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Lada is a trademark of the Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ based in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. It was originally the export brand for the models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market since June 1970. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand.

Lada cars became extremely popular in Russia and Eastern Europe during the last two decades of the Soviet era, particularly in former Soviet bloc countries, where they have become a symbol of city life.

The Lada badge depicts a Viking sailing ship.

Overview[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Lada made its name in Western Europe selling the Fiat 124-based VAZ-2101 and its many derivatives as an economy car in large quantities during the 1980s, but later models were less successful.

The common Lada sedan/estate, sometimes known as the Classic in the west (Signet in Canada), was partly based on the 1966 Fiat 124 sedan, and became a successful export car. The keys to its success were: competitive price as an export, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and unpretentious functionality. Since 1980 over 13.5 million Ladas were badged as 'Rivas' (re-styled), added to 5 million made from 1969 to 1979 (badged as 2101-2107 depending on engine size/interior specs) for a total of over 18.5 million. The car was built under licence in several other countries.

Being exported worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s, the Lada was a big earner of foreign hard currency for the hard-pressed Soviet Union, and was also used in barter arrangements in some countries. Over 60% of Lada production was exported, mainly to western countries (the US was the only large market not to have imported Ladas). The rugged design of the Lada Classic, built with heavier-gauge steel bodywork to cope with extreme Siberian climates, poor roads, and few service facilities in many parts of Russia, made high usage, such as 300,000 miles (480,000 km) possible under less extreme operating conditions. Because of their very competitive pricing and ease of service, Ladas became common as police cars, taxis, and a range of public service and civil defence vehicles in many parts of Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

In March 2008 Renault purchased a 25% stake in AvtoVAZ in a US$1 billion deal. This is expected to result in new Lada models being manufactured on existing Russian assembly lines and increased output. The remaining 75% of AutoVAZ continues to be owned by the Russian state-owned Rostekhnologia corporation. Lada is now part of the Renault-Nissan-Lada group, which is the world's third-largest automotive group (after General Motors and Toyota).^[1] In spite of a flood of western models into the Russian market in recent years, Lada has managed to maintain its dominant market share.

Early 2011 was to be a watershed year for the brand as a whole, with production of the classic Fiat 124-based 2105 and 2107 series models being completely moved from the Togliatti plant to the IzhAvto plant near Izhevsk,^[2] in order to make space for the company's forthcoming 2116 model.

In April 2012 AvtoVAZ announced that the Lada sedan model 2107 will cease production after more than forty years.^[3] The production of the rest of the Lada model lineup which includes the Kalina, Priora and Granta continues.^[3]

A new Russian submarine type was named Lada class submarine.

Current model lineup[link]

• Lada Granta (VAZ-2190) - extra low-cost supermini car
• Lada Kalina - supermini car
  • LADA Kalina wagon
  • LADA Kalina Hatchback
  • LADA Kalina Sport
• Lada Priora (VAZ-2110/2111/2112) C-class
  • LADA Priora sedan
  • LADA Priora hatchback
  • LADA Priora wagon
  • LADA Priora Coupe
• Lada Samara (VAZ-2113/2114) - economy car
  • LADA Samara Hatchback 3-doors
  • LADA Samara Hatchback 5-doors
  • LADA Samara Sedan (VAZ-2115)
• Lada Riva (Lada Classic), (VAZ-2104/07) - medium-sized family car based on the original Fiat 124 derived platform.
  • LADA Classic 2104 - wagon version of 2105(producing only on IzhAvto)
  • LADA Classic 2107 - base sedan
• Lada Niva 4x4 -(VAZ-2121/2123) off-road vehicle
  • LADA 4x4 3-doors
  • LADA 4x4 5-doors

Lada Granta Lada Granta   Lada Kalina Sedan   Lada Samara 2 Sedan   Lada Priora   Lada Niva

Future models[link]

• Lada Largus - MCV based on Renault Logan MCV (June 2012)
• Lada Granta hatchback - hatch-/lift-back version of Lada Granta (2013)

Countries[link]

Australia[link]

Ladas were first imported into Australia in 1984 with the Niva compact 4WD, and in 1988 the Samara three-door hatchback was introduced. The Samara five-door hatchback and four-door sedan later joined the Samara three-door hatch, but would be given different names—the five-door hatchback was called the Lada Cevaro and the four-door sedan was sold as the Lada Sable. The Lada Niva 4WD was also offered as a ute/pickup truck on an extended wheelbase and a two-door soft top of which only 100 were believed to be imported to Australia.

In 1988 approximately 6,000 Lada Samara's were modified by Peter Brock's Special Vehicles operation who had previously made high performance Holden Commodore's. The cars would be known as the Lada Samara Sedan Brock Delux and included a few subtle suspension tweaks to improve the cars low speed ride devised by Brock himself and cost about AUD $3,000 more than the base model Samara.^[4]

While initial sales were promising, reports of poor quality and reliability issues soon began to take their toll and by 1996 sales had dwindled to under 100 units. It is believed that Ladas had not been imported into Australia since 1994, but it took two years to sell the remaining stock; 1996 was the last year Lada sold vehicles on the Australian market.

The Lada Niva enjoys a small cult following in Australia; it is the Lada model most often seen on Australian roads.

Brazil[link]

Lada cars started being imported to Brazil in 1990, when the Brazilian president Fernando Collor lifted the ban on car imports. Lada was the first foreign trademark to enter Brazil's car market after Collor's liberalization of 1990. Initially, Lada 2105 (sedan) and 2104 (station wagon) models (badged as Lada Laika) and Lada Niva were very successful models because of their low prices. Between 1990 and 1992, Lada sold more cars than any other importer to Brazil.

Shortly after, the Samara was introduced. The Samara was never successful in Brazil. The Laika and Niva models' popularity began to wane after a few years because of the perceived lack of quality of all Lada car models. The cars were also widely criticized for their poor design. However, the Niva continued to be strong in the off-road market, even having a limited edition exclusively for the Brazilian market (Niva Pantanal). It continued to be sold until 1997. Many of the last Lada Nivas sold in Brazil had diesel engines. Most of the Nivas sold in Brazil remain operational and used cars still command high prices in the used car market. In fact, in Brazil, a 1991 Niva in very good condition can cost as much as R$11,000 or US$5,500, which is far more than the average price in the Brazilian used car market for a car of that year. The normal price for a Lada Niva made in year 1991 or 1992 is about R$6,000 (about US$3,000) in Brazilian used car market. As many as 30,000 Lada cars were sold in Brazil between 1990 and 1997.

Canada[link]

LadaCanada started importing the Russian made cars in 1979. The first model was the Lada 2106, with a 1500 cc engine. Later, the Lada Niva, a 1.6L 4x4 Lada, did very well, with over 12,000 sold in Canada in its first year of import. Lada disappeared from Canada after the 1998 model year because low-cost South Korean automakers Daewoo Motors and Kia Motors arrived in Canada at the time. By the late 2000s decade, many Lada dealerships and Lada products have disappeared from Canadian streets. There are some Lada vehicles that are still in use in Canada. The Canadian vehicle market is now mostly dominated by the major American, German, Japanese, and Korean car manufacturers.

Costa Rica[link]

Lada cars started being imported to Costa Rica in the late seventies and became very popular in the eighties as one of the few new cars that the middle class could afford due to its low cost. The models included the Niva, 2104 and Samara among others. There are still a few Ladas in circulation nowadays, although it is considered a rare sighting.

