User:Snowolf/TG
The first series of the television series current format of Top Gear was broadcast in the United Kingdom starting on 20 October 2002, and concluding on 29 December 2002, and contained 10 episodes. The series included presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe. This was Dawe's only series as a presenter on Top Gear.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 1 | Series 1 Episode 1 | 20 October 2002 | Harry Enfield |
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Review: Clarkson reviewed the Citroën Berlingo Multispace in Calais, France and Newcastle, England. He likes that it is an affordable small car with character & great storage space and it rides like a Jaguar. Preview: Richard Hammond presents a short retrospective on the Ford GT40 followed by a walkthrough of a prototype Ford GT – which has just been announced. The new model is slightly larger, a few inches taller, and is expected to sell in limited numbers for around $150,000. The News: The UK government has announced £145 million on road upgrades over the next five years. New cars include the Fiat Stilo, the Nissan Micra, and the Smart Roadster. The state of Formula 1 racing is discussed, with Clarkson lamenting the overuse of technology. The Bentley Continental GT is also discussed. Review: Clarkson drove the Pagani Zonda C12 S 7.3. Powered by a 12 cylinder, 555 bhp engine built for Pagani by Mercedes-Benz, the car can achieve a top speed of 220 mph. He loves the noise, the styling and calls it a proper supercar. It’s only problem is that it must be compared to the Lamborghini Murciélago. Which he does. He is pleased that new owner Audi has made the Murciélago easier to drive than all previous Lamborghinis. Head to head in a drag race against the Zonda, the higher powered Lamborghini is beaten by the lighter weight Zonda. Despite this, Clarkson is thrilled by the responsiveness of the Murciélago and anoints it the best Lamborghini ever made. However, as great as it is, he likes the Zonda more and calls it the king of supercars. Back in the studio, Hammond presents the Top Gear test track. Designed by Lotus test drivers, the course is just over 2 miles in length with specially-designed corners: Chicago, Hammerhead, Follow-through, Bacharach Bend, and lastly, Carpenter’s Corner (renamed Gambon in Episode 8). Clarkson then introduces The Stig, an anonymous ("tame") racing driver whose sole purpose is to post lap times. The Zonda achieved a 1:23.8 around the track while the Murciélago had a 1:29.0 on a circuit which was damp in places. Challenge: Presented by Hammond, the challenge attempts to prove the claim that if you drive fast enough, you can beat a speed camera. The Stig had to drive fast enough to be undetected by a speed camera. After attempts in a Honda Civic Type R (129 mph) and a Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG (148 mph), he finally did it at 170 mph (270 km/h) in a TVR Tuscan S. Challenge: Clarkson looks into biodiesel, and tests the usage of biodiesel with a Volvo 740. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Harry Enfield sits down with Jeremy to share his history with cars. Jeremy then introduces the concept behind "Star In A Reasonably Priced Car" as well as the car itself: a Suzuki Liana (obtained from the manufacturer after Top Gear was turned down by Hyndai, Nissan, and Daewoo). Jeremy set the very first lap time of 1:50 with both Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe in the back seat. It’s later revealed that the Stig turned in a time of 1:46. Conversely, Harry Enfield sets a very slow lap time of 2:01. Challenge: Jeremy investigates the validity of running a diesel engine on vegetable oil. Using a Volvo 740 he is astonished to find that the claim works and costs around £1.50/gallon. Insider Dealing: Jason has found that the current Mini Cooper has actually appreciated in value. The Suburu Impreza Turbo is now £3,000 off the list price due to poor sales and a new model forthcoming. The Volvo XC90 is slated to be produced in very low numbers for the U.K., which both Jason and Jeremy find astonishing considering how good the car is. Review: Hammond reviewed a Mazda6, Mazda's attempt at a sports saloon. Hammond and Clarkson agreed the handling was fantastic for a Mazda, but a lack of power and prestige makes it meat for posh German executive cars. |
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| 2 | Series 1 Episode 2 | 27 October 2002 | Jay Kay |
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Review: The Stig tests the Ford Focus RS on the track against its main competition, the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Honda Civic Type R. The Impreza completes a lap of the Top Gear test track in 1:39 and the Civic finishes in 1:38.06. Surprisingly, the Focus RS beats the competition soundly with a time of 1:33.8. Jeremy Clarkson was initially stunned, because the straight-line speed of the Focus RS is poor compared to the Impreza's. He then drives the Focus RS on the empty roads of Wales and says that it "handles like it's in a cartoon". Aside from a highly positive review, calling it a "budget supercar," Clarkson claims that the differential and torque steering make the car uncontrollable on bumpy B-roads. The News: The popularity of live car chase footage in America (specifically Los Angeles) has given rise to the number of people intentionally trying to outrun the police. Vauxhall has a new family car with seats that cleverly fold away into the floor. Mazda has a new car the RX-8. The Volkswagen Touareg is a cheaper version of the Porsche Cayenne. Clarkson reports that he has finally seen a bus in a London bus lane. MG has a new supercar that can be bought with options that will take it to 965 bhp. Challenge: Hammond wanted to see how many motorcycles a double-decker bus can jump over. The bus managed to clear three bikes and crash into the remaining eleven. Review: The Noble M12 GTO was also tested. Despite the car's wide turning radius, loose brake lights, and windows that cannot be lowered completely, Clarkson loves the car for its amazing handling, great power and, most notably, its complete lack of understeer. The Stig puts the M12 around a very wet Top Gear track in 1:32.9. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jay Kay of Jamiroquai. During the interview, he admits to being a passionate petrolhead, and proves talented at identifying cars when only small snippets are shown. He proceeds to complete his lap around the track in 1:48.1, a record which stands for many episodes. Review: Jeremy states his belief that all good RS Fords bring "power to the people". Highlights are shown of the hosts & crew getting shots RS owners driving their cars around the Top Gear track. Hammond points out that when Jeremy drove an RS200 over the summer for his No Limits video, he too, became something of a mad man. Insider Dealing: Jason has found deals on the Citroën C5, the Rover 75, used super-minis (like small Fiats & Citroëns), and used BMW 7 series. Review: Richard Hammond admits that he doesn't like all RS models. He then takes a look back on his childhood dream car, the 1977 Ford Escort RS1800. |
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| 3 | Series 1 Episode 3 | 3 November 2002 | Ross Kemp |
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The News: Using sex to sell cars. Transport 2000 (a lobbying group) is suing the government. They want the government to stop painting speed cameras yellow and paint them a less noticeable color so that they catch more speeders. Review: Jeremy looks at the new Mini and admits it handles well and is styled nicely. However, it is very big compared to the old one, and uses its space inefficiently. He then looks at the funky Toyota Yaris Verso, a much more practical car which he prefers. The major downfall of the Yaris is it’s styling – or lack thereof. Interview: Jeremy talks to influential designer Peter Horbury about automotive design, national characteristics, and form language. Peter’s pick for "Best Looking Car of all Time" is the Porsche 928. Review: Hammond disagrees with Peter’s pick and instead makes his case for the Citroën DS. Challenge: Richard presents five grannies attempting to do donuts in a Honda S2000. Rally car driver and stuntman Russ Swift was on hand to teach the grannies how to perform the doughnut. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Ross Kemp, who sets a time of 1:54 on a wet track. Because of this, they send The Stig out to set a wet lap time, which he does in 1:50. Jeremy thus deduces that the difference between a wet lap and a dry lap is roughly 4 seconds. Insider Dealing: Jason has found an appealing lease option for an Alfa Romeo 166. Review: As a further counterpoint to Richard and Peter’s picks for the "Best Looking Car of all Time," Jeremy presents the Lamborghini Miura SV in the studio. He greatly admires the car’s styling, but ultimately choses the Aston Martin DB7 (specifically the Vantage), which he reviews via a short film. Interview: Back in the studio, Jeremy talks with the DB7’s designer, Ian Callum. As a wrap-up to the interview, Jeremy invites Peter Horbury back for a sketch-off. Both designers draw their interpretations of a modern Jaguar E-type and the results are strikingly similar. Review: Richard drives the £20,000 Westfield XTR2. Despite having only a 1.3 liter engine which produces a mere 170 bhp, the Westfield weighs just 410 kilograms. This makes for an extremely potent power to weight ratio. The Stig takes it around the track in 1:22.6 (which Richard rounds up to 1:23). Rounded or not, it beats the Zonda’s time from the first episode and tops the Power Lap board (though eventually it was removed from the board entirely). This is the first episode to end with Clarkson declaring “And on that bombshell…”, though the it would not become a regular catchphrase until later series. |
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| 4 | Series 1 Episode 4 | 10 November 2002 | Steve Coogan |
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Review: To celebrate the release of Die Another Day, there is a race between two classic Bond cars, Aston Martin Vanquish vs. Ferrari 575M Maranello (featuring Damon Hill in the 575M). While the Aston makes the better noise and is more comfortable, the Ferrari is faster, lighter, more fun to drive, will hold its value better, and has a much better gearbox. The Stig takes the Aston Martin Vanquish around the track in 1.36.2 and the Ferrari 575M in 1.35.2; set on very wet track. In fact, at about 140 mph the Stig spun the Aston right off the track. Interview: Jeremy interviews rally champion Richard Burns. Clarkson demonstrates to him what rallying is really like. He makes him stand outside in the cold waiting for the cars to come past and when a car did come past it sprayed grit in his face. Review: Dawe reviewed the Nissan Skyline GT-R, showing stock footage of racing-modified Skylines. Dawe calls the car a PlayStation on wheels, noting the extensive electronic monitoring and feedback systems that are displayed on a computer screen inside the car. According to Dawe, the Skylines were so dominant in racing circuits that the rules were eventually changed in order to outlaw the car. He presents the R32, R33, and R34 models for comparison, underlining the fact that Skyline production has ended and that the only source for them now is the secondary market. He concludes that the R34 is the best of the breed but recommends the R33 as the best overall value. Preview: The Vanquish and Jaguar XKR convertible from Die Another Day were featured in the studio. In order to make room for under-bonnet gadgets, the original engines were removed and replaced with Mustang V8s. The News: How to make Formula 1 more interesting, a teenage delinquent wins the lottery, a clergy who wants to drive for Top Gear. Insider Dealing: End of the year deals are inevitable as dealerships lower prices to make their sales targets. Current bargains include the Ford Focus for £9,995 and free insurance from Renault. Preview: Further celebrating the release of Die Another Day, Richard and Jeremy show off the actual cars from the film in the studio: Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish (complete with machine guns, missiles, & an ejector seat) and the villain’s Jaguar XKR (with even more machine guns & missiles). Both cars have inspired a future “Build A Bond Car” challenge – which will feature in the next episode of Top Gear. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Steve Coogan. Clarkson lauds his ability to place characters in appropriate cars, and Coogan exhibits encyclopedic knowledge of Volvo parts and can tell between Porsche 911 models based on door-slamming sounds. Coogan sets a time of 1:53.0 in the pouring rain, which is then used as a benchmark wet time for the Liana's lifetime. Challenge: Hammond judged mid-range 2.0-litre four-door family saloons. After he decided that the Honda Accord was the best compromise, The Stig then took them round the track in the "Mid Range Olympics." On a dry track for all of them, the Jaguar X-Type came in last at 1:46 due to a poor traction control system, narrowly beaten by the Toyota Avensis and the Renault Laguna at 1:45. The Honda Accord came in the middle at 1:44, which was in turn beaten by the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class at 1:43. The Ford Mondeo, despite being front-wheel drive and down on power compared to the Germans, came quickest at 1:41 due to its chassis. |
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| 5 | Series 1 Episode 5 | 17 November 2002 | Jonathan Ross |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. After a short history lesson and noting "firsts" that now appear on many family and economical cars (like Anti-lock brakes and airbags), Clarkson fails to test drive the car after it refuses to correctly accept the telephone numbers Clarkson suggested. The S-Class test is a classic example of the new, less conventional style Top Gear has adopted. Jeremy said in his introduction 'this car has a very economical, twin-turbo, 6.0 litre... I don't mean economical, do I? I mean massive V12.” Eventually, he does get it on the road where he demonstrates the radar-guided cruise control. He ultimately deems it a fabulous car. Review: Immediately following the S-class review, Jeremy then goes for a test drive in its rival, the Audi A8. He notes that the Audi is more of a sports car than a luxury car. He further says that it's not better than the Mercedes, not even slightly. He says the Audi is better to drive, but the Mercedes is more refined and more comfortable. Preview: Hammond & Clarkson preview a pre-production model of the Jaguar XJ in the studio. The News: The Nissan Almera gets a facelift and a name change. Another new Nissan is the 350Z - which won’t be coming to the UK as all models produced for the year will be going to the US. Wiltshire County Council are removing the white lines from the roads in order to create a feeling of uncertainty among drivers, thereby making them drive more cautiously. Studies show that MPG estimates are not accurate. Review: Jason Dawe looks at used Peugeot 206s. He lauds the car for having character and classlessness, and though he acknowledges that the prices are inflated by too much demand, he still recommends buying them because they will hold this value until again up for sale. Clarkson and Dawe agree that it's the best used car buy of the time. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jonathan Ross, while driving an extremely wet track, he is penalised two seconds for cutting over the Hammerhead corner and receives a time of 1:57. This failure to take the Hammerhead corner has been related to in later Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segments, where Clarkson tells guests that “Jonathan Ross, who got lost...” Review: Hammond goes to Germany to "test drive" a Maybach 62 and gushes over the numerous features of the car. He says that it is better than a Rolls-Royce, but it is the sort of thing that can only be appreciated by those who can afford it. The S-class costs £87,000 while the Maybach 62 lists for £281,380. Insider Dealing: The Rover 45 can be had for as little as £9,903 (down from £11.650). MG is knocking 15% off some of its models. BMW dealerships are fitting tires for less than franchise houses such as Quick Fit. The deal of the week is Vauxhall 2.2 CDX lists for £22,500, but Dawe has found one for £16,000. Review: Clarkson then test drives a Bentley Arnage and thrashes the car on the Top Gear track. The Stig takes the luxury car to a time of 1:40.8 on a wet track. Challenge: Make an 'average' car into a 007/Bond car, for less than £300. The result, a Rover 800 incorporating a paintball gun, a bullet-proof tea tray, a passenger ejector seat, and rocket tubes, makes a parody of many of the associated modifications that grace many James Bond cars. It was built and introduced by Edd China. |
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| 6 | Series 1 Episode 6 | 24 November 2002 | Tara Palmer-Tomkinson |
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Preview: Opening the show, Hammond & Clarkson preview the Honda NSX Type-R in the studio. Honda are trying to decide whether or not to sell the NSX in Britain. The Stig posts a time of 1:33.7 on a very wet track – faster than both the Ferrari 575 and the Noble featured in previous episodes. If you take the 4-second wet lap deduction, the NSX places neck in neck with the Lamborghini Murciélago. As with the Aston Martin featured in episode 4 of the series, the Stig also spun the Honda during one of his attempts at posting a time. Review: Clarkson drives the Renault Vel Satis through Swindon. He finds the ride to be too pillowy to cope with bad roads and its looks to be too wacky for its target audience of executive car buyers. However, like the Renault Avantime, Clarkson loves the bold design. Preview: Back in the studio, Richard and Dawe showcase the new versions of the Renault Mégane and the Renault Avantime. As with the Vel Satis, Clarkson thinks they are fantastic to look at. Hammond and Dawe are not convinced. Challenge: Following up from the successful Granny donut challenge from episode 2, Dawe meets up with the grannies as Rally car driver and stuntman Russ Swift teaches them how to handbrake park in a Mini. The News: Nissan are coming back to motorports – specifically the Dakar Ralley. Mazda is coming out with a limited edition MX5. A sequel is in the works to the Fast And The Furious. Richard and Jeremy are amused by the Hyundai that is slated to appear in the film. Review: Hammond drives the BMW Z4 in Portugal. He admits to not liking the wet BMW Z3, but finds the Z4 to be excellent. Clarkson disagrees, but allows it to be put onto the Cool Wall as a cool car. The Renault Vel Satis has been voted “tow car of the year.” The Cool Wall: Jeremy debuts The Cool Wall – a board divided into four sections (seriously uncool, uncool, cool, and sub-zero) onto which images of cars are posted. As Jeremy explains, where the cars fall depends not on how they look or drive, but solely on how cool they are. The BMW Z3 is uncool. However the Z4 is cool. The Fiat Multipla is cool. The Lexus IS200 was cool but since Alan Partridge owns one, it is now uncool. Finally, Jeremy thinks the Renault Avantime is “the coolest car money can buy” and he places it as far into the sub-zero category as he can. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is reminded of her previous appearance on “old” Top Gear and is grilled on her driving habits. She also reveals that she thinks that bumpers on cars are there so that they can be used as parking aids. She posts a time of 1:54 on the very wet track. Insider Dealing: Dawe has found the Suzuki Liana for as low as £7,995 - £2,000 less that what Top Gear paid for theirs. It’s the time of year that the bigger automotive dealers need to get rid of their used cars. They might not be advertised, but they will definitely be dealing. Dawe also has some tips about settling the financing on trade-ins. Review: Continuing the theme of “cool cars,” Dawe looks at used car that has never gone out of fashion: the Volkswagen Golf. He laments briefly at the poor performance of petrol Golfs in the past two generations, and recommends the torque of the diesel versions to those who want performance. Dawe then looks at a metallic pea-green Golf with a beige interior and black dashboard, remarking that a poor choice of colour and trim can make a secondhand Golf worth £500 less than if it was in a proper colour scheme. Review: Clarkson revisits the cool wall and places various models of the Mercedes-Benz SL in nearly every category. He then previews the latest model, the SL55, in the studio and postulates that it too, may be “uncool.” However it has a big brother. With that, he drives his personal Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG around the track very carefully extolling its virtues, before giving in and opening the taps (as he puts it) just a little bit. Back in the studio with Hammond, he explains that ultimately the car is a bit “northern” and he confesses that, as being from the north himself, that is probably why he likes it so much. He makes an attempt at what will become his signature send-off (“And on that bombshell, we have to end…”), but Hammond cuts him off. Hammond notes to Clarkson that, according to a UK gay-oriented website, the SL55 AMG is considered to be the fourth-gayest car. The car is then stolen by Hammond and given to the Stig for a lap. The Stig posts a time of 1:33.2 (Very Wet Track). Like the NSX at the top of the show, a quick time. |
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| 7 | Series 1 Episode 7 | 1 December 2002 | Rick Parfitt |
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Review: Hammond drives a Saab 9-3, following the government guidelines for "commuting in an eco-friendly manner". He finds it to be well-equipped and a bit of a bargain compared to German orthodoxy, but not as wacky and interesting as old Saabs. The News: The Daihatsu Copen looks like it might compete with Smart Roadster, but it appears it may be too expensive. Tuning house Brabus has one-upped Jeremy’s Mercedes AMG from the previous episode with their own model. The Mercedes E-class, Renault Vel Satis, Renaut Mégane, and Saab 93 are the latest cars to receive a 5-star crash test rating from EuroNcap. Further, the Suburu Outback was singled out as the safest car for children (in the back seat). Transportation secretary Alistair Darling wants a “hole czar” to take on all of the holes in the roads. They close out the news complaining about buses. Challenge: The Fastest Faith (part 1): A search for the "fastest faith" starts, with the contestants being a Catholic Priest, a Rabbi, a Buddhism Lama, an Anglican Priest, a Bishop also from the Church of England, and a follower of the Hare Krishna. Each driver drove a highly tuned Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The car was spun by the rabbi and the Hare Krishna, giving them 5th and 6th place respectively. Fourth place went to the Lama, third to the bishop. The Catholic priest was beaten by the Anglican priest for the best time. This challenge is continued in episode 10 of the series. Preview: Hammond showcases three cars with diesel engines in the studio: a Ford Focus, BMW 5-series, and a Citroën C8 people carrier. Out on the track, the Peugeot RC (a diesel-powered sports car) does a wet, untimed lap. The Cool Wall: The VW Golf is cool. The diesel version is uncool. The Saab 93 is cool. The diesel version is, predictably, uncool. Preview: Hammond showcases the Ford Think – an electric prototype. The Stig takes it around the track in a race against Jason Dawe – who is on foot. Jason wins because the Think runs out of battery power. Following this (and Jeremy’s vocal complaints), Hammond follows this with a look at the Toyota Prius. Jeremy places it well off the “seriously uncool” end of The Cool Wall into a place he terms “deep, dark recesses of Hell.” Challenge: Jason Dawe takes a number of cars to a primary school to get the kids' verdict on coolness. Among them were the Ferrari 360 Modena, the Pagani Zonda, the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, the TVR Tuscan S. Their favourite was the Lamborghini Countach, the oldest, dirtiest, least comfortable, and least safe of the cars. Preview: Back in the studio, Hammond & Dawe showcase a Bristol that has been converted to run on LPG. Dawe remarks that you will recoup the cost of the conversion after around 20,000 miles. Review: Clarkson drives a Lotus Elise 111S badly and then gets a lesson from a Lotus test driver on how to drive it properly. The Stig takes it around the track in a time of 1.35.6 (wet track). Preview: Clarkson reveals the Peugeot 607 to be the greenest car in the world – because it’s so awful you wouldn’t want to drive it. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Rick Parfitt of Status Quo, sets a time of 1:52. Insider Dealing: The Fiat Stilo, normally £11,700 is now £7,995. The Ford Ka is a mere £4,995. But the best deal of the week goes to the Isuzu Trooper. The previous year’s model originally listed for £27,000. Now it can be had (still brand new on the dealers’ lots) for £18,995 |
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| 8 | Series 1 Episode 8 | 8 December 2002 | Michael Gambon |
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Jeremy opens the show with an apology for stating he was going to kick a barn owl for fun in the previous episode. He says that while they made the effort to go “green” in episode 7, they mucked it up and won’t bother again. Preview: Jeremy briefly shows the BWM M5 and the Jaguar S Type-R in the studio. Both have 400 bhp. They also both have new competition in the form of the Audi RS6. Review: Jeremy road tests the 450bhp Audi RS6. He liked the power and the speed, but found the ride a bit stiff. Despite this he deemed the Audi “one of the best made cars on the road today” … “easily better than the BMW M5 and the Jaguar S Type-R.” Clarkson then drives the 500bhp Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG. While he is not a fan of the E-Class styling or of Mercedes service and customer care, he does like the power, speed, and sound that comes from the 5.5L supercharged V8 engine. He says that the Audi and the Mercedes are equals in just about every way, but that he ultimately prefers the Audi. The track times were: The Audi RS6 did 1.33.0 and the Mercedes-Benz E55 completed the track in 1:35:5 (both wet tracks, though considerably wetter for the Mercedes). Nick Mason of Pink Floyd makes a brief cameo during Clarkson’s review. Challenge: A Lada Riva 1.5E Catalyst is modified by Lotus. After driving it on the track, the Lotus test driver calls it "easily the worst car I've ever driven." They take out the shoddy Russian 35 bhp (26 kW) engine and replace it with an identical type and size of engine, but tuned to deliver 180 bhp (130 kW). The gearbox, suspension, and bodywork are replaced or substantially tuned. With a modified exterior (debadged of any Lada markings), a refreshingly updated interior, and a much-improved suspension, Lotus spent a total of 1000 hours and £100,000 to deliver a Lada that is actually good to drive and be seen in. The News: Ridiculous parking tickets. The latest Citroën Berlingo is prettier, but still odd-looking and still inexpensive. The new Vauxhall Astra has 200bhp for £16,000. The Audi TT has a bigger engine and a press release full of techno-speak regarding the gearbox. Challenge: White-Van Men raced a Ford World Rally Transit van around the Top Gear track. They all had similar times but one: Clarkson's preferred man (a fellow Steely Dan fan) got lost and turned up two minutes behind the others. Review: Hammond looks at superminis, choosing the mid-range 1.4 litre of each type. He finds the Ford Fiesta to be rather good to drive and quite practical, but extremely boring both inside and out. The Citroën C3 is interesting, but slow and forgettable to drive. The Honda Jazz is easily the most practical and spacious, quite like a mini MPV, as well as intelligently proportioned inside. But the Jazz has all the downsides of an MPV, such as noise reverberation and poor drive feel. The Nissan Micra is less practical, but offers a huge amount of technology and options for its price. Hammond is finally satisfied by the MG ZR, which feels special to drive even in the midrange non-hot version. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Michael Gambon tells the story of when he faked a heart-attack whilst flying a friend over London. On his way to a time of 1:55 on wet tarmac, his driving style causes him to break off the car's right wing mirror, as well as nearly rolling the car while cutting the last corner of the test track (“Carpenter’s Corner”). As a result, Clarkson re-names the corner "Gambon Corner," a name the track corner has kept to this day. Insider Dealing: Dawe has found another new Suzuki Liana – this time for £7,495. Deals can be had on re-registered cars. That is cars registered by the dealer (a trick to meet sales quotas) and then sold later at a discount (because they are technically “used”). Deals include the Renault Scenic £9,000 (down from £12,500), a Ford Focus 1.4CL 7,995 (normally £10,500), and a Fiat Punto £4,995. Review: Jeremy tests the Maserati Coupé on the track. He finds it to be a confused and unsatisfying alternative, somewhere between the performance of a Ferrari and the comfort of a Jaguar. The Stig achieves an underwhelming time of 1.38.0 on a very wet track. |
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| 9 | Series 1 Episode 9 | 22 December 2002 | Gordon Ramsay |
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Review: Jeremy opens the show with a brief review of the Renault Espace. He finds it to be a bit pricey, but the perfect family car. Immediately following his review, Jeremy places the Espace into the uncool section of the cool wall. He also places people carriers from Citroën, Chrysler, Kia, and Toyota in “uncool.” As he puts it, “All people carriers are uncool.” Hammond recommends SUV’s (like a Range Rover) as a “cool” alternative. Review: Jeremy prefers the Toyota Landcruiser as the “cool” alternative. He likes the legendary Toyota reliability, eight seats, “and enough boot space for a cameraman.” He finds the latest model to be better looking, better equipped, and better riding than previous models. However, he also says that as a family car, you end up paying for things you’ll never need or use, such as a low-range gear box, adjustable ride height, and locking differential. As an alternative, Hammond offers up “grass & gravel” 4x4’s in the form of the BMW X5 and the Audi Allroad – which retain the cool looks, but dispense with the offroad extras. However, they only have five seats. Review: Jeremy drives the Volvo XC90 Estate and finds it doesn’t work off-road, it’s big, thirsty, and not very nice to drive. However, he likes the safety features, amenities, the price, and the fact that it was clearly designed for families. Challenge: Can a heavy car be made faster by simply making it lighter? Hammond and Dawe start with a used 1985 Jaguar XJS V12. The Stig sets a 0-60mph time of 8.6 seconds. Hammond and Dawe then turned it over to a crew from Cornwall. They pull off speakers, bumpers, seats, etc. for a total reduction of 223 kilograms. The Stig then sets a new 0–60mph time of 7.4 seconds. The 0–100 mph savings turned out to be 5 seconds. The News: Morgan “The Morgan Club” to help finance their racing team. Clarkson has found a better investment: a house in the south of France with a “full on racetrack” on the grounds. A motorcyclist files a lawsuit against the DVLA demanding to settle case with a fight to the death. Preview: Jeremy presents the MG SV – a V8 muscle car priciest around £60,000. Review: Hammond reviews the Subaru Forester 2.0 XT and finds it to be fantastic off-road and on. On the downside, he finds it to be a bit thirsty and the interior to be somewhat dull. The Cool Wall: Returning to the board, Hammond & Clarkson place the Forrester in the “cool” section. Other cars include TVR (uncool), the VW Polo (cool). Hammond thinks the BMW M3 is cool and wants to move it up from “uncool.” Clarkson disagrees, but when his back is turned, Hammond sneaks it over into “cool.” Clarkson is aghast to find that someone has put the Porsche Boxster into the “subzero” section. The culprit turns out to be the cameraman (who owns one). Clarkson drops it down to “uncool.” Clarkson then notices the M3 in the cool section, pulls it off, and prepares to demote it yet again. Hammond intervenes and convinces Clarkson to put it to a studio audience vote – which he does. Not liking the results, he declares “this isn’t a democracy” and places the car back into “uncool.” Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Gordon Ramsay stops by to talk school runs and service stations. Jeremy also reveals a challenge he filmed earlier involving cooking food on the engine while you drive. Three separate entrés were placed under the hood/bonnet of three different cars and sent around the Top Gear track for two hours. The Stig, making his first appearance in the studio, presented the results to Ramsay, who found them terrible. Ramsay sets a time of 1:50 – matching Jeremy’s time. Insider Dealing: The deal of the week is a new Nissan Torano for £15,500 (a £4,500 savings). Jason says that in the next few months, there will be deals on the Toyota Avencis as a new model is coming out which will force dealers to drop the price on the old one. Dawe also predicts the hot cars for next year will be the BMW Z4, VW Beetle Cabriolet, and the Nissan 350Z. He says that the demand for those three will outweigh the supply and anyone lucky enough to buy one will likely be able to get their money back (and even make a small profit) if they sell it 6-12 months down the line. Review: Jeremy reviews the VW Golf R32. He finds the Golf to be a lot more car than its predecessor, but lacking in the original’s spirit as well. Comparing it to its immediate competition (Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, and SEAT León Cupra R), Clarkson finds the Golf to be showing its age. The Stig drives the Focus RS to a lap time of 1:32.2. He then takes the R32 to a time of 1:33.3. As shown in Episode 2, the Ford is again quickest on the track, but Clarkson prefers the Golf because it is easier to control. Challenge: The Stig raced a Radical SR3 around the track against an aerobatic plane. The plane wins the race, but the Radical tops the Power Lap board with a time of 1:19.8, beating the Westfield XTR2’s time of 1:22.6 (from episode 3). |
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| 10 | Series 1 Episode 10 | 29 December 2002 | Jay Kay |
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Review: Jeremy reviews off-roaders: Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon, BMW X5, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Range Rover. Clarkson ridicules the poor usability of the BMW X5 as an off-road vehicle. He cites the Jeep, Land Cruiser, and Range Rover as more or less equally good off-road, but overwhelmingly prefers the pricey Range Rover because of its excellent interior, indestructibility, and "sheer Range-Roveriness." There is the question of Range Rover’s less than stellar reputation as far as reliability goes. To this end, Clarkson has convinced Rover to loan him one for six months to see if anything will go wrong. 2002 Top Gear Awards:
Review: Clarkson also reviews two cars touted as challengers to the Radical SR3: the AS One and the Audi TT MTM Bimoto. The Audi MTM Bimoto set a time of 1:28:6, whereas the As One posted a 1:29:4 on the track. In other words, nowhere close to the Radical. Challenge: The Fastest Faith (part 2): The search for the "fastest faith" continues from episode 7 with a Muslim Imam, a Rastafarian, a Seventh-day Adventist, and the Druid Arthur Uther Pendragon. The Adventist pastor was unable to fit in the car, giving him fourth place. The Rastafarian, who was jokingly warned to "keep off the grass," turned in the top time, beating the druid and the imam, who got 3rd and 2nd respectively. The Rastafarian also beat the Anglican priest from the earlier challenge, earning the title of "fastest faith" decisively. Insider Dealing: Dawe looks at a number of used car bargains, including a Citroën AX, a Nissan Primera, and a £100 Nissan 300C. Dawe recommends to be brave and go for old, essentially disposable cars with potential reliability issues to save money. Review: Clarkson looks back at the Lotus Esprit fondly, after almost a quarter-century of production. Clarkson's only gripe is the awkward gearbox, which is sourced originally from the Renault 25 - the limited quantities of which will eventually kill the Esprit off. Clarkson tested the Esprit V8, which posted a time of 1:32:5, rather disappointing given the Esprit's perception as one of the greatest sports cars ever. The News: New supercars for 2003 include the Porsche Carrera GT, the Dodge Viper, the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron, the McClaren Mercedes SLR, the Koenigsegg CC8S, as well as a car from new company Ascari (which they have in the studio). New sports cars include the Chrysler Crossfire and the Mazda RX8. Other new cars of note include the Porsche Cayenne, the Volkswagen Phaeton, and the Vauxhall Signum Review: Hammond also reviews a TVR 350C, which even The Stig finds a handful - spinning out on a practice lap before setting a Power Lap time of 1:28. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jay Kay appears to accept an award for being the fastest guest of the series. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear Season 1 | Harry Enfield & Jonathan Ross | ||
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Review: The Noble M12 GTO (from Series 1, Episode 2) The News: Ridiculous parking tickets (from Series 1, Episode 8). MG has a new supercar that can be bought with options that will take it to 965 bhp (from Series 1, Episode 2). Review: Hammond reviews the BMW Z4 (from Season 1, Episode 6). The Stig Highlight Reel Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Harry Enfield (from Season 1, Episode 1) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jonathan Ross (from Season 1, Episode 5) Challenge: The speed camera challenge (from Season 1, Episode 1) Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Citroën Berlingo Multispace (from Season 1, Episode 1) Challenge: The double-decker bus jump (from Season 1, Episode 2) The Cool Wall: Jeremy debuts The Cool Wall (from Season 1, Episode 6) Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Aston Martin DB7 (from Season 1, Episode 3) Challenge: The vegetable oil in a diesel engine challenge (from Season 1, Episode 1) Review: Hammond looks at superminis: the Ford Fiesta, the Citroën C3, the Honda Jazz, and the Nissan Micra (from Season 1, Episode 8) ’’’Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG (from Season 1, Episode 6) |
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[edit] References
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The second series of the television series Top Gear began on 11 May 2003, and concluded on 27 July 2003. The series featured 10 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" episode, charting the best moments from Series 1 and 2. The series was the first to be recorded with James May, as the first series featured motoring enthusiast Jason Dawe.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 11 | Series 2 Episode 1 | 11 May 2003 | Vinnie Jones |
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Review: Jeremy reviewed the Smart Roadster and said it was good to drive despite poor acceleration and a limited top speed. However, the boot space was described as "similar to a baking tray", and the semi-automatic gearbox was found to be almost unusably slow to respond to gear changes. Also viewed were Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet and the Ford Street Ka, which Clarkson and Hammond agreed were impossible for men to drive with dignity. Cool Wall: Renault Avantime is removed from the wall because it isn't produced any more. VW Beetle Cabriolet and Ford Street Ka are Cool, but only for girls, and the Smart Roadster is Subzero. Love/Hate Board: Jeremy introduces the Love/Hate board. "Love" is already full with a photo of Kristin Scott Thomas and another one of Terry-Thomas. In the "Hate" section are chummy radio opening messages, cyclists, paddle-shift gear boxes and personalised license plates. Richard reveals his top 5 worst cars ever: 5. AMC Pacer 4. Peel P50 (3 wheel car) 2. Suzuki X-90 1. Nissan Sunny (which he destroys with a jet engine powered drag racer) Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Vinnie Jones recreates a classic scene from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with a melon and a Smart Roadster. He achieved a time of 1:53. Review: New presenter James May reviews his Bentley T2, which he says ruined his life because of poor fuel economy and he has to rent a garage 7 miles (11 km) from his house to keep it in. Clarkson enjoys the Bentley's ludicrously soft suspension, but is confused when May calls his Bentley "so cool that certain people will not understand." The News: The Peugeot 206 GTI and 206 GTI Estate are spotlighted. Jeremy likes the Estate, Richard and James don’t. New cars since the first series wrapped include the Renault Kangoo, Saab 93 Convertible, and the Lamborghini Gallardo. Jeremy predicts that if the Gallardo is anything like its big brother the Murcielago, it will be a “stonking good car.” However, James foresees a problem and reveals a mystery fax that the Top Gear office received consisting of some phone numbers and a drawing of a Lotus Esprit. It turns out when you call the numbers, you reach Lotus and are then asked to identify the picture that’s come through your fax. The reason Lotus is doing this is to try and prove that Esprit shape (supercar wedge) belongs to them so they can copyright it. Richard closes the news by showcasing a Ferrari 355 in studio. He tells the surprised audience that it can be had for a mere £20,000, but then reveals that it is actually a fake built from a Toyota MR2. Continuing the “cheap thrills” theme of this episode, Hammond goes on to explain that once it was completed, the bloke who built it was able to get a lower insurance quote because it was classed as a “kit car.” He further explains that the guy has had to “disappear” into the “midlands underworld” for fear of the wrath of Ferrari. Review: Richard Hammond reviews the Bowler Wildcat, becomes overwhelmed with emotion during the test drive and exclaims he is "a driving god", much to Clarkson's and May's amusement. The Bowler achieves a time of 1:39.4 on a dry track. Slow for a car, but immensely fast for a high-riding off-roader. Review: Murray Walker, the former Formula One commentator features as a special guest, driving the McLaren F1, the fastest car in the world at that point, Now it is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Concluding the show, Richard returns to the Top Gear test track with a caravan, which is then destroyed by the jet engine powered drag racer. |
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| 12 | Series 2 Episode 2 ("Luxury") | 18 May 2003 | Jamie Oliver |
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The theme of the show is "luxury." Review: Jeremy drives the new Rolls-Royce Phantom in and around Hull and the Humber Bridge. He has to swallow preconditions of the Germanness about it, and realises that it is a faithful reproduction of the Rolls-Royce marque. Power, from a 6.75 litre V12, is 453 bhp (338 kW). Clarkson was impressed with other aspects, such as the responsive handling and fuel economy. In the end he found it to be a magnificent car, but lamented the aspects of it that the British were unable to do themselves. May consoles him with the realisation that the Germans and British can work together to make fantastic cars. Jeremy also disappoints May by saying, "no-one called James can buy this car" The Cool Wall: The Rolls-Royce Phantom is uncool. So is the Ferrari Enzo. Richard claims the Audi A3 is uncool, but Jeremy disagrees and places it high on the cool wall – out of Richard’s reach. While Jeremy moves a previously cool Alfa Romeo to the subzero section, Richard stands on a box and relocates the Audi to the uncool section. The News: Jeremy leads off with the bus boat – a bus that can both drive in the bus lane as well as the River Thames. Richard introduces a service called motor flirting – a service that allows motorists to contact each other via text messaging. James mentions the new BMW 5-series which touts active steering. Jeremy isn’t impressed at all and moves on to the Lexus RX300 which is advertised as having a driver’s side air kneebag. This impresses no one. Finally, for the first and probably only time, Jeremy is excited by a small, cheap car. He calls the well-equipped Daihatsu Charade "fantastic" and notes that it is priced at £5995. Review: Richard drives the Queen's Rover P5 and recommends secondhand P5s to luxury car enthusiasts, but only the later V8 models. Insider Dealing: BMW is offering deals on the 5-series. This is noteworthy because BMW never deals. Alfa Romeo GTV Spyder can be had for £20,000. Citroen C5 can be had for £16,000. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Chef Jamie Oliver, who was set a challenge of cooking a salad in the back of his campervan whilst being driven by the Stig (Oliver could not do it). Wanting to beat Gordon Ramsay in the Suzuki Liana, he achieves the same time of 1:50. Love/Hate Board: People who sit too near the wheel, people who sit too far away from the wheel and horses go into the "Hate" section. Challenge: Richard decides to elect a new government based on which party is the fastest at racing in an MG ZR. The results were as follows: 6. Monster Raving Loony Party - 2:13 5. Conservative Party - 1:41.8 4. Green Party - 1:41 3. Labour Party - 1:38.8 2. Legalised Cannabis Alliance - 1:36.5 1. Liberal Democrats - 1:33.9 The Liberal Democrats representative won a "safe seat" (an actual front seat) from a Volvo. Review: A comparison of the Audi S4 and BMW M3. The Stig drives the M3 to a lap time of 1:31.8 but at 1:30.9 the S4 is faster. Clarkson comments that he would have the BMW for one lap of the track, but for everyday life he would go for the Audi to which James concurs. |
