Top Gear was the most highly regarded car program on TV. The charm and friendship of its three presenters smoothed over any tired concepts and obvious scripts. And the specials! Top Gear specials were so good that any non-enthusiast watching could be found scanning classifieds for used, 5 speed-anythings the next day.
But then it all fell apart. Jeremy Clarkson got into a fight with a producer, and eventually the three friends split only to resurface on Amazon's Grand Tour, which could sometimes be mistaken for a shot for shot remake of their old show.
Top Gear went through some dark times, and the less time spent on them, the better. But, praise the automotive gods, they seem to have figured it out by re-tooling the show around their most liked personalities: Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid.
It may be too early to pass judgement, but we think the upcoming season of Top Gear looks like it could challenge the classics for the best TV a gear head could hope for.
Related: Top Gear Wouldn't Show This 800HP Mustang's London Drift Adventure On TV