- 3 months ago
Catch Top Gear Season 2, Episode 6 as the trio takes on ambitious challenges, puts cars to the ultimate test, and delivers entertaining moments throughout.
Catch Top Gear Season 2, Episode 6 — a showdown between the Mitsubishi Evo VIII and Subaru Impreza WRX STI, plus Richard Whiteley behind the wheel in the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.
Catch Top Gear Season 2, Episode 6 — a showdown between the Mitsubishi Evo VIII and Subaru Impreza WRX STI, plus Richard Whiteley behind the wheel in the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.
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TVTranscript
00:00On this week's Top Gear, the driving god does a track day, a foie gras car with a lunch and meat banj, and we try to set a new land speed record.
00:15Hello, and we start tonight with some good news, because I've finally found an advantage to being over 40.
00:26Yes, hair sprouts out of your ears, and yes, hangovers last a fortnight, but all you youngsters, the only chance you get to drive a Subaru Impreza and a Mitsubishi Evo 8 is on your Playstations,
00:41whereas me, with my wise shoulders and my hairy ears, I'm allowed by the insurance companies to take them to the best driving country in the world.
00:53Scotland.
01:03These cars were born in the rough-and-tumble He-Man world of rallying.
01:11With their turbocharged engines and their four-wheel drive systems, they grip and they go and they stop so ferociously that you're just left absolutely breathless.
01:29In the real world, with bumps and hedges, low-nosed, wide-bottomed Ferraris and Porsches, couldn't hope to keep up with either of them.
01:38They are astonishing.
01:47And yet, they're both relatively inexpensive Japanese saloon cars.
01:51So they've both got four doors, they've both got big boots, and they're both as reliable as a Swiss bus driver's Austrian pacemaker.
01:58What more could you possibly want?
02:02Let's deal with the Subaru first.
02:04The old model, the one with the silly headlamps, was a bit of a softy.
02:13The new one has a more attractive face, but don't be fooled.
02:17The steering's quicker and the suspension is tougher.
02:23They've made it harder, edgier.
02:26Less of a car, more of a barroom brawler.
02:29It's a different story with the Mitsubishi Evo 8.
02:40The old Evo 7 was like a mafia hitman, without the compassion.
02:45At first glance, it seems they've made the Evo 8 even more hardcore.
02:48It's lighter, and its gearbox has six speeds rather than five.
02:52In actual fact, though, they've made it a little bit softer, and a little bit quieter.
03:01They've even given it a proper big fuel tank.
03:04The old one used to have a Zippo in the back.
03:07You're only able to go four inches before you run out of petrol.
03:11So the Subaru's been beefed up, and the Mitsubishi's been watered down.
03:16It seems, then, that these two cars have met in the middle.
03:23And that means I have to go out there into the bigness of Scotland
03:28and find out which one's best.
03:30Sometimes, you know, this job is very, very good.
03:35Nothing prepares you for the shock when you first take this thing round the corner.
03:54Take a test drive. Honestly, take a test drive.
03:58You will not believe how much grip there is. You just won't.
04:03This Subaru is a hugely manly experience. The noise it makes.
04:11It's got a macho gearbox. It's got macho steering.
04:15It even smells of man. The essence of burnt clutch.
04:21Splash it on all over before going out at night for a curry and a fight.
04:33The Mitsubishi is much more technical. It's got an active centre differential, which moves the power to the front wheels or the back wheels, depending on which have the most grip.
04:46All I have to do is tell it whether we're on tarmac, gravel or snow.
04:50And then it's got something called super active yaw control, which moves the power from side to side.
04:59Sometimes, then, in a really big corner when you're really hammering, this car is one wheel drive.
05:05So, I can sum them up like this. The Mitsubishi is like an F-16 fighter, light and highly manoeuvrable. The Subaru is more like an F-15, a fighter bomber.
05:19As far as power is concerned, both of them get close to 150 miles an hour and both do 0-60 in under five seconds.
05:40You can't split them on looks either.
05:42And inside, both have willfully flimsy interiors that are lifted only by the big seats and the buttons for spraying cold water on the intercoolers.
05:55On the outside, the Subaru tries to lighten up with its pink and gold jewellery, but both these cars really are shamelessly aggressive.
06:04Look at the scoop on this bonnet.
06:06And they seem to have given the Evo so many steroids, it's started to grow out of its own body.
06:13You know what this car should be called, don't you?
06:16The Mitsubishi, did you spill my pint?
