- 2 days ago
The presenters revive the classic hot-hatch battle, testing the Ford Fiesta ST, Peugeot 208 GTi, and Renault Clio RS on the track and in real-world driving. Meanwhile, James reviews the Bentley Continental GT Speed, and Warwick Davis stars in the Reasonably Priced Car.
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Follow our channel for more car crazed mayhem. Alot more episodes to come that you don't want to miss. Like our videos and share with other car lovers!!
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MotorTranscript
00:00:00Tonight, I play tennis, Richard points at a minibus, and James shakes hands with two men.
00:00:30Hello, everybody, and welcome. Thank you very much. Thank you. Now, a few years ago, bosses at a Cheshire-based engineering company called BAC decided they'd like to make a car. Now, because they're from Cheshire, I assumed it would be made from onyx and have bullseye glass in the windows, and then door mirrors made out of Wayne Rooney's ears.
00:00:55But no. They decided it should have the four-cylinder engine from a Ford people van, the gearbox from a Formula 3 racing car, and that it should be upholstered in the same stain-resistant and waterproof material that they used to line furniture in old people's homes.
00:01:15And then they turned their attention to how it should look. Now, most car designers, for their inspiration, go to big cats and bats and jet fighters, but the men from Cheshire decided they didn't want any of that.
00:01:30They decided to take their inspiration from this.
00:01:34So, the styling of an Icelandic robot from a Björk pop video, the gearbox from a racing car, and the engine from a van. Bring them all together, and this is the result.
00:01:59It's called the Mono, and it's amazing.
00:02:15The engine may be from a Ford people carrier, but it's been fettled by Cosworth, so now it produces 280 horsepower.
00:02:23And fitting a 280 horsepower heart in a car which weighs just half a ton is, well, the effects are going to be profound.
00:02:35I can see why they lined it with material designed to resist trouser accidents, because my bladder's gone.
00:02:54It's completely gone.
00:02:57I black myself.
00:03:050-60 takes just 2.8 seconds.
00:03:13And in theory, the top speed is 170.
00:03:17But in reality, it isn't, because the Mono has the same problem as the Aerial Atom.
00:03:22No windscreen.
00:03:25At 70 miles an hour, the flight starts to boom about.
00:03:29And then, when you get to 80, it starts to come off.
00:03:40At 90, you're forced to accept that, really, you need a helmet.
00:03:45With a lid on, you can start to appreciate just how clever this car is.
00:04:02First of all, I fit.
00:04:04I mean, only just, but I do actually fit.
00:04:08And even though it has Formula One-style pushrod suspension, the ride is sublime.
00:04:13You can almost call it comfortable.
00:04:16Although, that said, at high revs, everything starts to tingle and vibrate.
00:04:23I don't want to go into too many details, but let me put it this way.
00:04:27If I were a girl, I'd like it very much.
00:04:33Strangely, even cross-eyed women can drive this car legally on the road.
00:04:38But, realistically, it's built for the track.
00:04:41So, let's see what's what.
00:04:52It's not really about straight-line speed.
00:04:56It doesn't actually feel that fast.
00:04:59And, when you get used to it, it's not that scary, either.
00:05:08If I'm honest, it's not really like driving this.
00:05:10It's like I'm conducting an orchestra of parts that know exactly what they're doing.
00:05:18They're very well rehearsed.
00:05:21There goes the French horns, and here are the violins.
00:05:24The brakes, yep, they're good.
00:05:31Gearbox is fantastic.
00:05:34It really is an absolutely instant change.
00:05:37Bang, bang, bang, ready?
00:05:41And there's more.
00:05:42Because all the heavy stuff, the engine, the gearbox, and the driver, is all in a line, low down, in the middle of the car,
00:05:54it has the same center of gravity as a worm.
00:06:00Couple that to the F1 suspension and the specially made tires, and the cornering speeds are simply immense.
00:06:08To demonstrate how immense we've set up a radar trap on the follow-through,
00:06:17and coming through it now, as fast as possible, is a Peugeot 208.
00:06:2883 and a half miles an hour.
00:06:32Then it was the turn of a BMW M3.
00:06:35Ooh, now, look at that, 90.25 miles an hour.
00:06:44After a Nissan GT-R had a go, we unleashed the mono.
00:06:53See my point?
00:06:56It is very fast, then, and it's fun.
00:06:59But what about reliability, traditionally not a strong point for small-volume British sports cars?
00:07:06The first time I drove a mono, it set fire to itself.
00:07:10The second time, the engine went wonky, and the third time, it broke down before it had even left the factory.
00:07:15So I thought of it really as another typically British, badly executed, good idea.
00:07:22But, since all those calamities, they've had 12 months to work on the design and the detailing,
00:07:29and I have to say, it looks not just very well thought out,
00:07:34but absolutely beautifully made.
00:07:38And it's not just the detailing that's beautiful, either.
00:07:44When you stand back, that's one of the most exciting shapes they've ever seen.
00:07:53The mono is the nicest thing to come out of Cheshire since the cheese.
00:07:58But it does cost £102,000, and that, for a twice-a-year toy, is a lot.
00:08:13In many ways, then, this is a bit like an iPad, because that's not cheap, either,
00:08:18and you certainly don't need one.
00:08:20But you want one, because it's such a lovely thing.
00:08:28It's just a well-known, it's just how well-made he is.
00:08:44It's gorgeous.
00:08:49I know.
00:08:49And beautifully made.
00:08:50It's a piece of jewellery.
00:08:52But.
00:08:52What?
00:08:55£102,000.
00:08:56I know, it is expensive, especially when you bear in mind
00:09:00all the other brilliant track day cars you can buy for a lot less.
00:09:03You know, the KTM, Radical, Ariel Atom.
00:09:05Morgan Three-Wheeler.
00:09:07No, I said brilliant.
00:09:09All right, the KTM R500, that's a brilliant track day car,
00:09:12and that's half the price of this.
00:09:13Yes, and that is enormously fast.
00:09:15But will this be faster?
00:09:17Well, to find out, we shall hand it over to our tame racing driver.
00:09:20Some say that he breaks into people's houses at night
00:09:24and leaves two mysterious extra keys in a kitchen drawer.
00:09:30And that, as a result of buying Pirelli condoms this week,
00:09:34he now has 17 children.
