Episode 2 Top Gear: Extra Gear

Hi. I'm George Lewis, and welcome to Extra Gear,

the show that searches through the Top Gear secret files to find you

motoring exclusives, more insider knowledge and the Stig's passport.

Apparently he has no birthday.

Tonight, we go behind the scenes on the Alfa Giulia shoot...

What are the chances of me actually getting to it before it blows over?

'Yeah. That is an issue.'

We bring you bonus footage from Matt and Chris's American road trip...

'Matt, are you OK?'

And Chris reunites with his super saloon first love, the M3.

TYRES SCREECH

That's right, this is Extra Gear!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

What a show!

Driving up ski slopes, freewheeling down mountains

and drifting through a hole in the wall...

Or not, as the case may be.

In tonight's Alfa Giulia film,

Chris was very nearly injured when he smashed his windscreen.

Rory was also very nearly injured...

by Chris, when he shouted "bring on the wall" for the fourth time.

And now, as only Extra Gear can,

we take you behind the scenes to have a closer look.

Enjoy.

So, today, Chris Harris is reviewing the new Alfa Giulia QV.

This is his shoot, not mine, but I've turned up.

I'm going to set him a very special challenge to just see

exactly how good he is at driving. Let's go do this.

Action truck.

..A day many had hoped for,

but in their heart of hearts never believed could really happen.

-Slowly, slowly...

-What are you doing?!

Well, I couldn't help but hear you saying that you could slide

this car anywhere you want. ..That'll do.

-I thought you might want to prove it.

-Prove what?

So, you want me to skid sideways through that?!

Exactly.

I somehow have allowed the BBC to think that I'm all right at

this driving thing, but I think this might be a bit of a challenge today.

A step too far. Over and out.

A little bit...

-Right a bit.

-Right.

-Left a bit.

-Right.

-No, right.

-Left.

-Right.

-Left.

Welcome to Dunsfold. We've got a massive challenge for Chris to do.

He is going to be drifting through

our walls that we've built.

It's super tight. The margins for error are insane.

So, we're currently just prepping the walls into position now.

If it goes wrong, we're going to have 50 people picking up

bits of polystyrene walls. That's not so cool.

Face-cam Alfa. Over-the-shoulder Alfa.

We're now going to go...tracking car, and what I want to do

is make sure we've got shots where the tracking car isn't in our shots.

So, let's all get into our little angles, and we'll run it. OK?

-RADIO:

-'Jon to Chris, can I re-place first positions, please?'

Starting position, or do you want me somewhere else?

I can't hear you in the wind.

If the wall looks like it's going to fall, get in there, yeah?

'Yes, getting right down to Follow Through.

'Reasonably happy?'

Well, I'm as happy as I'm going to be, really, aren't I?

Let's give it a go, and if I smash it I smash it.

Ooh!

WIND WHISTLES

I think it just nearly blew over.

With winds gusting up to 40mph, Chris soon realised that

the hole in the wall wasn't the only challenge he was facing.

What are the chances of me actually getting to it before it blows over?

Yeah. That is an issue.

We're going to do this now. We're going to be following behind you.

I hope it goes well, mate.

Do it now.

And three, two, one, go.

That wasn't good.

Big damage to the car. Big damage to the car.

Get a close-up of that!

Have a look at that windscreen. I'll come down.

You've got another wall, haven't you?

I want to do it again. I'm not giving up.

Is my hair all right?

-BLEEP.

-It was open, wasn't it? Stay there.

-Here we go!

-OK?

-Action!

I don't know what's worse,

the fact that I've damaged this beautiful car,

or the knowledge that I'm going to have to listen to you

once again say, "Bring on the wall!"

Bring on the wall!

Again!

Good.

'OK, Chris, here we go.

'Three, two, one, action.'

No, that's not worked, either.

I think we need to get a move on, boys. It's getting dark.

This is Through The Wall with the Alfa and Chris.

Rescue it!

-BLEEP

-get in there.

'OK, Jon to Chris, apologies, radio check. Copy.'

I've got you. I can't control the weather.

'Yeah, that and polystyrene.'

The wind remained relentless, and now Chris was running out of time.

The light was fading, and there were only two walls left.

And...action!

Come on, Chris.

Drift the car through the wall.

Can we go home now?

Bye.

And as darkness falls over Dunsfold,

a lone Iranian is still trying to drive through the hole

in a polystyrene wall.

I like to think that's how the BBC Natural History Department

would record this event.

'Jon to Chris. Flash your hazards if you can hear me.

'We are going to cue you. OK, good. Thank you. Stand by.

-'Here we go.'

-Here we go, then.

It's dark. I can't really see what I'm doing.

I couldn't do it when I could see what I was doing.

-'And...'

-'Go.'