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| 13 | Series 2 Episode 3 (“Bad Cars”) | 25 May 2003 | David Soul |
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This episode marks the first time Jeremy introduces the episode with the simple and direct "Tonight!..." followed by (usually) three things that the viewer will see in the episode. Review: Jeremy was blown away by the torque of the V10 diesel engine in the new Volkswagen Touareg. The torque is so strong it can even pull down trees but found nothing else to like about the car. He complained about two equally intolerable ride settings: sickeningly rolly in comfort mode, bone-shatteringly harsh in sport mode. Handling, trim, rear visibility, ride, and price issues doomed the Touareg. It was priced at £50,000; Clarkson gave his most scathing review yet and said he'd rather eat the money than spend it on a Touareg. Review: Clarkson, May and Hammond ask the audience what they think is a bad car, recommending first the Audi A2. Hammond then reviews the presenters choice for the worst car – Lexus SC430. He also reviews the Hyundai Coupé, pointing out how a manufacturer not previously renowned for sports cars has made a much more competent sports coupe than the Lexus for less than half the price. Also mentioned are the Hyundai Sonata (ne Kia Magenta), Daewoo Lanos, and the Vauxhall Vectra. However, one audience member mentions the Vauxhall VX220. Jeremy disagrees and immediately escorts him from the premises. The News: The team discuss the new Citroën Saxo VTR, its appeal among young drivers, and its replacement – the Citroën C2,. Richard introduces the new Porsche 911 GT3, which leads to a discussion about how confusing the 911 range is, and how wonderful the new £330,000 Carrera GT. James is interested in the £230,000, 210 mph, V-10 gull-winged Bristol Fighter but moans that merely knowing Jeremy Clarkson bars him from ever buying a Bristol. Concluding the news, Jeremy shows an image of a Jaguar that has been customised in an unfortunate way. James goes one step further and shows photo of a car with bodykit built from MDF. Insider Dealing: Oversupply has led to some incredible car deals including pre-registered cars that are virtually new, the Mazda MX-5, and the Kia Rio for £1 deposit. Challenge: What country makes the fastest supercar? Last series' stripped down Jaguar XJS goes up against the Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 360 Modena, Porsche 996 Turbo, Venturi Atlantique and Honda NSX on a straight line race. In standard trim the Jag manages a poor 18.5 second quarter-mile. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: David Soul of Starsky and Hutch, who was the first American and first guest to break two Suzuki Lianas. He posted a time of 1:54 despite having coasted the last 300 yards (270 m) with a broken gearbox. To Soul's disappointment, he was not able to explain that he broke the gearboxes because of his unfamiliarity with driving on the right side of the car and shifting with his left hand. If not for that problem, the Stig believed that he could have beaten Jay Kay, currently at the top of the leaderboard. Challenge (part 2): The Jag is given nitrous injection to bring its power up by 500 bhp (370 kW) to 800 bhp (600 kW), and it beats all the other supercars despite its bulk. Review: James road tests the Perodua Kelisa. He and Richard agree it is very soft and easy to drive. Jeremy says that no one would want one and that its name sounds like a disease. Review: Jeremy reviews the BMW Z8 Alpina. He says that even though that Alpina have re-engineered it in an attempt to focus it, the Z8 is like a "delinquent child - born bad and will always be bad". He also compares it to a pair of botched trousers he made throughout the episode. It achieved a surprisingly good time of 1:29 on a dry track. |
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| 14 | Series 2 Episode 4 ("Jaguar") | 1 June 2003 | Boris Johnson |
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Review: Clarkson briefly looks at a Jaguar R Coupe prototype and says that it looks fabulous (despite similarity to the S-Type, which he hates). May relates the humorous story of Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt at the 1953 Le Mans Jaguar C-Type and Hammond drives a 1960s Jaguar Mark II coating it in praise. The News: Next year’s Vauxhall Astra surprises the three with its decent looks. Ferrari offers a stripe on the F360 for a mere £3,643. Rover MG fails to deliver on its promises. The team question the truthfulness of the Reliability Index and James is invited to the opening of a car park. And Richard shows a poorly-conceived Volvo customisation. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Boris Johnson talks about his love of cycling and his car column in GQ magazine. Jeremy tells him he drives in bus lanes and cycle lanes, Johnson challenges the shows director to put that statement in the final cut. Johnson achieved 1:56 in the Liana. Preview: With some assistance from James & Jeremy, Richard previews the new Jaguar XJ in the studio. Challenge: Jeremy sees how far he can drive until he's bored, taking with him a black Jaguar XJR. He managed to get all the way to John O'Groats before saying "Oh dear, I seem to have run out of country". He then proceeded to drive back to England and complete the challenge without beginning to hate driving. Cool Wall: Jaguar XJR is cool in black as Hannibal Lecter owned one, however the rest of the XJ range is deemed uncool. Preview: Transitioning from the Cool Wall to Insider Dealing, Clarkson offers a very brief, in-studio peak at the forthcoming Volkswagen Phaeton Insider Dealing: Cheap old Jaguar XJs. Hammond would like to try it, but he's always dissuaded by the depreciation. Review: Clarkson drives the Jaguar XKR-R, a racing version of the XKR, before looking at the Aston Martin DB7 GT. The Stig drives the Aston Martin DB7 GT to a lap time of 1:30.4. Clarkson says that it's the opposite of the BMW Z8: slow on a track, but fun to drive in the real world. The Jaguar did go onto the test track, but it had to be returned to Jaguar beforehand. Jeremy revealed that the differential had been taken off the car, making it very difficult to drive, as proved by the Stig when he spun several times. |
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| 15 | Series 2 Episode 5 (“Bloke-ishness”) | 8 June 2003 | Anne Robinson |
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Review: Richard explains the difference between understeer and oversteer as a lead in to Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the Porsche 911 Turbo. Given forehand knowledge of his hatred for 911s, Clarkson quietly explains that they've managed to engineer their way around the rear-engined problem. Having once claimed that the Ferrari F355 was the best car ever, he now says that the 911 Turbo is better. The Stig drives the Turbo to a lap time of 1:31.0 on a very wet track. Clarkson also reviews the 911 Carrera 4S and didn't get the point of it. Clarkson ends his review by explaining the differences between the various models in the 911 range by using female models. Feature: Richard meets Britain’s biggest car bore, Robert Lynn - a Lotus engineer and Gumball Rally driver who built a car in his kitchen and had to cut through the wall to get the car out. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Anne Robinson discusses what cars she thinks are cool and why her Mercedes SL is better than Jeremy's. She achieved 1:57 in the Liana. Challenge: Can a Ford's World Rally Championship pit team change dismantle and rebuild a rally car faster than four women can get ready for a night out? They can, a lot faster. Hammond got bored of waiting and left. The News: Ford has a new Mondeo (which looks just like the old Mondeo). Vauxhall offers free, 48-hour test drives of the Vectra. The Volvo XC-90 is a bargain at under £30,000, but the price skyrockets once you start adding extras. Honda offers a personal road-rage defence system and offers ten top tips for avoiding road rage. Peugeot, Renault and Daihatsu offer new cars with folding metal roofs. James makes the case that he is the only bloke of the three AND that a bloke CAN drive a convertible. Review: James extolls the virtues of the Triumph TR6 which he says is a proper "bloke's car". Insider Dealing: A good used TR6 starts at around £10,000. BMW offers no deals. However, Jaguar offers the X-type (a BMW 3-series rival) for as low as £18,799 and possibly less if you really bargain. The new Vauxhall VX220 is out, however the original can be had for the list price of £22,995 and all the options will be included at no charge. The one exception is that hard top isn’t officially included in that deal (though some dealers are including it). Review: "Imagine the entire French air force crashing into a fireworks factory- that's how much of a laugh the Clio V6 is!" Jeremy lauded. He reviewed the mid-engined Renault Clio V6, he said that it would be in his "Perfect 10 Garage". The Stig got a time of 1:36.2 on a very very wet track. |
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| 16 | Series 2 Episode 6 | 15 June 2003 | Richard Whiteley |
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Review: Clarkson drives the Subaru Impreza WRX STI against the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII in Scotland but, despite having a lot of fun, is unable to give any reason to choose one over the other. The Stig drives both around the track where the Mitsubishi comes out fastest with a lap time of 1:28.9 (faster than the Lamborghini Murciélago). The Subaru manages a time of 1.30.1, 0.3 seconds faster than the Aston DB7 GT from episode 4. Hammond and Clarkson prefer the Impreza, for no particular reason. Review: Clarkson tests the Vauxhall VX220 Turbo, saying that the poor badge has forced Vauxhall to make it much better than the Lotus on which it was based, to get taken seriously. The Stig posts a time around the track 1:31.3 on a dry and sunny track. Challenge: Richard Hammond goes on a track day in the Peugeot 206 GTi and had a great time. Cool Wall: Jeremy's Mercedes SL is Uncool as is Richard's old left-hand drive Porsche 911. Jeremy gives Richard a Chinese burn for putting the Peugeot 206 GTi in Uncool. Challenge: James tries to set a land-speed record for a caravan. The first attempt involved towing it at high speeds behind a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, but one of the windows imploded as the caravan's speed approached 100 mph, substantially increasing its drag and forcing the first test to be aborted. The window was then sealed and a second run was made, and hit 120 mph before the stress of towing the caravan at high speeds caused the Mitsubishi to suffer massive engine failure, ruling out any further runs with that car. For his final attempt, James decided to exploit a loophole in the record which didn't state how the caravan had to achieve its final speed, and so dropped it from a high crane. The caravan was totally destroyed on hitting the ground, and while the team weren't actually able to work out what its final velocity was, they enjoyed the caravan's destruction enough to abandon any further efforts. Race: The Stig races five track-day cars to find the fastest one to take to a track day, the results were; 5: Lotus Elise Sport 190 - 1:28.2 4: Caterham Seven R400 Superlight - 1:25.0 3: Ariel Atom 2 - 1:24.0 2: Westfield XTR2 - 1:23.2 1: Radical SR3 - 1:19.8 Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Jeremy plays a game of Countdown with Richard Whitely with words such as IMIN, SEXUL, NEVOR LARD, I MUSHI BITS and PIANOS SHIAZU, Whitely achieves the slowest time ever in the Liana (2:06). Insider Dealing: Minor facelifts can cause large price drops in brand-new cars, especially with the Volkswagen Passat. Review: Richard reviews the Peugeot 206 GTI, it is however not as safe in a crash as a Peugeot 205. |
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| 17 | Series 2 Episode 7 | 22 June 2003 | Neil Morrissey |
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Review: Clarkson tested the Koenigsegg CC8S which, with a top speed of 242 mph (389 km/h) was at the time the world's fastest production car. Clarkson did a speed run on the test track. The record of 170 mph (274 km/h) set by the Pagani Zonda was broken, with the Koenigsegg managing 174 mph (280 km/h). Clarkson later commented how he felt nervous before the run because engineers from Koenigsegg had asked him if they could put gaffer tape around the windscreen; he thought that the tape was to keep the windscreen from flying off. The Stig drives the Koenigsegg to a lap time of 1:23.9, which is just one-tenth of a second slower than the Zonda. Jeremy has frequently referred to the Ford Modular engine in the Ford Mustang as a "terrible engine" but declined to mention that the Koenigsegg's engine was a modified 4.6 L Modular V8. Car Safety: Hammond test drives the new Renault Mégane in London and then brings it to the Top Gear test track where they simulate a crash test with a real driver. The car survives its impact very well. Back in the hangar, Richard and Jeremy look at how other cars perform in crashes. Surprisingly, the Ford Fiesta survives better than the Land Rover Freelander. They then proceed to look up crash test ratings for the cars of audience members. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Jeremy has little to talk to Neil Morrissey about, as they were on the same Parkinson episode. Morrisey gets 1:49 —1 second faster than Jeremy. Review: Jeremy reviews the Hummer H1, saying its too big and clumsy for English villages. He then looks at the H2 and says its "immensely good". Though based on a Chevrolet Tahoe platform, it has a manly, chunky interior and tons of space, exciting Jeremy in a way similar to the Range Rover. Neither of the other presenters are impressed. Review: Richard drives a Talon riot control vehicle. He uses a water cannon to put out a fire and then runs over a Portakabin at full speed. |
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| 18 | Series 2 Episode 8 | 6 July 2003 | Jodie Kidd |
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Review: Jeremy Clarkson drives a Nissan 350Z over city and country roads. He gives it a grade of C minus, 3 out of 10, and "could do better." After a day's drive, he declares it to be one of the most exhausting cars he has ever come across. He also criticises its build quality and engine tone. In series 3, it is announced that the Nissan did a 1:31.8 lap on the track, the same as rival coupe Mazda RX-8. Review: Alfa Romeo 147 GTA. Jeremy drives it in a drag race against the Volkswagen Golf R32 and the Ford Focus RS. The Alfa wins easily with its superior power. However, the Alfa doesn't have 4WD or a differential, and Clarkson says the chassis is "very, very wobbly and loose." He calls the Alfa "insane" and says "you'd have to be insane to buy one." He recommends one of the other two, probably the Golf, for the real world, but admits he still preferred the Alfa. The Stig then drives the Alfa to a lap time of 1:35.6, which puts it slower than both the Focus and R32. Challenge: A "race for the universe" in a Honda Civic Type R, the results were as follows; 6: Daleks (from Doctor Who) - DNF 5: Ming the Merciless (from Flash Gordon) - 1:49 4: The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) - 1:43 3: Klingon (from Star Trek) - 1:42 2: Darth Vader - 1:37 1: Cyberman (from Doctor Who) (Time not announced) Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Jodie Kidd who talked about her love of horses and the Gumball 3000 rally, she came in at 1:47.7, 0.4 of a second faster than board leader Jay Kay. Review: James and Richard went on a camping holiday in the Lake District and reviewed new cabriolets such as the Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz CLK500 convertible, Audi A4 cabriolet, Citroën C3 Pluriel, and Daihatsu Copen. The Beetle is sloppy to drive, and increasingly unstylish, so none of the presenters like it. James and Richard unite in disapproval with the CLK, The Pluriel is a nice idea poorly executed but in the end they find the Audi to be the best, with only James taking the Copen seriously. |
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| 19 | Series 2 Episode 9 | 13 July 2003 | Patrick Stewart |
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Review: Vandenbrink Carver (a three-wheeled bike with tilting tandem cockpit), Hammond and Clarkson try to fit in it at the same time with humorous results. It is not fast or cheap, but the gimmick of a tilting cockpit on a stationary rear subframe is entertaining for both of them. Review: Jeremy reviews the new Volvo S60 R, and says its like "a cheaper version of a Rolls-Royce Phantom" rather than a serious competitor to a BMW M3. Achieved a lap time of 1:35. Review: James reviews the revolutionary GM Hywire, which runs on a mixture of hydrogen from the tank and oxygen from the air. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Patrick Stewart who talks about his love of Jaguars and what it is like living in Los Angeles, did 1:50 in the Liana. Review: Vauxhall Signum. Jeremy despises its Vectra-ness and finds it poor to drive, but admits that the rear seating is very clever and comfortable. As a result, he tries to drive it a la Mr. Bean, using string tied to the steering wheel and poles to reach the pedals. |
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| 20 | Series 2 Episode 10 | 20 July 2003 | Alan Davies |
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Review: Richard reviews TVR T350C and races it against a Harrier Jump Jet. He finds that while it can be as mad as past TVRs, it is the most refined and drivable TVR ever. The Stig did a lap of 1:27 in it. It was compared to the Noble M12, which did a lap of 1:25. The News: The Beetle will cease production, much to James’ delight. The Vauxhall Astra fails to live up to the concept car’s brilliant styling. John Prescott, who is always recommending that people spend less on cars, last year spent £320,000 on taxi fares. Jay Kay turned up at Goodwood Festival Of Speed with his new Ferrari Enzo only to have someone write “Jodi was faster” in the dust on the bonnet (a reference to the Top Gear Power Lap Board and specifically episode 8 in this series). Jeremy was also there and was thrilled that Elle MacPherson (who was also there) waved at him. The Mercedes Mclaren SLR was also there and Clarkson got to ride in it, but was too drunk to enjoy it. Review: Jeremy's Volkswagen Phaeton W12, he says it is immensely comfortable, nice to drive and its windows do not steam up when you try to make a cup of tea in it. With the electronic limiter off, it can crack 200 mph (320 km/h). He is not verbose in praising it, but reveals that he prefers it to the Jaguar XJ, the BMW 7 Series, and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Preview: The trio preview the Bentley Continental GT in the studio. The Bentley (part of the VW motor group), draws heavily from the Phaeton. The car in the studio is a concept car and not ready to be driven, but all three are anxious to do the test of it for the next series. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Alan Davies talks about what it is like driving with Steve Coogan and an experience he had speeding with Steve Coogan, did a lap of 1:54 in "mildly damp" weather, despite puncturing a tyre during a practice lap. Review: James is the only one interested in the fate of Cadillac, so he sets out to see what they've done to reverse their market woes. He finds the astonishing 1,000 bhp (750 kW), naturally aspirated 13.6 litre V16 Cadillac Sixteen concept car. It shuts down cylinders to preserve fuel economy and has a badge carved from crystal in the center of the steering wheel. The interior is too cushy and the clock is too posh- James loves it. Jeremy and James agree that this is the best Cadillac since 1966. Challenge: Britain’s fastest disabled driver. Richard has a group of six wheelchair-bound car enthusiasts take turns around the Top Gear Test Track in a 911. The slowest does it in a time of 2:20. The fastest turns in a time of 1:47. 2003 Top Gear Motoring Survey: James invites viewers to participate in the survey so the results can be shared on the next survey. Reviews: The original theme of this episode was to be “tuned cars.” However, as Clarkson illustrates, circumstances dictated a deviation from that format. His review of the Overfinch 580S is all that remains from that concept. He races it off-road against a Mercedes-Benz SLK320 on road (and wins). While it has been tuned, the suspension and handling remains unchanged. It is fast in a straight line, but in the corners it leans over alarmingly. Despite The Stig cutting a corner rather severely, it achieved the slowest lap to date with a time of 1:44. The Stig says it was the first time he has ever been scared in a car. The Broken Biscuit Section: A compendium of ideas that were intended for the series that they didn’t quite get to. Earlier in the series Clarkson issued a challenge to the CEO of Land Rover: he was to drive a Range Rover for six months without breakdowns, threatening to kill the CEOs dog upon any kind of failure. Jeremy shows how the Range Rover has fared with numerous tests: it worked as an off-road car, a pace car and a car for taking children to school in (although it was a mess). However, the lever adjusting the vertical position of the steering wheel broke towards the end of the test. Richard and Jeremy agreed the failure was not big enough to warrant a death of a dog, so Jeremy stole the CEOs bonsai tree from his desk and unceremoniously proceeded to cut it in half. Also, Hammond obtains a racing license, participates in a 24-hour race, & makes a lot of excuses for placing second to last. And Jodie Kidd is presented with the fastest celebrity award. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2002-2003 | 27 July 2003 | Vinnie Jones & Rick Parfitt | |
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Challenge: Grannies Doing Doughnuts (From Series 1, Episode 7) Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Vinnie Jones (From Series 2, Episode 1) Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Rick Parfitt (From Series 1, Episode 9) Feature: The Love/Hate Board (From Series 2, Episode 1) Challenge: Race For The Universe (From Series 2, Episode 8) Review: Bowler Wildcat (From Series 2, Episode 1) Challenge: The Fastest Faith (From Series 1, Episodes 7 & 10) |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 2)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 1)".
The third series of Top Gear began on 26 October 2003, and concluded on 28 December 2003. The series featured 9 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" special, charting the best moments from the series. The series was the first series of Top Gear to get more than 10 million viewers for an episode.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 21 | Series 3 Episode 1 | 26 October 2003 | Martin Kemp |
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Main review: Jeremy travels to Detroit where he reviews the heavily-anticipated Ford GT. Jeremy relates his fond memories for the old 1960s Ford GT40 and looks at the GT against all its competitors. He reports that it handles like a Lotus Elise, goes faster than a Ferrari 360 Modena, sounds better than a Honda NSX, and shocks like a Lamborghini Murciélago. It's also considerably cheaper than the Ferrari and the Lamborghini with which it competes. For him it is a nostalgic evocation of 1960s Detroit and American muscle cars racing between the lights. Review: James reviews the new BMW 5 Series. He defends the aggressive and cacophonous styling by Chris Bangle, arguing that it's still a no-brainer because of reliability, technology, and image. Preview: Richard showcases Ford Visos concept car - a thoroughly modern concept car - in the studio. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Singer Martin Kemp, comparisons between him and Ross Kemp discussed: both on EastEnders, both moved to ITV, both like Porsche 911s, both called Kemp and both set a time of 1:54.0 on wet tracks. Challenge: One lap of the M25 in diesel and petrol versions of Volkswagen Lupo in convoy. Jeremy likes the Lupo, and the midrange power available from the small turbodiesel engine makes it more useful in everyday situations than the numerically faster petrol motor. He found the diesel managed an economy of 75 mpg, vs 45 mpg for the petrol car, and spends the money he saved on fuel buying a tacky golden cock from the service station. Mail: Jeremy and Richard discuss readers' letters, starting with the baffling phenomenon of women writing to complain about their male partners' love of cars and Top Gear, which leads into Richard showing off some remote-locking triggering "moves" and Jeremy (successfully) testing the strange notion that transmission distance is improved if you hold the key fob against your head. The segment ends with a letter from a viewer in Saudi Arabia, who has included a VCD of some wild driving from his part of the world. Review: Richard reviews the new Porsche 911 GT3, he and Jeremy say that due to its speed it's the best car they've driven all year. The Stig did a lap of 1:27.2 on a very wet track. Skit: The original (black-suited) Stig goes 109 mph (175 km/h) in a Jaguar XJS on the HMS Invincible, flying off the deck with only a glove being left behind floating on the water. |
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| 22 | Series 3 Episode 2 | 2 November 2003 | Stephen Fry |
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Introduction: Jeremy announces the death of the Stig and reveals the new (white suited) one. Review: Jeremy tested the BMW M3 CSL after introducing us to the heritage of the CSL moniker in the original Batmobile. As for the new car, Jeremy said it was a magnificent car, 10 - 20% better than he expected -- and he expected it to be fantastic. The Stig's time was 1:28.0 in the wet. Main review: The team visited the Isle of Man to test old BMW sports cars, the 1970s M1, the original M3, and the second-gen M5. Challenge: A Volvo 240 tries to jump five caravans side-by-side, yet it only manages to jump over two, crashing into the others. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Stephen Fry tells how he can't go to the Isle of Man due to homosexuality. He also tells about the advantages of not being a taxi driver but driving a London Taxi. Jeremy points out that Stephen drives a Saab and so it is unlikely that any cycling lady would give him the car-hating look of death. Completed his lap in 1:54 in "mildly moist" weather. Mail: As a follow-up to the previous show, Jeremy and Richard start the segment by discussing letters professing theories to the expanded range of a car security remotes when held up to one's head. The next sequence of letters comes from children who are ashamed of the cars that their parents take them to school in. Richard follows this up with a letter requesting that the Stig's name be changed as it upsets this writer's cat (also called Stig). The final theme of this week's mail is a showcase of inappropriately enormous exhaust pipes on various cars. Road Tests: The team test three two seater convertibles on the Isle of Man: BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster and Honda S2000. As it's too hard to decide the best car, they decide by seeing which one was fastest around the track. The Stig drives the Honda to a lap time of 1:37.4, the BMW to 1:37.3, but at 1.37.0 the fastest car was the Boxster. |
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| 23 | Series 3 Episode 3 | 9 November 2003 | Rob Brydon |
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Main review: Bentley Continental GT. In the previous series all three presenters were clamouring for the chance to drive it, with it eventually being revealed that Jeremy won out. But he wasn't impressed. Though the car is good for overtaking (0-60 in 4.8 seconds) and it has an immensely high top speed of 198 mph (319 km/h), he found it to be too much of a Volkswagen and rather cramped inside. It seemed to lack character. Jeremy was forced to conclude it was a good car, but could never call it a great car. Review: May, acknowledging that the aristocracy will never buy new Bentleys, tries to find out what they would be buying. He reviews the Subaru Legacy Outback, he says it's sturdy, comfortable, sporty and perfect for "aristocrats with children called Reginald" Top Gear Survey Results: The results of the Top Gear automotive satisfaction survey are discussed and include the Suburu Outback placing 10th out of 137 cars. First place went to the Jaguar XJ. At the other end of the list was the VW Sharan. Also near the end were the Mercedes M-class, A-class, and C-class. Information Film: Using a swimming pool, Hammond showed the dangers of being in a car that is sinking in water; he demonstrated that you should open the car doors as soon as it strikes the water, rather than waiting for the car to fill with water and the pressure to equalise. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Rob Brydon, Top Gear's first ever Welshman. Jeremy tells Brydon about his love of Marion and Geoff. Brydon came third at 1:48.6. Cool Wall: Bentley Continental GT is cool as long as David Beckham does not own one. BMW M3 CSL is seriously uncool because of the carbon fibre roof and bought by those with "gear shift aggression strategy". The Ford GT is uncool. The Porsche 911 GT3 was sub-zero when a woman in the audience told Jeremy he would make the second date. The BMW 5 Series is seriously uncool. Review: Jeremy reviews and compares the hot Saab 9-5 Aero to an aeroplane. On the track the Saab was powerful but conventional and, glaringly, front-wheel drive. However, the turbocharged engine had midrange potency, and the handling was very safe and predictable, if poor on a track. Thought it went in the cool section of the Cool Wall, Jeremy admitted he could not find out why dentists with Saabs have "that knowing grin" on their faces. Challenge: The Stig drives the Saab vs a Harrier Jump Jet, the British Aerospace Sea Harrier did the lap in 31.2 seconds and the Saab did it in the slower time of 1:37.9. |
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| 24 | Series 3 Episode 4 | 16 November 2003 | Rich Hall |
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Main review: Hammond tests several new Mini Coopers, finding trouble telling much difference between most of them: the BMW-official Works Cooper S, and the third-party tuned Hartge Cooper S, Digi-tec Cooper S and wild 275 bhp (205 kW) BBR Cooper S. Despite it being the most expensive and second slowest, Richard chooses the official model, favouring a warranty and more assured engineering over the small improvements in performance afforded by the others. Documentary and Review: Due to the 40th anniversary of car company Lamborghini, Hammond and May test some classic cars. Hammond tests the 1967 Lamborghini Miura, commenting on its controversial, trend-setting styling and engine positioning; and rides in an improved 1971 SV version with its owner, musician and supercar enthusiast Jay Kay. May tests his childhood dream car, the Lamborghini Countach, finding it as fast and great-sounding as the bedroom posters suggested, but utterly terrible to drive, ride, and especially to park. Clarkson shows the Lamborghini LM002, a huge V12-engined SUV, and marvels at how much fuel it drinks and its comically poor handling. The modern Murciélago returns for a second power lap (after a wet lap in series 1), and proves the Black Stig's supposition that it would top the board with a dry track, setting a record time of 1:23.7. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: American comedian Rich Hall improvises a country song about a Rover 25, relates his career as a storm-namer, and set a time of 1:54. Review: Clarkson tests the new Lamborghini Gallardo. He finds the Gallardo to be a good sports car, but just a bit boring in comparison to the Murcielago, having lost some of its fire and lunacy. Stig sets a lap time of 1:25.8. |
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| 25 | Series 3 Episode 5 | 23 November 2003 | Simon Cowell |
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Main review: Clarkson tests the 1.3 litre Wankel Mazda RX-8 on the track, saying that despite the mixed styling it performs well and for £22,000 is good value for money. Though appearing to be a coupe, the Mazda retains small rear doors and has some of the practicality of a four-door saloon. The Stig sets a lap time of 1:31.8, being the same as the BMW M3 and the Nissan 350Z, to which Clarkson remarks that the Mazda be the better car in all ways: performance, handling, price, practicality, and comfort. Documentary/Review: Hammond looks at several cars deemed to be good investments as future 'classic' cars. These include the Volkswagen Corrado VR6 and the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Cosworth. Crock or Classic: Hammond and May decide which cars are future classics and which are crock. Lexus LS400 is crock, Ferrari F355, BMW Z1, Citroën XM, BMW 3.0 CSL, Volkswagen Corrado VR6 and Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Cosworth are classic. Challenge: The team set the challenge of finding the best wig for a fast drive in an open top convertible. They find that the cheaper, synthetic wigs fare better at high speed, and that optional wind deflectors are effective at keeping the wig on your head at high speed. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Sony BMG executive Pop Idol/X Factor judge Simon Cowell sets a new lap record of 1:47.1. Cool Wall: Daihatsu Copen is uncool, Mazda RX-8 is cool, Nissan 350Z is uncool, Lamborghini Gallardo is uncool and BMW M3 is Seriously Uncool. Jeremy says, as he will often reiterate, that the M3 is "exclusively driven by cocks." (A point then taken back eight series later) Review: May reviews the new Fiat Panda at St Albans and Tewin in Hertfordshire. He expresses astonishment that the Italians have made a car that is durable and well-priced. It is slow, but May considers that unimportant to the character of the car. Challenge: How tough is a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck? Clarkson performs a number of tests on the robust vehicle including drowning, ramming into buildings and a tree, hitting it with a wrecking ball, dropping a caravan on it and setting it ablaze. The car still works afterward. |
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| 26 | Series 3 Episode 6 | 7 December 2003 | Sanjeev Bhaskar |
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Review: Hammond looks at two cars with folding metal roofs, the Renault Mégane CC and the Peugeot 307 CC. They are fashionable and cool, but are ridiculously underpowered and heavy, sloppy to drive, and faddish in their market. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Sanjeev Bhaskar tells about horror stories he heard about India's roads, particularly one from Paul McGann. He sets a time of 1:51.5 despite having an ornamental tissue box in the back seat (as a tribute to Indian taxi drivers). Review: May reviews Aston Martin V8 Vantage, saying if he could only drive one supercar for the rest of his life, it would be this one. May's review becomes a sort of history lesson, showing how the British differentiated their supercars by refusing unorthodox mid- or rear-engined configurations and keeping them with a modicum of practicality. However, at least in 1977, it was a resounding success: faster than a Ferrari Daytona, comfortable, and somewhat practical. News: Jeremy & Richard discuss automotive themed Christmas presents including the Bumper Dumper, a Ferrari gear lever sink plunger, and a NASCAR Jeff Gordon love seat. Main Review: Holden Monaro, sold as a Vauxhall in Britain, Australia's first contribution since the rotary washing line. Jeremy says it was a good car due to fun V8 power and handling and makes numerous remarks about Australia losing to England in the rugby world cup final. Lap time of 1:33.9 in the wet, Jeremy named the car "Loser" on the power board. Review: Jeremy reviewed the Citroën C2, the successor to the old Citroën Saxo. He found the C2 was cheap, extremely economical, easy to drive, and perfect for environmentalists and old people. As a car on the track, the hot C2 is not very good and has a terrible flappy-paddle gearbox. But merely because of free insurance, low prices, and ease of modification, he finds that it is the darling of customisation-minded youths. The Cool Wall: The Holden (or Vauxhall) Monaro is cool. The Peugeot 307 CC and the Renault Megane CC are also cool - but only for a moment, before they fall down to the uncool section. Challenge: Killing A Toyota (part 2). James May places the battered but still working Toyota Hilux on top a tower block being demolished, it survives. The presenters decide not to keep brutalising it, and they make a display in the studio out of it. |
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| 27 | Series 3 Episode 7 | 14 December 2003 | Rory Bremner |
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Review: Clarkson reviews the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and tests the off-road abilities in Bovington, Dorset. It is a brilliant car from a technological standpoint; equally adept both as a sports saloon and an offroading monster. Jeremy doesn't care, nor does he care that it guzzles petrol, has little space inside, and costs a whopping £70,000. But he can't stand it for its looks, saying it's "less attractive than a gangrenous wound, is a monkfish among cars and has the sex appeal of a camel with gingivitis." Jeremy hates it's looks so much that he leaves it and walks back to the studio. May agrees that it is so hideous that it should not be bought by anyone. Review: Hammond reviews the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren in South Africa. He isn't impressed, especially by the brakes, hard ride, and interior quality. Back in the Top Gear studio, Richard & Jeremy engage in a game of Top Gear Top Trumps pitting Hammond’s experience with SLR McLaren against the Porshe Carrera GT, which Jeremy drover earlier in the year. They conclude that the Porshe is more the driver’s car, but that you’ll want the Mercedes if you are a golfer as your clubs won’t fit in the Porsche. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Rory Bremner reads car adverts in the voices of Nelson Mandela, Julian Clary, Prince Charles and and his meeting with Murray Walker. He talks about the high attrition rate of old Alfa Romeos on classic rallies. He came second at 1:47.9. Main review: MG XPower SV, which Jeremy finds to be beautiful and with a powerful, throaty Ford Mustang V8. It is fast on the track, but poorly made, insanely expensive, and less reliable than a TVR or any foreign rivals. Richard later mocks Jeremy when he hits his head on the interior. Did a lap of 1:28.6 in the dry, better than a Porsche 911 Turbo in the wet, but was not good enough to beat any of its price-range rivals. Challenge: Top Gear boffin burn-out! Which professor can do the best burn-out? Richard challenges Heinz Wolff, Brian Sewell and Colin Pillinger compete to find out. Review: Clarkson, Hammond and May set off to find the best British car. Clarkson chooses the Noble M12, Hammond takes the Morgan Plus 8, and May picks the Rover 75. Clarkson manages to drive the M12 around the track, get out, and read a book {The Very Hungry Caterpillar) before Hammond crosses the line. None of them change their mind, but the audience selects the Noble as the best. |
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| 28 | Series 3 Episode 8 | 21 December 2003 | Johnny Vegas |
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Review: Jeremy shows us how few cars can withstand the test of time, arguing that car design peaked in the '60s. . He reviews a '60s Mercedes-Benz 280SL (W113) and expects to hate it, so that he can get rid of the idea of owning one. But it turns out that Mercs were built extremely well at the time, and they can be rebuilt cheaply if necessary. He recommends the buy to anyone who has an old-car fetish, like James and himself, also pointing out that it is better-made than any modern Mercedes-Benz. Main review: Hammond compares a Nissan Micra to a Boeing 737 (BBJ-2). He claims that, at ₤9000 per hour, the jet isn't very good value, particularly since you can get a loaded Micra for about the same price. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Comedian Johnny Vegas who does not have a driving license, comes in 1:58.6, beating Harry Enfield and Richard Whitely who both have driving licenses. Review: James drives a 1970s Aston Martin Lagonda, saying it is crazy and bold but in a good way. He starts to recommend it because they have depreciated to nothingness, but then realises that the cost of running it, not to mention replacing the engine and electrics when they go wrong, would be prohibitive. Crock Or Classic Wall: Richard & James discuss which cars are future classics and which are crocks. Unlike the cool wall, strict rules govern the Crock Or Classic Wall. Three criteria they look for are rare, interesting, and beautiful. A car must be at least two of the three to be placed on the "classic" side of the board. The Mazda MX-5 is neither rare or interesting enough to be a classic. It is therefore a crock. Despite jeers from the audience, James successfully argues that the Nissan Bluebird is a future classic. Richard counters with the rare, interesting, and beautiful Peugeot 405 MI16 - a future classic. Despite Jeremy's protests from the audience, the Subaru Impreza turbo ends up in the "crock" category. The Ford Fiesta RS1800 is mentioned, but before an argument can be made, Jeremy walks out of the audience and immediately places it onto the "classic" side of the board. This prompts Richard to explain that Jeremy is obviously trying to ingratiate himself to the Ford Motor Company in the hopes of moving up the shortlist for the recently announced GT40. Richard moves the Fiesta over to the "crock" side of the board. Preview: Jeremy showcases the new Aston Martin DB9 in the studio. He offers that it is an exception to his earlier claim that car design peaked in the '60s. Unfortunately, because it is a pre-preduction model, they can't drive it. Review: Audi TT V6, for which Jeremy spends three hours dressing. The styling is perfect for the fashion-obsessed male, but it's not quick enough to keep you from being late. He says it is very similar to the old one, which he didn't like. Some praise is reserved for the clever gearbox, but it isn't enough to save the TT. Lap time of 1:32.7. Challenge: In the "Top Gear Generation Game," 5 of Richard Hammond's modern cars versus 5 of Clarkson's older cars in a 1/5 mile drag race; the old cars win 3-2. Golf GTIs and Toyota MR2s of old and new are challenged. The fabled Ford Escort RS Cosworth goes up against the new Ford Focus RS, and the Peugeot 205 GTI battles the Peugeot 206 GTI. After a tie in the first four contests, the Nissan 350Z is beaten by the twin-turbo Nissan 300ZX. |
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| 29 | Series 3 Episode 9 | 28 December 2003 | Carol Vorderman |
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A Cut-Price Top Gear as the team claim to exhausted their entire budget for the series. To this end they introduce several short highlight reels showing the various ways the money was spent. To commemorate the occasion, James plays the theme tune on a Casio keyboard as Richard re-introduces the show. Reviews: Jeremy drives the Chrysler Crossfire; he has severe problems with the looks, handling, power, quality, and manual gearbox. Richard and James use vivid language to explain how bad the automatic gearbox is. Jeremy is so intrigued that he vows to one day drive an automatic Crossfire. Review: Hammond briefly drives the Smart Roadster Brabus V6 Biturbo. As a special one-off model created by gluing two three-cylinder turbocharged engines together, it has a massive price. Hammond does not recommend it, even with the improved performance, because of the shoddy gearbox. 2003 Top Gear Awards: Car of the Year goes to the Rolls Royce Phantom. Ugliest Car of the Year goes to the entire BMW range. The Most Fun Car of the Year goes to Vauxhall VX220 turbo. Enemy of the State goes to the Chief Constabul of North Wales Richard Brunstrum. The Surprise of the Year goes to the Jaguar XJ6. Review: Concluding the Top Gear awards, James reviews the Jaguar XJ6. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Carol Vorderman tells about her love of Jaguars and Formula 1 and does the lap in 1:51.2 (MM as in Mildly Moist). Main review: Hammond introduces the Honda Civic Type-R and drives the eager hot hatch until it is revealed they have enough money to introduce a relatively cheap supercar, bringing out the Honda NSX Type R, with its V6 engine tuned to make 300 bhp (220 kW). Hammond says the car is the bargain of the century, and finds it scintillating to drive on a dry track, but still too expensive for anyone to pay for a Honda. In the wet it isn't as amazing; it does a lap of 1:31.6, only slightly slower than the Porsche 996 Turbo in the same conditions, but with 100 fewer horses. Skit: Simon Cowell accepts an award for being the fastest celebrity of the year. A cool customer, he isn't scared at all when the Stig drives him around the Top Gear test track in a Noble M12. However, since his taped acceptance speech is smug and self-satisfying, Jeremy shows the audience an outtake of Noble spinning out when Cowell is behind the wheel. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2003 | 4 January 2004 | Martin Kemp | |
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Review: Jaguar XK vs. Aston Martin DB7 (From Series 3, Episode 4) Challenge: Indestructible Toyota Hilux (From Series 3, Episode 5) Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Martin Kemp (From Series 3, Episode 1) Review: BMW 5-Series (From Series 3, Episode 1) Review: Porsche 996 GT3 (From Series 3, Episode 1) Feature: The Death Of The Original Stig (From Series 3, Episode 1) Review: Ford GT (From Series 3, Episode 1) |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 3)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 2)".
