Top Gear: Bolivia Special
Encyclopedia
Top Gear: Bolivia Special is a special 76 minute episode of the motoring series Top Gear, originally broadcast on BBC Two
in the United Kingdom at 19:45 on 27 December 2009.
It features the presenters James May
, Jeremy Clarkson
, and Richard Hammond
travelling 1,000 miles through South America from the rainforests of Bolivia
to the Pacific
coast of Chile
. The presenters used second hand off-road vehicles, bought locally in Bolivia for less than £3,500 each.
, a Suzuki
SJ 40, and a Toyota Land Cruiser
(the presenters were supposed to have been helicopter
ed in to the location, but Clarkson said that the helicopter had crashed before filming, necessitating a boat trip up the river). The trio were originally left on the bank with nothing. Hammond remarked on the other two's inappropriate clothing and they all revealed their phobias. Hammond is terrified of insects, James May is scared of heights and Clarkson, manual labour, something May says is just 'bone idleness.' After doing nothing for a long time, a raft finally arrives with their cars. The driver of the raft only parks it vaguely near the bank, so, at that point, they cannot disembark.
While trying to move the raft, Clarkson started to sink into the mud in the river and so Hammond had to pull him out with Clarkson's Range Rover
. They had trouble getting the cars off the raft, as Hammond's car wouldn't start and the raft was too small for Clarkson to give him a push-start. It was not until the next morning that May realised that some of the planks were long enough to make a ramp off the raft. James tried to get off the raft first, but got stuck up a small hill just after the ramp. As May was blocking the path, they had to get a third plank to get Clarkson off the raft. He managed, and also pulled May's Suzuki up the hill, and into a log. Clarkson also had to tow Hammond off the raft, and then give him a pull-start.
For the first section of the journey, they were forced to make a route by slashing undergrowth and went along logging trails, encountering snakes and insects. During this segment, several fan blades were broken off Clarkson's engine fan, later leading to him cutting holes in the bonnet for additional ventilation. Clarkson tried to drive across a small gully, but failed. May tried to winch
him out, but ended up pulling his own vehicle into the gully, so Hammond had to winch both of their vehicles back to the starting point. A chainsaw and rope were used to make a bridge out of the trunks of four young trees to complete the crossing. For the next section, the cars underwent minor modifications to cross a river, including non-standard use of certain products: Tampax
tampons to waterproof a fuel tank cap, and Vaseline
and condom
s to waterproof parts of the engine. Hammond got through the river without problems. Clarkson, however, stalled, so May had to drive around him, and he got stuck. As Hammond was winching May out, Clarkson got his car started without any problems, which seriously annoyed May. In the director's cut, they encounter a tree fall in the middle of the road, which Hammond and May work at with machetes for 'two hours.'Clarkson promptly comes in with the chainsaw which gets stuck. After sawing through the log, he starts to saw at James' car. May threatens him with his machete which almost starts a chainsaw-machete fight between them, at which point, the chainsaw falters.
They then climbed into the Andes
to La Paz
along the Yungas Road
, a road also known as the 'Death Road' due to its narrowness and sheer drops. Due to May's fear of heights
, he semi-seriously threatened to cut anyone's head off if they bumped into him, holding a machete near Clarkson's face when he bumped him by accident (Hammond had repeatedly rammed May several times before the warning). Hammond meanwhile drove into a ditch to avoid a passing bus, and found out that May's car's winch was broken. Elsewhere, Clarkson was placed in extreme danger when he met a car coming the other way on a particularly narrow section of the road, and the edge of the road ledge started to crumble under his wheels. Near the end of the section, Clarkson held a brief memorial service for Hammond and May, jokingly suggesting that they must be dead. He put two makeshift crosses up, labelling one 'Ted Nugent
' and the other 'Ray Mears
'.
They modified their cars in La Paz
. Clarkson and Hammond fitted much bigger wheels and tyres on their cars, which had a negative effect on their performance, because it geared up the cars too much for their gearboxes. Hammond also got rid of the roof, and replaced it with a lighted rollbar. May simply 'mended' his car. Afterwards, they crossed the Altiplano
. They had a portable GPS with an altitude readout. They tried to take a straight route into Chile
over the Guallatiri
active volcano; the green parts on this volcano landscape are volcanic deposit, not vegetation. This attempt was defeated by weakness and a drunken-type feeling after about 16,000 feet caused by severe hypoxia
, the result of being at such a high altitude. They had each taken a Viagra tablet to try to prevent high altitude pulmonary edema
(HAPE) from altitude hypoxia. Altitude hypoxia also much reduced the cars' effective power, which meant May's car could produce less than 20 bhp. On the way, they passed at least two active volcanic steam vents. At 17,200 feet altitude (3.26 miles, 5,243 metres, where the air pressure was about half an atmosphere
), they stopped and appraised their current medical state. All three were displaying clear signs of altitude sickness
and as the road was continuing to climb, the trio decided to turn back and take a lower route. During the climb, they used a pulse oximeter
to read their blood oxygen saturation, which sometimes was down to 84%, a value which in normal life would recommend admission to hospital.