Cuba[link]

Lada cars appeared in Cuba in the mid seventies. They became very popular in the eighties and by the end of this decade they represented more than 30% of the cars used in the country. Also the Lada 2101 is used as the police car and taxi car.

Ecuador[link]

Lada 112 "Sport" in Quito, Ecuador

Lada cars appeared in Ecuador during the 1970s. The imports stopped in the mid 1990s. During 1999 AvtoVAZ associated with the local factory AYMESA to produce the Lada Niva 4x4 1.7i.^[5] In 2000, the first units appeared on the market. This agreement ended in 2004 when car imports began again.^[6]

By 2007 other car models were also being imported: Lada 110, Lada 111, Lada 112, Lada Kalina (sedan), Lada Niva 2121 (3-doors), Lada Niva 2131 (5-doors) and Lada 2107 nicknamed "Clasico" (Classic).

During 2008 the imports of most of the models decreased, and in some cases, stopped. Only Lada 2121 and Lada 2131 continued to be imported during 2009.

As of 2010, all the imports have stopped again. However, the importation and commercialization of spare parts for all the models of vehicles of this brand continues at its normal rate.

There are very few units of old models, like the Lada 2101, that are still functioning.

Finland[link]

Lada cars came to Finland in 1971. It can be said Lada was the car which finally made an automobile as an everyman's commodity in Finland. It was cheap and reasonably reliable, and easy to fix, tune and rig. Ladas were among the most sold cars in Finland for many years in 1970s but their share has declined and in 2004 Lada cars were in position 26th of all new registered cars. For the moment Lada cars are not sold in Finland.^[7]

Since 1990s there have been organized meetings of drivers of old Lada models, and an owners' club. In 2008 Lada drivers made a trip to Lada factory in Russia with their cars.

Lada Samara was assembled at Valmet during the 1990s specifically for the European market, known as Euro-Samara.[1].

Jamaica[link]

An agreement between Jamaica and the USSR in the early 1980s saw large numbers of Ladas imported under a barter arrangement in exchange for bauxite ore.^[8] Ladas became popular as taxis because of their rugged simplicity, replacing the ubiquitous, but dated, Morris Oxford.

New Zealand[link]

In the 1980s Lada cars were briefly popular. Meat, dairy and fertiliser exports to Russia were wholly or partly paid for in contra-deals such as imports of Belarus tractors, Stolichnaya vodka and Lada cars. As a result the New Zealand Dairy Board were distributors for Lada vehicles.^[9] Some Ladas, even those of the 1970s, can still be seen on New Zealand roads (especially in rural areas and offshore islands) but older Ladas are increasingly rare.

Portugal[link]

AutoVAZ began exporting Lada cars to Portugal in 1986. On December 2001, it was announced that Lada Portugal would cease on April 2002. On April 2002, Lada disappeared from the car market.

Singapore[link]

The Lada Samara, Riva and Niva were introduced in Singapore for a brief period of time in the early 1990s. They proved to be extremely impractical in a country where cars above three years of age have to be inspected yearly, because of their unreliability especially in the tropical climate^{[citation needed]}. Coupled with the Certificate of Entitlement system, which meant that a hefty sum needs to be paid after 10 years should car owners wish to continue driving their cars, Lada had virtually no market and pulled out quickly. There are few, if any Lada cars left, on Singapore roads.

Sweden[link]

Lada, meaning barn in Swedish, was sold during the 1970s and 1980s as an export product by the USSR to gain foreign currency, the early classic Lada version of Fiat 124 was featured with Russian dashboard. The Niva jeep got a cult following for its robust and inexpensive DIY car, Lada Samara sold less. After the breakup of USSR, Lada was reorganized and faced hard competition from Asian brands forcing it to out of the market in the late 1990s and grey market imports of mainly the Niva continued. Lada Sweden was officially reintroduced in 2010 by one of the grey market importers.

Trinidad and Tobago[link]

From 1995 until 2001, there was a fairly successful attempt at marketing Lada Riva saloons, estates, Nivas and Samaras in Trinidad and Tobago. Using right hand drive kits from the defunct Lada UK, these were sold as budget transportation as at one time the Riva 1.5 SE saloon was the cheapest new car available. Trinidadian dealer Petrogas Ltd. marketed the Riva as a family runabout and the Niva as a lifestyle 4x4. Both were reasonably well equipped and retailed for between US$8,000.00-$15,000.00. Rust, reliability issues and increasing competition from grey market Japanese imports soon forced Ladas off the market. The Samara was introduced in 2000 as a last-ditch attempt to salvage the brand. It failed and the last Samaras were sold as unfinished kits in 2003.

Turkey[link]

Lada made an entry into the Turkish Market in the late 1980s. Most of the sales were of Samara (100,000 units), which was marketed with durability, cheap price, and relatively low fuel consumption. Lada Niva also made a presence in the 4x4 market. New models like 2110 are still being sold in Turkey, though not with the success met by Samara.

Egypt[link]

Both the Lada Riva and Niva are popular amongst the Egyptian working class. The Riva sedan serves as one of Egypt's most popular make of taxi cab and is a fixture in virtually every city of Egypt.

United Kingdom and Ireland[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

AvtoVAZ began exporting cars to the UK and Ireland in 1974 using the brand name Lada. The Fiat 124-based range was known for its outdated technology, poor fuel economy and tank-like roadholding, but it gained popularity thanks to its ruggedness, spacious interior, massive trunk and low price, a particular consideration during the recession of the 1980s. The later Riva version had practical spring-loaded stainless steel bumpers. The Lada particularly appealed to drivers who did low mileages, making the poor fuel economy less of an issue.

After introduction of the Riva range to the UK in 1983, sales through the 1980s were particularly strong, with UK and Ireland sales peaking in 1988 at 33,000 units (nearly 2% of UK car sales). A memorable advert for the Riva was produced featuring comedy duo Cannon & Ball. AvtoVAZ built up a network of UK and Ireland Lada dealers through its marketing associate, Satra Motors. Some of the dealerships were owned outright and some were agencies. The Satra-owned dealerships were all sold off in 1987 and 1988.

Lada was a victim of the political and economic problems of Russia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was not possible to invest adequately in product and service development. By the 1990s the age of the basic Riva design was showing more than ever. Not even prices starting below £5,000 were enough to disguise the 1966 vintage of the design. By 1994, annual sales of the Lada range had fallen to just over 9,000 - less than a third of the peak figures attained six years earlier.^[10]

United Kingdom and Ireland sales dwindled to 8,000 units in 1996, the last full year in which Lada cars were marketed in the UK and Ireland. During this period many Lada dealers either went out of business or switched to other makes of car. Confronted with the need to meet new 1992 EU emission control requirements, Lada tried to continue to use a carburettor with an exhaust catalyst instead of the nearly universally used electronic fuel injection. Three years later at their first emissions MOT test they failed very badly, needing new expensive catalysts: over-fuelling had destroyed the catalysts. This catastrophe, along with a shortage of certain imported components and increased competition from Daewoo and Proton in the 1990s, led AvtoVAZ to withdraw from the UK, Ireland and most other western European markets. Lada cars maintained a presence in a number of African, Caribbean and Latin American markets.