The fourth series of Top Gear began on 9 May 2004, and concluded on 1 August 2004. The series contained 10 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" special, charting the best moments from the series, and "Stars In Fast Cars", a Sport Relief charity special, which later spawned its own series.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 30 | Series 4 Episode 1 | 9 May 2004 | Fay Ripley |
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Challenge: In a race to Monte Carlo Hammond and May take the Eurostar and TGV, while Clarkson drove the Aston Martin DB9. Clarkson wins. After being miles behind, Clarkson somehow manages to win but only just, he arrived to the cafe about 2 minutes before the others. He calls the DB9 "motoring perfection" and consistently praises it over all of its competitors and its big brother the Vanquish. The News: French Police are cracking down on speeders and the majority of those cited happen to be British. Remote-controlled robotic traffic cones are now available in America. James wants to buy a dozen of them so that he can send them out at night to reserve a parking space. New cars include BMW’s 1 series, the Ford Fiesta RS and Fiesta ST, and the Mini Cabriolet. Review: James goes undercover to test drive a Rover CityRover from a Rover dealer after Rover refuse to lend one to the show. With cameras in his tie, fake girlfriend's mobile and almost everywhere else in the streets of Kingston in southwest London, he had to test drive it without raising the suspicions of the dealer in the back seat. May later says it is the worst car he has driven for Top Gear and prefers the Fiat Panda in every respect. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Fay Ripley manages a time of 1:53.3 secs on a mildly moist track. The Cool Wall: The CityRover is seriously uncool. The Ford Fiesta ST is uncool. The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is uncool because it was styled by a guy named Ken. The Aston Martin DB9 is so cool that it falls into its own category: The DB9 Section (actually a mini-fridge). Challenge: Clarkson undertook a challenge to see if he could evade being caught in missile lock-on from an WAH-64D Apache attack helicopter whilst acrobatically driving a super-lightweight Lotus Exige. The helicopter failed to lock in on the Exige when remaining within the confines of the test track. However, when allowed to move further away, the helicopter acquired lock within seconds. |
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| 31 | Series 4 Episode 2 | 16 May 2004 | Paul McKenna |
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Review Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Alfa Romeo 166 V6 Selespeed, which he unashamedly loves and praises, and then takes it to Hemsworth, a town in West Yorkshire which was at one time a coal mining village. He recommends that a true car nut should buy a shabby, broken-down miner's house and use the money saved to afford an Alfa with its high depreciation and repair costs. Challenge: Richard Hammond finds out if a nun can drive a monster truck. News: Jeremy compares the Volvo XC90 with the new Land Rover Discovery and claims the XC90 is better because it has more boot space, Richard and James disagree. A new Golf GTI is coming out, but it has less power than already existing Fords and Renaults. Review Richard Hammond reviews the Cadillac Escalade in an orthodox way, finding it to be of terrible quality and too expensive. Then, looking beyond the mere material, he gets into the spirit of the car, and sees it as a show-offish bling statement that is very in line with what Top Gear loves. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Paul McKenna hypnotises Hammond into forgetting how to drive a car, and thinking a pedal car is his new 911. Paul achieves a lap time of 1:48. Review James May reviews FAB 1 (Lady Penelope's pink Rolls Royce custom, which Ford re-created as a latest generation Thunderbird for the recent Thunderbirds movie). Main review: Jeremy looks at the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Both in the bends and on the straights, the handling and performance is refined from German brute strength using McLaren's British ingenuity. It is garnished with comfortable features from the SL, making it an interesting fusion of supercar and grand tourer. Jeremy is much kinder to the SLR than Hammond was in last series. When taken by the Stig around the track, the German Silver Arrow ends up with the fastest time at 1:20.9 and also the fastest automatic ever. It seems to reverse Clarkson's earlier view that the Porsche Carrera GT is better. |
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| 32 | Series 4 Episode 3 | 23 May 2004 | Jordan |
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Main review: Cars for track days, Porsche 996 GT3 RS versus Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale. Both cars are heavily stripped down with minimal amenities. Clarkson remarks that the Porsche is very plain, while the Ferrari is very complex, and finds the Ferrari is the more astonishing track car. But because the performance is so similar, and the Porsche is so much cheaper, he recommends the Porsche if track times are the only concern. Both cars scored a Power Lap time of 1:22.3 in the hands of the Stig. Review: Richard Hammond reviews a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T and was tempted to buy one, but found out it won't fit in his garage. Jeremy promptly tells Hammond that the Charger is rubbish and the Dodge Challenger is the right Dodge muscle car to buy. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Celebrity supermodel Jordan, lapping at 1:52 Challenge: The presenters are asked to buy road-legal cars for less than £100 and see how much car they could get. Clarkson buys a Volvo 760 (with 141,000 miles on the clock), which proved solid and mostly reliable, but did have problems with some of the electrical items, May an Audi 80 1.8E which was technically competent but did have suspected crash history, and Hammond a quick, but otherwise derided Rover 416GTi. Despite achieving the lowest score and a broken thumb after the suite of challenges, Jeremy still wins overall on revealing his Volvo only cost £1, as a token contract payment to take the vehicle off a dealer's hands. Also Jeremy's car was the only one still driving after the other 2 cars was destroyed doing the drive into a wall at 30 mph challenge. |
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| 33 | Series 4 Episode 4 | 30 May 2004 | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
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Main challenge: Clarkson finds out if he can drive a V8 TDi Audi A8 from London to Edinburgh and back on one ~20 gallon tank of fuel (a round-trip distance of 800 miles, requiring an average of 40 MPG), destruct-testing Audi's claims of good overall economy in their large, powerful executive car. He tries to drive the car uncharacteristically economically, removing unnecessary weight, not running anything but essential electrical equipment, and never once exceeding 1200 rpm in the 4.2 litre, twin-turbo super-saloon. Though he seemed to have finally run out of fuel 35 miles short, the trip computer (and Audi themselves) underestimated the efficiency potential of its diesel engine and Clarkson's fastidious driving, and he eventually made it to the same filling station he started from on a single tank of fuel. Jeremy completed the challenge after two whole days on the road (with an overnight stop), using plenty of dramatic music and lines from 24 and Apollo 13. Time Challenge: Can a Ford SportKa, equipped with the world's most advanced (and expensive, at £2500) satellite navigation system beat a flock of racing pigeons? May forgot to use the postcode search and wasted 25 minutes to reach the right address, having originally arrived at an identically named road in the wrong suburb. Regardless, the fastest pigeon won with 30 minutes to spare even after discounting May's mistake, with thirteen others arriving in-between. Clarkson called the SportKa way, way better than a Citroën C2, and ridicules May for losing. Track: Revised versions of the Impreza vs. Evo battle, with increasingly unwieldy names: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ320 and Subaru Impreza STI WRX WR1. The Impreza does slightly better than its old version 1:29.4 and still slower than the old Evo FQ300. However, the new Evo does 1:26.0, nearly as quick as a Lamborghini Gallardo and significantly better than the new Subaru. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan comes in at 1:47.3. He also proves he can play a reduced frame of snooker (with four reds instead of fifteen) faster than the Stig can drive Ronnie's own car (a Mercedes-Benz SL500) around the track. Versus Challenge: Hammond and May play a simplified, giant-size round of darts, by firing scrap cars from a cliff edge towards a large target painted on a quarry floor. After two shots each, May decides to place a caravan over the bulls-eye as an "added bonus". Hammond destroys the caravan on his final attempt (with, fittingly, a Volvo) and in doing so comes from behind to win the match. Main review: Clarkson looks at the Porsche Carrera GT from a "German point of view", explaining its mechanics and silicon carbide with fascination and quiet innuendo, and then gives it a second look from a British standpoint, allowing himself to be overwhelmed by its sheer power. When run around the track (against the (automatic) Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren time of 1:20.9 from episode 2), it beats the SLR by 1.1 seconds with a lap time of 1:19.8. Clarkson is taken by surprise by the car's qualities while comparing it to other German fast cars. It is unforgiving and high-strung, unlike the GT-like SLR, and although normally Jeremy doesn't like the cold, clinical German supercar, he concludes that this one breaks through the stereotype to gain his full respect. However, as compared to the SLR, it is less powerful, much more difficult to drive, has no luggage space to speak of, and costs more. |
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| 34 | Series 4 Episode 5 | 6 June 2004 | Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen |
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Review: Richard Hammond compares the Vauxhall Astra, Mazda 3, and Volkswagen Golf. Hammond notes that the (previously disinteresting) Astra comes with a surprising number of standard features usually available only on more expensive vehicles, but still only manages to be "not bad" (as opposed to actually "good"), and a "pleasant all-rounder for pleasant people." The Mazda 3 offers a lot of kit and practicality for the money, but is the worst to drive and feels cheap all over. Hammond recommends the new Golf for its build quality and image. It's also "the car people buy with their own money," meaning that it will be more desirable both when new, and when it's time to sell on. But both Hammond and Clarkson would rather have an old Ford Focus than any of these new cars, simply because it's so good to drive - and because the "new" Focus shares a platform with the uninspiring Mazda. News: The Koenigsegg CCX is discussed. Main review: Clarkson, May and Hammond tested the BMW 645Ci, Jaguar XK-R and Porsche 996 Carrera 2 on Pendine Sands in the rain, enjoying some spectacular but wild handling due to the low grip and high, RWD power. Clarkson made an allusion to the nature of each car, and also matched each presenter to their cars whilst waiting for Richard to tire of endlessly racing around the Welsh hills ("You've (May) got the Business jet (645i), I've got the Tornado (XK) - where's Hammond with the Messerschmitt (996)?"). Review: Clarkson reviews the MG ZT 260, an uprated version of the MG saloon fitted with a 4.6 litre V8 engine from the Ford Mustang. The car required considerable re-engineering, including conversion to rear-wheel drive on a limited budget. The Stig takes the car around the test track. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen, who manage to break the car. They score a lap time of 1:53.4, which Clarkson moves up slightly to 1:53.2 because there were two people in the car. Challenge: Hammond demonstrated that it was safe to sit in a car struck by lightning, by sitting in Volkswagen Golf parked underneath a conductor in a huge Siemens electrical-systems testing "lightning generator". He notes that whilst the rubber tyres are absolutely ineffective as insulators for preventing the multi-kilovolt arc reaching earth, any modern car is an efficient Faraday cage and can be used to safely shield occupants from external sources of electrical potential. |
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| 35 | Series 4 Episode 6 | 13 June 2004 | Terry Wogan |
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NOTE: This episode is a CTANAIBS (Car That Are Not Available In Britain Special) Review: Clarkson reviews the most popular car in Japan, the Nissan Cube, and generally makes fun of its styling, poor performance and handling. He finds it to be a good "tool" in that it is very spacious and practical for the money, but says that "it's got the worst automatic gearbox EVER in the whole world" which, coupled with weak power and weird, emotionless and asymmetrical styling, make it unworthy of importing. Review: May drives a Jaguar XJS modernised by Knowles-Wilkins Engineering that, freed of a multitude of low-grade parts, actually works as a coherent and enjoyable sports tourer, unlike the poorly built originals. Review: Hammond looks at the Cadillac CTS, which is not available in Britain. He tests it on some winding roads, referring to "corners: an American car's natural enemy". The results are favourable (as it can now, literally, "drive you around the bend" as opposed to the previous more figurative situation) but Clarkson disagrees, saying simply, "Cadillacs are for pimps and pensioners." Okay No Way: Hammond and Clarkson introduce a new feature. There are two dustbins - a red one marked with No Way and a green one marked with Okay. Hammond and Clarkson show pictures of cars that are not available in the UK. Cars that the two think should come to Britain go in Okay and cars that the two do not want in Britain go in No Way. Hammond thinks that the Pontiac Solstice should come to Britain, but Clarkson puts it in No Way. Jeremy puts the Pontiac Aztek in No Way within three seconds. Richard puts the Hummer H2 in Okay. Richard thinks that the Ford Mustang should go in Okay, but Jeremy puts it in no way. Once again, Richard thinks that the Chevrolet SSR is Okay, but Jeremy puts it in No Way, saying that it (the SSR) is just a purple convertible pick-up truck. Richard puts the Lancia Thesis in No Way, and finally, Richard puts the Renault Logan in Okay, saying that it is a car - just a car - no stereo, electric windows, anything like that. Main review: Clarkson reviews the Renault Clio 182. He likes it even though he considers it unrefined, cheap and unsafe. They conclude that it is like a puppy dog - just plain fun, despite having no manners. It scores a 1.33.8. Challenge: Hammond investigates: "Could you run your car on poo?" (or more accurately, LPG made from faecal biomass, with human and bovine waste challenging commercial fossil-fuel LPG). The answer is yes, but the savings are not worth it - even after considering the money also to be made from milking the cows. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Terry Wogan sets a very slow time of 2:03.4 (credited as 2.04), only beating Richard Whitely. |
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| 36 | Series 4 Episode 7 | 11 July 2004 | Lionel Richie |
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Main review: Clarkson drives the Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG. He gets a boyish enthusiasm from its overtaking acceleration - once it actually gets going, as it is bogged down by excessive wheelspin from a standing start (when not restricted by the traction control, the use of which only underscores how overpowered the engine is). However, as it's limited to 155 mph (250 km/h), looks like any other Mercedes-Benz coupe, and has difficulty putting power down off the line, Jeremy does not recommend it, especially in light of the Aston competition. A half-mile drag race is then undertaken: Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG VS Aston Martin DB9 VS Bentley Continental GT. The Merc and Bentley bog down off the line, with the lightweight Aston taking an early lead. However, the Mercedes-Benz eventually regains grip, regains ground and pulls rapidly away, with the Aston remaining solidly ahead of the Bentley. Though it is not the fastest, all three presenters prefer the Aston Martin. Challenge: Hammond and May pose as minicab drivers to test the Renault Scenic and the Ford C-MAX. Hammond thinks that the tall hatches are a good update, and that having big doors is a useful thing. May agrees lightheartedly, but thinks that the increased price (about £2000) is a ripoff for the slight advantages. Hammond and Clarkson agree after they've seen that taller people are still cramped, the boot is still no larger, and it still seats only five. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lionel Richie, who breaks a wheel off the Liana. Lap time of 1:50. Review: A Spyker C8, which the Stig drives to a lap time of 1:27.3. It has a lot of power, but the chassis can't use it well. But the styling is praised as marvellous by Jeremy. It's designed "for those who want to look good at 4 mph rather than those who just want to go 400". |
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| 37 | Series 4 Episode 8 | 18 July 2004 | Martin Clunes |
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Opening skit: Clarkson takes "a look" at the environmentally friendly Toyota Prius as a counterpoint to the gas-guzzlers making up much of the programme, and promptly ignores it. Main review: May tests the Maserati Quattroporte, trying to figure out if the car wants to be a luxury saloon or a performance car. Obituary: Hammond bids a fond farewell to the long lived and widely employed Rover V8 engine, originally a compact Buick V8 that was sold by GM to Rover after initial technical problems. Hammond then sends off the engine by entering a Touring car race in an unmodified Rover SD1. Star in a reasonably priced car: Martin Clunes took the Liana around the track, with a time of 1:50.0, one second slower than comedy partner Neil Morrissey, but the same time as Clarkson. Challenge: To see if Diesel technology has caught up to Petrol, Clarkson and Hammond race on the track, with Clarkson in a turbodiesel Škoda Fabia VRS, while Hammond raced him in the supercharged petrol Mini Cooper. The MINI is ahead in the first parts, but is overtaken by the torquier and more powerful Škoda; whether the difference in talent between the drivers has anything to do with it is not mentioned. It is admitted that diesel engines are now equally competitive with petrol models - "a sad day". Skit: Hammond makes fun of motorists that block box junctions. Review and Challenge: Clarkson reviews his dream car, the Ford GT. He makes numerous comparisons with the Ford GT40, and graphically illustrates that although he barely fits into the GT, this is an improvement on the original GT40, which he is literally too tall to drive as his head would be trapped in the door. Hammond and May ridicule the GT, on its fuel economy (4 MPG on the track, where it ran dry, or "up to" 12 MPG on official tests), meaning Jeremy would run out of fuel after 75 miles (of a 76 mile commute), and the extreme difficulty of entering the car in a typical public parking space (as part of the roof is attached to the long, thick door) despite James having no problem exiting the Prius in the same "generous" space. The Stig drives it on the track, clocking a lap time of 1:21.9. Skit: Hammond takes Virgin Boeing 747 G-VAST and demonstrates the enormous (and otherwise hard to visualise) power unleashed by just two of its four engines at take-off thrust, by sending a modern Ford Mondeo and a more primitive Citroen 2CV (unmanned) through the jet wake some 50 yards behind the plane, lifting both cars high into the air and wrecking them. |
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| 38 | Series 4 Episode 9 | 25 July 2004 | Ranulph Fiennes |
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Main review: A roadster comparison with Hammond, starting with the Mercedes-Benz SL600. Hammond says it is far too expensive and its huge power is useless when the top is down. Three other less-expensive roadsters are driven: Mazda MX-5 vs. Fiat Barchetta vs. Toyota MR2. The Fiat is stylish and well-priced but front-wheel drive, the MR2 is fastest but too serious and too hard to drive; the MX-5 is the best all-rounder. News: The presenters discuss at length the 10-year transport plan introduced on 20 July 2004 by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling, which introduces the idea of per-mile road toll schemes. Review: Clarkson drives the four-wheel drive Jaguar X-Type estate. It has huge space, is good to drive, and despite its primitive 4WD system is unfettered by normal speeds in inclement weather. Review: Hammond and May do a cabriolet comparison on Lewis and Harris, where fewer convertibles are bought per capita than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. The MINI Cooper Cabriolet is too expensive and embarrassing. The Vauxhall Tigra is very cheap and attractive as an overall package. The Mercedes-Benz SLK350 is powerful and comfortable but too expensive. The Audi S4 Cabriolet has the same problem, but Hammond loves it for its smart styling, four seats, large boot, and engine noise. Challenge: Can you parachute into a moving car? The answer is yes after many tries. And Ben Collins (The former white Stig) is on Top Gear as himself as the moving car driver Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Sir Ranulph Fiennes talks about running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, after major heart surgery. Sets a respectable time of 1:51. |
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| 39 | Series 4 Episode 10 | 1 August 2004 | Patrick Kielty |
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Review: Hammond reviews Peugeot 407. It handles fine and looks good, but reliability, build quality, and lack of power are dynamic shortfalls. Review: May tests the Volvo V50. They are all drab to drive except the T5 version, and with a smaller boot than the Jag last week. He tested this by going to an antique sale and he finds a sofa which does not fit in the back. Review: Hammond tests the new Corvette and finds it to be massively improved over old ones. Clarkson ridicules the antiquated suspension. The Stig drives the Corvette to a lap time of 1:26.8, faster than the Lotus Exige and a Porsche 911 GT3 in the wet. Review: Clarkson finds out how good the BMW X3 is. It's well-priced and has a good engine, but an unacceptably harsh ride, poor build-quality, and a hideous exterior. As an offroader it's even worse, so they recommend buying a BMW 5-Series over it for all sane buyers. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Patrick Kielty, who has a bone to pick after being beaten by Clarkson in an earlier race. Talks about his new purchase of a Delorean DMC-12 and sets a fast time of 1:48, despite breaking the front suspension during a practice lap. Skit: Olympic Games for cars: Long Jump. The Americans are represented by the oldest and heaviest AMC Pacer, the Czechs are represented by the more modern Škoda Favorit, the French have the lightweight Citroën 2CV, the Russians bring their Lada Riva 1.5 estate, and the British take them all on with the underpowered Austin Maestro. Challenge:Is the new Peugeot 407 any good as a pace car? It does fine with its good handling, but it's extremely underpowered. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2004 #1 | 8 August 2004 | Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen & Ronnie O'Sullivan | |
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Challenge: Race To Monte Carlo (From Series 4, Episode 1) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Johnny Vaughan & Denise Van Outen (From Series 4, Episode 5) Review: Jaguar XJS (From Series 4, Episode 6) Challenge: Spare Car Darts (From Series 4, Episode 4) Feature: Cool Wall (From Series 4, Episode 1) Review: Dodge Charger 440 R/T (From Series 4, Episode 3) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ronnie O'Sullivan (From Series 4, Episode 4) Review: Porsche 996 GT3 RS vs. Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale (From Series 4, Episode 2) |
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| Stars in Fast Cars | 10 July 2004 | None | |
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Challenge: Richard and James host a Top Gear Special, in which several well-known celebrities take on each other in a series of challenges. The show's competitors included Jeremy Clarkson, Jodie Kidd, Patrick Kielty, Jimmy Carr and Darren Jordon. |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 4)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 3)".
The fifth series of Top Gear began in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2004 and concluded on 26 December 2004. The series contained 9 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" special, which aired 2 January 2005, charting the best moments from Series 4 and 5.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 40 | Series 5 Episode 1 | 24 October 2004 | Bill Bailey and Antony Worrall Thompson |
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Review: Clarkson reviews the Porsche 997 Carrera S. He declares that it is the laziest design job ever. Which was proven when he accidentally drove the old one because of its similarities.However, he also says that this is a car for keen drivers; a 911 from the old school. The Stig sets a power lap time 1:28.9, on an extremely wet track. Restoration Rip-Off: May introduces James Dean's Lotus Ten, one of only seven made. News: Top Gear is up for a National Television Award. They show the new Ferrari F430. Clarkson has to eat his hair because of a bet he made that the new Vauxhall Astra would not look like the concept. Chef Antony Worrall Thompson begins fixing a hair omelette for Clarkson. Star in a reasonably priced car: Bill Bailey talks about being a communist, owning a 2CV, and his fondness for wrecking hire cars. He sets a time of 1:53.4 in the Liana, on a wet track. Challenge: An old ice cream van attempts to jump over four bouncy castles. The van manages to clear none of the castles. Review: May reviews the Vauxhall Monaro VXR, and Clarkson reviews the Chrysler 300C. On face value, the two colonial cars are excellent, so they are met at Pendine Sands with Hammond's Jaguar S-Type R to decide which is the most fun to drive. The Chrysler is panned for money-saving features like poor brakes and a soggy suspension, coming very close to a successful sports saloon but failing. Clarkson and May agree that the Monaro is the best of the three, though Hammond still prefers the Jag. |
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| 41 | Series 5 Episode 2 | 31 October 2004 | Geri Halliwell |
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Review: Hammond looks at the Ford Focus, comparing it to the Vauxhall Astra, and the VW Golf. He decides that the Focus is still the best of the three, apart from the bland new styling. News: May goes on a rant about Bill Bryson. Ferrari gives the Pope an F1 Car. They discuss the new BMW 3 Series. Restoration Rip-Off: May introduces the Adams Probe 16 from A Clockwork Orange, one of only three made. Review: Clarkson reviews the Enzo Ferrari. He declares the Enzo to be a masterpiece. He muses that supercars today may be approaching engineering perfection, but the cars from fifteen years ago are more fun to drive. The Stig sets a lap time of 1:19.0. Star in a reasonably priced car: Geri Halliwell talks about all the cars she has wrecked. She goes around the track, in the wet, in 1:55.4. Challenge: A world champion all-terrain skateboarder is pitted against a Group N Mitsubishi rally car. The car loses soundly. They then switch out the rally car with a Bowler Wildcat, and the Wildcat wins by a considerable margin. The cars are driven by "professional racing driver Ben Collins" who was also acting as The Stig at the time. Cool Wall: The Vauxhall Monaro is declared to be cool. The Porsche 997 is uncool. The Mercedes-Benz SLK, and the Enzo Ferrari are very uncool. Review: Clarkson compares two trios of supercars: three older supercars, the Jaguar XJ220, the McLaren F1 and the Ferrari F40, and three newer supercars, the Pagani Zonda, the Porsche Carrera GT and the Enzo Ferrari, coming to the conclusion that the simplicity of some of the older cars makes them more fun, even if they are slower around a track. Clarkson is very critical of the attitude of current supercar makers, claiming that they "held back" with cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, but is also critical of the McLaren F1, saying that driving it resembled trying to ride a nuclear missile á la Dr. Strangelove. |
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| 42 | Series 5 Episode 3 | 7 November 2004 | Joanna Lumley |
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Main review: Dodge Viper SRT10. Jeremy can only briefly knock the barn-door engineering because he loves it. Sets a time of 1:28.5 in the wet. News: The £130,000 Bugatti Veyron wristwatch, which you need a butler to put on. Challenge: Clarkson tries to drive a Land Rover Discovery up a mountain in Scotland. The summit he finally reaches is that of Cnoc an Fhreiceadain (Watch Hill), above Coldbackie, and not Ben Tongue as widely reported at the time. Maddest Car: Hammond finds the world's maddest car, in Switzerland. It's the Rinspeed Splash, which becomes a hydrofoil boat. Restoration Rip-Off: Keith Moon's 1938 Chrysler Wimbledon, which was originally a British staff car during World War II, but later driven into a duck pond. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Joanna Lumley talks to Jeremy about how poor British Leyland were with car consistency in The New Avengers and how she once stalked a car. Lap of 1:51.5 |
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| 43 | Series 5 Episode 4 | 14 November 2004 | Jimmy Carr and Steve Coogan |
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Main review: Pagani Zonda S Roadster, which Clarkson says Hammond fell in love with and that girls who came there showing their bare midriffs there were wasting their time Challenge: Hammond and May spend 24 hours in a Smart Forfour to see if the brochure claim 'designed like a lounge' makes the experience tolerable. They find it handles well, it's styled nicely, and it turns heads well enough to get people to buy them food, but it's simply too expensive for what it is. Restoration Rip-Off: 1978 Range Rover previously owned by Princess Diana. The Range Rover had just 58,000 kilometres but the engine needed complete repair. Skit: Hammond and May attempt to play conkers with 6 caravans, appearing to take great skill in their choice of caravans for the game. Hammond ends up as the winner of the game. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jimmy Carr thinks motorways should be Autobahn at night and talks about owning a Rover 75. The Stig described him as "the worst driver we've ever had and the luckiest man alive", but Carr beats Simon Cowell to the top of board with 1:46.9. Review: The Aston Martin Vanquish S, which Clarkson tests in a race against Steve Coogan in a Ferrari 575M GTC. The Vanquish has been improved greatly, but it is still no match for the Ferrari on the track. However, as an all-rounder, with looks and comfort taken into consideration, Clarkson and Coogan would rather have the underdog Aston than the big-headed Ferrari. |
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| 44 | Series 5 Episode 5 | 21 November 2004 | Christian Slater |
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Main review: Morgan Aero 8 GTN. Jeremy and James constantly mock it because of its aesthetics. Lap time: 1:25.9, although it did cross the line sideways. News: Hammond finally gets a Dodge Charger, more precisely, a 1969 model. Restoration Rip-Off: The Fender Stratocaster guitar and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing both celebrate their 50th birthdays this year, so as a result, instead of talking about a restored car, May talks about the reasons why the Gullwing is the first supercar, with songs performed with the Stratocaster playing in the background including Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Sultans of Swing, China Girl, Layla, and Get It On. Star in a reasonably priced car: Actor Christian Slater talks about being in a real police chase and driving a Hybrid, he takes the Liana around with a lap time of 1:51.4. Down to Earth Board: The presenters show the excellent characteristics of the Subaru Legacy. Challenge: Hammond starts a people carrier race series, with the inaugural race featuring two Renault Espaces, a Toyota Previa, a Toyota Spacecruiser, a Mitsubishi Space Wagon, and a Nissan Serena. Hammond in the Espace wins the race easily, because of his more powerful engine. Challenge: After much practice, Clarkson took a diesel Jaguar S-Type around the Nürburgring at 9:59, just under ten minutes. His instructor, Sabine Schmitz, exclaimed "I could do that in a van". She then took the Jaguar out and recorded a lap time much quicker on her first try, at 9:12. |
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| 45 | Series 5 Episode 6 | 5 December 2004 | Cliff Richard and Billy Baxter |
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Main review: Volkswagen Golf V GTI. Clarkson compares it to the previous hot versions and especially to the fabled Mark I, claiming that the Mark V is a return to "the true spirit of the GTI." Though it is down on power compared to the Honda Civic Type R and many other hot hatches, Jeremy finds it as the best because it's "all things to all men."
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Cliff Richard gives an excited Stig a track (aptly named "What Car") off his new album and tells what it's like having poorly-functioning monogrammed gates. Achieved a time of 1:50 Restoration Rip-Off: A racing Mini Cooper previously owned by Paddy Hopkirk. This car is the last contestant to be introduced. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car Take 2: Army veteran and blind land speed record holder Billy Baxter. Clarkson orally guided him around the track and he came in at 2:02, faster than Terry Wogan and Richard Whitely who both have sight. His name on the board is written as "Blind Man". Challenge: How much Porsche can you get for £1500? The presenters each have to buy a Porsche for less than £1500 and put it through a series of tests. Hammond buys a Volkswagen van-engined 924, May buys a 2.5 litre 4-cylinder 944, and Clarkson buys a broken-down 928. Clarkson wins in the end by selling his car as spare parts and as "furniture", although the better car, it seems, was Hammond's 924. |
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| 46 | Series 5 Episode 7 | 12 December 2004 | Roger Daltrey |
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Main review: The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ400 takes on the Lamborghini Murciélago. The Evo was driven by Clarkson whilst the Lambo was driven by James Kaye, the British touring car champion. It was shown that the Lambo could not shake off the Evo after several laps. It came down to the final lap where the Lambo spun out. Afterwards, the Stig posted a time of 1.24.8 for the Evo. Clarkson, however, prefers the old Evo FQ340 because the more powerful FQ400 has a bone-shattering ride, a hopeless clutch, ridiculously poor fuel economy, a tendency to fall apart at high speed and massive turbo lag. Challenge: The long age answer of 'which boxster is the best' is answered. The Porsche Boxster or the Mercedes-Benz SLK 350? In the end, the Boxster won by a large margin. Restoration Rip-Off: James May in a quick summary reports about the Restoration Rip-Off Project. Star in a reasonably priced car: Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who tells about famous myths about the Who, especially if Keith Moon drove a car into a swimming pool, Daltrey's was the fastest mildly moist lap ever of 1:49.7. Review: Clarkson reviews the Toyota Prius, skewering the green machine. He found the interior quality poor, the slow pace intolerable, and the low-grip eco-friendly tires to be dangerous. He recommends buying a diesel Volkswagen Lupo if you want to save the world. The only upside of the Prius is quietness at low speed. Review: Hammond reviews the Ford Mustang. Some of the uncouth details bother him, but appearances and character rescue the American icon in his opinion. They put it on the Cool Wall as nearly a sub-zero car. He tested the Mustang by driving the length of the A1. Top Gear Awards 2004:
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| 47 | Series 5 Episode 8 | 19 December 2004 | Eddie Izzard |
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Challenge: Are today's showroom cars faster than race cars from "not that long ago"? Three pairs made up of one classic racer and one showroom car race against the clock in the Stig's hands:
Challenge: Can a Formula 1 car (specifically Fernando Alonso's Renault R24) get around the track in under a minute? Alonso wasn't on hand to drive, so the Top Gear team gave it to The Stig to drive. He drove it around the track in exactly 59 seconds. Challenge: Can a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Rally car beat a bobsleigh? May was in the car, driven by rally expert Henning Solberg, with Hammond and a professional team in the bobsled. The bobsled won with 59.68 seconds whilst the Evo came in under 1.02.24. Restoration Rip-Off: Phone voters elect Paddy Hopkirk's Mini Cooper as the winner of the Restoration Rip-Off Project. Money for the restoration was raised by the phone calls from voters. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Comedian Eddie Izzard, tells how he could fly a Spitfire and suggests that satellite navigation should swear at drivers to get their attention. Lap of 1:52. Main Challenge: Hammond and May, using a plane, raced Clarkson who drove a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti from London to Verbier in Switzerland. Clarkson won again but this time only by minutes, overtaking the others on the road of their destination. It looked good for Hammond and May when they arrived at Geneva miles ahead of Jeremy who was still in France. Clarkson had to stop a few times because his car developed a buzzing noise and he was stopped by the police. Despite this he made up time while the others were waiting for trains and buses. |
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| 48 | Series 5 Episode 9 | 26 December 2004 | Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine |
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Main review: Ariel Atom, from a company in Somerset. Clarkson describes it as being not only the next best thing to a superbike, for overweight middle aged men who would look ridiculous on two wheels and inevitably end up as organ donors - but actually better. He praises the "exoskeleton" design, plus the speed and handling, demonstrating both by racing and beating a 600cc motorcycle around the test track. He also points out that it is more thrilling than a superbike despite being safer - as it is legally a car and has a full roll cage and seatbelts, you don't even need to wear leathers or a crash helmet, the latter famously leading to the car "destroying his whole face" with wind power and G-forces. The Stig takes it around the track in 1:19.5, well into Supercar territory. Review: Hammond tests the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG. It is not as good offroad as its competitors, but in the urban scene it looks fantastic and has a more civilised demeanor. A supercharged V8 produces 476 bhp (355 kW), good for immense straight-line speed. Hammond calls it "the coolest car in the world". Review: May tests the new BMW 1-series, and is pleased with the rear-drive but finds it too expensive, slow, and poorly-made to buy. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Trinny (1:54.1) who explains the importance of shoes to an outfit and Susannah (in 1:55.6) who shows how dressing is important to cars. Both in the wet. They fail to understand the importance of a good car to complement a good look. Comparison: May and Clarkson go out to review a collection of cars from the Pacific Rim: Cars from Malaysia and Korea. Among these are the Kia Rio and the Hyundai Accent, in a 3-cylinder diesel version. They conclude that none of them are worth buying, due to being "built like white goods." This is followed by a demonstration of a custom vehicle constructed from used home appliances. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2004 #2 | 2 January 2005 | Sir Ranulph Fiennes & Joanna Lumley | |
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Review: Porsche Carrera GT (From Series 4, Episode 4) Challenge: The Minicabbing Challenge (From Series 4, Episode 6) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Sir Ranulph Fiennes (From Series 4, Episode 9) Challenge: Parachute Into A Moving Car (From Series 4, Episode 9) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Joanna Lumley (From Series 5, Episode 3) Feature: Vauxhall Monaro, Chrysler 300C, and Jaguar S-Type R on the Pendine Sands (From Series 5, Episode 1) |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 5)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 4)".
The sixth series of Top Gear aired on 22 May 2005 and concluded on 7 August 2005. A total of 11 episodes were broadcast, the most of any Top Gear series. It also began the, "Some say..." introduction to the Stig
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 49 | Series 6 Episode 1 | 22 May 2005 | James Nesbitt |
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Main review: Clarkson tests the Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG, a stylish and comfortable four-door coupe with a throaty 500 hp (370 kW) supercharged V8, brakes from the SLR supercar, a luxurious interior, and "fabulous handling." The Stig does a lap time of 1:26.9, currently the fastest four-door saloon ever tested. Jeremy adores it as a "thug in a silk dressing gown" and says the only thing that would keep him from buying one is fear of the recent reputation for dodgy Mercedes-Benz build quality. News: The collapse of MG Rover. In response to a protest by environmentalists who broke into the Land Rover factory where Range Rovers are built and chained themselves to the production line, Jeremy, Richard and James staged their own protest at the Hammersmith bus depot in London by chaining themselves onto a bus, only to be sent away by police. Review: May tests the Honda Element, which is not for sale in the UK. He brings it to a community of retirees to see what they make of it; he proclaims it cool after the stereotypical old Honda drivers don't like it. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: James Nesbitt discusses guns with Jeremy and what it is like being 40. Lap time of 1:51.3 Challenge: Hammond and May played a football match using the new Toyota Aygo being driven by drivers such as Russ Swift, Paul Smith and (old) White Stig Ben Collins. Richard won 2-1. Cool Wall: Clarkson is annoyed that Kristin-Scott Thomas likes the Honda Civic and a red Bentley and thinks the DB9 is uncool, so he replaces her with Fiona Bruce as the expectation. Jeremy and Richard fall in love with the Alfa Romeo Brera. Challenge: Clarkson attempted to see whether a Challenger 2 tank could lock its main cannon onto a Range Rover Sport. The Range Rover was good on the rough stuff, but the tank was better. |
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| 50 | Series 6 Episode 2 | 29 May 2005 | Jack Dee |
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Review: After destroying the disappointing Maserati Biturbo and lauding the Maserati 250F for its performance in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1957 German Grand Prix, Clarkson announces the £412,000 Maserati MC12, saying it is "An Enzo in Drag". Fastest car of 1:18.9. He is impressed with its speed, but, like the Biturbo, doesn't consider it to be a proper Maserati. News: The recently-released Honda FR-V, with its distinctive "3+3" seating arrangement, is discussed. The upcoming Saab 9-3 SportWagon, Hummer H3, third-generation Mazda MX-5, eighth-generation Honda Civic, and Ferrari 575M Superamerica, a convertible version of the 575M Maranello, are discussed. Clarkson disputes Ferrari's claim that the Superamerica is the "world's fastest convertible", naming several other convertible supercars (such as the Porsche Carrera GT) which are faster. Challenge: The team was asked to buy a 2-door coupé that wasn't a Porsche for under £1,500, mirroring a competition they had in series five where they each had to spend £1,500 to buy a Porsche. May bought a Jaguar XJS, Hammond a BMW 635CSi, while Clarkson went for a turbocharged Mitsubishi Starion. They were then sent to the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire for a series of challenges to see who had got the best deal, scoring points for each challenge. The challenges included trying to get to 140 mph (225 km/h), having to drive at 30 mph (48 km/h) over Belgian cobbles with a bucket of water on their lap. They then had to drive to Oxford and meet up at the QI Club. Clarkson arrived first, followed 47 minutes later by Hammond. May never made it; his Jag broke down five times en route. Finally, the team were allowed to spend the remainder of their £1,500 on upgrading their cars prior to an endurance race in a farm's field. The overall winner turned out to be May, followed by Hammond, but with Clarkson out of the running. May, however, offered to give the title to Clarkson if he admitted "I'm a clot and I ruined my car", because he had installed a highly uprated turbocharger (said to be from Pentti Airikkala's Group A Rally car), without any change to the cooling system. The result was that during the endurance race, the engine coolant boiled repeatedly, destroying power and putting Clarkson out of the running. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Comedian Jack Dee; Lap time of 1:53.5. |
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| 51 | Series 6 Episode 3 | 12 June 2005 | Christopher Eccleston |
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Review: Aston Martin DB9 Volante. Richard finds it to be too wobbly and shiny, and proves that more people would like a puppy than this car. News: Clarkson's Ford GT finally arrives and is shown in the studio alongside Hammond's dream car, a half-timbered Morgan. They talk about the sacrifices needed to make in order to enjoy owning "the car of your dreams". Review: May drives the Maserati Bora, which is his favourite Italian 70s supercar, and his overall favourite except for the old Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The Bora had comfort and sophistication, but luxurious touches made it the slowest supercar of the 70s. May is vindicated as it is civilised and is still decent to drive in the modern era. Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Wiesmann MF3 and the TVR Tuscan. The Tuscan is proven to be a very hard and complicated car to enter and drive. Lap times of 1:27.9 (Wiesmann) and 1:24.8 (TVR). But Richard (who hates TVRs) and Jeremy prefer the Wiesmann. Stunt: Clarkson attends the opening of the Chipping Norton lido, near his home, driving a Rolls-Royce into it, apparently as a surprise. Feature: They also present the new Batmobile from Batman Begins in the studio. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Christopher Eccleston, for whom they must find an automatic Liana (as he is only qualified to drive an automatic gearbox), 1:52.4. |
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| 52 | Series 6 Episode 4 | 19 June 2005 | Omid Djalili |
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Challenge: Can a 3-ton stretched limo jump over a wedding party? The party was consisted of an outdoor wedding setting, a few caravans and the guests' cars. The obese Lincoln limo clears the wedding setting, but smashes into the caravans and one of the cars. News: Clarkson's Ford GT and all the problems it has caused him during the week, starting from the engine not working when he wanted to set off home in it, continuing with the alarm starting off with no reason and the tracker device sending SOS calls while Clarkson was in the car. Clarkson concludes by threatening the people at Ford if they don't mend his car, after mocking the Focus diesel courtesy car they gave him. Review: Clarkson tests the Cadillac CTS-V at the Top Gear test track. He initially mocks the claim that it handled like a European car (after development had been done at the Nürburgring), before racing it against an Audi S4 driven by the Stig. Despite a similar power output, and the Stig in control of the Audi, the Cadillac wins. Jeremy likes it, but doesn't recommend it over the Vauxhall Monaro muscle car, and expresses disdain over the constant "bong" sounds the car makes when the door is open, the key is in the ignition, and so on. The CTS-V does a lap around the test track in 1.33:4 in the wet. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Omid Djalili, the British-Iranian comedian, talks about the only car made in Iran and Clarkson suggests that Iranian nukes can't be very advanced if this is their idea of car technology. Lap of 1:51.5. Review: Hammond tests the new BMW 3 Series on the M4 corridor, and describes it as "a great piece of machinery"; he also talks about the 3-Series outselling the Ford Mondeo, thus diminishing the "snob value" of the badge. Music from Coldplay's X&Y album, released earlier that month, is featured prominently in the film. Review: The guys hand over duties to their mothers to review three new small cars: the Renault Modus, Honda Jazz and Peugeot 1007. They're tested by seeing how much space there is, how fast they are (to which Hammond points out May's mother is much faster than May himself is) and how easy they are to get into. Their mothers' decision is that the practical and easy-to-drive Honda is the best, while the presenters favour the quicker and better-priced Renault. Everyone finds the slow and impractical Peugeot to be rubbish. |
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| 53 | Series 6 Episode 5 | 26 June 2005 | Damon Hill |
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Review: James May takes a Nissan Murano to Hertfordshire and after an overall favourable review he concurs with Clarkson that the only thing he does not like about the car is the looks. Especially the front grille reminds Clarkson of the James Bond villain Jaws. Its positive points include comfort, ease of driving, and most of all extreme quietness. News: The new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX is the same car as its predecessor, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. Lamborghini introduces a spyder version of the Gallardo, James May promotes a retro-styled hand-free phone and the bold new Citroën C6 is in the studio. Review: Clarkson returns to the 1960s to define cool with the Aston Martin DB5 and a Jaguar E-type. In standard, antique form they are terrible to drive, unreliable, extremely expensive, and slower in a drag race than a 2.4 litre Honda Accord. But he also recommends that nearly all of these problems can be overcome by spending somewhat more money on a modernised and updated version. The Stig takes both of them around the track; the original DB5 is the slowest car ever at 1:46, while the modernised E-type sets the same time as a V6-engined Audi TT at 1:32. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill tries to disprove the claims that he is the Stig, then talks to Clarkson about the 2005 United States Grand Prix 6-car fiasco; they discuss the bad tastes in cars of people that "have lived at 300 mph" (Hill's car at the moment was an Audi A3). Hill's time of 1:46.3 starts the F1 drivers' board. Review: Richard Hammond drives the new Maserati Coupé, known as the Gran Sport, and attempts to get around the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti in Varano de' Melegari, Italy, faster than former F1 and BTCC driver Gabriele Tarquini. Hammond was four seconds a lap slower than Tarquini, which subsequently meant the latter would have, in an 70-lap race, lapped him five times. Greatest Driving Song of All Time: For the remainder of the series, May will be presenting five songs the viewers nominated to find out what song is the "Greatest Driving Song of All Time." This week, it is Golden Earring's "Radar Love". Challenge: Snipers of the Irish Guards try to shoot Clarkson, as he drives the new Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG and Porsche Boxster S around a deserted village. |
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| 54 | Series 6 Episode 6 | 3 July 2005 | David Dimbleby |
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Review: The Aston Martin DBR9 racer is given a race around the track. It sets a very quick time of 1:08.6, but can't go on the board because it is not a production vehicle & it was on slick tyres. Challenge: A race from Heathrow Airport to Oslo. Clarkson chose the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren because it was both extremely fast and completely comfortable. This choice seemed to vindicate the SLR as the better real-world car over the Porsche Carrera GT. He embarked on a tiring 1,320-mile (2,120 km) drive via the Channel Tunnel, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, the Øresund Bridge, Sweden, and into Norway. Hammond and May took a flight to Newcastle upon Tyne, and then a 17-hour long ferry to Kristiansand. Initially, it looked hopeful for them as they planned to complete the trip by speedboat; however, in heavy seas, they broke down in two speedboats and had to complete the journey by bus. Though Clarkson had spent a few hours sleeping just outside of Copenhagen in Denmark, he beat them by several hours due to the setbacks. News: Nissan Micra C+C, the car for the man who "likes musicals". Also, Hummer have produced aftershave and cologne for "inbreds." Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jeremy discusses A Picture of Britain and Question Time with David Dimbleby. Lap time of 1:52 Greatest Driving Song of All Time: Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" |
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| 55 | Series 6 Episode 7 | 10 July 2005 | Justin Hawkins |
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Main review: Jeremy drives the first and only non-terrifying TVR, the Sagaris. James contends that despite his great praise for the vehicle, Jeremy would rather have a Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG because he's a coward. News: Jeremy has slipped two discs, which he describes as 'repetitive oversteer injury'; Proton have announced the Savvy, as a 'My First Lotus'; two new Mustangs, neither of which will be coming to the UK; Mercedes-Benz have styled a car like a fish; the Top Gear Survey. Versus Challenge: Clarkson races a Fiat Panda against a marathon runner around the London Marathon circuit during the morning rush-hour. After early success, the car gets bogged down in traffic and never recovers. Greatest Driving Song of All Time: Deep Purple's "Highway Star" Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Justin Hawkins recalls driving across America in a Reliant Regal. Lap time of 1:48. Cool Wall: The DB9 Cabriolet is cool in case you own one and it is called over a tannoy; Richard takes advantage of Clarkson's injury to place the Maserati Gran Sport in the cool section and the Peugeot 1007 in the uncool section; the Panda is cool because it is a 4x4 and annoys ecomentalists; the Range Rover Sport is uncool because a reality TV star wants one; the two disagree over the SLK55 — Hammond says it is too fiddly and the two use large audience members to fight by proxy — Hammond wins at first, but then Clarkson intervenes and it goes in "sub-zero". Time Challenge: To celebrate the Ford Transit's 40th birthday, Hammond goes to the Nürburgring to see if Sabine Schmitz can fulfill her word and do a lap of the infamous track in a Transit van in less than Jeremy's best lap in the diesel S-Type of 9:59. Sabine fails on the first try, so tries again after streamlining and putting the van on a drastic and radical weight diet, and achieves a 10:08.49 the second time, coming just 9 seconds short of the time Jeremy had set the previous year. Back at the hangar, Sabine is invited to take over oversteering duties from Hammond for the next series, being 'cheaper', much better looking, a better (quicker) driver, and most importantly taller, as well as speaking better English. |
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| 56 | Series 6 Episode 8 | 17 July 2005 | Tim Rice |
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Main review: Ferrari F430. Jeremy claims it "about the best car I've ever driven". The convertible version of the F430 is just as pin-sharp to drive and comes only one-tenth of a second slower on the track. He can find nothing wrong with either version, but advises that unattractive people should avoid the soft top, so as not to create embarrassment. Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May take some convertible versions of existing coupes to Iceland. Specifically the Chrysler Crossfire, Nissan 350Z and Audi TT. Clarkson likes the Chrysler because as a soft top it is attractive, comfortable, and cheap. Hammond likes the Nissan for its power. May likes the Audi because of its build quality and four-wheel drive. Two of them find the TT to be too dull, two of them find the Crossfire to be rubbish, and two of them find the Nissan to be too camp and idiotic. They cannot decide which is best, because each one is flawed. News: The boys discuss NISMO (with May expressing his hate for the R34 Skyline GT-R). A heavily modified Citroën C2 is also discussed and shown in the studio. Star in a reasonably priced car: Tim Rice has a Jaguar, but he and nobody who works for him know which one. Lap of 1:52.7. Greatest Driving Song of All Time: Meat Loaf's "Bat out of Hell". In addition, this song has been ridiculed by the presenters. |
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| 57 | Series 6 Episode 9 | 24 July 2005 | Chris Evans |
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Main review: The new BMW M5, priced identically with the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Jeremy admits disappointment, and points out the list of failures in great detail: confusing electronic settings for everything, annoying sat-nav, jerky gearbox, uncomfortable ride, ugly exterior, non-cancelling indicator, and disappointing appreciation of speed with the 400 horsepower (300 kW) standard setting. Though the review then appears to be over, Jeremy presses the M button and the engine delivers 507 metric horsepower (373 kW; 500 bhp), the suspension stiffens, and the gearbox goes to a default race setting. In this form, it is spectacular to drive, but very fragile- it had to be mended before a lap could be done. In the hands of the Stig, it does a lap time of 1:26.2, putting it slightly faster than the CLS, but worse as an all-rounder. Review: Clarkson drives three hot hatchbacks, the VW Golf GTI, RenaultSport Mégane, and the Vauxhall Astra VXR. Clarkson thinks the Astra is too powerful for a front-wheel drive car, resulting in disastrous understeer. Torque-steer always yanks the front wheels to the left, and the extra power is useless as it is slower than the Renault. Clarkson likes the Mégane, but would still buy a Golf instead, reiterating his decision in Series 5, Episode 6. Challenge: Hammond and May play a game called "Road Test Russian Roulette", which involved them having to test cars while driving the cars' owners (which are supposed to be drunk) back to their homes. Hammond tries to be polite and avoid telling people that some parts of the car are rubbish, instead talking about spices and that part of the car. Clarkson tells him that he has cocked it up because of this approach. Challenge: A new world record was set for the number of complete sideways rolls in a car. A stuntman managed to make a Ford Sierra estate complete 6 rolls - and survived. Star in a reasonably priced car: Chris Evans who tells Jeremy about trying (and failing) to take old people to the shops during his five-year hiatus, Lap of 1:47.9 Greatest Driving Song of All Time: Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" |
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| 58 | Series 6 Episode 10 | 31 July 2005 | Davina McCall & Mark Webber |
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Review: Clarkson tests the BMW 535d four-door sedan, the first diesel car to be brought to the Top Gear test track. He finds that, compared to the petrol variant, the diesel is quieter at motorway speeds, it has much more torque, it is slightly cheaper, and the weight of the heavier engine doesn't affect the handling. The petrol version is more responsive, more fun to drive, and it beats the diesel on a track. The Stig takes the 535d to a 1:31.8 time. News: The presenters discuss the Proton Gen-2 with dual driving controls, the Vauxhall Astra 2-seater convertible, a tear-proof map booklet, and the Audi A6 allroad quattro concept car. Challenge: Hammond returns to Iceland (on the basis that the convertible test in episode 8 had been very boring, and he was not allowed to come home until he had filmed something interesting) to race a modified off-road vehicle against a Snowmobile over Lake Kleifarvatn. Greatest Driving Song of All Time: A retrospect of the five finalists. Star in a reasonably priced car: Big Brother host Davina McCall tries to invite Clarkson onto Big Brother and admits she owns an eco-unfriendly Range Rover, she also tells about her shoes and how the Stig said they were slowing her down and made her do a lap barefoot. Her lap time is 1:57.1. Review: May drives the Bentley Continental Flying Spur in Dubai, as he can think of no other place to respectfully test the "New Money" car. May defies his "Captain Slow" nickname by bringing the Bentley to 180 mph (290 km/h) on roads specially closed off for him; he likes the car and finds that the addition of two more doors and a bit of re-characterisation has moved it successfully away from the Bentley Continental GT. Jeremy despises the new four-door Bentley, calling it "the most dreary styling" he has ever seen. Star in a reasonably priced car, take two: Mark Webber complains that the wet conditions would hurt him, despite Clarkson's reassurances that he could have gotten 4 seconds faster in dry. His time of 1:47.1 is disputed after Clarkson suggests that he could have gotten a 1:43 in dry conditions. Afterwards, Clarkson gives Webber a shirt proclaiming, "I AM THE STIG." Review: The trio reviews several off-road toys, including quadbikes, the 8-wheeled Argo Cat, hovercraft, and specially-designed racing vehicles, among others, in a bid to find out which one of them is most fun. After destroying a field by driving quadbikes and many other off road toys (including the Argo Cat which can float, as proved by Jeremy), Clarkson slips two discs in his back after crashing his hovercraft. |
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| 59 | Series 6 Episode 11 | 7 August 2005 | Timothy Spall |
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Main review: Hammond tested the Vauxhall Monaro VX-R and was taught how to drift in the same car by D1 Grand Prix driver Yasuyuki Kazama, despite Kazama not speaking English (he had to teach using hand signals). Kazama then took the VX-R and showed Hammond how to drift properly. News: It is revealed that Vauxhall has discontinued the distribution of the Monaro VX-R, making the former segment irrelevant. Challenge: James May tries to re-create the Top Gear theme tune using car engine noises. Ranging from the supercar Enzo Ferrari to a classic Chevrolet Corvette to modern cars like the Suzuki Swift and the Mazda RX-8 and even a construction dumper, May's song is purist as he refuses to use computer effects to make it sound better, with results that fail to impress the others. Clarkson compares it to "a fat talentless shop assistant farting." Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Timothy Spall talks about his movie roles with Tom Cruise, and manages to take the Liana to a respectable 1:51.1 time, despite going into the last corner too fast and swiviling around on the last straight. Greatest Driving Song of All Time:
James presents Roger Taylor, Queen's drummer, with a trophy. Review: Clarkson reviews the Ford Lightning, and considers the truck useless in England. From claiming it is made from old shovels and the interior is rubbish to getting something stolen from the bed of the truck, Clarkson closes his argument by mentioning how these trucks often appear to crash in police chase videos. Cool Wall: Clarkson and Hammond could not be bothered to put up the BMW 3-Series on the cool wall, finding it too dull to be worth the time. Review: Hammond participated in the Pamplona Bull Run in Spain, where he was shoved into the path of a bull by a participant, before a segment in which he road tested the Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster. |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 6)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 5)".
