To NBC originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 8 January 2009 at 11:56 GMT.

We have a scoop on the much-anticipated U.S. version of “Top Gear”: BBC has decided to take the show to cable, where presenters’ funny mouths, from which often spill foul words, will be more at home. There are no hard feelings and NBC will be sharing custody of “Top Gear” dog. A number of cable networks were delighted with the news…

Personally I think this is great news because I had been worried that if the show didn’t get incredible ratings within it’s first few weeks, NBC would just cancel it. The pressure for high ratings is probably much less on cable networks and that will allow time for the show to grow into it’s own.

We’ll keep you updated.

BBC Takes Top Gear US To Cable originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 12 December 2008 at 02:26 GMT.

Click here to view the embedded media.

You can also download it if you’d like as the above player seems to be a bit buggy when it comes to MP3s.

However with Knight Rider being canceled some room is opening up in NBC’s schedule. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they replaced it with Top Gear.

Thanks to jpp44345 for the tip!

Adam Carolla Still Doesn’t Have Any News About Top Gear America originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 4 December 2008 at 14:20 GMT.

Thanks to topgearfan1 for the tip.

Motor Trend Interviews Eric Stromer originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Sat, 11 October 2008 at 01:04 GMT.

Thanks to topgearfan1 for the tip.

Motor Trend Talks With Adam Carolla originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Sat, 16 August 2008 at 13:27 GMT.

Adam Carolla Recaps Top Gear America Filming originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Mon, 28 July 2008 at 22:42 GMT.

Here’s some select quotes from the forums:

I’ll tell you one thing though, Andy Wilman, during his introduction, kind of surprised me by stating “Who from the Final Gear mafia is here?”

I shouted out when he asked if anyone from the Final Gear mafia was here. He then jokingly said “Great, the doors are closed, you can’t get out, and the police are on their way!”

I think the show’s going to be great. I think Adam, Tanner, and Eric have a great chemistry. So far Eric’s my least favorite – in person he seemed a little dumb but on the films he was very good.

And there were films, very much in the vein of the original. They were witty, funny, and full of charm.

Adam is an excellent substitute for Jeremy. Not as clever, but still funny in his own (more American) way.

Andy Wilman thinks Adam is funnier than Jeremy. =D

One interesting thing that Andy said was before the tapping he didn’t think that this show was going to be broadcastable, just because the guys needed more time to get in a grove, but after the show he was really excited and said that he would probably use the show, but just not as the series premier but as a later episode. He also said that Jeremy is fun and funny but only because her writes out everything that he is going to say first and Adam is just plan funnier because its all on the fly. During the taping about 90% of all the dialogue is improve. I also asked when would this premier but he didn’t have an answer. What he did say is that he would want some time like next January.

Besides the hosts, everything is the exact same. The setting, the stig, the challenges, the news, SIARPC, etc…

I have 3 conclusions:
1. This show will be good as long as the hosts have more time to work together and learn to be a team.
2. Adam will keep this show alive until #1 is accomplished.
3. Chunky needs to die.

StreetFire has a quick review too:

I have to admit I was skeptical they could pull it off, but after attending the taping of the Top Gear pilot I have to say I’m a believer. First, the set was perfect, walking into the Top Gear hanger created a wave of familiarity, but most importantly was the welcome atmosphere from the producers and talent.

There’s even a full review / contents of the pilot episode in that thread on our forums, but be warned it’s full of spoilers! I’d advise probably not reading it and waiting for the pilot to air — you’ll thank yourself later.

Reports Are Coming In: Top Gear America Looks Good originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Sun, 27 July 2008 at 06:23 GMT.

The first bit is that pretaping will be going on tomorrow with Howie Mandel of Deal or No Deal (sounds like NBC wants their other shows promoted) and Mel B of the Spice Girls (ugh) being the Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car. This was revealed in an e-mail to ticket holders for Saturday’s taping of the pilot episode. It isn’t known if they’ll be on the same or separate episodes.

Jalopnik and their sources have found out that the reasonably priced car will be a Kia Rio.

Over on VWvortex, a guy who works on the show posted some candid pictures from them taping in Death Valley. Based on the pictures and what Adam has said on his radio show, it looks like they had a cheap car challenge with one of their tests being driving to Las Vegas (or a track nearby) from LA.

Top Gear America SIARPC Details Plus More Revealed! originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 25 July 2008 at 23:29 GMT.

