What is "top gear"

n. The highest gear that is available in a motor vehicle or car

Top Gear'' (Top Racer'' in Japan), is a racing video game for the Super NES, published by Kemco and developed by Gremlin Graphics in 1992. The objective of the game is to become the fastest driver in the world by racing other drivers across several nations. The franchise is unrelated to the TV series of the same name.

It marks the first game in the Top Gear racing game franchise, and it is one of the first racing games to be released on the Super NES. This game and its next two sequels were created by the same developers as the similar Lotus series of games released earlier on the Commodore Amiga and Sega Mega Drive systems.

Top Gear was a radio show known for its specially recorded sessions in addition to playing records. It began life in the mid-1960s and was revived with a progressive rock focus in 1967, running with that format until its end in 1975.

Top Gear (stylised in-magazine as TopGear) is an automobile magazine owned by BBC Worldwide and published under contract by Immediate Media Company. It is named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £4.35. The major presenters of the television series— Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson—are regular contributors, along with the series' production staff. "Tame racing driver" The Stig also regularly features in their car tests, though only communicates his thoughts and feelings through the articles of others.

It is Britain's leading general interest car magazine in sales terms, with over 150,000 copies distributed each month in 2012, a drop of 50,000 from 2007. Previous columnists have included former Top Gear presenters Quentin Willson, Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson.

Licensed editions are also published in China, the Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Middle East (with localized versions for each of the Arab countries), Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa, Russia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, India, Belgium, Romania, Finland, Sweden, Malaysia (through Astro), and Singapore. On September 2004, the Philippine edition was released. On 7 May 2007, it was released in Bulgaria, on 16 November 2007 in Italy, on 14 February 2008 in Poland. An Australian edition was brought out in June 2008. A Hong Kong Chinese edition was released in October 2008. A Turkish edition which name is TopGear Turkey was released in May 2011. More recently, Portuguese was released in June 2011. A German edition was released on 25 April 2013. After a year, the Polish edition is the third largest market, after the British and Russian editions. In January 2010, Top Gear magazine released its 200th edition, and a free 'best of TopGear magazine' supplement was included. In April 2014 the first issue of the Croatian edition was released, and in May 2015, a French edition was launched.

Top Gear and similar may refer to the following:

• The lowest gear ratio (or ordinally, the highest gear) that can be selected in the transmission of a mechanically propelled vehicle.

Top Gear began life in 1977 as a half-hour motoring show on the BBC in the United Kingdom. The original format ran for 24 years and was then transformed into a revamped format starting in 2002 mainly built around the everyman persona of Jeremy Clarkson, and a further incarnation in 2016 with Chris Evans. The programme generated a number of spin-offs over the years. As well as selling to many countries in its own right it spawned domestic versions in places such as the United States and Australia.

Top Gear was a boutique established in the 1960s by James Wedge and Pat Booth on the Kings Road, London. It was an influential shop which Barbara Hulanicki was "most envious of", and acquired a reputation for selling Mod clothing to the "rich and influential". Customers included Marianne Faithfull, Mick Jagger and The Beatles.

The carrier bags had a distinctive bullseye design – which became a popular Mod icon used by The Who.

The first series of the relaunched motoring show Top Gear, was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two during 2002 and consisted of 10 episodes, beginning on 20 October and concluding on the 29 December. It was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, but while Clarkson and Hammond would be permanent hosts up until the end of Series 22, Dawe was a host until the conclusion of the series, whereupon he was axed from the show.

The third series of Top Gear aired during the latter half of 2003 and ran for 9 episodes, beginning on 26 October before concluding on 28 December, with the show being hosted by returning presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May. A new " Stig" was introduced after the previous "Stig" (referred to by the presenters as " Black Stig") was written out of the show in the first episode. A "Best of Top Gear" special for the series was aired on 4 January 2004. This series was first in the relaunched show's history to acquire more than 10 million viewers for an episode.

Top Gear is an American motoring television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters are professional racing driver Tanner Foust, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. As with the original British version, the show has its own version of The Stig, an anonymous racing driver, and a celebrity guest was featured each week for the first two seasons. The show premiered on November 21, 2010, on History. Its most recent season, Season 6, began airing on April 26, 2016. On June 28, 2016, the BBC confirmed that the series has completed its contractual run on the History channel, and that they have "begun exploring new opportunities for the series in the US."