The seventh series of Top Gear began on 13 November 2005, and concluded on 27 December 2005. The series contained seven episodes, one of which being the Winter Olympics special. The series was subsequently followed by five "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from past series of the show, including Supercars, Special Guests, British Motoring and The Challenges. The seventh series is currently the longest-running Top Gear series yet.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 60 | Series 7 Episode 1 | 13 November 2005 | Trevor Eve |
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Review: Richard Hammond addresses the fictitious complaints of viewers that want a mid-level supercar in the £235,000 bracket. The answer: the Ascari KZ1, a British supercar (although designed by a Dutchman with an engine from the BMW M5). The Stig then takes the car to a 1:20.7, below the Porsche Carrera GT. News: The three look at the Mini Cooper Estate Concept from the Tokyo Auto Salon. Jeremy Clarkson mocks BMW's attempt to make a "quintessentially British" car by making references to the Hitler regime and the German invasion of Poland. They also discussed a motoring website for homosexuals called 'Top Gayer', which then segues to a joke on a rumor about Richard Hammond having had his teeth whitened. Main review: Hammond, May, and Clarkson travel to the Isle of Man to compare the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the BMW M6, and Porsche 997 Carrera S and choose which of them they like the best. The 23-minute film includes the presenters fishing, discussing the merits of the cars, and timed runs by The Stig along the A18 road commonly used by the Isle of Man TT motorcycle racing competition. James and Richard preferred the Porsche but Jeremy still said he preferred the Aston Martin. So the overall winner was the 997 by a 2 to 1 vote. Star in a reasonably priced car: Trevor Eve shows Jeremy sign language he learned while making Children of a Lesser God, lap of 1:48.0 but the Stig believed he could have gone faster if the wheel hadn't broken off the Liana. Poll: How reliable is your car? According to the poll, 10 of the bottom 13 cars were of French origin. The top 3 were all Japanese: the Lexus RX (3rd), the Lexus IS (2nd), and the Honda S2000 (1st place). |
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| 61 | Series 7 Episode 2 | 20 November 2005 | Ian Wright |
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Main review: Clarkson reviews the Porsche Cayman, which is cut short by the director's expression of disgust at Clarkson complaining about mostly everything about the car (which he bought as an investment, to Jeremy's own disgust). Clarkson was so sure that it was merely a Boxster Coupé that he refused to call it anything but a Coxster. The Stig posts a 1:26.7 for the Cayman. News: Hammond shows one viewer's attempt to get directions from Nottingham to Bideford, while avoiding the M5 motorway via the RAC plc website. The route took her into the Atlantic Ocean, into France, and crosses Ireland twice. Documentary and Review: Hammond explains the history of British racing green, with a run in a Bentley Blower, and a 1903 Napier and reviews a recreation of a Vanwall F1 car. Star in a reasonably priced car: Ian Wright discusses why footballers like David Beckham, Wes Brown and John O'Shea would buy a Lincoln Navigator. Lap of 1:47.8. Challenge: Hammond and May play with life-size radio control cars made from real cars. After each had a turn at the controls and in the passenger seat, one rode in the car while the other attempted to navigate it through a quarry floor course, and keep a caravan from being crushed by a wrecking ball. The two then raced against the British Under-15 Radio Control Champion on a new course, ending with them trying to jump another caravan, and (of course) failing. Back in the studio Clarkson shows off a full size radio controlled car that flies. He flies it over peoples heads in the studio. Challenge: Clarkson, in an Audi RS4, competed against the climber Leo Houlding to see who could make it to the top of the Verdon Gorge in France. After he loses the hillclimb challenge he challenges the climber to descend faster than he does, whereupon the climber base-jumps to the bottom. Clarkson thinks the RS4 is a landmark departure from the usually tepid fast Audis, and hails the lightweight, high-revving V8 as one of the best engines ever made. |
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| 62 | Series 7 Episode 3 | 27 November 2005 | Stephen Ladyman |
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Main review: Clarkson reviews the Ford Focus ST (jokingly referred to as the ASBO), bringing a modern touch to British motoring. With as much power as the hot Renault Megane from last series, Jeremy lavishes the car with praise. The Stig takes the car to a 1:34.9 time, on a slippery and foggy track. If under normal conditions, it would have been the fastest hatchback yet tested. News: Top Gear announces that they won an International Emmy for the Non-Scripted Entertainment category. Clarkson explains that he was unable to go to New York to receive the award since he was too busy writing the script for that episode. Star in a reasonably priced car: British transport minister Stephen Ladyman injures the Liana when he loses control of the car and goes backward into a tyre wall. Despite this setback, Ladyman posts a time of 1:48.8. Ladyman reveals that he is a petrolhead and owns an Alfa Romeo despite his staunch law-and-order stance on speed cameras. The Cool Wall: Clarkson and Hammond argue about the positioning of the cars presented for the Cool Wall for the whole segment, starting with the positioning of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the fridge, and the Vauxhall Astra VXR and Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG in the "Cool" region (Hammond moves the Mercedes-Benz picture in the "Uncool" section). In the end Clarkson and Hammond literally fight over the placement of the BMW M6, the fight going into the crowd. Hammond eats the card, which May cites shortly after - "Hamsters eat cardboard!". Road Trip: All three presenters each took a favourite supercar - a Pagani Zonda, a Ford GT, and a Ferrari F430 - on a trans-France road trip to the recently completed Millau Viaduct, a similarly fantastic example of engineering skill as explained by Clarkson. Notable events included their creation of a serious traffic jam in the backstreets of Paris attempting to leave a car park; the problem was that, owing to the angle of the slope onto the road combined with the low bodies of the cars, the fronts were scraping the ground and they could only escape (very slowly) after improvising a shallower ramp and removing front spoilers. Also, May for once defied his "Captain Slow" nickname, driving the Ferrari F430 faster than Hammond in the Pagani Zonda and Clarkson in the Ford GT on a twisting mountain road, describing the car as "Ballerina's point shoe" compared to the others' construction-site boots. Throughout the trip, Clarkson and May continuously talked about Hammond's teeth being whitened (a running joke in the series), to the point when Hammond shouts "I HAVE NOT HAD MY TEETH DONE!" when the trio stopped at a resting area in the French mountains, with Hammond's voice being echoed. |
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| 63 | Series 7 Episode 4 | 4 December 2005 | Ellen MacArthur |
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Two fast times highlight this episode of Top Gear. Main review: Hammond reviews the heavily revised Pagani Zonda F, with a carbon fibre Body, magnesium wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes, and an improved structure. The improvements to the car leave him genuinely speechless, and help it garner the fastest power lap time of 1:18.4 by The Stig. News: The presenters mourn the death of World Rally champion Richard Burns, who died at the age of 34 two weeks before. He had made two earlier Top Gear appearances, once touting rallying as more technologically influential and interesting than Formula One, and on another occasion test-driving the Peugeot RC on the Top Gear track. Star in a reasonably priced car: Ellen MacArthur tells what its like sleeping on her around the world sailing trip, and pulls the fastest lap on the power board with a lap of 1:46.7. Challenge: James May drives in a competition to race the new Renault Clio through Lisbon, Portugal against the downhill mountain biker Gee Atherton. Challenge: Each presenter is told to buy a used Italian supercar for £10,000 and drive from Bristol to a strip club in Slough, with challenges along the way, including a lap around Castle Combe raceway trying to beat the Stig's 1:35 laptime in a diesel Vauxhall Astra, the measurement of lost horsepower from their worn engines, an insurance estimate, a DIY tune-up against the clock involving an oil change and replacing spark plugs, and trying to park in a tight space in Marlborough town square. Clarkson buys a misbadged Maserati Merak, thinking it is an SS model until the horsepower test (where it delivered a woeful 80 bhp (60 kW)), May buys a broken-down 117 bhp (87 kW) Lamborghini Urraco, and Hammond buys a 194 bhp (145 kW) Ferrari 308GT4 with severe rust problems. In the end, none of the supercars reach Slough, as the Merak's engine blew up in dramatic fashion whilst on the road, and the electrical systems of the 308GT4 and the Urraco fail (the reason the Urraco was broken down in the first place, and having caused continual difficulty throughout the challenge). In addition, though the Urraco's final breakdown was comparatively close to the intended destination, this led to it causing a traffic jam on the outskirts of Slough. |
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| 64 | Series 7 Episode 5 | 11 December 2005 | Nigel Mansell |
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Main review: Hammond reviews the Marcos TSO GT2. Hammond likens it to the much-loved Monaro in terms of its way of marrying muscular American power to easily controllable (if not actually nimble) handling, and also the TVR Sagaris - though when pushed, he admitted this was because it broke down several times. The Stig manages to take it to a time of 1:28.2. During the studio segment of the review, Clarkson "discovers" a tooth-whitening kit in the Marcos, to which Hammond's reply was: "IT'S A PLANT!!!". News: The group reviews stupid automotive accessories. Star in a reasonably priced car: F1 and IndyCar champion Nigel Mansell takes the lead on the F1 lap board with a 1:44.6. Mansell's time proves a theory from The Stig that the Liana could garner a 1:44 lap time. Challenge: The Stig compared the drivetrains of RR layout vs. 4WD on the Porsche 997 on an indoor exhibition rally track of the World Rally Championship at Millennium Stadium to settle a debate by Porsche fans. The Carrera 4 was half a second faster, but according to James May the Stig said the 2WD Carrera was nicer to drive. Main Race: Hammond and May once again attempted to beat Clarkson in a race across Europe using transport other than a car. This time, as May had almost earned himself a fully-fledged pilot's licence, their chosen mode of transport was a Cessna 182 (light aircraft), hired from West London Aero Club. After an initial shaky start because of May's insistence on lengthy pre-flight checks and a circuitous route to avoid mountains exceeding the plane's flight ceiling, they made good time on Jeremy, but were forced to make an early landing and travel the remainder of the journey by Eurostar as May was not licensed to fly after nightfall. Once again, Clarkson won, aided by his 1001 PS (736 kW/987 bhp) Bugatti Veyron supercar, reaching the top of the Natwest Tower before the other two. Clarkson was actually delivering the Veyron to England for Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell. At the top of the tower he commented that his victory was hollow because he would have to live the rest of his life knowing he would never actually own the Veyron or experince its power again, but he soon forgot about it when he and Hammond started laughing at James's disgruntledment. [1] |
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| 65 | Series 7 Episode 6 | 27 December 2005 | David Walliams and Jimmy Carr |
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Main review: Volkswagen Golf R32 and the BMW 130i. After originally conceding that the BMW was more fun and seemed faster on a dry track, Clarkson was amazed to see that the R32 trounced the 130i with a lap time of 1:30.4 over the 130i's 1:31.9. But it fell in line with his other heavy criticisms of the lack of practicality and the price of the BMW. Challenge: Hammond and May argue about the state of modern-day driving, which sparked a time trial showdown at Prescott Hill Climb Course, pitting an Austin-Healey Sprite representing a mostly middle-aged classic car owners club, versus a modified Peugeot 306 backed by a more youthful group. The Stig takes the two around, with the Sprite, on a serious race-focussed diet, defeating the showy and stereo-laden 306 by one second. Review and Challenge: Hammond tests the Mazda MX-5, which involves racing the car against a greyhound at a dog-racing dirt track. The dog won. Star in a reasonably priced car: Little Britain star David Walliams and comedian Jimmy Carr appear with Walliams' lap time of 1:50.7 slower than Carr's. Walliams also tells of his love of Aston Martin. 2005 Top Gear Awards:
Challenge: In the final segment, Clarkson travelled to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California to compare racing a lap in real life versus the video game Gran Turismo 4. Clarkson's time of 1:41.148 for the video game was substantially faster than the 1:57 time that he was able to do on the real course due to the course omitting a few details of the track and Clarkson's inability to replicate digital bravery in real life. This section also featured a farewell to the NSX. |
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| Winter Olympics Special | 12 February 2006 | None | |
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Main article: Top Gear Winter Olympics
Biathlon: Clarkson raced a Volvo XC90 against May in an Audi Q7, cross-country, with 2 shooting rounds mid-course while every missed target gives 5 penalty seconds (the loser had to eat "golden snow"). May used a standard Biathlon .22 rifle, while Clarkson opted for a H&K MP5 machine pistol. Despite the increased firepower, Clarkson missed every target and felled a tree. May missed only 2 targets in the final shooting round. However, near the end, he crashed into a tree and had to dig himself out. Despite this, May re-overtook Clarkson at the end and won the race. Cold Weather Endurance: Hammond was subjected to Arctic temperatures in a Citroën C1, in a bid to see who will crack first: man or machine? After being subjected to a temperature of about minus-40 Celsius, Hammond narrowly beat the car, concluding that 'if you're going to drive to the North Pole, buy a Hammond'. (Ironically disproved in later series by his runner-up placing in the Polar Challenge) Speed Skating: Clarkson ('Torville' with no ability to walk on ice) raced a Jaguar XK against a human skater (Introduced by May as Eskil Ervik) on the ice course of Vikingskipet Olympic Arena. Clarkson was terrible at this event as his Jag had no grip whatsoever, being lapped twice by Ervik. Off-Road Slalom: May and Clarkson raced a four-wheel drive Land Rover Discovery and a two-wheel drive Jaguar XK against the clock, on just about five inches of frozen lake. May declared himself the winner as he was the fastest with 2:03.28, but was disputed by Clarkson, who claimed his run to have been more graceful and interesting. Bobsleigh: In a repeated segment from Series 5 Episode 8, Hammond and a bobsleigh team race against May and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car piloted by Norwegian Henning Solberg, along near-identical courses. Hammond won with 59.68 in the end, May's time was 1:02.24 Ice Hockey: Ten Suzuki Swifts played 5-a-side hockey, in teams captained by Hammond and May, and refereed by Clarkson. At one point, Hammond's team were winning 2-0, but a biased Clarkson intervened and successfully helped May to 2-2. In the end Hammond crashed into May's car and was sent to penalty box, so May could score 2 more goals. The result was 5-4 to Hammond's team. Ski Jump: The trio attempt to find out if a rocket-powered Mini could jump further than a skier from a downhill slope. The challenge was then concluded by a ski jump on a snowmobile driven by The Stig. |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2005 #1 | 13 March 2006 | Davina McCall & Christopher Eccleston | |
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Challenges:
Stars In A Reasonably Priced Car:
Reviews:
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| 68 | The Best Of Top Gear 2005 #2 - The Special Guests | 13 March 2006 | Jimmy Carr, David Walliams, Steve Coogan |
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Feature: To begin, Jimmy Carr takes us on a short tour of the Top Gear studio, including the production office, green room, make up area, and The Stig's secret bedroom. He then heads out to the track to interview David Walliams and The Stig. Later on, Carr tours the car park, commenting on the cars held therein, and interviewing James May, who relates a tale of being "the other guy". Finally, Carr interviews the studio audience, which annoys The Stig. Challenges:
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2005 #3 – The Challenges | 20 March 2006 | None | |
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Challenges:
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2005 #4 - The Supercars | 27 March 2006 | None | |
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Challenges:
Reviews:
Features:
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2005 #5 - The Best Of British | 4 April 2006 | Several | |
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Reviews:
Stars In A Reasonably Priced Car:
Features:
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[edit] Reception
[edit] Series 7, Episode 1
In the news segment, Jeremy Clarkson mocked BMW's attempt to make a "quintessentially British" car (in review of the Mini Cooper Estate Concept from the Tokyo Auto Salon) by making references to Hitler's Third Reich and the German invasion of Poland. Specifically, Clarkson noted that the Sat nav "only goes to Poland," a fan belt that would last for 1,000 years, and made the Nazi salute while speaking about the Mini concept. The German government subsequently criticised the segment, as such behaviour is illegal under the country's constitution.[2]
[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 7)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 6)".
The eighth series of Top Gear began on 7 May and concluded on 30 July 2006. The series featured eight episodes. Over 150 complaints were received regarding actions carried out in the sixth episode, ultimately resulting in a caravan being burnt to the ground. Clarkson later proclaimed that it was not an 'accident' as first implied, but was in fact a publicity stunt to show everyone how much Top Gear actually hate caravans.[1]
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 66 | Series 8 Episode 1 | 7 May 2006 | Various (see below) |
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A new opening title sequence was introduced and the program was now presented from a new and much bigger studio, as the production had outgrown the old one. The new studio is at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, which is still the same location as the old smaller studio. This episode also saw "Top Gear dog" introduced, a labradoodle. As with past the past few series, a montage of highlights from upcoming episodes was shown at the top of the show. Review: Hammond drives a hot pink Nissan Micra C+C around Ledbury, Herefordshire, with a brown paper bag over his head. However, due to the car being "the most embarrassing in human history," he abandons it mid-review, stating "It's not as if anyone's going to steal it, are they?" In the news segment of Series 1 Episode 1, Hammond had described the car as a "rather gorgeous looking little thing" - although this referred to the old model, which was not in pink. Unimpressed, Clarkson remarks, "It just looks like a scrotum." Challenge: The team were challenged to fit a working home-made convertible roof to a Renault Espace people carrier. During the conversion of Espace, several unpleasant things happened. First, Clarkson and Hammond broke several side windows, which should not be broken. Second, Clarkson sewed his jacket to the machine and he eventually made the frame wrong. Challenges included driving at 100 mph (161 km/h) (result: the roof blew off), taking it to the monkey enclosure at a safari park (result: the roof almost broke when a monkey sat on it), and finally taking it through a brand new car wash. The people carrier was quickly abandoned as the rollers collapsed the roof, showering the trio in water. The tattered & torn roof was then subsequently snagged on the car-wash mechanism and jammed the machinery, causing a fire. Whilst this was happening, the group was seen running away, soaking wet. The News: Rising petrol prices prompt a politically-incorrect rant from Clarkson. The new Volkswagen Eos may be the first decent looking four-seater cabriolet. Clarkson declares his Ford GT "the most unreliable car ever." He said that "all the stuff that was put on in England went wrong" and he suffered major problems with the trickle chargers. During the break between series, another TV program borrowed the Top Gear test track and shot footage of "green" cars going round it. Jeremy shows a brief montage of highlights and supplies his own mocking commentary for the studio audience. The Saab Aero-X concept car impresses the hosts with its looks, but has “the canopy of jet fighter” and they aren’t sure why. James is annoyed by concept cars that promise wild design, but inevitably get watered down before they are mass-produced. He names the Honda Civic as a prime example, which leads directly into the following review. Review: May praises the newly restyled Honda Civic, which he finds to be amazingly attractive for a mass-market car. Details like the triangular exhaust pipes, the rocket-inspired door handles, and the glowing blue rev counter spark his imagination. Even the hazard light button is “translucent and looks like a boiled sweet!” On the weaker end of the scale, he finds the ride a bit choppy at higher speeds and the interior noise a little too loud. However, he says those are minor complaints considering how great the car looks. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: The new series saw the Suzuki Liana replaced as the “reasonably priced car” by the Chevrolet Lacetti. In order to get some times on the separate board for the new car, several celebrities were invited to set times in this episode. In order of arrival:
Diesel News: James May introduces the JCB Dieselmax, with which JCB will attempt to break the diesel land speed record. Review: Clarkson reviews the new £415,000 Koenigsegg CCX and claims it is his new way of giving up smoking. The old Koenigsegg CC8S, which he reviewed in Season 2, Episode 7, was a raw, unruly beast that he found exceptionally fast, but very difficult to drive. The new car is even more so. Power lap: 1:20.4. The Stig lost control of the car upon a second attempt to break the posted time and hit a tire wall. He suggested that with the addition of a rear wing (later dubbed 'Top Gear wing') to provide downforce, the CCX would be 4 seconds faster. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say that his ears aren’t exactly where you’d expect them to be and that once, preposterously, he had an affair with John Prescott. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!”’’ |
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| 67 | Series 8 Episode 2 | 14 May 2006 | Gordon Ramsay |
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Review: Clarkson reviews the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and finds it astonishing as a track car, comparing it to a Ferrari 575M Maranello. However he notes, among other things, that the car is too harsh for road usage, claiming he would rather have Bird Flu than drive it every day. The Stig takes it to a 1:22.4, making it somewhat slower than the more expensive Ford GT that was GM's primary competition, but putting it in the realm of Italian and German supercars. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say he has a digital face and that if he felt like it, he could fire Alan Sugar. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!”’’ The News: The Ferrari 575 has been discontinued and will be replaced by the 599 GTB Fiorano. A new limo has been created from a tank. A new gadget called The Quick Start is designed to alert you to drive on the correct side of the road in France. The group figures out how the police can identify drivers under the influence of illegal drugs. They then devised a series of questions in relation to specific drugs. The Dodge Caliber is designed to look like an imposing SUV, but is the size of a Volkswagon Golf. A car thief stole a Mercedes McLaren SLR in Germany and was apprehended a mere twelve miles away. Challenge: Hammond races a man in a canoe with an engine in Iceland. Hammond used a specially prepped offroad 4x4 called a Tomcat, with the chassis of a Range Rover and a TVR V8 engine. The canoeist wins. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay sets a new lap record of 1.46.3. Review: Clarkson tests the new Jaguar XK in Yorkshire. He is torn: the BMW 6-Series and Porsche 997 are quicker while an Aston Martin is better looking and more prestigious. In the end, he still prefers an Aston to an XK, but acknowledges that the Jag will be more reliable and concludes that, "It's good enough to make you think." Challenge: The group tried to see how hard it would be to host a Drive Time Radio Show. BBC Southern Counties Radio in Brighton allowed the group to take over a 3 hour block, which went downhill fast. Clarkson decided to use the traffic flow cameras to name and shame a number of motorists, who he considered to be causing the hold ups by their bad driving. The station received a number of complaints about the lack of actual traffic information being given out. Hammond drove them to the studio in a Cadillac BLS, which the other two presenters panned as a cramped rebadged Saab with a bad clock. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: The Stig faced the challenge of going around the track in the old Suzuki Liana and he managed to get the fastest time of 1:44.4, beating Ellen MacArthur (fastest celebrity) and narrowly beating Nigel Mansell (fastest Formula One driver). This was in response to a letter complaining that The Stig had not been given the chance to set a time in the Liana. This actually wasn’t the case as The Stig set two times in Season 1, albeit off camera. The first came in the debut episode during Clarkson’s interview with Harry Enfield. After showing Harry’s lap, Jeremy pointed to the board which contained two times: Clarkson’s time of 1:50 and The Stig’s time of 1:46. The second instance came in the third episode of Season 1, during Clarkson’s interview with Ross Kemp. Once again, Clarkson pointed out The Stig’s dry time of 1:46 and then revealed that after Kemp did his lap in wet conditions, they sent The Stig out to set a “wet” lap time for comparison – which he did in a time of 1:50. |
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| 68 | Series 8 Episode 3 | 21 May 2006 | Philip Glenister |
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Challenge: The team were tasked with creating amphibious vehicles from an ordinary car, driving them the 20 miles between Keele services on the M6 motorway and Rudyard Lake near Leek, Staffordshire, then travelling 2 miles along the length of the lake. Hammond's Volkswagen Vanagon "Dampervan" sank early on and Clarkson's Toyota Hilux "Toybota" capsized near the finish line. The winner was May, who sailed at extremely low speed in his Triumph Herald sailboat to the finish (despite the clutch failing on the ramp out of the water). However on land, Hammond's van struggled with hills and May's car (with its sailing mast) struggled with low objects, such as bridges and trees. Both Hammond's and May's cars suffered from overheating as their hull for the water blocked the engine ventilation. May summed up his experience thusly: “Sailing is really boring!” An embarrassing thing to note: in the studio at the end of the show, Clarkson fails to start his Toybota Hilux, thereby ruining the Hilux's reputation of being 'indestructible' - to the amusement of May and Hammond. The News: Someone sends a pair of Doggles for Top Gear Dog to use. A letter from a viewer upset with the lack of coverage of affordable cars prompts Clarkson to show a picture of the new Vauxhall Corsa and then promptly move on to the next story. There is also a debate about the condition of the presenter's cars with Clarkson ribbing of Hammond for washing his car with his family and both he and Hammond mocking May keeping a paintbrush in his car to clean the switches on the dashboard. The conversation then swings to the dot-matrix displays on the British motorways, ending with May being ridiculed when he comments about drying his pants in his friend's microwave (which has a dot-matrix display that reads "Enjoy your meal"). The comment that sparked this was that the highway displays had no sense of reality. Clarkson’s mom has driven the new Honda Civic and doesn’t like it. In response, Hammond suggests the new Noble M15. New cars from Lotus include a replacement for the Esprit, a collaboration with Volkswagen on a "tricycle thing," a seven seat crossover vehicle, the Europa, as well as new models of the Elise and the Exige S. Review: Clarkson reviews a Lotus Exige S on the Top Gear test track. The impressive handling from its predecessor has been retained, but a supercharger has been added to the Toyota engine that will propel the Exige to 148 mph with a 0-60 time of 4 seconds. This makes the Exige S the fastest accelerating car Lotus has ever made. To illustrate this speed, Clarkson pits the Exige against a Ford Mustang driven by the Stig around the Top Gear Test Track short circuit. The Exige wins. Drawbacks include the price (£33,000), the road noise, and the awkwardness of getting in/out of the thing. The Stig turns in a Power Lap time of 1:25.1 (just ahead of the Lamborghini Gallardo). This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): "Some say that his genitals are on upside down and that if he could be bothered, he could crack The Da Vinci Code in 43 seconds. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!" The Cool Wall: The Lotus Exige S is declared "Uncool" because of a man in shorts liking it. The Proton Savvy is deemed "Uncool" because of its name. The pink Nissan Micra C+C is deemed almost too uncool for the wall (it is hanging off the edge of the "Seriously Uncool" section). The Jaguar XK is also deemed "Uncool" because of the game of golf, which influences the car's performance (in Clarkson's view). Clarkson afterwards said: "It's also pissing off our director, who's just bought one!" The Koenigsegg CCX is the first supercar to be deemed "Cool," because of its scariness and danger factor. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Actor Philip Glenister went around the track in 1.54.35, the Lacetti's first wet lap. |
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| 69 | Series 8 Episode 4 | 28 May 2006 | Ewan McGregor |
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Review: Richard drives the BMW Z4 M and finds it faster and better looking than its closest rival, the Porshe Boxster. However, he finds the Boxster much more refined through corners. It was praised by Hammond for thrilling in the most primeval way. Clarkson continues to bash the Z4, and calls the coupe version "incredibly ugly." The Stig does a Power Lap of 1:26 flat – faster than the Porsche Cayman, the Ferrari 575, and the Aston Martin Vanquish. This episode’s Stig intro (by Hammond): "Some say that his ears have a paisley lining and he’s been banned from the Chelsea Flower Show. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!" The News: The BMW Z4 coupe is £17,000 less than the soft top version. Lexus have launched a new hybrid. Jeremy is left behind by his wife at a party. The presenters talk about banned license plates which include AA55 HOL," "MI BUM," and "HA06 MAS." They also talk about eBay item 4639771121 and a wristband that prevents you from falling asleep. Review: Clarkson tests the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class both as a review and to show what features most new cars will have in ten years (as has historically happened). In this case, it means radar-guided cruise control, infrared night vision, and digital TV. Clarkson praises the ease of use of the car and its features. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Ewan McGregor discusses his manhood, filming the Star Wars prequels, his love of motorcycles, and his car history. Lap time of 1:48:00. Challenge: Hammond races a British army parachuter in Cyprus with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. The parachuter won. After the race, Hammond crashes the Cayenne into the film crew's car. Preview: Responding to another viewer complaint that Top Gear doesn’t feature enough reasonably priced cars, Richard and James present the Caparo T1 in the studio. It does 33 mpg, has a 2.4 supercharged V8 that generates 480bhp and can propel the car to 200mph. Priced at £190,000 it is a bargain when compared to something like the Pagani Zonda. Challenge: Clarkson designed his own interior of a car. He bought an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class and designed his perfect interior based upon his house. The car, dubbed "Anne Hathaway's Cottage," featured a wood-burning stove, kitchen chairs, a flagstone floor over a concrete base, and plastered insides of the doors. James May and Richard Hammond then tested the car. No seatbelts and unsecured seats meant they went flying at first, however eventually, with May holding Hammond's seat, a 0-60 time of 35.4 seconds was established. Power Lap (take two): The Koenigsegg CCX is back from Sweden (now equipped with a rear spoiler) and is taken around the track by The Stig, who sets a new lap time of 1:17.6; overthrowing the Zonda F as the fastest car to date. The presenters were so proud, they stated that not only do they present the show, but they are also designing the cars (due to the addition of the Koenigsegg’s spoiler). In reality, Koenigsegg claims that the spoiler was useless for the slow speeds on the Top Gear test track and that the improved time was due to a more sorted suspension. |
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| 70 | Series 8 Episode 5 | 4 June 2006 | Sir Michael Gambon |
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Review: The Prodrive P2 concept car is put through its paces on the track. Jeremy finds it quick, good-looking, and at a projected price of £40,000, a good value too. Clarkson attempts to explain what active-diff and anti-lag is. A practical demonstration of the former makes Clarkson carsick, having to stop while going round a circle at 60 mph. The Stig achieves a lap in the P2 in 1:24.3 seconds. Prior to that he did a lap with the active-diff turned off and did a much slower time of just over 1:29. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): "Some say that the outline of his left nipple is exactly the same shape as the Nürburgring and that if you give him a really important job to do, he’ll skive off and play croquet. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!" The News: Jeremy Clarkson launches the 2006 Top Gear motor survey while casually panning between cameras as is the trend among news programs. Suburu is arranging track days at the Prodrive test track. New from Germany is the Audi RS4 cabriolet. Clarkson claims that points should be awarded to unsporting/aggressive F1 drivers. Ford has made a cool new people carrier. James has signed up to present a program called When Sharks Attack and Jeremy has a picture of James in a wet suit. He also has a picture of Hammond riding a pony. Challenge: A "Scottish lady" (as Hammond refers to him) called Jackie Stewart claims that he can cut down anyone's driving time around a circuit (Oulton Park) by 20 seconds. But the Top Gear presenters don't believe him. So, to prove him wrong, James May (a.k.a. Captain Slow) is sent to take up the challenge. Using a TVR Tuscan convertible, Sir Jackie manages to get May to cut down his original laptime by 20 seconds. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Sir Michael Gambon returns to discuss his first appearance, his role as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, the possibility that he could have been James Bond, and his propensity for lying during interviews. Lap time of 1:50.3. Review: Afterwards Jeremy Clarkson reviews the new Citroën C6, the heir to a long line of big, innovative French cars, and is disappointed that the car doesn't seem to be mad enough to be a worthy successor to the Citroën CX. However, the car redeems itself as a mobile camera platform for covering horse races. The Cool Wall: The Citroën C6 is “Super Cool” because Jean Reno would have one. The Peugeot 207 is “Uncool” unless Kristin Scott Thomas texts Clarkson to tell him otherwise. The Skoda Fabia VRS is “Uncool,” because all Skodas are deeply “Uncool.” The Saab 95 is “Uncool” due to its Dame Edna-style headlights. Challenge: The Toyota Aygo is challenged by the Volkswagen Fox in a game of football. Using national football stereotypes, Hammond points out that the Fox is actually made in Brazil and May contends that the Aygo is actually made in the Czech Republic. In the end, Hammond's durable Foxes beat the old champion Aygos. |
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| 71 | Series 8 Episode 6 | 16 July 2006 | Brian Cox |
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There was a month-long break in the series due to 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage. Review: Clarkson tests three hot saloons with a “rubbish badges”: the Ford Mondeo ST220, the Mazda 6 MPS and the Vauxhall Vectra VXR. Clarkson calls the Mondeo “one of Britain’s most underrated cars.” Throughout his review, he lavishes compliments upon it, deciding that it’s only weakness is that it seems “common.” However, he points out that the BMW 3 series outsold it last year. Additionally, via a chart, he shows that in the previous year 1,050 Aston Martin DB9’s were sold in Britain while only 903 Mondeos left dealerships – proving his point that the Mondeo is the more exclusive car. Also somewhat exclusive is the Mazda 6 MPS. He finds that while it is not as practical or pretty as the Ford, it is even better and more fun to drive. Again using a chart, he compares the Mazda to a similarly priced BMW 318i M Sport and finds that the Mazda is better in every way. Finally, he drives the Vauxhall Vectra or as he puts it “one of my least favourite cars in the world!” With another chart, he illustrates his contempt for the car. However, the VXR is more stylish than Vectras of old and it is fast too. Pitted against the other two in a drag race on the Top Gear track it handily wins. In the hands of The Stig, the poised and delicate Mondeo achieves a laptime of 1:34.4, while the energetic and powerful Mazda 6 an even better 1:32.2. Despite being the fastest car with a 161 mph top speed, the Vectra can only manage a time of 1:35.5 due to “catastrophic understeer.” This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Now, some say he invented Branston Pickle and that if you insult his mother he will head-butt you in the chest. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!”’’ The News: Clarkson and Hammond bicker about muscle cars. Hammond gushes about the new 2008 Dodge Challenger, while Clarkson complains about his recent trip to the United States to drive a Chrysler 300 and calls both a BMW M6 and a Jaguar XKR muscle cars. May finally shuts them up by announcing Daihatsu is going to make a new Copen. Clarkson spots a celebrity among the audience members (“Jesus is here!”). They ridicule a study that claims people with speed cameras are less likely to get speeding tickets. Bus drivers are furious with Clarkson for negative comments he made about them. Challenge: Clarkson, May and Hammond go on a caravan holiday in Dorset to try and find out more about caravaning. The trio unsuccessfully try to have fun, cause numerous traffic jams, Top Gear Dog becomes ill, May crashes the caravan into a bollard, and then blocks the road (eventually attracting police attention) when trying to correct a wrong turn. On site, May crashes the caravan into a neighbouring site, partially collapsing the neighbour's gazebo (which will later be destroyed), Hammond and Top Gear Dog are "kidnapped" by an elderly female fan, and Clarkson accidentally destroys the caravan and its neighbour whilst trying to cook chips. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Brian Cox talks with Jeremy about his roles as villains (principally Hannibal Lector), life in America, and his Toyota Prius’s. Despite posting a slow time of 2:01, he says that he enjoyed the track experience tremendously. Challenge: The Stig has a go at the nonexistent indoor world speed record in one of the ExCeL Exhibition Centre's halls with a Toyota TF105 F1 car. He sets a world record of 81 mph (130 km/h), although because of the lack of grip afforded by the hall's polished floor, this was only slightly faster than the 70 mph (112 km/h) he recorded with the Chevrolet Lacetti. |
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| 72 | Series 8 Episode 7 | 23 July 2006 | Steve Coogan |
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Review: Hammond and May test three people carriers: the Ford S-MAX, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and the Vauxhall Zafira VXR. The Mercedes-Benz is the quickest on a track, but it is hopelessly expensive and too small. The Vauxhall is large enough and well-priced, but it is hard to use. Though underwhelmed by its performance on the track, the Top Gear team all agree that the Ford is the best buy, with the most practicality, the best styling, and the most drivability. The News: MG is back, sort of. Richard reveals he has bought a Land Rover Defender and has had a misadventure with the container of touch-up paint that was included in the deal. Jeremy reveals that he went to an air show in Gloucestershire in his Ford GT and had to leave it there due to engine problems. New cars include the Honda Civic Type-R (which they are excited about), the Land Rover Freelander (which they are also excited about), and Chrysler Sebring (of which they are certain it will be rubbish). Hammond reminds viewers to participate in the Top Gear Motoring Survey. Clarkson refuses to apologise to caravan owners after Top Gear received 2 complaints regarding comments about Muslims, 3 complaints about taking a man who looks like Jesus out of the audience, and 150 complaints following the previous week's caravan abuse. Review: Clarkson reviews the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. He spends the bulk of the review expressing his unbridled enthusiasm for the car. Having bought one himself, he comments that it is not the best driver's car in the world, but it is something that could be used every day. He sums up his review by stating, “It has the most important characteristic that I look for in a car – it’s a laugh! … I think it’s absolutely tremendous!” The Stig set a lap time of 1:25.7. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say that on really warm days he sheds his skin like a snake and that for some reason he’s allergic to the Dutch. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!”’’ Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Steve Coogan talks about being in a hot tub between Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also mentions a Saxondale episode involving a Clarkson-like character. He sets a time of 1:50.9 in the Lacetti and becomes the first person to drive under the condition of 'Hot' as The Stig said that the heat had done something either to Coogan himself or the car or the Track. Coogan was visibly disappointed when he learned that Rob Brydon (a comedy partner of his) did it faster in the less powerful Suzuki Liana. Challenge: James May races two traceurs (masters of Parkour which involves running and leaping across/off buildings) across Liverpool in a Peugeot 207 1.6L Diesel, from the edge of the city to the Liver Building. He, naturally, gets lost and loses. As for the car, he started off by praising it, but soon discovered that it was too big, too heavy, too underpowered, and too expensive for what you get. Or, as James puts it, ”It’s rubbish!” Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond, and May team up to race against The Stig. The trio must build a Caterham Seven kit car from scratch in a pit garage at the Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland, while The Stig drives the same model up from Caterham's base in Caterham, Surrey. After a lot of tension while building the car between Clarkson and May and a series of mishaps, the team looks to be losing, but they win when The Stig is stopped for speeding. After the challenge, Clarkson later said that "I would rather staple my ears to a horse than ever do that again, especially with James May.” |
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| 73 | Series 8 Episode 8 | 30 July 2006 | Jenson Button & Ray Winstone |
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Review: The show’s producers direct the presenters to test some vans by being roadies for The Who. May picks a cavernous Renault Master, Hammond chooses a well-priced Ford Transit, and Clarkson gets a performance-oriented Volkswagen T30 TDI 174 Sportline. After The Who's concert at Hyde Park, Clarkson, Hammond, and May transport some of their equipment 90 miles to the site of their next show. They cannot agree that any of the features of their vans (speed, economy, security, size) is more important than any of the others and they acknowledge that any of the three companies can make you a van in any way you like it. Indecisively, the team comes to the conclusion that you should find the cheapest van of the sort that you need. Subsequently, Clarkson admitted that the feature was not the greatest of ideas (or execution). F1 Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button talks about his facial hair, getting women, and why he hadn't yet won a race (ironically he did so in Hungary only a week later). He sets a time of 1:44.7 in the Liana and loses a £20 bet with Clarkson as he could not go faster than The Stig (who did it in 1:44.4) as he said he could. The News: Since it is the middle of summer and everyone is on holiday, there is no news. Preview: Richard and James present the new Rolls Royce 101EX in the studio. It has the same engine as the Phantom, but the body is made of carbon fibre and aluminium. It is shorter and lower than the Phantom. It also only has two doors and an interior ceiling with pin light stars. At about this point, Jeremy interrupts to declare the car an insult to the Rolls Royce name. He states that if it goes into production, it will have to be called the "Rolls Royce Vulgarsonic." Review: Hammond takes the Noble M15, the most powerful Noble yet, for a drive. He says that it is a civilised and comfortable sportscar fit to be driven daily, yet is still fun. The Stig takes it around the track in 1:22.5 – faster than the Ferrari 430, the Lamborghini Murcielago, and the standard Pagani Zonda. This episode’s Stig intro (by Hammond): “Some say that his first name really is ‘The’ and that if he went on Celebrity Love Island they’d all be pregnant including the camera men. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!”’’ Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: British actor Ray Winstone discusses how got into drama and his affinity for Jaguars. Out on the track, he sets a time of 1:51.4. Challenge: As punishment from the earlier van review, each presenter has to buy a van for £1000. Clarkson buys a Ford Transit, May gets an LDV Convoy, and Hammond buys a Suzuki Supercarry. They hold a variety of challenges related to what a White Van Man might encounter. They have a drag race, a loading/unloading test (each presenter being assisted by an "illegal immigrant"), a trial to see how closely they could tailgate, a challenge to change a door on their van as fast as possible, a thief resistance test, seeing how long they can stay in front of the Stig in a police car, and seeing how many replies they get to a man with a van ad. Hammond ends up soundly winning overall, despite crashing his van in a rollover during the police pursuit challenge. In the closing credits, the presenters are listed as “Lee Clarkson,” “Wayne Hammond,” and “Terry May.” |
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[edit] Reception
[edit] Series 8, Episode 6
Top Gear received 150 complaints after the episode was televised.[2] James Tapper, writing in the British Mail on Sunday newspaper, claimed the episode's action had been staged and that Dorset emergency services had been paid around £1,000 by the BBC for a six-man fire crew to participate in the mock fire. A BBC spokeswoman confirmed that the fire had been planned for safety reasons and that any reasonable viewer would not have been misled due to the stunt's slapstick nature.[3]
[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 8)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 7)".
The ninth series of Top Gear began on 28 January 2007 and concluded on 4 March 2007. The series featured six episodes, with a further two specials ("Top Gear of the Pops" and "Top Gear: Polar Special"), broadcast afterwards. The series also included one "Best Of Top Gear" special, charting the best moments from Series 8 and 9.
[edit] Episode list
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 74 | Series 9 Episode 1 | 28 January 2007 | Jamie Oliver |
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Intro: Clarkson and May welcome Hammond back after his crash in the Vampire. They use an aeroplane entry staircase from EasyJet and dancing girls because Clarkson says quality steps cost over £300. Clarkson enquires if he (Hammond) "is a mental." Hammond responds that he is completely fixed and that despite the brain damage, the only personality difference he has noticed is, ”I like celery now and I didn’t before.” Richard thanks everyone for giving him support while he was hospitalised. Challenge: The presenters decide that the duration of road repairs is appalling, especially since you never see roadworkers actually working. So they decide to take matters into their own hands and resurface a stretch of the D5481 (sic) near Bidford-on-Avon themselves, to prove that work which normally takes up a week can be done in 24 hours. It falls apart quickly, as May's sense of direction causes traffic mishaps, Nineteen Eighty-Four-like speeches from Clarkson, tarmac supply issues (which include a cameraman accidentally pressing the emergency stop at the quarry), bad weather, and Mrs. Thatcher speeches blaring out in the late-night/early-morning period cause problems, but the road gets finished by the 9:07 a.m. deadline. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jamie Oliver talks about his campaign for healthier lunches for schoolchildren, his passion for organic food, and his quest to beat Gordan Ramsay’s power lap time. Jamie sets a time of 1:47.7 during wet conditions (although he insists it was snowy). Upon hearing that the slush would garner him a 4 second handicap, Oliver moved his time magnet to the top of the board (above fellow chef and rival Gordon Ramsay). Review: Jeremy reviews the Jaguar XKR against the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Although the Aston is better in some parts (better looking, louder, more aggressive, higher pedigree), Clarkson notes that the Jaguar is able to keep up with the Aston around the Top Gear track. The Jag also more powerful, better equipped, more practical, and less expensive than the Aston. As Clarkson puts it, “It is quite simply spectacular.” The Stig turns in a Power Lap time of 1:34.7 in "very, very, very" wet conditions. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say he once threw a microwave oven at a tramp and that long before anyone else, he realised that Jade Goody was a racist, pig-faced, waste of blood and organs. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!” The News: No news this episode. Instead, Hammond takes James and Jeremy (and the studio and broadcast audience) through the events leading up to and including his crash in the Vampire dragster. After some good-natured ribbing at Richard’s expense, Jeremy admits that Hammond was very brave for attempting to drive the Vampire in the first place. Hammond responds with a simple request that they not talk about it ever again – to which they agree. Despite this, the occasional oblique reference pops up from time to time in future shows (almost always in a comedic way). |
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| 75 | Series 9 Episode 2 | 4 February 2007 | Hugh Grant |
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Challenge: May takes the Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph) on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. He described how smoothly the car behaved at those speeds and how disorienting the speed can be. He remarked that as he was coming to a stop at the end of his run, he wanted to open the door, but "fortunately I looked at the speedometer and I was still doing 70." The News: Clarkson, Hammond and May discuss Porsche's new Cayenne as well as its official press release photo. A party, called the “Thunderball,” is going to be held for workers laid off from TVR’s factory in Blackpool – complete with a buffet and band. Clarkson shares an unflattering (or very flattering, depending on your point of view) photo of Renault’s F1 racing drivers standing next to a Clio R27. Jeremy also shares a list of ridiculous driving offences that can get you jail time in the U.K. The boys discuss their best and worst drives of the last six months: Clarkson was impressed with the Lexus GS hybrid and disappointed with the Volkswagen Golf GT (1.4 litre supercharged and turbocharged), calling it "as smooth as falling down stairs while wearing leg calipers." Hammond was impressed with the Volvo C30 T5 and disappointed with the ugly Subaru B9 Tribeca. May was impressed with Suzuki Swift Sport and disappointed with the sporty Bentley Arnage T. Finally, Jaguar has produced a concept car that is claims will be the next S-type. Review: The guys were set the challenge of finding the best stylish coupés: Clarkson chose the revised Audi TT, Hammond chose the old Mazda RX-8, and May chose the new Alfa Romeo Brera. After taking them to a golf course in Scotland (they were asked to leave after the 3rd hole because they were too slow), they took them to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to get expert opinions. Each of the presenters had two minutes to persuade a panel of three art professors that their car deserved a place in the museum. The professors opted for the Brera. Hammond decided that they were wrong and that the argument would be settled by determining which one was the fastest. After the Stig drove them round the track, the Audi TT came in at 1.31.4, the Mazda RX-8 in 1.32.0 and the Brera in 1.36.9. When Clarkson noticed that he had won, he said that he preferred the Brera all along, and the others concurred. But, as it is an Alfa, none of the three could recommend it. Clarkson closed by saying, "The best car here, is the worst!" This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say that he once had a vicious knife fight with Anthony Turner and that he is in no way implicated in the cash for honour scandal. All we know is, he’s called Lord Stig!” Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Hugh Grant stops by to talk about his car history, “Golf ball,” road rage, and getting old. His lap time: 1.47.7. |
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| 76 | Series 9 Episode 3 | 11 February 2007 | No Guest |
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Main article: Top Gear: US Special
The trio point out the hassle of renting out a car, ranging from ignorant rental agents to not being able to find their car once it's pointed out to them. Their premise was to see if it could be cheaper to buy a car rather than rent so, as a result, on their trip to the United States, the three were given $1000 to find a used car. Clarkson bought a 1989 Chevrolet Camaro RS; Hammond a Dodge Ram 150 pick-up truck; and May a 1989 Cadillac Brougham that was the only car that had air conditioning. The trio had radios in their cars, so they pretended to be like truckers while communicating with the local truck drivers, and use codenames during their journey. Clarkson's codename was "Murderer," Hammond's was "Brokeback," and May's, being rather obvious, was "Captain." The goal was then to get from Miami to New Orleans, with challenges along the way.