Even if you didn’t get tickets to the filming, you are still welcome to go. So, if you’re in the LA area and are free this Saturday night, please check out and post in this thread on our forums. Details of the meet will be figured out there.

Short Notice: FinalGear Los Angeles Meet This Saturday! originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 25 July 2008 at 03:52 GMT.

• How Say You? — Adam opens by talking about Tanner, how crazy us Top Gear fans are, how many fans don’t think he’ll do well hosting the show, and more. A caller also asks if there would be any aviation related material on Top Gear America like there kinda is on the UK version (races, etc.). Adam responds that yes there will be (hints at a race, possibly Los Angeles to Las Vegas) and talking about how awesome air racing is.
• Tanner Foust In Studio — Tanner talks about how he got his start and what his work as a stunt driver is like. There’s also talk of how they’re all doing on Top Gear.
• Christopher Titus In Studio Part 1 — Chris tells Adam how envious he is of Adam for being able to host Top Gear America and how hard he tried to get the job. There’s also talk of how crazy women race car drivers are as well as Chris and Adam’s times when they have gone driving on a track.
• Christopher Titus In Studio Part 2 — Some more Top Gear talk, but mostly this segment is talk about Chris’ bad divorce.
• Teresa Does The News — Nothing Top Gear related, it’s just the final Christopher Titus segment if you were interested in hearing the rest of him being in studio.

Lots Of Top Gear America Stuff On Adam Carolla Show Today originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 24 July 2008 at 00:51 GMT.

Thanks to nouseferaname90 for the tip!

Get Tickets For Top Gear America Filming In Studio On July 26th originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Mon, 21 July 2008 at 23:50 GMT.

Stig In The Nissan GT-R — How Fast Will He Go? originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Sun, 20 July 2008 at 20:26 GMT.

You can listen to him saying it 8 minutes into this podcast (previous segment here if interested).

Top Gear America Starts “This Fall” originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 17 July 2008 at 00:20 GMT.

The full interview can be found on their website (and it’s really worth a read), but here’s the CliffsNotes copy/pasted from the article:

• The NBC adaptation will follow the BBC format: guest segment, stunt, test drive and, yes, the Stig (casting for that crucial role is still pending).
• The premiere episode will feature a race from Las Vegas to San Francisco, ending in a “mammoth stunt.” (NBC isn’t insisting on copycat stunts or episodes, a la Season One of The Office.)
• Carolla is pushing for an on-air drive of the just-unveiled BMW M1 Homage concept as soon as it’s available, as well as the Aston Martin DBS (though that would be a reprisal of a Clarkson drive).
• Clarkson and Carolla recently met face-to-face, but Carolla promises to focus more on improv than the heavily-prepared Clarkson.
• Officials from Top Gear in England, who are producing the show, along with “everyone involved,” have assured Carolla that he will be able to speak his mind on any car “without fear of reprisal” from advertisers, which he fully plans to do.

Again, make sure to check out the full interview. It’s not too long of a read and is pretty interesting.

Thanks Tyler for the tip!

Popular Mechanics Interviews Adam Carolla About Top Gear America originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Tue, 24 June 2008 at 22:53 GMT.

If you’re interested in listening to the actual call, you can download it (14:45 in), although there’s not much that happened that I didn’t cover above.

Top Gear America Supposedly Won’t Be Censored By NBC originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 19 June 2008 at 21:41 GMT.

Eric Stromer On The Adam Carolla Show originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Thu, 19 June 2008 at 01:03 GMT.

Story via BBC press release, photo via Jalopnik.

START YOUR ENGINES!

NBC’S ‘TOP GEAR’ BUCKLES UP ITS HOSTS FOR HIGH-OCTANE PILOT FROM BBC WORLDWIDE AMERICA BASED ON INTERNATIONAL HIT FRANCHISE

BURBANK – June 16, 2008 – Television and radio comedian Adam Carolla, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust, and TV construction guru Eric Stromer, will lead NBC’s pilot of the international smash hit series “Top Gear.” The production will begin later this week.

Produced by BBC Worldwide America, the U.S. version of the hit franchise will mirror the UK show’s irreverent humor and camaraderie between the three presenters, epic races, outrageous stunts and challenges, unique celebrity guest participation and eccentric methods of testing cars.

“This franchise is a proven winner worldwide and the hosting team of Adam, Tanner and Eric that we have brought together for the U.S. version offers a perfect match of humor, insider know-how and priceless track experience,” said Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. “We are going to create a high-powered show that, like the original, will keep viewers in every demographic clutching the edge of their seats.”