The second series of the relaunched motoring show Top Gear was aired in 2003 and consisted of 10 episodes, beginning on 11 May and concluding on 20 July. The series was subsequently followed the week after it ended, with a "Best Of Top Gear" episode on 27 July, which charted the best moments from Series 1 and 2. It was the first series to feature James May as part of the hosting line-up, after motoring enthusiast Jason Dawe was axed following the previous series. Both Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond remained as part of the hosting line-up, alongside " The Stig" who was now credited as a presenter of the show.

The fourth series of Top Gear aired during 2004 and ran for 10 episodes, beginning on 9 May and concluding on 1 August. A Sport Relief charity special, titled "Stars In Fast Cars", was aired on 1 August after the series ended and later spawned its own spin-off, while a "Best Of Top Gear" special for Series 4 was subsequently aired a week later on 8 August.

The fifth series of Top Gear aired during 2004 and consisted of 9 episodes, beginning on 24 October and concluding on 26 December. The series was subsequently followed by a "Best Of Top Gear" special, which aired on January 2, 2005, and charted the best moments from Series 4 and 5.

The sixth series of Top Gear aired during 2005 and consisted of 11 episodes in total, the highest seen in any series of Top Gear. The series began on 22 May and concluded on 7 August, but did not feature a compilation episode of the best moments from the series. This series featured a search for the "Greatest Driving Song of All Time", with the top five songs each being revealed during Episodes 5 to 9, with the song voted the best being revealed on the Series Finale.

The seventh series of Top Gear was aired during 2005 and consisted of 6 episodes, beginning on 13 November and concluding on 27 December. The series contained six specials that were aired in 2006, with the first being a Winter Olympics special that aired on 12 February, in which the presenters did their own version with cars, and was filmed in Lillehammer, Norway. The remaining five were all "Best Of Top Gear" specials that aired throughout March and the beginning of April, charting some of the best moments from the past seven series of the show; four of these were themed around Supercars, Special Guests, British Motoring and Challenges.

The eighth series of Top Gear was aired during 2006 and consisted of eight episodes. Because of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the series, which began on 7 May, took a month long break from 4 June to 16 July, eventually concluding on 30 July. The series saw the introduction of a new opening title sequence which featured segments of footage taken from previous series behind silhouettes of the three presenters; the footage used would be changed over time, during the 14 series that the sequence was in use. In addition, the show was presented from a new studio, there was a new reasonably priced car, and one of Hammond's dogs, named "Top Gear Dog" (or "TeeGee" later on), joined the team throughout the series while making guest appearances in Series 9.

The ninth series of Top Gear aired during 2007 and consisted of six episodes, beginning on 28 January and concluding on 4 March. The series featured two specials that were broadcast after the series had ended, -" Top Gear of the Pops" on 16 March and the "Top Gear: Polar Special" on 25 July. Production of the series was delayed due to Hammond's accident in September 2006, and did not begin until the following month, and the first episode of the series has subsequently never been repeated on TV owing to Hammond's near-death experience. In addition, the "Best Of Top Gear" special meant to be broadcast before Series 9 and showcase the best moments of Series 8, was delayed and later shown in place of the repeat of the fifth episode of the series.

The tenth series of Top Gear was aired during 2007 and consisted of 10 episodes, beginning on 7 October and concluding on 23 December. It was subsequently followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials during January 2008, and a Sport Relief special entitled " Top Ground Gear Force" that aired on 14 March 2008.

The eleventh series of Top Gear was aired on BBC Two during 2008 and consisted of six episodes, beginning on 22 June and concluding on 27 July 2008. A new character was introduced in this series named Top Gear Stunt Man (credited as Jim Dowdall, though not named in-programme); he appeared in the first two episodes of the show, and made a guest appearance in the next series. With the exception of the final episode, this series saw two guests in each episode, with the segment "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" being re-branded subsequently as "Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car".

The twelfth series of Top Gear aired during 2008 and consisted of 7 episodes, beginning on 2 November and concluding on 14 December. It was subsequently followed by the "Top Gear: Vietnam Special" two weeks later, on 28 December as part of the BBC's 2008 Christmas line-up, and was later followed in 2009 with four "Best Of Top Gear" specials throughout January and the beginning of February.

The thirteenth series of Top Gear aired during 2009 and consisted of seven episodes, beginning on 21 June and concluding on 2 August. Despite forced budget cuts, the series featured more foreign travel and more races, as well as newer challenges and power tests.