Final results: Clarkson declared himself the winner and declared May the loser, although no points were given. They concluded that it was viable to buy, rather than rent, a car. Clarkson summed up the trip with his long-held opinion: "Don't go to America!" Similar to the credits of the 2007 Polar Challenge Special and Series 10 Episode 4, other than the four main presenters (who are credited as Cletus Clarkson, Earl Hammond Jr., Ellie May May, and Roscoe P. Stig), each crew member name is listed with the words "Billy Bob" attached to the start, a reference to the American redneck stereotype. |
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| 77 | Series 9 Episode 4 | 18 February 2007 | Simon Pegg |
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Review: Clarkson was given the task of reviewing the Porsche 997 Turbo, to see if it could convert him from being a lifelong Ferrari fan. He found the Porsche to be less expensive and more practical than its closest Ferrari competitor (the 430). He also liked the turbos, traction control, the phenomenal grip, and the boot space. He even felt that the Porsche would be faster than the Ferrari in real world, every day driving conditions. However, while he had great respect for the car, he claimed his passion for Ferraris was still greater. The News: Hammond and Clarkson argue over the merits of Porsches vs. Ferraris until May demands that they get on to the news, which begins (much to May’s chagrin) with the Porsche 997 GT3 RS. Clarkson rants against average speed cameras. 1.5 million people have signed a petition against road pricing. Clarkson provides the website to visit to add ones name to the list and (being the BBC) the website for those who agree with road pricing (www.iamaclot.com). The new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is loaded with technology. The Melling Hellcat claims to have a potential top speed of 270 mph. Clarkson reveals a trick that could have got himself and Hammond out of trouble in that Alabama gas station in the previous week’s episode. The BBC is requiring its employees who drive for the company to take a driving class. Challenge: Hammond and May, preposterously, try to convert a Reliant Robin into a space shuttle, on the orders of 'John F. Clarkson'. They were given 12 days to build it[1] and help from the British Amateur Rocket Society. Eight tonnes of thrust were required to launch the Robin — the largest non-commercial rocket launch undertaken in Europe. It was not intended to put a payload into any meaningful orbit, but merely to gain a few thousand feet of height and then land on a runway. Hammond & May reacted with genuine surprise and elation as the Reliant Robin took off and everything seemed to be working until a release bolt attaching the Robin to the fuel tank failed to detach. As a result, it spiraled out of control and crashed in a massive explosion on a nearby hillside as they watched with expressions of shock and disappointment. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Simon Pegg stops by to talk about his latest film, Hot Fuzz, and his affection for Star Wars. He turns in a lap time of 1:48.5. Review: Clarkson looks at the already monstrous 6.0L twin-turbo V12 SL 65 AMG and then sees what a modifying company has been able to do with it. The result is the Brabus S Biturbo roadster, with 730 bhp (540 kW), 811 ft·lbf (1,100 N·m) of torque, and an electronically limited top speed of 219 mph (352 km/h). Clarkson finds massive speed and power, but little in terms of control for it and in the end concludes that the car was at its best in its original, Mercedes form. The Stig takes it around the track in 1:27.2. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say that if you lick his chest, it tastes exactly the same as piccalilli and that at this week’s Brit Awards, he was arrested for goosing Russell Brand. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!” The Cool Wall: Clarkson starts by moving all the 4x4 cars down the board to “Seriously Uncool.” The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is also “Seriously Uncool,” as Clarkson has just bought one. However, he got rid of his Ford GT to do so and gleefully moves that car into “Sub Zero.” The Porsche 997 GT3 RS is “Seriously Uncool” due to its roll cage and fire extinguisher. The Kia Cee’d is “Uncool,” despite the claims from a Kia employee in the audience. Closing the segment, Hammond adds a Ducati 1098 motorcycle to the “Cool” section of the wall. Clarkson walks off and returns with a chainsaw, which he uses to cut the Ducati off/out of The Cool Wall. This scene has been removed in recent repeats on the BBC. |
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| 78 | Series 9 Episode 5 | 25 February 2007 | Kristin Scott Thomas |
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Public Service Video: Clarkson produced a service video about Level Crossings. He showed CCTV footage of an old man jumping the light at a level crossing and put a Renault Espace on railway level crossing. The car was then destroyed by a railway locomotive crashing into it. The News: They begin with the Maserati Gran Turismo – which Clarkson and May agree is a thing of beauty. Hammond prefers its sister car, the Alfa Romeo Competicione. Hammond and May ridicule Clarkson for getting a haircut and wearing a suit on the day that his crush, Kristin Scott Thomas, is in the studio. Volkswagon has revealed a sporty Passat – the very notion of which Clarkson finds “ludicrous!” Clarkson shares a photo he took on the drive in to the studio of a Peugeot 1007 – revealing that someone has actually bought one. Both Hammond and May take extra delight in pointing out that Jeremy took the photo while driving a Rolls Royce Phantom – another obvious way of impressing Kristin. The results of the Top Gear Survey are revealed. The Honda S2000 is the most satisfying car. The bottom six are all French cars. Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May plant their own rapeseed biofuel after acquiring three tractors to test, with a number of challenges to start:
They then cleared a field of sheep (with the help of Top Gear Dog), crossed a weak bridge (which Clarkson broke) and ploughed, with the aid of judges. Then after lunch (with chaos in the local village) (when Hammond turned up in his tractor) they had to plant their crop seeds, with May volunteering to use his tractor for it. Due to his incorrectly operating the seed spreader however, all the seeds ended up dumped in a small pile near where he had started, and he had to spend the rest of the day carefully replanting the crop (which was revealed as diesel used in the Britcar 24 Hour race). Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Actress (and Cool Wall muse) Kristin Scott Thomas. Clarkson took the opportunity to get her opinion on some cars to put on The Cool Wall. She said Clarkson's new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder was "pathetic," but she also approved of the G-wiz and the Bentley Continental – both of which Clarkson had gone out of his way to bash in the past. They also discussed her role in Chekov’s play The Seagull, which was running in London at the time. Throughout the interview, Hammond & May occasionally “contributed” from the audience – this was the only Star In A Reasonably Car segment to feature them in any capacity. Kristin completed her lap in 1:54. Review: Standing next to a Ferrari in the studio, Hammond describes it as a super-car before moving on to two Lamborghinis (a Diablo and a Countach), which he describes as hyper-cars. Clarkson appears and clarifies that “Super-cars are designed to mess with g-forces, hyper cars are designed to mess with g-strings.” So begins his review of the new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640. He is at first disappointed by the lack of lunacy in the Murciélago as compared with its older brothers (the Diablo, Countach, & Miura) – a fault he bestows on Audi, which now owns Lamborghini. However, he also finds that the car works better than any previous Lamborghini and discovers that it is “properly, savagely fast” as he takes it to 207 mph on the Top Gear track (a new record for the show). To better illustrate the speed, he organises a drag race between a fast car (a VW Golf GTI) and the Murciélago. Predictably, the Murciélago leads from the start and quickly disappears toward the horizon. Reading over the options list does reveal a bit of lunacy with things like “that little bit of carbon fibre there on the center console” costing several thousand pounds. Despite this, the base car still costs under $200,000 – roughly half the price of another hyper-car: the Pagani Zonda. He concluded his review by stating that it is sort of halfway between a super-car and a hyper-car. It lacks the over-the-top aesthetics that would definitively place it in hyper-car territory, but it lacks the confident handling that would give it super-car status. The Stig took it round the track in 1:19.8, sixth place overall. This episode’s Stig intro (by Clarkson): “Some say that he sucks the moisture from ducks and that his crash helmet is modelled on Britney Spears’ head. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!” |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2006 | 1 March 2007 | None | |
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Notes: This episode was due to be broadcast before the start of the series, but due to Richard's severe crash, the episode was postponed indefinitely. After complaints from the first airing of Series 9, Episode 5, this episode was finally shown in place of the planned episode 5 repeat. |
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| 79 | Series 9 Episode 6 | 4 March 2007 | Billie Piper |
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Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May build stretch limos to drive celebrities to the Brit Awards. Clarkson buys a Fiat Panda to chauffeur BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles, hindered by its length making it nearly impossible to manoeuvre around the city, and it splitting in half where Clarkson had shortened the car to make it road-legal. Hammond buys a MG F and, after it is stretched into a limo, has to take Jamelia to the BRIT Awards. May buys a Saab 9000 and an Alfa Romeo 164, the two of which are conjoined into a limo, his case being a choice between "Sensible Swedish," and "Fiery Italian" (a Salfa Romeaab). He has to take Lemar to the BRIT Awards in the "Alfaab." Hammond arrived first and largely without incident, although the open-top nature of his limo meant that Jamelia attracted more attention than she wanted. Clarkson arrived shortly afterwards, despite the entire rear half of his car being missing. May got lost and Lemar stormed out of May's car after being an hour late to the start of the ceremony. The ultimate winner of the task was whoever got the most photos of their car printed in newspapers or magazines, and Clarkson earned that honour, by virtue of having a picture printed in his own column in The Sun. The News: Richard met with the Prime Minister about road pricing. A new Ford Mondeo is coming and will be “brilliant.” Booster seat laws can’t be enforced because Police don’t have the legal right to measure children (May has difficulty presenting this story without breaking into fits of laughter). Aston Martin is for sale by Ford. Preview: Jeremy & Richard present the new Vauxhall Monaro VXR in the studio. It has been restyled and given four doors (instead of two), while retaining the same powerful engine as before – with an option for a supercharger. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Actress Billie Piper posted a 1:48.3 around the track, until it was revealed that she had actually cut out Hammerhead during the lap and was on the wrong side of Chicago's line. However, since she was wearing a see-through top, Jeremy couldn't bring himself to actually apply the three-second penalty. Review: Richard Hammond test-drives the latest Shelby Mustang GT500. Hammond suggests that the 500 horsepower (370 kW) rating of the car as indicated in its name is exaggerated. He has it tested on a portable wheel dynamometer which yields 447 horsepower (333 kW). He also put his own classic Mustang GT390 on the dyno and it had 250 RWHP. The biggest problem with the newer car, however, is the unaltered suspension with a live axle. As Clarkson later explains, “You can’t put that much power in a car without changing the suspension.” The Stig takes the Shelby around the track in a wobbly fashion in 1:30 – beating the time of a Vauxhall Monaro VXR by .1 second. In response, Clarkson presents another Mustang altered by tuning house Roush. The Roush Mustang is less powerful than the Shelby (415 bhp), but it has upgraded braking, more sophisticated suspension, and a limited slip differential. The Stig takes the Roush around the track in a much more controlled time of 1:28. This episode’s Stig intro (by Hammond): “Some say he isn’t machine washable and all his potted plants are called Steve. All we know is, he’s called The Stig!” |
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| Top Gear of the Pops | 16 March 2007 | Travis, Mcfly, Supergrass, Lethal Bizzle, Justin Hawkins | |
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Performance: Lethal Bizzle began by performing his new single, but during the performance, Clarkson dubbed him "Jizzy Tissue" and disabled the speakers, before proclaiming that "music like that killed off Top of the Pops in the first place." Challenge: The trio challenge boyband McFly to write and perform a song before the end of the show. The song was not allowed to include the words "love", "baby," or "heart", but did have to include the words "sofa," "Hyundai," and "administration" (which became the overall title of the song). The News: Jeremy doesn’t understand why all car makers don’t include iPod connectivity with their cars. He also pleads with Apple to make tangle-proof headphones. James can’t comprehend a review for the latest Coldplay album. Hammond presents the line-ups for forthcoming music festivals. Clarkson shares a quick story about his father reacting to a Billy Idol TV appearance. Phil Spector is on trial for murdering someone called Clarkson. Hammond makes a connection between Spector’s wig and Jeremy’s own hair. The trio discuss songs that can’t be played on hospital radio. The latest video from Snow Patrol using footage created by French artist Rondezvous. Genesis, The Police, and Van Halen are reforming. This prompts Clarkson to declare that Genesis is better than any current band – which in turn causes Hammond to disagree vehemently. Performance: Travis performed their new single, "Closer." Feature: James presented the current top five songs in the singles chart; before he could announce the top spot, Clarkson unplugged the monitor. He went on to proclaim that, "The only thing people care about nowadays is how quick the song is over," before presenting a rundown of the top three shortest songs in the chart at the moment. Performance: Supergrass performed a fan favourite, with guest Adrian Edmondson on guitar. During the performance, the presenters were given the job of special effects, with Clarkson on a dry ice machine, Hammond on a wind machine, and May throwing birds onto the stage. This prompted complaints from viewers. Performance: The show concluded with a cover of the Billy Ocean song "Red Light Spells Danger," with Justin Hawkins as lead singer, Hammond on the bass, James on the keyboard, and Jeremy on the drums. |
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| Top Gear: Polar Special | 25 July 2007 | Sir Ranulph Fiennes | |
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In April 2007, Clarkson and May teamed up to race Hammond from Resolute, Nunavut to the Magnetic North Pole, taking the route set out in the Polar Challenge. The terrain in between is some of the toughest in the world – a mix of mountainous land masses and jagged sea ice where temperatures can drop to minus 65 degrees Celsius (minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit). Jeremy and James used a specially adapted Toyota Hilux pick-up truck, while Richard used a sled pulled by a team of ten Canadian Inuit dogs, driven by American explorer Matty McNair. In the end the truck won, although the sled overtook them at one point while they were crossing the first of two fields of ice boulders. In the show's credits, each crew member had their first name replaced with "Sir Ranulph" in homage to Sir Ranulph Fiennes (e.g. Sir Ranulph Clarkson). This was the first episode of Top Gear to be shown in high-definition. |
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[edit] Reaction and reception
[edit] Series 9, Episode 1
The BBC apologised to a number of Top Gear viewers after Clarkson asked Hammond the question "Are you now a mental?" May also offered a tissue in case he "dribbled" during the first episode of series 9. The comments were meant as a joke, but an apology was made after several viewers complained.[2]
[edit] Series 9, Episode 3
Both the BBC and the UK media regulator Ofcom received complaints[3] about the cow tied to Clarkson's Camaro. However, the BBC defended the programme against the complaints received. The cow had died several days previously.
[edit] Series 9, Episode 5
In the episode, Clarkson did a public service video about Level Crossings. The segment was criticised due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier, even though it was not caused by a track incursion. The reconstruction, which was organised by Network Rail as part of its Don't Run The Risk campaign, was criticised by several people, including Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus who said: "We need to raise awareness of the issue, but now is not the right time."[4] However, this item had already been delayed several weeks because of an earlier fatal level crossing crash, and with only one programme remaining in the series and the frequency of level crossing accidents, it may have been considered that there was no "appropriate" time to show the film without "offending" somebody. A repeat of the episode was due to be aired on 1 March 2007 was not broadcast after another death on a level crossing earlier that morning.[5] The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode.
[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 9)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 8)".
Top Gear returned for a tenth series, containing 10 episodes, broadcast between 7 October 2007 and 23 December 2007. It was claimed that between the filming of the ninth and tenth series, rival motoring magazine Fifth Gear broke into the Top Gear premises and burnt down the Cool Wall. However, it was later revealed that the incident was a publicity stunt dreamed up between old friends Clarkson and Vicki Butler-Henderson. The opening episode of the series mentions the incident. The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from the series. The Top Ground Gear Force special also aired as part of the series.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 80 | Series 10 Episode 1 | 7 October 2007 | Dame Helen Mirren |
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Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Volkswagen Golf GTI W12 Concept. He says it has been rushed in eight weeks, constructed out of parts from various brands, thus most onboard electronics do not work and it "cannot go round corners," rendering useless its unbelievable power output of 650 bhp (480 kW). The Stig posts an underwhelming lap time of 1:29.6. Clarkson says that "If you want a slow car that looks like a Golf, get a Golf." News: The three presenters discuss the Top Gear arson incident, blaming Fifth Gear. (A fire occurred on Sunday, 12 August 2007 at Hill End Farm, destroying a barn used as a storage facility for Top Gear props.)[1] They point out the "new" furniture in the studio as the old equipment was burnt in the fire. Hammond and May introduce the new supercars showcased across the year, including a more powerful Ford GT and the Lamborghini Reventon. Clarkson rants about new rules banning smoking cigarettes while driving. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Dame Helen Mirren posts a time of 1:52.8 in the Chevrolet Lacetti. The Cool Wall: Hammond and Clarkson talk about the burnt down Cool Wall, then try to familiarise themselves with some burnt leftovers of car stickers that were once on the board. The segment ends with the abandonment of the old Cool Wall. Challenge: The presenters each took a light-weight supercar to Mainland Europe to find the best driving road in the world. Clarkson drove a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Hammond a Porsche 997 GT3 RS and May an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24. Clarkson's Lambo and Hammond's 911 were quick and civilised to drive, but May's stripped-out Aston race car intolerably hot and uncomfortable to drive. They ended up finding the "best driving road in the world" (from Davos to the Stelvio Pass). May admitted that his Aston was terrible; Hammond and Clarkson found their cars brilliant but could not recommend buying the lightened versions since the performance was not superior enough to justify the price jump. |
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| 81 | Series 10 Episode 2 | 14 October 2007 | Jools Holland |
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Introduction: Clarkson and Hammond introduce the show by arguing about the properties of the Porsche 997 and the Audi R8. Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Audi R8, Audi's first supercar. Hammond makes an appearance in his own Porsche 997 Carrera S for a half-mile drag race which he wins by a whisker. The Stig posts a 1:26.2 lap time in the Porsche 997 and 1:24.4 in the Audi R8. Hammond eventually admits that the Audi is the better car, but both agree that it is too cold and clinical like most German perfection-engineered cars. After the drag race, Clarkson points out that Audi are developing a V10 R8 to which Hammond responds by showing a picture of the prototype V10 R8 on fire News: The team navigate to a Porsche design website, where they find, "for the Porsche enthusiast", a specially designed pipe. Clarkson almost swallows his and burns his tongue (he put the wrong end in his mouth as it is "a Porsche and the hot bit goes at the back"). They also discuss the new Mini and the new SSC Ultimate Aero. Star in a reasonably priced car: Jools Holland posts a time of 1:49.9. Challenge: The amphibious cars make a return as the team are challenged to drive from Sidcup to Dover, and then across the English Channel. Clarkson uses a new Nissan pick-up (nicknamed the "Nissank") with a Honda outboard motor, attaching two lightweight oildrums to act as buoyancy devices. Hammond modifies a second Volkswagen Transporter (nicknamed the "Dampervan") by using a fibreglass hull and adding sealant. May uses his original Triumph Herald sailboat, adding a collapsible mast and an insert for a centreboard keel. During the trip to Dover, Hammond and Clarkson's cars begin to smoke as their foam insulation cause overheating, while May's emits a buzzing sound and also starts to smoke. May is the first to launch his car, but the keel insert fails and the car sinks on its first attempt. Although recovered and repaired, the Triumph suffers a broken mast on the second attempt and is no longer usable. Hammond's new "Dampervan" successfully floats, but the choppy waters eventually damage his steering on the first attempt and the vehicle subsequently sinks during the next day's attempt. All three eventually set off in Clarkson's Nissan, attempting (and failing) to break Richard Branson's previous record for crossing the Channel in an amphibious vehicle (Branson crossed the Channel using a Gibbs Aquada). They manage to get to France, albeit not Calais where they had planned, but Sangatte. They evaluate that they have been "ambitious, but rubbish." |
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| 82 | Series 10 Episode 3 | 28 October 2007 | Ronnie Wood |
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Introduction: Jeremy Clarkson reads another letter demanding that Top Gear review more cars that are affordable. The letter is purportedly signed "R. Abramovich of Chelsea." Review: James reviews the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé. He finds it to be his favourite car of the year, and admires it for being contemporary and stylish, much as he perceives himself, to the laughter of Jeremy and the audience. News: Jeremy Clarkson attempts to demonstrate "Pay by mobile phone parking fees" in London. They also offer a peek at the Lamborghini Reventón. Review: Hammond tests the auto-parking system in the Lexus LS600 without reading the manual, and finds the system "rather complicated to use". Main Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, concluding that he respects its technology, but is not excited by it and would prefer a Ferrari 275 GTS. The Stig takes the 599 round the track in 1:21.22. Star in a reasonably priced car: Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood posts a time of 1:49.4. Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Peel P50 to see whether it would be practical in daily life, highlighting its usefulness in office buildings. The car is small enough to be pulled into BBC White City, with the Top Gear team more excited by the tiny Peel than by a Koenigsegg or a Ferrari. Clarkson, late for a meeting, decides to drive into BBC Television Centre from inside the White City office, sitting in the car throughout his journey and the meeting. The segment features cameos of several BBC broadcasters including John Humphrys, Fiona Bruce and Dermot Murnaghan. At the end of the review, Clarkson even points out the "Sports" version, a Peel Trident. Challenge: Richard Hammond races a Bugatti Veyron against a Eurofighter Typhoon to see which one can travel two miles (up and down a runway) faster. The Typhoon flies vertically for a mile, before returning to the start/finish point, while the Bugatti drives down the track for a mile before quickly turning around and accelerating back to the start/finish point. The Eurofighter Typhoon wins by about two seconds. This is Hammond's first race on Top Gear after his accident. |
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| 83 | Series 10 Episode 4 | 4 November 2007 | No Guest |
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Main article: Top Gear: Botswana Special
Episode 4 is an episode-length feature taking place in Botswana, Africa, similar to the American challenge of Series 9.[2] The episode was shot in early July 2007. Challenge 1: Buy a used car for up to £1500. Mocking the use of "Chelsea Tractors" for delivering children to school and driving up leafy lanes, rules for the challenge stipulate that the car purchased to cross the spine of Africa has to be two wheel drive, and not designed in any way for off-road use. Clarkson buys a 1981 Lancia Beta Coupe, May a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E and Hammond a 1963 Opel Kadett, which he nicknames "Oliver". Starting from the Botswana-Zimbabwe border, they must drive 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the Namibian border. If at any time a presenter's car breaks down and cannot be restarted, he must complete the journey in a Volkswagen Beetle. While the Beetle turns out to be a suitable vehicle for such a challenge, the Beetle is the presenters' collective least favourite car of all time. Challenge 2: Cross the Makgadikgadi Pan successfully. The first section of the Makgadikgadi salt pan has a thin solid crust, under which lies a mud like substance underneath. Almost immediately, May and Clarkson's cars begin to break through the crust. Desperate to shed weight, they strip down their cars to the basic shell, removing most of the interior trim and most of the panels. Hammond's car is light enough to cross the salt pan shedding only his spare tyre and radiator grill. Clarkson's car breaks down frequently, seemingly with electrical issues. For day two on the salt pans, dust becomes the problem, rather than the "gunk" underneath the salt crust. May and Clarkson cover their faces and re-dress to avoid choking on the dust, as each driver was now open to the elements due to having a bare shell. Hammond does not have to take such measures as he did not drastically modify his car earlier. Shortly before beginning their trip onto the Makgadikgadi Pan, the Top Gear trio informally encountered Botswana's Vice President, Seretse Ian Khama, who displayed no qualms regarding the trio's journey across the flats. However, he did seem taken aback by the fact that the trio were attempting this in their old, used, two-wheel drive cars. Challenge 3: Time trials round a rally course by "The Stig's African cousin". Oliver achieves a time of 1:12 before being beaten by May's Mercedes-Benz with a 1:06. Clarkson's car however, fails to start, so The Stig walks away. Challenge 4: Cross the Okavango Delta; the presenters are told to make their cars "wild animal proof". May is able to replace several Mercedes-Benz parts, due to the car's popularity in Africa. Clarkson however cannot find any spare parts for his Lancia Beta so he jury-rigs new doors from soft drink cans, wood and corrugated iron, and attaches a megaphone. May paints "All Adders Are Puffs" on Oliver, and "Lite Bite Cafe" on Clarkson's Lancia Beta. At the same time, Clarkson and Hammond hide a cowbell as well as several cuts of meat (including a cow's head) inside May's car, to attract wildlife. Final results: Both Hammond and May made it to the border before Clarkson, who had suffered two more breakdowns during the final run. Although Hammond's Opel had survived relatively intact (the only major repair being the car's electricals), and May's car had hardly broken down at all, both Clarkson and May, to Hammond's horror, declared the winner to be the Volkswagen Beetle, which had completed the trip with no documented mishaps at all. Similar to the 2007 Polar Challenge Special, the show's credits included each crew member's first name replaced with the words "Archbishop Desmond" (e.g. "Archbishop Desmond Clarkson, Archbishop Desmond Hammond and Archbishop Desmond May..."), in homage to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1984. |
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| 84 | Series 10 Episode 5 | 11 November 2007 | Simon Cowell |
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Main review: The Caparo T1 is tested around the track by Clarkson. However, due to the Caparo's violent mechanical history and insurance company concerns, he is forced to suit up and is observed through the segment by a fleet of ambulances, fire engines, an air ambulance, and other safety personnel located around the test track. It gets round the track in 1:10.6 but is not allowed on the board as its ride height is too low to drive over a speed bump. News: The presenters discuss the new Mitsubishi i and Hammond announces that he is shipping "Oliver" (his Opel Kadett from the previous episode) to England. His announcement is accompanied by May playing the theme from Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota on his portable keyboard. Challenge: The presenters race each other across London to try and beat the London rush hour traffic towards London City Airport. Clarkson drives a powerboat on the Thames, but had to go slowly first; Hammond uses a Specialized Sirrus Limited carbon fibre bicycle; May drives a Mercedes-Benz GL 500, ending up paying the congestion charge; and the Stig used public transport (buses, the Tube and the DLR). Hammond comes first, Clarkson a close second, the Stig third and May last. Fearful that this result would ruin the reputation of cars and Top Gear in general, the presenters therefore facetiously disregard the results, claiming things like that Clarkson had died in a violent crash, and that London doesn't even have a river. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Simon Cowell returns to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1.45.9, filmed two weeks before the rest of the show because of Simon's busy schedule. (This explains Jeremy's amazing disappearing poppy!) Review: The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, driven by Hammond, takes on, and defeats, a German on roller skates with a 300 hp (220 kW) turbo powered rocket backpack in a straight half-mile drag race. |
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| 85 | Series 10 Episode 6 | 18 November 2007 | Lawrence Dallaglio |
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Main Review: Clarkson reviews the third Generation Honda Civic Type R. He notes that the previous generation is much better than the new one, due to the increased weight of the new model but only a modest 1 hp (0.75 kW) gain in power. The new model also lacks the independent rear suspension system found in the previous model. These factors result in a drop in price. The large spoiler, which obscures rear visibility, is ridiculed by Clarkson. Clarkson races it against the old model, which seemed faster. The Stig laps the track in 1:33.5. News: James May announces that Clarkson has a cold but Clarkson jokes that he contracted Bird Flu. A survey was conducted and Clarkson notes that on country roads, 4% of accidents are due to speeding, while 96% remain unknown. They mention that it might be due to animals on the road and Clarkson concludes that speeding on country roads is relatively safe. Review: May reviews the Alfa Romeo 159 and he must put a pound into the 'Top Gear Italian Car Road Test Cliché Swear Box' if he uses any fake Italiano to describe the car (e.g. soul, passion). He races against Graham Boanas to cross the Humber River without using the Humber Bridge. May loses the race by seconds. (This segment was originally filmed for Series 8, but was rescheduled for broadcast.)[3] Star in a Reasonably Priced car: England rugby international star Lawrence Dallaglio posts a time of 1:47.4. Review: Clarkson encourages drivers to ditch their Range Rovers and Porsche Cayennes for the 500 bhp (370 kW) BMW M5 Touring and 507 bhp (378 kW) Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate because of similar practicality, superior comfort, and far superior power. However he admits he'd still prefer to own a Range Rover so that he can annoy environmentalists. Challenge: Richard Hammond debuts another innovative, and wildly destructive, form of motorsport: motorhome racing. The justification is that most racers tow their race vehicle behind them in a large travel trailer which often doubles as their accommodation for the racing weekend. Thus driving to, racing, and then driving back in the same vehicle streamlines the process. The race was held at the Essex Raceway with a field of six entrants. These included Hammond driving a Ford Midas, Matt Neal driving a Mitsubishi L300, Anthony Reid in a nimble Toyota LiteAce, Tom Chilton in a large Chevrolet, Mat Jackson driving a Fiat Ducato MV70 Globetrotter and finally a "Desperation driver" in a Ford Transit. The rules of Motorhome racing state that all work on the vehicles must be completed prior to sunset on the day before the race and that a driver must spend the night before the race in their vehicle. This forced the drivers to choose between stripping down their vehicles and having a bad night's sleep, or leaving a heavy vehicle with a good night's sleep. Only James May declined to strip down his vehicle. In the race, the Toyota LiteAce came in first, followed by the hulking Chevrolet second, and Hammond in third, despite having suffered massive structural failure. May came in last after both getting lost and then crashing into a roof-mounted air conditioning unit which had fallen off of Hammond's disintegrating vehicle, sending him into the barrier. Back in the studio Clarkson announces a super-sized new German motorhome called "The Performance" with a luxurious interior. Clarkson describes it as being perfect for motorhome racing as it stores a Wiesmann MF in its cargo space. |
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| 86 | Series 10 Episode 7 | 25 November 2007 | Jennifer Saunders |
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Main review: Clarkson reviews the Aston Martin DBS, continually comparing it to the Aston Martin DB9 and saying that you should think of it as a DB9-S. He says it's the best car he's driven all year, but the other two can't justify the 50 grand price hop over the DB9. News: Top Gear announces lots of new cars are released: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Nissan GT-R, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and the Morgan Aero Max. Constant review of Korean Cars such as the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Kia Picanto, as they have been sold in Korea. They also point out that Australia "bought" Top Gear, referring to the recent approval to create an Australian local version. Challenge: The Top Gear team celebrate the 40th anniversary of British Leyland with a £1,200 car challenge (paid "out of their own pockets"), ending up with Jeremy's Rover SD1, Richard's Triumph Dolomite Sprint and James's Austin Princess. Clarkson arrived first at the meeting point, followed by Hammond and May. They then went to a "secret" destination in England in the cars, ostensibly at one of British Leyland's old factories, only to learn that the facilities were either sold or demolished. Challenges 1, 2 and 3 took place at the MIRA car testing facility, with money earned back towards the purchase price of their cars for each challenge passed. Challenge 1, Performance: The trio attempt to beat a time set by The Stig in a Datsun 120Y of similar vintage to their cars. Clarkson's car was slower by one second, Hammond's was slower by 5 seconds, and May ended up getting lost on the track, after which Clarkson and Hammond didn't even bother reading out his time. Challenge 2, Handbrakes: The cars must be parked, in neutral, on a 1 in 3 slope, earning £100 if their handbrake holds them in place. May managed the feat; Clarkson's car emitted a large cloud of obscuring smoke, allowing him to claim success; and Hammond's Dolly rolls backwards down the hill and nearly knocks over the grade sign. Challenge 3, Ride comfort: The cars are driven over a cobbled road at 30 mph (48 km/h), with several eggs suspended in a colander over the driver; they would earn £10 for each gram of egg left in the colander after the test, and lose £10 for each piece of trim lost. May and Clarkson lost two interior mountings (Clarkson, in particular, losing his left rear door) and both had 4 grams of egg left, earning them £20 each, while Hammond lost 6 pieces and had no egg remaining, costing him £60. Challenge 4, Build quality: This took place at the Top Gear test track. The cars were filled to the brim with water, then each (using a snorkel) drove around the track as far as possible, stopping when the water leaked out to a level below the steering wheel; 20 pence were earned per yard covered. Hammond completed half a lap (1500 yards), May did over 1½ laps (4,500 yards), and Clarkson completed only 10 yards (9.1 m) before the right rear door fell off. After the final scores were tallied, Hammond finished last, the high initial price of his car being enough to cancel out his better performance than Clarkson on the final test. May was declared the winner by earning back his entire car's value plus £20, proving that his Austin Princess was the one good car that British Leyland ever made. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Jennifer Saunders sets a lap time of 1.46.1, placing her second on the leader board, only 0.2 of a second slower than the lap time leader Simon Cowell. |
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| 87 | Series 10 Episode 8 | 2 December 2007 | James Blunt & Lewis Hamilton |
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Main review: Clarkson reviews the Vauxhall VXR8, a rebadged HSV Clubsport R8. Although on the same pace as the BMW M5, the barn-door engineered Australian car is £30,000 less, because "it's about 30,000 times less complicated." Clarkson loves it, but wouldn't have it over an M5. Sets a time of 1:31.3 in wet and oily conditions. Investigation: Clarkson and May set out to discover the first car to have the control layout that cars use today. After investigating many old cars, including a Benz Motorwagen, an early Royal Enfield car, a De Dion-Bouton and a Ford Model T, they name the first car with a modern layout to be the Cadillac Type 53 from 1916 which was then popularised by the Austin 7. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: James Blunt posts a time of 1.48.3 on a wet track. Challenge: Hammond drives the Renault R25 Formula One car, which took both the driver's (with Fernando Alonso) and constructor's championship titles in the 2005 Formula One season. He is to do two laps around Stowe Circuit at Silverstone. Hammond tries to get the car rolling with the anti-stall program kicking in eight times before completing half a lap and stalling again as he spins out from lack of grip due to lack of tyre and brake warmth. Hammond completes the required two laps around the track the second time. May comments that the telemetry shows that Hammond only hit full throttle in the car for 0.2 of a second. (This segment was originally prepared for Series 9, but was rescheduled due to Hammond's accident.)[4] F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lewis Hamilton, driving on a wet and oily track, posts a time of 1.44.7 in the original Reasonably-Priced Car, the Suzuki Liana, which has been kept to be used by Formula One drivers. This placed him third overall on the F1 racers' board. Review: Clarkson supervises a driver-less BMW on a lap of the track. The time for the lap was not revealed. |
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| 88 | Series 10 Episode 9 | 9 December 2007 | Keith Allen |
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Main Review: As Clarkson has been told by the producers that he is not allowed to test any more supercars for the rest of the series, he decides to review the Daihatsu Materia hatchback alongside a "close" rival - the new Ascari A10. He says the Daihatsu is far more practical and economical, but it is too boring around the corners and is nowhere near as fast as the Ascari. Clarkson then announces that he prefers the A10 and its engine tone. The Ascari goes round the track faster than the Koenigsegg CCX with a time of 1:17.3, taking it to the top of the Power Lap board. News: There is no news in this episode due to "lack of time". Review: May travels to Hungary to test drive the new generation Fiat Nuova 500. He races some youths on BMX bikes through the streets of Budapest and is just pipped at the finish. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Keith Allen gets a time of 1:51.7 on what the Stig said was the wettest day on record. Challenge: In the previous series, the presenters planted their own bio-fuel crop, which was rapeseed. Having harvested the crops they accidentally made 500 gallons worth of bio-diesel, because May had bought the wrong seed. In order to dispose of it they take part in the Britcar 24 hour endurance race at Silverstone Circuit using a modified BMW 330d. Arriving at the event, the team discover that it is not an event for novices as they had expected, but rather a fully professional endurance race and that the team would be competing alongside actual 200 mph (320 km/h) supercars. For qualifying, each team member had to do three laps each. Hammond is very unfamiliar with the track, and May forgets to do his flying lap. The team reveal their secret weapon: The Stig. After his three laps the team are stunned to find that they are not bottom of the table. They then must do three laps at night. Hammond, Clarkson and The Stig all complete their 3-lap stints. However, disaster strikes when May is completing his. The turbo, clutch and fly wheel break down and the fuel pump splits, thanks to the large amounts of methanol in the bio-diesel that had "eaten" away the seals. The team qualify in 42nd place, out of 59. The mechanics work through the night, doing the fastest repair job ever, but the team still misses the race start, and has to start from pitlane. The car comes to life minutes before the completion of the parade lap with The Stig behind the wheel. The car starts the race in last place but the Stig climbs 20 places in the board into 39th. The car breaks down again, taking 30 minutes to repair. May takes it out next. After being tired out only halfway (90 minutes) into his stint and nearly wrecking the BMW, May is brought in and is switched for Clarkson. Clarkson completes his 3-hour stint and Hammond is next. He collides with a Mosler race car, sending him spinning off and forcing him to be towed back into pitlane to have the car repaired. This takes three hours, putting the team in last place. During the race, the fog becomes very thick and the race is immediately halted. Clarkson got the crowd to do a Mexican wave. The Stig makes up for lost ground, putting them back in the race, and despite their exhaustion, the others then take their turns. During Clarkson's final stint, the front tyres start to wear rapidly so the car is brought back to the pits for new tyres. The car finished the race 39th overall and 3rd in their class. |
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| 89 | Series 10 Episode 10 | 23 December 2007 | David Tennant |
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Review: May reviews the new Jaguar XF. He praises the engines, the modernness, the Ian Callum design and the interior design. However, he feels that the suspension of the SV8 he drives is a little stiff. News: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Koenigsegg CCXR. James May is Heat magazine's weird celebrity crush of the year, and Clarkson reveals that Hammond had won an award for the best celebrity hair cut of the year while James May had been voted as the worst. They also reveal car related Christmas "gift ideas", such as a "travel rabbit", a carbon-fibre shoehorn, a Ferrari branded sledge, a wobbly headed model of the former president of Nissan USA Yutaka Katayama, Lamborghini Christmas tree baubles, a £1500 Bugatti aftershave and carbon fibre carrying case, and a Tee-shirt featuring Nissan Z cars. The co-presenters proceed to destroy majority of the gifts "in the spirit of Christmas". Main Review: Clarkson, May and Hammond take three cars to the Ascari Race Resort in Ronda, Spain: the new BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and The Audi RS4. Hammond praises the M3 for its excellent drive and its "spectacular tailslides". Clarkson praises the Mercedes for its "lunacy" and how it is the most powerful with its 6.2 litre 450 bhp (340 kW) engine, calling it an "axe murderer with headlights" due to flaws with the traction control. May brings the Audi RS4 which he calls a very good car due to its subtlety and all-wheel drive system. Clarkson's Mercedes-Benz, which has the biggest legroom and boot, wins in a drag race, prompting May to start measuring parts of his Audi to see where it beats the Mercedes-Benz. Hammond set up a Powerpoint presentation which only proves that Clarkson's car has the best engine. The Stig sets a time of 2:15.16 in his "hire car", Emerson Fittipaldi's 1972 F1 world championship winning Lotus 72 before testing the other cars. The BMW M3 was the fastest of the three with 2:38.9, the Mercedes-Benz a 2:43.5 and the Audi a 2:43.9. When The Stig claimed the handling of the Mercedes-Benz was too "wayward and uncontrollable", Clarkson claims the Stig was not trying hard enough and says he can hit an apple placed on the apex of a corner at full speed. Clarkson fails repeatedly; The Stig then hits it first time in the M3 forcing Clarkson to eat the splattered fruit. Clarkson then brings a "cock-o-meter" to show how much of a cock (idiot) an M3 driver looks. Unfortunately, the meter was not built to withstand cars such as the M3 and so was broken when it attempted to analyse it. In the end, when driving each other's cars, the Audi is described by Hammond as a "very nice place to be", and how the 4WD makes sense. The Mercedes-Benz is described as "chinsy" by May, but he likes the engine. Clarkson then admits the BMW is very good and that Hammond was talking sense. In the end all three agreed that the BMW M3 was the best, with Clarkson saying the other cars are just copies, as good as they are. However, Clarkson ends by claiming that he could not ignore the insanity of the Mercedes-Benz and would still have it himself. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Doctor Who star David Tennant posted a time of 1.48.8 and complains about being half a second behind Billie Piper as she cut the Hammerhead corner on the track. Clarkson defended keeping her time as Billie was wearing a see-through shirt the day she was interviewed. A parody of this segment was made where Jeremy Clarkson was commenting on Tennant driving the TARDIS. 2007 Top Gear Awards:
Challenge: Richard tries to make the G-Wiz into a remote controlled car. In the end after a race with the Stig, Hammond blows up the G-Wiz using his model radio controlled car. |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #1 | 1 January 2008 | Ronnie Wood | |
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Review: The Caparo T1 (From Series 10, Episode 5) Challenge: Finding The World's Greatest Driving Road (From Series 10, Episode 1) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ronnie Wood (From Series 10, Episode 3) Challenge: Hammond's F1 Car Challenge (From Series 10, Episode 8) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #2 | 6 January 2008 | James Blunt & Jennifer Saunders | |
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Challenge: Bugatti Veyron vs. Eurofighter (From Series 10, Episode 3) Review: The Aston Martin V8 Vantage (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: James Blunt (From Series 10, Episode 8) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jennifer Saunders (From Series 10, Episode 7) Review: Audi R8 (From Series 10, Episode 2) Review: BMW M5 Touring vs. AMG Mercedes E-Class (From Series 10, Episode 6) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #3 | 13 January 2008 | Lewis Hamilton | |
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Challenge: Amphibious Cars II (From Series 10, Episode 2) Review: Peel P50 (From Series 10, Episode 3) F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lewis Hamilton (From Series 10, Episode 8) Challenge: Motorhome Racing (From Series 10, Episode 6) Review: Aston Martin DBS (From Series 10, Episode 7) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #4 | 27 January 2008 | Simon Cowell & Lawrence Dallaglio | |
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Review: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé (From Series 10, Episode 3) Challenge: Race Across London (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Simon Cowell (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lawrence Dallaglio (From Series 10, Episode 6) Review: Daihatsu Materia vs. Ascari A10 (From Series 10, Episode 9) |
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| Top Ground Gear Force | 14 March 2008 | Sir Steve Redgrave | |
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Challenge: The trio take on a special challenge for Sport Relief: attempting to re-design Sir Steve's garden. The plan goes horribly wrong, with a dumper trunk destroying the lawn (before getting breached in a hole), Jeremy setting fire to a shed build by James, and a greenhouse—declared "the only thing that went right"—which is later destroyed by a large torrent of water. |
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[edit] Reception
[edit] Series 10, Episode 4
In the African challenge, the Top Gear hosts were tasked in part to traverse the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana successfully in their bought cars. The Environmental Investigation Agency criticised the BBC for allowing Top Gear to film in environmentally sensitive salt pans. Responding to accusations by conservationists of "leaving scars across the Makgadikgadi salt pans by driving vehicles across them," the BBC denied that they had gone near any conservation areas, and had followed the advice of environmental experts.[5]
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 10)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 9)".
