Top Gear (series 10)
Encyclopedia
Top Gear
returned for a tenth series, containing 10 episodes, broadcast between 7 October 2007 and 23 December 2007. It was claimed that between the filming of the ninth and tenth series, rival motoring magazine Fifth Gear
broke into the Top Gear premises and burnt down the Cool Wall. However, it was later revealed that the incident was a publicity stunt dreamed up between old friends Clarkson
and Vicki Butler-Henderson
. The opening episode of the series mentions the incident. The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from the series. The Top Ground Gear Force
special also aired as part of the series.
in Botswana
successfully in their bought cars. The Environmental Investigation Agency
criticized the BBC for allowing Top Gear to film in environmentally sensitive salt pans. Responding to accusations by conservationists of "leaving scars across the Makgadikgadi salt pans by driving vehicles across them," the BBC denied that they had gone near any conservation areas, and had followed the advice of environmental experts.
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
returned for a tenth series, containing 10 episodes, broadcast between 7 October 2007 and 23 December 2007. It was claimed that between the filming of the ninth and tenth series, rival motoring magazine Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
broke into the Top Gear premises and burnt down the Cool Wall. However, it was later revealed that the incident was a publicity stunt dreamed up between old friends Clarkson
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 Vicki Butler-Henderson
Vicki Butler-Henderson
Victoria "Vicki" Butler-Henderson is a racing driver and television presenter.-Biography:Butler-Henderson was born into a racing family. Her grandfather used to race a Frazer Nash at Brooklands, her father was in the British karting team and her brother Charlie is a racing driver. She has an older...
. The opening episode of the series mentions the incident. The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from the series. The Top Ground Gear Force
Top Ground Gear Force
Top Ground Gear Force is a one off TV special, featuring the cast of BBC's Top Gear, which originally aired on BBC Two at 22:00GMT on March 14, 2008 as part of Sport Relief 2008. It was repeated on Easter Monday, 2008...
special also aired as part of the series.
Episodes
| # | Episode | Airdate | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | Series 10 Episode 1 | 7 October 2007 | Dame Helen Mirren Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:... |
Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Volkswagen Golf GTI W12 Concept. He says it has been rushed in eight weeks, constructed out of parts from various brands, thus most onboard electronics do not work and it "cannot go round corners," rendering useless its unbelievable power output of 650 bhp. The Stig posts an underwhelming lap time of 1:29.6. Clarkson says that "If you want a slow car that looks like a Golf, get a Golf." News: The three presenters discuss the Top Gear arson incident, blaming Fifth Gear Fifth Gear Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins... . (A fire occurred on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at Hill End Farm, destroying a barn used as a storage facility for Top Gear props.) They point out the "new" furniture in the studio as the old equipment was burnt in the fire. Hammond and May introduce the new supercars showcased across the year, including a more powerful Ford GT Ford GT The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :... and the Lamborghini Reventon Lamborghini Reventón The Lamborghini Reventón is a mid-engine sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the most expensive Lamborghini road car to date, costing one million euros . Its top recorded speed was recorded in Dubai, UAE at... . Clarkson rants about new rules banning smoking cigarettes while driving. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Dame Helen Mirren Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:... posts a time of 1:52.8 in the Chevrolet Lacetti. The Cool Wall: Hammond and Clarkson talk about the burnt down Cool Wall, then try to familiarize themselves with some burnt leftovers of car stickers that were once on the board. The segment ends with the abandonment of the old Cool Wall. Challenge: The presenters each took a light-weight supercar to Mainland Europe to find the best driving road in the world. Clarkson drove a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, a version of the Gallardo, was launched at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. The Superleggera paid tribute to the first Lamborghini production model, the famous 350GT, which was designed and built by the Carrozzeria Touring in Milan, a coachbuilding company that... , Hammond a Porsche 997 GT3 RS and May an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24. Clarkson's Lambo and Hammond's 911 were quick and civilized to drive, but May's stripped-out Aston race car intolerably hot and uncomfortable to drive. They ended up finding the "best driving road in the world" (from Davos Davos Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range... to the Stelvio Pass Stelvio Pass The Stelvio Pass , located in Italy, at 2757 m is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, slightly below the Col de l'Iseran .-Location:... ). May admitted that his Aston was terrible; Hammond and Clarkson found their cars brilliant but could not recommend buying the lightened versions since the performance was not superior enough to justify the price jump. |
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| 81 | Series 10 Episode 2 | 14 October 2007 | Jools Holland Jools Holland Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a... |
Introduction: Clarkson and Hammond introduce the show by arguing about the properties of the Porsche 997 Porsche 997 The Porsche Type 997 , also simply called the 997 is the current version of the 911 family sports car built by German manufacturer Porsche in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen... and the Audi R8. Main Review: Clarkson reviews the Audi R8, Audi's first supercar. Hammond makes an appearance in his own Porsche 997 Porsche 997 The Porsche Type 997 , also simply called the 997 is the current version of the 911 family sports car built by German manufacturer Porsche in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen... Carrera S for a half-mile drag race which he wins by a whisker. The Stig posts a 1:26.2 lap time in the Porsche 997 Porsche 997 The Porsche Type 997 , also simply called the 997 is the current version of the 911 family sports car built by German manufacturer Porsche in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen... and 1:24.4 in the Audi R8. Hammond eventually admits that the Audi is the better car, but both agree that it is too cold and clinical like most German perfection-engineered cars. After the drag race, Clarkson points out that Audi are developing a V10 R8 to which Hammond responds by showing a picture of the prototype V10 R8 on fire News: The team navigate to a Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... design website, where they find, "for the Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... enthusiast", a specially designed pipe. Clarkson almost