00:09:37All we know is, he's called the Stig.
00:09:40Stig snaps to attention and he's off,
00:09:43flicking off the line like a flea,
00:09:44even though the start-finish line was damp.
00:09:46Hopefully, the rest of the track's dry,
00:09:49flying into the first corner.
00:09:51He came in very hot there, but sorted it out.
00:09:53No problem at all.
00:09:57No stereo, of course.
00:09:59Just the sound of that Cosworth-tuned engine
00:10:01as he zips round Chicago.
00:10:03Absolutely rock solid.
00:10:05Now, Hammerhead, what will this reveal about the mid-engine balance?
00:10:10No drama.
00:10:11That is properly nailed down.
00:10:13Oh, but look, a well-orchestrated drift on the way out.
00:10:19High revs now.
00:10:20The vibrations will be stimulating his lady part.
00:10:24Follow through, and yes, he actually changed up through there.
00:10:28Stig is brave, even on the brink of a crisis.
00:10:31Okay, controlling it beautifully into the second-to-last corner.
00:10:36Screams up to Gambon, Racing Gearbox whining.
00:10:39Slides it through, and across the line.
00:10:42Now, here we have the Cosrom R500.
00:10:50We stood it in 1.17.9, yeah?
00:10:55BAC Mono.
00:11:011.14.3.
00:11:03The second-fast score!
00:11:05Ha-ha!
00:11:06You've never had!
00:11:07There is someone there!
00:11:09Tremendous.
00:11:12Excellent.
00:11:13And now, now, it is time for the news.
00:11:17And it's good news, because the Dacia Duster has been named Budget 4x4 Tow Car of the Year.
00:11:26Great.
00:11:27Now, I bought a bicycle.
00:11:29I thought you were looking a bit trim.
00:11:31Well, do you know, it's not really the weight that I've lost, but my core, what's it called?
00:11:35Core strength.
00:11:37Are we on loose women or something?
00:11:39No, James, as you well know, we have been for many years on last of the summer gear.
00:11:43Since I bought my bicycle, what's driving me mad is the amount of people who come and say we need to get some lycra shorts now.
00:11:49Well, you do, because it's more comfortable and it stops chafing.
00:11:53No, Hammond, you don't need...
00:11:55It's people who wear lycra shorts to go on a bicycle and go,
00:11:57Look, it's difficult and dangerous and I need special...
00:12:00You don't!
00:12:00In fact, the only thing I do wear that is a concession I make is this T-shirt, okay?
00:12:05And this is the back of it as I'm riding along.
00:12:08Motorists, thank you for letting me use your rose.
00:12:13Because I think that's polite.
00:12:14I don't believe you want a bicycle.
00:12:15I do have a bicycle.
00:12:16What kind of bicycle is it?
00:12:18I don't know, they're all the same.
00:12:19Well, is it a mountain bike?
00:12:20Is it a racer?
00:12:21When you went to the shop, you walked through the door of a bicycle shop and a man went,
00:12:26Oh my God.
00:12:28And what I'd like...
00:12:30I just said, can I have the one nearest the door?
00:12:32He was trying to say, you can have this one for £10,000 or this.
00:12:35I said, no, I just want the bicycle.
00:12:36I'll have that one.
00:12:37It's £300.
00:12:38This bicycle he sold you?
00:12:39Yeah.
00:12:40Is the front wheel a lot bigger than the back wheel?
00:12:42No.
00:12:44It's just a bicycle.
00:12:45They're all the same.
00:12:47Has it got two little ones?
00:12:48No, it hasn't got stable ones.
00:12:50It's a bicycle.
00:12:51I genuinely, I don't believe you.
00:12:53And I think this is, this has become like a new mystery.
00:12:55It's like a Yeti.
00:12:57So if maybe somebody's seen him.
00:12:59If you have seen Jeremy on his bicycle, write to us, please, at, help, I've burst from laughing.
00:13:05Top gear, Wood Lane, wherever.
00:13:07I don't believe you.
00:13:08I'm going to ride down, no, I'm not going to ride down here next week.
00:13:11That's it.
00:13:11You ought it.
00:13:12Barely ride to the paper shop.
00:13:14Now, who saw the British Grand Prix last weekend?
00:13:16Yeah.
00:13:17You may have noticed there were a lot of blowouts, okay?
00:13:19And I must say, I feel rather sorry for Pirelli.
00:13:23Because, well, no, for the last few years, tyres have been really good and grippy and lasting
00:13:27too long.
00:13:27So the organisers said to Pirelli, can you design a tyre that's a bit rubbish?
00:13:31So they did.
00:13:31And now everyone's saying, your tyres are a bit rubbish.
00:13:33So our rubbish is too rubbish.
00:13:35How much do you think Pirelli's spend developing those tyres?
00:13:38It's got to be 100 quid.
00:13:40No.
00:13:41It's going to be millions.
00:13:42Yeah, millions of pounds developing a tyre, and all they get in response is people going
00:13:47into tyre warehouses saying, I need four new tyres for my car, just not Pirelli's.
00:13:51You're right.
00:13:51And then I make silly jokes when I'm introducing the stick about it.
00:13:54I mean, I just think it's really...
00:13:55God, wrong, it backfired.
00:13:56This is exactly why I don't get Formula One, because surely it should be the pinnacle of
00:14:01automotive technology.
00:14:02Pirelli should make a tyre as good as it is possible to make a tyre.
00:14:05They should have active aerodynamics.
00:14:07They should be having, you know, traction control, the most sophisticated in the world,
00:14:11ABS invisibility cloaks, all that.
00:14:13They should be allowed to have anything they want.
00:14:15The problem is, though, James, is the organisers are trying to make Formula One like a level playing
00:14:19field to make it a driver's championship.
00:14:21And it isn't.
00:14:22You could put Sebastian Vettel in a Marussi, he's going to come last.
00:14:24Well, exactly.
00:14:25Let's just make it a championship for car makers, and then let the designers have completely
00:14:30free reign.
00:14:30They can just do anything.
00:14:31Do you know what I'd do?
00:14:32I'd make a car that was the exact width of the track.
00:14:38How clever is that?
00:14:40No, no, you see, that's interesting.
00:14:41That would only work if you qualified at the front, otherwise...
00:14:44No, no, you wouldn't have to.
