Top Gear (series 14)
Encyclopedia
Top Gear
returned for a 14th series, aired on BBC Two
and BBC HD
, on 15 November 2009, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson
, Richard Hammond
, James May
and The Stig
. The series contained 7 episodes. Episode 1 featured the team being sent to find the Transfăgărăşan
road in Romania
with Jeremy in an Aston Martin DBS Volante, Richard in a Ferrari California
and James in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Episode 2 featured Jeremy, Richard and James attempting to build an electric car better than a G-Wiz. Episode 3 featured a road trip between James May in an caravan airship
and Richard Hammond in a Lamborghini Balboni. Episode 4 featured a road test of Renault Twingo RS 133
, before being driven off the docks in Belfast
. Episode 5 featured Jeremy, James and Richard taking over an art gallery in Middlesbrough and filling it with motoring-related works, in attempt to prove "cars can be art too". In the style of their trips to Vietnam
, Botswana
, the North Pole
and the United States
, Episode 6 was a 75-minute special from Bolivia
. Episode 7 featured Jeremy's worldwide review of the BMW X6
, including visits to Hong Kong (to find a metaphor that describes the car), Spain (to test if the suspension is better on Spanish roads), Barbados (to work out if the car is better than a tropical holiday) and Australia (to test if the glove box still works). The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from Series 13 and 14.
|-
! #
! Episode
! Airdate
! Guests
|-
| 111 || Series 14, Episode 1 || 15 November 2009 || Eric Bana
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: James road tests the BMW 760Li and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG after reading a letter from "Bankers who now have money!" Although he calls both cars completely pointless (due to them both having ridiculous amounts of power), James reveals that he would buy the BMW rather than the Mercedes-Benz. The Stig takes the BMW round a damp track in 1:31.2, which beats the Mercedes' time of 1.32.1 in the same conditions.
News: The presenters discuss the new regulations for the Bathurst 1000
endurance race regarding the spectators, the new Porsche Boxster Spyder, where Clarkson compares its soft-top roof to a tent, the McLaren MP4-12C
, and a disposable cardboard lavatory which Clarkson squashes when he sits on it.
Challenge: Jeremy
(in an Aston Martin DBS Volante), Richard
(in a Ferrari California
), and James
(in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder) are sent to find the world's greatest driving road, which apparently is in Romania - the Transfăgărăşan
. Along the way they have races along Romania's Motorways, have a sat-nav race to the People's Palace
, race under the People's Palace, smash up a Dacia Sandero
, crash James' Lamborghini and sleep beside an enormous dam (the Vidraru Dam
). Clarkson insists that the Aston is the best grand tourer, to which James and Richard disagree.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Australian actor Eric Bana
beats Jamie Oliver's record, becoming the fastest wet lap holder with a time of 1:47.5.
|-
| 112 || Series 14, Episode 2 || 22 November 2009 || Michael Sheen
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Clarkson reviews the new V10-engined Audi R8. He praises the car's performance as well as its practicality. However, he criticizes the price tag of £100,000 and also characterizes the car being boring to drive, despite its high level of performance. Next, he reviews the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
. He praises the car for having significantly more power than the R8 (120 bhp (89 kW) more) and for being more fun to drive. However, he criticizes the car's workmanship, its styling, and its unrefined handling, calling the car as "being vulgar". It proves to be unable to keep up with the R8 on the test track. However, despite the R8's better styling, performance, and quality, he still considers the Corvette the car to buy.
The Stig takes the R8 round a damp track in 1:21.6, however the Corvette proves to be faster in the hands of the "tame racing driver" with a time of 1:20.4 in the same conditions. Clarkson explains that either he or Hammond would manage to take the Audi round in about the same time as The Stig but would never be able to match him in the Corvette.