swallows his and burns his tongue (he put the wrong end in his mouth as it is "a Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... and the hot bit goes at the back"). They also discuss the new Mini Mini The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers... and the new SSC Ultimate Aero. Star in a reasonably priced car: Jools Holland Jools Holland Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a... posts a time of 1:49.9. Challenge: The amphibious cars make a return as the team are challenged to drive from Sidcup Sidcup Sidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of... to Dover Dover Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings... , and then across the English Channel. Clarkson uses a new Nissan pickup Nissan Hardbody Truck -Nissan Hardbody:The D21 generation was the successor to the Datsun "720". The company used the name "Datsun" from 1980 to 1983 then renamed itself "Nissan" beginning with the 1983.5 model year line of trucks and cars alike. The D21 series were unofficially called Nissan Hardbody in the United... (nicknamed the "Nissank") with a Honda outboard motor, attaching two lightweight oildrums to act as buoyancy devices. Hammond modifies a second Volkswagen Transporter Volkswagen Transporter The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its fifth generation, refers to a series of vans produced over 60 years and marketed worldwide.... (nicknamed the "Dampervan") by using a fibreglass hull and adding sealant. May uses his original Triumph Herald Triumph Herald The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. Body design was by the Italian stylist Michelotti and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, van, and estate models.... sailboat, adding a collapsible mast and an insert for a centreboard keel. During the trip to Dover, Hammond and Clarkson's cars begin to smoke as their foam insulation cause overheating, while May's emits a buzzing sound and also starts to smoke. May is the first to launch his car, but the keel insert fails and the car sinks on its first attempt. Although recovered and repaired, the Triumph suffers a broken mast on the second attempt and is no longer usable. Hammond's new "Dampervan" successfully floats, but the choppy waters eventually damage his steering on the first attempt and the vehicle subsequently sinks during the next day's attempt. All three eventually set off in Clarkson's Nissan, attempting (and failing) to break Richard Branson Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies.... 's previous record for crossing the Channel in an amphibious vehicle (Branson crossed the Channel using a Gibbs Aquada Gibbs Aquada The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibious vehicle developed by Gibbs Technologies, an Alan Gibbs company. It is capable of speeds over 160 km/h on land and 50 km/h on water... ). They manage to get to France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... , albeit not Calais Calais Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras.... where they had planned, but Sangatte Sangatte Sangatte is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department on the northern coast of France on the English Channel.Like many place names in French Flanders, the name is of Flemish origin and means "gap in the sand".-Engineering:... . They evaluate that they have been "ambitious, but rubbish." |
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| 82 | Series 10 Episode 3 | 28 October 2007 | Ronnie Wood |
Introduction: Jeremy Clarkson reads another letter demanding that Top Gear review more cars that are affordable. The letter is purportedly signed "R. Abramovich of Chelsea Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky... ." Review: James reviews the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is a British handmade convertible manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from... . He finds it to be his favorite car of the year, and admires it for being contemporary and stylish, much as he perceives himself, to the laughter of Jeremy and the audience. News: Jeremy Clarkson attempts to demonstrate "Pay by mobile phone parking fees" in London. They also offer a peek at the Lamborghini Reventón Lamborghini Reventón The Lamborghini Reventón is a mid-engine sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the most expensive Lamborghini road car to date, costing one million euros . Its top recorded speed was recorded in Dubai, UAE at... . Review: Hammond tests the auto-parking system in the Lexus LS600 Lexus LS Hybrid The Lexus LS is the fourth generation of the Lexus LS line of flagship sedans. Lexus debuted the model line at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with variants including the standard wheelbase LS 460 and long wheelbase LS 460 L ; the chassis codes are derived from the fourth... without reading the manual, and finds the system "rather complicated to use". Main Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano The 599 GTB Fiorano is an Italian gran turismo produced by Ferrari. It is the brand's two-seat flagship, replacing the 575 M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model.... , concluding that he respects its technology, but is not excited by it and would prefer a Ferrari 275 GTS. The Stig takes the 599 round the track in 1:21.22. Star in a reasonably priced car: Rolling Stones' The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... Ronnie Wood Ron Wood Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and current member of The Rolling Stones. He also plays lap and pedal steel guitar.... posts a time of 1:49.4. Review: Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Peel P50 Peel P50 The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally manufactured in 1962 and 1965) by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. It retailed for £199 when new , and currently holds the record for the smallest automobile to go into production... to see whether it would be practical in daily life, highlighting its usefulness in office buildings. The car is small enough to be pulled into BBC White City BBC White City BBC White City refers both to a collection of BBC buildings at Wood Lane, White City in west London, and an office building opened in 1990 within that collection of buildings... , with the Top Gear team more excited by the tiny Peel than by a Koenigsegg Koenigsegg Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Ängelholm.