A few miles from the end of their journey, the route took them down a very steep sand dune to reach the Pacific coast, on Caleta Los Verdes, some 20 kilometres south of Iquique
. They initially decided to practise on a less steep dune. Just prior to starting their practice run, Hammond got out to talk to Clarkson, 'forgetting' that his handbrake was broken and that he had left the Toyota in neutral. A hand can be seen through the Toyota window letting go of the car at the rear, causing it to begin moving forward. The Toyota began rolling down the dune driverless and rolled over, losing a wheel in the process. The broken wheel hub meant the end for the Toyota, but Clarkson and May completed the dangerous descent to the coastline.
Although Hammond was forced to admit the defeat of the Toyota Land Cruiser that he lovingly referred to as "The Donkey", he still argued that he had chosen wisely. Clarkson observed that May's Suzuki may have completed the journey, but it had been a very rough ride; May agreed, saying, "The ride is rotten". Due to the Toyota's failure and the Suzuki's hard ride, Clarkson declared that although the Range Rover was the most unreliable car in the world, it had proven itself to be the most reliable car in the world.
Although it was not mentioned on the show, the three can be seen passing along Lago Chungara (approx 4600 m in elevation), and the Parinacota volcano was seen near this lake in the National Parque Lauca
. These came into view just before the three began their drive up the Guallatiri volcano. This episode is regarded by the presenters as the best in show history.
, without being able to inspect the cars before purchase.
Richard Hammond
bought a tan Toyota Land Cruiser
which had been converted into a soft top convertible by a previous owner. However part of the soft top was set alight when Clarkson used an angle grinder to cut air vents in the bonnet of his Range Rover to cool the engine. Despite the Toyota's reputation for durability, it turned out to be the most unreliable car, suffering multiple drivetrain
and suspension
breakdowns right from the start. The car underwent modifications towards the end of the trip, but none of the modifications made the car more reliable. It was eventually converted to front-wheel drive after the rear prop shaft broke off, damaging part of the rear drivetrain. It was damaged beyond repair on the sand-dune descent. His car was nicknamed the "Donkey."
Jeremy Clarkson
bought a red Range Rover
which he believed had a 3.9 litre fuel injected
engine. However, when he showed his co-presenters under the bonnet, May noted it had carburettors
, making it the 3.5 litre model. It became notorious for overheating and stopped working on some occasions, but it was very capable of dealing with the rough terrain. However, during the trip, none of the Range Rover's features were shown to be working, "apart from the de-mist!" Like Hammond's Toyota, it underwent modifications to handle the high-altitude part of the trip. Unlike the Toyota, however, it survived the trip, and was declared the winner, much to the amusement of the presenters, who had previously deemed it the most unreliable car, hence Clarkson's conclusion that "the most unreliable car in the world is the most reliable car in the world."
James May
bought a Suzuki Samurai which "...was blue in the picture", but red when delivered. The Suzuki Samurai had a 1.3 litre engine, the smallest of the three vehicles, and the most mocked. Despite this, it did not undergo modifications, and broke down the least (the main reason for it breaking down was when water entered the fuel tank while fording the jungle river). One disadvantage of this vehicle was its broken 4-wheel drive system, which made it a "3-wheel drive system"; May had not engaged one of the free-wheeling hubs to the lock position. Another major problem was the alternator was broken requiring his car battery to be swapped with Hammond's. It was still a very capable off roader, especially when its small engine and size are considered, though Clarkson's Range Rover was still declared to be the ultimate winner.
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the United Kingdom at 19:45 on 27 December 2009.
It features the presenters James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
, Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
, and Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
travelling 1,000 miles through South America from the rainforests of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
to the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The presenters used second hand off-road vehicles, bought locally in Bolivia for less than £3,500 each.
Route
The three presenters started at a riverside in the Amazon jungle where a towed river raft left their cars: a Range RoverRange Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
, a Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
SJ 40, and a Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Land Cruiser
The is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is not related to the Studebaker Land Cruiser car produced in the US from 1934-1954....