Challenge: Jeremy, Richard and James attempt to build their own electric car. Richard is given responsibility of the car's chassis, suspension and brakes, whereas James deals with propulsion. Jeremy designs the interior and exterior, using, among others, large felines, fighter jets, Peter Bowles
and the Fiat Multipla
for inspiration. After being built in the Top Gear Technology Centre, the car, which is called Geoff, is taken for a drive around Oxford. It subsequently ran out of power in central Oxford, causing a traffic jam, and then again in the countryside. Eventually Geoff was 'killed' when it rolled backwards down a hill into a tree. Geoff was constructed by fitting a bolted aluminium frame to the chassis of a TVR Chimaera
, using an electric motor from a milk-float and originally using two batteries. The interior featured 3-abreast seating made from plastic garden chairs, and a transparent roof-box to accommodate Hammond's head as his centre seat was mounted above the raised drive-shaft.
The car is redesigned and named the "Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust." The redesign includes extra batteries, along with a diesel generator to recharge the batteries while the car is in motion. The presenters then took their new car to the MIRA Proving Ground in order to test whether it would pass the EU-required tests that would make the car road legal. The tests consisted of a two crash tests to test safety, a drag race to test speed, a cobbled road to test ride comfort, a steep hill test and a quality test around the MIRA test track, in which the presenters used various tricks to have their car "pass", including using the three presenters as crash-test dummies and crash-testing the car at a very low speed and playing back in fast-motion; cheating at the pendulum test by raising the pendulum from the car and then playing the footage in reverse, and having the car tested by an 'independent test driver' (James wearing a fake mustache). The car is also taken for an endurance test by 'the Stig's vegetarian cousin' (who is entirely green, has solar panels on its helmet, and wears sandals) - who is killed after 35 minutes by fumes from the generator after the exhaust fell off.
Confident that their car was now road legal, they gave it to Autocar
magazine for an independent test. The presenters were somewhat disheartened by the results however, as the Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust was rated 1 out of 5 by the magazine's writers (although it did at least beat the G-Wiz and an electric golf cart, which the same magazine awarded both cars 0.5 out of 5). However, the car did receive praise from some of its characteristics, such as the vertical A-pillars, which improve visibility.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Michael Sheen
did a lap in 1:46.3 despite having just flown in from Los Angeles. He was officially named the Fastest Welshman to drive around the track.
|-
| 113 || Series 14, Episode 3 || 29 November 2009 || Chris Evans
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Jeremy and Richard review different cars from the car company which they declared had the greatest number of great cars - Lancia
. Despite the ruined reputation Lancia had because of the rusty Beta
saloons, Jeremy and Richard loved the cars Lancia made. The Stig then did a power lap with a Hawk HF3000 (a continuation car
of the Lancia Stratos
), which broke down on its first attempt. When it was finally fixed, the car's lack of traction and the very wet conditions combined to make the Stig spin out twice during the lap (in Chicago and the Second to the Last Corner), giving the Hawk Stratos the slowest power lap in the show's history at 1:48.2.
News: Jeremy jokes about the Zenvo
ST1 (without actually naming it).
Challenge: Because caravans are being made faster than Top Gear could destroy them, James proposed an ingenious solution to rid them from Britain's roads once and for all - turn caravans into airships. He makes a caravan airship and attempts to fly it to a caravan park. However, because he doesn't have a tow car, he asked Richard to drive a tow car for him to the caravan park. Richard then chose the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni as his car. Richard enjoyed his "caravan trip" in the Lambo, whereas James had a lot of trouble with winds blowing his airship in all directions. He went out of control and flew into the airspace of Norwich International Airport
,got chased by police choppers, and later crashed. After the film, Richard said that the Lambo was not as good as the Ferrari F430
, but at the same time, it was better.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Chris Evans did a lap in 1:48.1 in the wet.
|-
| 114 || Series 14, Episode 4 || 6 December 2009 || Guy Ritchie
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Jeremy reviews the Audi Q7
V12, the BMW X6 M and a new Range Rover
Overfinch 580 S. He is not a fan of any of them, claiming they are all silly and impractical owing to their weight and unnecessarily-powerful engines.
News: The presenters rebutted a report in the Daily Mirror, which claimed that homosexual people were banned from the Top Gear studio. While this was happening, a group of Village People
impersonators were featured prominently behind the presenters.