06:19And the Subaru, you, outside, now.
06:22Trying to decide which is best is hard. They're both spoon-bendingly, hallucinogenically, law-breakingly mad and absurd.
06:43On a wide open road like this, the nimbler Mitsubishi wins.
06:46But when things get narrow and bumpy, the Evo really does turn into a jet.
06:58On a difficult road like this, the Impreza feels more planted.
07:05So, which would I buy?
07:08Ooh, I can't give you an answer now.
07:11I'm having far too much fun.
07:14So, Jeremy, what did you discover after your unnecessarily long trip to Scotland?
07:24Nothing.
07:25Right.
07:27It's impossible to choose between these two cars.
07:29There's no tangible reason why you'd take one rather than the other.
07:32The only thing I will say is that when we'd finished filming, and I just had to drive back to the hotel,
07:37I always found myself getting into the Subaru.
07:39No, exactly what you mean. Couldn't tell you why. I prefer the Impreza. Always have. No idea why.
07:44It's like, you know, I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate.
07:47Yeah.
07:48I prefer Bedford to Bruce Forsyth.
07:51Right.
07:52Well, let's see if we can find out if there is any real differences between them on our test track.
07:56So, ladies and gentlemen, please say mushy-mushy to Stig-san.
08:00So, first up, the Impreza STI. This is the tweaked one, remember?
08:05And, oh, dear.
08:07Oh, an emotional Stig this week around Chicago.
08:11Now, at the limit, this car does understeer, so will that slow him down? It is looking good so far.
08:15Oh, he is. I reckon he's running. He is running wide there into the penultimate corner. Come on, Stig. Keep it tight. We need a good time.
08:24And there's understeer there. Loads of understeer. And he goes round the finishing line.
08:30Now, what about the Evo 8? In the interest of fairness, I should point out this isn't the car that Jeremy drove in Scotland.
08:36It's the 301 horsepower FQ version. 25 more than standard and one more than the Subaru.
08:42Looking very tidy around Chicago. No trace of understeer at all as it smoothly powers through the hammerhead.
08:50Good Lord! Screaming out of the follow-through.
08:53Over a second faster than the Subaru in the first sector, the Mitsubishi.
08:55Will it beat it? Over the finish line. Kicking up dust through a gambon.
08:59Right then. The times, I have them here. Are you ready?
09:02The Impreza STI, first of all, did it in one minute, 30.1, which puts it there.
09:07Faster than the Aston, just behind the Z8. That is a very good time.
09:10And how much faster is that than the Impreza that we had in the last series, the old model?
09:14It's just under one and a half seconds.
09:17One and a half seconds faster? That's very fast.
09:18Very fast. But get this. The Mitsubishi Evo 8. One minute, 28.9. So that's...
09:25Can you reach? I can get that, Jamie. Thank you very much.
09:28Quicker than a Lamborghini Murcielago.
09:30That's astonishing. That is incredible. That's a very fast car.
09:32So the thing is, is that if you want to go around a track quickly, you take the Evo 8. But which would you choose?
09:40Impreza. No idea why.
09:42Neither of these cars, or indeed any of them really on our power board, find much favour among the Guardian set, let's say.
09:49Whenever I go to a dinner party, I sit down, the person next to me always starts off by saying,
09:53please will you go and sit next to someone else.
09:56The second thing they say is, we've got a 70 mile an hour speed limit in this country, why do we have such fast cars?
10:04Well, the thing is, is that you can drive these cars quickly.
10:08Because all of the country's racetracks, Silverstone, Branshatch, Cadwell, Alton Park, Scotland,
10:13all of them now run things called track days, where you take your own car along and drive it as fast as you want.
10:20Now, I always fancied going to a track day, but I needed the right car.
10:25Well, fortunately, this month, Peugeot have launched this 180 brake horsepower version of their 206 GTI.
10:41Bedford Autodrome, Palmer Sport Day.
10:44All over the country, people are queuing up to come to these run what you've run track days.
10:48And so, make way for the Peugeot 206 GTI 180.
10:56There's always a lot of expectations surrounding a new hot hatch from Peugeot.
11:02It's because of the pedigree. It's because of the 205 GTI.
11:07After all, the 205 was an icon. It was one of the great hot hatches of the 1980s. Indeed, of all time.
11:15Yes, don't worry, that was me and not the car running out of talent, because the 206 is well balanced and has masses of grip.
11:28And the good news is that engine has given it just the extra oomph it needed.
11:33Probably take myself off now.