The 11th series of Top Gear was broadcast between 22 June 2008 and 27 July 2008, in show's usual time slot of 8pm on Sunday on BBC Two. The series consists of six episodes. This series included a revised title sequence, following the same visual style as with the sequence used for Series 8 through 10, but incorporating footage from the two prior series. A new character (Top Gear Stunt Man) was introduced in the first episode of the series. Also for the first five episodes of this series, the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" becomes "Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car", featuring two celebrity guests every week, each one setting an individual laptime. In May 2008, after series producer Andy Wilman held a brainstorming session with the presenters and other production staff, various facts about the upcoming series were released. Wilman confirmed that series 11 would see the presenters, Clarkson, Hammond and May, gain more control over the flow of the show's popular news segment. The series included running jokes appearing in each episode: Clarkson showing an image he claims to have found on "the Internet" which is censored for the television broadcast; and, in the news section, May appearing to feign enthusiasm whilst presenting a brief news item about the Dacia Sandero with no further discussion before they move on to the next item.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 90 | Series 11 Episode 1 | 22 June 2008 | Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins |
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Challenge: Fuel Economy Part 1: The Top Gear team are advised that they must discuss fuel economy, so they decide to find the most economical supercar. The Ferrari 599, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Murciélago LP640, Aston Martin DBS, and Audi R8 were taken around the track at maximum speed, each given one gallon (4.55 l) of fuel, to see how far they could travel. The first loser, the Ferrari, coughed up a mere 1.7 miles (2.7 km), and the winner, the Audi, managed 5 miles (8.0 km) (56.9 L/100 km). Challenge: Fuel Economy Part 2: In ten laps at maximum speed, a Toyota Prius is shown to manage 17.2 miles per imperial gallon (16.4 L/100 km). A BMW M3 follows directly behind it at the same speed for the entire time, and is able to achieve 19.4 miles per imperial gallon (14.6 L/100 km) with its 4.0 L V8 engine. Clarkson declares that it doesn't matter what you drive, but how you drive it. News: The Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Tata Nano and Toyota Urban Cruiser are discussed. Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. After seemingly damning the car's electronic interferences, he praised it as the finest Ferrari in years. The Stig then drove it around the track in 1:19.7, making it 0.7 seconds slower than the Enzo Ferrari, despite the fact that Ferrari claimed it went faster than the Enzo around their test track. Challenge: May introduces a new Top Gear member, the Top Gear Stunt Man(credited as Jim Dowdall, though not named in-programme). May has the stuntman try to break a non-existent record of most cars jumped over by a vehicle moving backwards. They choose an Austin Allegro, claiming that the aerodynamics are better going backwards than normally. Stars in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Hosts of The Sunday Night Project, Justin Lee Collins sets a time of 1:51.8, which Alan Carr beats with a lap of 1:51.2. Challenge: Make a Better Police Car:: The Top Gear team seek to prove that cheap used cars would make better police cruisers than the Vauxhall Astra diesel that British police use. They must purchase their own vehicles for £1000 or less and modify them for £500 or less. Points were awarded for money saved on the initial purchase only. Clarkson bought a £900 turbocharged 20V Fiat Coupé onto which he fitted scythed wheel covers (as on a scythed chariot) and marked it as an Italian Polizia di Stato cruiser. May bought an old Lexus LS400 for £900, onto which he fitted a rear-mounted paint gun system, a "siren" taken from an ice cream van, and marked in a classic "jam sandwich" livery. Hammond bought a £750 Suzuki Vitara which he covered in lightbars, and onto which he mounted an ambitious self-deploying spike strip. They were first challenged to set lap times against The Stig in his Astra diesel while also earning points for flair; none of them beat the Stig, and only Hammond earned any flair points (one, for driving through a pile of boxes). They then had to clear a road of mangled cars and bloody mannequin bodies, which they did successfully. Finally, they had to combine forces to try and stop the Stig as he drives around the track in a BMW 7 Series. May fired a jet of paint at the BMW's windscreen, momentarily obscuring the Stig's view, until he simply cleared it away with his windscreen wipers. Hammond attempted to catch the Stig with his spike strip, but it proved much too short. Finally, Clarkson attempted to disable the Stig's car with his spiked wheels, but only succeeded in causing minor bodywork damage to the BMW before the stress generated caused his car's rear wheel to break off. Hammond declared victory, and ate the paper containing the evidence when a disbelieving Clarkson disputed the result. |
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| 91 | Series 11 Episode 2 | 29 June 2008 | Rupert Penry-Jones and Peter Firth |
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Main Review: Clarkson tests the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI. He lavishes immense praise on the handling characteristics of the Evo, and bashes the Impreza as ugly and less fun to drive. The Evo appears to be more precise and more agile, while the Impreza (markedly cheaper in the UK market) is said to look like a 'war wound' and sound like it is being fuelled by mogadon. Although Jeremy dislikes the STI, it turns out to be faster around the track by setting a lap time of 1:28.2, against which the Mitsubishi achieves 1:28.22. News: The Top Gear team continue their campaign against road signs, especially those concerning squirrels. They also note that the Vauxhall Vectra is dead and is replaced with the good-looking Vauxhall Insignia; they believe that with the precedent of the new Citroën C5 and Ford Fiesta, that mainstream cars are becoming the best-looking of all. Clarkson compares the Stig to the archaeologists in the Doctor Who episode "Silence in the Library". Review/Challenge: Hammond reviews the second-generation Audi RS6 Avant near Tignes and Villaroger in the French Alps. With a twin-turbo V10 engine producing 572 horsepower (427 kW), the RS6 is significantly more powerful than its rivals, the BMW M5 Touring, and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG estate. However, it is also far more expensive with a base price of about 75,000 GBP. Hammond tests the car's handling and power by driving across down a stretch of road from the Arc 1950 ski resort at Les Arcs to Villaroger in a race against two French skiers who ascend to the mountaintops of Mont Pourri, then reach the bottom with parachutes and skis. Hammond loses the challenge because he gets lost in the village streets at the end of the trip. Stars in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Stars of Spooks, Rupert Penry-Jones achieves 1:48.1, and Peter Firth achieves 1:47.1. Challenge: James May has the Top Gear Stuntman attempt to replicate the extremely difficult stunt from The Man with the Golden Gun, in which a car crosses a river while completing a full 360-degree spin. However, as he does it with a front-drive MG Maestro rather than the rear-drive AMC Hornet used in the film, May must rework the physics on the jump. His calculations are a bit off, as it is a miserable failure. Cool Wall: The Cool Wall is resurrected. They have a complete switch-up of priorities, for example deeming BMWs cool, and Audis uncool. The Fiat Panda moves from cool into way beyond seriously uncool, due to James May owning one. Hammond goes too far when he attempts to move all Aston Martins into uncool. When he touches the DB9 fridge, Jeremy restrains him and puts the card high up in sub-zero. He then steals Hammond's microphone so there is no more argument. Review: Clarkson drives the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series. The Black Series provides more power than the 481 horsepower (359 kW) standard; it is lightened and tightened. It's the first car that Jeremy ever receives which comes with a warning from the manufacturer itself. However, it retains comfort, luxuries, an automatic gearbox, and civility. Clarkson goes driving just for the sake of driving, and finds it to be ideal from a purist's perspective. Clarkson calls it a perfect blend of supercar fun and practicality, and he calls it his new favourite car. According to Clarkson, the Stig also notes that it's the most fun car he had driven in years. |
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| 92 | Series 11 Episode 3 | 6 July 2008 | James Corden and Rob Brydon |
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Challenge: The Top Gear presenters attempted to prove to the show's producers that to be a true "petrolhead", you need to have owned an Alfa Romeo. Each presenter was told to buy any Alfa Romeo they wanted with their own money. Clarkson bought an Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 (for £450), Hammond bought an Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0i (for £1000), and May bought an Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 Twin Spark (for £995). They first had to attend a track day at Rockingham Raceway Circuit. They would lose a point if overtaken and gain a point for overtaking other vehicles; all of their Alfas broke down due to mechanical failures and broken parts. Their competitors were mostly much faster track cars, primarily Porsche 911s, and each presenter was overtaken about two hundred times. They then had to make a calendar featuring their car and sell them in a newsagent; each presenter made a poor effort and none were sold. Finally, they had to decorate and restore their cars to enter an Alfa Romeo Concours competition. Richard had to be towed as his engine overheated when his hand-cranked water pump broke. Jeremy and Richard got the two lowest scores ever recorded at the competition (out of 150, 23.5 and 9 respectively). James' GTV had been carefully polished and he earned 74 points, his score let down by the presence of reeking cheese gratings added to the engine bay by Jeremy and Richard from spite. However, Jeremy won the overall challenge because his car's initial price was so cheap. Review: Clarkson reviews the Bentley Brooklands, a hand-made car billed as the roomiest two-door vehicle in the world and yet with a top speed of 185 mph (298 km/h). During a power slide he blows out one of the tyres due to the car's torque. It did not set a lap time as Jeremy said "The Stig might as well drive this studio around the track". News: Clarkson predicts that the British Grand Prix was won by a man, as the field only consists of male drivers. This spurs into a discussion about the lack of female racing drivers. He shows a poll of the top 10 sexiest female racing drivers, in which May (despite being male) was among one of the contestants [1]. Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car: 'Gavin & Stacey' stars James Corden and Rob Brydon. In wet conditions, Rob managed a 1:51.7, which was slower than his friend Steve Coogan in hot conditions, whom he had beaten in the Suzuki Liana. Corden (who, up until appearing on the show, had only driven an automatic car) managed a 1:53.4. |
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| 93 | Series 11 Episode 4 | 13 July 2008 | Fiona Bruce and Kate Silverton |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The Stig manages a lap time of 1.38.2 in extremely wet conditions, making it one of the slowest cars around the track, although many powerful cars like the Mercedes-Benz SL55AMG (1.33) had slow times due to the sheer amount of rain the track. He calls it utterly impractical, not very nice to drive, not very well-made, but beautiful and raucous: a pure work of art. News: The trio continue their crusade against excessive road signs and bash Boris Johnson for not removing articulated buses. The Ferrari California is discussed. Challenge: Jeremy goes to Japan to drive a Nissan GT-R and James and Richard greet him with a challenge: travel across Japan from Hakui to the top of Mount Nokogiri in Chiba, where they would meet at a "Buddha dedicated to road safety." The two would take a long, complicated and ad hoc combination of bullet trains, buses, a ferry, and finally a cable car. Jeremy would take a shorter path using the GT-R, but he would have to pass through crowded Tokyo en route, and he had to rely on satnav that only communicated in Japanese. Both teams encounter trouble en route: Jeremy accidentally turns his satnav system off, while James and Richard were temporarily separated when their last train on Keikyū was split. The final distance to the goal had to be covered by running for all three; Jeremy winds up winning the challenge by 3 minutes, 12 seconds. Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car: Newsreaders Fiona Bruce and Kate Silverton drove in very wet conditions and managed 1:57.4 and 1:54.7 respectively. |
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| 94 | Series 11 Episode 5 | 20 July 2008 | Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis |
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Review: Clarkson, reviews the Nissan GT-R and tests its abilities on the Fuji Speedway. He is impressed by its electronically-assisted handling and sheer attention to detail put into preparing each hand-crafted car to both provide and cope with the severe cornering, but is himself forced to stop when the strong G-forces cause him a strained neck, and he leaves the scene in an ambulance. The Stig, with a "weapons-grade titanium neck", survives driving the since-imported car to post a time of 1:19.7. Mini Feature: James shows off the Renault Megane Coupé Concept, including its power doors and keyless engine start, which are remote-controllable by mobile phone; however, the car will not go into production. Peugeot are offering a real world alternative in the 308 RCZ coupe, with a supercharged 1.6 litre 218 bhp (163 kW) engine (from the 207 GTi) and a specially-shaped rear window that removes the need for a spoiler. Richard however criticises the extremely unspacious rear seats, explaining that "even I'd struggle to get in there!" News: Jeremy reveals the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, with a 6 L V12, the torque of which has to be limited to 1000 N•m (737 ft·lbf); it is £100,000 cheaper than the less powerful SLR McLaren. James posits that Citroën is the only manufacturer which makes only good-looking cars, but is shot down when Richard reminds him of the Pluriel. They settle upon Vauxhall, partly on the basis of the new Agila. Hilary Benn's suggestion that higher fuel cost is a good idea leads to criticism. Richard complains that all his village's local services have been withdrawn and that a car is the only means of accessing the alternatives in other towns. Jeremy likens Gordon Brown to Stalin, saying he is restricting movement by raising fuel tax, and that ID cards and curfews are to follow. Councillor Peter Greenalls is lauded for having the entire Swindon speed camera system scrapped. Main Challenge: Clarkson's wife had bought him a 1969 Großer Mercedes-Benz for Christmas,[1] and May bought a 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche Coupé "HJ Mulliner-Park-Ward" edition. They are set a series of challenges, including a handling test on a slalom course vs a 1.1 L Hyundai i10, a top speed and braking run, a quarter mile "push" race, and a test to successfully and legally park their cars in the middle of London. Neither presenter manages to complete the final two tests, but Jeremy tries to claim victory over James' "Ford Zephyr" on the basis of better performance and handling, having more (hydraulic) toys, being owned by more celebrities (albeit mainly military dictators, vs James' camp icons), a louder horn, and ultimately "having more petrol in" when James runs out and has to syphon some from the Mercedes, still hunting for a space. James' car won some points as it was easier to push, and significantly cheaper to service. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Peter Jones and Theo Paphetis, judges from Dragons' Den. Peter's lap time is 1:46.9, and Theo's is 1:48.5. Challenge: "Saving the Countryside" - with Fox hunting banned, and "Green Laning" under threat, Clarkson and Hammond invent a new "perfectly legal" rural sport combining the two controversial activities, "Small Japanese Off-Roader Hunting". Jeremy takes a 4WD Daihatsu Terios, towing a scent-laced satchel in a similar manner to drag hunting, and sets off through the fields towards Tewkesbury, aiming for a hill outside the town. After a two-minute head start, a mounted hunting pack, including Hammond, follows in pursuit. Clarkson manages to successfully keep ahead of the pack for almost the entire 9-mile (14 km) trail, demonstrating the mini-SUV's offroad ability, despite his aggressive driving through rough terrain. He is eventually caught when he crashes into a ditch and becomes stuck whilst searching for a bridge across the River Severn. Humorously, Hammond and May state the Jeremy was, in fact, killed by the hunting pack. |
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| 95 | Series 11 Episode 6 | 27 July 2008 | Jay Kay |
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Review: James conducts two road tests in Japan, on the Mitsuoka Orochi and the Galue. He is impressed in both of the cars by their stylish look and the attention to detail on the making of a good VIP car. The test of using the Galue to chauffeur two Sumo wrestler VIPs does not end well however, with James' driving upsetting the passengers. Review: Richard tests the Gumpert Apollo and talks about the strange look, adjustable suspension system, fixed seats and the enormous power from a twin-turbo 4.2L V8 engine mounted at the middle. The Stig clocks a 1:17.1 on the test track, beating the record set by the Ascari A10. Hammond is unable to put the time at the top of the board due to his height so decides to try a run up but ends up knocking the whole Power lap board over and wrecking it. This episode's Stig intro (By Hammond): "Some say it's impossible for him to wear socks and he can open a beer bottle with his testes. All we know is, he's called The Stig!" Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jay Kay achieved the fastest time around the track; beating Simon Cowell, with a time of 1:45.81. It was the third time both the Power Lap and the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car record times fell on the same show. The previous two occurrences were in series 7, Episode 4, when both records were beaten by the Pagani Zonda and Ellen MacArthur and in series 10, Episode 5, for the Caparo T1 and Simon Cowell respectively. However, the Caparo was disallowed from the board due to its ride height. Challenge: Britain v Germany. A series of car challenges deciding the best motoring country. The German team was made up of the presenters of German motoring show D Motor (Sabine Schmitz, Carsten van Ryssen and Tim Schrick), while Jeremy, James, and Richard made up the British Team. The challenges were set on the Zolder circuit, in Belgium. In the challenges the British team only managed to win two (the drag race and the off-road racing) and lost in the "double-decker" race, autocross and the Mini challenge. The Top Gear team managed to salvage victory in the final challenge, a two-lap race between two racing cars (an Aston Martin DBRS9 and a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup), by passing the Stig off as James May, despite the scepticism of their opponents. |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 11)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 10)".
The 12th series of Top Gear contained eight episodes, and premiered on 2 November 2008, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. Clarkson was injured while filming the series, after crashing a lorry through a brick wall at 56 mph in the first episode's HGV challenge. The running joke regarding the Dacia Sandero continues from series 11, with the alteration that Clarkson is now the one making the announcement with feigned enthusiasm, to utter indifference from May (instead of vice versa). Each news segment also features one of the hosts wearing something unusual, like slippers or a garishly patterned shirt. The only reference to this is that one of the other hosts will, at some point in the segment, ask if they're wearing it for a bet. The Stig, instead of listening to music during power laps, now listens to morse code. The final episode, the "Top Gear: Vietnam Special", aired two weeks after the rest of the series as part of the BBC's Christmas line-up. The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from Series 11 and 12.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 96 | Series 12 Episode 1 | 2 November 2008 | Michael Parkinson |
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Main Review: Clarkson tests the Porsche 997 GT2 and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 on the Top Gear track. Clarkson described the Porsche as 'terrifying' and favoured the Gallardo, which went around the Top Gear test track at 1:19.5, because it was easier to drive and faster in a straight line. However, Clarkson didn't reveal the lap time of the Porsche until a later episode, in which he revealed a time of 1:19.5 also, tying the Lamborghini. The Gallardo was faster than its big brother, the Murciélago LP640 which did 1:19.8 in Series 9. The GT2 was also the fastest Porsche, beating the Porsche Carrera GT, which also did 1:19.8. Whilst driving the Lamborghini, the Stig was shown listening to morse code. The morse coded messages in the two shots were "MELIKECHEESE" and "STRICTLYISCRAP" (a supposed reference to Strictly Come Dancing). Challenge: The Top Gear team each buy a second hand truck and travel to "Top Gear's Secret Alpine Test Location" in Bedfordshire to test how easy it is to be a HGV driver. With their 5000 pound budget May buys a Scania 94D, Clarkson buys a Renault Magnum and Hammond an ERF EC11. Challenge 1: The three had to decorate and personalise their trucks as drivers in "less developed countries like Australia and America" would. Richard made his ERF look like an American lorry with a bonnet which was actually a dog kennel, James decorated his with an Indian look and Jeremy gave his lorry a "stealth" look, which drastically reduced visibility. Challenge 2: Jeremy, Richard and James would have to powerslide their lorries. Protesting that it was not possible, they watched a demonstration done by Rig Stig, The Stig's lorry driving cousin, "whose favourite song is Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward" and who has the "world's largest collection of pornographical material" who did the slide in a modified MAN truck. All three tried their best but the lorries did not slide, although Jeremy slid off the chair in his lorry due to the "huge G-force" and since he did not fasten the seat belt, he injured himself. When asked by a paramedic "did you hurt your leg as well?", Jeremy replied "Yeah?, the gear-lever went up my arse!" Challenge 3: The next challenge was to go to the High Speed Bowl in Millbrook, but before that the three would have to hitch up a trailer with valuable cargo and drive around the Alpine course under three minutes. Richard had a car which was not fastened down properly as his 'valuable' cargo, James had a wedding cake and Jeremy had a stack of straw at one end of the trailer and an incandescent electric heater at the other. James finished first and completed the course in just over three minutes, although his cargo was damaged (made worse by his attempt to fix it); Richard's car fell off the trailer while he was still on the course (though he later said was 'stolen'); Jeremy finished last with the trailer on fire. Challenge 4: The three would drive around the Millbrook High speed bowl, with the limiters deactivated (Trucks are limited to 56 mph - 90 km/h) to discover the maximum speed of their lorries. James' lorry reached a maximum speed of 64.6 mph (104.0 km/h), Jeremy's lorry reached 80 mph (130 km/h), and Richard's reached a quick 90 mph (140 km/h). Challenge 5: Each presenter is required to do a hill start in their lorries, with something close to their hearts behind the trailer to keep them focused. The winner would receive a years worth of 'gentleman's literature'. Jeremy had his beloved drum kit behind his lorry, and was successful in the hill start, but Richard and James destroyed his drums anyway. Richard had Oliver (the Opel Kadett from the African Challenge, which has a new coat of paint and personalised number plate "OLIV3R") behind his lorry, and chickened out of the challenge. James had his grand piano placed behind his lorry. When his piano was being lowered down to the ground one of the piano legs fell off and was hoisted up to rest on a stack of porn magazines. James failed that challenge when he rolled back into the piano; much to the relief of Clarkson and Hammond, who didn't have to explain the previously mentioned broken leg. Challenge 6: At the Top Gear test track the presenters were given their final challenge, which was to drive their lorries at the highest speed into an "obstacle" and brake quickly. Richard crashed into a demountable building, James into a stack of office cooler bottles and Jeremy into a brick wall. Jeremy was injured in this challenge. At the end, James declares himself the winner. News: The team discuss how the economic crisis of 2008 has affected cars, particularly Clarkson's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, which has depreciated by £44,000 in 1 year. Clarkson breaks the news that the Dacia Sandero (a running gag in series 11) will not be released in the UK. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Chat show legend Michael Parkinson kicks off the start of the series, managing a respectable 1:49:4 around the track. |
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| 97 | Series 12 Episode 2 | 9 November 2008[1] | Will Young |
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Review: Jeremy Clarkson takes Fiat Nuova 500 Abarth through the test track. Despite being a small family car with a relatively small engine, Jeremy claims that he "loves" it. The Stig clocks a 1:35.5 on the test track. The morse coded messages in the two shots were "IVOTEDROSSPEROT" and "MESMELLCATS". Challenge: The team head to America to test drive the new generation of American muscle cars on a road trip from San Francisco to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Hammond takes the trip in the new Dodge Challenger, Clarkson in the new Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 and May in the Cadillac CTS-V. As usual, the trip is plagued with difficulties. The team only has visas that allow them to be factual rather than entertaining owing to their previous visit to America when Jeremy put a cow on his roof which caused the U.S. State department to deem Top Gear an entertainment show rather than a factual show, which encourages the presenters to try and remove all 'entertaining' aspects to the trip. Chrysler refuses, at the last minute, to provide them with a Challenger, which forced Hammond to buy one at a $10,000 premium from a local dealership. May hates his Cadillac, so while the team visit Reno, he spends all night at the casino trying to win a BRP Can-Am Spyder Roadster to replace his CTS-V. Clarkson and Hammond are stopped by the police twice for speeding, racing between the lights and using the V8 revs to trigger car alarms, and Clarkson uses the electronic proximity-key ignition on Hammond's Challenger to park in the middle of a public road while Hammond was busy eating. After getting bored of the straight-line highway, they turn off onto twisty back roads. May immediately changes his opinion of the Cadillac due to its handling, and Clarkson's Corvette is even better. Hammond's Dodge, however, handles poorly due to its muscle car origins. Arriving at the Salt Flats, the trio must take part in a one mile straight drive to see who can take their cars to a high speed with Clarkson's, May's and Hammond's goals being 170 mph (270 km/h), 160 mph (260 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h) respectively. After trying numerous ways to increase speed, such as pumping up tires, all three presenters finally hit their targets. They claim that all three vehicles have exceeded their expectations, closing by saying that they were fantastic fun though perhaps not as well-made as possible. This Challenge was included in the Great Adventures 3. News: Clarkson apologises for not posting the lap time of the Porsche 997 GT2 the previous week (a joke made in reference to his being criticised for his quip regarding lorry drivers murdering prostitutes in the previous episode). He reveals it to be 1:19.5, because the score had 'spontaneously combusted', exactly the same as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, despite the handling difficulties. It is also faster than the Porsche Carrera GT, which did 1:19.8. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: The original winner of Pop Idol, Will Young, talks about his own Top Gear race, how Minis are similar to Lego and drives a 1:48.9 damp lap. |
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| 98 | Series 12 Episode 3 | 16 November 2008 | Mark Wahlberg |
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Review: Hammond goes to Toyota City in Japan to test the i-REAL, a chair that is "drivable" and can tell your friends when you're going for coffee. Main Challenge: The team attempted to make an ordinary second hand car (a Renault Avantime, which posted a reference time of 1:42.5) lap the test track as fast as a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, which managed 1:28.2. They were given half the cost of an Evo (£15,000) minus the cost of the Avantime (£5,200) leaving them £9,800 to spend on improving the car. The modifications included fitting new brakes - which were too big for the wheels to fit on - forcing the team to spend more on bigger wheels and track tires; an adjustable suspension kit and swapping out the front seats for lighter racing ones. May spent the entire first night attempting to tune and restore the engine to its former glory of 210 bhp (156 kW), he almost succeeded, getting it up to a respectable 206 bhp (153 kW). The next day, Hammond fixed a rear wing from a Super Aguri SA07 Formula 1 car to the rear of the car, to which Clarkson commented would be useless as it was a front wheel drive car and the spoiler would push the rear of the vehicle down. Clarkson also fitted a wooden splitter, which he fashioned himself, to the front of the vehicle, which promptly caught fire. During the Stig's lap, the wooden splitter also helped ruining the car's handling by popping the rear out and causing tires to lock. After several attempts the car finally managed a time of 1:35.4 on the track in the hands of The Stig, which resulted in the team pointing out how much money is wasted on trying to improve cars and how little it does to improve the overall quality and performance of the vehicle – most of the improvement that they did manage came from removing unnecessary weight, and May's retuning of the engine, neither of which cost anything beyond the time and effort that was put in. Challenge: As training for his first supercar review the following week, James goes to learn about "The Finnish Way of Car Control" from Mika Häkkinen and enters a Jokamiesluokka, a rallycross race primarily using scrapped cars. He finishes in the middle against a pack of locals. Feature: Clarkson commented on how V8 engines seem to be disappearing, so he extracted one from a Chevrolet Corvette for use in a food blender. He, May & Hammond drank a smoothie consisting of 'manly ingredients', such as raw beef, Bovril, a handful of chillies, a bottle of tabasco sauce and a brick. Hammond suggested calling the resulting drink "Desperate Shag in a Skip," while May dubbed it "The Bloody Awful." Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Mark Wahlberg managed 1:48.7 even though he wasn't used to the manual gearbox and the right-handed seating position of the car. |
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| 99 | Series 12 Episode 4 | 23 November 2008 | Harry Enfield |
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Main Review: James tackles his first ever power test in the Pagani Zonda Roadster F and, after a two year wait, the Stig takes the Bugatti Veyron around the track, clocking in at 1:18.3. Its inability to top the board is attributed by May and Clarkson to the heavy weight of the car. The Zonda also laps the track in 1:17.8. News: The Peugeot TP is designed to hold a surfboard … inside. Boris Johnson recommends driving in the lower gears to reduce CO2 emissions. Another Boris Johnson recommends driving a Ferrari in the highest gears for maximum enjoyment. The European Car of the Year is the Vauxhall Insignia. Challenge: The trio raced each other from Basel in Switzerland to Blackpool in North-West England, a 750 mile (1,200 km) journey, on a single tank of fuel, with the winner being given the reward of switching on the Blackpool Lights. Each presenter was allowed to use the unmodified production car of their choice; May selecting a Subaru Legacy diesel, Clarkson a Jaguar XJ diesel, and Hammond a Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, to the scorn of his compatriots. They were also allowed to select their own route. Clarkson immediately deemed the race pointless, as the raw figures of fuel efficiency showed that none of the cars chosen could make it to Blackpool on time with one tank of fuel, so he tried to lose just enough fuel so that his car would run out near his house in Chipping Norton. With this in mind, he used his air conditioning, radio, heated seats, charged his mobile phone and drove at 80 mph in France in order to burn fuel from his twin-turbo Jaguar. Due to his speed, Clarkson remained miles ahead of the other two presenters for most of the race, managing to catch a Eurotunnel train thirty minutes before both Hammond and May. However, in England, after passing his home with a considerable amount of fuel remaining, he slowed up, thinking that he could still win. However, as he travelled along the M6 Toll road, Hammond overtook him. Clarkson could not retaliate, due to his need to conserve the little fuel that remained. Hammond remained ahead for the rest of the race. May, meanwhile, took a longer route via Leeds to avoid the notoriously congested M6 and, despite overtaking Hammond in France and boarding the same train, he did not catch up. Despite his fuel wasting actions in France, Clarkson still managed to finish the race, finishing second to Hammond, only a minute ahead. Hammond was therefore given the chance to turn on the lights but The Stig, whom the producers sent to Blackpool just in case none of the trio managed to make it in time, switched them on himself. May did eventually finish, although 40 minutes late, missing the ceremony completely, later admitting he sacrificed his speed too much for greater fuel efficiency. After the race, Clarkson revealed that an inspection of the Jaguar's fuel tank revealed that he had enough fuel to travel another 120 miles (193 km). Preview: The three show off a model of the Lamborghini Estoqué in the studio. It will be a front-engined, four-seat supercar with an actual boot (trunk) and plenty of leg-room for passengers in the back seat. All three presenters are excited and hopeful that this concept car will become a production car for Lamborghini. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Harry Enfield makes a second appearance to set a time in the Lacetti. Enfield discussed his 'Clarkson Island' sketch, alongside the bullying had received from his son after the time set on his first visit to the Top Gear studio. Harry Enfield posted a lap time of 1:49.7, making himself the most improved star. |
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| 100 | Series 12 Episode 5 | 30 November 2008 | Kevin McCloud |
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Main Review: Jeremy Clarkson tested the Lexus IS-F against the king of high-powered saloons, the four door BMW M3. Both were entered in a drag race, with the Lexus leading at the start before the BMW quickly overtook. The drag race ended with a very close win for the BMW, but Jeremy points out that the Lexus will eventually win as its top speed, 168 mph (270 km/h), is vastly larger than the BMW's 155 mph (249 km/h). Later, Tom Chilton was put in the BMW M3 to see whether the Lexus' understeer would affect the time. Both were taken round the track and the Lexus went around the track in 1:26.9 whereas the BMW did it in 1:25.3, making it substantially quicker than the model it replaces. While driving the Lexus, Stig listened to morse code, the translations reading "TOOMANYGEARS" and "ILIKEMRSULU". News: Richard Hammond introduced the Infiniti G37 convertible which he described as looking almost exactly like the Lexus SC 430, therefore describing it as the "most vile and hideous car ever made". Jeremy Clarkson criticised the 4-door sedan Porsche Panamera describing it as looking 'sick' and resembling the Austin Maxi. Jeremy Clarkson announces his theory that, by using toy cars as an example, placing a magnet on the bonnet of cars would prevent head-on collisions, due to the repulsion between same poles. However, Hammond points that if the poles are different, such as in the event of two cars waiting at traffic lights, the attraction would cause more rear-collisions. Main Challenge: May, in a 1.25 million pound power boat, races Hammond in a Ferrari Daytona from Portofino to Saint-Tropez. For May, the journey was rough, damaging the in-vehicle camera. Both Hammond and May are pulled over by the police. May wins, but Hammond explains that the boat might have been the fastest way to complete the journey, but the car would always be the best method. Challenge: Hammond sets out to find the best type of bus for London's streets by having a rally-race at Lydden Hill Race Circuit. The double decker was represented by a 1987 Leyland Olympian. The single decker was represented by a 1993 Dennis Dart. Two bendy buses are used. The first one being the Mercedes-Benz O305G (a rear-engined pusher type articulated bus), and the second one is a Leyland-DAB articulated bus, but goes unidentified during the programme. The types of the articulated buses are mixed up by Hammond, as he refers to the O305G as mid-engined and to the Leyland as rear-engined, when in fact they are the other way around. The compact hopper bus was represented by a 1997 Optare MetroRider. Similar to a previous segment in motor home racing, a field of touring car legends were picked to drive the buses. These were Anthony Reid, Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden, Tom Chilton and Hammond again rounds out the drivers list. The race ends with the compact bus being squashed, Hammond's bendy being disabled by the single-deck and the double-deck overturning on the home stretch while trying to take an inside line on the single-decker. The single deck bus was declared the winner because of its speed. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Kevin McCloud made an appearance to set a time in the Lacetti of 1:45.9, making him the second fastest around the track after Jay Kay. Jeremy reveals that his time was in fact 1:45.87, making McCloud four hundredths of a second slower than the top ranker. |
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| 101 | Series 12 Episode 6 | 7 December 2008 | Boris Johnson |
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Introduction: This was the first episode when Clarkson didn't take part in the introduction, as he lost his voice, so for the first time ever, Hammond announced what was going on in the show instead. Main Review: After receiving a complaint from a member of the public that they no longer do proper road tests like in the old days, Jeremy reviews the Ford Fiesta in a "serious" road test. He tests practicality, fuel economy, quality, and driving enjoyment. The verdict is that it looks good, is fairly practical, easy to park, very special to drive, and built as well as a Volkswagen. Throughout these sections Jeremy, in a dead pan manner, states points like it goes 70 mph (110 km/h) which the fastest you can go by law. The tests then become more bizarre including a race in the tight quarters of a shopping centre against 'baddies' in a Corvette. The Ford gets out the shopping centre but the Corvette crashes, not making it out. The last test features the Ford accompanying an amphibious assault on Instow Beach alongside Royal Marines. The Fiesta manages to pass the test with flying colours. News: James announces Jeremy has lost his voice, much to the amusement of Richard and James who proceed to mock Jeremy. They reveal he has won Heat's Weirdest Crush award, and that he is in the same magazine as his "boyfriend", Will Young. At this point, Jeremy interrupts and reveals that James is in no position to mock him, as he has an eye infection himself. They then proceed to do the proper news. Challenge: Jeremy Clarkson and James May can't decide if imported Chinese-made cars would be any good, so they made their way to Greenham Common airbase to see if the Communists ever historically built a good car. They begin with Russian cars (Lada Riva, Moskvitch 408, Lada Niva, ZAZ-968) and the East German Wartburg. Both Clarkson and May declare all of those cars to be "truly terrible", though show some affection for the Niva. Clarkson declares the Lada Riva as "simply the worst car in the world" and May then disagrees with him, declaring the Moskvitch 408 to be the worst car in the world. They also look at an FSO Polonez (and destroy it in an homage to the Toyota Hilux that they abused), an East German Trabant, and a Czechoslovak Velorex. Their favourites are the Niva and the GAZ Chaika, but neither are found to be good because they fail to run. Their test includes a race between a British "Communist" car, the Morris Marina, and a Lada Riva. The Marina wins, though they find it to be more effective as a brazier for striking workers, than as a car. Overall, none of the cars that are tested in this challenge are liked by Clarkson or May. Richard Hammond later reminds them that Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini cars have been made in an Italian communist-run locality for decades. Review: Richard Hammond tests the new Veritas RS III, a German supercar built by Veritas. It achieved a time of 1:24.2. Richard also tests the Caterham 7 Superlight R500, which achieved a time of 1:17.9. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, drove the Lacetti in very wet conditions, and achieved a 1:57.4. |
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| 102 | Series 12 Episode 7 | 14 December 2008 | Tom Jones |
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Main Review: James May takes a look at the future of motoring in California in the hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity. This segment features a cameo appearance by Jay Leno. Leno makes reference to American Toyota Prius drivers and comments, "In America we like everyone to know about the good work we are doing anonymously." During the segment May describes the Clarity as "the most important car in a hundred years" due to it being the first electric car that fits a modern, car-dependent lifestyle. The morse coded messages in the two shots were "ILIKEGARYNEWMAN" and "THATPORKTASTEDFUNNY". Review: Jeremy Clarkson tested the battery powered Tesla Roadster on the track. Pitting it against a Lotus Elise in a drag race, the Roadster beating the Elise. Upon more strenuous testing, both Roadsters provided to Top Gear broke down. The Stig achieved a time of 1:27.2 on mildly moist conditions. Challenge: Richard Hammond takes a look at 50 years of Touring Cars racing history, with crashing being a pervasive theme. Stunt: Top Gear Stuntman returns as he joins Richard Hammond in an attempt to beat a distance record set by their Fifth Gear rivals: jumping off a ramp in a 1992 Jaguar XJ6 saloon car while towing a caravan. Stuntman falls just short of the mark set by Fifth Gear. Feature: Jeremy decided that the effort required for elderly people to change TV channel was too much, so he attached a V8 engine to a rocking chair. For safety reasons they sat a dummy in the chair when they carried out the test, which resulted in both the chair and the dummy breaking apart, although Clarkson felt a greater flaw was that the TV would be inaudible over the noise of the V8. News: The three discuss how enraged fans of the Morris Marina had become, thanks to the previous episode. They "attempt" to make amends by purchasing another Marina, which then has a piano "accidentally" fall on it. Following a two-year-old tradition on Top Gear, the boys discuss car-themed Christmas presents. During this bit they continually devolve into crude, sexual jokes, including a sword with various bits of pork on it, the sleeve from a wizard's robe with the Ferrari emblem, and a chicken with the four Audi rings on it, causing Clarkson to turn to the audience and quip, "It's all gone horribly wrong." They also present their annual year-end awards:
Star in a Reasonably-priced Car: Tom Jones, the singer, drove the Lacetti and achieved a 1:52.2. |
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| 103 | Series 12 Episode 8 | 28 December 2008 | None |
| The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #1 | 1 January 2009 | Mark Wahlberg | |
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Review: Nissan GT-R From Series 11, Episode 5 Challenge: Ferrari Daytona vs Powerboat From Series 12, Episode 5 Review: Gumpert Apollo From Series 11, Episode 6 Skit: V8 Powered Food Blender From Series 12, Episode 3 Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Mark Wahlberg From Series 12, Episode 3 Review: Ford Fiesta Road Test From Series 12, Episode 6 |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #2 | 4 January 2009 | Will Young | |
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Review: Toyota i-REAL From Series 12, Episode 3 Challenge: Less Than £1000 Alfa Romeos Part 1 From Series 11, Episode 3 Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Will Young From Series 12, Episode 2 Review: Pagani Zonda Roadster F vs Bugatti Veyron From Series 12, Episode 4 Challenge: Less Than £1000 Alfa Romeos Part 2 From Series 11, Episode 3 |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #3 | 25 January 2009 | Boris Johnson | |
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Challenge: Foxhunting In Daihatsu Terios From Series 11, Episode 5 Review: Audi RS6 From Series 11, Episode 2 Challenge: Audi RS6 vs Speed Skiers From Series 11, Episode 2 Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Boris Johnson From Series 12, Episode 6 Challenge: Top Gear vs D-Motor From Series 11, Episode 6 |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #4 | 1 February 2009 | Jay Kay | |
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Review: Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series In Wales From Series 11, Episode 2 Challenge: Nissan GT-R vs Bullet Train Part 1 From Series 11, Episode 4 Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jay Kay From Series 11, Episode 6 Review: FCX Honda Clarity From Series 12, Episode 7 Challenge: Nissan GT-R vs Bullet Train Part 2 From Series 11, Episode 4 |
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[edit] Reception
[edit] Series 12 Episode 7
On the show, Jeremy Clarkson is seen testing the battery powered Tesla Roadster. In the segment, it is shown that upon rigorous testing, that the batteries on the Roadster drained quickly and suffered mechanical problems. Tesla contested this and provided data logs of the cars' performances during the show to Top Gear and the BBC, which acknowledged in statements to the media that the cars did not in fact break down and never went below 20 percent state of charge.[2] After dozens of blogs and newspapers challenged Top Gear's portrayal of the Roadster's performance, Jeremy wrote an article for The Sunday Times, where he stood by the contents of the episode.[3]
[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 12)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 11)".
