Top Gear (magazine)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the magazine. For other uses of Top Gear, see Top Gear (disambiguation)Top Gear (disambiguation)Top Gear and similar may refer to the following:* The lowest gear ratio available in the transmission of an automobile-Media:*Two versions of a BBC television series about motoring:...
Top Gear is an automobile magazine
Automobile magazine
An automobile magazine is a magazine with news and reports on automobiles and the automobile industry. Automobile magazines may feature new car tests and comparisons, which describe advantages and disadvantages of similar models; future models speculations, confidential information and "spyshots"...
published by BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
, and named after the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series—Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
, James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
and Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson 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...
—are regular contributors, along with the series' production staff. Tame racing driver The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
also regularly features in their car tests, though only communicates his thoughts and feelings through the articles of others.
It is Britain's leading general interest car magazine in sales terms, with over 200,000 issues sold a month (July–December 2007).
Licensed editions are also published in China, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Middle East (with localized versions for each of the Arab countries), the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Russia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, India, Romania, Sweden, Malaysia (through Astro), and Singapore. On 7 May 2007, it was released in Bulgaria, on 16 November 2007 in Italy, on 14 February 2008 in Poland. An Australian edition was brought out in June 2008. A Hong Kong Chinese edition was released in October 2008. More recently, a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
was released in June 2011.
After a year, the Polish edition is the third largest market, after the British and Russian editions.
In January 2010, Top Gear magazine released its 200th edition, and a free 'best of TopGear magazine' supplement was included.
Content
Current regular features include:- Drives (tests of new cars)
- The News (new concept cars)
- Planet Top Gear (Letters and comments from fans)
- The Boys (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May columns)
- Also columns by Paul Horrell, Jon Claydon and Pat Devereux (front end)
- Major car tests such as a group of executive saloons.
- New car guides
- "The Grid" (20 brief summaries of the best and worst motoring-based news stories of the month)
- Motorworld, involving an automotive related subject and humorous stories relating to it. (Also part of Front End)
- 'The Campaign For Real Racing Cars', on the very last page, where a particularly powerful or successful racing car is highlighted and the history briefly outlined. (Otherwise known as "Petrol—breakfast of champions")
Giveaways
Top Gear magazine has known to giveaway a number of items free with the purchase of the magazine, including:- 12 Highlights DVDs, running 33–60 minutes. (consisting of Back In The Fast Lane: Highlights From Series 1 & 2, The Best Of Series Three And Four, The Best Of Top Gear Revved Up, Aston Martin V8 & Jaguar XK At The Ring, 007: The Car Chases, The Races, The Best Of The Challenges, The Greatest Movie Chases Ever, Planes, Rockets & Automobiles, The Best Of The Stig, Jeremy Clarkson Duel, Supercars).
- 6 Books / Magazines. (consisting of the collected thoughts of Clarkson, Clarkson: Never Played Golf, Clarkson—The World's Worst 50 Cars, Clarkson On Cars (a sample from his book published in 1996), Clarkson On Cars (a free copy of his book published in 2004), May on Motors), The Best Of The Columns, a selection of editorials by Clarkson, Hammond and May.
- 2 CD / CD Roms. (The Jam Packed Top Gear Magazine CD-ROM), Clarkson Rocks! (also given away free with The Sun in 2004)
- Toys (three editions of the "Cool Wall", from 2007, 2008 and 2009. Magnets for your fridge), and a "Write Your Own Clarkson Review" fridge magnet.
- Calendars (currently given away free in the magazine's January issues).
These can be purchased from the Top Gear magazine back issue ordering service.
Car of the Year
- 2004: Nissan 350ZNissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan from 2002 to 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut...
- 2005: Toyota AygoToyota AygoThe Toyota Aygo is a city car sold by Toyota in Europe since 2005. All Aygos are built at the new factory of the Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech joint venture in Kolin, Czech Republic. The Aygo was first displayed at the 2005 Salon de l'Automobile de Genève...
& Bugatti VeyronBugatti VeyronThe Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of... - 2006: Jaguar XKJaguar XKThe Jaguar XK series is a series of grand tourer cars produced by British car maker Jaguar since 1996. The series was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show on 5 March 1996. The first generation of the series, the XK8, replaced the XJS, and was available as a coupé and convertible...
- 2007: Subaru Legacy Outback/Ford MondeoFord MondeoThe Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
- 2008: Volkswagen SciroccoVolkswagen SciroccoThe Scirocco is a 3-door Coupe manufactured by German automaker Volkswagen, undergoing two generations of development between 1974 and 1992 and reintroduced in a third generation in August 2008.-Etymology:...
- 2009: Ferrari 458 Italia
- 2010: Citroën DS3Citroën DS3The Citroën DS3 is a supermini, produced by French manufacturer Citroën from 2009. This is the first car in the new DS range from Citroën. It was first hinted by the concept car Citroën DS Inside. This range of vehicle shares no common feature with, and is in no way the successor to, the Citroën DS...
Supercar of the Year
- 2006: Ferrari 599 GTB FioranoFerrari 599 GTB FioranoThe 599 GTB Fiorano is an Italian gran turismo produced by Ferrari. It is the brand's two-seat flagship, replacing the 575 M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model....
- 2007: Nissan GT-RNissan GT-RThe Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
- 2008: Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1The Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 is a high performance version of the Chevrolet Corvette C6. Both the C3 from 1969–1971 and C4 Corvettes from 1990-1995 had ZR-1 models...
- 2009: Ferrari 458 Italia
- 2010: Koenigsegg AgeraKoenigsegg AgeraThe Koenigsegg Agera is a mid-engined sports car made by Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg as of 2011. It is a successor to the Koenigsegg CCX/CCXR...
Men of the Year
- 2007: Lewis HamiltonLewis HamiltonLewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
, Peter Roberts (Road pricing petitioner), Colin McraeColin McRaeColin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
, Steve FossettSteve FossettJames Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
, Dario FranchittiDario FranchittiGeorge Dario Marino Franchitti is a Scottish racing driver. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing...
, Luca De MeoLuca de MeoLuca de Meo is an Italian business executive.He graduated in 1986 at the Liceo scientifico "G. Galilei" in Pescara, and now holds the post of Honorary President of the former students' Abruzzo Galilei "...
, Angela MerkelAngela MerkelAngela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
, Michael BayMichael BayMichael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
. - 2009: Haruhiko TanahashiHaruhiko Tanahashiis a Japanese automotive engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of the Lexus LFA supercar. Tanahashi joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1978 as a chassis engineer, and has since worked in new vehicle design for over 30 years. The LFA development program, begun as project...
, Sébastien LoebSébastien LoebSébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
, Ferdinand PiëchFerdinand PiëchFerdinand Karl Piëch is an Austrian business magnate, engineer and executive who is currently the chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group....
, Volker Mornhinweg, Ross BrawnRoss BrawnRoss James Brawn OBE is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the...
, Jenson ButtonJenson ButtonJenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
, Mark Lloyd (British CitroënCitroënCitroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
designer).