11:35Not far from the truth. Woo-hoo!
11:41It'll do 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and can reach 142 miles an hour. That's fast. And I think the 205 would be proud of its offspring.
11:52But ultimately, the 206 is at heart a civilised road car. Unfortunately, I've brought a knife to a gunfight.
12:01Because the whole point of a track day is to leave civilised roads, and let's be honest, civilised road behaviour, behind.
12:13Why do you do it, then?
12:15Um, simply because there's too many damn speed cameras around.
12:19And I think it's a way of venting, one, your passion to drive fast, because you can't in this country anymore.
12:25And why the hell buy a car that'll do 155 miles an hour and not use it?
12:31It's easy to see why these run-what-you-brun track days are booming.
12:35You don't need a race licence, and you don't have to join a race series and follow a race calendar.
12:41It's just you, your car, and your helmet.
12:46Look at this guy. Two grands worth of Honda Prelude, and he thinks he's Jenson Bucko.
12:51I have never seen such an ordinary car take so much abuse.
12:56What was your mission today?
12:58Well, thank you.
12:59Yeah, was to have good fun, drive it as hard as I could, and sort of drive the wheels off it.
13:04That takes a serious effort. You have ruined it.
13:08Yeah, they were new last week. I should have got some second-hand ones, shouldn't I?
13:12Running an old knacker is actually quite a good idea, because, not surprisingly, track days are not covered by your ordinary road insurance.
13:20If I wanted to get insurance, it's probably going to be around £120 for the day, so I usually just go out without it.
13:27If you broke it, though, you'd push it off the circuit to a road, stick it in a ditch and go,
13:32Look! What happened? I have heard that happened. I've seen cars push down to drop out onto the road.
13:40That 206 GTI had given me track day fever, but it didn't provide the cure. I needed stronger medicine.
13:49This is the Palmer Jaguar, a track day thunderbolt, and a more fitting remedy for a man who had once proclaimed.
13:59I am a driving dog!
14:11Oh, my goodness! This is a properly quick car. It uses the 3.0-litre V6 and a Jaguar's X-Type.
14:21It's at about 300 brake horsepower, and it weighs about 600 kilos.
14:26That is very, very light, and it means it's very, very fast.
14:32It really can travel at some incredible speeds.
14:37Straight up to 120, 130.
14:43Absolutely awesome power of this thing. Turn it in far here. Use that torque, that low down power. Come on!
14:53Ha-ha-ha! Yes! Ha-ha!
15:01Ooh, I may well have really overcooked...
15:06Ha-ha-ha-ha! This is amazing!
15:10Once more!
15:13If I'm driving, God, this is a car fit for one, at least!
15:18So, the driving God spinning off there at what I suspect was probably five miles an hour.
15:29Now, these track days are such big business these days that there are lots of companies who are making cars specifically designed for the purpose.
15:37They're basically racers with number plates and indicators so you can take them on the road.
15:42This Parma Jag is one of them, but it costs £47,000, and that is quite a lot.
15:49Don't worry, though, because there are lots of others which are a little bit cheaper.
15:53ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
16:20So, that's the stats. Now, let's see which is fastest on the track.
