Challenges Epic Races Top Gear Series 5

Top Gear: Series 5, Episode 8

  • The boys race a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti against a plane / train to Verbier.
  • Jeremy & Richard race a Mitsubishi Evo WRC against a bobsled.
  • Showroom cars vs old race cars.
  • The Stig attempts a sub-1:00 power lap in a Renault F1 car.
  • Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Eddie Izzard.

Episode Guide

Challenge: Are today’s showroom cars faster than race cars from “not that long ago”? Three pairs made up of one classic racer and one showroom car race against the clock in the Stig’s hands:

Ford Focus RS against a more powerful 1970’s Ford Escort RS1600 rally car; the RS takes the win with ease.
Noble M400 against the 4-times Le Mans winning car, the less powerful Ford GT40; a photo finish sees the GT40 win by half a second.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII FQ340 against the original more powerful Audi Quattro rally car; the Evo wins and makes it 2-1 for the showroom cars.

Challenge: Can a Formula 1 car (specifically Fernando Alonso’s Renault R24) get around the track in under a minute? Alonso wasn’t on hand to drive, so the Top Gear team gave it to The Stig to drive. He drove it around the track in exactly 59 seconds.

Challenge: Can a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Rally car beat a bobsleigh? May was in the car, driven by rally expert Henning Solberg, with Hammond and a professional team in the bobsled. The bobsled won with 59.68 seconds whilst the Evo came in under 1.02.24.

Restoration Rip-Off: Phone voters elect Paddy Hopkirk’s Mini Cooper as the winner of the Restoration Rip-Off Project. Money for the restoration was raised by the phone calls from voters.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Comedian Eddie Izzard, tells how he could fly a Spitfire and suggests that satellite navigation should swear at drivers to get their attention. Lap of 1:52.

Main Challenge: Hammond and May, using a plane, raced Clarkson who drove a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti from London to Verbier in Switzerland. It looked good for Hammond and May when they arrived at Geneva miles ahead of Jeremy who was still in France. Clarkson had to stop a few times because his car developed a buzzing noise and he was stopped by the police. Despite this, he made up time while the others were waiting for trains and buses. Clarkson won again but only by minutes — he overtook the others on the road just a few hundred yards away from the finish line.

Stig Power Laps

Renault F1 car
0:59.00

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

Eddie Izzard
1:52.00

Music

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Race, Pt. 1:
01:18 – 01:53 – Michael Nyman – Escape
02:23 – 03:24 – Edward Shearmur – The Cuckold
03:24 – 04:13 – David Holmes – My Mate Paul
04:13 – 04:50 – Danny Elfman – Introduction (Titles)
04:51 – 05:17 – Edward Shearmur – The Cuckold
05:22 – 05:40 – Passengers – Always Forever Now
05:57 – 06:11 – Passengers – Always Forever Now
06:16 – 07:15 – Doves – Sea Song
07:24 – 07:57 – Depeche Mode – Barrel of a Gun
08:30 – 08:55 – Deep Blue Something – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
09:58 – 10:22 – Groove Armada – Edge Hill
10:49 – 11:02 – Squirrel Nut Zippers – Put a Lid on It
11:04 – 11:22 – Duran Duran – Come Undone
11:33 – 12:21 – Michael Nyman – Fly Drive
12:24 – 12:58 – Dirk Montapert & Armen Hambar – Dark Bells
12:58 – 13:33 – Ilan Eshkeri – Drive to Boatyard
13:36 – 14:14 – Ilan Eshkeri – Drive to Boatyard

Car vs. Bobsleigh Challenge:
22:40 – 23:01 – Hybrid – Marrakech
23:01 – 23:04 – John Murphy – The Search for Jim
23:04 – 23:35 – Hybrid – Marrakech
23:40 – 23:59 – Abigail Mead – Attack
23:59 – 24:03 – Abigail Mead – Time Suspended
24:03 – 24:38 – Nine Inch Nails – At the Heart of it All
25:10 – 25:28 – Die Fantastischen Vier – Krieger (Aphex Twin Baldhu Mix)
25:29 – 26:36 – Rob Dougan – Speed Me Towards Death (Instrumental)
26:38 – 28:38 – Juno Reactor, Don Davis – Mona Lisa Overdrive
28:38 – 28:48 – Orbital – The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair
28:48 – 29:09 – Juno Reactor, Don Davis – Mona Lisa Overdrive
29:10 – 30:02 – Rob Dougan – Speed Me Towards Death (Instrumental)

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Race, Pt. 2:
45:26 – 45:37 – Craig Armstrong – Inhaler
45:38 – 45:46 – Primal Scream – Kowalski
45:54 – 46:06 – Primal Scream – Kowalski
46:07 – 46:41 – Doves – Rise
46:52 – 47:15 – J-Walk – Soul Vibration
47:17 – 48:02 – Lamb – Gorecki (Instrumental)
48:02 – 48:44 – Veigar Margeirsson – Pirate Chase
48:51 – 50:09 – Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water
50:10 – 50:51 – Trevor Rabin – Theme from Armageddon
50:51 – 51:56 – Daniel Nielsen – Desert King
52:20 – 53:05 – Armen Hambar – Reunion

Renault F1 Car:
55:06 – 56:15 – James S. Levine – Flowmosis

Screenshots

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3 comments

LeMoi August 13, 2015 at 11:37 am

Video was removed. Here’s a working Link (you’re welcome) 🙂

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LeMoi August 13, 2015 at 11:38 am

Oppsie. There it is “http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-season-5-episode-8_725907.htm” 😀

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Sean McKellar August 13, 2015 at 8:56 pm

Fixed, thanks 🙂

Reply

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