-Company:The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg, with the intention of producing a world-class supercar... or a Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... . Clarkson, late for a meeting, decides to drive into BBC Television Centre BBC Television Centre BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities... from inside the White City office, sitting in the car throughout his journey and the meeting. The segment features cameos of several BBC broadcasters including John Humphrys John Humphrys Desmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards... , Fiona Bruce Fiona Bruce Fiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Since joining the BBC in 1989, she has gone on to present many flagship programmes for the corporation including the BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch, Call My Bluff and, most recently, Antiques Roadshow... and Dermot Murnaghan Dermot Murnaghan Dermot Murnaghan is a British journalist and television presenter.He is well known for his work as a presenter of ITV and BBC News as well as the shows Eggheads and Treasure Hunt . He co-presented BBC Breakfast from Monday to Thursday as well as regularly fronting national BBC news bulletins... . At the end of the review, Clarkson even points out the "Sports" version, a Peel Trident Peel Trident The Peel Trident was the second three-wheeled microcar made by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. It was manufactured in 1965 and 1966. The Trident featured a clear bubble top and either two seats or one seat with a detachable shopping basket. It has been described as "a terrestrial... . Challenge: Richard Hammond races a Bugatti Veyron Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of... against a Eurofighter Typhoon Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986... to see which one can travel two miles (up and down a runway) faster. The Typhoon flies vertically for a mile, before returning to the start/finish point, while the Bugatti drives down the track for a mile before quickly turning around and accelerating back to the start/finish point. The Eurofighter Typhoon Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986... wins by about two seconds. This is Hammond's first race on Top Gear after his accident. |
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| 83 | Series 10 Episode 4 | 4 November 2007 | No Guest |
Episode 4 is an episode-length feature taking place in Botswana Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... , Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... , similar to the American challenge of Series 9. The episode was shot in early July 2007. Challenge 1: Buy a used car for up to £1500. Mocking the use of "Chelsea Tractors" for delivering children to school and driving up leafy lanes, rules for the challenge stipulate that the car purchased to cross the spine of Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... has to be two wheel drive, and not designed in any way for off-road use. Clarkson buys a 1981 Lancia Beta Lancia Beta The Lancia Beta is a car produced by Lancia. It was the first new model introduced by Lancia after it had been taken over by Fiat in 1969.-Berlina:... Coupe, May a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E Mercedes-Benz W123 W123 is the internal chassis-designation Mercedes-Benz used for their executive line of cars, manufactured between 1976 and 1985.The W123 models surpassed their predecessor, the W114 and W115 models, as the most successful Mercedes, selling 2.7 million cars before replacement by the W124 after 1985... and Hammond a 1963 Opel Kadett Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :... , which he nicknames "Oliver". Starting from the Botswana Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... -Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three... border, they must drive 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) to the Namibia Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March... n border. If at any time a presenter's car breaks down and cannot be restarted, he must complete the journey in a Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003... . While the Beetle turns out to be a suitable vehicle for such a challenge, the Beetle is the presenters' collective least favourite car of all time. Challenge 2: Cross the Makgadikgadi Pan Makgadikgadi Pan The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of northeastern Botswana. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world... successfully. The first section of the Makgadikgadi salt pan has a thin solid crust, under which lies a mud like substance underneath. Almost immediately, May and Clarkson's cars begin to break through the crust. Desperate to shed weight, they strip down their cars to the basic shell, removing most of the interior trim and most of the panels. Hammond's car is light enough to cross the salt pan shedding only his spare tyre and radiator grill. Clarkson's car breaks down frequently, seemingly with electrical issues. For day two on the salt pans, dust becomes the problem, rather than the "gunk" underneath the salt crust. May and Clarkson cover their faces and re-dress to avoid choking on the dust, as each driver was now open to the elements due to having a bare shell. Hammond does not have to take such measures as he did not drastically modify his car earlier. Shortly before beginning their trip onto the Makgadikgadi Pan, the Top Gear trio informally encountered Botswana's Vice President, Seretse Ian Khama, who displayed no qualms regarding the trio's journey across the flats. However, he did seem taken aback by the fact that the trio were attempting this in their old, used, two-wheel drive cars. Challenge 3: Time trials round a rally course by "The Stig's African cousin". Oliver achieves a time of 1:12 before being beaten by May's Mercedes-Benz with a 1:06. Clarkson's car however, fails to start, so The Stig walks away. Challenge 4: Cross the Okavango Delta Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea... ; the presenters are told to make their cars "wild animal proof". May is able to replace several Mercedes-Benz parts, due to the car's popularity in Africa. Clarkson however cannot find any spare parts for his Lancia Beta so he jury-rigs new doors from soft drink cans, wood and corrugated iron, and attaches a megaphone. May paints "All Adders Are Puffs" on Oliver, and "Lite Bite Cafe" on Clarkson's Lancia Beta. At the same time, Clarkson and Hammond hide a cowbell as well as several cuts of meat (including a cow's head) inside May's car, to attract wildlife. Final results: Both Hammond and May made it to the border before Clarkson, who had suffered two more breakdowns during the final run. Although Hammond's Opel had survived relatively intact (the only major repair being the car's electricals), and May's car had hardly broken down at all, both Clarkson and May, to Hammond's horror, declared the winner to be the Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003... , which had completed the trip with no documented mishaps at all. Similar to the 2007 Polar Challenge Special Top Gear: Polar Special Top Gear: Polar Special was an episode of the popular series Top Gear, first broadcast on 25 July 2007 on BBC Two. It was an attempt by the BBC's Top Gear crew to be the first to drive a motor vehicle to the 1996 location of the Magnetic North Pole.... , the show's credits included each crew member's first name replaced with the words "Archbishop Desmond" (e.g. "Archbishop Desmond Clarkson, Archbishop Desmond Hammond and Archbishop Desmond May..."), in homage to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid... , Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who... winner in 1984. |
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| 84 | 11 November 2007 | Simon Cowell Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol... |
