I challenge you, here and now, to go out and buy a vintage V8 Porsche. It has to be under £10k, and it has to have an original registration that could be deemed offensive fitted to it.
What if they sought a particular plate and beforehand and built the premise of a special around that?:D
It isnt an isolated incident though. Kirchner has been stirring nationalism about the Falklands during her presidency. She has continually threatened the people of the Falklands, and stirred trouble.
But it is. How often are there incidents like this where Argentinians are attacking British tourists?
They travelled through most of the country without any bother.
Personally I think the car with that plate was brought intentionally.
Reading this and several other posts, I despair, I really do. Some people just love a good conspiracy theory and damn the facts. Its just a shame they have to foist it on the rest of us.
Reading this and several other posts, I despair, I really do. Some people just love a good conspiracy theory and damn the facts. Its just a shame they have to foist it on the rest of us.
And, like several of us have said above, even if that were the case, why should it matter? A country should be capable of taking jokes.
To be fair to Argentina, I know from living in Belfast that a small minority doing stupid things can give totally the wrong impression about a place. However it's the fact that, far from apologising for their behaviour, the Argentinian government tried to turn the issue into an international incident that is of greater concern.
To be fair to Argentina, I know from living in Belfast that a small minority doing stupid things can give totally the wrong impression about a place. However it's the fact that, far from apologising for their behaviour, the Argentinian government tried to turn the issue into an international incident that is of greater concern.
Exactly! If something similar happened to Argentinians in the UK then I would expect our Government would be the one apologizing for the behaviour of our citizens, not demanding one from the victims!
What also concerned me was that the Argentinian Police seemed to doing sweet FA about these thugs, in fact it was implied in the show that they may have been indirectly helping them.
Exactly! If something similar happened to Argentinians in the UK then I would expect our Government would be the one apologizing for the behaviour of our citizens, not demanding one from the victims!
What also concerned me was that the Argentinian Police seemed to doing sweet FA about these thugs, in fact it was implied in the show that they may have been indirectly helping them.
They did the same as the British police would have done, try to calm things and get the people in danger out of the area.
Just look at the London riots or when Rent-a-Mob have been causing havoc and damaging property. The police stand back unless anyone is in danger when they will get them away from the area. They might arrest a few people who go a bit too far but often there are no charges and they are released.
Exactly! If something similar happened to Argentinians in the UK then I would expect our Government would be the one apologizing for the behaviour of our citizens, not demanding one from the victims!
What also concerned me was that the Argentinian Police seemed to doing sweet FA about these thugs, in fact it was implied in the show that they may have been indirectly helping them.
You mean like escorting the crew out of town and away from the danger?
You mean like escorting the crew out of town and away from the danger?
And yet, oddly enough, they led the convoy towards several groups of violent thugs, failed to detain any of those involved and, ultimately, told the convoy to stop when they reached an especially large, violent, group of morons.
And yet, oddly enough, they led the convoy towards several groups of violent thugs, failed to detain any of those involved and, ultimately, told the convoy to stop when they reached an especially large, violent, group of morons.
That was the only road available, did you even watch the show?
Funny how all three presenters have praised the police, yet the DS experts on anything and everything say otherwise.
What if they sought a particular plate and beforehand and built the premise of a special around that?:D
So how come they did not procure a more popular car, one that is very prevalent, such as a Mini, Transit van, Escort, Fiesta or indeed any mid-range family saloon? Those would have been far more likely to have been registered with a specific plate due to them being far more abundant than a high-end Porsche.
I don't think they deliberately set out to get a car with that (or a similar) number plate.
What came first - The idea to go to Patagonia? What came second - the decision to use classic V8 cars (were other types of cars considered)? What came third - the selection of specific V8 models or simply what was available at the right price (bearing in mind their rarity value)?
Which ever way you take it you can easily say the number plate was a 'coincidence' with all those variables.
But for me, its not so much about the car and the plate actually being a coincidence - or not - given the chosen location.
Its more the situation of do I believe - especially given TG's editorial style and previous use of numberplate 'gags' - that at no point during the production process did anyone on the team (including Clarkson) look at the Porsche plate and say 'Waaaaaiiiiiiiiiitt a minute, you're never going to believe this, but.......'
Personally, if true, I do find that quite amazing, but its one of things that is unlikely to be provable one way or another.
And yet, oddly enough, they led the convoy towards several groups of violent thugs, failed to detain any of those involved and, ultimately, told the convoy to stop when they reached an especially large, violent, group of morons.
Didn't they say that there was a lorry blocking the road? Better to stop early where less of the mob and wait whilst the obstruction is removed than stop in front of it where presumably the mob was concentrated.
I don't think they deliberately set out to get a car with that (or a similar) number plate.
What came first - The idea to go to Patagonia? What came second - the decision to use classic V8 cars (were other types of cars considered)? What came third - the selection of specific V8 models or simply what was available at the right price (bearing in mind their rarity value)?
Which ever way you take it you can easily say the number plate was a 'coincidence' with all those variables.
But for me, its not so much about the car and the plate actually being a coincidence - or not - given the chosen location.
