The eye-popping Ariel Nomad is one tough mudder — and the guy who's driving it this season on "Top Gear" is going to have to be one too.
Matt LeBlanc, best known for playing dim-witted Joey on "Friends," is behind the wheel of the Nomad. It's a tiny but howling 235-horsepower bundle of off-road madness with an open cockpit, able to roar across the Moroccan desert. That's blisteringly hot terrain most people would have trouble walking on.
"That one was about letting the wind pull back your face — when you're not covered in sand," says LeBlanc. While filming his first season in the driver's seat on "Top Gear," the actor's also wrapping up his last season of Showtime's hit comedy "Episodes."
A British-made show famous in that country for its gorgeous, cinematic look, "Top Gear" puts the focus on incredible cars and unbelievable feats. Since its 1977 debut, hosts have driven some of the world's most exotic autos through war zones, across continents and amid some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet.
'Top Gear' apologizes for filming stunts near war memorial[1]
But like soccer, "Top Gear" is a huge deal everywhere on Earth — except in the U.S. There's a feeling behind the scenes of the show that LeBlanc might be able to help change that.
"Last week I tested out the new Ferrari 488 Spider," he says of the 660-horsepower, $265,000 toy that can go from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds.
Matt LeBlanc drives the Rolls-Royce Dawn around Ireland's Ring of Kerry.
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Buckle up for the ride!
( )The creators of "Top Gear" are hoping LeBlanc can make the show more popular with U.S. audiences.
"It was bad to the bone — really easy to slide sideways in," he says. "It was actually harder to keep it going in a straight line."
At home, LeBlanc says, he drives "a few Porsches — I like Porsches. I have a new turbo that is probably my everyday car, but I like to rotate around.
"I have an '88 Carrera that I rebuilt," he adds. "It's in great shape and it's got about 111,000 miles on it and it runs like a clock. I have a 12-year-old daughter and it's her favorite. She calls it our 'little black jelly bean.'"
LeBlanc says he's been into cars his whole life. He sheepishly admits his first car was a 1984 Nissan pickup truck.
Matt LeBlanc crashes wedding while filming for 'Top Gear'[2]
"It was a good little truck," he says of the car that his dad gave him. "All my friends had cars that needed repairs. Mine was brand-new, it didn't need anything, so I got bored with it. I gave it up and bought a 1978 Chevy Blazer that needed a lot of work."
LeBlanc snaps a selfie in season 23 of "Top Gear."
LeBlanc and his co-host, Chris Evans, might want to keep that in mind when they work to make high-octane lemonade out of a situation littered with lemons. The pair — who join the mysterious, helmeted stunt-driver known only as The Stig — are taking over what's arguably the most popular and respected car show on the planet — and that's a gig that comes with baggage in the trunk.
"It's a little tricky in the sense of how this show is going to be received," LeBlanc tells the Daily News of the revamped program that debuts on BBC America on May 30.
The issue has little to do with LeBlanc or Evans. The pair have been tapped to take over the show after the departure of longtime — and deeply adored — hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The acerbic Clarkson had appeared on the show since 1988, but was fired last year following a fist fight with a producer on the set. Hammond and May left soon after, with the three now filming a new car show for Amazon Prime.
Naturally, the replacement of the beloved hosts has not gone over well with fans. Trailers for the LeBlanc- and Evans-hosted American edition that were posted on YouTube in late April have been compared to the much-maligned trailer of the new all-female reboot of "Ghostbusters."
LeBlanc poses with the Ariel Nomad in Morocco.
(Roderick Fountain)"Some of the tweets have been pretty mean," LeBlanc says of the initial reception. "I've seen them say stuff like, 'How could they be letting a Yank do 'Top Gear'?!'"
There's "no bad blood" between him and the departed hosts, says LeBlanc. He appeared on the show's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment in 2012 and then was interviewed by Clarkson.
"I'm looking forward to seeing their Amazon show," he says.
Many fans argue it was the chemistry between the hosts that made the show special — and they're not wrong. But BBC America and its parent, the BBC, believe that viewers will tune in to see the cars in action.
LeBlanc is simply hoping fans will give the new version a chance.
"Honestly," he says, "I really hope people like it."
Send a Letter to the Editor [3]References
- ^ 'Top Gear' apologizes for filming stunts near war memorial (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Matt LeBlanc crashes wedding while filming for 'Top Gear' (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Send a Letter to the Editor (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ matt leblanc (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ top gear (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ chris evans (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ facebook (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ twitter (twitter.com)
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