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Main review: The Caparo T1 Caparo T1 The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat automobile built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, engineers formerly involved in the development of the McLaren F1. The T1 was inspired by Formula... is tested around the track by Clarkson. However, due to the Caparo's violent mechanical history and insurance company concerns, he is forced to suit up and is observed through the segment by a fleet of ambulance Ambulance An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient... s, fire engines, an air ambulance Air ambulance An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport.... , and other safety personnel located around the test track. It gets round the track in 1:10.6 but is not allowed on the board as its ride height is too low to drive over a speed bump Speed bump A speed bump is a speed-reducing feature of road design to slow traffic or reduce through traffic, via... . News: The presenters discuss the new Mitsubishi i Mitsubishi i The is a kei car from Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors, first released in January 2006, twenty eight months after its debut at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show... and Hammond announces that he is shipping "Oliver" (his Opel Kadett Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :... from the previous episode) to England. His announcement is accompanied by May playing the theme from Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota on his portable keyboard. Challenge: The presenters race each other across London to try and beat the London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... rush hour Rush hour A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute... traffic Traffic Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel... towards London City Airport London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... . Clarkson drives a powerboat on the Thames, but had to go slowly first; Hammond uses a Specialized Sirrus Limited Specialized Bicycle Components Specialized Bicycle Components, more commonly known simply as Specialized, is a major American brand of bicycles and related products. It was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard and is based in Morgan Hill, California-History:... carbon fibre bicycle; May drives a Mercedes-Benz GL 500 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a full-size crossover SUV built by the German carmaker Mercedes-Benz since 2006. The GL-Class debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The car was designed for the American market, which is shown by its large size, making it the only similarly sized... , ending up paying the congestion charge London congestion charge The London congestion charge is a fee charged for some categories of motor vehicle to travel at certain times within the Congestion Charge Zone , a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system... ; and the Stig used public transport (buses Buses in London The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are... , the Tube London Underground The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England... and the DLR Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London... ). Hammond comes first, Clarkson a close second, the Stig third and May last. Fearful that this result would ruin the reputation of cars and Top Gear in general, the presenters therefore facetiously disregard the results, claiming things like that Clarkson had died in a violent crash, and that London doesn't even have a river. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Simon Cowell Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol... returns to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1.45.9, filmed two weeks before the rest of the show because of Simon's busy schedule. (This explains Jeremy's amazing disappearing poppy!) Review: The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, driven by Hammond, takes on, and defeats, a German on roller skates with a 300 hp turbo powered rocket backpack in a straight half-mile drag race. |
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| 85 | Series 10 Episode 6 | 18 November 2007 | Lawrence Dallaglio Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager... |
Main Review: Clarkson reviews the third Generation Honda Civic Type R Honda Civic Type R The first Civic to receive the 'Type R' name was based on the 6th generation 'EK' Civic. The contributing base model was the JDM Civic 3 door hatchback called SiR, code named EK4... . He notes that the previous generation is much better than the new one, due to the increased weight of the new model but only a modest 1 hp gain in power. The new model also lacks the independent rear suspension system found in the previous model. These factors result in a drop in price. The large spoiler, which obscures rear visibility, is ridiculed by Clarkson. Clarkson races it against the old model, which seemed faster. The Stig laps the track in 1:33.5. News: James May announces that Clarkson has a cold but Clarkson jokes that he contracted Bird Flu. A survey was conducted and Clarkson notes that on country roads, 4% of accidents are due to speeding, while 96% remain unknown. They mention that it might be due to animals on the road and Clarkson concludes that speeding on country roads is relatively safe. Review: May reviews the Alfa Romeo 159 Alfa Romeo 159 The Alfa Romeo 159 is a compact executive car produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 2005 and 2011. The 159 was introduced in production form at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the successful Alfa Romeo 156. The 159 uses the GM/Fiat Premium platform, shared with... and he must put a pound into the 'Top Gear Italian Car Road Test Cliché Swear Box' if he uses any fake Italiano to describe the car (e.g. soul, passion). He races against Graham Boanas to cross the Humber River Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank... without using the Humber Bridge Humber Bridge The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, England, is a 2,220 m single-span suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It is the fifth-largest of its type in the world... . May loses the race by seconds. (This segment was originally filmed for Series 8, but was rescheduled for broadcast.) Star in a Reasonably Priced car: England rugby international star Lawrence Dallaglio Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager... posts a time of 1:47.4. Review: Clarkson encourages drivers to ditch their Range Rovers and Porsche Cayennes for the 500 bhp BMW M5 Touring BMW M5 The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut at Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1984. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a saloon , but the overall performance of a sports car. It utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from... and 507 bhp Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate because of similar practicality, superior comfort, and far superior power. However he admits he'd still prefer to own a Range Rover so that he can annoy environmentalists. Challenge: Richard Hammond debuts another innovative, and wildly destructive, form of motorsport: motorhome racing. The justification is that most racers tow their race vehicle behind them in a large travel trailer which often doubles as their accommodation for the racing weekend. Thus driving to, racing, and then driving back in the same vehicle streamlines the process. The race was held at the Essex Raceway Arena Essex Raceway Arena Essex Raceway is a stock car and speedway racing track located near Purfleet, Essex. The Lakeside Shopping Centre was built alongside the venue.