(the presenters were supposed to have been helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
ed in to the location, but Clarkson said that the helicopter had crashed before filming, necessitating a boat trip up the river). The trio were originally left on the bank with nothing. Hammond remarked on the other two's inappropriate clothing and they all revealed their phobias. Hammond is terrified of insects, James May is scared of heights and Clarkson, manual labour, something May says is just 'bone idleness.' After doing nothing for a long time, a raft finally arrives with their cars. The driver of the raft only parks it vaguely near the bank, so, at that point, they cannot disembark.
While trying to move the raft, Clarkson started to sink into the mud in the river and so Hammond had to pull him out with Clarkson's Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
. They had trouble getting the cars off the raft, as Hammond's car wouldn't start and the raft was too small for Clarkson to give him a push-start. It was not until the next morning that May realised that some of the planks were long enough to make a ramp off the raft. James tried to get off the raft first, but got stuck up a small hill just after the ramp. As May was blocking the path, they had to get a third plank to get Clarkson off the raft. He managed, and also pulled May's Suzuki up the hill, and into a log. Clarkson also had to tow Hammond off the raft, and then give him a pull-start.
For the first section of the journey, they were forced to make a route by slashing undergrowth and went along logging trails, encountering snakes and insects. During this segment, several fan blades were broken off Clarkson's engine fan, later leading to him cutting holes in the bonnet for additional ventilation. Clarkson tried to drive across a small gully, but failed. May tried to winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
him out, but ended up pulling his own vehicle into the gully, so Hammond had to winch both of their vehicles back to the starting point. A chainsaw and rope were used to make a bridge out of the trunks of four young trees to complete the crossing. For the next section, the cars underwent minor modifications to cross a river, including non-standard use of certain products: Tampax
Tampax
Tampax is a brand of tampon from Procter & Gamble. It was originally both the name of an independent company for over 50 years, based in Palmer, Massachusetts , and the product itself. Renamed Tambrands, Inc. in 1984, P&G purchased it in 1997...
tampons to waterproof a fuel tank cap, and Vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, deodorants and personal lubricants....
and condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s to waterproof parts of the engine. Hammond got through the river without problems. Clarkson, however, stalled, so May had to drive around him, and he got stuck. As Hammond was winching May out, Clarkson got his car started without any problems, which seriously annoyed May. In the director's cut, they encounter a tree fall in the middle of the road, which Hammond and May work at with machetes for 'two hours.'Clarkson promptly comes in with the chainsaw which gets stuck. After sawing through the log, he starts to saw at James' car. May threatens him with his machete which almost starts a chainsaw-machete fight between them, at which point, the chainsaw falters.
They then climbed into the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
along the Yungas Road
Yungas Road
The North Yungas Road is a or road leading from La Paz to Coroico, northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road"...
, a road also known as the 'Death Road' due to its narrowness and sheer drops. Due to May's fear of heights
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
, he semi-seriously threatened to cut anyone's head off if they bumped into him, holding a machete near Clarkson's face when he bumped him by accident (Hammond had repeatedly rammed May several times before the warning). Hammond meanwhile drove into a ditch to avoid a passing bus, and found out that May's car's winch was broken. Elsewhere, Clarkson was placed in extreme danger when he met a car coming the other way on a particularly narrow section of the road, and the edge of the road ledge started to crumble under his wheels. Near the end of the section, Clarkson held a brief memorial service for Hammond and May, jokingly suggesting that they must be dead. He put two makeshift crosses up, labelling one 'Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
' and the other 'Ray Mears
Ray Mears
Raymond Paul "Ray" Mears is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with...
'.
They modified their cars in La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
. Clarkson and Hammond fitted much bigger wheels and tyres on their cars, which had a negative effect on their performance, because it geared up the cars too much for their gearboxes. Hammond also got rid of the roof, and replaced it with a lighted rollbar. May simply 'mended' his car. Afterwards, they crossed the Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
. They had a portable GPS with an altitude readout. They tried to take a straight route into Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
over the Guallatiri
Guallatiri
Guallatiri is one of the most active volcanoes in northern Chile. It is just west of the border with Bolivia and at the southwestern end of the Nevados de Quimsachata. It is a symmetrical 6,071 m high ice-clad stratovolcano...
active volcano; the green parts on this volcano landscape are volcanic deposit, not vegetation. This attempt was defeated by weakness and a drunken-type feeling after about 16,000 feet caused by severe hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
, the result of being at such a high altitude. They had each taken a Viagra tablet to try to prevent high altitude pulmonary edema
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
High altitude pulmonary edema is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs in otherwise healthy mountaineers at altitudes typically above ....
