Crew of popular car show 'Top Gear' flees Argentina after Porsche stoned

I believe a similar random system is employed in some US States. With the exception of a few obvious three letter words, anything goes, or did. That system has since been superseded in the UK. Many African countries and some US States still use it I believe.

So how was a registration number of FKL offensive? Why not FLK or F*K or others? The numbers 982? What's wrong with that? They were closely followed by 983 and 984. You'd really have to live in the land of conspiracy to believe that 982FKL was refering to the Falklands.

The 'H' signifies the year of first registration and applied to 1990/1991 cars. The numbers are random 100-999 and the first two letters 'FK' indicate the car was sold near Dudley and the last letter 'L' is sequential. Hence the plate H982FKL is assigned to a 1991 Porsche sold near Dudley.

Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and overseas territories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a random plate, but whether the car was chosen because of the plate is certainly questionable.

 

And the UK system has to be A1AAA or AA12AAA. We can't have totally personalised plates like you guys do, but with a bit of imagination there are ways to work around the system.


TE51CLE totally innocent no?


Y5AVE


G5POT


PEN15

All good fun and a little ingenuity to get round the computer system.

But H982FKL is dull and tenuous.

 

Empires usually crumble from within, while the army's off fighting somewhere else. It worked for Rome, and seems to be working for the USA.

 

There's a lot you can do with those formats.

Infantile as it is, I did find this very funny.

Jeremy Clarkson: Police consider even more offensive number plate found in Top Gear car 'another insult to the people of Argentina' - People - News - The Independent

Jeremy Clarkson’s Porsche, which inflamed Argentinian locals with its Falklands war referencing number plate, had an even more "offensive" registration set hidden in the boot.

Police in Argentina discovered a pair of plates spelling 'BE11 END' inside the car,​

They wouldn't have been legal in Britain on this car, as they'd have made the car appear newer than it actually is.

But it is one of my favourite insults.

 

What's it mean?

 

I clicked onto BBC America last night and top gear was on. Clarkson was showing how superior European cars were compared to "Yank tanks". He was comparing the latest 500+ HP German super car to a couple of 40+ year old stoggy American family sedans
An old 70's full size Buick and Lincoln town car, 4 door sedans.
I wanted to throw a few stones myself, then moved on to the next channel.

 

The Crusader tank did very poorly against the PzKw III, the Strumgeschutz III, and the PzKw IV in the North African Desert, until the US supplied them with the Grant and the Sherman and saved their asses.

 

Bell-end. Literally, it's slang for glans.

But really, it means someone who's a bit of a tool. As has been explained in FHoPol today, British swearing can be a bit more nuanced than American swearing. If you call someone a bell-end, they're annoying and a bit pathetic, but not in a nasty way. It's not as aggressive as calling someone the T word for example. David Cameron, Britain's Prime Minister, is a bell-end, whereas Tony Abbott, Australia's Prime Minister, is, at best, a T word or a W word.

(Note to mods. I don't think this is political: Abbott and Cameron were the best examples I could think of off the top of my head. But if it's too political, please delete this post rather than consigning the whole interesting thread to the Dustbin of FHoPol.)

 

lol Cameron's no bell-end, I'd use a much stronger four letter word that I won't even show the first letter for! A bell-end is less often used these days but maybe applies to a friend who's done something half foolish; cutting the cord with their electric lawn mower etc. Knob-head or dickhead would probably be used up these parts instead of bell-end.

But you're right, Americans seem shocked with swearing despite it being quite prevalent on their tv, yet here it's rife depending on circumstance. There are some swear words you'd use in front of your parents (knob or bellend) and the stronger ones used for roadrage or with your friends. Clarkson has mentioned it before in that swearing or insulting a friend is actually a way of showing they're a good friend. You must be good mates to call them a **** and get away with it. An American would just pull a gun and demand an apology.

 

lol and you fell for it. He loves to taunt the Americans as they fall for it every time. He'll do the same for the Aussies and they'll just come back with a better taunt. You guys wind up so easily.

But Yank Tanks are crap. Tell me of any that sell outside America in any number? Big wallowy thirsty with dubious design and parts obviously built to the lowest tender. That's why you've introduced all these import restrictions to make sure they still sell - in the home market.

 

Only after firing.

I have to admit admiration of the Israel Merkava series. My understanding is they started with a British Chieftan/Centurian and put the engine in front. What an elegant and brilliant solution to use the engine and drivetrain as additional crew protection. So far, the Israeli have been pretty successful against their Soviet/Russian supplied enemies.