-'Go, go, go!'

Is this really going to work?

I can't even see what I'm doing here.

Whoa-ho-ho-ho!

Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

Yes!

My God!

Yes, baby!

THEY SHOUT AND LAUGH

'Well done, Chris.

'Well done, Chris, that was amazing, mate. Well done.'

I'm having one of those.

APPLAUSE

Well done, mate.

Thank you for bearing with me. Thank you for bearing with me...

Yes!

To tell us more about it, let's bring on the boys!

CHEERING

Chris, you were really up against it there.

It'd be hard enough getting that car through the hole without any wind.

Yeah, hard to say what was more difficult.

Was it the wind or the help of my co-presenter?

No, the wind was a real problem,

-The frangible material that wasn't frangible...

-Yes.

..wanted to blow over,

but the wall had to be positioned a certain way to give it

the least-facing angle into the wind.

Not sure if there's a technical term for that.

That meant that it wasn't the easiest angle

for me to drift through. Do you want some more excuses?

All of that. All of that.

Look, the whole thing was pretty damn difficult,

-if I'm honest with you.

-It looked difficult and I suppose,

you were talking about the frangible material there -

you don't expect that to smash your windscreen, do you?

No, polystyrene is like water... I now learn.

Water, when you hit it at 1mph is soft and cuddly.

-If you whack it at 50mph it hurts.

-Yes.

Polystyrene - the same thing.

You were almost injured, is that right?

No! Of course not. We don't get injured on Top gear.

-Just his pride.

-My pride was damaged.

There were bits of glass flying around but we can survive those.

No, I just didn't like seeing the car get damaged.

And, Rory, you were just there for moral support?

I think we've got a film to remind ourselves.

Bring on the wall.

Bring on the ball! Bring on the wall!

Bring on the wall!

I mean... Couldn't you have thought of another line?

I mean, look, what you've got to remember is that, in the film,

Chris was talking about how great the car was and that

he could slide it anywhere.

We've all seen countless films of this guy

being this amazing driving god, and everything,

and I just wanted to help prove that he was as good as he says.

-Being a good friend.

-And you have helped me prove that I'm not.

But it was soul destroying. I don't like failing at stuff.

I really didn't think it was possible.

But I knew... At the time,

I thought I knew that it had been done by someone in a BMW 1M.

This evening, I have just found out that it hadn't been done.

It was a cheat. A trick!

See, it was all a CGI exercise.

-On top of that, though, we genuinely only had four frangible walls.

-Yes.

So, he was down to the last attempt.

If he hadn't had done that, it would have been game over.

Plus, everyone forgets, you know, how hard I worked on that shoot, OK?

Sat in that chair for hours, into the dark. I was freezing.

It was a cold day. I'll give him that. It was a cold, cold day.

And after the third attempt, I wanted to be in your chair.

-And not in the chair I was sitting in.

-With him?

-On him. I didn't care.

I didn't want to be in the Alfa any more.

So, the other car that we saw in the Giulia film was the BMW M3.

-Now, that must have really tested your allegiance.

-Ooh, yeah.

I do like an M3. That's where it all started for me.

Well, this is probably the perfect moment for you to introduce

-your lap car this week.

-Here we go.

Well, yes, my admiration for the Alfa Giulia is pretty apparent,

as you can see.

I have chosen my words carefully, mind,

because over here is the M3,

the super saloon that will always be closest to my heart,

and I couldn't resist the opportunity

to take it round our track.

M3. 30-year edition.

Massive skid off the line, into third and we're still sideways.

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

So, what constitutes a 30th anniversary M3?

A bit more power. We've got about 19 horsepower more.

We're now up to 450.

That is quite a lot in a small saloon car,

because this thing does weigh a lot less than a C63.

This is so exciting, this car. I love it.

This is the argument for turbo-charging, in my book.

So much grip from the chassis.

Must not go too sideways. And failing.

So, what else do we get?

This is £25,000 more than a normal M3.

You get fjord blue insets in your seats.

I don't know whether that really constitutes the difference.

You get a bit more power, you get the sport exhaust as standard,

and you also get... I'm going to do a big skid here.

I'm going to go for another gear as well.

Skid, gear change, skid, gear change.

Oh, we love a skid, gear change.

And the chassis, it's so pointy,

it is just so oversteer-y when you want it to be.

And so cool, look at that.

Big skid!

Ahh!

I just love banging M3s around.

They make lovely everyday cars, and people, for some reason,

have a bit of a downer on this turbo-charged M3.

I think it's the best one they've ever made.

It's a superb motor car. I want more and more of it.

Oh, yes.

Would I pay 25 grand extra? Yes, for the fancy seatbelts alone.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's pretty clear you love the M3.

Even standing here I get a bit tingly.