From 1979 Lada produced the Niva four-wheel drive. It had monocoque construction, which was innovative in the 4x4 market where a heavy separate chassis was the norm. It competed well with Japanese rivals like the Suzuki SJ/Samurai and Daihatsu Fourtrak in terms of practicality and stability, and above all its off-road ability. Also, the Niva was significantly cheaper than its rivals. This was one area where Lada achieved some market success in the 1990s. The Niva was adopted by several British police forces and attracted something of a cult following within the 4x4 enthusiast fraternity in the UK and elsewhere. Niva sales would have benefitted from a diesel engine option, but it was never offered in the UK. After the withdrawal of Lada from the UK & Ireland in 1997, several dealers continued to acquire Nivas by special import for sale in the UK. These required some local modification of the new General Motors-supplied engines in order to meet emission control regulations current in the UK. A few Lada enthusiasts make the trip to Tallinn where new, right-hand-drive Ladas (made for the West African market) can be bought for as little as US$2,500.

Lada 1600

Lada's first attempt at a modern car came with the Samara hatchback in 1984 (launched in the UK in November 1987), which made use of a completely new mechanical design.

In 1997 the Lada range was withdrawn from Britain and most other European markets, although it continued to be very successful in Russia. The decision was announced on 4 July 1997, by which time more than 100,000 of the 350,000 or so Lada cars sold in Britain were still on the road, with more than 1,000 still in stock. Just over 5,000 Lada cars were sold in Britain during 1997. By this time, the budget market was growing with more modern designs from the likes of Daewoo, Hyundai, Kia and Proton.^[11]

Another attempt at a modern car came in 1996 with the 2110, similar in size to a Ford Mondeo or Opel Vectra. This model was never sold in the UK or Ireland. It looked and was far more modern than the rest of the Lada range, but proved disastrously unreliable in its early years, causing the company, already in financial difficulty, to spend millions ironing out the many faults which had been reported.

After Lada (UK) ceased operations in 1997, the remains of the British network of Lada dealers were serviced by Lada (France). Ladas rapidly disappeared from British roads. They had minimal second-hand value in the UK and a re-export market for Russia developed: many UK- and Irish-registered Ladas were sold back to Russia (especially by Russian trawlermen), to be stripped for spare parts or to be sold to Russian buyers who appreciated the cars built to better export specification than cars sold on the Russian market. Many Ladas returned to Russia by ship through Latvia and Lithuania where enterprising mechanics changed the right hand drive to the left hand drive for about USD 500-600 and then shipped them back to Russia for second-hand resale.

There have been several attempts to reintroduce Ladas to the UK. In May 2010, the Lada Niva became available again, through an independent importer. Aimed at the agricultural market, three models are available (all LHD), the 3-door 4-seat hatchback at £10,000, a 2-seat commercial van, £8000 and a 2-door, 4-seat pickup for £12,000. All meet the current UK Vehicle Certification Agency standards. Engine options are restricted to a 1.7 litre petrol engine, with or without LPG conversion.^[12]

Motorsport[link]

In 2008 Lada entered the World Touring Car Championship, raced and developed by Russian Bears Motorsport, although badged as a factory team. The team raced the Lada 110 in the 2008 season, but ran a trio of Lada Prioras in the 2009 WTCC. The team scored their first championship points at Imola with renowned BTCC two-time champion James Thompson.

In 1981, Guy Moerenhout Racing made two special models for Lada Belgium :

• Lada 21011 RS Sport, model with 2 Weber carburetors and special sport equipment
• Lada Niva Dream, Big wing extension,special colors and big wheels

Sponsorship[link]

Lada sponsored Aldershot Football Club of the English Football League for two seasons leading up their bankruptcy in 1992. Lada also sponsored Colo Colo (Chile) during their championship season in 1991.

Lada are also currently a major sponsor of the Dams GP2 Team, competing in the 2010 GP2 World Championship.

Image gallery[link]

• 

  Lada Riva 1500 Estate, Evesham

• 

  1993 Lada Riva 1500 Estate Evesham

• 

  Rally-prepared Lada in Hungary

• 

  Lada Kalina Sedan

• 

  A "limousine" version of a Lada 2101, in Trinidad, Cuba. Actually a motorized stage created from 2 cars, these were an attempt to reuse dilapidated cars and to increase the number of passengers. Are used as taxi cabs and are common in Cuban streets.

• 

  1978 Lada 1500

• 

  1982

• 

  2003 Lada Revolution concept car

• 

  Lada 1200, as family-car for over 35 years in Hungary

See also[link]

• Automobile model numbering system in USSR and Russia
• List of automobile manufacturers
• Lada class submarine
• See Rencong/Tumbuk Lada weapon (curved Minang dagger) on Pencak Silat of Indonesian martial arts.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lada

• Lada corporate website (in Russian)

v t e Automobile manufacturers of states of the former Soviet Union  Russia Avtoframos · Avtotor · AvtoVAZ (GM-AvtoVAZ · Lada · VIS) · DARTZ · Derways · Yo-mobile · GAZ (KAvZ · LiAZ · PAZ · UralAZ) · Izhmash · KaMAZ · Marussia Motors · Moskvitch · NefAZ · SeAZ · Sollers JSC (UAZ · ZMA) · TagAZ  · ZiL  Ukraine Anto-Rus · Bogdan · (LuAZ · Cherkaskyi Avtobus) · Eurocar · Etalon (BAZ · ChAZ  · HalAZ)  · KrASZ · KrAZ · LAZ (DAZ) · Ruta · Stryi-Avto · UkrAVTO (ZAZ · IZAA)  Belarus BelAZ · MAZ · Minsk Tractor Works · MZKT · Neman  Latvia Russo-Balt · RAF  Lithuania KAG  Armenia ErAZ  Georgia KAZ  Azerbaijan Ganja Auto Plant · NAZ · AzSamand  Uzbekistan UzDaewooAuto · GM Uzbekistan · SamAuto  Kazakhstan Azia Avto

Jeremy Clarkson
Clarkson, 2006
Born	Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (1960-04-11) 11 April 1960 (age 52)[1] Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Residence	Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England Langness, Isle of Man
Nationality	British
Other names	Jezza
Education	Repton School Hill House School, Doncaster
Occupation	Broadcaster, author, journalist, talk show host
Years active	1988–present
Employer	BBC, The Sun, The Sunday Times
Known for	Presenting: Top Gear (2002) Top Gear (1977) Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld Robot Wars Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines Clarkson Clarkson's Car Years Speed You Don't Want To Do That Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours The Victoria Cross: For Valour Inventions That Changed the World Jeremy Clarkson: The Greatest Raid of All Time
Notable work(s)	See below
Home town	Doncaster, England
Salary	£2 million (est.)[2]
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[3]
Spouse	Alexandra James (m. 1989–1990) «start: (1989-09)–end+1: (1991)»"Marriage: Alexandra James to Jeremy Clarkson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Jeremy_Clarkson) (divorced) Frances Cain (m. 1993) «start: (1993-05)»"Marriage: Frances Cain to Jeremy Clarkson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Jeremy_Clarkson)
Children	3
Parents	Shirley and Eddie Clarkson

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May. He also writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun.

From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson.

His opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often generated much public reaction to his viewpoints. His actions both privately and as a Top Gear presenter have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups and the public.

Despite the criticism levelled against him, he has also generated a significant following from the public at large, being credited as a major factor in the resurgence of Top Gear as one of the most popular shows on the BBC.

