Challenges How hard could it be? Top Gear Series 9

Top Gear: Series 9, Episode 6

  • Jeremy, Richard and James each make a stretch limo.
  • Richard tests the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500.
  • Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Billie Piper.

Episode Guide

Watch this episode on Amazon Instant Video

Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May build stretch limos to drive celebrities to the Brit Awards. They first perform several tests on the Top Gear test track, including evasive maneuvers such as a J-turn. Both James and Jeremy got out of their vehicles during the challenges and were respectively shot in the groin by paintballs and knocked over by a blast from a fire apparatus water cannon. Clarkson chose a 1992 Fiat Panda to chauffeur BBC Radio 1’s Chris Moyles. After extending it to an absurd length (necessitating a wheeled platform to carry passengers to the back seat), he was forced to remove 7 feet to make it road-legal, causing it to break in half in the middle of London. Hammond chose an 1996 MG F and, after it is stretched into a limo (with no roof except at the very rear) has to take Jamelia to the Brit Awards. May chose a 1994 Saab 9000 and an 1996 Alfa Romeo 164, the two of which are conjoined into a limo with steering wheels at both ends. He has to take Lemar to the Brit Awards. Hammond arrived first and largely without incident, although the open-top nature of his limo and the throttle becoming stuck meant that Jamelia attracted more attention than she wanted. Clarkson arrived shortly afterwards, despite the entire rear half of his car being missing. May got lost and Lemar stormed out of May’s car after being an hour late to the start of the ceremony. The ultimate winner of the task was whoever got the most photos of their car printed in newspapers or magazines, and Clarkson earned that honor, by virtue of having a picture printed in his own column in The Sun.

The News: Richard met with the Prime Minister about road pricing. A new Ford Mondeo is coming and will be “brilliant.” Booster seat laws can’t be enforced because police don’t have the legal right to measure children (May has difficulty presenting this story without breaking into fits of laughter). Aston Martin is for sale by Ford.

Preview: Jeremy & Richard present the new Vauxhall Monaro VXR in the studio. It has been restyled and given four doors (instead of two), while retaining the same powerful engine as before, with an option for a supercharger.

Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Actress Billie Piper posted a 1:48.3 around the track, until it was revealed that she had actually cut out Hammerhead during the lap and was on the wrong side of Chicago’s line. However, since she was wearing a see-through top, Jeremy couldn’t bring himself to actually apply the Stig’s recommended three-second penalty.

Review: Richard Hammond test-drives the latest Shelby Mustang GT500. Hammond suggests that the 500 horsepower (370 kW) rating of the car as indicated in its name is exaggerated. He has it tested on a portable wheel dynamometer which yields 447 horsepower (333 kW). He also put his own classic Mustang GT390 on the dyno and it had 250 RWHP. (This accusation of “false advertising” is incorrect, however, as the dynamometer measured wheel horsepower whereas the advertised output is brake horsepower, directly off the crankshaft of the engine. The losses in the drivetrain completely explain the reduced output[citation needed]). The biggest problem with the newer car, however, is the unaltered suspension with a live axle. As Clarkson later explains, “You can’t put that much power in a car without changing the suspension.” The Stig takes the Shelby around the track in a wobbly fashion in 1:30, beating the time of a Vauxhall Monaro VXR by .1 second. In response, Clarkson presents another Mustang altered by tuning house Roush. The Roush Mustang is less powerful than the Shelby with 415 BHP, but it has upgraded braking, more sophisticated suspension, and a limited slip differential. The Stig takes the Roush around the track in a much more controlled time of 1:28.

Some say…

“Some say he isn’t machine washable, and all his potted plants are called ‘Steve’. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

Stig Power Laps

Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
1:30.00
Roush Mustang
1:28.00

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

Billie Piper
1:48.30

Music

Limousine Challenge, Pt. 1:
01:13 – 01:26 – Trevor Rabin – Evacuation
01:26 – 01:33 – Trevor Rabin – AJ’s Return
01:33 – 01:42 – DJ Shadow – The Number Song
01:42 – 02:01 – Silvester Levay – Airwolf
02:01 – 02:33 – The Band of H.M. Royal Marines – Aces High
02:34 – 03:01 – The James Taylor Quartet – Wait a Minute
03:10 – 03:26 – Tony Osborne & His Orchestra – Roundabout
03:41 – 03:52 – Wagon Christ – Saddic Gladdic
04:06 – 04:27 – Ty – The Willing (Instrumental)
04:58 – 05:10 – Jean-Claude Petit – Chronique
06:01 – 06:21 – The Flee-rekkers – Fireball XL5
06:28 – 06:56 – Ashworth/Hope – Blue Peter
07:15 – 08:01 – The Barry Gray Orchestra – Captain Scarlet Theme