00:14:45No, no, no, no, no, because it would be a top-field-type dragster, okay?
00:14:48So it'd be very poor around the corners, and I'd qualify last.
00:14:50But I would accelerate really quickly, past the... before the first corner, and then
00:14:55it would expand.
00:14:56Oh, it grows.
00:14:57You'll fill the track.
00:14:58Yeah, that's...
00:14:59Really, I've just won the championship.
00:15:01Jeremy, what you're proposing is wacky races.
00:15:03I know.
00:15:04It's a thing you could have, like, a dog as you co-drive it.
00:15:08And I have a...
00:15:10I want a giant circular saw on the front of my car, but here's the clever thing.
00:15:15I can only use it once a lap.
00:15:17See?
00:15:18So you've got DRS zone, then the saw zone.
00:15:21It's a good idea.
00:15:22I'd fit my Formula One car with time travel.
00:15:27If you think about it.
00:15:28No.
00:15:29Because the commentator would go, and they're off!
00:15:31And James had one.
00:15:32That's clever.
00:15:36It's already happening.
00:15:36This is...
00:15:37We've solved Formula One.
00:15:39Again, the world just doesn't work without us in it, does it?
00:15:42No.
00:15:43Volvo News!
00:15:44Yes.
00:15:45Hooray!
00:15:45They have launched a car which parks itself.
00:15:49And I don't mean you sit in it, OK?
00:15:50The idea is you pull up outside your office, get up, go into your office, it goes off, finds
00:15:56a space, I'm not making this up, and parks in it.
00:16:00The only problem is, OK, when you come out of your office, how do you know where it's parked?
00:16:07What if it's had to park three streets away?
00:16:10Or what if it's just given up and gone home?
00:16:12Well, is it...
00:16:13Well, hang on, how does it know what the rules are?
00:16:16You know those signs that go with single yellow lines and those ones where there are two lines
00:16:19on the curb?
00:16:20They're complicated.
00:16:21How can...
00:16:21Well, I mean, it's Swedish anyway, so it can't read it.
00:16:25What worries me about this is the roads are going to be full of driverless, slightly panicky
00:16:30Volvo scurrying about, no park here, can it park there, where can it go?
00:16:34It's going to be terrifying.
00:16:34It's the lampposts.
00:16:36What?
00:16:36All the lampposts are going to have missing Volvo pictures on.
00:16:40He's only a year old and he's got tiddles and he went to...
00:16:43He turns off to find a parking space and I haven't seen him since.
00:16:48Anyway, let's move on.
00:16:50Let's move on.
00:16:50Now, there has been a whole rash of new supercars launched recently.
00:16:53This is the one I'm interested in, this Ferrari.
00:16:55That has...
00:16:56Yeah, indeed.
00:16:57Ooh, it has an 800 horsepower V12.
00:17:00It has a Kerr system, like a Formula One car.
00:17:03It's going to cost around a million quid, but I think they've got a bit of a problem with
00:17:07the name because they've called it LaFerrari.
00:17:10Well, sorry, what's wrong with that?
00:17:13I mean, it is.
00:17:13No, but that's the model name and LaFerrari means the Ferrari, so that's the Ferrari, the
00:17:18Ferrari.
00:17:20The supercar I really want is by Pagani.
00:17:23They've got a new car out, except they sort of haven't because it's yet another version
00:17:27of the Zonda, their old car.
00:17:29There it is.
00:17:29And what's new about that?
00:17:30Not a lot, really.
00:17:32Apart from the price, it's now 2.3 million pounds.
00:17:36What?
00:17:36Yeah.
00:17:37Right, it's going to...
00:17:38What, for a second-hand car?
00:17:39Yeah, it is.
00:17:40Yeah.
00:17:41Do you know, the one I'm most interested in, and this is the McLaren P1, because this is
00:17:46just shy of a million quid, so it's almost a bargain.
00:17:49Yeah.
00:17:50And it's got a 903 horsepower engine.
00:17:55903, what fascinates me is there's a wing that comes out of the back of it, which has got
00:17:58DRS on it.
00:17:59You know what DRS is with the...
00:18:00In Formula One, it opens.
00:18:02Now, I'm thinking, if you've got 903 horsepower, when would you ever think, right, I need more
00:18:06straight-line speed, I'll deploy the DRS wing.
00:18:10Well, it could happen.
00:18:11Oh, that post office van is getting a shift on.
00:18:13I'll deploy DRS.
00:18:14No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:18:15You will need that, your DRS, when you come across me in the Ferrari, the Ferrari, because,
00:18:22I hadn't read this properly, it has got 800 horsepower in the engine, but, of course,
00:18:26it's got a curve system.
00:18:27When you deploy it and use the electric bit as well, ahem, 963 horsepower.
00:18:35And is that all going through the rear wheel?
00:18:36Yes, it is.
00:18:37Hang on a minute.
00:18:37That's broadly the same amount of power you get from a Bugatti Veyron, which is almost
00:18:41exactly twice as heavy as the Ferrari, and it has four-wheel drive.
00:18:47That's going to be an handful.
00:18:50Yes.
00:18:51It's only quite exciting, though, isn't it?
00:18:53I want to go in it.
00:18:54I really want to go in it.
00:18:55I really want to go in the McLaren.
00:18:56Thinking that would be an epic test.
00:18:58You in that Ferrari, you in the McLaren, me in that Zonda.
00:19:00Anybody want to see that?
00:19:01I want to do that.
00:19:02I want to do that.
00:19:03Yes, how do I?
00:19:04I want to do that.
00:19:05Let's see if we can put that together.
00:19:06Yeah, I want to do that.
00:19:07But you know, people often come up to us and say, when will Top Gear end?
00:19:11About three minutes after us three have set off.
00:19:14Yeah.
00:19:15In a big fireball.
00:19:16Yeah.
00:19:17Does anybody want to see that?
00:19:19Right.
00:19:20Let's move on, because it is now 11 years we've been on air.
00:19:23And in all that time, there is one vehicle that we have never reviewed, which is a surprise,
00:19:28because it's the most popular, important and used vehicle in the world.
00:19:36I'm talking, of course, about the taxi.
00:19:39The lifeblood of people movement wherever you go in the world.
00:19:46And Britain's contribution to this effort needs no introduction.