16:241
16:262
16:281
16:301
16:312
16:321
16:342
16:362
16:373
16:381
16:392
16:412
16:442
16:453
16:472
16:482
16:492
16:50so here's the cars in reverse order in fifth place the lotus elise at one minute 28.2 seconds
17:01in fourth it's the catering one minute 25 flat in third the atom with one minute 24 seconds flat
17:08and in second place the westfield at one minute 23.2 seconds and first the amazing radical one
17:15minute 19.8 seconds right the news and we begin this week with a story about advertising um i have
17:23no idea how much advertising agencies charge big companies to come up with snappy strap lines for
17:29products must be millions and millions and millions of pounds i mean the classic case important for me
17:33was sainsbury's they went to their ad agency and they said we want to get across a message that we
17:37sell good food value for money and it'd be nice to get the name of the company in as well and the ad
17:42agency said right well if you give us a couple of million quid we'll go to mauritius for a month
17:45and they came back with good food costs less at sainsbury's i could have thought of that it's not
17:51that clever really or coke is it how much did they pay for coke is it but this week i think i've come
18:00across an ad which just trumps the lot you ready to see it's for the new lexus rx 300 here it is
18:07there's the car and the advert for it is it changes everything that is a big claim isn't it i don't
18:14want to go home tonight and find my front doors moved and that all my children are badgers and that
18:19i'm married to frank bruno i don't want it to change everything and this will be a gardening program and
18:24we shouldn't be talking about that anyway well exactly and do you know the thing is is that you
18:28know those advertising standards authority they always say you've got to be what are they true hang on
18:32it's decent honest legal truthful so that advert it's true must be true that would be great you
18:41could buy the lexus and then you'd wake up the next day and it would have changed into a jaguar
18:44right i've got sad news okay this is sad news you don't know what it is yet
18:52that's a blind date noise isn't it it was a horrible noise i thought they were deflating the entire audience
18:58what's the sad news the sad news is this right diesel engines there were only three manufacturers
19:03who managed to hold on to sense and not put diesel engines in their car they were honda well they
19:08were gone and did it saab weakened and did it the last one has announced officially they've weakened
19:13they've gone and it's jaguar oh no oh no it's terrible war error they're putting
19:19a plane quite nasty that is a horrific piece of news they're doing a v61 in the s-type and then
19:29there's a little four-cylinder diesel going into the x-type which of course has nothing to do with
19:33ford oh no of course jaguar yeah that won't be a ford engine i want to make that absolutely plain
19:37it's a jaguar engine in every way yeah but if you pick away at jaguar it might say ord underneath i don't
19:44know whether put a stick on it but i just have worries about this jaguar's stealthy sleek is it
19:49gonna work have a look at this we've we've we've got one in to have a look at and we'll get an idea
19:54if it's gonna work that's simply not gonna work is it it loses something doesn't it oh beautiful
20:13just hearing it that is not going to work and do you know the worst thing about this is is jaguar was
20:20working we know on an f-type a two-seated a modern-day e-type and they cancelled that project
20:25because they'd spent all their money on a diesel engine oh dear right now of course the uh big news
20:33of the week that's been in all the papers is uh i've got a report here from the observer drivers are
20:38facing the biggest revolution in the history of british motoring it's the lexus again it's changed
20:43everything yes the thing is is that alistair darling who's the transport secretary has said that
20:49he doesn't want people all taking their children to school at eight o'clock in the morning well now
20:54look darling that's kind of when school starts you know it's not like you take your child to school
21:00and say well i'm gonna check at three in the morning because he's nice and quiet well that's so has he
21:05there's gonna be a lot of headmasters saying clarkson you're early i know but his dad arrived in his
21:10jag diesel saved a couple of quid there and he's dropped me off at three in the morning no the idea
21:14is darling is saying he's going to use satellites to track all 24 million drivers and then if we use
21:20our cars at popular times i.e for going to work he's going to charge us for it and do you know the
21:27most depressing thing about this it really is and i am quoting now okay you can't build yourself out of
21:33the problem that we face said darling it would be astronomically expensive environmentally damaging
21:39and i doubt if we could actually do it now look when you had the air ministry in 1940 watching the
21:46luftwaffe come over they didn't say i doubt we can do anything about that frankly well just let them
21:51or you know francis drake playing bowls i doubt we can do anything about the spanish armada there's
21:56millions of them it's not the spirit is it in fact i've got a simple message which i want to deliver
22:01in a new labor way too darling okay ready for your plan i've never read certain rubbish now this is a
22:14truly heartwarming tale of british boffins they're called mark and colin they've been in their shed
22:20smoking pipes making cups of tea and they've been head banging that old chestnut the electric motor car
