I echo every single sentiment here, and would have just not altogether responded, since so many like minds have the right idea that A) original decade-long British-hosted Top Gear is the tops, and B) probably a bastardized-American production run is a horrible idea and will not come close to the appeal of Richard, James & Jeremy's fruits of labor in making Top gear oone of the most successful television shows of all-time, let alone one that concentrates on such a small market (car enthusiasts, which are mostly made up of males who also like watching shows about automobiles, ... in the U.K., where gasoline prices have never been a great aid to the industry of car purchasing).
It rightly doesn't matter to me much, since I don't watch television at all, but it is the respect and the principle of the matter that sparks the debate. It is a decision of whether or not this is a profitable endeavor for TV execs. And when it comes right down to it, it is a business in which the idea that can create the most money wins, not always the brilliant ones.
Afterthought: I really enjooyed the episode where the chaps had to travel trhough the Sunbelt of America, from Miami to Louisiana(?), all iin cars which had to be purchased with an account of $1,000 or less (could've been $500, tho, considering the vehicles they ultimately chose). Roadkill feast, Sweaty men, and the "Good Ol' Boys" makes this a classic and very enjoyable watch.