00:19:51It's a staple of any London street scene.
00:19:56There are currently around 19,000 black cabs moving people across the capital.
00:20:02And this vast fleet covers almost half a billion miles a year.
00:20:08There's another.
00:20:09There's another.
00:20:10There's another.
00:20:11Literally everywhere.
00:20:12London life has caused the black cab to evolve into an amazingly efficient vehicle.
00:20:18It's famous tiny turning circle, for example, is the result of the need to tackle the roundabout outside the Savoy.
00:20:25Then there's the black cab driver.
00:20:30No cabbie in the world has to go through an ordeal as fearsome as the knowledge, which requires that all London taxi drivers memorise 25,000 streets.
00:20:43The test is so tough, in fact, that cabbies develop an extra large hippocampus, which is the area of the brain associated with memory, navigation and views on immigration.
00:20:55Put this combination of man and machine together, and what you have is indisputable.
00:21:02What you have is, without doubt, obviously, unquestionably, no arguments, the best taxi in the world.
00:21:13Or is it?
00:21:14The thing is, a New York taxi driver would probably disagree with that statement.
00:21:22He'd say, yeah, you may have more space in the back, but your London taxi is slow and the ride is terrible.
00:21:30Whereas my yellow taxi has a big V8 and proper suspension.
00:21:34But then a cabbie in Delhi would say my Indian taxi is built to last longer.
00:21:39Basically, every cabbie everywhere in the world could argue for one reason or another that their taxi is the best.
00:21:46Which means, if we really want to find out which is the greatest taxi in the world, there is only one way to do it.
00:21:53And that is, as ever, in the prison of the furnace, through the looking glass of the crucible of motorsport.
00:22:03That means a race, and the venue for our global showdown will be Lyddon Hill in Kent.
00:22:10Famous throughout the motorsport world for being the only racetrack with its own cab office.
00:22:16That plywood cab office looks perilously close to the track.
00:22:25I sincerely hope no harm befalls it.
00:22:28Anyway, let's now meet our grid of taxis from around the world.
00:22:33Representing Great Britain, we have a 1997 fairway driver, which, with a mere 320,000 miles on the clock, is barely running.
00:22:46From Mexico, a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.
00:22:5250,000 of these things ply their trade in Mexico City alone.
00:22:57From America, one of the titans of the taxi world, a New York yellow cab.
00:23:04This particular one is a Ford Crown Victoria.
00:23:08Rear-wheel drive, 4.6-litre V8, and in its day, good for 130.
00:23:13That's one to worry about.
00:23:14From India, the Hindustan ambassador.
00:23:19Very much the old-timer here.
00:23:21The ambassador has been India's favourite taxi for an incredible 55 years.
00:23:27Next, from South Africa, we have this.
00:23:31A Toyota Hiace.
00:23:33Whereas, in most countries, they will be rooting for their local taxi, you can expect the South Africans to be booing.
00:23:41Because these things are hated and feared for their wild aggression.
00:23:45Moving on to this, from Germany, it's the Mercedes E-Class.
00:23:52Neat, smart, and fastidiously maintained.
00:23:55And finally, from Russia, a stretched Lincoln town car.
00:24:02Now, that might not look like a cab, but it is.
00:24:06In Russia, rich oligarchs hail limos just like this to get around.
00:24:12So, if you think we've included a powerful, rear-wheel-drive, 30-foot-long car just in the hope it'll cause chaos, get that thought out of your head.
00:24:21So, there we are then, the world's most iconic taxis, each poised and ready to defend the honour of its country.
00:24:30Now, the cab drivers.
00:24:33And naturally, because of the magnitude of what's at stake here, each country has sent its very best.
00:24:39But they all must have got lost or something, so instead, we have the usual ragtag bunch of racing drivers.
00:24:45For Russia, touring car legend Anthony Reid.
00:24:51For South Africa, touring car legend Matt Jackson.
00:24:56For Germany, touring car legend Matt Neal.
00:25:02For India, touring car legend Gordon Shedden.
00:25:07For Mexico, touring car legend Paul O'Neal.
00:25:11For America, touring car legend Tom Chilton.
00:25:17And, in the black cab, me.
00:25:21So, here we are, ready to plunge once more into the abyss of motorsport-based scientific research.
00:25:28I should point out it is the custom for Indian taxi drivers to carry a figurine of their chosen god on the dashboard of their car.
00:25:43I think our guy may have overdone it a bit.
00:25:46A bit.
00:25:53Guy's getting impatient, that's good.
00:25:56Five-second board.
00:26:05Yeah!
00:26:06What?
00:26:07The South African is true.
00:26:11New York taxi alongside German taxi.
00:26:14Everybody is true.
00:26:16Absolutely everybody is past.
00:26:19But, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
00:26:24As ever, I'd issued strict instructions for the drivers to avoid body contact.
00:26:29Clearly, the South African hadn't got the memo.
00:26:35The South African was completely insane, largely out of control.
00:26:47Huge slide from the limo, that's incredible!
00:26:50But, while the Russian limo may have been struggling in the corners, I had issues everywhere.
00:27:02Yeah.
00:27:04Quite badly outpaced on the hill, on the straights, and in the turns.
00:27:11This is all I've got.
00:27:13However, I had a plan.
00:27:16When it comes to cunning, remember, black cab drivers do the knowledge.
00:27:20I know where all the shortcuts are.
00:27:23I'll lift down here, love.
00:27:25Thanks for my super-time turning circle, I can make this.
00:27:29That's me, back of the race.
00:27:31I'd say more than back in, I am leading it.
00:27:34Sadly, my fellow cabbies weren't impressed by this tactic.
00:27:39And when they caught up with me, they were quick to show their displeasure.
00:27:44It was just ramming me, that was just...
00:27:47Oh, you're joking!
00:27:50Yeah.
00:27:52Some good-natured jostling from the other nations.
00:27:54With the race now at the halfway point, no clear leader was emerging, which meant, inevitably, the drivers began to turn up the heat.
00:28:13Oh, there's been a class, but we're okay.
00:28:25Fed up of the South African's hooliganism, the limo gave him a taste of his own medicine.
00:28:32Whoa!
00:28:33Getting a push now!
00:28:34This is, by far and away, the fastest I have been!
00:28:35Oh, Jesus!
00:28:36Sorry!