Review: After receiving another letter from a disgruntled viewer
, Jeremy conducts a "thorough" road test of the Renault Twingo
in Belfast that variously sees the Renault parked atop a dockyard crane, Ross Kemp
in the rear luggage compartment for most of the review and ends with Clarkson driving the car off the end of a ferry pier in an attempt to catch the departing ferry back to England (And he failed to catch the ferry and drown the car).
Challenge: In an attempt to solve the problems caused by slow airport staff and after quite possibly seeing the Cadbury's advert, Richard invents the sport of airport vehicle
racing with the help of several touring car drivers, similar to his motorhome
and bus racing
sports with the winner to become the basis of all airport vehicles. Hammond's airport fire truck
wins the race after most of the competition - a catering truck, the mobile stairs, an articulated shuttle bus
, a baggage train and an aircraft tug
- variously take themselves and each other out of the race. This sequence was filmed for series 13, but was delayed for unknown reasons. Richard claims that the airfield used to film the challenge was in fact Heathrow Airport and that the aircraft and the terminal buildings 'had been moved off to one side'. During the race Hammond's fire truck sheds weight by operating the water-cannon to remove 8-tonnes of water although this causes Hammond to lose visibility and causes the track to become extremely wet. The catering truck attempts to shed weight by raising the storage box to aircraft level and opening the rear hatch so that the catering trolleys fall out of the back, although the driver forgot to lower the storage box and the truck overturned on a bend towards the end of the race.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Guy Ritchie
did a lap in 1:52.5 in very wet conditions.
|-
| 115 || Series 14, Episode 5 || 20 December 2009 || Jenson Button
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Clarkson reviews the Noble M600. Clarkson noted that it is faster than any supercar within its competition range, including a Porsche 997 GT3
, a Ferrari F430
, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, an Aston Martin DBS
and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S
. He was amazed by its speed and cornering abilities, even though he couldn't find its handling "sweet spot" and have fun with it. The Stig
lapped it in 1:17.7 (in the cold), beating the Enzo Ferrari, the Bugatti Veyron
and the Pagani Zonda
Roadster F.
Challenge: The trio attempted to prove that cars are more popular than traditional art. They hired the use of mima
, a Middlesbrough
gallery, and fill it with motoring-related works, and vehicles they have made from past series of the show. Their attempts at producing their own works end in varying degrees of disaster; James accidentally sets his sculpture on fire, Richard's re-creation of The Hay Wain
ends up in a lake, while Clarkson accidentally shoots himself in the crotch with a paintball fired by a Red Bull RB1
operated by David Coulthard
. Another attempt at creating art that involves cutting a car in half ends when Clarkson helpfully points out that they have just destroyed a rental. Their efforts at setting up the gallery follow a similar tack as Jeremy crashes their BMW "art car" en route, Hammond spends most of his time as a PR agent talking about his career as a radio host and promoting his new show Blast Lab
instead of the art exhibition, and May attempts to create an audio guide to the gallery that contains no information, sends visitors on a route that goes nowhere near the actual exhibits and is frequently interrupted by irate phone conversations. After some disastrous initial visiting figures, they eventually manage to greatly improve the figures by appearing at a Middlesbrough F.C.
match. They set a target of 30,000 visitors in one week, and although they only managed 15,000, it was a record high for Mima.
Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jenson Button
did the lap in 1:44.9 in damp conditions, failing to beat his previous time.
|-
| 116 || Series 14, Episode 6 || 27 December 2009 || None
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
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 14th series, aired on BBC Two
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...
and BBC HD
BBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
, on 15 November 2009, with the usual presenting team of 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...
, 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:...
, 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....
and 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...
. The series contained 7 episodes. Episode 1 featured the team being sent to find the Transfăgărăşan
Transfagarasan
The Transfăgărășan or DN7C, also known as Ceaușescu's folly is the second-highest paved road in Romania, and considered by some to be the most dramatic...
road in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
with Jeremy in an Aston Martin DBS Volante, Richard in a Ferrari California
Ferrari California
The Ferrari California is a grand touring sports car that was launched by Ferrari at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is a two door "2+2" hard top convertible. The California is powered by front-mid mounted gasoline direct injection V8 with...
and James in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Episode 2 featured Jeremy, Richard and James attempting to build an electric car better than a G-Wiz. Episode 3 featured a road trip between James May in an caravan airship
and Richard Hammond in a Lamborghini Balboni. Episode 4 featured a road test of Renault Twingo RS 133
Renault Twingo
The Renault Twingo is a city car built by French automaker Renault, first presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1992 and sold in continental European markets beginning in 1993...