-The stadium:... with a field of six entrants. These included Hammond driving a Ford Midas, Matt Neal Matt Neal Matthew Neal is a British motor racing driver. He won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. He has also won a European Touring Car Championship race. He is 6' 6" tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters... driving a Mitsubishi L300, Anthony Reid Anthony Reid Anthony Reid is a British auto racing driver, born on 17 May 1957 in Glasgow, Scotland. Although Scottish he now lives in England.-Formula cars:... in a nimble Toyota LiteAce Toyota Liteace The Toyota Liteace is a line of motor vehicles produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. Launched in 1970, the Liteace is a medium-sized van which was most commonly exported to Asia, Australia and Africa.... , Tom Chilton Tom Chilton Thomas James Chilton is a British auto racing driver. He has spent most of his career competing in the BTCC; he is a former factory Vauxhall and Honda driver. For 2011 he is driving an NGTC-spec Ford Focus for Team Aon... in a large Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... , Mat Jackson Mat Jackson Mat Jackson is an English racing driver.Jackson and his family-ran team contested the British Touring Car Championship in 2007 and 2008, in each case using the BMW Andy Priaulx used to win the previous year's World Touring Car Championship. Jackson run under the Jackson MSport banner in 2007, and... driving a Fiat Ducato MV70 Globetrotter and finally a "Desperation driver" 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.... in a Ford Transit. The rules of Motorhome racing state that all work on the vehicles must be completed prior to sunset on the day before the race and that a driver must spend the night before the race in their vehicle. This forced the drivers to choose between stripping down their vehicles and having a bad night's sleep, or leaving a heavy vehicle with a good night's sleep. Only James May declined to strip down his vehicle. In the race, the Toyota LiteAce came in first, followed by the hulking Chevrolet second, and Hammond in third, despite having suffered massive structural failure. May came in last after both getting lost and then crashing into a roof-mounted air conditioning unit which had fallen off of Hammond's disintegrating vehicle, sending him into the barrier. Back in the studio Clarkson announces a super-sized new German motorhome called "The Performance" with a luxurious interior. Clarkson describes it as being perfect for motorhome racing as it stores a Wiesmann Wiesmann Wiesmann is an automobile manufacturer in Germany. The company was founded in 1985 by the brothers Martin Wiesmann and Friedhelm Wiesmann . The cars are manufactured by hand in Dülmen... MF in its cargo space. |
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| 86 | Series 10 Episode 7 | 25 November 2007 | Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into... |
Main review: Clarkson reviews the Aston Martin DBS Aston Martin DBS V12 The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance GT sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston has used the DBS name once before on their 1967–72 grand tourer coupe... , continually comparing it to the Aston Martin DB9 Aston Martin DB9 -DB9 Volante:The Aston Martin DB9 Volante is the convertible version of the DB9 coupe. It is built by hand in limited numbers and has enhanced styling. It is powered by the same 6.0 litre, DOHC 48 valve V12 as the DB9 and is completed with 470 bhp and a top speed of 186 mph... and saying that you should think of it as a DB9-S. He says it's the best car he's driven all year, but the other two can't justify the 50 grand price hop over the DB9. News: Top Gear announces lots of new cars are released: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Nissan GT-R Nissan GT-R The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:... , Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and the Morgan Aero Max. Constant review of Korean Cars such as the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe Hyundai Genesis Coupe The Hyundai Genesis Coupé is a rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Hyundai Motor Company, released on October 13, 2008 for the Korean market. It is Hyundai's first rear-wheel drive sports coupe, and shares its basic platform with the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan.... , Kia Picanto Kia Picanto The Kia Picanto, known as the Kia Morning in South Korea and Chile, Kia EuroStar in Taiwan, Kia New Morning in Vietnam and the Naza Suria or Naza Picanto in Malaysia, is a low cost city car produced by Kia Motors.... , as they have been sold in Korea. They also point out that Australia "bought" Top Gear, referring to the recent approval to create an Australian local version Top Gear Australia Top Gear Australia was an Australian motoring television series based on the BBC series Top Gear.The show premiered on SBS One on 29 September 2008 at 7:30 pm AEST, with its first season consisting of 8 episodes... . Challenge: The Top Gear team celebrate the 40th anniversary of British Leyland with a £1,200 car challenge (paid "out of their own pockets"), ending up with Jeremy's Rover SD1 Rover SD1 Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland or BL through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986.... , Richard's Triumph Dolomite Sprint Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite was a popular small saloon car produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980.-History:... and James's Austin Princess Leyland Princess The Princess is a family car that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. The car inherited a front-wheel drive / transverse engine configuration from its predecessor, the BMC ADO17 range... . Clarkson arrived first at the meeting point, followed by Hammond and May. They then went to a "secret" destination in England in the cars, ostensibly at one of British Leyland's old factories, only to learn that the facilities were either sold or demolished. Challenges 1, 2 and 3 took place at the MIRA Motor Industry Research Association MIRA Ltd, formerly known as the Motor Industry Research Association, is a limited company based near Nuneaton in Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, which provides product engineering, research, testing, information and certification services to the automotive... car testing facility, with money earned back towards the purchase price of their cars for each challenge passed. Challenge 1, Performance: The trio attempt to beat a time set by The Stig The Stig The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy... in a Datsun 120Y of similar vintage to their cars. Clarkson's car was slower by one second, Hammond's was slower by 5 seconds, and May ended up getting lost on the track, after which Clarkson and Hammond didn't even bother reading out his time. Challenge 2, Handbrakes: The cars must be parked, in neutral, on a 1 in 3 slope, earning £100 if their handbrake holds them in place. May managed the feat; Clarkson's car emitted a large cloud of obscuring smoke, allowing him to claim success; and Hammond's Dolly rolls backwards down the hill and nearly knocks over the grade sign. Challenge 3, Ride comfort: The cars are driven over a cobbled