Rob Horgan
DISGRACED former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is facing a backlash from the Spanish embassy after he wrote a damning review of a Spanish car.
Pulling no punches, Clarkson’s car review in the Times read more like a tirade against the Spanish, stereotypes and racial slurs to boot.
Labelling the new SEAT Leon as a ‘lukewarm paella’, Clarkson said he had never driven a SEAT because he ‘never saw the point’.
“SEAT was created at the time Spain was emerging from its Third World status and the government didn’t want its people squandering their beads and their chickens, or whatever currency they used at the time, on high-value imports such as cars,” he added.
“Who would choose to have his car made by Spaniards, who are good at fishing off Cornwall, when he could have the exact same thing made by Germans, who, let’s be frank, are good at making cars?”
In response, economic minister at London’s Spanish embassy, Immaculada Lopez, slammed the report as ‘inaccurate’.
“More than two million people all over the world buy Spanish-made cars every year and they seem perfectly happy with the product and strangely impervious to Mr Clarkson’s thoughtful, balanced and always entertaining views.”
Well he has insulted almost every other country so why should Spain be exempt. Haha
Can’t stand the man but I have to agree with him about Seat cars.
He hasn’t singled Spain out, he says that kind of thing about every country, it’s his style of non PC humour.
As far as I’m aware, nobody is actually forced to watch his programs or read his comments but those that choose to do so, are perfectly familiar with his version of humour & by & large I rather imagine his “performances” actually help sales. Unfortunately many Spaniards don’t usually understand the simplest of humour let alone the wit of an acclaimed expert. Sales of SEAT have certainly not been suffered as a result & most folks know who’re behind SEAT & why that is. Immaculada Lopez take note.
Unfortunately, the Spanish (along with most other Latin based language-users) are too literal and do not get British humour. Clarkson’s comments are usually seen by the rest of the intelligent world for what they are, entertainment and satire. I can’t imagine that SEAT have lost out on an extra 1 million car sales a year because of this one comedians banter! To the contrary in fact. I have now been thinking about SEAT for the last quarter of an hour, (have even typed SEAT 2 times…oh, now its 3 times…) so I call that bloody good advertising…and for free. If I had a company, I would welcome Clarkson to write a jibe about it. Think of all that world wide publicity! Mr Clarkson, they should be thanking you, not damning you. “Keep it up big guy” is what I say.
Packing no punches? Now if he would have been Pulling no punches…
Typos, you gotta love ’em.
I thought it was quite funny, but still hold a higher opinion of Seat now thanks to the excellent new Leon. Anyone who knows cars (anyone reading him), knows Clarkson will never say nice things about a car unless it’s overpriced (not in tech of working class people) out almost perfect (Fiesta ST)…..no point crying about the fact he’s a car snob, is there?
What racial stereotype? Same race last time I checked. Spanish stereotype, yes.