Top Gear returned to BBC Two for a 13th series on 21 June 2009, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. The series contained 7 episodes. Despite forced budget cuts, series 13 contained new challenges, new power tests, more foreign travel and more races. Features include the Top Gear Race to the North, a race from London to Edinburgh between steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado with Jeremy riding in the cab of the train, James May in a Jaguar XK120 and Richard Hammond on a Vincent Black Shadow motorbike, Richard and James racing a letter sent by the Royal Mail in a Porsche Panamera, and a review of the best cars for 17-year-olds. Glamour model and Page 3 girl Madison Welch also made an appearance in the sixth episode.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 104 | Series 13 Episode 1 | 21 June 2009 | Michael Schumacher |
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Review: Jeremy Clarkson takes the Lotus Evora around the track. The Stig takes it around with a time of 1:25.7. Michael Schumacher dressed as The Stig takes a Ferrari FXX around the track in 1:10.7, making it the leader on the lap times board. The Evora's lap was not shown, instead, the FXX's was aired. Challenge: The team perform a three way race from London to Edinburgh, Scotland, dubbed the Top Gear Race to the North. A newly built version of a 1949 steam locomotive travelled up the East Coast Main Line, racing against 1949 models of a car and a motorbike travelling on the old A1 Road. Jeremy shovels coal into the boiler of locomotive No. 60163 Tornado, while James May drives a Jaguar XK120, and Richard Hammond rides a Vincent Black Shadow motorbike. James wins the race with Jeremy coming in second, with Hammond finishing last by a long way due to forgetting to switch off his reserve fuel tank tap and blocking the carburator. News: The team discuss vets, a car smaller than the Peel P50 and the Land Rover mobile phone. Feature: It was revealed in this episode that The Stig was Michael Schumacher.[1] However, after failing to do a lap round the track, Jeremy Clarkson declared that he may not be The Stig after all, keeping his identity secret once again. |
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| 105 | Series 13 Episode 2 | 28 June 2009 | Stephen Fry |
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Review: Richard Hammond tests the new Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV on closed public roads in Abu Dhabi and has a drag race against a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition, the Mercedes being the winner. Then The Stig takes the Lamborghini around the track and sets a lap time of 1:19.0 exactly the same time as the Enzo Ferrari. Clarkson removes the time of the FXX from the board (set in the prior episode), as it had slick tyres for the lap and was therefore not road legal. Challenge: The three go out and buy cars that are perfect for 17 year-olds, their parents and the insurance companies with a budget of £2500 including insurance. Jeremy buys a Volvo 940 Turbo Estate, Richard buys a Hyundai Scoupe and James buys a Volkswagen Golf Mk III. The challenges laid out include installing "kits" that will attract girls, packing up a camp site and leaving it, putting the cars to a driveway late at night without alerting the owners inside, mending overturned cars and a "speed" challenge. In the end Clarkson is declared the winner after evaluating the scores, and beats May by 3 points. News: They once again discuss about the new government scrappage system and the new V8-powered Ariel Atom 500. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Stephen Fry is the star in the reasonably priced car and sets a time of 1:51.0. Feature: A drag race on closed public roads between two of the fastest cars in the world, the McLaren F1 (driven by The Stig) and the Bugatti Veyron (driven by Hammond), the Bugatti being the winner. In the series 17 Episode 4, it was known that the McLaren F1 used in this race was borrowed from Rowan Atkinson, which Clarkson and Atkinson discussed about this in the interview in Star in a Reasonably Priced Car session. |
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| 106 | Series 13 Episode 3 | 5 July 2009 | Michael McIntyre |
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Review: Jeremy tests the new face-lifted Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. It set a lap time of 1:23.0, just 0.1 seconds behind the Ferrari F430. The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series used in the filming of this episode belonged to Theo Walcott. Challenge: To beat the recession, the three go out to find the best small "cheap and cheerful" car currently on sale in the UK. They test a variety of small cars including the Proton Satria Neo, Chevrolet Aveo, Perodua Myvi. Following a number of activities including haranguing bankers and protesting in London via loudspeakers, they decide the three are cheap but not cheerful. Then they are told to think of cheap cars that they liked. Jeremy picks the Škoda Roomster, Richard picks the Alfa Romeo MiTo and James picks the Toyota iQ. The team head back to the test track, where they do 3 challenges chosen by each other. Richard Hammond chose a 1/4 mile drag race, in which Jeremy explained and was mocked about the Roomster's bad acceleration. Jeremy comes last, James second, and Richard wins. The second challenge was James' idea, that being a sound and vibrations test, which James won as he had the quietest engine. The final challenge was Jeremy's, a lap of the track, whilst carrying a dog. Jeremy had a Great Dane, James had a Saint Bernard and Richard had an Irish Wolfhound. Then after going through Notting Hill with a street full of Fiat 500s, they decide the Fiat is the best cheap and cheerful car to buy in the UK. News: They discuss the new Citroën C3 and its new 'Visio-drive'. They look at a handbag made of the seat of an old Chevrolet Camaro. Following heatwave warnings by the government earlier in the week, the presenters also discuss a new game they came up with called "Car Sauna" that can be played during a heatwave. It involves parking a car with the engine on, winding all the windows up, turning the air-conditioning off and the heater to maximum. The first person to get out of the car is the loser and pays the other players £10 each. Jeremy lost the game after the inside of the car reached at least 61.9 °C (143.4 °F) and later handed over a £20 note to James and Richard in the studio. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Michael McIntyre is the star in the reasonably priced car and sets a time of 1:48.7, the same time as Mark Wahlberg. During his timed lap, McIntyre almost rolled the car at Gambon corner, in the same way Michael Gambon almost rolled it during series 1. Feature: James then meets professional American stunt driver Ken Block where he takes James around his own gymkhana in his tuned Subaru Impreza and races against motocross legend Ricky Carmichael. |
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| 107 | Series 13 Episode 4 | 12 July 2009 | Usain Bolt |
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Review: Jeremy tests the new Ford Focus RS and then races against Richard who is in a Renault Mégane R26.R. The Focus achieves a time of 1:29.3 but is beaten by the Mégane with a time of 1:28.1. Jeremy claimed that the Renault was on semi[cut]-slick tyres, though Richard did put the time on the board. Challenge: Richard and James race against a letter delivered by the Royal Mail from the Isles of Scilly (England) to Birsay on Mainland, Orkney (Scotland) in the new Porsche Panamera. Richard and James lose to the letter. News: The presenters look at a new Lamborghini Gallardo that has been named after Valentino Balboni. Clarkson shows many pictures of burning Gallardos as a warning to people thinking of buying one. They mock the introduction of the Renault Z.E. at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier in the week. A new Zonda is revealed that Clarkson claims can stop from 124 mph (200 km/h) to 0 in 4.3 seconds. They then look at a badly made, fake Rolls Royce, the GE created by Chinese company Geely. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Usain Bolt is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. He set a laptime of 1:46.5 Feature: Jeremy Clarkson takes a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII RS around a British Army testing area in Dorset against an array of new military hardware, including a Jackal, Mastiff PPV and a Trojan combat engineering vehicle in a point to point race. It starts with a close chase, which leads to Jeremy hiding while a Titan AVLB bridges a gorge which he sneakily crosses and gets a lead on the Army. Jeremy ultimately loses the race after being crushed by the scoop on the Trojan after hiding next to it. In part two, Jeremy comes to a minefield and as he is not able to cross it he diverts into scrubland and begins taking live fire after getting ambushed; his car is set on fire along with the surrounding countryside. It is worth noting that the British courts had asked for the car to be destroyed as its owner had been jailed for drug offences with the car being used as a transport vehicle for drugs, Also worth noting is the end where Clarkson shows the difference between a 7.62mm and a .50cal round damage on the radiator |
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| 108 | Series 13 Episode 5 | 19 July 2009 | Sienna Miller |
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Review: Jeremy Clarkson tests the new Jaguar XFR, a car he compares favourably to the BMW M5. He concludes by stating that it is not necessarily better than the M5, but as good as it, a compliment of the highest regard. After the review, he qualifies that by stating that the M5 is slightly better on the track, but the Jaguar is superior on the road. The Stig manages a lap time of 1:26.7, 0.5 seconds slower than the M5. Challenge: When the producers claim that front-wheel drive is perfectly adequate for the driving enthusiast, the three are given £1500 to buy rear-wheel drive cars, which will then be put through a series of challenges to prove their uselessness. Jeremy buys a Porsche 944 S2, Richard buys a Nissan 300ZX, and James buys a Ford Capri 2.8L. As in prior challenges, a back-up car is made available to any presenter whose car breaks down irreparably. In this case, it is a Morris Marina, a car ridiculed in the prior series. The challenges include driving several hundred miles to a track without breaking down, a braking test, and participation in an ice-driving race. Upon reaching the track, the Stig sets a lap time in a Renault Twingo, a front-wheel drive car, which the three are then told they must beat. In this case, all three fail. They are then told to accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) and brake as quickly as possible. Items close to their hearts will be placed at the end of the track, similar to the lorry test in Series 12, Episode 1. Clarkson and Hammond succeed at stopping in time but, again, James' (new) piano is smashed as he fails to stop in time. Hammond runs over Clarkson's drum kit anyway. The trio are then told to travel 110 miles (180 km) to Val Thorens, a ski resort in the Alps. James' Capri suffers frequent problems and finally stops working, forcing him to use the Marina, which they repeatedly allege belongs to the wife of the French President. Jeremy steals half the T-top roof off of Richard's Nissan and throws it into the valley, as a "punishment" of rolling over his drum kit formerly. Arriving at the destination, the trio participate in a snow race alongside three professional racing drivers, including former Formula One driver Olivier Panis. They all fail miserably compared to the other competitors, but of the three, James finishes first in the Marina, mainly due to Richard and Jeremy frequently trying to knock the other off the track. They are therefore forced to conclude that the best rear-wheel drive car for £1500 is in fact a Morris Marina. As happened in the prior series, a piano falls on the Marina to close the segment, leading the presenters to run in fear as the credits roll, fearing the renewed wrath of the Morris Marina Owners' Club. News: They discuss the Autonomobile (a portmanteau of autonomous and automobile), a venture by Google, the makers of Android, to create a car that drives itself. They also joke about Jaguars, and how anyone who owns one is "slightly caddish" and can get away with anything simply by referencing their "Jaaaag", for example; I just ran over your dog... in my Jaaaag. This provides a segue into the review. Feature: Jeremy attaches a greenhouse to a Range Rover, attempting to completely reduce the amount of carbon dioxide coming from the exhaust. After driving quickly, the greenhouse smashes. It is revealed that he would need a much bigger greenhouse than he used to offset all of the carbon emissions. He then attempts to reduce the emissions from another Jaguar XFR with a box of soda crystals, which he does successfully, although he points out a new box of crystals would cost seventy five pounds and will only last for six miles until which the crystals should be replaced. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Sienna Miller is the star in the reasonably priced car. Despite having passed her driving test only 5 days before the show (her Virgin Islands driving licence allowed her to drive in the UK for 1 year), and not being used to manual-drive cars, she sets a time of 1:49.8. |
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| 109 | Series 13 Episode 6 | 26 July 2009 | Brian Johnson |
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Review: Jeremy reviewed the new BMW Z4 and the replacement of the Nissan 350Z, the Nissan 370Z. It involved Animatronic Walking With Dinosaurs and a bit of Springwatch. The BMW did it in 1:28.2, the Nissan in 1:27.5. Challenge The team was told to go to a classic car auction with £3,000 to buy a pre-1982 car. Richard buys the first thing he sees, a 1953 Lanchester LJ 200, Jeremy bought the first convertible for sale, a 1969 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark IV, which Richard kept calling a MG Midget, for £3,600, so he reluctantly had to spend £600 of his own money on it, and James, after being cautious and being outbid on a Bristol 401, reluctantly had to buy the last item, a 1976 Citroën Ami, which was equipped with a starter handle inserted into the front of the car. After buying their cars, they were told to go to Majorca for the Rally Clásico Isla Mallorca (Majorca Classic Car Rally), a classic car regularity rally. Before they went though, Hammond, who repeatedly claimed that his grandfather had made his car, had to get his car an MOT. This proved difficult, as shown later in the show his long list of errors with the car. After getting his car an MOT, Richard had run out of money to spend on preparing for the rally. Jeremy had removed the roof and painted green racing stripes down his car and inserted racing seats and a roll-bar, and James had fitted a spare tyre and shovel. They were told to race around a set route passing checkpoints at a set average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) on public roads with traffic. Points were given for going too fast/too slow, and the least points won. The producers had also chosen their assistant drivers. Jeremy was given Joan Verger, the head of the Balaeric Motorsport Federation and former SEAT works driver, who knew the roads well but didn't speak English. Richard was given an English mechanic, Brian Wheeler, who is a little person, and ironically James was given glamour model and Page 3 girl Madison Welch. Jeremy bet £25 that he'd win, which the other two agreed with. At the rally there were many better cars, such as Lancia Stratos, Lancia Delta, Ford Mustang and many Porsche 911s. The co-drivers proved troublesome, as Jeremy struggled to communicate, Richard constantly and accidentally offended Brian with 'short' quips, and Madison was being very uncooperative and didn't know much about car rallying. Jeremy won the challenge, with around 3,000 penalty points, by going too fast initially before reducing his speed due to a clutch fault. James came second with around 44,000 points, and Richard came last with 47,000 as he had frequent breakdowns, the lowest score ever in rallying history. The next and final challenge was to run 3 Laps round a race track at the same lap time in all 3 laps. Everyone understood, except Jeremy who asked seriously, "If you break down, do you then have to repeatedly break down on the other 2 laps?" Jeremy did 2 very smooth laps at similar speeds, but on his final lap he went mad and raced a Ford Mustang who overtook him, as he said being overtaken is a sign of weakness, and James did 3 laps at the same time "to the nearest second." At the end of the show, it was revealed that James had won in his Citroën Ami, therefore getting £50. However, at the end of the show Jeremy said that all three of them loved their cars so much that they actually bought them for themselves off the BBC. Jeremy then revealed to Richard that he knew all along that the Lanchester in question was actually built at a factory in Wales, meaning that while someone's grandfather probably worked on it, it certainly wasn't Richard's. News: The three discuss the new Range Rover, and talk about its many cameras. Jeremy mentions using the rear camera view to look at a pretty lady behind him zooming in. He compares this to directing Wimbledon. They also discuss the idea of driving somewhere and then getting off and going on public transport, and compare it to going to the cinema and then seeing a sign saying "Have you thought about reading a book?". They also talked about the Morris Marina that they had destroyed in the prior episode, and show a film clip of Carla Bruni singing a song about how much she wanted her Marina back and how much she hates the 3 presenters (she hates James the most). Star In a Reasonably Priced Car: AC/DC front man Brian Johnson sets a quick lap around the track of 1:45.9, tied for 2nd place with Kevin McCloud and Simon Cowell. |
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| 110 | Series 13 Episode 7 | 2 August 2009 | Jay Leno |
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Review: Richard reviews the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition, a modified version of the VXR8 with a supercharged LS2 V8 engine. He also reviews the Maloo E Series, a ute built on the same body with a naturally aspirated LS3 engine. The Stig tests both cars on the track, with the Maloo clocking in at 1:27.1 and the VXR8 coming in at 1:26.3. News: The trio discuss two new Ferraris; the F430 Scuderia Spider 16M and the upcoming 458 Italia, which replaced the F430 later that year. They comment on how stupid all 499 people who pre-ordered a Scuderia Spider will feel when they realise its replacement has already been announced. Jeremy asserts that the 458 will be a great car, despite the fact that no one has driven one, because of an apparent inverse relationship between the success of Ferrari's Formula One team and the quality of their road cars. They also discuss Ferrari's announcement that legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher will be stepping in to replace injured driver Felipe Massa for the rest of the season. They offer their condolences to Massa, and comment on their astonishment that despite being hit by a spring at 140 mph (230 km/h), Massa survived and is on track to fully recover. Finally, they comment on how convenient it is that Schumacher has found the time to drive in Formula One now that the series is over and the Stig will have no more cars to test until November. This is a reference to the "unmasking" of Schumacher as the Stig earlier in the series, though Clarkson and Hammond insist that they were just stating the facts.[original research?] Challenge: James and Jeremy are given the challenge to create a simple but effective TV advertisement for the new VW Scirocco TDi. They are told by their advertising exec mentors that VW insists on centring their advertising on truth, and that they should take the car out to discover its truth. They find that the car is good-looking, well-furnished, and has excellent brakes and handling. However, owing to its 2.0L diesel engine, it has very little power and a very small powerband. They come back to the execs lamenting about this fact and saying that VW have ruined the Scirocco by giving it a weak engine, and the execs spin it around by suggesting that VW instead have made diesel more attractive by wrapping it up in a great package. Jeremy insists that advertisements are about saying as little as possible with as much fanfare as possible, and his attempts incorporate explosions and severed limbs. James takes a more factual approach, discussing the various efficiency characteristics of the car. Their attempts are met with much criticism, and then they collaborate on an advert centred on a funeral. This does not go well either, and finally they remake the classic VW ad they were shown at the onset of the challenge, with a certain negative ending. In the end, James makes an ad showing a plant's germination, implying that the Scirocco combines power and eco-friendliness. Jeremy's ad shows clips about the evacuation of Poland following the German invasion in WWII, overlaid with various news anchors' reports about the events, and finally ends with the catchphrase "VW Scirocco: From Berlin to Warsaw in one tank". Jeremy asks the audience to, through a show of hands, determine which ad was the best. The audience overwhelmingly votes for Jeremy, who receives a pair of slim glasses as a prize. Cool Wall: For the first time in the series there is a segment on the Cool Wall. Several cars are ranked, including the BMW Z4 and Nissan 370Z shown in the prior episode, and the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV and Ford Focus RS from prior episodes. Hammond believes the 370Z is worthy of cool status, but because Jeremy disagrees he places it in the top corner of the "seriously uncool" section, well out of Hammond's reach. Hammond responds by driving a power lift up to the wall, removing the 370Z, and placing it well above the wall on a ventilation duct in the "cool" section. Clarkson then kicks the kill switch on the lift, leaving Hammond stuck up there while he places the Pagani Zonda (one of Richard's favourite cars) as well as various pictures of Hammond in the "seriously uncool" section. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: The guest is American talk show host Jay Leno. After discussing his extensive car collection, his lap is shown. He clocks in at 1:48.8, faster than Dame Helen Mirren, who he hoped he would beat, and making him the second-fastest American behind Mark Wahlberg. Feature: Jeremy drives the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, a modified version of the V8 Vantage with a V12 engine pulled from the Aston Martin DBS V12. The feature shows a montage of rolling and interior shots of the Vantage, with Clarkson remarking very little on the car itself (he says it is an Aston Martin Vantage with a V12 engine, what do you think its going to be like? Stating that it should cover everything he desires.), and more about how various factors such as the Environment, the Economy, the war on speed and problems in the Middle East mean that in the future such cars will be consigned to the history books. Clarkson ends the series by simply saying 'Goodnight', as the credits roll over continuing shots of the Vantage driving through mountainous British countryside. |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 13)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 12)".
Top Gear returned for a 14th series, aired on BBC Two and BBC HD, on 15 November 2009, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. The series contained 7 episodes. Episode 1 featured the team being sent to find the Transfăgărăşan road in Romania with Jeremy in an Aston Martin DBS Volante, Richard in a Ferrari California and James in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Episode 2 featured Jeremy, Richard and James attempting to build an electric car better than a G-Wiz. Episode 3 featured a road trip between James May in an caravan airship and Richard Hammond in a Lamborghini Balboni. Episode 4 featured a road test of Renault Twingo RS 133, before being driven off the docks in Belfast. Episode 5 featured Jeremy, James and Richard taking over an art gallery in Middlesbrough and filling it with motoring-related works, in attempt to prove "cars can be art too". In the style of their trips to Vietnam, Botswana, the North Pole and the United States, Episode 6 was a 75-minute special from Bolivia. Episode 7 featured Jeremy's worldwide review of the BMW X6, including visits to Hong Kong (to find a metaphor that describes the car), Spain (to test if the suspension is better on Spanish roads), Barbados (to work out if the car is better than a tropical holiday) and Australia (to test if the glove box still works). The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from Series 13 and 14.
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 111 | Series 14, Episode 1 | 15 November 2009 | Eric Bana |
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Review: James road tests the BMW 760Li and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG after reading a letter from "Bankers who now have money!" Although he calls both cars completely pointless (due to them both having ridiculous amounts of power), James reveals that he would buy the BMW rather than the Mercedes-Benz. The Stig takes the BMW round a damp track in 1:31.2, which beats the Mercedes' time of 1.32.1 in the same conditions. News: The presenters discuss the new regulations for the Bathurst 1000 endurance race regarding the spectators, the new Porsche Boxster Spyder, where Clarkson compares its soft-top roof to a tent, the McLaren MP4-12C, and a disposable cardboard lavatory which Clarkson squashes when he sits on it. Challenge: Jeremy (in an Aston Martin DBS Volante), Richard (in a Ferrari California), and James (in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder) are sent to find the world's greatest driving road, which apparently is in Romania - the Transfăgărăşan. Along the way they have races along Romania's Motorways, have a sat-nav race to the People's Palace, race under the People's Palace, smash up a Dacia Sandero, travel through the rural Romanian countryside, crash James' Lamborghini and sleep beside an enormous dam (the Vidraru Dam). Clarkson insists that the Aston is the best grand tourer, to which James and Richard disagree. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Australian actor Eric Bana beats Jamie Oliver's record, becoming the fastest wet lap holder with a time of 1:47.5. |
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| 112 | Series 14, Episode 2 | 22 November 2009 | Michael Sheen |
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Review: Clarkson reviews the new V10-engined Audi R8. He praises the car's performance as well as its practicality. However, he criticises the price tag of £100,000 and also characterises the car being boring to drive, despite its high level of performance. Next, he reviews the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. He praises the car for having significantly more power than the R8 (120 bhp (89 kW) more) and for being more fun to drive. However, he criticises the car's workmanship, its styling, and its unrefined handling, calling the car as "being vulgar". It proves to be unable to keep up with the R8 on the test track. However, despite the R8's better styling, performance, and quality, he still considers the Corvette the car to buy. The Stig takes the R8 round a damp track in 1:21.6, however the Corvette proves to be faster in the hands of the "tame racing driver" with a time of 1:20.4 in the same conditions. Clarkson explains that either he or Hammond would manage to take the Audi round in about the same time as The Stig but would never be able to match him in the Corvette. Challenge: Jeremy, Richard and James attempt to build their own electric car. Richard is given responsibility of the car's chassis, suspension and brakes, whereas James deals with propulsion. Jeremy designs the interior and exterior, using, among others, large felines, fighter jets, Peter Bowles and the Fiat Multipla for inspiration. After being built in the Top Gear Technology Centre, the car, which is called Geoff, is taken for a drive around Oxford. It subsequently ran out of power in central Oxford, causing a traffic jam, and then again in the countryside. Eventually Geoff was "killed" when it rolled backwards down a hill into a tree. Geoff was constructed by fitting a bolted aluminium frame to the chassis of a TVR Chimaera, using an electric motor from a milk-float and originally using two batteries. The interior featured 3-abreast seating made from plastic garden chairs, and a transparent roof-box to accommodate Hammond's head as his centre seat was mounted above the raised drive-shaft. The car is redesigned and named the "Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust." The redesign includes extra batteries, along with a diesel generator to recharge the batteries while the car is in motion. The presenters then took their new car to the MIRA Proving Ground in order to test whether it would pass the EU-required tests that would make the car road legal. The tests consisted of a two crash tests to test safety, a drag race to test speed, a cobbled road to test ride comfort, a steep hill test and a quality test around the MIRA test track, in which the presenters used various tricks to have their car "pass", including using the three presenters as crash-test dummies and crash-testing the car at a very low speed and playing back in fast-motion; cheating at the pendulum test by raising the pendulum from the car and then playing the footage in reverse, and having the car tested by an "independent test driver" (James wearing a fake moustache). The car is also taken for an endurance test by "the Stig's vegetarian cousin" (who is entirely green, has solar panels on its helmet, and wears sandals) - who is killed after 35 minutes by fumes from the generator after the exhaust fell off. Confident that their car was now road legal, they gave it to Autocar magazine for an independent test. The presenters were somewhat disheartened by the results however, as the Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust was rated 1 out of 5 by the magazine's writers (although it did at least beat the G-Wiz and an electric golf cart, which the same magazine awarded both cars 0.5 out of 5). However, the car did receive praise from some of its characteristics, such as the vertical A-pillars, which improve visibility. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Michael Sheen did a lap in 1:46.3 despite having just flown in from Los Angeles. He was officially named the Fastest Welshman to drive around the track. |
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| 113 | Series 14, Episode 3 | 29 November 2009 | Chris Evans |
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Review: Jeremy and Richard review different cars from the car company which they declared had the greatest number of great cars - Lancia. Despite the ruined reputation Lancia had because of the rusty Beta saloons, Jeremy and Richard loved the cars Lancia made. The Stig then did a power lap with a Hawk HF3000 (a continuation car of the Lancia Stratos), which broke down on its first attempt. When it was finally fixed, the car's lack of traction and the very wet conditions combined to make the Stig spin out twice during the lap (in Chicago and the Second to the Last Corner), giving the Hawk Stratos the slowest power lap in the show's history at 1:48.2. News: Jeremy jokes about the Zenvo ST1 (without actually naming it). Challenge: Because caravans are being made faster than Top Gear could destroy them, James proposed an ingenious solution to rid them from Britain's roads once and for all - turn caravans into airships. He makes a caravan airship and attempts to fly it to a caravan park. However, because he doesn't have a tow car, he asked Richard to drive a tow car for him to the caravan park. Richard then chose the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni as his car. Richard enjoyed his "caravan trip" in the Lambo, whereas James had a lot of trouble with winds blowing his airship in all directions. He went out of control and flew into the airspace of Norwich International Airport,got chased by police choppers, and later crashed. After the film, Richard said that the Lambo was not as good as the Ferrari F430, but at the same time, it was better. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Chris Evans did a lap in 1:48.1 in the wet. |
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| 114 | Series 14, Episode 4 | 6 December 2009 | Guy Ritchie |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Audi Q7 V12, the BMW X5 and a new Range Rover Overfinch 580 S. He is not a fan of any of them, claiming they are all silly and impractical owing to their weight and unnecessarily-powerful engines. News: The presenters rebutted a report in the Daily Mirror, which claimed that homosexual people were banned from the Top Gear studio. While this was happening, a group of Village People impersonators were featured prominently behind the presenters. Review: After receiving another letter from a disgruntled viewer, Jeremy conducts a "thorough" road test of the Renault Twingo in Belfast that variously sees the Renault parked atop a dockyard crane, Ross Kemp in the rear luggage compartment for most of the review and ends with Clarkson driving the car off the end of a ferry pier in an attempt to catch the departing ferry back to England (And he failed to catch the ferry and drown the car). Challenge: In an attempt to solve the problems caused by slow airport staff and after quite possibly seeing the Cadbury's advert, Richard invents the sport of airport vehicle racing with the help of several touring car drivers, similar to his motorhome and bus racing sports with the winner to become the basis of all airport vehicles. Hammond's airport fire truck wins the race after most of the competition - a catering truck, the mobile stairs, an articulated shuttle bus, a baggage train and an aircraft tug - variously take themselves and each other out of the race. This sequence was filmed for series 13, but was delayed for unknown reasons. Richard claims that the airfield used to film the challenge was in fact Heathrow Airport and that the aircraft and the terminal buildings 'had been moved off to one side'. During the race Hammond's fire truck sheds weight by operating the water-cannon to remove 8-tonnes of water although this causes Hammond to lose visibility and causes the track to become extremely wet. The catering truck attempts to shed weight by raising the storage box to aircraft level and opening the rear hatch so that the catering trolleys fall out of the back, although the driver forgot to lower the storage box and the truck overturned on a bend towards the end of the race. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Guy Ritchie did a lap in 1:52.5 in very wet conditions. |
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| 115 | Series 14, Episode 5 | 20 December 2009 | Jenson Button |
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Review: Clarkson reviews the Noble M600. Clarkson noted that it is faster than any supercar within its competition range, including a Porsche 997 GT3, a Ferrari F430, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, an Aston Martin DBS and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S. He was amazed by its speed and cornering abilities, even though he couldn't find its handling "sweet spot" and have fun with it. The Stig lapped it in 1:17.7 (in the cold), beating the Enzo Ferrari, the Bugatti Veyron and the Pagani Zonda Roadster F. Challenge: The trio attempted to prove that cars are more popular than traditional art. They hired the use of mima, a Middlesbrough gallery, and fill it with motoring-related works, and vehicles they have made from past series of the show. Their attempts at producing their own works end in varying degrees of disaster; James accidentally sets his sculpture on fire, Richard's re-creation of The Hay Wain ends up in a lake, while Clarkson accidentally shoots himself in the crotch with a paintball fired by a Red Bull RB1 operated by David Coulthard. Another attempt at creating art that involves cutting a car in half ends when Clarkson helpfully points out that they have just destroyed a rental. Their efforts at setting up the gallery follow a similar tack as Jeremy crashes their BMW "art car" en route, Hammond spends most of his time as a PR agent talking about his career as a radio host and promoting his new show Blast Lab instead of the art exhibition, and May attempts to create an audio guide to the gallery that contains no information, sends visitors on a route that goes nowhere near the actual exhibits and is frequently interrupted by irate phone conversations. After some disastrous initial visiting figures, they eventually manage to greatly improve the figures by appearing at a Middlesbrough F.C. match (originally wearing Newcastle United shirts, to an expected chorus of booing). They set a target of 30,000 visitors in one week, and although they only managed 15,000, it was a record high for Mima. Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jenson Button did the lap in 1:44.9 in damp conditions, failing to beat his previous time. |
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| 116 | Series 14, Episode 6 | 27 December 2009 | None |
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Bolivia Special: Following on from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May's previous adventures in Botswana, Vietnam, America and the Arctic Circle, this festive special begins deep in the Amazon basin in Bolivia. Equipped with second-hand off-road vehicles bought locally for a maximum of £3,500 each, the first challenge the trio face is to traverse the terrain of the rainforest to begin heading south-west on their journey to Chile. Along the way, they encounter drug lords and feel the effects of altitude sickness as they negotiate the region's roads, one of which is a notoriously dangerous 40-mile mountain pass dubbed El Camino de la Muerte (Death Road). |
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| 117 | Series 14, Episode 7 | 3 January 2010 | Seasick Steve |
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Reviews: The presenters are faced with a serious problem - a lack of money. They are budgeted for fourteen episodes, but have spent too much on the first thirteen, and so they have to be careful in how much they spend making this one. Richard Hammond reviews the £340,000 Lexus LFA, but ends up spending about the same amount on animated graphics that make his segment look like a comic book, much to James May's annoyance. The Stig takes the car around the track in 1:22.8. Jeremy Clarkson is warned about the budget when he reviews the BMW X6, but ends up producing the most expensive car review ever when he goes to Spain to see if the car handles any differently on Spanish roads (it doesn't), to Switzerland to find out how well the X6 handles snowy conditions (it can't), to Hong Kong in search of a metaphor to describe the car (a skyscraper), and to Australia to see whether the car's glove box still works (which it does). In the end, he goes to the Barbados to see if the money spent on an X6 could be put to better use on a Caribbean holiday (and concludes that it is); May is once again unimpressed. May then reviews the Vauxhall Insignia VXR, but despite having a ten-minute segment, he finds that he only has enough material for two and a half minutes. He spends the rest of his review interviewing road sign designer Margaret Calvert. Even then, he appears to run out of relevant things to say. The original interview was supposed to demonstrate a feature in the Insignia which was its ability to read road signs. This feature however was removed from UK spec cars as it did not function correctly with UK signs. News: The presenters are faced with another problem - this time, the episode was filmed on 9 December 2009, but was not broadcast until the new year. Instead of talking about cars that have been released, they instead talk about cars that they are looking forward to, all the while trying - and for the most part, failing - to remember to describe them as being released "this year" instead of "next year". Clarkson also discusses the future outcome of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the producers demonstrate environmentally-friendly forms of transport. James May introduces and mispronounces the Go-Cycle, but never finishes assembling it; Richard Hammond rides a battery-powered skateboard (Boom Borda 2 from [2]) finds he has no idea how to steer or slow it down; and Clarkson uses a three-wheeled scooter-slash-frame called a Trikke, and promptly crashes it into the Cool Wall during a race around the studio with Hammond. The Top Gear awards ceremony is also held in this episode:
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Seasick Steve posted a time of 1:51.7. Clarkson noted that he could possibly be the final "star in the reasonably priced car" using the Chevrolet Lacetti. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2009 #1 | 10 January 2010 | Michael McIntyre | |
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Challenge: Top Gear Race To The North (Series 13, Episode 1) Feature: Bugatti Veyron vs Mclaren F1 (Series 13, Episode 2) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Michael McIntyre (Series 13, Episode 3) Feature: Racing With Ken Block In America (Series 13, Episode 3) Review: Aston Martin V12 Vantage (Series 13, Episode 7) |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2009 #2 | 24 January 2010 | Brian Johnson | |
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Review: Ford Focus RS vs Renault Megane R26-R (Series 13, Episode 4) Challenge: Romanian Grand Tourer Road Trip Part 1 (Series 14, Episode 1) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Brian Johnson (Series 13, Episode 6) Review: Lamborghini Murcielago SV (Series 13, Episode 2) Challenge: Romanian Grand Tourer Road Trip Part 2 (Series 14, Episode 1) |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2009 #3 | 31 January 2010 | Jay Leno | |
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Challenge: Making A Caravan Airship (Series 14, Episode 3) Review: Audi R8 V10 vs. Corvette ZR1 (Series 14, Episode 2) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Jay Leno (Series 13, Episode 7) Review: BMW 760Li vs. Mercedes SL63 AMG (Series 14, Episode 1) Feature: Have Lancia Made The Biggest Number Of Great Cars? (Series 14, Episode 3) |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2009 #4 | 7 February 2010 | Stephen Fry | |
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Challenge: Building An Electric Car Better Than A G-Wiz: Attempt 1 (Series 14, Episode 2) Review: Jaguar XFR (Series 13, Episode 5) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Stephen Fry (Series 13, Episode 2) Review: Lexus LFA (Series 14, Episode 7) Challenge: Building An Electric Car Better Than A G-Wiz: Attempt 2 (Series 14, Episode 2) |
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 14)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 13)".
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This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (February 2011) |
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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (February 2011) |
Top Gear returned for a 15th series, aired on BBC Two and BBC HD, on 27 June 2010, and concluded on 1 August 2010, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. Prior to the series, the channel advertised the show's return by featuring a home video originally published to YouTube.[1] In the clip, the parents of a young boy see the Top Gear crew filming the motorhome challenge. The over-excited responses of the parents were adapted to produce the trailer.[2] Several segments which were recorded for the series were missed out, including Jeremy travelling from the most westerly point at sunset to the most easterly point at sunrise in the new Jaguar XJ [3], and the return of Jonathan Ross to the reasonably priced car.[4] The series was followed by two "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from the series.
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
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| 120 | Series 15, Episode 1 | 27 June 2010 | Several (see below) |
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Review: Jeremy tests the Bentley Continental Supersports. He is initially impressed, but eventually reveals he doesn't like it for he thinks it's still too heavy and would rather buy an Aston Martin DBS V12. It posts a time of 1:24.9. During the Stig's power lap with the car, the picture abruptly cut to a "car football" match, recorded specially for this episode, parodying an incident two weeks previously where ITV1 HD inadvertently cut to a car advert seconds before England scored their first goal of 2010 World Cup. Challenge: James tries to drive close to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland using the camera crew's Toyota Hilux pick-up truck from the Polar Special. He brings back a lava rock, although only decides to leave once one of his tyres starts to catch fire. The Hilux used was modified with features to protect the car from debris and combat possible fires. News: In this news segment (and this whole episode) the presenters are trying to be more 'serious'. The presenters discuss the Ferrari 599XX setting the new lap record at the Nürburgring for production cars. They then discuss the cars they drove during the break between series 14 and 15. James shows a device to cook a burger using the heat from a car exhaust system. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: The old Chevrolet Lacetti was given a "viking burial" following a story from Richard Hammond about the memories old cars have, and that their deaths should be treated like family ones. He then proceeded to detonate a factory chimney in Northfleet, Kent, and bury it under the debris. The car is partially buried, leaving the front partially visible under the debris. A new reasonably priced car was introduced, a Kia Cee'd, which Jeremy likes to call the Kia 'Cee apostrophe dee'. A new lap time board was also introduced and to get times on the board Jeremy and Richard host a summer BBQ for celebrities. In order of arrival:
Challenge: Jeremy points out that the government classifies 3-wheel cars as motorcycles and as such charges less taxes. He then drives a Reliant Robin from Sheffield to Rotherham and rolls it onto its side (and even roof) many times along the way. Fortunately, local celebrities such as Phil Oakey, Peter Stringfellow, Dickie Bird and Harry Gration happened to be on-hand to help right the car. After several such rolls, Jeremy comes up with a novel idea to help keep it upright, and has stabiliser wheels fitted to the front of the car. Unfortunately, the stabilizers eventually break off because of the damage previously done to the panels that they were attached to, causing Jeremy to crash and roll the Reliant Robin into a canal near Rotherham with him paying the damage. |
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| 121 | Series 15, Episode 2 | 4 July 2010 | Alastair Campbell |
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Challenge: The presenters are each given £5000 with which to purchase the ultimate track day car - a four-door saloon that would be as suitable for a family as it is quick around a racing circuit. James purchases a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, Hammond buys a BMW E36 M3 and Jeremy settles on a Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth. Challenge 1: After meeting up in Berlin, they are first tasked with driving as quickly as possible down the Autobahn to test top speed. Despite being stymied by traffic, Jeremy manages 142 mph (229 km/h) in the Sierra Cosworth, James manages 140 mph (230 km/h) in the 190E Cosworth, and Richard manages 152 mph (245 km/h) in the M3. They then pull over to test passenger space by escorting a brass band - complete with trombone and tuba - around a town. James returns late due to an overheated engine. The band chooses Richards' M3 as the roomiest despite the protestations of Jeremy, because "it was Bavarian like them". Challenge 2: The cars are then subject to a comprehensive road-worthiness test by the ADAC. Hammond, who at this point had won every challenge and was openly confident of his M3's ability to win the challenge, discovers that the car had been involved in an accident and had been poorly rebuilt, scoring just six points out of a maximum one hundred and fifty in the ADAC tests and his car was given the nickname 'The Death Trap' while James tries to defend his car's worthiness by calling former Formula One driver Martin Brundle for his opinion on the car. While James' car was being tested, his engine overheated again, resulting in a loss of points. Challenge 3: The presenters then head to EuroSpeedway Lausitz where their cars are driven around the circuit by the Stig's German cousin. The presenters then must upload a video of themselves doing a lap of the circuit to YouTube, with points being awarded for the number of views. James gets lost, Jeremy cheats by speeding the video up, and Richard - too afraid of his car to make a video - simply uploads a blank video of himself making car noises. Jeremy won this part of the challenge as his video has more views of the three. Challenge 4: After that, the three cars were filled with exactly 3 imperial gallons (14 L) of fuel and are told they must drive out of Germany with that amount and nothing else, and whoever runs out of fuel along the way will be shot. Due to time constraints, the results are not shown in the actual program, but James runs out of fuel before leaving Germany after driving as fast as possible due to overestimating the mpg of his car, while Jeremy just manages to beat Hammond into Poland.[a] James is declared the winner because his car was the cheapest of the three, despite having lost all of his points for running out of fuel in the economy test. News: Jeremy addresses criticism of his Reliant Robin review in the previous episode, with disgruntled viewers claiming that a "real" driver would not have experienced the same roll-over related problems as he did. Clarkson takes this as a challenge, and cuts to The Stig starting a power lap in the Reliant. He barely makes it into the first turn before his lap ends the same way as Clarkson's review - upside down. Review: James tests the Porsche 911 Sport Classic, which he describes as a "Greatest Hits version" of all the previous 911s. Although he likes the car, the incredible price turns him off it, and he instead moves on to reviewing the Porsche Boxster Spyder. He also likes the car despite Porsche's ability to remove features that come standard - like door handles - in their other cars and then charge the customer more for it, and gets quite wet when attempting to erect the Spyder's elaborate cloth top to protect against rain. Ultimately, he enjoys driving the car, saying that as an owner of a Boxster for four years, the Boxster Spyder is better. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Clarkson interviews Alastair Campbell, Director of Communications under Tony Blair and the candidate for the same position for Gordon Brown. Despite being Clarkson's polar opposite politically, the two are able to get along, with Clarkson asking questions carefully constructed to be as controversy-free as possible, such as "What is your favourite colour?" before prompting a discussion about the M4 bus lane. Campbell goes on to set a respectable time in the Kia Cee'd, finishing ahead of political commentator Nick Robinson, with a time of 1:47.0. |
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| 122 | Series 15, Episode 3 | 11 July 2010 | Rupert Grint and Rubens Barrichello |
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Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May are tasked with working out which four-door saloon car is the best for businessmen who like driving. Their choices are the Porsche Panamera Turbo, which is too ugly; the Aston Martin Rapide, which is too expensive; and the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, which is too fiddly. After meeting in London, they drive to a business park outside the city where they hand the cars over to The Stig for a lap of the park. They are then tasked with chauffeuring guests for a wedding and reception. Jeremy forgets his suit trousers and is forced to improvise by wrapping his jeans up with gaffa tape before escorting the mother of the bride and the bridesmaid - who he nicknames "Jenson" and "Lewis" - to the wedding at high speed. James collects the bride and her father in the Maserati and despite initially planning to take his time so as to arrive fashionably late, he ends up hopelessly lost and is over half an hour late. As for Hammond, he collects the groom and best man in the Aston Martin, but his bleak mood and inappropriate choice of music make the groom nervous and very nearly talks him out of getting married altogether. Rather than stand around waiting for the ceremony to end, the presenters leave the church and, acting on a tip from the mother of the bride, head to a nearby airfield for a drag race and spend the rest of the afternoon power sliding and forget to return to the church. When asked to decide on the best car, Clarkson, Hammond and May all agree that the Maserati is the best choice while apologising to the couple by giving a gift of a custom toilet seat. News: The trio proclaim that because the episode would be broadcast on the same evening as the 2010 British Grand Prix and the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, nobody is watching, so they decide to put in considerably less effort. American rally driver Ken Block protests against Jeremy's rollover in the Reliant Robin in the first episode, claiming Clarkson is a "pussy" for rolling it over. Block takes the Robin out for a power lap, but he barely makes it through the first corner before his lap ends the same way as Clarkson and the Stig before him - upside down. F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Rubens Barrichello does a power lap in the old Suzuki Liana. He sets a lap time of 1:44.3, quicker than any other driver on the board, including the Stig. Review: Hammond reviews the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, describing both as muscle cars. The Mercedes sets a respectable power lap time, but the Camaro is slower than the Holden Maloo, a ute version sharing its chassis. Nevertheless, Hammond claims he would settle on the Camaro if he had to buy one. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: For the second time in the episode, the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car tops the power lap board, with actor Rupert Grint breaking Peter Jones' record in the Kia Cee'd, with a time of 1:45.5. |
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| 123 | Series 15, Episode 4 | 18 July 2010 | Andy García |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Audi R8 V10 Spyder and the Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet. He mentions that while the Audi is far more powerful than the Porsche, the Porsche is much lighter. This is first proven in a 1/4 mile drag race, with Clarkson at the wheel of the Audi. The Audi initially loses, then drivers are switched, in which the results are reversed. He comments that the Audi, with its four-wheel drive, will need a competent driver for the job, which he isn't. He then moves to handling, commenting that both suffer from the same problems all convertibles face - poor rigidity from lack of a roof. He thinks that the cars were to made up to their maximum potential. Then, he gets a lady named Lauren McAvoy (as James May's 'body double') to test for practicality with the roof down. Both tests end up with Lauren's hair all messed up and, in the test in the Porsche, Jeremy being stung in the eye by a bee. The Audi did the power lap in 1.22.3, a tenth of a second slower than the Porsche's time. News: May takes a quick informal poll of the studio audience, asking who watched Top Gear last week instead of football. Clarkson admits that he couldn't watch it because he was in Johannesburg watching a Dutchman kicking a Spaniard in the heart according to Hammond. Clarkson brought back a Vuvuzela and all three try but fail to get much sound out of it. The trio report on a car that can be driven by the blind, which uses a system of sensors, compressed air, and a special vest that vibrates in certain areas. However, the device is mocked as a number of scenarios are hypothesized. Clarkson then shows crash footage of a similar system built by Volvo to stop a car when the driver is deemed inattentive, which fails. The trio also discuss Britain's most dangerous road (the A537 in Macclesfield) where many of the accidents involve Motorcyclists. This bit of information results in an argument between Clarkson (who hates bikers) and Hammond and May (who own motorbikes). According to Clarkson, statistically, Hammond should be dead three times over every time he goes out and May supposedly has been on "12 years borrowed time" due to the average age of motorbike fatalities being 35 years old. The arguing eventually leads to a challenge; Clarkson and Hammond invite the audience to see who dies first: Clarkson chain smoking or Hammond riding around the track as fast as he can on his Suzuki Hayabusa. Challenge: The three were set the task of designing a new motorhome, to make the campervan "cool" again. To qualify, they must be equipped with sleeping accommodations, cooking facilities, and a "bog". Hammond brought a Land Rover 110 with a "shed" on the back decorated like a house, only it was merely a carrying facility for an "expandable" motorhome, consisting of metal sheets for walls and clear plastic for the roof (cooking facilities were brought into said accommodation and the toilet took the place of the Land Rover's passenger seat). Clarkson turned up in a Citroën CX with a small three-story house set on top of it while May turned up in a Lotus Excel with a shuttle shaped skybox on top with a direct entry point into the car (badly placed). The challenge starts with having the trio drive to Cornwall in their new homes. May fares the best here with no problems (apart from accidentally covering up the petrol cap and having to saw the wood off) while Hammond's decorations keep sliding off and he finds a strong draft emanating from where he cut the cabin, leaving a gap. Clarkson is by far the worst off here as his car keeps jolting around dangerously on the roads (much to the others' amusement) and almost collides with several bridges and a petrol station roof, although he is able to lower the Citroën's hydropneumatic suspension to avoid it. Hammond and May arrive at the campsite first, leaving Clarkson behind to deal with an overheated engine and to catch up later. At the campsite, Hammond "assembles" his motorhome, which amounts to nothing more than a flimsy prefabricated house with numerous rooms. Overnight winds destroy the roof of Hammond's pre-fab motor home, but also topple Clarkson's three story Citroën. They are then given a challenge to drive to a nearby beach, put on a wetsuit inside of their motorhomes, and go surfing. Clarkson manages to put on his wetsuit while James has a problem due to the confined space in his Lotus and the bedding area on the top. Hammond, leaving a vast majority of the siding of his motor home back at the camp site, had only an open platform on the back of the Land Rover that was open to viewing and had to utilise a child's tent to get his wetsuit on. While they attempt to surf, Clarkson notices the incoming tide, and they rush to move their cars. However, Clarkson chooses to remove his wetsuit first and his motorhome has to be rescued from the incoming tide. The next challenge has the trio cook a three-course meal from ingredients found in a petrol station. James makes the entrée, Jeremy makes the main course and Richard makes the dessert. In an ironic twist, Clarkson remarks on the Caravan chip pan fire from Series 8, only to see Hammond fighting a fire breaking out in his motor home. The trio settle for a "liquid diet" after the calamity. After leaving the campsite the next day (after making use of their toilets), they make their way to a beauty spot. While Clarkson goes to a pub, Hammond and May hatch a plan to strand Clarkson's Citroën near a cliff edge. Clarkson is blissfully unaware as his Citroën falls off a cliff behind him as he proclaims that holidaying in Great Britain does make sense. While the three presenters all agree that May's motorhome was by far the least problematic of the three, May himself concedes that no sane person would actually want to use it for a holiday. No one is declared a winner, and all lament the fact that "The Glass Fibre Menace" will go on unabated. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Hollywood actor Andy García sets a time of 1:46.1, albeit with his new 'Facial Hair' (as pointed out by Clarkson, who claimed that without it, he would have been top of the leaderboard). |
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| 124 | Series 15, Episode 5 | 25 July 2010 | Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise |
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Challenge: Hammond races a customised Volkswagen Touareg against snowmobile racers Dan Lang and Daniel Bodin in Riksgränsen. The race goes down a ski slope, along a forest trail and across a frozen lake. Unusually for such races on Top Gear, Hammond wins. News: The trio state that it is more difficult to drive in the Summer, rather than Winter, because of distraction by women in short skirts. James suggested that women should wear Burqas to negate the situation. However Jeremy gives an account of a woman in a Burqa who tripped in front of the taxi he was riding in, showing she was wearing red panties and suspenders.Citroën name their new sales director, ironically called Charles Peugeot. The trio make jokes about his name being shared by the rival car company (though technically both Citroën and Peugeot are sister companies). Review: James drives an updated version of the Bugatti Veyron called the SuperSport. James breaks the suggested top speed of the car passing 414 km/h (257 mph). However Bugatti's main test driver, Pierre Henri Raphanel, broke that record shortly afterwards, taking the car up to an official record of 431 km/h (268 mph). The Veyron also broke another record, lapping the Top Gear Test Track in 1:16.8. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise guest, promoting their new movie "Knight and Day". Cameron initially beats Rupert Grint's time with 1:45.2. However Tom Cruise claims the record with 1:44.2, which also sees him set the record as the fastest celebrity in any car for the show. Cruise puts the car on two wheels in a turn. Feature: James notes that if he hadn't had died, Ayrton Senna would have celebrated his 50th birthday. A small documentary-like film shows detailing his racing style and life including some appearances by Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, Jarno Trulli, Martin Brundle, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Mark Webber, Nigel Mansell, and Michael Schumacher. |
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| 125 | Series 15, Episode 6 | 1 August 2010 | Jeff Goldblum |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the new Ferrari 458 Italia, comparing it endlessly to the old F430. He claims it to be one of the most beautiful looking Ferraris ever made and one of the best performing, proven by beating James' own F430 in a drag race, with The Stig at the wheel. The Stig takes the car around the track in a time of 1:19.1, only a tenth of a second off the Enzo's time. Challenge:The team set out to prove that classic British sports cars are better than European Hot Hatchbacks. Jeremy buys a Jensen-Healey, James buys a TVR S2 and Richard buys a Lotus M100 Elan. Challenge 1 The presenters did laps on the Lotus test track. Hammond managed 2 minutes and 9 seconds in the Elan, James managed 2 minutes and 15 seconds while Clarkson managed 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The Stig, in a Peugeot 205 was the slowest of the three, having completed the lap in 2 minutes and 22 seconds, mainly because Jeremy bought the diesel 205 rather than the 205 GTI, claiming that he couldn't find the hot version of the car because "they've all rusted away or been crashed, or fallen to pieces". Challenge 2 (Part 1) The team set out on a journey to discover the remains of the TVR factory in Blackpool and the Jensen factory in Birmingham, while describing their vehicles faults as 'safety features' like The Elan's broken driver's window, claiming that it keeps the driver alert. Eventually, they found the Jensen factory, only to find that it was in a terrible condition. On the way towards their hotel, Richard pulled over for a 'picnic' to try and fix the Elan's driver window. Challenge 3 On the Pro Drive test track, the presenters performed a 'safety test'. The Stig, in a Citroën AX GT failed the test as the car's roof struck the bottom of the lorry and he barely escapes from the wreckage. As a team, the presenters asked Clarkson to use his Jensen for the test. The Jensen passed the test, due to its low ride height. Challenge 4 At a petrol station, the team are told to test how waterproof their cars are. James and Jeremy passed with minimal leaks while Richard passed with a little bit more water in the car, claiming that he spilled his drink. The presenters then asked the Stig to go through the car wash with a Ford Escort XR3i. The test failed as the entire interior of the car was filled with water. Challenge 5 The producers, 'infuriated' with the presenter's good progress, ordered them to go to a garden centre, where they'll have to try to put a Rose Arch into a Mk1 Golf GTI. The trunk space was too small for the arch and the team called it a failure. Then, the trio set off again, this time with large items in their cars (Jeremy bought a bamboo tree and a conifer, James bought a shed and Richard bought a large pot and a 'naked lady statue') Challenge 2 (Finale) The team reached the TVR factory in Blackpool, but to their horror, was also in a terrible shape. The team then said that all of their cars were the best. News: The Sun newspaper ran a quote from Cameron Diaz praising Jeremy Clarkson after her appearance on the previous episode. Richard and James use this as a jumping off point to mock Clarkson before getting on with the news proper. During the previous week's Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello was given an "I beat the Stig" T-shirt from his team - which he wore proudly. The presenters then discuss Gran Prix rules and the controversy surrounding Ferrari. Next, Peter Mendelsohn's scrappage scheme is discussed and dismissed as wasteful. Finally, the trio discuss the new Nissan Micra, briefly, before claiming that due to the episode being aired at 9:30, nobody apart from drunks and gingers would be watching. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum becomes the last person to drive the reasonably priced car this series, setting a time of 1:49.0. Clarkson claimed that because Goldblum was such a 'boffin' (referring to his appearance in Independence Day), he should have been able to go faster. Goldblum's performance was hindered by his lack of familiarity with the manual transmission Cee'd though, as he was only used to driving automatic transmission, and no such car was available after the automatic Cee'd that was given to Goldblum had broken down. As a result, Goldblum spent almost his entire lap in third gear, though Clarkson noted his performance was still quite impressive, considering that fact. |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2010 #1 | 8 August 2010 | Several (See Below) | |
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Review: Audi R8 V10 Spyder & Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet (From Series 15, Episode 4) Feature: Death Of The Old Reasonably Priced Car, The Chevrolet Lacetti (From Series 15, Episode 1) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Celebrity Tea Party (From Series 15, Episode 1) Review: Bugatti Veyron SuperSport (From Series 15, Episode 5) Challenge: Driving A Reliant Robin From Sheffield To Rotherham (From Series 15, Episode 1) Challenge: Volkswagen Touareg vs. Snowmobilers (From Series 15, Episode 5) |
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| The Best Of Top Gear 2010 #2 | 15 August 2010 | Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz & Rubens Barrichello | |
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Challenge: Finding The Best Four Door Saloon From The Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte (From Series 15, Episode 3) F1 Driver In A Reasonably Priced Car: Rubens Barrichello (From Series 15, Episode 3) Challenge: Driving The Toyota Hilux To The Top Of A Volcano In Iceland (From Series 15, Episode 1) Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz (From Series 15, Episode 5) Challenge: Chauffeuring Guests To A Wedding In The Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte (From Series 15, Episode 3) |
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[edit] Notes
- a. ^ The cut segment can be seen online - Exclusive - the video you didn't see on last week's show.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Top Gear caught in action. Embarrassing parents. - Original YouTube video used by the BBC to advertise Season 15.