road at 30 mi/h, with several eggs suspended in a colander over the driver; they would earn £10 for each gram of egg left in the colander after the test, and lose £10 for each piece of trim lost. May and Clarkson lost two interior mountings (Clarkson, in particular, losing his left rear door) and both had 4 grams of egg left, earning them £20 each, while Hammond lost 6 pieces and had no egg remaining, costing him £60. Challenge 4, Build quality: This took place at the Top Gear test track. The cars were filled to the brim with water, then each (using a snorkel) drove around the track as far as possible, stopping when the water leaked out to a level below the steering wheel; 20 pence were earned per yard covered. Hammond completed half a lap (1500 yards), May did over 1½ laps (4,500 yards), and Clarkson completed only 10 yards (9.1 m) before the right rear door fell off. After the final scores were tallied, Hammond finished last, the high initial price of his car being enough to cancel out his better performance than Clarkson on the final test. May was declared the winner by earning back his entire car's value plus £20, proving that his Austin Princess was the one good car that British Leyland ever made. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into... sets a lap time of 1.46.1, placing her second on the leader board, only 0.2 of a second slower than the lap time leader Simon Cowell. |
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| 87 | Series 10 Episode 8 | 2 December 2007 | James Blunt James Blunt James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005... & Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire... |
Main review: Clarkson reviews the Vauxhall VXR8, a rebadged HSV Clubsport R8 HSV Clubsport The HSV Clubsport is a full-size car which has been produced by Holden Special Vehicles in Australia since 1990. All models have been based on contemporary Holden Commodore models... . Although on the same pace as the BMW M5, the barn-door engineered Australian car is £30,000 less, because "it's about 30,000 times less complicated." Clarkson loves it, but wouldn't have it over an M5. Sets a time of 1:31.3 in wet and oily conditions. Investigation: Clarkson and May set out to discover the first car to have the control layout that cars use today. After investigating many old cars, including a Benz Motorwagen Benz Patent Motorwagen The Benz Patent-Motorwagen , built in 1886, is widely regarded as the first automobile, that is, a vehicle designed to be propelled by a motor... , an early Royal Enfield Royal Enfield Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was... car, a De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux.... and a Ford Model T Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927... , they name the first car with a modern layout to be the Cadillac Type 53 Cadillac Type 53 The Cadillac Type 53 was the first car to use the same control layout as modern automobiles- with the gear lever and hand brake in the middle of the front two seats, a key started ignition, and three pedals for the clutch, brake and throttle in the modern order. This Cadillac was driven by a 77... from 1916 which was then popularized by the Austin 7 Austin 7 The Austin 7 was a car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the "Baby Austin", it was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market, and sold well abroad... . Star in a Reasonably Priced car: James Blunt James Blunt James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005... posts a time of 1.48.3 on a wet track. Challenge: Hammond drives the Renault R25 Renault R25 The Renault R25 was the Formula One car entered by Renault in the 2005 season.The car won both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 2005, the first titles for any car racing with a French licence since the Matra MS80's triumph in 1969.... Formula One Formula One Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which... car, which took both the driver's (with Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari.... ) and constructor's championship titles in the 2005 Formula One season 2005 Formula One season The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16.... . He is to do two laps around Stowe Circuit at Silverstone Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... . Hammond tries to get the car rolling with the anti-stall program kicking in eight times before completing half a lap and stalling again as he spins out from lack of grip due to lack of tyre and brake warmth. Hammond completes the required two laps around the track the second time. May comments that the telemetry Telemetry Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure... shows that Hammond only hit full throttle in the car for 0.2 of a second. (This segment was originally prepared for Series 9, but was rescheduled due to Hammond's accident.) F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lewis Hamilton, driving on a wet and oily track, posts a time of 1.44.7 in the original Reasonably-Priced Car, the Suzuki Liana, which has been kept to be used by Formula One drivers. This placed him third overall on the F1 racers' board. Review: Clarkson supervises a driver-less BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands... on a lap of the track. The time for the lap was not revealed. |
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| 88 | Series 10 Episode 9 | 9 December 2007 | Keith Allen |
Main Review: As Clarkson has been told by the producers that he is not allowed to test any more supercars for the rest of the series, he decides to review the Daihatsu Materia Daihatsu Materia The Daihatsu Materia is a mini MPV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu.-First generation:It is based on the platform of the second generation of the Daihatsu Sirion and is largely identical to the second generation of the Toyota bB.... hatchback alongside a "close" rival - the new Ascari A10 Ascari A10 The Ascari A10 is an automobile produced by the British company Ascari Cars that was conceived by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. It is a road-going evolution of the KZ1-R GT race car currently contesting the Spanish GT Championship, with both cars penned by ex-Formula One designer Paul Brown... . He says the Daihatsu is far more practical and economical, but it is too boring around the corners and is nowhere near as fast as the Ascari. Clarkson then announces that he prefers the A10 and its engine tone. The Ascari goes round the track faster than the Koenigsegg CCX Koenigsegg CCX The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCX has been engineered to comply with the U.S. regulation and market demands and is a newer design that replaced the Koenigsegg CCR.... with a time of 1:17.3, taking it to the top of the Power Lap board. News: There is no news in this episode due to "lack of time". Review: May travels to Hungary to test drive the new generation Fiat Nuova 500 Fiat Nuova 500 The Fiat 500 or Fiat Nuova 500 is a city car built by Italian automaker Fiat since 2007. The car is currently produced in Tychy, Poland by Fiat Auto Poland S.A. and in Toluca, Mexico, by Chrysler Group LLC. The four-seater, three-door hatchback 500 is almost identical to the retro concept car... . He races some youths on BMX BMX Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started... bikes through the streets of Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... and is just pipped at the finish. Star in a Reasonably Priced car: Keith Allen gets a time of 1:51.7 on what the Stig said was the wettest day on record. Challenge: In the previous series, the presenters planted their own bio-fuel crop, which was rapeseed Rapeseed Rapeseed , also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rappi, rapaseed is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae... . Having harvested the crops they accidentally made 500 gallons worth of bio-diesel, because May had bought the wrong seed. In order to dispose of it they take part in the Britcar Britcar Britcar is an Endurance Motor Racing series formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and John Veness formed the organizing European Endurance & Racing Club with a £10 note found on the ground... 