00:28:37Sorry about that.
00:28:38Oh, God, it's Mexican, isn't it?
00:28:39Oh, that's going to be bad.
00:28:40With just two laps to go, everybody was still running.
00:28:41But then...
00:28:42Oh!
00:28:43Oh, oh!
00:28:44Olivia takes himself off entirely.
00:28:45Oh, the now is over, he's right at uno.
00:28:48Oh Jesus. Sorry about that.
00:28:53Oh God, it's Mexican, isn't it? Oh, that's going to be bad.
00:28:59With just two laps to go, everybody was still running.
00:29:03But then...
00:29:09Oh, Oliver takes himself off entirely.
00:29:12Oh my word, that is Russia taken out.
00:29:19In fact, America has taken itself out as well.
00:29:26Right, still in play, we have the Beetle.
00:29:32The Mercedes holding up well has really sustained very little damage.
00:29:36But the marauding South African had other ideas.
00:29:43Oh!
00:29:46Bad luck.
00:29:48Now into the final lap and desperate to beat the remaining runners,
00:29:52I took another sneaky turn.
00:30:02There is the finish line.
00:30:07I think I could win this.
00:30:12Oh, no, no, no!
00:30:19It's entirely possible that I am a bit last.
00:30:24Nevertheless, the crucible of motorsport had once more given us the answer.
00:30:31As it turns out, the greatest taxi in the world is the Hindustan Ambassador.
00:30:38Well done, mate.
00:30:40Excellent.
00:30:41Excellent.
00:30:42Good science.
00:30:43But may I ask, Hammond, an important question.
00:30:44How many people were killed in the making of that film?
00:30:46Yeah.
00:30:47Actually, only three.
00:30:48Three.
00:30:49You see, that's more than I was hoping for.
00:30:51But with science, that often has to be sacrifice.
00:30:52But you've decided, have you not, after subjecting those cars to the white heat of the crucible of motorsport, that the best taxi in the world started out in life as a Morris Oxford.
00:31:04Yeah.
00:31:05And there it is.
00:31:06Yeah.
00:31:07That will explain why the company that makes the London black cab has gone bust then, wouldn't it?
00:31:10No, you say that.
00:31:11They're back.
00:31:12They've been rescued.
00:31:13They're going to start production again very soon.
00:31:14Yeah.
00:31:15Well, pointlessly as it turns out.
00:31:16Yes.
00:31:17Absolutely.
00:31:18So, let's put a star in our brand new reasonably priced car.
00:31:21Now, you may be aware that later on this year, we're going to be treated to a film called Rush.
00:31:24It's about the epic battle in 1976 for the Formula One World Championship between James Hunt and Nicky Lauda.
00:31:29And my guest tonight is the man who directed it.
00:31:31Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ron Howard.
00:31:34Yeah.
00:31:35Yeah.
00:31:36Yeah.
00:31:37Yeah.
00:31:38Yeah.
00:31:39Yeah.
00:31:40Yeah.
00:31:41Yeah.
00:31:42Yeah.
00:31:43Yeah.
00:31:44Yeah.
00:31:45Yeah.
00:31:46Yeah.
00:31:47Yeah.
00:31:48Yeah.
00:31:49Yeah.
00:31:50Yeah.
00:31:51Yeah.
00:31:52Yeah.
00:31:53Yeah.
00:31:54Yeah.
00:31:55Yeah.
00:31:56Yeah.
00:31:57Yeah.
00:31:58Yeah.
00:31:59Yeah.
00:32:04Yeah.
00:32:05Yeah.
00:32:06Yeah.
00:32:07Yeah.
00:32:08Yeah.
00:32:10Yeah.
00:32:11Yeah.
00:32:12Yeah.
00:32:13Yeah.
00:32:14Yeah.
00:32:15Yeah.
00:32:16One of the years your films have been nominated I think for 29 Oscars and I think you've won two
00:32:17yourself and now you've made a historical film about a sport that most of the world's
00:32:21that most of the world doesn't really watch so why why did you think yeah
00:32:27hunting louder great story great human interest story and I knew just enough
00:32:33about Formula One to just know how cool it was and I felt like that the
00:32:36combination of those characters the kind of human drama the the world of Formula
00:32:41One particularly in the 70s was a chance to offer something really fresh to
00:32:46audiences I was a movie I wanted to see because I was I mean I was very nervous
00:32:49about it I'll be honest I thought oh no they'll make it too nerdy and then
00:32:52everyone sell Formula One's boring or they'll do Hollywood number of L of
00:32:56speed and that would be you know it will be set in NASCAR just to make it easier
00:33:00for the Americans to understand and yet it's it's it's neither of those things it
00:33:06is genuinely a film that takes you back to the 70s when motor racing was bloody
00:33:12dangerous well you weren't the only one who was nervous you know you certainly
00:33:15want the fans to feel the sports respected but you also need to make a movie that
00:33:19works on a lot of levels for a lot of people and you know I had that
00:33:22opportunity with Apollo 13 and it and it's and it's one of the films I enjoyed
00:33:27making most and I got to tell you rushes right up there I had a blast doing it is
00:33:31we've actually got a clip for those of you who want to see what it looks like
00:33:34well let's show it for you now because it is quite something
00:33:39there's a lie that all drivers tell themselves death is something that happens
00:33:44to other people what kind of person does a job like this each year two of us die
00:33:50I accept every time I get in my car there's 20% chance I could die being
00:33:55driven around 170 miles per hour this thing's a bomb on wheels I'm quicker than
00:34:00all of you and let's race
00:34:11I'm world champion on the verge to become world champion again I can beat this guy
00:34:17trust me the closer you are to death
00:34:24in the film you show Nicky louder warts and all I had no idea he was like that
00:34:42you know this OCD very straight guy how did he react when he saw the finished
00:34:47products when he saw it he he was moved by it and I think it was because he never
00:34:53really had a perspective on that period around the accident and you know he first
00:34:59of all couldn't remember very much of it secondly what he does remember was all
00:35:02about the anger that people were writing him off thought he died and he could hear
00:35:07that and also the myopic drive to get back in the car and he was so single-minded
00:35:12that he sort of blanked everything else out and when he saw this he began to
00:35:15realize you know what other people around him Marlena his wife then in
00:35:21particular but what they were going through and a more human side of it I
00:35:24think it was so emotional for him to deal with and then of course you've got
00:35:27James Hunt is the complete counterbalance to that and then we've got a picture of