22:26they've come up with a prototype i should tell you called the e-motion and they say we really are at
22:29the cutting edge of technology and aim to lead the way with a variety of innovations many of which
22:34could find an instant and ready market in the mass production of commercially viable electric cars
22:40let's have a look at it
22:42that's a lovely snake's got a french freezer and what's this on the top
22:50i said mark hang on we've forgotten the windscreen can you just lend us your crash helmet
22:54i like the air they obviously made it blunt at one end with the fridge
22:59well it's a fridge freezer oh let's make it pointy then it's aerodynamic look at that
23:03that's what some went to go before it becomes a viable four-seater family car yeah if you want
23:08to invent something invent another concord right now uh you know that subaru and mitsubishi film that
23:14we showed earlier on you're probably looking at that thinking that scenery those open roads those cars
23:20were perfect but it wasn't perfect and i'm going to show you an outtake now which will explain why
23:30caravans get out of the way
23:33caravans are the bane of our life so we decided to set the new boy james here
23:58a little task incredibly the world speed record for caravans stands at a frankly astonishing 128.86
24:08miles per hour but they thought i could beat that
24:14bentwaters 1.7 miles of prime suffolk runway if there's anywhere to beat the world speed record
24:21for towing a caravan it's here the car we're using is this mitsubishi evo 7 not something normally
24:31featured in the caravan club magazine it'll do 130 on its own no swear but what it's going to be like
24:38towing our mobile home i don't know definitely not going to be a holiday
24:42this is our caravan and the rules state that it may not be aerodynamically modified in any way
24:52not so the car which has power bursting out of its every orifice its turbocharged engine develops 771
25:00bhp but that's not the figure we're interested in it's torque we want and this car has massive
25:06pulling power 648 pound feet enough to move the mountain a bit closer to muhammad
25:15our driver is lee here proper stuntman and during the run his hand's going to be fairly close to this
25:22one yank on this and it's goodbye caravan at over a hundred miles per hour the crosswinds could flip
25:30the caravan taking the car with it all the windows could buckle in under the pressure turning the caravan
25:35into a huge parachute again flipping the car so our first run to test things out the caravans quickly
25:45over the national speed limit the evo 7 is pulling hard 124.9 miles per hour that is fantastic
26:04but then disaster it's a high speed blowout from the kitchenette window
26:11you've busted you how fast were you going i think in the car was 124.9
26:18okay five miles an hour that's all it's looking at the other side will fall off
26:23no no ready that's it right didn't quite manage it that time but i'm not quitting
26:29i'm coming back later and i'm having another go you'd better succeed now one of the strangest things
26:35about being more than 40 years old is that you start to want contestants on game shows to win
26:42and stranger still you start to like game show hosts even when they dress up as deck chairs
26:48ladies and gentlemen richard whiteley
27:06i've got to be a bit careful with this jeremy it's got to be back in bridlington first thing
27:09tomorrow morning okay i was going to say how much do you get for renting that out on brighton beach
27:17mind you i'm no one to talk let's be honest
27:20really um let's go through your career history
27:25born up north yes born in yorkshire born in yorkshire which is fine um educated at cambridge
27:31university ooh blind date noises someone launched channel four i think you were the first person to
27:37appear on channel four yes and got eaten by a ferret yes that's about it so what about your car history
27:43my first car was a ford anglia it was the ford anglia immortalized now of course by harry potter
27:48and with a sloping back window oh yeah two-tone gray it was my mother's and uh when i got my first job
27:55i bought it from her when i was 21 22. in anglia yeah you also had i was looking through your notes
28:01a lancia fulvia yeah that's a fantastic car it was it was fantastic hf fulvias i still think are one of
28:08the prettiest cars yeah what was it i've never driven what was it like red well it was red and chrome
28:14yeah coupe yeah two seats they are black leather seats quite a difficult gear shift actually took a bit
28:20of driving actually wooden steering wheel 1973 they are beautiful things absolutely beautiful and what
28:26about now what have you got now well i've got a jaguar actually of course you have one of the new ones
28:33well yes i i've just i did i got it about three weeks ago so it is one of the new ones with the
28:39it is has it got that grill it has yeah and you're so right jeremy and i saw your piece the other day
28:47it's a fabulous car uh but what a pity about that radiator but i was stuck with your jags though
28:52well i i mean i've had this is my fifth now my what is my for my fourth xj and you know i'm i'm 59
28:58now i mean you know i don't deserve it don't i it's a good nothing against i've had jags for years
29:04and years i just feel a bit of sort of embarrassing but i've always really wanted one and uh the first one
29:09i got about uh five years ago i'm so proud of it really proud of it and there was uh and one particular
29:16day i was a trustee then of the royal armories which is the nation's collection of arms and armor