24 hour endurance race at Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... using a modified BMW 330d. Arriving at the event, the team discover that it is not an event for novices as they had expected, but rather a fully professional endurance race and that the team would be competing alongside actual 200 mi/h supercars. For qualifying, each team member had to do three laps each. Hammond is very unfamiliar with the track, and May forgets to do his flying lap. The team reveal their secret weapon: The Stig. After his three laps the team are stunned to find that they are not bottom of the table. They then must do three laps at night. Hammond, Clarkson and The Stig all complete their 3-lap stints. However, disaster strikes when May is completing his. The turbo, clutch and fly wheel break down and the fuel pump splits, thanks to the large amounts of methanol in the bio-diesel that had "eaten" away the seals. The team qualify in 42nd place, out of 59. The mechanics work through the night, doing the fastest repair job ever, but the team still misses the race start, and has to start from pitlane. The car comes to life minutes before the completion of the parade lap with The Stig behind the wheel. The car starts the race in last place but the Stig climbs 20 places in the board into 39th. The car breaks down again, taking 30 minutes to repair. May takes it out next. After being tired out only halfway (90 minutes) into his stint and nearly wrecking the BMW, May is brought in and is switched for Clarkson. Clarkson completes his 3-hour stint and Hammond is next. He collides with a Mosler race car, sending him spinning off and forcing him to be towed back into pitlane to have the car repaired. This takes three hours, putting the team in last place. During the race, the fog becomes very thick and the race is immediately halted. Clarkson got the crowd to do a Mexican wave. The Stig makes up for lost ground, putting them back in the race, and despite their exhaustion, the others then take their turns. During Clarkson's final stint, the front tyres start to wear rapidly so the car is brought back to the pits for new tyres. The car finished the race 39th overall and 3rd in their class. |
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| 89 | Series 10 Episode 10 | 23 December 2007 | David Tennant David Tennant David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr... |
Review: May reviews the new Jaguar XF Jaguar XF The Jaguar XF The Jaguar XF The Jaguar XF (type (X250) is a mid-size luxury car / sports saloon produced by British car manufacturer Jaguar. The car, which replaced the Jaguar S-Type, was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show following the public showing of the C-XF concept in January 2007 at... . He praises the engines, the modernness, the Ian Callum Ian Callum Ian Callum is a British car designer who currently serves as Design Director for Jaguar and is older brother to fellow car designer Moray Callum. He is married, has two sons and currently resides in Oxfordshire, England.-Early years:... design and the interior design. However, he feels that the suspension of the SV8 he drives is a little stiff. News: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo. It was first presented as a concept car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and later released for sale for the 2007 model year... and Koenigsegg CCXR Koenigsegg CCXR The Koenigsegg CCXR is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCXR is powered by a modified twin-supercharged V8 engine from the CCX, converted to use E85 or E100 ethanol fuel as well as standard 98 octane petrol... . James May is Heat magazine's weird celebrity crush of the year, and Clarkson reveals that Hammond had won an award for the best celebrity hair cut of the year while James May had been voted as the worst. They also reveal car related Christmas "gift ideas", such as a "travel rabbit Rabbit vibrator Rabbit vibrator is a vibrating and rotating sex toy made in the shape of a phallus with a clitoral stimulator attached to the shaft. The name of the device is derived from the fact that the clitoral stimulator looks like a pair of rabbit ears... ", a carbon-fibre shoehorn, a Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... branded sledge, a wobbly headed model of the former president of Nissan USA Yutaka Katayama Yutaka Katayama Yutaka Katayama , also known as Mr K, is a former Japanese automotive executive who was employed by Nissan and served as the first president of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A... , Lamborghini Christmas tree baubles, a £1500 Bugatti aftershave and carbon fibre carrying case, and a Tee-shirt featuring Nissan Z cars. The co-presenters proceed to destroy majority of the gifts "in the spirit of Christmas". Main Review: Clarkson, May and Hammond take three cars to the Ascari Race Resort in Ronda Ronda Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:... , Spain: the new BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and The Audi RS4 Audi RS4 The Audi RS4 quattro is the top tier and highest performing version of some specific generations of the Audi A4 range of automobiles. It is a sports-focused compact executive car , produced by Audi's high-performance private subsidiary quattro GmbH, in limited numbers, for German car manufacturer... . Hammond praises the M3 for its excellent drive and its "spectacular tailslides". Clarkson praises the Mercedes for its "lunacy" and how it is the most powerful with its 6.2 litre 450 bhp engine, calling it an "axe murderer with headlights" due to flaws with the traction control. May brings the Audi RS4 which he calls a very good car due to its subtlety and all-wheel drive system. Clarkson's Mercedes-Benz, which has the biggest legroom and boot, wins in a drag race, prompting May to start measuring parts of his Audi to see where it beats the Mercedes-Benz. Hammond set up a Powerpoint presentation which only proves that Clarkson's car has the best engine. The Stig sets a time of 2:15.16 in his "hire car", Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:... 's 1972 F1 world championship winning Lotus 72 Lotus 72 The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season.