00:35:30James Hunt which we keep up in our office wall this is this just sums him up
00:35:35look he's pop riveted car he's thinking when I finish this cigarette and this
00:35:39kind of beer you my dear are next you just don't see this today it's one of
00:35:44the tragedies I think you can't see Nico Rosberg pose I'd like to thank my watch
00:35:49manufacturer and my hat manufacturer and the people who made my oil that's what I
00:35:52really like about it is there two guys who they bowed to no one you know I mean
00:35:57there was there was no Yoda guiding them to their higher purpose that these these
00:36:01were these were guys who define themselves on their own terms very
00:36:04different terms yeah but you know and they look they they they would bear the
00:36:10scars of those decisions but they also could certainly claim the triumphs now
00:36:14I'm sure everybody in the room here we move off rush I'm sure everybody in the
00:36:18room here is looking at you thinking everyone over 40 that is because that is a
00:36:23familiar face because I think a lot of people don't realize that you were in
00:36:27happy days you are Richie Cunningham I this amazing film director but you were so he
00:36:43really did then obviously switch into directing and I was just making a list
00:36:46of the better-known ones that you've directed and it's this is extraordinary
00:36:50splash cocoon Apollo 13 da Vinci code beautiful mind frost nixon angels and
00:36:54demons backdrop parenthood that's very thank you ransom because and I'm just
00:36:59thinking hang on a minute so you did all happy days and all that only do a car show
00:37:04just how do you find the time the simple answer is I enjoy what I'm doing so I
00:37:11don't need a hobby I love this then you know having been on a show like happy days
00:37:14you sort of are doing the same character over and over and when I realized I had a
00:37:19chance to be a director I thought I want to do as many diverse things as I
00:37:23possibly can so I was renting 16 millimeter cameras making my own little
00:37:28independent movies eventually doing my first movie which was a car movie Grand
00:37:31Theft Auto car crash comedy and I did that during one of the hiatus is from from
00:37:36happy days no moving on to personal life of a made for children yeah their middle
00:37:42names interest me oh oh yeah I guess because you've got one called middle name
00:37:48of Dallas yeah which I believe was named after the city where she was conceived
00:37:53conceived yeah then you got twins both of you have the middle name Carlisle yeah you
00:37:58know in New York there's a lovely hotel called the Carlisle okay and and we we
00:38:08sorted that one out kind of backtracked and and thought well that's that's
00:38:11actually a very beautiful middle name let's keep the tradition okay but is that
00:38:14no the son the youngest son is called cross cross read cross Howard we sort of
00:38:20found out we were you know we were pregnant again great all right well let's
00:38:24sort through it I wonder if we can figure it out
00:38:28Volvo's not much of a middle name
00:38:32and uh Volvo doesn't work but there is a road near us called Lower Cross Road
00:38:41which is where the Volvo was
00:38:46we have a good marriage
00:38:47yeah it's evidently Richard Hammond does the same I was talking to his kids the
00:38:51other day they're called uh bus stop and buy the bigs
00:38:54now you are the first person to properly drive our brand new reasonably priced car
00:39:03yes what did you think of it first of all I will say the right hand drive and the
00:39:07and the and the gear shift on the left was a concern to me the correct way round
00:39:12it was uh it definitely it definitely threw me and I also implore before you get into
00:39:18all this I just implore anyone who has any interest in seeing my movie rush you know
00:39:24I didn't drive in the movie
00:39:26real drivers drove in the movie right there's your excuses out of the way okay
00:39:32now who'd like to see Ron's lap
00:39:34oh lord let's have a look
00:39:39look at that mighty machine leaping off the line
00:39:44you've got to stick it Ron you've got to really stick it
00:39:48Nicky was giving me a little coaching
00:39:50that's Nicky Lauder's explanation
00:39:52and he said you've got to stick it you've got to really stick it
00:39:56holy smokes is that sticking it I don't know
00:40:00yeah not using all the track
00:40:02smooth
00:40:04right I don't know
00:40:06do you know that car is really gripping quite well there
00:40:10this is the one that always
00:40:12destroys me
00:40:14the fearsome the fearsome hammerhead
00:40:16look I look like I'm being destroyed don't I
00:40:18no this is looking good that's very good very tidy listen to that engine
00:40:24wow what a machine this is
00:40:28concentrate here a little bit
00:40:30see I'm taking it seriously
00:40:32you were that is a man who's concentrating
00:40:35tires tortured as it goes through the follow through
00:40:38nicely done
00:40:40nicely cut there let's have a look at the second to last corner
00:40:42this is the bit is normally
00:40:44yeah catch oh
00:40:46bang on
00:40:48and then into gambon
00:40:50and yep look at that grip that's bloody good
00:40:53now there we are across the line
00:40:55oh wow
00:41:02oh thank you
00:41:03so long
00:41:07not many times on the board
00:41:09where do you think you've come
00:41:11oh lord
00:41:12well it wasn't quite as ugly as I imagined it would be
00:41:14my directors eye on the outside had it looking pretty
00:41:17pretty bad
00:41:18it looks smooth
00:41:19not sure about fast but it looks smooth
00:41:21so where do we think
00:41:23I'd like to think I'm not flat on the bottom
00:41:27that would be Mike Rutherford out of Genesis
00:41:29I suspect I'm right down there
00:41:31that's where I think
00:41:33Ron Howard
00:41:34yeah
00:41:35you did it in one
00:41:36right
00:41:37so that's good
00:41:38ok
00:41:4040
00:41:41oh ok not the very bottom
00:41:43so that's good
00:41:44eh
00:41:45next bit's not so good
00:41:499.9
00:41:51ha ha ha ha
00:41:53yeah
00:41:54ok
00:41:56ha ha ha
00:41:57ok
00:41:58well you know the bottom
00:41:59are you serious
00:42:01so
00:42:03what this means is
00:42:06we've finally found something you can't do
00:42:11good at directing
00:42:12brilliant in happy days
00:42:14a charming human being
00:42:15but utterly crap at me
00:42:17fair enough
00:42:18gentlemen Ron Howard
00:42:19thank you