Personal life[link]

Clarkson was born in Doncaster to travelling salesman Edward Grenville Clarkson and teacher Shirley Gabrielle Ward.^[4] His parents, who ran a business selling tea cosies, put their son's name down in advance for a number of private schools with no idea how they were going to pay the fees, until at the last moment, when he was 13, they made two Paddington Bear stuffed toys for each of their children. These proved so popular that they started selling them through the business with sufficient success to be able to pay the fees for Clarkson to attend Hill House School, Doncaster and later Repton School.^[5] By his own account, he was expelled from Repton School for "drinking, smoking and generally making a nuisance of himself."^[6]

Clarkson played the role of a public schoolboy, Taplin, in a BBC radio Children's Hour serial adaptation of Anthony Buckeridge's Jennings novels until his voice broke.^[7]

Clarkson is twice-married. His first wife was Alexandra James (now Hall). In May 1993 he married his manager,^[4] Frances Cain (daughter of VC recipient Robert Henry Cain) in Fulham. The couple currently live in the town of Chipping Norton, situated in the Cotswolds, with their three children.^[8] Clarkson is a member of the Chipping Norton set. ^[9] Known for buying him car-related gifts, for Christmas 2007 Clarkson's second wife bought him a Mercedes-Benz 600.^[10] In September 2010 Clarkson was granted a privacy injunction against his first wife to prevent her from publishing claims that their sexual relationship continued after his second marriage. (See AMM v HXW)^[11] He voluntarily lifted the injunction in October 2011,^[12] commenting that: "Injunctions don’t work. You take out an injunction against somebody or some organisation and immediately news of that injunction and the people involved and the story behind the injunction is in a legal-free world on Twitter and the Internet. It’s pointless."^[11][13]

Clarkson's fondness for wearing jeans has been blamed by some for the decline in sales of denim in the mid 1990s, particularly Levi's, because of their being associated with middle aged men, the so-called 'Jeremy Clarkson effect'.^[14] After fashion gurus Trinny and Susannah labelled Clarkson's dress sense as that of a market trader, he was persuaded to appear on their fashion makeover show What Not to Wear in order to avoid being considered for their all-time worst dressed winner award.^[15] Their attempts at restyling Clarkson were however all rebuffed, and Clarkson stated he would rather eat his own hair than appear on the show again.^[16][17]

For an episode of the first series of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? broadcast in November 2004, Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history. It included the story of his great-great-great grandfather John Kilner (1792–1857), who invented the Kilner jar: a container for preserved fruit.^[8][18]

Clarkson is reportedly a big fan of the rock band Genesis and attended the band‘s reunion concert at Twickenham Stadium in 2007. He also provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the album Selling England by the Pound as part of the Genesis 1970–1975 box set. He uses his love for Genesis to mock his fellow presenter of BBC Top Gear, Richard Hammond.^[19]

Clarkson has been involved in a protracted legal dispute about access to a "permissive path" across the grounds of his second home on the Isle of Man since 2005, after reports that dogs had attacked and killed sheep on the property.^[20] Clarkson and his wife had claimed that four sheep were deliberately killed after being chased into the sea by a dog let off its lead.^[21] He eventually lost the dispute after the Isle of Man government started a public inquiry and was told to re-open the footpath in May 2010.^[22] The decision was affirmed by the Isle of Man High Court.^[23]

Clarkson is also an avid birdwatcher, his favourite bird apparently being the Peregrine Falcon.^[24]

Clarkson also has 3 donkeys, mentioned in his book The World According To Clarkson, called Geoff, Eddie and Kristen Scott-Donkey

Career[link]

Writing career[link]

Clarkson's first job was as a travelling salesman for his parents' business selling Paddington Bear toys.^[25] He later trained as a journalist with the Rotherham Advertiser, before also writing for the Rochdale Observer, Wolverhampton Express and Star, Lincolnshire Life and the Associated Kent Newspapers.

In 1984, Clarkson formed the Motoring Press Agency (MPA), in which, with fellow motoring journalist Jonathan Gill, he would conduct road tests for local newspapers and automotive magazines. This developed into pieces for publications such as Performance Car.^[26] He has regularly written for Top Gear magazine since its launch in 1993.

Clarkson went on to writing articles for a diverse spectrum of readers through regular columns in both the mass-market tabloid newspaper The Sun, and for the more 'up market' broadsheet newspaper The Sunday Times. The Times columns are republished in The Weekend Australian newspaper. He also writes for the "Wheels" section of the Toronto Star.

In addition to newsprint, Clarkson has written humorous books about cars and several other subjects. Many of his books are collections of articles that he has written for The Sunday Times.

Television[link]

Clarkson's first major television role came as one of the presenters on the British motoring programme Top Gear, from 27 October 1988 to 3 February 2000,^[27] in the programme's original format, and then again from 20 October 2002, when it was relaunched in a new format after a brief period off the air. He is credited with co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond as turning Top Gear into the most-watched TV show on BBC Two,^[28] rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world.^[29] While closely associated with presenting motoring shows through the original Top Gear and Motorworld, by the late 1990s Clarkson had diversified into presenting programmes on other topics, beginning as presenter of the UK version of Robot Wars. At the same time his television presence also branched out into appearances on a number of other shows, both as guest and guest host. From 1998 for three years he had his own talk show, Clarkson, hosting 27 half-hour episodes aired in the United Kingdom between November 1998 and December 2000, and featured guest interviews with musicians, politicians and television personalities. In his television career, Clarkson went on to present a number of documentaries focused on non-motoring themes such as history and engineering, although the motoring shows and videos continued. Alongside his stand-alone shows, many often mirror the format of his newspaper columns and books, combining his love of driving and motoring journalism, with the examination and expression of his other views on the world, such as in Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld, Jeremy Clarkson's Car Years and Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours.

Clarkson's views are often showcased on television shows. In 1997, Clarkson appeared on the light hearted comedy show Room 101, in which a guest nominates things they hate in life to be consigned to nothingness. Clarkson despatched caravans, houseflies, the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, the mentality within golf clubs, and vegetarians. His public persona has seen him make several appearances on the prime time talk shows Parkinson and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross since 2002. By 2003, his persona was deemed to fit the mould for the series Grumpy Old Men, in which middle-aged men talk about any aspects of modern life which irritate them. Since the topical news panel show Have I Got News for You dismissed regular host Angus Deayton in October 2002, Clarkson has become one of the most regularly used guest hosts on the show in a role which attracts a sideways look at current affairs. On a more serious platform, Clarkson has appeared as a panellist on the political current affairs television show Question Time twice since 2003.

In 2007 Clarkson won the National Television Awards' Special Recognition Award. Also in 2007, it was reported that Clarkson earned £1 million a year for his role as a Top Gear presenter, and a further £1.7 million from books, DVDs and newspaper columns.^[30]

In 2007, Clarkson and co-presenter James May were the first people to reach the magnetic North Pole in a car,^[31] chronicled in a Top Gear polar special.^[32] Clarkson more recently sustained minor injuries to his legs, back and hand in an intentional high-speed head-on collision with a brick wall while making the 12th series of Top Gear.^[33]

Opinions and influence[link]

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Politics[link]

Clarkson is in favour of personal freedom and very much against government regulation, stating that government should "build park benches and that is it. They should leave us alone."^[34] He has a particular contempt for the Health and Safety Executive. He has often criticised the Labour Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, especially the 'ban' culture, frequently fixating on the bans on smoking and 2004 ban on fox hunting.

Jeremy Clarkson's comments have both a large amount of supporters and opposers. He often comments on the media-perceived social issues of the day such as the fear of challenging adolescent youths, known as 'hoodies'. In 2007 Clarkson was cleared of allegations of assaulting a hoodie while visiting central Milton Keynes, after Thames Valley Police said that if anything, he had been the victim.^[35] In the five-part series Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours he travelled around Europe in a Jaguar E-Type, examining (and in some cases reinforcing) his stereotypes of other countries.