- Development :The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which... before testing the other cars. The BMW M3 was the fastest of the three with 2:38.9, the Mercedes-Benz a 2:43.5 and the Audi a 2:43.9. When The Stig claimed the handling of the Mercedes-Benz was too "wayward and uncontrollable", Clarkson claims the Stig was not trying hard enough and says he can hit an apple placed on the apex of a corner at full speed. Clarkson fails repeatedly; The Stig then hits it first time in the M3 forcing Clarkson to eat the splattered fruit. Clarkson then brings a "cock-o-meter" to show how much of a cock (idiot) an M3 driver looks. Unfortunately, the meter was not built to withstand cars such as the M3 and so was broken when it attempted to analyse it. In the end, when driving each other's cars, the Audi is described by Hammond as a "very nice place to be", and how the 4WD makes sense. The Mercedes-Benz is described as "chinsy" by May, but he likes the engine. Clarkson then admits the BMW is very good and that Hammond was talking sense. In the end all three agreed that the BMW M3 was the best, with Clarkson saying the other cars are just copies, as good as they are. However, Clarkson ends by claiming that he could not ignore the insanity of the Mercedes-Benz and would still have it himself. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... star David Tennant David Tennant David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr... posted a time of 1.48.8 and complains about being half a second behind Billie Piper as she cut the Hammerhead corner on the track. Clarkson defended keeping her time as Billie was wearing a see-through shirt the day she was interviewed. A parody of this segment was made where Jeremy Clarkson 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... was commenting on Tennant driving the TARDIS TARDIS The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s... . 2007 Top Gear Awards:
Challenge: Richard tries to make the G-Wiz into a remote controlled car. In the end after a race with the Stig, Hammond blows up the G-Wiz using his model radio controlled car. |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #1 | 1 January 2008 | Ronnie Wood | |
Review: The Caparo T1 (From Series 10, Episode 5) Challenge: Finding The World's Greatest Driving Road (From Series 10, Episode 1) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ronnie Wood (From Series 10, Episode 3) Challenge: Hammond's F1 Car Challenge (From Series 10, Episode 8) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #2 | 6 January 2008 | James Blunt James Blunt James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005... & Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into... |
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Challenge: Bugatti Veyron vs. Eurofighter (From Series 10, Episode 3) Review: The Aston Martin V8 Vantage (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: James Blunt James Blunt James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005... (From Series 10, Episode 8) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into... (From Series 10, Episode 7) Review: Audi R8 (From Series 10, Episode 2) Review: BMW M5 Touring vs. AMG Mercedes E-Class (From Series 10, Episode 6) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #3 | 13 January 2008 | Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire... |
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Challenge: Amphibious Cars II (From Series 10, Episode 2) Review: Peel P50 Peel P50 The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally manufactured in 1962 and 1965) by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. It retailed for £199 when new , and currently holds the record for the smallest automobile to go into production... (From Series 10, Episode 3) F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire... (From Series 10, Episode 8) Challenge: Motorhome Racing (From Series 10, Episode 6) Review: Aston Martin DBS Aston Martin DBS V12 The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance GT sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston has used the DBS name once before on their 1967–72 grand tourer coupe... (From Series 10, Episode 7) |
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| The Best of Top Gear 2007 #4 | 27 January 2008 | Simon Cowell Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol... & Lawrence Dallaglio Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager... |
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Review: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé (From Series 10, Episode 3) Challenge: Race Across London (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Simon Cowell Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol... (From Series 10, Episode 5) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lawrence Dallaglio Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager... (From Series 10, Episode 6) Review: Daihatsu Materia Daihatsu Materia The Daihatsu Materia is a mini MPV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu.-First generation:It is based on the platform of the second generation of the Daihatsu Sirion and is largely identical to the second generation of the Toyota bB.... vs. Ascari A10 Ascari A10 The Ascari A10 is an automobile produced by the British company Ascari Cars that was conceived by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. It is a road-going evolution of the KZ1-R GT race car currently contesting the Spanish GT Championship, with both cars penned by ex-Formula One designer Paul Brown... (From Series 10, Episode 9) |
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| Top Ground Gear Force Top Ground Gear Force Top Ground Gear Force is a one off TV special, featuring the cast of BBC's Top Gear, which originally aired on BBC Two at 22:00GMT on March 14, 2008 as part of Sport Relief 2008. It was repeated on Easter Monday, 2008... |
14 March 2008 | Sir Steve Redgrave Steve Redgrave Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave CBE is an English rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals... |
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Challenge: The trio take on a special challenge for Sport Relief: attempting to re-design Sir Steve's garden. The plan goes horribly wrong, with a dumper trunk destroying the lawn (before getting breached in a hole), Jeremy setting fire to a shed build by James, and a greenhouse—declared "the only thing that went right"—which is later destroyed by a large torrent of water. |
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Series 10, Episode 4
In the African challenge, the Top Gear hosts were tasked in part to traverse the Makgadikgadi PanMakgadikgadi Pan
The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of northeastern Botswana. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world...
in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
successfully in their bought cars. The Environmental Investigation Agency
Environmental Investigation Agency
The Environmental Investigation Agency is an NGO founded in 1984 by Dave Currey, Jennifer Lonsdale and Allan Thornton, three environmental activists in the United Kingdom. Its stated goal is to investigate and expose crimes against wildlife and the environment...
criticized the BBC for allowing Top Gear to film in environmentally sensitive salt pans. Responding to accusations by conservationists of "leaving scars across the Makgadikgadi salt pans by driving vehicles across them," the BBC denied that they had gone near any conservation areas, and had followed the advice of environmental experts.