Its more the situation of do I believe - especially given TG's editorial style and previous use of numberplate 'gags' - that at no point during the production process did anyone on the team (including Clarkson) look at the Porsche plate and say 'Waaaaaiiiiiiiiiitt a minute, you're never going to believe this, but.......'
Personally, if true, I do find that quite amazing, but its one of things that is unlikely to be provable one way or another.
Couldn't it just be that it was a part of the world that they had not filmed before and even with the Argentine's obsession with colonising the Falklands, it was thought safer than many other places?
Its more the situation of do I believe - especially given TG's editorial style and previous use of numberplate 'gags' - that at no point during the production process did anyone on the team (including Clarkson) look at the Porsche plate and say 'Waaaaaiiiiiiiiiitt a minute, you're never going to believe this, but.......'
That was addressed by Andy Willman:
I explained all this to a chap from one of the national newspapers and he came back with a good question. “OK,” he said, “if it wasn’t deliberate, why didn’t you spot it and do something about it before you left the UK?”
Fair point, given we’re a car show. The fact is though, we didn’t. There were a core team of around four people in the office working on putting together the Special, and their priorities were getting the cars bought, mechanically checked for time-bombs and shipped to Argentina, with all the paperwork that endeavour requires.
On top of this they were booking crews and sorting hotels, fixers, camping, filming permits, crew travel, carnets, risk assessments, filming cars, props, mechanical back-up, the lot. Not only did they not have time to scrutinise number plates, but the eldest of the team was around six when the Falklands War broke out, so it’s not going to resonate even if they did see the plates.
As for me and the presenters, the older mob, we’re swamped with our own work too and likewise not looking at plates.
The truth is the first time we realised the plate could be a problem was on the third night of our shoot in Argentina (19 September, I believe), when Jeremy was scrolling through Twitter and spotted a comment on one of the auto fan sites, next to a photo of the plate. I remember his surprise and concern.
There are other witnesses to this fact. In fact, one of them – a mechanic we were using for the first time – has written to the Telegraph Letters page stating he saw Jeremy’s reaction and that it could have been nothing but genuine. (Weirdly, although he’s chased them, the Telegraph has so far not bothered to print his letter.)
Yeah, I've already read it and the Telegraph article a while ago and still it comes down to a case of do I believe him or not? I'm not sure if I do - the language he uses doesn't convince me - there's an element of 'fitting' it to what happened I think, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
'We were too busy to notice' - let's just say that's been used before!
Also he claims they were 'too busy' to notice the FKL number plate, but then not so busy
they managed to obtain the BELL END plate for Clarkson's car? To me it doesn't quite add up?!
Yeah, I've already read it and the Telegraph article a while ago and still it comes down to a case of do I believe him or not? I'm not sure if I do - the language he uses doesn't convince me - there's an element of 'fitting' it to what happened I think, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
'We were too busy to notice' - let's just say that's been used before!
Reasons that "have been used before" can be just as valid as reasons "that have not been used before". It doesn't mean that they are excuses either.
As to "fitting" things to what has happened, you could say exactly that of those who have other theories, especially those that conveniently ignore the very large coincidence of picking a plate first then it just happens to be on a low-volume, high-end car rather than a family saloon or small car one that is widely available and in abundance.
I suppose the problem is Top Gear are a victim of their own gags. The idea of Clarkson driving into Argentina with a plate that references the war is exactly the sort of thing you'd believe he would do. They drove through the US with stuff written on their cars. They drove in Vietnam with a bike painted in American flag colours and playing "born in the USA". And I think that's why so many people are having difficulty believing it was a complete coincidence.
Even in the edit they made it look suspicious by having Clarkson say to the camera driving "I'm not going to talk about that" and then cut to a shot of the front of his car. It just looked like a classic Top Gear joke.
Yeah, I've already read it and the Telegraph article a while ago and still it comes down to a case of do I believe him or not? I'm not sure if I do - the language he uses doesn't convince me - there's an element of 'fitting' it to what happened I think, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
'We were too busy to notice' - let's just say that's been used before!
Also he claims they were 'too busy' to notice the FKL number plate, but then not so busy
they managed to obtain the BELL END plate for Clarkson's car? To me it doesn't quite add up?!
Why doesn't it add up?
The original number plate was of no relevance to anyone on the team. It just happened to be the one that was on the car they bought. On the other hand, the B3LL 3ND plate (not a legit number of course) was made specially for what was going to be the finale of the trip, the car football, to take the piss out of Clarkson.
The TG team were clearly busy doing things that needed to be done to make a television programme, rather than dreaming up conspiracies.
What if they sought a particular plate and beforehand and built the premise of a special around that?:D
But the DVLA records show without doubt that the car was only bought by TG on August 8th, only five weeks before filming started. No way could a production like this be arranged in only a few weeks.
Yeah, I've already read it and the Telegraph article a while ago and still it comes down to a case of do I believe him or not? I'm not sure if I do - the language he uses doesn't convince me - there's an element of 'fitting' it to what happened I think, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
'We were too busy to notice' - let's just say that's been used before!
Also he claims they were 'too busy' to notice the FKL number plate, but then not so busy
they managed to obtain the BELL END plate for Clarkson's car? To me it doesn't quite add up?!
