Why the heck don't we have a US equivalent of Top Gear?
There was actually an article in the LA Times. Top Gear started out as a more mundane show reporting on new cars and then morved slowly over the decades (Yes, it exists that long) into what it is today.
The LA Times went on saying that a show like that probably would have a hard time. The Top Gear guys are excessive with their praise when they really like a car (Ever seen their test ride of the F430?) and extremely brutal when they don't - Too much litigation potential in this country.
Nevertheless, these guys are hilarious and know their stuff. My favorite: They had to buy an Italian, midengined supercar for under 10k pounds and drive them from London to Bristol for a series of challenges. They had pretty awfully run down Dino 308GT, Maser Merak and a Lambo Urraco - on Youtube under "Cheap Supercars" - Priceless.