As a motoring journalist, he is frequently critical of government initiatives such as the London congestion charge or proposals on road charging. He is also frequently scornful of caravanners and cyclists. He has often singled out John Prescott the former Transport Minister, and Stephen Joseph^[36] the head of the public transport pressure group Transport 2000 for ridicule.

Environment[link]

Clarkson is unsympathetic to the green movement and has little respect for groups such as Greenpeace—he believes that the "eco-mentalists" are a by-product of the "old trade unionists and CND lesbians" who had found a more relevant cause—^[37] but "loves the destination" of environmentalism and believes that people should quietly strive to be more eco-friendly.^[38] Regarding windfarms, he says that in the future, they will be described as "a reminder of the time when mankind temporarily took leave of its senses and decided wind, waves and lashings of tofu could somehow generate enough electricity for the whole planet"^[39] Clarkson has unorthodox views regarding global warming: although he believes that higher temperatures are not necessarily negative and that anthropogenic carbon dioxide production has a negligible effect on the global climate,^[38] but is aware of the negative potential consequences of global warming, saying "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The beach in Miami is washed away? North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?"^[40]

In an attempt to prove the press and public furore over the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal was a fuss about nothing, he published his own bank account number and sort code, together with instructions on how to find out his address, in The Sun newspaper, expecting nobody to be able to remove money from his account. He later discovered that someone had been able to set up a monthly direct debit for £500 to Diabetes UK.^[41][42]

Clarkson has been highly critical of the United States and more recently President Barack Obama. In an article after Obama was sworn into office, Clarkson wrote (in reference to Americans) "they have got it into their heads that Barack Obama is actually a blend of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King."^[43] Clarkson has also been very critical of the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.^[44] He referred to America as the United States of Total Paranoia, commenting that one needs a permit to do everything except for purchasing weapons.^[45]

Himself[link]

Whilst Clarkson states such views in his columns and in public appearances, his public persona does not necessarily represent his personal views, as he acknowledged whilst interviewing Alastair Campbell saying "I don't believe what I write, any more than you (Alastair Campbell) believe what you say"^[46]

Clarkson has been described as a "skilful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by The Economist^[47] and a "dazzling hero of political incorrectness" by the Daily Mirror.^[48] With a forthright and sometimes deadpan delivery, Clarkson is said to thrive on the notoriety his public comments bring, and has risen to the level of the bête noire of the various groups who disagree with his views. On the Channel 4 organised viewer poll, for the 100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate programme, Clarkson polled in 66th place. By 2005, Clarkson was perceived by the press to have upset so many people and groups, The Independent put him on trial for various 'crimes', declaring him guilty on most counts.^[40]

Media[link]

Responses to Clarkson's comments are often directed personally, with derogatory comments about residents of Norfolk leading to some residents organising a "We hate Jeremy Clarkson" club. In The Guardian's 2007 'Media 100' list, which lists the top 100 most "powerful people in the [media] industry", based on cultural, economic and political influence in the UK, Clarkson was listed as a new entrant at 74th. Some critics even attribute Clarkson's actions and views as being influential enough to be responsible for the closure of Rover and the Luton manufacturing plant of Vauxhall.^[49] Clarkson's comments about Rover prompted workers to hang an "Anti-Clarkson Campaign" banner outside the defunct Longbridge plant in its last days.

The BBC often plays down his comments as ultimately not having the weight they are ascribed. In 2007 they described Clarkson as "Not a man given to considered opinion",^[18] and in response to an official complaint another BBC spokeswoman once said: "Jeremy's colourful comments are always entertaining, but they are his own comments and not those of the BBC. More often than not they are said with a twinkle in his eye."^[50] Some of his opponents state they take the view he is a man that should be ignored. Kevin Clinton, head of Road Safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has stated "We don't take what he says too seriously and hopefully other people don't either."^[51]

On his chat show, Clarkson, he caused upset to the Welsh by placing a 3D plastic map of Wales into a microwave oven and switching it on. He later defended this by saying, "I put Wales in there because Scotland wouldn't fit."^[52][53][54]

Recognition[link]

In 2005, Clarkson received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the Oxford Brookes University.^[55] His views on the environment precipitated a small demonstration at the award ceremony for his honorary degree, when Clarkson was pied by road protester Rebecca Lush.^[56] Clarkson took this incident in good humour, responding 'good shot' and subsequently referring to Lush as "Banana girl".^[57][58][59] Clarkson has spoken in support of hydrogen cars.^[34]

In 2008, an internet petition was posted on the Prime Minister's Number 10 website to "Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister". By the time it closed, it had attracted 49,446 signatures. An opposing petition posted on the same site set to "Never, Ever Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister" attracted 87 signatures. Clarkson later commented he would be a rubbish Prime Minister as he is always contradicting himself in his columns.^[34] In their official response to the petition, Number 10 agreed with Clarkson's comments.^[60]

In a 2008 poll of 5,000 female members of an online dating website, Clarkson came third in a poll of MISAs—Men I Secretly Adore—behind Jonathan Ross and Phillip Schofield. Characteristically, Clarkson was upset not to have come top.^[61]

In response to the reactions he gets, Clarkson has stated "I enjoy this back and forth, it makes the world go round but it is just opinion"^[34] and "I don't have any influence over what people do, I really don't. It makes no difference what I say. Top Gear is just fluff. It's just entertainment – people don't listen to me."^[62] On the opinion that his views are influential enough to topple car companies, he has argued that he has proof that he has had no influence. "When I said that the Ford Orion was the worst car ever it went on to become a best-selling car."^[34]

Clarkson was ranked 49th on Motor Trend Magazine's Power List for 2011, its list of the fifty most influential figures in the automotive industry.^[63]

Military interests[link]

Clarkson has a keen interest in the British Armed Forces and several of his DVDs and television shows have featured a military theme, whether it be flying in military jets or several Clarkson focused Top Gear spots having a military theme such as Clarkson escaping a Challenger 2 tank in a Range Rover, a Lotus Exige evading missile lock from an AH-64D Apache helicopter, a platoon of Irish Guardsmen shooting at a Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK, or using a Ford Fiesta as a Royal Marine landing craft. Clarkson visited British troops in Baghdad in October 2005.^[64]

Clarkson presented a programme looking at recipients of the Victoria Cross, in particular focusing on his father-in-law, Robert Henry Cain, who received a VC for actions during the Battle of Arnhem in World War II.^[65]

In 2007, Clarkson wrote and presented Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of All Time, a documentary about the World War II Operation Chariot, a 1942 Commando raid on the docks of Saint-Nazaire in occupied France. At the end of 2007 Clarkson became a patron of Help for Heroes,^[66] a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities to wounded British servicemen. His effort led to the 2007 Christmas appeal in The Sunday Times supporting Help for Heroes.^[67]

Clarkson borrowed a Lightning (serial XM172), an RAF supersonic jet fighter of the Cold War era, which was temporarily placed in his garden and documented on his TV show Speed.