00:42:20thank you
00:42:32now
00:42:33you may have seen
00:42:34that a few months ago the famous BBC TV centre closed down
00:42:40and when it did the airwaves were swamped with emotional tributes from the giants of television
00:42:45Ronnie Corbett
00:42:46David Attenborough
00:42:47Michael Parkinson
00:42:48but nothing from Top Gear
00:42:50until now
00:42:52this is the building in question
00:42:56for 53 years it was the engine room for some of the most iconic television in the world
00:43:06but now today this is all that's left
00:43:13and that is great news because what we've realised is that once you take away all the people and the tea trolley and you've locked all the doors this abandoned building makes an excellent venue for a race
00:43:29you have these curving corridors that could be long fast sweepers on a top F1 track
00:43:36you have these beautiful offices full of interesting obstacles and technical turns
00:43:43and you have all this outdoor area where you can literally get some air
00:43:50all in all a unique and exciting racing circuit I think you'll agree
00:43:54and so to the racers
00:43:56now unfortunately this building isn't really very suitable for cars
00:44:00as indeed Jeremy proved a while back with the Peel P50
00:44:03so today we'll be racing these two
00:44:07of which there are three
00:44:10we have Dougie Lampkin MBE
00:44:13a trials rider with 16 world titles to his name
00:44:17and he's up against Tim Sheaf and Paul Joseph
00:44:22two of the finest freerunners on the planet
00:44:26now they may not have an engine between them
00:44:28but apparently they can run along corridors and scamper over balconies and fire escapes like a couple of randy squirrels
00:44:36so with the introductions over let's look at the route of the race itself
00:44:40here we have a bird's eye view of Television Centre
00:44:46it's actually only a model
00:44:47and you will see it's shaped a little bit like a question mark
00:44:50so what I'm proposing is we start here
00:44:52which is roughly where we're standing now
00:44:54enter the building at the base of the question mark
00:44:56and then race all the way through it to finish here
00:44:59which is up there
00:45:05as an excited crowd gathered I position myself on the finish line
00:45:11are you ready?
00:45:14eight
00:45:16three
00:45:17two
00:45:18one
00:45:19now this is interesting
00:45:34Dougie Lampkin has chosen to go through the door
00:45:37but the youths are making their way up the outside of the building
00:45:41which actually isn't such a bad idea
00:45:42because once you're inside here
00:45:44you will be completely baffled
00:45:46they stay on the outside
00:45:47they will have some idea of where they're going
00:45:49good thinking
00:45:58right this should allow me to get a direct feed from any of the CCTV cameras around the building
00:46:04oh and there are the jumpy boys
00:46:07they are literally breaking news
00:46:22as the youths made their way through the newsroom
00:46:25Dougie was looking for a way upstairs
00:46:27there is Dougie Lampkin
00:46:32in the news night office the youths had found their path blocked
00:46:37and were having to make their way down again
00:46:39having found himself literally in a lock-in in the BBC bar
00:46:54Dougie too needed to find a way back down
00:47:04so he is
00:47:07But Dougie, too, needed to find a way back down.
00:47:18So he is, God knows, somewhere over in the main leg of the question mark,
00:47:24just approaching the curvy bit.
00:47:27I've no idea who's in the lead, but it's very exciting.
00:47:31That, chaps, is a locked door.
00:47:42Oh, yeah, the health and safety department will have something to say about that.
00:47:53Into the studio and the darlings still waiting at the bottom of the stairs there.
00:48:01Amazingly, even though the youths were now at the management offices on the sixth floor,
00:48:07they were having no trouble making decisions.
00:48:19Meanwhile, Dougie, now completely frustrated by the maze of BBC corridors,
00:48:25had decided on a more direct approach.
00:48:29Oh.
00:48:31And Dougie Lampkin is going onto the roof, I believe.
00:48:42Oh.
00:48:43Oh.
00:48:44Oh.
00:48:44Let's go.
00:49:14I can hear a bike.
00:49:37Oh, it's Dougie Lampin, ladies and gentlemen.
00:49:41What a fantastic two-wheeled tribute to BBC Television Centre, W128QT.
00:49:46Congratulations, sir.
00:49:48Where are the free runners?
00:49:50And here they come.
00:49:53Tim Sheaf, Paul Joseph.
00:49:56Close, not quite close enough, but well done anyway, chaps.
00:49:59Your victor, Dougie Lampin.
00:50:01How was it?
00:50:02I'm knackered.
00:50:03That thing's a lab, really.
00:50:04You know there's a lift in that tall bit there.
00:50:08You just go straight up to the top.
00:50:14That was incredible.
00:50:17I couldn't do a scene of things, those guys, didn't I?
00:50:20Oh, you're going to do a job.
00:50:21That's so amazing.
00:50:23I just want to say that when I made that film, Television Centre had closed.
00:50:30But since then, owing to the unique way the BBC has run, they've decided to open it again.
00:50:37Right.
00:50:38So you've made a tribute film to a building that isn't shut.
00:50:42Yeah.
00:50:42Isn't that like making an obituary for Holly Willoughby?
00:50:47Yeah.
00:50:47But imagine how pleased you'd be when you found out she was still alive.
00:50:51That's part of it.
00:50:52Chaps, may I interrupt?
00:50:54Because I much enjoyed your Smashing Up the Taxi film and your race between the motorcyclist and the two pedestrians.
00:51:00But I'm afraid we have to get serious now.
00:51:02Because we've had a letter.
00:51:04Oh, no.
00:51:04It's from, well, it's from a mealy-mouthed, small-minded idiot.
00:51:10And it says, dear Jeremy Clarkson, because Britain is so crowded and there's so much traffic,
00:51:16there's no point owning a Ferrari and therefore no point road testing them on your programme.
00:51:24Well, now, I disagree, Mr. Small-Minded Idiot, because there are plenty of places in Britain that aren't crowded at all.
00:51:34This is Hertfordshire.
00:51:42It's just 40 miles from London and it's motoring Nirvana.
00:51:51Mmm, we have everything we need.
00:51:54New scenery, swooping road, no traffic.
00:51:57The Holy Trinity for anyone whose communion wine comes with an octane rating.
00:52:03Can't enjoy a Ferrari in Britain?
00:52:07Oh, yes, you can.
00:52:10But, can you enjoy this one?
00:52:18It's called the F12.