“These three guys will get to drive the world’s most amazing cars, go on incredible road trips and blow stuff up. It’s a dirty old job but someone has to do it…why didn’t I get the job?!” said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, TV Sales and Content & Production, BBC Worldwide America.

Jeremy Clarkson, executive producer and host of the UK “Top Gear” said: “This is fantastic news – but how on earth you lot are going to do it on the wrong side of the road I’ve no idea.”

Adam Carolla:

Television and radio personality Adam Carolla is host of the daily, nationally-syndicated radio program “The Adam Carolla Show,” based out of Los Angeles’ KLSX 97.1/ FREE FM. With partners Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison, Carolla created Jackhole Industries where he produced and starred in two hit Comedy Central shows, “The Man Show” and “Crank Yankers.” Carolla also co-hosted the nationally-syndicated radio program “Loveline” with Dr. Drew Pinsky for 10 years, as well as its TV version on MTV. Carolla also recently wrote and starred in the independent, award-winning feature film, “The Hammer.” In season six of “Dancing with the Stars,” Adam became the first ever contestant to complete a Paso Doble on a unicycle. Carolla is an avid car collector and owns several classic collectible Lamborghinis, Maseratis, two Ferraris and an Audi S4.

Tanner Foust:

Tanner Foust is in high-demand as a stunt driver, with film credits including “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “The Dukes of Hazard.” Foust is a winning competitor in rally, drift, ice racing and time attack with multiple champion podium placements including the 2007 X Games Rally Champion and 2007 Formula Drift Pro Drift Champion. His varied race experience includes open wheel competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb (2002 – 2004), five Ice Racing championships and the 2005 PGT Rally Championship. He also holds class lap records at numerous U.S. road courses in Time Attack. In addition, Foust also hosted “Supercars Exposed” for the SPEED channel. Foust’s car of choice is a tricked-out M3.

Eric Stromer:

Eric Stromer, host of the HGTV show “Over Your Head,” started life in construction and remodeling houses after a short acting career as a soap opera hunk was abruptly ended by a Styrofoam boulder on the set of “Santa Barbara.” For 20 years he ran a successful building company before becoming the face of HGTV’s hit show. He’s a regular on Adam Carolla’s nationally-syndicated radio show giving out construction advice, and also appears on TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” NBC’s “Three Wishes” and is a special correspondent for “The Insider.” Stromer prefers his Camry hybrid.

About the Executive Producers:

The pilot of “Top Gear” will be executive produced by Tod Mesirow and Kevin Harris. Mesirow’s background includes producing credits on “Wired Science,” Discovery Channel’s “Smash Lab,” “Mythbusters,” and “Monster Garage.” He also executive produced Discovery Studio’s “Overhaulin’” for TLC. Harris’ credits include “The Apprentice” and “The Baby Borrowers” for NBC.

About Top Gear:

The series, which premiered in the UK in 1977, is consistently BBC TWO’s most-watched program in the UK. The UK version of “Top Gear” is broadcast globally in over 100 countries and has been airing on BBC America since 2007. The program has been the recipient of various awards including National Television Awards, BAFTAs, Broadcast Award, Royal Television Society Awards and an International Emmy Award. Top celebrity guests have included Hugh Grant, Simon Cowell, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren and Gordon Ramsay. In addition to the television show, the “Top Gear” brand has achieved global success. The self-titled magazine Top Gear continues to be both the best-selling car and men’s magazines in the UK. Internationally, Top Gear is the leading motoring media brand.

About BBC Worldwide America:

BBC Worldwide America (BBCWA) is part of BBC Worldwide – the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBCWA has headquarters in New York and Los Angeles and brings together all of BBC Worldwide’s businesses in the U.S. – including cable channel BBC America and a bi-coastal production division responsible for the smash hit “Dancing with the Stars,” which returns for its 7th season this Fall.

Eric Stromer Third Top Gear US Host, Production Starts This Week originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Mon, 16 June 2008 at 15:55 GMT.

Adam Carolla On His Car Tastes originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 6 June 2008 at 08:22 GMT.

For more details, you can listen to the whole segment of the show right here.

Top Gear US For Sure Not Cancelled, But Still No Third Host originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 30 May 2008 at 17:29 GMT.

“Gear” To Be Called “Top Gear” After All? originally appeared on FinalGear.com on Fri, 16 May 2008 at 03:13 GMT.