, before being driven off the docks in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Episode 5 featured Jeremy, James and Richard taking over an art gallery in Middlesbrough and filling it with motoring-related works, in attempt to prove "cars can be art too". In the style of their trips to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, 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...
, the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Episode 6 was a 75-minute special from Bolivia
Top Gear: Bolivia Special
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....
. Episode 7 featured Jeremy's worldwide review of the BMW X6
BMW X6
The BMW X6 is a mid-size luxury crossover released for sale in the second quarter of 2008 by German automaker BMW. The X6 was marketed as a Sports Activity Coupé by BMW...
, including visits to Hong Kong (to find a metaphor that describes the car), Spain (to test if the suspension is better on Spanish roads), Barbados (to work out if the car is better than a tropical holiday) and Australia (to test if the glove box still works). The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from Series 13 and 14.
Episodes
{| class="wikitable"|-
! #
! Episode
! Airdate
! Guests
|-
| 111 || Series 14, Episode 1 || 15 November 2009 || Eric Bana
Eric Bana
Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: James road tests the BMW 760Li and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG after reading a letter from "Bankers who now have money!" Although he calls both cars completely pointless (due to them both having ridiculous amounts of power), James reveals that he would buy the BMW rather than the Mercedes-Benz. The Stig takes the BMW round a damp track in 1:31.2, which beats the Mercedes' time of 1.32.1 in the same conditions.
News: The presenters discuss the new regulations for the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
endurance race regarding the spectators, the new Porsche Boxster Spyder, where Clarkson compares its soft-top roof to a tent, the McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C is a sports car designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It is the first production car wholly designed and built by McLaren since the McLaren F1. The car's final design was unveiled on 8 September 2009, and it is set to be launched in 2011...
, and a disposable cardboard lavatory which Clarkson squashes when he sits on it.
Challenge: Jeremy
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...
(in an Aston Martin DBS Volante), Richard
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:...
(in a Ferrari California
Ferrari California
The Ferrari California is a grand touring sports car that was launched by Ferrari at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is a two door "2+2" hard top convertible. The California is powered by front-mid mounted gasoline direct injection V8 with...
), and James
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 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder) are sent to find the world's greatest driving road, which apparently is in Romania - the Transfăgărăşan
Transfagarasan
The Transfăgărășan or DN7C, also known as Ceaușescu's folly is the second-highest paved road in Romania, and considered by some to be the most dramatic...
. Along the way they have races along Romania's Motorways, have a sat-nav race to the People's Palace
Palace of the Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania is a multi-purpose building containing both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Palace is the world's largest civilian administrative building, most expensive administrative building, and...
, race under the People's Palace, smash up a Dacia Sandero
Dacia Sandero
The Dacia Sandero is a five door hatchback car produced jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its subsidiary Dacia of Romania. The Sandero is based on the Logan.-Design and global marketing:...
, crash James' Lamborghini and sleep beside an enormous dam (the Vidraru Dam
Vidraru Dam
Vidraru Dam is a dam in Romania. It was built in 1965 on the Argeş River.It is an arch dam built on a foundation of rock, and it was built to produce hydroelectricity. Its construction created a reservoir, Lake Vidraru...
). Clarkson insists that the Aston is the best grand tourer, to which James and Richard disagree.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Australian actor Eric Bana
Eric Bana
Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
beats Jamie Oliver's record, becoming the fastest wet lap holder with a time of 1:47.5.
|-
| 112 || Series 14, Episode 2 || 22 November 2009 || Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Clarkson reviews the new V10-engined Audi R8. He praises the car's performance as well as its practicality. However, he criticizes the price tag of £100,000 and also characterizes the car being boring to drive, despite its high level of performance. Next, he reviews the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1
The Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 is a high performance version of the Chevrolet Corvette C6. Both the C3 from 1969–1971 and C4 Corvettes from 1990-1995 had ZR-1 models...
