August 2, 2011 10.28 am This story is over 150 months old

Voice of Lincoln: Top marks from Top Gear?

Top city? In this week’s Voice of Lincoln, Lincolnites discuss their opinions of the final Top Gear episode.

Local Top Gear fans have been waiting months to see the last episode of the series, which aired on BBC2 on Sunday, July 31.

The final instalment features Jeremy Clarkson and James May taking a road trip to the seaside in a pair of electric cars. However, the presenters were forced to stop in Lincoln when their environmentally friendly wheels ran out of juice.

Whilst the cars recharged, Clarkson and May sampled some of the city’s cultural delights, including fishing and brass rubbing (who knew?) at the cathedral. We asked Lincolnites what they made of Top Gear’s review.

Ingrid Gill (40s) Lincoln, nurse

“I was quite pleased that [the episode] happened at a good time of year because the weather was nice which made Lincoln look better. I think they did put a bit of a negative slant on it; although they did show a couple of places uphill, they didn’t explore a lot and they gave the impression that things were a bit boring, especially with the scrabble game. Overall it was what I expected, but it was quite amusing.

“I thought [the electric cars] were very interesting because they were very different in price. And [Top Gear] didn’t see much future for them but they need to explore other ways. I think there is a definite future for electric cars.”

Dan Arden (22) Lincoln, barman at Bar 67

“I like [Top Gear]. Although with some of it you can tell it’s scripted and planned out, it’s fun and I enjoy it. They’ve got a good set of characters there, but how realistic they are on camera and in real life I don’t know.

“Lincoln is lovely. I hope they liked it. It’s a pretty nice city to come to, because it’s so small. Maybe that’s why they picked it. [Electric cars] are ok in the city, but because Lincoln is a really rural county, they’re probably not best suited for around here. You’re not exactly close to any kind of electrical outlet, but in London or somewhere they’ll probably be ideal.”

Ady Gray (27) Lincoln, manager at Bar 67

“When they actually broke down I was in town. I got a few messages so I knew that they were about, but by the time I got there everyone had gone so I missed them. [The episode] was good, but electric cars are not the thing for me. Obviously powering them isn’t the easiest thing in the world.”

Trevor Gibbs (31) Lincoln, photographer

“It costs a fortune to use combustible fuel to actually power the cells that [electric cars] are powered by themselves. Electrically powered cars are just not the future. They’re a bit of a gimmick. Hydrogen power all the way.

“The only thing I didn’t like about last night was that they kind of made Lincoln out to be really boring, and they didn’t really go to any of the cool places. But I think that was part of the fun of it, I suppose they were being ironic about it. If you’re from Lincoln and you’ve got a sense of humour and you like Top Gear you’ll get what they’re trying to say.

“They’ve filmed here so many times as well. They do take some really nice cars out and they love the place because it’s good for driving around.”

Ayisha Mckechmie (20) Lincoln, sales assistant

“The episode was really good. You knew where they were and you could relate to what they were saying. Lincoln’s not really a boring place, there’s a lot to see. I think there was sarcasm in there definitely, but I think they liked it. What’s not to like?”

 

Trevor Ford (28) Cranwell, RAF Regiment gunner

“I’ve heard that there was lot of breaking down, a lot of backing up of traffic. I’m looking forward to seeing [the episode]. I’ve not heard what they’ve said about Lincoln. Hopefully they’ve said it’s a nice place. I like it. They’re good at the testing as they tell you what they think; if it’s good it’s good, if it’s bad they’ll just slate it. And generally they’ll drop things on it to destroy it.

“To be honest [electric cars] are not that great for the environment. They’re great at the moment but when they come to dispose of them, a lithium cell battery can take anything up to 150 years to degrade, once it’s finished its lifetime. So not really that great, especially the toxins that get pumped out afterwards. Good idea though.”