They got the BE11 END plate made up after the problem with the original plate was pointed out to them. They had spoken to the Argentine authorities and agreed to change the plate before they got to the destination where the locals were upset.
As for "fitting it to what happened" that is exactly what those who claim it was set up are doing. Ignoring the facts, like the plate was the original plate, it was bought only a few weeks before shooting etc and trying to twist the story to support their claim that TG and Clarkson are guilty.
Comments
But they never actually rode the bike did they?
What if they sought a particular plate and beforehand and built the premise of a special around that?:D
But it is. How often are there incidents like this where Argentinians are attacking British tourists?
They travelled through most of the country without any bother.
Reading this and several other posts, I despair, I really do. Some people just love a good conspiracy theory and damn the facts. Its just a shame they have to foist it on the rest of us.
And, like several of us have said above, even if that were the case, why should it matter? A country should be capable of taking jokes.
Exactly! If something similar happened to Argentinians in the UK then I would expect our Government would be the one apologizing for the behaviour of our citizens, not demanding one from the victims!
What also concerned me was that the Argentinian Police seemed to doing sweet FA about these thugs, in fact it was implied in the show that they may have been indirectly helping them.
They did the same as the British police would have done, try to calm things and get the people in danger out of the area.
Just look at the London riots or when Rent-a-Mob have been causing havoc and damaging property. The police stand back unless anyone is in danger when they will get them away from the area. They might arrest a few people who go a bit too far but often there are no charges and they are released.
And thus an isolated incident, like I said.
You mean like escorting the crew out of town and away from the danger?
And yet, oddly enough, they led the convoy towards several groups of violent thugs, failed to detain any of those involved and, ultimately, told the convoy to stop when they reached an especially large, violent, group of morons.
That was the only road available, did you even watch the show?
Funny how all three presenters have praised the police, yet the DS experts on anything and everything say otherwise.
So how come they did not procure a more popular car, one that is very prevalent, such as a Mini, Transit van, Escort, Fiesta or indeed any mid-range family saloon? Those would have been far more likely to have been registered with a specific plate due to them being far more abundant than a high-end Porsche.
What came first - The idea to go to Patagonia? What came second - the decision to use classic V8 cars (were other types of cars considered)? What came third - the selection of specific V8 models or simply what was available at the right price (bearing in mind their rarity value)?
Which ever way you take it you can easily say the number plate was a 'coincidence' with all those variables.
But for me, its not so much about the car and the plate actually being a coincidence - or not - given the chosen location.
Its more the situation of do I believe - especially given TG's editorial style and previous use of numberplate 'gags' - that at no point during the production process did anyone on the team (including Clarkson) look at the Porsche plate and say 'Waaaaaiiiiiiiiiitt a minute, you're never going to believe this, but.......'
Personally, if true, I do find that quite amazing, but its one of things that is unlikely to be provable one way or another.
Didn't they say that there was a lorry blocking the road? Better to stop early where less of the mob and wait whilst the obstruction is removed than stop in front of it where presumably the mob was concentrated.
As someone else noted there was only one road.
Couldn't it just be that it was a part of the world that they had not filmed before and even with the Argentine's obsession with colonising the Falklands, it was thought safer than many other places?
http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2014/10/10/top-gear-in-argentina-what-really-happened/
Also note that final paragraph.
Yeah, I've already read it and the Telegraph article a while ago and still it comes down to a case of do I believe him or not? I'm not sure if I do - the language he uses doesn't convince me - there's an element of 'fitting' it to what happened I think, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
'We were too busy to notice' - let's just say that's been used before!
Also he claims they were 'too busy' to notice the FKL number plate, but then not so busy
they managed to obtain the BELL END plate for Clarkson's car? To me it doesn't quite add up?!
As to "fitting" things to what has happened, you could say exactly that of those who have other theories, especially those that conveniently ignore the very large coincidence of picking a plate first then it just happens to be on a low-volume, high-end car rather than a family saloon or small car one that is widely available and in abundance.
Even in the edit they made it look suspicious by having Clarkson say to the camera driving "I'm not going to talk about that" and then cut to a shot of the front of his car. It just looked like a classic Top Gear joke.
Why doesn't it add up?
The original number plate was of no relevance to anyone on the team. It just happened to be the one that was on the car they bought. On the other hand, the B3LL 3ND plate (not a legit number of course) was made specially for what was going to be the finale of the trip, the car football, to take the piss out of Clarkson.
The TG team were clearly busy doing things that needed to be done to make a television programme, rather than dreaming up conspiracies.
But the DVLA records show without doubt that the car was only bought by TG on August 8th, only five weeks before filming started. No way could a production like this be arranged in only a few weeks.
They got the BE11 END plate made up after the problem with the original plate was pointed out to them. They had spoken to the Argentine authorities and agreed to change the plate before they got to the destination where the locals were upset.
As for "fitting it to what happened" that is exactly what those who claim it was set up are doing. Ignoring the facts, like the plate was the original plate, it was bought only a few weeks before shooting etc and trying to twist the story to support their claim that TG and Clarkson are guilty.