. He praises the car for having significantly more power than the R8 (120 bhp (89 kW) more) and for being more fun to drive. However, he criticizes the car's workmanship, its styling, and its unrefined handling, calling the car as "being vulgar". It proves to be unable to keep up with the R8 on the test track. However, despite the R8's better styling, performance, and quality, he still considers the Corvette the car to buy.
The Stig takes the R8 round a damp track in 1:21.6, however the Corvette proves to be faster in the hands of the "tame racing driver" with a time of 1:20.4 in the same conditions. Clarkson explains that either he or Hammond would manage to take the Audi round in about the same time as The Stig but would never be able to match him in the Corvette.
Challenge: Jeremy, Richard and James attempt to build their own electric car. Richard is given responsibility of the car's chassis, suspension and brakes, whereas James deals with propulsion. Jeremy designs the interior and exterior, using, among others, large felines, fighter jets, Peter Bowles
Peter Bowles
-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...
and the Fiat Multipla
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla is a compact MPV manufactured by Italian automaker Fiat since 1998. Based on the Brava, the Multipla is shorter and wider than its rivals. It has two rows of three seats, while all its competitors have two seats in the front...
for inspiration. After being built in the Top Gear Technology Centre, the car, which is called Geoff, is taken for a drive around Oxford. It subsequently ran out of power in central Oxford, causing a traffic jam, and then again in the countryside. Eventually Geoff was 'killed' when it rolled backwards down a hill into a tree. Geoff was constructed by fitting a bolted aluminium frame to the chassis of a TVR Chimaera
TVR Chimaera
The TVR Chimaera is a two-seater convertible sports car manufactured by TVR between 1992 and 2003. The name was derived from Chimera, the monstrous creature of Greek mythology, which was made of the parts of multiple animals...
, using an electric motor from a milk-float and originally using two batteries. The interior featured 3-abreast seating made from plastic garden chairs, and a transparent roof-box to accommodate Hammond's head as his centre seat was mounted above the raised drive-shaft.
The car is redesigned and named the "Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust." The redesign includes extra batteries, along with a diesel generator to recharge the batteries while the car is in motion. The presenters then took their new car to the MIRA Proving Ground in order to test whether it would pass the EU-required tests that would make the car road legal. The tests consisted of a two crash tests to test safety, a drag race to test speed, a cobbled road to test ride comfort, a steep hill test and a quality test around the MIRA test track, in which the presenters used various tricks to have their car "pass", including using the three presenters as crash-test dummies and crash-testing the car at a very low speed and playing back in fast-motion; cheating at the pendulum test by raising the pendulum from the car and then playing the footage in reverse, and having the car tested by an 'independent test driver' (James wearing a fake mustache). The car is also taken for an endurance test by 'the Stig's vegetarian cousin' (who is entirely green, has solar panels on its helmet, and wears sandals) - who is killed after 35 minutes by fumes from the generator after the exhaust fell off.
Confident that their car was now road legal, they gave it to Autocar
Autocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
magazine for an independent test. The presenters were somewhat disheartened by the results however, as the Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust was rated 1 out of 5 by the magazine's writers (although it did at least beat the G-Wiz and an electric golf cart, which the same magazine awarded both cars 0.5 out of 5). However, the car did receive praise from some of its characteristics, such as the vertical A-pillars, which improve visibility.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
did a lap in 1:46.3 despite having just flown in from Los Angeles. He was officially named the Fastest Welshman to drive around the track.
|-
| 113 || Series 14, Episode 3 || 29 November 2009 || Chris Evans
|- |
| colspan="4" valign="top" |
Review: Jeremy and Richard review different cars from the car company which they declared had the greatest number of great cars - Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
. Despite the ruined reputation Lancia had because of the rusty 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:...
saloons, Jeremy and Richard loved the cars Lancia made. The Stig then did a power lap with a Hawk HF3000 (a continuation car
Continuation car
A continuation car is a special type of replica of a vehicle no longer in production by the original automaker. These cars are built according to the original standards and blueprints, although sometimes the term is also used to refer to vehicles featuring different mechanical parts...
of the Lancia Stratos
Lancia Stratos
The Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a car made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity...