29:21priceless collection in leeds well it moved from the tower of london to this big building 45 million
29:26pounds most secure building in leeds and i had to go through a process of getting a parking pass from
29:32the thing from reception so i roared up at one minute to eleven outside the big glass doors of the
29:38of the armories nobody around uh opened the door engine running rushed right in to get my pass
29:45i've parked at the front thinking well you know you're not meant to park at the front but i thought
29:48i'm a trustee of this place who's going to tell me off i went out and i pushed this big glass door
29:53around i sort of as i sort of saw looks outside and i saw someone getting into my car and i thought
30:00they're terrific the armor is you know they're valet parking it fantastic and then it roared off it roared
30:08off and i can tell you jeremy a jaguar does do naught to 60 in five seconds watch it was gone it was
30:13nicked it was nicked you ever get it back well so the story well i got it back yes i got it back about
30:1910 days later actually it was okay i mean they'd they'd use the ashtrays and they did and they tuned
30:25the radio from radio four to the local commercial station so i was a bit annoyed about it
30:33and i did get it back and it was okay it was okay but a year later i went on some charity visit to
30:38armley jail in leeds and we were all there the great and the good we were being shown around
30:43and these they echo these prisons have you been in one yeah yeah yeah a french one
30:47well we won't go there we were looking around the great and the good of uh of leeds and uh from the
30:57galleries high up someone yelled down can i can i do this can we yell down it yell they said northern
31:03whitely a fat where's carol one of the prisoners who was accompanying us he said oh he says he says
31:14that's jed that's jed up there what cried down at you that's jed he's a real hero in this prison
31:20i said why what's he done is he how many people has he killed raped murdered drugs as he laundered
31:26money all that kind of stuff i said what did he do he said he where the lad won't hit your car two years ago
31:34listen i want to play a game with you okay this countdown thing okay
31:38this rearranging letters yes yes what do you reckon
31:45got on any ideas i'm short-sighted i can't see that thank goodness okay well i'll tell you what
31:50we've got some here all right what do you think that might be oh heck that could be a mini mini
31:58mini you're absolutely right it's mini um what about sex all sex all give you a clue gary linick has
32:08got one which nothing sexy about him or it's gonna be a lexus he's right lexus well done that's two
32:14now we're getting harder now what do we think that one is never lard
32:22anyone got any ideas landra you see that's two words that's two words
32:27well never lard is two words come on yes play the game class we are playing the game we've been never lard
32:35okay then you must she bits who works out these for you i did it mitsy bushy he's right mitsubishi
32:44you are so you're good at this these are getting longer and longer right
32:51piano's shiatsu we can play the music while you work this one out have you got 30 seconds
32:57is that one water two i don't know one water two words you blew it does anyone guess hispano suiza
33:08says the man over there you should have him on your show hispano suiza he's right is that not the most
33:14annoying music in the world yes it is the most the most annoying music in the world absolutely the most
33:18of not music in the world and don't you have it on your mobile phone look do you have it on your
33:25mobile phone look do you have yes music you do have when you ring your mobile i do but of course now
33:32enough of that what i'm uh very interested in is how you got on in a reasonably priced car
33:38this is very embarrassing well should we find out really should we find out everyone richards lap
33:48you're putting the amount of effort into this this is where it says don't break i'm only doing
34:00seven i can't bear i've got a break
34:07quite fast ish and into the last corner that's gambol no yes that's gum that's nice line now
34:18we have the time and i'm afraid it's a sad day in the history of top gear and a sad day for harry
34:30enfield richard whiteley is the slowest man ever with a time of two minutes six seconds
34:40enfield is going to be absolutely apoplectic it's his proudest boast in his career today because
34:54he's so slow and now you've gone and beaten him by miles frankly your life is now ruined thank you
35:02very much for coming it's been an absolute joy to have you ladies and gentlemen richard whiteley
35:10okay earlier on i was told to go out and break the world caravan speed record which stands at 128
35:19miles per hour and i failed so i had another go
35:26with the window repaired to aerospace standards caravan glory is once again within lee's grasp
35:32but this time the crosswinds have built up the caravan starts to fishtail lee keeps his nerve and
35:44straightens things out and he keeps his foot buried to the floor he hits 125.2 miles per hour that looks
35:51great for a new record just five miles per hour more there's plenty of runway left
35:55but then oil and smoke everywhere this doesn't look good
36:09well i'm not an automotive engineer but i'd say it was mullered i think the piston's gone but whether
36:14it's uh run low on fuel or something and got hot i'm not sure so we can't have another go then
36:19uh not with this car no well there you go bbc top gear the world's most anti-caravan organization
