Challenges How hard could it be? Top Gear Series 10

Top Gear: Series 10, Episode 8

  • Jeremy tests the Vauxhall VXR8.
  • Jeremy & James investigate the history of “the car”.
  • Richard finds out just how difficult it is to drive an F1 car.
  • Jeremy goes for a ride in a BMW 330i that can lap the test track by itself.
  • Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: James Blunt, Lewis Hamilton.

Episode Guide

Watch this episode on Amazon Instant Video

Main review: Clarkson reviews the Vauxhall VXR8, a rebadged HSV Clubsport R8. 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, an early Royal Enfield car, a De Dion-Bouton and a Ford Model T, they name the first car with a modern layout to be the Cadillac Type 53 from 1916 which was then popularised by the Austin 7.

Star in a Reasonably Priced car: James Blunt posts a time of 1.48.3 on a wet track.

Challenge: Hammond drives the Renault R25 Formula One car, which took both the driver’s (with Fernando Alonso) and constructor’s championship titles in the 2005 Formula One season. He is to do two laps around Stowe Circuit at Silverstone. 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 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.)[4]

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 on a lap of the track. The time for the lap was not revealed and Clarkson finds himself unable to stop the car as it continues to drive itself round the track with 3/4 of a tank of fuel left. After the end credits, Clarkson declares, “I’m bored!” as the car continues driving.

Some say…

“Some say that when he slows down, brake lights come on in his buttocks. And that if he’d been the manager of the England football squad last week he wouldn’t have been a feckless ginger gum chewing buffoon and ruin it for all of us. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

Stig Power Laps

Vauxhall VXR8
1:31.30 (wet)

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

James Blunt
1:48.30 (wet)
Lewis Hamilton
1:44.70(wet)

Music

Vauxhall VXR8 Review:
00:52 – 01:12 – Graeme Revell – Bury The Hatchet
01:10 – 01:25 – Queens of the Stone Age – Turnin’ on the Screw
01:25 – 01:39 – Queens of the Stone Age – Run, Pig, Run
01:39 – 02:21 – John Powell – Bim Bam Smash
02:48 – 03:05 – U.N.K.L.E – Burn My Shadow (Instrumental)
03:07 – 03:29 – U.N.K.L.E – Morning Rage (Instrumental)
03:29 – 03:37 – The Dust Brothers – Psycho Boy Jack
03:40 – 04:25 – Amorphous Androgynous – The Wicker Doll
04:26 Р04:45 РR̦yksopp РTriumphant
04:45 – 05:04 – U.N.K.L.E – Lawless (Instrumental)
05:08 – 05:25 – U.N.K.L.E – Lawless (Instrumental)

‘The Stig’ Lap:
06:38 – 06:42 – AC/DC – Highway to Hell
07:00 – 07:06 – AC/DC – Highway to Hell

Early Auto Layouts:
15:08 – 15:17 – Hans Zimmer – Beneath Alrischa
15:17 – 15:54 – Layo & Bushwacka! – Dr. Teeth
17:46 – 18:35 – U.N.K.L.E – Morning Rage (Instrumental)
18:51 – 19:40 – Elliot Goldenthal – That Cop Stole My Car
19:38 – 20:12 – The Dust Brothers – Corporate World
20:13 – 20:41 – Starsailor – Four To The Floor (Soulsavers Mix)
21:08 – 21:52 – John Barry – Beat for Beatniks
21:52 – 22:00 – Elliot Goldenthal – The Fascist Shuffle
22:22 – 22:37 – U.N.K.L.E – May Day (Instrumental)
23:06 – 23:44 – Alan Silvestri – Back to the Future Overture

Renault R25 F1 Challenge:
34:04 – 34:39 – Alex Heffes – Climbing the Rope
34:40 – 35:09 – Hans Zimmer – Synchrotone
35:23 – 35:47 – Tyler Bates – The Hot Gates
35:51 – 35:56 – John Ottman – The Arrests
36:03 – 37:52 – Michael Brook – Ultramarine
35:52 – 37:31 – John Powell – Man Versus Man
38:00 – 38:23 – Underworld – Faxed Invitation
39:05 – 39:14 – Hans Zimmer – Hunger
39:09 – 40:16 – John Murphy – The Beginning
40:16 – 40:48 – Terence Blanchard – Demands in Place
41:37 – 42:26 – James Newton Howard – Vincent Hops Train
42:47 – 43:10 – John Ottman – The Arrests
43:10 – 44:25 – Danny Elfman – Main Titles (Planet of the Apes)
44:25 – 44:37 – Lisle Moore – Stranger’s Return

Self-Driving BMW 330:
56:05 – 56:25 – Harry Gregson-Williams – Sanchez Family
56:23 – 57:13 – Ennio Morricone – Osservatori Osservati

Screenshots

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