The fourteenth series of Top Gear aired during 2009-10 on BBC Two and BBC HD and consisted of 7 episodes, beginning on November 15, 2009, and concluding on January 3, 2010. The sixth episode was a special-edition entitled special from Bolivia, while the series was subsequently followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, which aired within the initial months of 2010 during January and the beginning of February, and charted the best moments from Series 13 and 14.

The fifteenth series of Top Gear was aired during 2010 on BBC Two and BBC HD and consisted of 6 episodes, beginning on 27 June and concluding on 1 August. Prior to the series beginning, the show's return was advertised with a trailer that borrowed the over-excited responses of the parents of a young boy who were watching the Top Gear team filming the Motorhome challenge, from a clip that was originally published on Youtube. Following its conclusion, it was subsequently followed by two "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from the series.

This series was Ben Collins final one as The Stig, as following a legal dispute with him in the latter half of August 2010 over his autobiography, The Man in the White Suit, the BBC decided not to renew his contract with the show. The series also saw the Chevrolet Lacetti being retired and replaced by a Kia Cee'd, leading to the Celebrity Lap Board being cleared for the times made in the new car.

The Indian edition of BBC TopGear is published by Worldwide Media Pvt. Ltd (WWM), a sub-division of The Times of India Group formed in 2005 as a joint venture with the BBC.

The magazine is published out of the Times of India Building, opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station. The first edition was launched in September 2005.

BBC TopGear is an automotive magazine with a lifestyle flavor. So apart from road tests its USP are its surreal features which normally test the cars and bikes in various environment and talks a lot about driver interactions with the car and not just the technical specifications. The magazine has made a niche for itself with its take on automotive journalism.

WWM, led by Deepak Lamba (CEO), also publishes other popular titles like Femina, Filmfare, Grazia India, Hello, BBC Good Homes India, BBC Knowledge and Lonely Planet Magazine India. Joji Varghese is the publisher, print and production controller of TopGear India.

The sixteenth series of Top Gear aired during 2011 on BBC Two and consisted of 6 episodes, beginning on 23 January and concluding on 27 February. The series was preceded by two specials in December 2010, the first of which was aired on 21 December and entitled "East Coast Road Trip", with the special being an exception to others in that it had more studio segments and a "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment within the episode; the second special was a full-length special edition entitled "Middle East Special", which aired five days later on 26 December. Following Ben Collins' departure, a new Stig was introduced.

The seventeenth series of Top Gear aired during 2011 on BBC Two and BBC HD and consisted of 6 episodes, beginning on 26 June and concluding on 31 July.

The eighteenth series of Top Gear was aired during 2012 on BBC Two and BBC HD and consisted of 7 episodes, beginning on 29 January and concluding on 11 March. The series was preceded by a full-length, special edition episode that was aired on 28 December 2011 and entitled the "India Special", while later on 29 October 2012, Richard Hammond hosted a special-edition episode that coincided with the Bond film series' 50th Anniversary, entitled "50 Years of Bond Cars". In addition, the BBC Children in Need 2012 special featured its own version of the show's segment, "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car", between three of the BBC's newsreaders.

The nineteenth series of Top Gear was aired during 2013 on BBC Two and BBC HD, beginning on 27 January and concluding on 24 February. It was subsequently followed by a two part special entitled "Africa Special", the first part airing on 3 March 2013, and the second airing a week later on 10 March.

The twentieth series of Top Gear aired during 2013 on BBC Two and consisted of six episodes, beginning on 30 June and concluding on 4 August. This series saw the Vauxhall Astra Tech Line replace the Kia Cee'd as the show's reasonably priced car.

Top Gear is a Chinese television series about motor vehicles, primarily on cars, and is an adaptation of the British television series Top Gear. The show premiered on 13 November 2014 on the network Shanghai Dragon TV. Series 1 was hosted by Cheng Lei, Richie Jen, and Tian Liang, Series 2 by Cheng Lei, Ma Dong, and Ou Han-sheng. The show also features a segment similar to Star in a Reasonably Priced Car ( Ford Focus in Series 1 and Volkswagen Lamando in Series 2) and a Chinese Stig, whose identity is currently unknown.

The twenty-first series of Top Gear aired during 2014 on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and consisted of 5 episodes, beginning on 2 February and concluding on 2 March. The series was subsequently followed by a two part special entitled "Burma Special", with the first part aired on 9 March a week after the series concluded, and the second part on 16 March. Confirmation that filming of Series 21 was made on 16 September 2013 via a tweet made on Jeremy Clarkson's Twitter account, which confirmed the two part special was being filmed on 20 October later that year. A teaser trailer for the new series was released was released on the BBC's YouTube channel, and across BBC channels on 17 January 2014.