36:26defeated by a 20 year old abby gt 214 it's pathetic
36:36i wonder if james may realizes we don't tolerate failure on top gear it's not an option
36:43maybe he doesn't know about the tank of piranhas out the back he'll be in it if he doesn't get it
36:48right right get rid of that um got a bit of housekeeping to do on the cool wall we had ann
36:55robinson here uh last week and she said it's silly that the tt is this far down because it's a cool car
37:01and he's moving up so there we are doing that because she's not here exactly i wasn't gonna do it when
37:08she was i've got one here we've we've actually had a mission there's something missing off the cool
37:13wall and it's this which is the mercedes sl 55 amg what a car jeremy's car what a car um
37:23there is a bit of an issue with this it's just been bought by somebody actually quite famous very
37:28famous yeah do you want to have a guess who brad pitt no jeremy no you're going the wrong way
37:33entirely let me help you with this jeremy um it's dale winton um dale winton's a nice chat no jeremy
37:41he's orange it's uncool sorry there you go well i'm glad you brought my car up because i've got one
37:47this week i'd like to share with you all the least cool car that i've seen in a long time 1982 porsche
37:54911 sc particularly if somebody's written carrera on the back and fitted a turbo body kit
38:02it reminds you of anything that really is your car and it's hideous so it's going here and it's
38:10left-hand drive which means you're a cheatskate but the thing is he's never overtaken anyone is it
38:18safe is it safe that's what passengers are for and he's dog at it yes there we go there's a couple
38:23more i have got to stick up here mitsubishi evo 8 we looked at earlier where's it go
38:28sub cool wrong you see why is it sub cool it's just a proper car it's a fast car and it handles
38:37well yeah but you see that's got nothing to do with coolness you know it's like having ginger hair
38:43anyone else got any thoughts on it uncool you see the chap over there he says his uncle he's kind of
38:50right the thing is it's very gender specific if you're a man it's really uncool to have this car
38:57if you're a woman it's fantastic it's funny that when we want to meet you so it kind of goes there
39:04as does exactly the same story with the subaru yeah put that there right in the middle with the f60
39:11and you see it's funny it's the way of the cool war that's how it works i've got one last one here
39:16also driven today the peugeot tour 6 gti 180 brake horse what do we think it's a great look it's not
39:22uncool you blit who said i'm cool why is it uncool what's that got to do with it it's ugly it's just
39:31not right that's nothing to do with coolness does anyone here think it is cool right i do and i'm
39:38going to explain why there's a hot hatchback okay and hot hatchbacks are cool because they're small
39:43they're easy to run they're easy to park then when you're in the mood and i had one of these a couple
39:47of weeks ago came down here drove it in second gear all the way made me feel 18. all of which
39:54is good yes and they are really good cars but i'm just i just want to say this okay everybody else
39:59thinks it's uncool you think it's cool casting vote here i reckon apply your own test clarkson you made
40:06it up the christian scott thomas test you pitch up outside her parisian apartment in that she'll get in
40:11it no she'll get in the diesel one of the bloke behind you i reckon i think it's uncool
40:18oh my god
40:23right whilst they're busy being 12 we'll have insider dealing your fount of car buying wisdom
40:28and what's the matter with you chinese burn mate i hate that well why don't you stick up yourself and
40:32give them a big wedgie or a dead leg well stupid well i won't reach anyway right i was talking to a dealer
40:39the other week uh independent local dealer about waiting lists not range rovers three-year-old toyota
40:44rav4 does that strike you as odd it's very how does that work whenever you went to your local dealer
40:49and he had a good stock of regular three-year-old cars astras focuses small off-roaders mini mpvs he
40:54would have bought those from company fleets that sold them at auction okay and they always sold cars
40:59at three years old all of a sudden they've changed tactics they're holding onto cars for a few years
41:03longer just so they can tighten their belts and save money on buying cars so they're not selling off their
41:07company cars they're not selling them off for three years they might be keeping them for four
41:10years or five years that means that usual supply of three-year-old mainstream cars has dried up
41:17short supply firmer prices the top gear top tip if you want something like that don't buy it now
41:23but if anybody here's got a three-year-old toyota rav4 they want to get rid of i know a bloke will
41:30have your arm off time to sell it is now good okay what else we know don't we that um cars are
41:35facelifted throughout their lives and when that happens the old version costs a bit less you can
41:39get it for a lower price it's often not actually very different is it tweaks tweaks and things right
41:44well here's here's a real life example the vw passat earlier this year this car was facelifted
41:50for example the little rubber strips on the bumper were replaced with little chrome strips on the bumper
41:57as a result of that cars with the rubber strips on the bumper still in dealerships are actually worth
42:03a bit less i think this is ridiculous but it's true how much that well here's an example vw passat