Engineering interests[link]

Clarkson is passionate about engineering, especially pioneering work. In Inventions That Changed the World Clarkson showcased the invention of the gun, computer, jet engine, telephone and television. He has previously criticised the engineering feats of the 20th century as merely improvements on the truly innovative inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He cites the lack of any source of alternative power for cars, other than by "small explosions". In Great Britons, as part of a public poll to find the greatest historical Briton, Clarkson was the chief supporter for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a prominent engineer during the Industrial Revolution credited with numerous innovations. Despite this, he also has a passion for many modern examples of engineering. In Speed and Extreme Machines Clarkson rides and showcases numerous vehicles and machinery. Clarkson was awarded an honorary degree from Brunel University on 12 September 2003, partly because of his work in popularising engineering, and partly because of his advocacy of Brunel.^[68]

In his book, I Know You Got Soul he describes many machines that he believes possess a soul. He cited the Concorde crash as his inspiration, feeling a sadness for the demise of the machine as well as the passengers. Clarkson was a passenger on the last BA Concorde flight on 24 October 2003. Paraphrasing Neil Armstrong he described the retirement of the fleet as "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind", and that the challenge of building Concorde had been a greater human feat than landing a man on the Moon.^[69]

His known passion for single- or two-passenger high-velocity transport led to his brief acquisition of an English Electric Lightning F1A jet fighter XM172, which was installed in the front garden of his country home. The Lightning was subsequently removed on the orders of the local council, which "wouldn't believe my claim that it was a leaf blower", according to Clarkson on a Tiscali Motoring webchat. In fact, the whole affair was set up for his programme Speed, and the Lightning is now back serving as gate guardian at Wycombe Air Park (formerly RAF Booker).^[70]

In a Top Gear episode, Clarkson drove the Bugatti Veyron in a race across Europe against a Cessna private aeroplane. The Veyron was an £850,000 technology demonstrator project built by Volkswagen to become the fastest production car, but a practical road car at the same time. In building such an ambitious machine, Clarkson described the project as "a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world."^[71] After winning the race, Clarkson announced that "It's quite a hollow victory really, because I've got to go for the rest of my life knowing that I'll never own that car. I'll never experience that power again."^[72]

Cars[link]

Ownership[link]

Clarkson owns or has owned:

• Volvo XC90^[73]
• Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE^[74]
• Lotus Elise 111S^[75]
• Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser^[76]
• Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black^[77]
• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster^[77]
• BMW M3 CSL^[77]
• Honda CR-X^[77]
• Ferrari F355^[77]
• Ford GT^[78]
• Lamborghini Gallardo^[77]
• Volkswagen Scirocco 1^[79]
• Volkswagen Scirocco 2^[79]

In addition to the many cars he has owned, as a motoring journalist, Clarkson regularly has car companies deliver a choice of cars to his driveway for testing.

Clarkson wanted to purchase the Ford GT after admiring its inspiration, the Ford GT40 race cars of the 1960s. Clarkson was able to secure a place on the shortlist for the few cars that would be imported to Britain to official customers, only through knowing Ford's head of PR through a previous job. After waiting years and facing an increased price, he found many technical problems with the car. After "the most miserable month's motoring possible," he returned it to Ford for a full refund. After a short period, including asking Top Gear fans for advice over the Internet, he bought back his GT. He called it "the most unreliable car ever made", owing to never being able to complete a return journey with it.^[78] In 2006 Clarkson ordered a Gallardo Spyder and sold the Ford GT to make way for it. In August 2008 he sold the Gallardo because "idiots in Peugeots kept trying to race [him] in it" [Jeremy Clarkson – "The Italian Job" DVD]. In October, he also announced that he had sold his Volvo XC90. However, in January 2009, in a review of the car printed in The Times, he wrote: "I’ve just bought my third Volvo XC90 in a row and the simple fact is this: it takes six children to school in the morning."^[73]

Likes[link]

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Clarkson often enthuses about whether a car gives you the proper "driving experience". He talks about needing to feel the front wheels connected to your fingers through the steering wheel. His preferred cars need to stir a passion and exhibit a 'soul', and look good, such as his preferred sportscar marque, Ferrari. Clarkson is often seen to be more than willing to accept several other flaws in a car such as practicality, build quality, reliability, if the basic criteria of performance and styling are deemed to have been met. Clarkson seems to be an admirer of any car that delivers performance and features for less money than traditionally known 'superior' marques, such as the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and Holden Monaro (marketed in the UK under the Vauxhall brand). He is also known for liking the Noble M12. However, sometimes his liking of cars is more in respect because they do not possess this 'soul' although it is portrayed in the TV show as a legitimate love. It was like that with the Nissan GT-R. He said that it's great but 'sometimes I'd like it to go down the front of my trousers and have a little rummage' implying the GT-R's lack of 'soul'.

Despite not liking Rover or Vauxhall, Clarkson does have an affection for the British makes Jaguar and Aston Martin, but has previously described this success as being down to the combination of British ingenuity with foreign funding, management, and marketing. In terms of SUVs, Clarkson has spoken very highly of the Czech-made Škoda Yeti, calling it possibly the best car in the world; and used 20 minutes of a Top Gear episode putting the Yeti through a number of challenges to support his point.^[80] Clarkson often applies national stereotypes to cars, i.e. German cars are well built but too serious, Italian cars are stylish but temperamental, American cars are powerful but cheaply made, Japanese cars are hi-tech but soulless, and the present intermixing of nationalities in the global car industry becomes a source of comment.

Clarkson has a particular fondness for Alfa Romeos, and has owned several. He contends that "you cannot be a true petrolhead until you've owned one... it's like having really great sex that leaves you with an embarrassing itch." In his book I Know You Got Soul the Alfa Romeo 166 was one of only three cars classified as having that "special something". Clarkson quotably called the Brera, Alfa's latest sports car, "Cameron Diaz on wheels".^[81] Despite his love for Alfa Romeos, he was very critical of the company's supercar, the 8C Competizione. In both Top Gear and his 2009 video special Thriller, Clarkson had no doubts about the car's beauty, but panned the poorly-designed suspension, comparing it to a Ford Mustang.

Clarkson has had mixed views on the Porsche 911 sports cars, feeling them to have uninspiring styling. He is also not a fan of the rear-engined flat six layout, feeling it a fundamentally flawed design. He has, however, often complimented the technical aspects and practicalities of many Porsches, over say the equivalent Ferrari of the time. In reviewing a 2003 Porsche 911 GT3 though, Clarkson conceded that Porsche had finally overcome the natural tendency of a Porsche mechanical layout to lose the grip in the rear tyres in a bend, and stated it was the first Porsche he had ever seriously considered buying. Clarkson also praised Porsche's supercar, the Carrera GT, in an October 2004 episode of Top Gear, and even commented that it's one of the most beautiful cars he has ever driven. Clarkson has also expressed fondness for late-model V8 Holdens, available in the UK rebadged as Vauxhalls. Of the Monaro he said, "It's like they had a picture of me on their desk and said [Australian accent] 'Let's build that bloke a car!'" and "I can't believe it... I've fallen in love... with a Vauxhall!"^[82] Clarkson suffered two slipped discs that he attributed to driving the Monaro, which he described as being "back-breakingly marvellous".^[83]

Dislikes[link]

Clarkson often derides any car that in his view might be bought by a Premier League footballer such as Wayne Rooney. Clarkson will often pick faults in the trim or build quality in any car he dislikes. He will also use his substantial frame to criticise any model with inadequate front or rear leg room or head room, and to criticise the throttle or brake pedal positions. Clarkson also dislikes gadgetry if it detracts from or seeks to control the experience of driving, commenting that the only saving grace of the increasingly hi-tech BMW M5 was that in M mode all gadgetry was switched off, and it subsequently retained the performance characteristics of historical M5s. He has frequently criticised the Mercedes-Benz practice of releasing a model and option list to suit every conceivable customer demand.