00:52:21It costs £240,000 and thanks to a 730 horsepower V12,
00:52:27it's the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever made.
00:52:31It's almost as powerful, in fact, as Fernando Alonso's Formula One racer.
00:52:37Of course, at this point, people with mouths of meal would say,
00:52:49and what's the point of all that, then, when we've got speed limits?
00:52:53Well, you don't have to use all of it all the time.
00:52:58In a town, you can sit back, turn on the radio, put the suspension in bumpy road mode
00:53:05to make everything nice and comfy, set the gearbox in automatic and the air conditioning just so,
00:53:10and then you can drive along quite happily at 20 miles an hour.
00:53:13Easy.
00:53:16It's not even, especially big.
00:53:20I'm not saying this is tiny, but it's not preposterous.
00:53:24You don't go through every gap like that.
00:53:28So, this car works in Letchworth just like any other car.
00:53:32But, when the built-up area ends, it's not like any other car at all.
00:53:46Wow.
00:53:47Wow, this is far.
00:53:49Ferrari say it'll go from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds.
00:54:07And that, flat out, it'll be doing 211 miles an hour.
00:54:12And it's not just the massive engine which makes it all so savage.
00:54:16Unlike the old 599, this has a double-clutch gearbox,
00:54:23so gear changes are immediate.
00:54:27You build up the speed until the noise gets too much
00:54:30and your ears are bleeding and then you change up and there's no gap.
00:54:35How does it do that?
00:54:40They've also fitted a more sophisticated traction control system
00:54:43which lets you have fun without allowing you to crash.
00:54:53But the most impressive thing is how this car manages the air.
00:54:58These flaps down here, when the brakes are hot,
00:55:05they open to allow cooling air to pass onto the discs.
00:55:09But the rest of the time, they're shut for better aerodynamics.
00:55:13And then you have these channels on either side of the bonnet.
00:55:16The air is funneled along them, into here and out of here,
00:55:20so it provides a boundary layer of smooth air
00:55:24passing down the flanks of the car, making it more slippery.
00:55:27There's real downforce as well.
00:55:29At 125 miles an hour,
00:55:31the weight of the air pressing down on the car is 19 stone.
00:55:36That's like having half of John Prescott on the roof,
00:55:39forcing the tyres into the tarmac, giving better grip.
00:55:43They have done everything in the book, then,
00:55:48to exploit the colossal firepower.
00:55:52And the results are mesmerising.
00:55:59In the past, big Ferraris felt big.
00:56:05Testarossa and the 612, they were immense.
00:56:08They were fat-boy cars.
00:56:10This isn't. This is light and nimble and sharp.
00:56:15It's... it is spectacular.
00:56:24I must confess, though, that while the car is fine,
00:56:29I am struggling because it is a bit frantic in here.
00:56:34I just went airborne, then!
00:56:45You read about those early test pilots in Mach 2 jet fighters
00:56:50going to the very limits of what was possible.
00:56:54That's what it feels like in this,
00:56:56like you're sort of out of control.
00:56:58And it has incredibly fast steering,
00:57:08so the slightest movement of the wheel
00:57:10causes an immediate dart one way or the other.
00:57:15And then there's the throttle.
00:57:17You put your foot down and you think,
00:57:18oh, yes, and then immediately you think,
00:57:20well, no, actually, too scary.
00:57:22And when life is as hectic as this,
00:57:32what you really want
00:57:34are for all the controls to be conventional.
00:57:37And they're not.
00:57:38All the knobs and buttons for the lights
00:57:40and the wipers and the indicators
00:57:42are all on the steering wheel,
00:57:43which moves about,
00:57:45so they're never where you left them.
00:57:46You can't even sneeze when you're driving this car,
00:57:51because if you did,
00:57:52well, they'd have to hose you off the road.
00:57:57To try and explain what I'm on about,
00:58:00I've come to this tennis court.
00:58:08This is what it's like
00:58:10to drive an ordinary car
00:58:13on the roads of Hertfordshire.
00:58:16a Ferrari F12.
00:58:18Here we go.
00:58:19Golf GTI.
00:58:21BMW M3.
00:58:23Ferrari 458.
00:58:26This is easy
00:58:27and manageable
00:58:28and I could do it
00:58:30all day.
00:58:32Now, let me show you
00:58:34what it's like
00:58:35to drive
00:58:37a Ferrari F12.
00:58:41Oh, in the face!
00:58:51Oh, in the face!
00:58:51The Stig says this
00:59:10is the only car in the world
00:59:12that can hold a candle
00:59:14to the Lexus LFA.
00:59:16He also says it's the first Ferrari
00:59:18he's ever driven
00:59:19that he would actually buy
00:59:21if he had any concept of money,
00:59:23which, of course, he doesn't.
00:59:26Me, though?
00:59:27Oh, I mean, it is brilliant.
00:59:31But I think it would be better still
00:59:33if it had slower steering.
00:59:36And it's hard for me to say this,
00:59:37but a bit less power.
00:59:42Yes, you can really enjoy it
00:59:45in Britain,
00:59:47but you can't really enjoy all of it.
00:59:49Oh, I mean, it's fantastic.
01:00:07Oh, it is fantastic.
01:00:08I still have an Alaphane.
01:00:10The Alaphane's a hundred grand more,
01:00:12although the option's on this.
01:00:14They do take it up to some people as well.
01:00:16Hang on, hang on, hang on.
01:00:19What?
01:00:19Did I just hear you,
01:00:21Jeremy Clarkson,
01:00:22say that you'd like a bit less power?
01:00:25Yes, you did.
01:00:27Isn't that a bit like Gordon Ramsay saying,
01:00:29yes, I like this dish,
01:00:30but I wish it had a bit less flavour?
01:00:32Or James May saying,
01:00:34yes, I like this,
01:00:35but can it be a bit less brown?
01:00:37Yeah, no, it is like that,
01:00:39but it is a bombshell,
01:00:41which means we can end.
01:00:43Thank you very much for watching.
01:00:44See you all next week.
01:00:45Take care.
01:00:45Good night.
01:00:51Griff Rhys Jones heads for Ghana next on BBC2
01:00:55to uncover the wartime story of his father
01:00:57and a forgotten army
01:00:59who fought for the Allies in the Burmese jungle.
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