The twenty-second series of Top Gear aired during 2015 on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and consisted of 8 episodes, beginning on 25 January before abruptly ending on 8 March, and not fully concluding until 28 June. The series was preceded by a two-part special entitled "Patagonia Special" which aired during 2014, the first part on 27 December, and the second part a day later on 28 December. The series is most notable for two controversial incidents that occurred during filming, and was the last series to feature the regular hosting line-up of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, while it also Andy Wilman's last as the show's executive producer. The second controversial incident received extensive media attention, the greatest amount created for controversy caused by Top Gear in the show's history, which subsequently led to Clarkson being suspended by the BBC while they investigated the matter. On 25 March 2015, the broadcaster officially dismissed Jeremy Clarkson from the show, and in the aftermath of their decision, Hammond, May and Wilman announced their resignation from the show on April 2015; all three hosts made their final appearances on the last episode broadcast on 28 June with assistance from Wilman, with only Hammond and May hosting the studio segments.

To mark the end of the trio's era of presenting Top Gear, the BBC produced a two-part compilation special which aired near the end of December 2015 and was narrated by comedian John Bishop. The special consisted of moments from the 22 series that they presented the show, with the first part broadcast on 26 December, and the second part broadcast four days later on 30 December.

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars, and is a relaunched version of the original 1977 show of the same name, airing since 2002, and becoming the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. Since the relaunch, the conventional motoring magazine programme has developed a quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style over time. During its first 22 series, the programme received acclaim for its visual style and presentation as well as criticism for its content and often politically incorrect commentary made by its former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. Columnist A. A. Gill, close friend of Clarkson and fellow Sunday Times columnist, described the programme as "a triumph of the craft of programme making, of the minute, obsessive, musical masonry of editing, the French polishing of colourwashing and grading".

The show's relaunched format was originally hosted by Clarkson, Hammond and Jason Dawe with Andy Wilman as executive producer. Following the first series, Dawe was replaced by May, and the hosting line-up remained unchanged from 2003 until 25 March 2015, when Clarkson was informed by the BBC that his contract would not be renewed following an incident between him and a producer. Following Clarkson's departure, his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, announced, along with Andy Wilman, that they would not return to the show without him, instead working alongside Clarkson to produce a new motoring series that would later be known as The Grand Tour. Hosts for the 23rd series were Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris and Eddie Jordan. Chris Evans resigned after the series 23 finale. The format also features an anonymous test driver known as " The Stig"; although part of the line-up, "The Stig" has been played by numerous racing drivers over the course of the series.

First-run episodes are broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two and (from series 20) BBC Two HD. From series 14–19, prior to the launch of the dedicated BBC Two HD channel, new episodes were also simulcast on BBC HD. The series is also carried on cable television systems in the United States via BBC America, in Latin America via BBC Entertainment and in Europe and South-East Asia via BBC Knowledge.

The twenty-third series of Top Gear was aired during 2016 on BBC Two and consisted of six episodes, beginning on 29 May and concluding on 3 July; it was planned to feature ten episodes, but this was revised following concerns the series would conflict with the two major sporting events of Summer 2016, despite the fact it was broadcast alongside UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. Following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, this series featured a new hosting line-up that consisted of Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris, Rory Reid and Eddie Jordan; regular unnamed driver The Stig was the only part of the former line-up not to leave. This series featured a revamp to the Top Gear format, a brand new studio at Dunsfold, and the creation of a new rallycross circuit that co-existed alongside the show's own Test Track, complete with a brand new car for celebrities - a Mini Rallycross Car, which replaced the Vauxhall Astra Tech Line. A brand new spin-off show was also created, entitled Extra Gear, which was broadcast on online channel BBC Three, and had the same number of episodes with each airing immediately after each episode of Series 23.

The series received mixed feedback during its broadcast; while some was positive, most were negative towards a number of changes made to the show and presenter Chris Evans. Viewing figures for the series were also not favourable after the first episode, with the final episode drawing in the lowest overnight viewing figures ever in the show's history. A day after the finale was broadcast, Evans announced his resignation from the show on 4 July 2016, feeling he had done his best but that it had not been good enough for viewers.