One of Clarkson's most infamous dislikes was of the British car brand Rover, the last major British owned and built car manufacturer. This view stretched back to the company's time as part of British Leyland. Describing the history of the company up to its last flagship model, the Rover 75, he stated "Never in the field of human endeavour has so much been done, so badly, by so many." In the latter years of the company Clarkson blamed the "uncool" brand image as being more of a hindrance to sales than any faults with the cars. On its demise, Clarkson stated "I cannot even get teary and emotional about the demise of the company itself – though I do feel sorry for the workforce."^[84]

Clarkson is also well known for his criticism of Vauxhalls^[85][86] and has described Vauxhall's parent company, General Motors, as a "pensions and healthcare" company which sees the "car making side of the business as an expensive loss-making nuisance".^[86] In spite of this, he has expressed approval of several recent Vauxhall models including the VXR models, the Monaro, VXR8 and Maloo, (both originally Australian Holdens) and the Zafira people carrier. Clarkson has expressed particular disdain for the Vauxhall Vectra, describing it as "One of my least favourite cars in the world. I've always hated it because I've always felt it was designed in a coffee break by people who couldn't care less about cars" and "one of the worst chassis I've ever come across".^[87] After a Top Gear piece by Clarkson for its launch in 1995, described by The Independent as "not doing [GM] any favours",^[88] Vauxhall complained to the BBC and announced, "We can take criticism but this piece was totally unbalanced."^[89]

Clarkson is known for destroying his most hated cars in various ways, including crushing a Yugo with a tank, catapulting a Nissan Sunny with a trebuchet, dropping a Porsche 911 onto a caravan (after plunging a piano onto the bonnet and dousing it in hydrochloric acid, amongst other things), getting a Land Rover and a box labelled "CND" to destroy a Citroën 2CV, allowing his American friend "Billy Bob" to destroy a Toyota Prius by shooting it with an arsenal of weaponry, shooting a Chevrolet Corvette with a helicopter gunship, dismantling a Buick Park Avenue with a bulldozer, or tearing a Lada Riva in half. In an episode of Top Gear, Clarkson bought a Maserati Biturbo just to drop a skip on it to show how much the model had ruined Maserati's reputation. In Jeremy Clarkson: Heaven and Hell (2005), he bought a brand-new Perodua Kelisa, proceeded to attack it with a sledgehammer, tore it apart with a heavy weight while being suspended in mid-air and finally blew it up.^{[citation needed]}

Most notably, the car which sees the most hatred from Clarkson is the G-Wiz or REVAi as it is known outside the UK. In a segment of Top Gear's news, a clip was shown of David Cameron driving a G-Wiz on the Top Gear test track. When Kristin Scott Thomas appeared on the show it was revealed that she drove a G-Wiz around London while performing in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. On Jeremy Clarkson's solo DVD Supercar Showdown the G-Wiz was bashed continuously by Clarkson in a number of staged segments, being raced first by a Renault Alpine A610 and losing, and then losing to a heavy wooden table carried by four men. The table was then placed on its side and the G-Wiz rammed it at 40 mph, bouncing off and destroying the front of the vehicle. In the final episode of series 10 of Top Gear the G-Wiz was turned into a radio-controlled car and its electrical systems modified so that it could beat a Ford Mustang Shelby GT (incorrectly identified as a 500 hp Shelby Mustang GT500) in a race, it was then raced against a scale model R/C car, which carried a bomb to destroy both vehicles before they could finish the race. Nevertheless, the G-Wiz was named as Top Gear's "Worst Car of the Year". Presenter James May called it the "most stupid, useless, and dangerous car to stalk the earth".^{[citation needed]}

Controversy[link]

Clarkson's comments and actions have sometimes resulted in complaints from viewers, car companies, and national governments.

Offensive remarks[link]

In October 1998, Hyundai complained to the BBC about what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments he made at the Birmingham Motor Show, where he was reported as saying that the people working on the Hyundai stand had "eaten a dog" and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably eaten a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as "Nazis", although BMW said they would not be complaining.^[50] In a later incident during a Top Gear episode broadcast on 13 November 2005, Clarkson, while talking about a Mini design that might be "quintessentially German", made a mock Nazi salute, and made references to the Hitler regime and the German invasion of Poland by setting the GPS system to Poland.^[90]

In April 2007, he was criticised in the Malaysian parliament for having described one of their cars, the Perodua Kelisa, as the worst in the world, "its name was like a disease and suggested it was built in jungles by people who wear leaves for shoes". A Malaysian government minister countered, pointing out that no complaints had been received from UK customers who had bought the car.^[91][92]

While in Australia, Clarkson made disparaging remarks aimed at the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in February 2009, calling him a "one-eyed Scottish idiot" and accused him of lying. These comments were widely condemned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People and also Scottish politicians who requested that he should be taken off air.^[93][94] Furthermore, the comments were condemned as racist.^[95][96][97] He subsequently provided a qualified apology for remarks regarding Brown's "personal appearance".^[98]

In July 2009 though, Clarkson was reported to have called the Prime Minister Brown "a silly cunt" during a warm-up while recording a Top Gear show.^[99] Although several newspapers reported that he had subsequently argued with BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow,^[100] who was present at the recording, the BBC denied that he had been given a "dressing down".^[101] John Whittingdale, Conservative chair of the Culture Select Committee remarked: "Many people will find that offensive, many people will find that word in particular very offensive [...] I am surprised he felt it appropriate to use it."^[100]

On 6 July 2010, Clarkson reportedly angered gay rights campaigners after he made a remark on Top Gear that did not get aired on the 4 July's episode. But guest Alastair Campbell wrote about it on Twitter. Clarkson apparently said he "Demanded the right not to get bummed". The BBC later said that they cut this remark out as they "edited down" the interview as it was too long to fit into the show.^[102]

His 4 September 2011 column for The Sun newspaper drew angry remarks^[103] in response to Clarkson's call to abolish the Welsh language: "I think we are fast approaching the time when the United Nations should start to think seriously about abolishing other languages. What’s the point of Welsh for example? All it does is provide a silly maypole around which a bunch of hotheads can get all nationalistic."

Wikinews has related news: 'Have them all shot': BBC gets 21,000+ complaints over Jeremy Clarkson's public sector striker comments

On 30 November 2011 while being interviewed on the BBC's The One Show, Clarkson commented on the UK's public sector strike that day, lauding the capital's empty roads. After mentioning the BBC's need for balance, he said, "I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families." The programme later apologised for his remarks, with further apologies issued by Clarkson and the BBC.^[104] These remarks had attracted 21,335 complaints to the BBC within 36 hours; the BBC also received 314 messages of support for Clarkson.^[105]

In his 3 December 2011 column for The Sun Clarkson epitomised those who choose to jump in front of trains as "Johnny Suicide" and argues that following a death, trains should carry on their journeys as soon as possible. He adds: "The train cannot be removed nor the line re-opened until all of the victim's body has been recovered. And sometimes the head can be half a mile away from the feet." ... "Change the driver, pick up the big bits of what's left of the victim, get the train moving as quickly as possible and let foxy woxy and the birds nibble away at the smaller, gooey parts that are far away or hard to find."^[106]

In another column for The Sun in January 2012, Clarkson was criticised for making a joke about the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004.^[107]

On 12 January, the Indian High commission lodged a formal complaint with the BBC over the "tasteless" antics of Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear Christmas special where he mocked India's culture and people. During the 90-minute special, which was aired twice over the Christmas break, Clarkson made a string of jokes about Indian food, clothes, toilets, trains and history.^[108]

