Clarkson and co's new Amazon car show was almost called Prime Torque
Autonation and Skid Mark were also mooted as Clarkson reveals some very expensive calls to lawyers about naming the new motoring series
Some say naming a new car show is pretty difficult. And when I say some, I mean Jeremy Clarkson.
Earlier this month Clarskon, James May and Richard Hammond released a video of themselves struggling to come up with a moniker for the new Amazon Prime motoring show - and it seems they haven't got much further.
"I spend at least six hours a day in my office — which is insured and smoke-free and resplendent with potted plants — sucking creatively on a corporate Biro as I wait for the daily 3 p.m. ‘Anything yet?’ phone call from Amazon in Los Angeles," Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sunday Times.
It's pricey brainstorming, too.
"Every morning, I’d make a £7,000 ($10,000) call to the lawyer with an idea, and every afternoon I’d get a £7,000 reply saying the name was already in use by someone in New Zealand or France or Ukraine."
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There were a few possibles. But alas, Prime Torque, Autonation and Skid Mark were a "no-no."
A lot of speculation surrounded the title Gear Knobs. But while it was available to trademark, it was deemed unwise by said lawyer.
"In short, the BBC not only owns the rights to the Stig and the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car and the Cool Wall, but also to any name that is remotely similar to Top Gear."
There are plenty of people to keep happy with the name name, too.
"It can’t even be a minor play on the words Top or Gear," Clarkson said. "Oh, and it had to be a name that was liked by me, our producer, Hammond, Eeyore [James May] and a billionaire in Seattle."
No pressure, eh? Do pop your suggestions in the comment section below, before Clarkson gets away with something like Speed, Power!