(HAPE) from altitude hypoxia. Altitude hypoxia also much reduced the cars' effective power, which meant May's car could produce less than 20 bhp. On the way, they passed at least two active volcanic steam vents. At 17,200 feet altitude (3.26 miles, 5,243 metres, where the air pressure was about half an atmosphere
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
), they stopped and appraised their current medical state. All three were displaying clear signs of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
and as the road was continuing to climb, the trio decided to turn back and take a lower route. During the climb, they used a pulse oximeter
Pulse oximeter
A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood and changes in blood volume in the skin, producing a photoplethysmograph. It is often attached to a medical monitor so staff can see a patient's oxygenation at all times...
to read their blood oxygen saturation, which sometimes was down to 84%, a value which in normal life would recommend admission to hospital.
A few miles from the end of their journey, the route took them down a very steep sand dune to reach the Pacific coast, on Caleta Los Verdes, some 20 kilometres south of Iquique
Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Atacama Desert and the Pampa del Tamarugal. It had a population of 216,419 as of the 2002 census...
. They initially decided to practise on a less steep dune. Just prior to starting their practice run, Hammond got out to talk to Clarkson, 'forgetting' that his handbrake was broken and that he had left the Toyota in neutral. A hand can be seen through the Toyota window letting go of the car at the rear, causing it to begin moving forward. The Toyota began rolling down the dune driverless and rolled over, losing a wheel in the process. The broken wheel hub meant the end for the Toyota, but Clarkson and May completed the dangerous descent to the coastline.
Although Hammond was forced to admit the defeat of the Toyota Land Cruiser that he lovingly referred to as "The Donkey", he still argued that he had chosen wisely. Clarkson observed that May's Suzuki may have completed the journey, but it had been a very rough ride; May agreed, saying, "The ride is rotten". Due to the Toyota's failure and the Suzuki's hard ride, Clarkson declared that although the Range Rover was the most unreliable car in the world, it had proven itself to be the most reliable car in the world.
Although it was not mentioned on the show, the three can be seen passing along Lago Chungara (approx 4600 m in elevation), and the Parinacota volcano was seen near this lake in the National Parque Lauca
Lauca
Lauca is a Biosphere Reserve, located in northern Chile, in Arica and Parinacota Region. The reserve comprises three protected areas: Lauca National Park, Las Vicuñas National Reserve and Salar de Surire Natural Monument. This zone was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1981.-References and...
. These came into view just before the three began their drive up the Guallatiri volcano. This episode is regarded by the presenters as the best in show history.
Vehicles
Each of the three presenters was allowed a £3,500 budget which they could use to buy second-hand cars online via the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, without being able to inspect the cars before purchase.
Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
bought a tan Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota FJ40
The Toyota J40 is the model designation for a Toyota Land Cruiser 40 series made from 1960 until 1984...
which had been converted into a soft top convertible by a previous owner. However part of the soft top was set alight when Clarkson used an angle grinder to cut air vents in the bonnet of his Range Rover to cool the engine. Despite the Toyota's reputation for durability, it turned out to be the most unreliable car, suffering multiple drivetrain
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
and suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
breakdowns right from the start. The car underwent modifications towards the end of the trip, but none of the modifications made the car more reliable. It was eventually converted to front-wheel drive after the rear prop shaft broke off, damaging part of the rear drivetrain. It was damaged beyond repair on the sand-dune descent. His car was nicknamed the "Donkey."
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
bought a red Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
which he believed had a 3.9 litre fuel injected
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
engine. However, when he showed his co-presenters under the bonnet, May noted it had carburettors
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
, making it the 3.5 litre model. It became notorious for overheating and stopped working on some occasions, but it was very capable of dealing with the rough terrain. However, during the trip, none of the Range Rover's features were shown to be working, "apart from the de-mist!" Like Hammond's Toyota, it underwent modifications to handle the high-altitude part of the trip. Unlike the Toyota, however, it survived the trip, and was declared the winner, much to the amusement of the presenters, who had previously deemed it the most unreliable car, hence Clarkson's conclusion that "the most unreliable car in the world is the most reliable car in the world."
James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
bought a Suzuki Samurai which "...was blue in the picture", but red when delivered. The Suzuki Samurai had a 1.3 litre engine, the smallest of the three vehicles, and the most mocked. Despite this, it did not undergo modifications, and broke down the least (the main reason for it breaking down was when water entered the fuel tank while fording the jungle river). One disadvantage of this vehicle was its broken 4-wheel drive system, which made it a "3-wheel drive system"; May had not engaged one of the free-wheeling hubs to the lock position. Another major problem was the alternator was broken requiring his car battery to be swapped with Hammond's. It was still a very capable off roader, especially when its small engine and size are considered, though Clarkson's Range Rover was still declared to be the ultimate winner.