), which broke down on its first attempt. When it was finally fixed, the car's lack of traction and the very wet conditions combined to make the Stig spin out twice during the lap (in Chicago and the Second to the Last Corner), giving the Hawk Stratos the slowest power lap in the show's history at 1:48.2.
News: Jeremy jokes about the Zenvo
Zenvo
Zenvo or Zenvo Automotive is a Danish sports car company located near Viby Sjælland on the Danish island of Zealand. It is managed by Jesper Jensen, the founder and financier, and Troels Vollertsen. The name 'Zenvo' is derived from a combination of their names.-History:Zenvo Automotive was founded...
ST1 (without actually naming it).
Challenge: Because caravans are being made faster than Top Gear could destroy them, James proposed an ingenious solution to rid them from Britain's roads once and for all - turn caravans into airships. He makes a caravan airship and attempts to fly it to a caravan park. However, because he doesn't have a tow car, he asked Richard to drive a tow car for him to the caravan park. Richard then chose the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni as his car. Richard enjoyed his "caravan trip" in the Lambo, whereas James had a lot of trouble with winds blowing his airship in all directions. He went out of control and flew into the airspace of Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
,got chased by police choppers, and later crashed. After the film, Richard said that the Lambo was not as good as the Ferrari F430
Ferrari F430
The Ferrari F430 is a sports car that was produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show...
, but at the same time, it was better.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Chris Evans did a lap in 1:48.1 in the wet.
|-
| 114 || Series 14, Episode 4 || 6 December 2009 || Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
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Review: Jeremy reviews the Audi Q7
Audi Q7
The Audi Q7 is a full-size luxury crossover SUV unveiled in September 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of the Q7 began in autumn of 2005 in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is the first SUV offering from Audi and went on sale in 2007. Later, Audi's second SUV, the Q5, was unveiled as a 2009...
V12, the BMW X6 M and a new 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...
Overfinch 580 S. He is not a fan of any of them, claiming they are all silly and impractical owing to their weight and unnecessarily-powerful engines.
News: The presenters rebutted a report in the Daily Mirror, which claimed that homosexual people were banned from the Top Gear studio. While this was happening, a group of Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
impersonators were featured prominently behind the presenters.
Review: After receiving another letter from a disgruntled viewer
Top Gear (series 12)
The 12th series of Top Gear contained eight episodes, and premiered on 2 November 2008, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. Clarkson was injured while filming the series, after crashing a lorry through a brick wall at 56 mph in the first...
, Jeremy conducts a "thorough" road test of the Renault Twingo
Renault Twingo
The Renault Twingo is a city car built by French automaker Renault, first presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1992 and sold in continental European markets beginning in 1993...
in Belfast that variously sees the Renault parked atop a dockyard crane, Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
in the rear luggage compartment for most of the review and ends with Clarkson driving the car off the end of a ferry pier in an attempt to catch the departing ferry back to England (And he failed to catch the ferry and drown the car).
Challenge: In an attempt to solve the problems caused by slow airport staff and after quite possibly seeing the Cadbury's advert, Richard invents the sport of airport vehicle
Ground Support Equipment
Ground support equipment is the support equipment found at an airport, usually on the ramp, the servicing area by the terminal. This equipment is used to service the aircraft between flights. As its name implies, GSE is there to support the operations of aircraft on the ground...
racing with the help of several touring car drivers, similar to his motorhome
Top Gear (series 10)
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...
and bus racing
Top Gear (series 12)
The 12th series of Top Gear contained eight episodes, and premiered on 2 November 2008, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. Clarkson was injured while filming the series, after crashing a lorry through a brick wall at 56 mph in the first...
sports with the winner to become the basis of all airport vehicles. Hammond's airport fire truck
Airport Crash Tender
An airport crash tender is a specialised fire engine designed for use at aerodromes and airports in aircraft accidents.Airport Crash Tenders are extremely powerful machines...
wins the race after most of the competition - a catering truck, the mobile stairs, an articulated shuttle bus
Airport bus
An airport bus, or airport shuttle bus or airport shuttle is a bus or coach used to transport people to/from, or within airports. These vehicles will usually be equipped with larger luggage space, and incorporate special branding....
