-Rejoice! Our beloved Captain Slow is back, reviewing Ferrari’s latest, the twin-turbo 488GTB. Finally, a Top Gear alumnus is back where he belongs—dispensing witty, off-the-cuff insight and entertaining asides in a gorgeously-produced piece of automotive cinematography.
Except, that’s not really what we have here.
-Sure, this video, an exclusive review for Sunday Times Driving, features James May giving us the goods on the newest mid-engine Ferrari. But if you were expecting a Top Gear-style segment, perhaps you shouldn’t watch this 5-minute YouTube post.
-Because simply put, it’s kind of glum. May was never the most bombastic member of the Top Gear trio, but his on-air persona was never this, well, dull. Even when he wasn’t playing his Mr. Straight personality against the foils of Clarkson and Hammond, May had a dry charm on Top Gear that’s not quite present in this video.
-And that’s to say nothing of the production quality: Compared with how we’re used to seeing May, this Sunday Times Driving video feels like it was produced by a high school AV club using decade-old technology. That’s perhaps an unfair comparison—BBC spent astounding amounts of money to produce Top Gear, making it perhaps the most cinematic car show ever aired. But it’s jarring nonetheless. Without Top Gear‘s trademark eye-blasting oversaturated color correction, the whole thing seems pallid, our host included.
- -Is this the post-Top Gear future we’re doomed to endure? Recent rumor holds that Hammond and May have turned down significant raises from the BBC, refusing to return to their show without Clarkson. There are persistent murmurs that the whole trio could move to an on-demand service like Netflix, which would likely guarantee a decent budget and no meddling from advertisers.
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- Ferrari 488GTB First Drive Review: Fantastic and Sublime
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- Jeremy Clarkson’s Rumored Netflix Series Could Be Called “House of Cars”
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- Ferrari 488GTB Full Coverage: Reviews, Specs, Photos, and More
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Whatever happens, we just hope James May perks up soon.
-This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com via Jalopnik.
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