Limousine Challenge, Pt. 2:
14:40 – 15:13 – Steppenwolf – The Pusher
15:14 – 15:46 – Richard Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra
16:25 – 16:40 – Glen Larson/Stu Phillips – Knight Rider
17:03 – 17:08 – Kronos Quartet – Black Angels: I. Departure
17:11 – 17:20 – Giacomo Puccini – Madame Butterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremo
17:31 – 17:41 – Just Jack – Writer’s Block
17:41 – 18:03 – The Band of H.M. Royal Marines – Theme from The Great Escape
18:08 – 18:25 – 9 Lazy 9 – High Fashion
18:28 – 18:37 – City of Prague Philharmonic – Battlestar Galactica Suite
18:41 – 19:16 – 9 Lazy 9 – High Fashion
19:29 – 19:35 – Sons of Silence – The Mit Out Sound
19:42 – 19:56 – Wagon Christ – Saddic Gladdic
19:56 – 20:27 – Hybrid – Last Man Standing
20:37 – 20:49 – Amon Tobin – Foley Room
21:26 – 21:47 – Daisy Daisy – Michelle Plays Ping Pong (Vicarious Bliss Remix)
21:47 – 21:53 – Stoppa & Nobby – Sweet Lassi Dub
21:53 – 21:56 – Kronos Quartet – Black Angels: I. Departure
22:28 – 22:59 – Laurie Johnson – The Professionals
23:21 – 23:26 – Daisy Daisy – Michelle Plays Ping Pong (Vicarious Bliss Remix)
23:27 – 23:53 – City of Prague Philharmonic – The Virginian
24:05 – 24:40 – Killing Joke – Pandemonium
25:00 – 25:07 – Eve Dowdle – Intensity
25:28 – 25:37 – The Gasman – Cenlax
25:38 – 26:05 – Killing Joke – Millennium
26:06 – 26:36 – Magazine – Shot By Both Sides
26:38 – 27:49 – Killing Joke – Whiteout

Shelby Mustang GT500 Review:
36:51 – 37:45 – David Holmes – What R We Stealing
37:47 – 38:02 – Sergio Mendes – For What it’s Worth
38:02 – 38:17 – John Rea, Alan Reekie – Dream Tunnels
38:17 – 38:44 – DJ Shadow – Backstage Girl
38:44 – 38:50 – John Rea, Alan Reekie – Dream Tunnels
38:51 – 39:23 – Muse – Knights of Cydonia
39:23 – 39:41 – John Ottman – Saving the World
39:49 – 40:13 – Brian Tyler – Touge
40:13 – 40:18 – Brian Tyler – The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift
40:40 – 40:58 – Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
41:00 – 41:20 – Radiohead – The National Anthem
41:20 – 41:52 – Brian Tyler, Klaus Badelt – Constantine End Titles
41:54 – 42:11 – John Ottman – Saving the World
42:11 – 42:56 – Doves – Rise

Limousine Challenge, Pt. 3:
46:46 – 47:02 – Primal Scream – Medication
47:07 – 47:38 – Ocean Colour Scene – 40 Past Midnight
47:42 – 48:07 – David Holmes – $165 Million + Interest (Into) The Round Up
48:08 – 48:29 – Elastica – 2:1
48:48 – 49:22 – David Holmes – $165 Million + Interest (Into) The Round Up
49:22 – 49:42 – Bobby Darin – Don’t Rain on My Parade
50:05 – 50:14 – City of Prague Philharmonic – The Ipcress File (A Man Alone)
50:34 – 51:01 – Duane Eddy – The Trembler
51:03 – 51:49 – Groove Armada – Your Song
52:06 – 52:16 – David Bowie – Song for Bob Dylan
52:24 – 52:34 – City of Prague Philharmonic – The Ipcress File (A Man Alone)
52:54 – 53:03 – Mirwais – Disco Science
53:14 – 53:53 – Mirwais – Disco Science
54:11 – 54:44 – Cream – Sunshine of Your Love
54:44 – 54:55 – Bob James – Angela
54:58 – 55:14 – Cream – Sunshine of Your Love
55:18 – 55:27 – David Holmes – 7/29/04 the Day of 3:11
56:07 – 56:12 – Ron Goodwin – Reitsch’s Flight
56:25 – 57:00 – City of Prague Philharmonic – The Ipcress File (A Man Alone)
57:03 – 58:03 – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now
58:12 – 58:23 – City of Prague Philharmonic – The Ipcress File (A Man Alone)

Screenshots

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6 comments

BenNewton October 16, 2014 at 12:09 am

only part 1 works. the others don’t play..

Reply
Sean October 16, 2014 at 4:19 am

I think that is because this video has been saved off with a 60 minute first segment. A little unusual I know, but whatever works I guess…

Reply
BenNewton October 16, 2014 at 6:06 pm

IT’s probably a fault on my side but on both my computers, sound just stops at 10:00 (regular segment time) and doesn’t come up again afterwards. normally I just load the next segment and sound comes back (in other episodes loaded with a 60 min segment) but in this one, the other segments don’t work. As I said, might be a problem on my side. Anyways, keep up the amazing work, I ve been enjoying this website for sth like a year now and have seen all episodes 2 or 3 times (some way more than that) haha.
Cheers !

Reply
Sean October 17, 2014 at 6:10 am

Actually I was just able to replicate the issue – you were correct! I have updated the video link with a new one I found, give it a try and let me know how you go with it.

Reply
BenNewton October 22, 2014 at 1:45 am

works perfectly !

EmpZ3rg April 30, 2015 at 6:31 am

I just got the same issue.

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