, a baggage train and an aircraft tug
Pushback
In aviation, pushback is an airport procedure during which an aircraft is pushed backwards away from an airport gate by external power. Pushbacks are carried out by special, low-profile vehicles called pushback tractors or tugs....
- variously take themselves and each other out of the race. This sequence was filmed for series 13, but was delayed for unknown reasons. Richard claims that the airfield used to film the challenge was in fact Heathrow Airport and that the aircraft and the terminal buildings 'had been moved off to one side'. During the race Hammond's fire truck sheds weight by operating the water-cannon to remove 8-tonnes of water although this causes Hammond to lose visibility and causes the track to become extremely wet. The catering truck attempts to shed weight by raising the storage box to aircraft level and opening the rear hatch so that the catering trolleys fall out of the back, although the driver forgot to lower the storage box and the truck overturned on a bend towards the end of the race.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
did a lap in 1:52.5 in very wet conditions.
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| 115 || Series 14, Episode 5 || 20 December 2009 || Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
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Review: Clarkson reviews the Noble M600. Clarkson noted that it is faster than any supercar within its competition range, including a Porsche 997 GT3
Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS...
, a Ferrari F430
Ferrari F430
The Ferrari F430 is a sports car that was produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show...
, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, an 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...
and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009...
. He was amazed by its speed and cornering abilities, even though he couldn't find its handling "sweet spot" and have fun with it. The Stig
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...
lapped it in 1:17.7 (in the cold), beating the Enzo Ferrari, the 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...
and the Pagani Zonda
Pagani Zonda
The Pagani Zonda is a sports car built by the Italian manufacturer Pagani. It debuted in 1999, and production ended in 2011. As of June 2009, 206 Zondas had been built, including test mules. Both 2-seat coupe and convertible versions have been produced. Construction is mainly of carbon...
Roadster F.
Challenge: The trio attempted to prove that cars are more popular than traditional art. They hired the use of mima
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, or mima, is a contemporary art gallery based in the centre of Middlesbrough, England. The gallery was formally launched on Sunday 27 January 2007...
, a Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
gallery, and fill it with motoring-related works, and vehicles they have made from past series of the show. Their attempts at producing their own works end in varying degrees of disaster; James accidentally sets his sculpture on fire, Richard's re-creation of The Hay Wain
The Hay Wain
The Hay Wain is a painting by John Constable, finished in 1821. The painting depicts a rural scene on the River Stour in Suffolk. It hangs in the National Gallery London, and is regarded as one of the greatest British paintings.-Description:...
ends up in a lake, while Clarkson accidentally shoots himself in the crotch with a paintball fired by a Red Bull RB1
Red Bull RB1
The Red Bull RB1 is a Formula One racing car designed by Jaguar Racing for Red Bull Racing for use in the 2005 season.Scot David Coulthard drove for the entire season, with Austrian Christian Klien and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi sharing the other car. Liuzzi raced in four of the rounds, with Klien...
operated by David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
. Another attempt at creating art that involves cutting a car in half ends when Clarkson helpfully points out that they have just destroyed a rental. Their efforts at setting up the gallery follow a similar tack as Jeremy crashes their BMW "art car" en route, Hammond spends most of his time as a PR agent talking about his career as a radio host and promoting his new show Blast Lab
Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
Richard Hammond's Blast Lab is a children's television programme made by DCD Media-owned September Films and Hamster's Wheel Productions for the BBC and shown on the CBBC Channel and CBBC outputs on both BBC One and BBC Two....
instead of the art exhibition, and May attempts to create an audio guide to the gallery that contains no information, sends visitors on a route that goes nowhere near the actual exhibits and is frequently interrupted by irate phone conversations. After some disastrous initial visiting figures, they eventually manage to greatly improve the figures by appearing at a Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
match. They set a target of 30,000 visitors in one week, and although they only managed 15,000, it was a record high for Mima.
Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car: Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
did the lap in 1:44.9 in damp conditions, failing to beat his previous time.
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| 116 || Series 14, Episode 6 || 27 December 2009 || None
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