[edit] Episode 2
Individual videos of the presenters in their cars of the YouTube segment.
- Sierra Cosworth hot lap - Jeremy Clarkson's (CossieMan2000) lap in his Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth.
- M3 lap - Richard Hammond's (MrM3MAN) "lap" in his BMW E36 M3.
- A lap of the Euro Speedway in my Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 - James May's (Mercedes1902316) lap in his Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth.
[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 15)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 14)".
The sixteenth series of BBC motoring series Top Gear began airing on 21 December 2010, with the usual team of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, and The Stig.[1]
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 126 | USA Road Trip | 21 December 2010 | Danny Boyle |
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Challenge: The presenters head over to the US for a road trip. Jeremy brings a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, James a Ferrari 458 Italia, and Richard, predictably, a Porsche 997 GT3 RS. Initially beginning on the pretext to see whether Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway can depose the Transfăgărăşan as the best driving road in the world, they were quickly stifled by the average speed limit of a whopping 35 mph (60 km/h). Plan scrapped, they then head to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina to go on the North Wilkesboro Speedway where, after an agreement with the Mayor, they begin racing around. Jeremy, in a fit of excitement, shreds a rear tyre and is unable get it changed until the next morning because the tyre shops around do not carry tyres large enough for the SLS. The next morning, the three men wake up to the sound of car racing in the garden. As it turns out, their chalet overlooks the Virginia International Raceway, so they immediately take their cars racing. Jeremy has a lot of fun even though his SLS is tail-happy. As a result of all the fun, Jeremy has to change the SLS' tyres again. Ahead on the track, Richard and James have a race. Even though Richard nearly reels James in, at the last moment he spins off. At this point Jeremy and James set a bet between themselves: whoever has the fastest car in a drag race wins 5 pounds. Before they can race, however, the presenters have a drive-by shooting challenge: they sit in the passenger side seat of their cars and pump bullets into cardboard standees of The Stig. Special sections gain them more points. James scores the lowest, Richard next, who as a country boy seemed to pick up the pistol instantly, while Jeremy cheats and uses an M4 assault rifle, scoring the most points in the process. The next day, the three presenters take a car journey all the way to New York. Along the way, James and Jeremy attempt to settle their challenge using a drag race course. Unfortunately, the launch control systems of both cars do not work well in the wet, and when they eventually switch to automatic, James manages to complete the course by starting slowly while Jeremy spins the SLS out of control, again. Finally, in the big city of New York, the presenters are given their final challenge: to be the first to reach the set of an American television show. At first it seemed like a walkover for the two sat nav equipped cars, but it turns out that the Ferrari's sat-nav is stifled by the buildings, while the SLS' sat-nav works, but keeps directing Jeremy to the Manhattan ring roads, which the presenters are not allowed to drive on. Meanwhile Hammond, who Clarkson refers to as Stuart Little because of Hammond's fear of cities, has no sat-nav in his car and ends up lost. Eventually, James, with (or maybe despite) his sense of direction, reaches the studio first, only to find out that he has to appear on a yoga programme. Jeremy and James later settle their drag-race dispute with a final race on the Top Gear airfield. Interestingly, it is a photo-finish. So much so that the picture actually shows them cross the finish line at the same time and thus the two cars cannot be separated by eye. Therefore, it is declared a draw. News: The presenters talk about car-related products. Objects like a model of a car engine and even a gear-knob toothpick come up. In dramatic fashion, Jeremy takes control of a Parrot AR.Drone and, despite Richard's protests that he is not technologically savvy, flies it around for a while before crashing it into a light system and promptly fusing all the lights in the studio. Following that, the presenters are forced to light candles. They later on revealed that the Stig is gone, which later segued to topics about Genesis, Judas Iscariot, and a presumed disloyalty of cats. A small fire interrupted the discussion, which was later on extinguished with a can of energy drink. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Director Danny Boyle discusses about his upcoming film 127 Hours. The only person as yet to not have been trained by the Stig, but instead by Emergency Stig Tiff Needell, nevertheless he sets a time of 1:47.8, the fastest lap time so far in the wet. |
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| 127 | Middle East Special | 26 December 2010 | None |
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Challenge: The presenters are challenged to re-enact the journey of the Three Wise Men by travelling from northern Iraq to a stable in Bethlehem, using second-hand two-seater convertibles bought for 3,500 pounds. As Israel will not allow cars registered in its surrounding neighbours to enter its borders, they must buy cars from Georgia before flying to their destination in an Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo plane. Jeremy buys a Mazda MX-5, Richard a Fiat Barchetta and James a BMW Z3. As in previous challenges, a spare car is provided to any presenter whose car breaks down. For this challenge, that car is an Opel Astra convertible - a car loathed by all three presenters. After landing at Arbil International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan, the three decide that it is too dangerous to drive directly to Bethlehem as it would involve travelling through the stronghold of Mosul. Instead, Jeremy proposes a circuitous route that involves travelling east and crossing into Iran and then doubling back into Turkey and down into Syria to avoid the dangers of Iraq. However, once they reach the Iranian border, they find that for "political reasons", BBC staff are not permitted to cross into Iran. They manage to find a route back across Iraq to the Turkish border that bypasses Mosul. Once inside Turkey, they discover that they have a bigger problem: a Kurdish insurgency is attempting to claim the southern provinces of Turkey and that the region has been declared a war zone, with the Foreign Ministry issuing a document that states all non-essential travel should be avoided. The presenters are given four hours to travel the 363 kilometres (226 mi) to Şanlıurfa, a safe city, before nightfall, a journey that will force them to travel through the unsafe region of Şırnak. Jeremy experiences trouble with his Mazda, but all three are able to make it to the hotel. To punish Richard for being smug about his car's reliability, Jeremy and James disconnect the standard stereo and install a secret, second stereo in the Fiat and a Genesis CD (specifically, Live over Europe 2007) — a band Hammond is known to hate — which he cannot turn off. They finally turn south and enter Syria, their progress halted by the Z3's security system, which refuses to start the car. Once inside, they discover that Top Gear is enormously popular in Syria, which they are less than enthusiastic about because Israel will not allow them into the country if they have been in Syria, and any word of their presence in the country will spread like wildfire and tip the Israelis off before they can get to the border. Jeremy proposes that they "sneak through" the country by modifying their cars for desert travel. Richard models his Fiat on a Bedouin tent, while James takes inspiration from the Afrika Korps and models his BMW on a desert army unit. Meanwhile, Jeremy paints his car in bright colours to resemble the story of Joseph and his coat of many colours, making it Jeremy and his Car of Many Colours. He also installs the "Axle of Evil" to make his Mazda a six-wheeled vehicle, though this quickly proves to hinder him more than it helps. While travelling through the desert, Richard's radiator very nearly falls out and Jeremy is bitten by an unidentified insect that causes his arm to swell up. Of more concern is an accident whilst attempting to drag a car out of a sand trap; James May is knocked over by the strap used to haul the car out and receives a head wound when he hits his head on a rock. He is taken to a nearby hospital while Jeremy and Richard carry on. They soon find a road near Palmyra and change their tactics: rather than disguising their cars, they disguise themselves, meeting May at the hospital dressed in burqas and attempt to drive to Damascus incognito. Their efforts are in vain, because word has spread that they are in the country and there is a welcoming party at their hotel. The next day, they cross into Jordan,[2] and arrive in Jerash, where they invent the sport of "Old Testament NASCAR", racing their cars around a two thousand year old chariot racing circuit. With that, they cross into Israel and make a slight detour to the Sea of Galilee, where Jeremy tries to convince the others that everyday activities and natural occurrences - James' head wound and his arm healing, Richard not liking fish at lunch, walking on water and inventing the sport of swimming - are all miracles that he had performed. On the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, they unanimously declare Richard's Fiat to be the best car, because James hated the transmission of his Z3, which he described as having gear ratios so spread out that he could fit another gearbox between them, and Jeremy did not develop an attachment to the MX-5. That night they finally make it to Bethlehem, where they arrive at a nativity scene with gifts they have purchased in Syria: a gold-relief medallion, a bottle of hotel shampoo labelled frankincense and a Nintendo DSi because Jeremy could not find any myrrh. They peel back the covers on the manger to discover that the baby Jesus is actually a baby Stig. |
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| 128 | Series 16, Episode 1 | 23 January 2011 | John Bishop |
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Review: James May reviews the Ariel Atom V8, the latest edition of the Ariel Atom that comes with a huge price tag, a lot of racecar technology, and surprisingly easy to drive according to May. To re-enact the race against a motorcycle, James had brought in Tiff Needell to race against Steve Brogan riding on a BMW S1000RR. Needell beat Brogan in the race. The Atom V8 has also topped the lap chart in the hands of the "New" Stig, posting a time of 1:15.1. Review: Jeremy conducts a proper road test on the Skoda Yeti. In his review he has compared that it is more practical than a Maybach, faster than a Ferrari 308 GTS in Donington Park, a track then under heavy rebuilding work, and is fairly robust against abuse. The tests then get more bizarre as Jeremy finds out that the ride is smooth enough that a tattoo can be applied to a mans back whilst travelling through some countryside but cannot do the same in a Range Rover. He also finds out that the Yeti has good enough air conditioning that an ice cream won't melt whilst being driven through a building in flames, and the car is strong enough to not only hold a helipad on its roof, it can also hold on with a helicopter landed on the roof. News: Jeremy announced that the new Lancia Stratos is being produced, with its engine and chassis coming from a Ferrari 430. A company had offered complete rebuilds of the Jensen Interceptor, with a new engine, brakes and suspension. James mentions that Lamborghini is developing a new car that mounts a V12 engine and develops 700 PS (515 kW; 690 bhp), but is overshadowed by a "Dagger" developed by an American company, along with a long wishlist of performance criteria. The trio then moves on to the topic of fuel prices, and find out that the vehicle consumption of fuel is somewhat related to the number of children they have. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: John Bishop gets his turn in the Kia Cee'd. He posts a time of 1:42.8, the fastest so far in this feature. Challenge: Richard Hammond looks for a way that a VW Beetle would beat its descendant, a Porsche 997 Turbo S Cabriolet in a one mile drag race, with the only catch of the Beetle is powered only by gravity, having been dropped from a helicopter. He ultimately loses the race to the falling Beetle. |
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| 129 | Series 16, Episode 2 | 30 January 2011 | Boris Becker |
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Review: After a brief showcase of both the extremely rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO and the 1980's era 288 GTO, Jeremy reviews the Ferrari 599 GTO. The car proves extremely difficult to handle in wet conditions despite the sophisticated electronics. He concludes that it is an excellent car, but unworthy of the GTO name because it is a road car rather than a racing car. He also states that it is simply too aggressive for him to be able to enjoy the drive. In the hands of The Stig, the GTO could only manage a lap time of 1:19.8, slower than Ferrari 458 Italia (he even spun out once on a practice lap). News: Complaints about the previous episode's Ariel Atom V8 vs. BMW motorcycle race prompts James to elaborate on the bike (albeit briefly). The new Mini Countryman is discussed and derided by Jeremy as "the stupidest car I've ever seen and it gave me crabs." Richard is excited about the new Pagani Huayra and talks Clarkson and May into letting him test it in a future show. Jeremy responds, "You knock yourself out!" prompting gleeful laughter from James, who recognises the reference to Richard's accident in the Vampire dragster prior to the start of Season 9. Next up, the Ford Focus is proclaimed "ideal if you just want some car." The presenters then discuss the first Mexican supercar the Mastretta MXT, which May calls the "Tortilla" when he cannot remember the actual name. The segment provoked controversy and accusations of xenophobia after two presenters described Mexicans as being lazy and that no-one would complain because they were all too busy sleeping. Finally, Jeremy tells of a German radio promotion that promised a Mini Cooper to the listener who could do the most outlandish thing. The winner was a guy who got the word "Mini" tattooed on his "gentleman's sausage" (as Clarkson put it). Challenge: In a similar segment to the series of contests against their German counterparts (Series 11, Episode 6), Clarkson, Hammond, and May challenge the presenters of Top Gear Australia to a series of five events in an "Ashes for the motoring world". Clarkson, Hammond and May spend most of their time trying to cheat at the events. In the first event, a "Working Man's Drag Race", they enter a Ford Transit with a Jaguar engine that easily beats the Australian HSV Maloo. In the second event, a repeat of the "double-decker car" race, the Australians are forced to drive vehicles with the top car welded on upside down so that they would "feel at home". The British presenters win in a 1-2 victory, but the Australians later protest the result because Hammond and May spent a lap stationary, and so finished in fourth, not first; Top Gear UK is deducted ten points. The third event is "Synchronised Drifting". Clarkson and the Stig take to the circuit in a pair of high-performance sports cars,(Jaguar XKR And Aston Martin V12 Vantage) with Hammond and May scoring because they claim BBC health and safety regulations mean only British citizens can judge the event. Clarkson and the Stig receive full marks. The Australians are then given a pair of Vauxhall Omega's and proceed to crash into one another, but a mistake in scoring by Hammond accidentally awards them 11 marks instead of 1.1, much to Clarkson's annoyance. In the fourth event, both teams must round up sheep on motorbikes. Clarkson, thinking he is giving the Australians terrible bikes, accidentally gives them Austrian KTMs, which the Australians claim are actually the best on the market and proceed to round up all the sheep in two minutes. The British presenters are deducted twenty points after they lose all of the sheep, putting the Australians in front by 15.1 points. The final event is a rally race, with the Stig standing in for James. The Australians are given a 15.1 second headstart, but "James" takes a shortcut to pass them, handing a controversial victory to Top Gear UK. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Boris Becker sets a time of 1:45.9, the fastest wet lap thus far. |
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| 130 | Series 16, Episode 3 | 6 February 2011 | Jonathan Ross[3] |
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Review: Jeremy drives the Ford Focus RS500, the Subaru Impreza STI Cosworth CS400 and the one-off Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Performance Concept. He enjoys the Ford, but loathes the Subaru, as it’s far too dull to be deserving of the Cosworth name; he likes the Volvo even more, but laments the fact that it’s a concept (and therefore, cannot be timed around the track). The Ford posts a time of 1.30.8 while the Subaru posts a 1.27.7. Challenge: The guys get a letter from the Albanian Mafia asking them to test the new Rolls-Royce Ghost against a Bentley and a Mercedes. Despite their fervent objections, they eventually agree to the testing. James takes the Rolls-Royce, Richard a Mercedes-Benz S-Class AMG, and Jeremy opts for a Bentley Mulsanne. Unfortunately, at the last second, Bentley pulls out of the comparison, leaving Jeremy to arrange to drive a Yugo in its place. During the comparison, the trio carries on as if the Yugo is a Bentley Mulsanne, even calling the small hatchback a Bentley by name. While in Albania, they hold several tests to determine which of their cars would be best for a Mafia boss. They "murder" a fat man, then attempt to squeeze his body into the boots of their cars, eventually asking the man to climb into the boots himself, whereupon they find that while he fits comfortably into the Rolls-Royce, the Mercedes’ boot contains a fridge unit which takes up space and leaves too little for a “body”, and while the “body” fits into the back of the “Bentley”, not only does that car sag due to its weak suspension, but the hatchback body style allows nearly crystal-clear visibility of the body through the back window. Later, they disguise themselves, with pantyhose on their heads and “rob” a bank, and are chased by the Albanian police. Jeremy makes off in the Mercedes; Richard takes the Rolls-Royce; and James is forced by default into the “Bentley”. Jeremy and Richard easily outrun the police, but James isn’t so lucky – his car is so slow, the police are nearly bumper-to-bumper with him the entire time, and the cops who had been chasing Richard and Jeremy form a roadblock, which James attempts to drive around, only to tumble off the side of the cliff to what looks to be his death. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car: Jonathan Ross returns after 15 seasons. His new time is much more improved from his first-season attempt, at 1:49.0. |
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| 131 | Series 16, Episode 4 | 13 February 2011 | Simon Pegg, Nick Frost |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Pagani Zonda R, a high-performance version of the Pagani Zonda, and said to be the last production model of the car. It's incredibly fast with a V12 AMG engine, but it's also extremely loud and requires Jeremy to use a headset microphone in the car to be heard over it. The car had set a record 6:47 on the Nürburgring, but since the car's noise prevents it from being raced on most public race tracks, Jeremy describes it as "useless". However, Pagani had released a scaled-down version of the Zonda R called the Zonda Tricolore. The Zonda R sets a Power Lap time of 1:08:01, the fastest lap time on the Top Gear track, but since the car is not road legal, it has to be disqualified. News: Jeremy discusses that, since speed cameras were turned off on British motorways a few months before, there have been no changes in accident and fatality figures, so the speed cameras are a waste of money. He also discusses the British superstition of saluting a magpie, and how it might be dangerous for motorists, if they salute a magpie while driving. Challenge: The three are told to buy a four-seater convertible for less than £2000, but unfortunately, they all buy the same car: a BMW 325i. Richard bought the 1987 model, Jeremy the 1988, and James the 1989. Jeremy decides to use this as an opportunity to test how different the same car would be if bought used, so they come up with a series of different challenges to test the cars' reliability, performance, and condition. The first test is a 0 to 100MPH to 0 race. Richard couldn't participate because his car wouldn't start, and his aftermarket car alarm wouldn't stop, so James and Jeremy race without him. Even though Jeremy's car has a faster engine, James wins because the brakes in Jeremy's car don't work. After this test, the group bring in a forensics team to see what condition the car's interior is in. Jeremy's car is the cleanest, with the seats just containing crisps, leaves, and his own dried skin. James fares worse, since his car has evidence of scabs that were picked off, and his steering wheel is covered in saliva. Richard's car, however, has traces of blood, faeces, and pubic hair in the upholstery, and saliva on the steering wheel, prompting him to drive the car in a hazmat suit. The next test is a thief test, where the three arrange for three car thieves to break into their cars and steal it. Despite the double-locks on Richard's car, his is stolen, while the other two take too long. After this, the Stig sets a lap in a 2011 325i, which the other three must try to meet. Jeremy's car is the fastest, but he destroys the engine as a result of the lap. They then test if the retractable roof is tight by filling the car with helium gas and having the presenter sit in it for as long as he can. If his voice is squeaky and high-pitched, then that means the roof is airtight. James and Jeremy's cars don't leak, but Richard's leaks badly. Then, three car assessors come by to see how much money would need to be invested in the cars to restore them to showroom condition. Richard's needs £7500 worth of work, James' £5000, and Jeremy's needs £11,000. The final challenge is for the three to use the cars in a stunt driving show at the Essex County Fair, but unfortunately, they all crash their cars as soon as the show begins. The points are tallied up, and James' car is the clear winner. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost both set laps. Simon Pegg set a time of 1:44.9, while Nick Frost set a time of 1:44.5. |
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| 132 | Series 16, Episode 5 | 20 February 2011 | Amber Heard |
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Review: Jeremy drives the BMW M3 Competition Pack and the Audi RS5. In the end, he says he doesn't like either car, as the BMW offers nothing of value for the extra £3000 - not mentioning a £1,755 matte paint job on the test unit, of which Jeremy reclaims as "useless", since you can't polish it, or even taking it to a car wash - spent on a Competition Pack over a normal M3, and the Audi is plagued by understeer. The Audi sets a time of 1:27.5, while the BMW sets a 1:26.5 -- more than a full second slower than a stock M3. News: The presenters discuss a new electric concept car by Nissan which leads to them Jeremy and James singing their version of Elton John's "Daniel", and they discuss the Infiniti Etherea concept, with Jeremy calling it the "urethra" due to the similar spelling. Challenge: After all the snow problems last year (caused by a shortage of snowplows, as well as of the money needed to run them), the presenters decide to build their own snow plow out of a Claas combine harvester. The machine, called The Dominator, features a gritter and flamethrower at the back. James is chosen to drive the machine, which maxes out at 12 miles per hour. They test the gritter on the side of an old BMW 3-series, which is destroyed by the spray of grit. They decide that since snow isn't forecast for England that day (In fact, as of the filming, it is projected to warm up considerably), they should bring the plow to Norway, where there is snow. First, they try to build a runway on a frozen lake so that a plane can land. The "snow-bine" breaks through the ice but they manage to rescue it; in the end, their efforts, or lack thereof, result in a runway that veers back and forth like a pinball and is pocked with bumps, causing the plane to crash. Then, they try to plow the streets in a local village, but this causes more problems. They destroy a house, as James is turning around and the gritter is aimed at the front window, wreck a car, which was hidden in a mound of snow, set a skier on fire, and destroy a sign; in the end, they are kicked out of the village as their actions raise protests from the locals. Finding no success on the lake or in the village, they decide to plow a 10 Km mountain pass. They veer into a ditch once, and Hammond loses his wedding ring, but in the end, they clear the road and declare the stunt ambitious and actually quite useful. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Amber Heard sets a lap time of 1:50.3, the slowest dry lap thus far in the Kia Cee'd. |
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| 133 | Series 16, Episode 6 | 27 February 2011 | John Prescott |
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Feature: James drives the Space Exploration Vehicle from NASA. He calls it the best car he has ever driven, referring to the amount of technology included in it. He also grieves over the cancellation of the funding for moon missions in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. Review: Richard drives the Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 959. The Stig tries to take each car around the track, but the Ferrari gets a DNS (Did Not Start) and the Porsche did a DNF (Did Not Finish). Feature: James gives a quick review of Peugeot's new electric concept car, the EX1. Hammond delights in the fact that the seat is located in the door, and that it has aviation steering handles instead of the typical wheel. James then tells the audience that they can expect to own the car 'never' as it's not being mass produced. News: Jeremy talks about the new Ayrton Senna film coming out in Summer 2011, referring back to the Senna film from Series 15, Episode 5. Cool Wall: For the first time in two years, Richard and Jeremy talk about the Cool Wall. BMW's are moved into Sub-Zero while Audis are moved to Uncool and small cars to Cool. The Nissan Juke is placed in Seriously Uncool and the Renault Wind in Uncool. The Toyota Yaris Verso is put in Seriously Uncool. The Porsche 911 Carrera C2S is owned by James and Richard so Jeremy gives it to an Irish man to keep. A modern Morgan 3-wheeler is discusssed. Richard and Jeremy almost fight with a chair and a hammer before being interrupted by James. Challenge: Jeremy drives the Jaguar XJ across the width of England, from west to east. He leaves at sunset and has to finish before sunrise, and to make it harder, it's the shortest night of the year. Jeremy calls it a race against God, a race he wins by five minutes. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: John Prescott comes to the studio but gets a lot of boos. He sets the slowest lap time thus far in the Kia, at 1:56.7 in the wet. |
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[edit] References
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Warning: Default sort key "Top Gear (series 16)" overrides earlier default sort key "Top Gear (series 15)".
The seventeenth series of British motoring program Top Gear began on BBC Two and BBC HD, on 26 June 2011, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig.[1]
[edit] Episodes
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| # | Episode | Airdate | Guest |
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| 134 | Series 17, Episode 1 | 26 June 2011 | Alice Cooper |
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Feature: Richard is given the task of road testing the Marauder, a South African military vehicle. He attempts to find similarities and differences between it and the Hummer before subjecting it to a series of tests, including how to manoeuvre out of a supermarket parking space, how to drive it through a crowded town, and what would happen to it if seven pounds of Semtex were to be detonated under the car. After the Hummer is completely destroyed by the explosives, Richard performs the same test to the Marauder, only to have the car survive and drive away from the explosion. Review: Jeremy reviews the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, comparing it to the original Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Porsche Cayman R and the Lotus Evora S. By the end of the review, he is very pleased with everything about it, even though Hammond can't justify the £40,000 price tag. It sets a lap time of 1:25.00, about 0.3 seconds faster than a 4-door BMW M3, despite the damp track condition. News: The trio talk about the new MG 6, criticising its looks and it being a rebadging of the Roewe 550. Clarkson then goes on to discuss a website he has found, which informs people how many models of a particular type of car are still on the road in the United Kingdom. He reports that there are hardly any old MGs, but there are plenty of classic Fords. James also discusses the new MINI coupé, which the trio strongly criticise because of the claim that it would be "styled to look like a baseball cap used backwards". Feature: Clarkson pays homage to the Jaguar E-type on its 50th birthday, driving an E-Type Speedster to a hilltop convention where over 100 E-Types have gathered in celebration. He claims that every model was fantastic, and it was possibly the best-looking car ever. He also unveils a new model, which has been updated for the 21st century, but he is startled by its £500,000 price tag. Feature: James returns to Lillehammer in Norway in a bid to clear up some unfinished business. He gathers a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, MINI test driver Kris Meeke and skeleton sled racer Amy Williams in an attempt to prove that a car can be faster than a bobsleigh. May was beaten on his previous attempt by Hammond's bobsleigh team, but this time he manages to beat Amy Williams by a matter of seconds. Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Rock legend Alice Cooper sets a time of 1:56.3, becoming the second slowest star to drive around the track in the Kia Cee'd. |
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| 135 | Series 17, Episode 2 | 3 July 2011 | Ross Noble |
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Review: James rants about almost all Aston Martins, claiming that they all ride too hard because Aston develops all of their cars at the Nürburgring. He then reviews the Aston Martin Virage, at first praising the build quality and its handling, saying that it's sharper than Aston Martin DB9, but not as hardcore as the DBS. However, when he took the Virage for a ride around the Top Gear test facility, he was very cross about the uncomfortable ride. In the hands of The Stig, the Virage sets a lap time of 1:24.4 News: The hosts talk about the new Aston Martin V12 Zagato, which prompts James to complain about the number of new cars being developed at the Nürburgring. Clarkson introduces the Citroën DS5, and then discusses the faces of new Peugeot and Kia Optima, and positive camber on the rear wheels of the Vauxhall Insignia. Clarkson then brings up the topic of modern Jaguar E-Types, with a Jaguar XK redesigned by a Swiss company named "Growler", which Hammond states is "the welcome mat of a lady from the 1970s". The trio then trade off various quips, with Clarkson commenting on how there will be a "trimmed down version", and May suggesting how awkward it will sound when a bloke says "I'm going to the garage to wax the Growler" as well as Clarkson imitating the horror of the car's Swiss designers, who had never heard what "Growler" actually meant. Challenge: The team attempt to compare three of the latest hot hatchbacks by subjecting them to a series of challenges during a journey across the Italian Riviera. Clarkson believes he has found the perfect machine in the Citroën DS3 Racing, while May attempts to prove the sincerity of the Renaultsport Clio Cup. Hammond is mocked, however, when he arrives in an Abarth 500C, which is not really a hot hatchback. The team begin by attempting to find out which of them can reach the edge of Lucca the quickest, by traversing a series of extremely skinny and complicated roads. Clarkson manages to get out first, followed by Hammond, however, May gets lost and ends up stuck on top of the city wall. The team must then complete a scavenger hunt in less than six hours, retrieving items from the road-side and shops, without any money being allowed to change hands. Clarkson and May manage to find all of the required items, however, Hammond fails to collect three items: a vine, an ice cube and a dog. The team then take part in one final challenge, in which they must attempt to set a their fastest lap round the Circuit de Monaco. James is guided by Flavio Briatore, Richard by Christian Horner and Jeremy by Bernie Ecclestone. Jeremy manages to complete the fastest lap. In the studio, Clarkson is declared the winner, compared to Hammond who scored only 5 points due to abandoning his car during the Lucca challenge, failing to collect all of the items during the scavenger hunt, although he did post a faster time than May on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit (but was given a 5 point penalty due to bringing a convertible). Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Comedian Ross Noble sets a time of 1:43.5, becoming the second fastest man on the leaderboard. |
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| 136 | Series 17, Episode 3 | 10 July 2011 | Sebastian Vettel |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the McLaren MP4-12C and its main supercar rival, the Ferrari 458 Italia. He praised the comfort, the handling, and the build quality of the Mclaren, but dislikes the lack of joy when he drove it. On the track, it managed to set a blistering lap time of 1:16.2, only 1.1 seconds slower than Ariel Atom 500 and 0.6 seconds faster than a 1,184bhp Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. News: The trio discuss the effects that the London 2012 Olympics will have on motoring, suggesting that new cars will need to be built in time for the games in order to make the British public safe from 'Foreign Tourists'. They also ask the point of being in a car owner's club, with Clarkson claiming that standing in car parks admiring other people's cars is simply sad and a waste of time. Feature: James travels to the American state of Nevada to test the sustainability of the Range Rover Evoque. He attempts to drive the car through Death Valley, testing aspects such as the car's suspension, on-board equipment and ability to sustain a soft ride on all terrain. He also attempts to reach an appointment to chauffeur megastar Cher across Las Vegas, however, is disappointed when it turns out to be a male Cher impersonator, named Steve. Challenge: Jeremy and Richard attempt to find the best second-hand bargains for the same price as Britain's cheapest new car, the £6,995 Nissan Pixo. Clarkson finds a nine-year-old Mercedes CL 600, whereas Hammond opts for a seventeen-year-old BMW 850Ci. The duo ponder the fact that both have V12 engines, many equipment features, and luxurious interiors. The pair decide to road test both vehicles, to see which one has the better handling. They then compete in a drag race, before placing both cars on a rolling road to see how much power they have lost. They then have the cars forensically examined, to find traces of what happened in the car before they owned it. After the film, James is dismayed that anyone would purchase a used luxury car when they could instead buy a reliable car still under warranty. When Richard informs him that they have actually bought these cars (not merely borrowed them for the show), James bets all of his hair that one of the cars will break down within 2 weeks. F1 Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Reigning Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel sets a time of 1:44.0 in the old Suzuki Liana, becoming not only the fastest ever Formula 1 driver but also the fastest person to ever do a lap. |
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| 137 | Series 17, Episode 4 | 17 July 2011 | Rowan Atkinson |
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Jaguar XKR-S. He likes the speed, the handling, and especially the noise it made, but dislikes the styling, the hard ride, and its £97,000 price tag, saying that Jag had sacrificed all of its core value for the pursuit of speed. He then reviewed the 2012 Nissan GT-R, praising the speed and the handling of it, and the fact that it costs £69,000 and more practical than the Jag. On the test track the XKR-S sets a lap time of 1:23.3, while the revised GT-R managed to set 1:17.8, just as fast as Pagani Zonda Roadster F Clubsport and 2 seconds faster than the old GT-R. News: Before the news proper, James takes a moment to tout the virtues of the Nissan GT-R’s launch control. This prompts Jeremy to declare launch control to be the stupidest thing to have on a car today. After some debate it is revealed that of the three, James is the only one who has a car with the feature. Jeremy goes on to declare night vision a worthless feature – as it doesn’t work when you turn the car’s headlights off. Segueing into the main body of the news, there is a new Range Rover Sport with a "Say what you see" function (also worthless in Jeremy’s opinion). There is a new version of the Abarth Punto Esseesse – essentially a hot hatchback that comes with the SS kit in a wooden box that the buyer can keep. This raises Jeremy’s hackles, but Richard confesses that he struggles throwing boxes away because of their potential. Finally, James asks Jeremy and Richard if the used cars they bought in the previous episode have broken down or not. Richard says his BMW 850Ci has not broken down but, after some evasion, Jeremy admits that the ignition coil of his Mercedes CL 600 needs replacing, and with labour costs, will end up costing him £1,200. Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May try to find a cheaper alternative to expensive carriage trains. To begin, the trio buy a classic 1980s Jaguar XJ-S convertible, and take it to the Top Gear Technology Centre, where they fit it with special train-track wheels. They also build carriages out of caravans, with each one represent a different carriage of a regular train - First Class, The Buffet Car, Second Class, and "Scum Class". They test the train, only to find that the Jaguar does not generate enough traction to pull the carriages. While arguing over the solution, Clarkson suggests that they instead build a "Sports Train", with only one carriage, while May and Hammond suggest they buy a new carrier vehicle. The team split, and May and Hammond return with a 4WD Audi S8, and secure the already built caravan carriages to the car. Meanwhile, Clarkson has instead built a new four-man carriage to fit to the back of the Jaguar. With both trains ready, the trio decide to race each other's trains to Loughborough train station. Both teams encounter problems, however, when Clarkson finds himself stuck behind Hammond & May, and after a faux pas with the Buffet Car, Hammond & May find their train burning down. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Comedian Rowan Atkinson sets a time of 1:42.2, becoming the fastest man to lap the circuit in the Kia Cee'd. |
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| 138 | Series 17, Episode 5 | 24 July 2011 | Bob Geldof |
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Feature: Jeremy tests a new and updated version of the classic Jensen Interceptor, only to discover himself driving back into a time characterised by leather driving gloves and droopy moustaches. He decides that the Interceptor has never been given enough TV recognition, and in light of his recent discovery, enlists the help of Hammond and May to create a title sequence for a new classic cop show, "The Interceptors", which is styled like a 1970s parody of Starsky & Hutch. In the title sequence, the three are shown driving various Interceptors, and are credited as "James Steed", "Roger St. Hammond" and "Jason Clarkson". Review: Jeremy reviews Lotus' new purpose-built Formula 1-inspired track car, the T125. Jean Alesi coached him on driving the T125 effectively, however Clarkson lacked the reaction time to drive the Lotus to its fullest extent. He demonstrated the difference between the reactions needed to drive the T125 compared with a street-legal vehicle, his own Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black, saying that in order to enter the Hammerhead corner he would have to start breaking at 140 metres out, but braking at the same distance with the T125, it would stop about 60 metres before the entry point of the corner. The T125 was unable to set a lap time due to inclement weather. News: The team discuss the fact that they will be cut short for live coverage of the Moto GP race at 10:00pm. Clarkson purposely extends conversations, and rabbits on to May about things unrelated to the show, saying "Top Gear is more important than bike racing. Nobody likes it, anyway." Clarkson mocked the new £41,000 Mini Inspired by Goodwood, then comparing it to a £43,000 Aston Martin Cygnet & Colette, which the team also mocks. Towards the end of the news, Clarkson reviews more 'bird dirt' incidents, reflecting on pictures sent to him by the public. Challenge: The boys are challenged by a group of professional demolishers to knock down a row of derelict houses zoned for demolition, in less time than it would take them to do the same. In preparation, the team travel to Albania to have a practice run, however, their demolition machinery fails to really have much impact. Upon their return to England, the trio travel to a military surplus yard to buy heavy-duty machinery to complete the job. Hammond purchases an FV434 armoured recovery vehicle that has been retro-fitted for combat engineers, James an FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor (CET) that can be used as a battering-ram, and Jeremy an Armtrac 400 mine-clearing vehicle. As the team begin the challenge, things do not go well. Hammond's attempts to tear the roofs from the houses with a harpoon cannon only succeeds in dragging a portable toilet over the houses, while May's efforts to batter the houses in submission ends up trapping Hammond and his tank inside a collapsed house. Meanwhile, Clarkson is using the remote-control feature of his mine-clearing vehicle and loses control, mangling a car and rupturing a buried water main. In an attempt to catch up to the professionals, Clarkson plants explosives inside the chimney breasts of the houses. However, he fails to use enough explosives, and only manages to "blow the bloody door off". Finally, the trio resort to using their vehicles as battering rams, but they only tear two and a half houses down before the professional demolition crew finish. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Rock star and charity ambassador Bob Geldof sets a time of 1:48.1 in the wet. |
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| 139 | Series 17, Episode 6 | 31 July 2011 | Louis Walsh |
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Review: Richard reviews the Lamborghini Aventador, the long-awaited successor of the Murcielago. He was initially impressed by the performance, styling, and handling, but later declared it to be 'too serious', because it lacked the drama and the thrill from all the previous V12 Lamborghinis. After the review, Jeremy points out Hammond's mistake of saying Helsinki syndrome (by which he means Stockholm Syndrome), while disagreeing with Hammond and May's opinion about the Aventador. It sets a lap time of 1:16.5, only 0.3 seconds slower than the McLaren MP4-12C. News: The team discuss the new Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series. Richard mocks Jeremy about owning a Black series (CLK63 AMG) and calls the C63 a 'stupid' car. Jeremy shows an advertisement for leathers featured on the back of a 1976 motorcycling magazine, which featured a model resembling James May (even though he was 12 at the time). They also discuss Lewis Hamilton's complaint that the British National Anthem is too short. They compare it to other countries' national anthems. James shares his idea for a shortened 'national anthem'. Jeremy discusses his CLK63 AMG automatic service warning system. The Lotus T125 was brought back to the Test Track to set a lap time. It was driven by The Stig who, according to Clarkson, requested a softer suspension and softer tyres for his lap. The V8 T125 made it around the circuit in 1:03.8, just 4.8 seconds slower than the V10 Renault R24 driven in series 5, episode 8. Challenge: Jeremy and James are given the task of taking two new electrically powered cars, the Nissan Leaf and Peugeot iOn, on a trip to the seaside. They test the length of time it takes before each car runs out of juice, and find out how easy (or hard) it is to find a place to recharge. While waiting for them to recharge in Lincoln, they take guided tours of several historic attractions around the city, where they discover the electric car was a concept that was thought about much longer ago than they first imagined. Feature: Richard meets the world's most extraordinary rally team, which is made up entirely of war amputees. He watches them prepare for a race at Silverstone, before becoming part of the team for a race at Snetterton Park in Norfolk. He questions members of the team on the problems they encounter due to their disabilities, and asks what inspired them to become part of a rally team. Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car: Louis Walsh makes his first appearance in the reasonably priced car, and posts a time of 1:47.7. |
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