Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was pretty late to the Top Gear club. I didn't start watching until after Clarkson was famously sacked by the BBC. Nevertheless, it's become one of my favorite shows. I'm as excited as anyone else for what's coming on the Grand Tour's inaugural season. The intro is amazing with Jezza trading rainy London for sunny California followed by 100 years of cars rolling through the desert like something out of Mad Max. Glorious. The Good: It's retains the spirit of Top Gear. Three guys who love cars. Three guys who know cars. Three guys who have a whale of a time while driving cars they love. The passion is what makes it work. With Amazon's budget, I'm sure we'll see some great things going forward. This first episode features three new hypercars - a Ferrari, a McLaren and a Porsche. They are fantastic. It's amazing that after 100 years cars are still evolving and improving. The format is pretty much the same as Top Gear - studio audience (the studio goes on the road this time). Gorgeous cars. Gorgeous scenery. A whole lot of fun. And yes, the canned laugh track is back, too. It's goofy, but it's part of the charm. Since it's an internet show now, they're pretty much free reign to go and do whatever they like. The future is very, very bright. The OK: We'll see what happens without the Stig (at least he's absent so far) or putting a celebrity in a reasonably priced car. Admittedly, the celebrity appearances were genuinely one of the best parts of the show. It made for some great moments. I generally dislike the idea of celebrity, but it was a lot of fun to see them get excited about their laps times. I don't know that the professional driver, Mike Skinner, has the charisma to last. We shall see. I really wish the Stig were back, but I suppose he's property of the BBC? I dunno. The new track, The Eboladrome, looks fun with plenty of hard corners to contend with. After one episode, it's off to a bloody good start. It's 60 minutes of testosterone. And that's a good thing. Thanks, Amazon, for giving all of us motorheads something to look forward to every Friday.