When it comes to defense, sensible countries do not put their defenses at the risk of foreign suppliers. Still, I understand at one time in WW-I, both sides were paying royalties for the Maxim machine gun.

Bob Wilson

 

I think the issue was on presenting decades old cars as the current thing.
The 'Yank tank' died out in the '80s as a personal vehicle. You don't see any being sold outside America now because none are being sold here. The Ford Crown was being sold up to 2005, but only to police and taxis fleets. Its Mercury and Lincoln twins might have been available for almost that long, but only people old ennouth to have hauled their family around in a new 1970 Yank tank were buying them. One of those brands is now gone, and the other has been trying to make a come back for several years now.

The cars available here are the same size as the models sold elsewhere. The market favors larger models because of our lower fuel prices. The mid-size sedan(D class I think) is the most popular car*. My understanding is that the Mondeo, our Fusion, isn't a slouch in sales over there for its class. So Clarkson was perpetuating a sterotype that started dying with '70s oil embargo.

*Yeah, pick ups sell better, but the largest of the mid-size class is the Toyota. The next F150 will hopefully be the start of the return of reasonable beltlines and dimensions that don't require a ladder to reach into the bed.

 

LOL, you need to take about 30 years off your perception of American cars, the late model high end machines will compare well with anything from Europe. They handle well, sip fuel, are as fast as anything built anywhere and usually can do it for 1/2 the price of anything from Europe. American streets and roads are not filled with 73 Buick centuries or cars of that type.

 

I guess the name differs depending on which side of the pond one resides. To you a YankTank is a 7 litre sedan from 1973, something that wasn't out of place on an episode of Kojak. To us it's anything from the US that is about two times bigger than it actually needs to be; something crass and bulbous. I'd love to give an example but they're not sold here. I do see them driving about locally because of the local US Airforce base, but other than them being a Ford or a GM I haven't a clue what they are, other than dreadful.

 

If the Top Gear episode had used a modern Yank Tank, I suspect Jon might not have gotten upset, but it appears they were using something from Kojak. Here they are generally called land barges or yachts

I'm beginning wonder if your view of a Yank tank has been biased by those US cars from the base. Service personal generally aren't at the top of the pay scale, and their personal cars would probably look dated back home.

Is the Ford Mondeo considered a Yank tank there? I think it only had slight appearance differences from the Fusion. I think there is even less difference now. Ford does sell the Taurus here, but there is the Toyota Avalon, plus the European full size sedans, in addition the American ones. I guess they can look huge if you don't get an equivalent. Just like the kei and mini cars would look tiny here. Since those aren't sold here, they must cost more than they are worth, plus are snobbish and pretentious.

 

Still sore after losing the War of the Sheep, I know, I have an Argentine friend who cheers for the Germans in every WWII movie.

 

A Yank Tank doesn't necessarily have to be a sedan to us. Anything big and crass and probably with a massive front grill. The Mondeo is classed as a large family car, whereas a Merc S class or Audi A6/A8 are classed as very large. I think here cars tend to be more subtle, so a Range Rover is big to us but subdued, whereas your cars are just in your face;



vs



I think also it's the size of your cars which is why they're refered to as tanks. They look fine on a wide American highway, but not so good crammed into one of our narrow streets.

 

Yeah Nazi Germany is something to be cheered for. Wth? Though if I recall, many ex nazi's ended up in Argentina after WWII keeping their evil heads down.

Why Did Argentina Accept Nazi War Criminals After WWII?

If the Argies joined the modern world instead of playing like children they might be respected more. They have a chip on their shoulder with everyone it seems. I believe they're objecting paying their debts - again. The Falklands are just a diversionary tactic from their Governments mismanagement.

Lawyers in Argentine debt dispute to meet with mediator next week| Reuters

I'm sure your average Argentine is a nice person just trying to make their way in life and are honest and friendly like most people. Just a shame about their Government.

 

I don't see any cars on the U.S. pictures you show. Just some of the trucks that really are intended to be in your face.

 

Yeah, unfortunately a lot of people were and are fans of fascism. Charles Lindbergh and even George W Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush were friends with Hitler. Even now, young Jihadis from here are boarding planes to Iraq, and can't wait to be enslaved by the cause of religious fascism...

But never mind, that's for another forum.