On an episode of Top Gear broadcast on 5 February 2012, Clarkson compared a Japanese Car/Camper van to a person with a growth on their face. A major UK charity that supports people with facial disfigurements, Changing Faces, complained to the BBC and Ofcom after Clarkson's remarks.^[109]

Road safety[link]

Clarkson readily discusses high speed driving on public roads, and criticises road safety campaigns involving cameras and speed bumps. In 2002 a Welsh Assembly Member Alun Pugh wrote to BBC director general Greg Dyke to complain about Clarkson's comments that he believed encouraged people to use Welsh roads as a high speed test track. A BBC spokesman said that suggestions Clarkson had encouraged speeding were "nonsense".^[110] Clarkson has also made similar comments about driving in Lincolnshire.^[111] As of 2004 Clarkson was reported as having a clean licence.^[112] In a November 2005 Times article, Clarkson wrote on the Bugatti Veyron, "On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240mph", and "From the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn’t believe me."^[113] In 2007 the celebrity lawyer Nick 'Mr. Loophole' Freeman got a charge against Clarkson of driving at 86 mph in a 50 mph zone on the A40 road in London dropped, on the basis that the driver of the car loaned to Clarkson from Alfa Romeo could not be ascertained.^[114] In 2008 the BBC faced calls to sack Clarkson after he claimed in a talk at the Hay Festival to have been given a speeding ticket for driving at 186 mph on the A1203 Limehouse Link road in London.^[115] At the same talk he stated he had "never been pulled over for speed while working on Top Gear. I don't drive very fast."^[62] The reported version of events by the Daily Mail were disputed by a BBC spokesman.

Piers Morgan feud[link]

From 2000 to 2006, Clarkson had a public feud with Piers Morgan, which began when Morgan published pictures of Clarkson kissing his BBC producer, Elaine Bedell.^[116]

On the final Concorde flight, Clarkson threw a glass of water over Morgan during an argument.^[116] In March 2004 at the British Press Awards, he swore at Morgan and punched him before being restrained by security; Morgan says it has left him with a scar above his left eyebrow.^[117] In 2006 Morgan revealed that the feud was over, saying "There should always be a moment when you finally down cudgels, kiss and make up."^[116] Clarkson also mentioned that despite not getting on with Morgan, he can at least be in the same room as him.

[edit] Activities on Top Gear

In 2004, the BBC apologised unreservedly and paid £250 in compensation to a Somerset parish council, after Clarkson damaged a 30-year-old horse-chestnut tree by driving into it to test the strength of a Toyota Hilux.^[118] In December 2006 the BBC complaints department upheld the complaint of four Top Gear viewers that Clarkson had used the phrase "ginger beer" (rhyming slang for "queer") in a derogatory manner, when Clarkson picked up on and agreed with an audience member's description of the Daihatsu Copen as being a bit "gay".^[119] The Top Gear: Polar Special was criticised by the BBC Trust for glamorising drink driving in a scene showing Clarkson and James May in a vehicle, despite Clarkson saying to the camera "Don't write in to complain about us drinking and driving, because we're sailing!" (As they were on top of frozen water.)^[120] They stated the scene "was not editorially justified" despite occurring outside the jurisdiction of any drink driving laws.

In November 2008, Clarkson attracted over 500 complaints to the BBC when he joked about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes.^[121][122] The BBC stated the comment was a comic rebuttal of a common misconception about lorry drivers and was within the viewer's expectation of Clarkson's Top Gear persona.^[121] Chris Mole, the Member of Parliament for Ipswich, where five prostitutes were murdered in 2006, wrote a "strongly worded" letter to BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, demanding that Clarkson be sacked.^[122] Clarkson dismissed Mole's comments in his Sunday Times column the following weekend, writing, "There are more important things to worry about than what some balding and irrelevant middle-aged man might have said on a crappy BBC2 motoring show."^[123] On the next Top Gear programme, Clarkson appeared sincerely apologetic and stated "It has been all over the news and the internet and after many complaints I feel I must apologise." However, instead of apologising for his comments, he went on to say "I'm sorry I didn't put the [Porsche] 911's time on the board last week" (after he set it on fire in the previous week's show), much to the studio audience's amusement. Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of the Eddie Stobart Group, a major trucking company, stated that "They were just having a laugh. It’s the 21st century, let’s get our sense of humour in line."^[121]

In 2009, in an episode filmed in Romania, when reaching the countryside areas, Clarkson said the crew was in Borat's country. This remark caused an official reaction from Romanian embassy in London.

In an episode aired after the watershed on 1 August 2010, Clarkson described a Ferrari F430 Speciale as "speciale needs". He said the car owned by co-presenter James May looked "like a simpleton". Media regulator Ofcom investigated after receiving two complaints, and found that the comments "were capable of causing offence" but did not censure the BBC.^[124]

The 2011 Top Gear Christmas Special featured Clarkson visiting India and driving around in a Jaguar with an external toilet added to the back of the car. He commented, "This is perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots." A day after the broadcast, the BBC had received 23 complaints;^[125] the special was watched at the time of broadcast by approximately five million people.^[126]

Filmography[link]

Presenter[link]

Other roles[link]

DVDs[link]

1. "Top Gear: Supercars" (With Tiff Needell) (1994, BBC Video, VHS).
2. "Top Gear: Classic Cars" (With Quentin Willson) (1995, BBC Video, VHS).
3. "Motorsport Mayhem" (1995, Arison International, VHS/DVD).
4. "More Motorsport Mayhem" (With Steve Rider) (1996, Arison International, VHS).
5. "Motorworld" (1996, BBC Video, VHS).
6. "Unleashed On Cars" (1996, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
7. "Extreme Machines" (1997, BBC Video, VHS).
8. "Apocalypse Clarkson" (1997, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
9. "Top Gear: The Fast & Furious" (With Tiff Needell) (1997, BBC Video, VHS).
10. "The Most Outrageous Jeremy Clarkson Film In The World...Ever!" (1998, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
11. "Top Gear: The Fast & Furious II" (With Tiff Needell) (1998, BBC Video, VHS).
12. "Head To Head" (1999, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
13. "At Full Throttle" (2000, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
14. "Speed" (2001, BBC Video, VHS).
15. "Top 100 Cars" (2001, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
16. "No Limits" (2002, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
17. "Shoot Out" (2003, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
18. "Hot Metal" (2004, VCI Video, VHS/DVD).
19. "Heaven & Hell" (2005, 2|Entertain, DVD).
20. "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" (2006, 2|Entertain, DVD).
21. "Supercar Showdown" (2007, 2|Entertain, DVD). (Amazon.co.uk. copies come with 'Behind The Scenes' DVD)
22. "The Collection" (2008, 2|Entertain, DVD).
23. "Thriller" (2008, 2|Entertain, DVD). (Play.com. copies come with 'Behind The Scenes' DVD)
24. "Duel" (2009, 2|Entertain, DVD). (Top Gear Magazine offer includes 'Behind The Scenes' DVD)
25. "The Italian Job" (2010, 2|Entertain, DVD). (2-Disc edition copies come with 'Behind The Scenes' DVD)
26. "War Stories" (2011, 2|Entertain, DVD).
27. "Powered Up" (2011, 2|Entertain, DVD).

Bibliography[link]

• Two books containing the best columns from previous publications, entitled "The Collected Thoughts Of Clarkson" and "Never Played Golf" were issued by Top Gear Magazine, in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

References[link]