42:081.8 t metallic paint list price eighteen thousand two hundred pounds with rubber bits on the bumper
42:17okay a bit over fifteen and a half hey yeah so you're saving how much well i want to ask you this
42:24tell me honestly what do you want shiny bumpers two and a half grand to spend on beer and holiday
42:30i'll take the two and a half grand thank you very much that's insane and that's pretty much the only
42:35visual difference anyway the rubber bumper car is still a 2003 car okay and it's still brand new
42:40it's just got a rubber bit instead of a shiny bit in the last two years lotus has sold 5000 of these
42:47leases and vauxhall has sold 1000 of these vx220s and you might think that's odd because if you peel away
42:56the bodies they're basically the same car they're even made in the same factory by the same people
43:02i can however explain what's going on got two armani jackets here open it up you see says armani in
43:11there right now in this one i've changed the label so it says millets which one are you gonna buy
43:19exactly armani and vauxhall has realized that they've realized it's no good making their car
43:27the same as the lotus it has to be much much better
43:33this then is the new vx you'll note the new spoiler on the back and its smart new wheels
43:53inside you'll take in the leather seats and if you smout around a bit you'll clock the extra sound
43:58proofing to make it even more refined you'll notice all these things and you'll think that
44:04is a really pretty pretty car well done vauxhall i'll have the lotus
44:19i mean it's not like the vauxhall is any easier to get into if you're taller than six inches or if you
44:24have any extraneous body parts at all realistically you need to take the roof off before you can get
44:32behind the wheel no problems there it has the same simple roof as the elise same basic chassis as
44:42well and with a price of 25 000 pounds it costs about the same it has the same handmade feel too there are
45:08squeaks and rattles that's a new rattle actually but there is one big difference
45:20the normal vauxhall vx the 220 has a 2.2 liter engine which is fine in a
45:27ham sandwichy sort of way but in this one they've added some pickle
45:38the engine is actually smaller just two liters but it has a turbocharger and that means 200 brake horsepower
45:46so this may be a little bit heavier than an elise thanks to its airbag and its anti-lock brakes and its
46:02soundproofing and so on even its turbo but it is hugely fast
46:08normally i like the feel of acceleration there's a warm coziness as all your internal organs are
46:17marshaled by the g-forces into a little puddle at the base of your spine but in this
46:23it's like you've been electrocuted
46:29naught to 60 takes four seconds and it keeps on kicking you in the back of the head with its
46:35million volt shoes all the way to 150 it's so quick that on the press launch in spain four of them
46:47were crashed by journalists there really was a rustle in the hedgerow
46:56do you remember when marks and spencers launched that range of underwear that was all
47:00see-through and boudoir-ish well this car is as big a departure of a vauxhall
47:07as those knickers were for mns really
47:13and you know what we haven't even got to the best bit yet it's handling
47:18i drove and elise ran this track in the last series and i know i've got fingers of butter and
47:29fists of ham but it really was very very understeery and this just isn't
47:35it's turning whoa miles of oversteer you can get it up to the limit and just hold it there
47:45i love it brilliant
47:47there's only one thing that's going to get me off this race track today that's when it runs out of fuel
47:59and that's the first time i've ever thought that while behind the wheel of a vauxhall
48:12now lotus has responded to this car with the 190 elise that we saw earlier on in the program in the
48:17track day piece but that cost 33 000 pounds 8 000 pounds more than this and this has an airbag and
48:23is more comfortable i really do believe that this is the sports car of the moment and best of all
48:29i'll give anyone a fiver if they can find the word vauxhall written anywhere on it but before i give it
48:35a completely clean bill of health one more test pray silence for the stig so off the line 200 horsepower
48:42and a feather light body on a dry track this should be fast
48:45it's dusty stigfield this car was designed by lotus and so was our track so it should be brilliant
48:55here as he goes through chicago oh that's very tidy now coming up to hammerhead this can catch out
49:04mid-engine cars but the vx has absolutely no problem at all in the first sector this car was level pegging
49:10with the bmw m3 but can it beat the bm to the finish up to gambon come on stig one minute 31.3 that
49:25is that's quicker than an m3 that is an amazingly good car really is now we've got one minute left
49:33and james may has got to use that time to get that caravan past the speed record right i've been looking
49:40at the guinness book of records it doesn't actually say that i have to use a car to tow the caravan
49:46so instead i've decided to rely on the most powerful engine in the universe gravity
50:02do you know something who'd like to see that again oh look at that
50:22i'm not sure that was faster than 125 miles an hour but i don't care absolutely don't care and on
50:32that flimsy fiberglass bomb it's time to end the show see you next week bye
50:37and there's more from the team this sunday and again next tuesday at the same time
50:48fighting to save premature babies next on bbc prime in life before birth
51:03you
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