That is a fantastic car.

Now, something else I want to talk to you about is the cars that

we saw in tonight's episode.

So, Chris, you were in the 911 Turbo S,

and Matt was in the Lamborghini Huracan.

Now, the challenge from the producers was that you had to

drive these cars through all four seasons, but it seemed like

a bigger challenge for you

was to prove that the 911 is in fact a supercar.

Rory, can I get your take on this?

I don't like agreeing with Chris all the time,

but I'm with him on this one.

The Turbo S is quicker than the Lamborghini,

and you wouldn't think so to look at it.

And it is more super, in the sense that it can do all the stuff

that this car can do, and a whole lot more.

It's got four seats, it's got more practicality,

and it's ultimately a quicker car, so, in that sense,

Harris is the winner.

We should bottle that one. We've agreed on something.

Chris, we saw both these cars going up a ski slope.

You don't expect to see that, but they're both four-wheel drive.

What are the differences between the two systems?

They are surprisingly different in that...

Obviously, this is mid engine, that is rear engine, OK?

So they have to operate slightly differently.

They are both genuine four-wheel-drive systems,

-so this is, effectively, an R8 underneath.

-Yeah.

So it is more rear biased, with the assistance at the front,

and the same is true of the 911.

The key differences are actually that when you drive them,

this has got big element of torque vectoring,

so the systems in this car can put torque to different wheels

to try and grip, and you really notice that.

When they were both on studded tyres,

this had quite a big advantage.

Once you put the chains on the Lambo, it could keep up.

In fact it could go places the Porsche couldn't it in the end.

But, most interestingly, this has got a four-wheel steering system,

and that made a huge difference wherever we went.

The rear wheels can move and articulate quite a lot,

so, effectively, this car has a variable wheelbase,

so when you're going fast, the direction change is nice and lazy

and smooth, and when you're going quick

and into more technical spaces,

the wheelbase feels shorter, feels more agile.

It's a total freak of a car.

It shouldn't do what it can do and, frankly,

its repertoire is so broad, it makes this look a bit silly at times.

So, the true supercar, then, obviously, is definitely

the 911 because, let's face it, it's got way more tricks up its sleeve.

And at one point in the film, we saw you swap cars,

so there were things about the Lamborghini that you appreciated?

Oh, yeah, the engine is fantastic.

Anyone that has driven an R8, it has the same motor.

That V10, normally aspirated.

I mean, it is a dying breed, as Matt says in the film.

It's something to celebrate. It sounds fantastic.

The throttle response is remarkable,

-but as you're telling yourself that, the 911 drives away.

-Yeah.

And I suppose, after a fashion,

this is a car that you can enjoy for a few hours at a time,

or I can, but you sit too high, the steering's all funny,

the cabin is bizarre, and I don't like being looked at that much.

Rory, where do you stand on that?

Look, having said what I said earlier, I do still feel...

-Here we go!

-..that the Lambo is a stunning-looking car,

and if I'm going to pick a car to show off in,

to make people be impressed by me, I would go with this thing,

especially in this colour. I like it.

This is How-Small-Is-Your-Manhood Yellow.

Look, I do get one thing about this car.

The normal aspirated motor is something to behold and celebrate.

They won't be around much longer, I don't think.

The engine is fantastic. The rest of it, average. Buy an R8.

So, there's a pattern emerging.

Last week, we saw you crash into the back of Matt LeBlanc.

This week, we see this. What's going on?

Nowadays, supercars aren't really about speed.

They're about...

-Ow, you just hit me in the head with a rock. You

-BLEEP!

'Matt, are you OK? Did you say there was a stone came in the cockpit?'

Yeah, my fat head sticks out of this too far.

Chris hit me right on the forehead with a rock.

I'm all right, though.

Evidence that Matt's workplace injury claim is building every week.

In consecutive weeks, I've managed to nearly kill him in the Mercedes,

and then I nearly brained him with a rock somewhere near Los Angeles.

Look, there is a technical explanation here.

As you saw in the film, the H-point...

-I know you're passionate about H-points.

-Oh, God, yeah.

That means your hip point,

so your hips relative to the height of the vehicle.

The H-point in the Lamborghini is too high for how low the car is.

So you sit too high in it, basically.

Because they've got all these motors under the seat,

cos it has to be an electric seat,

cos the person that buys a Lamborghini can't do it manually.

And, yeah, it's a nightmare.

Matt was sitting too high in the vehicle,

that's why he got brained by the stone. It wasn't a rock.

He called it a rock.

It was carrying the mass of a shell, wasn't it? It was tiny.

But that's something else you've got to love about Lamborghinis,

because, historically, they've been slightly flawed in some way

and, again, the H-point in this new thing is slightly wrong.

It adds character to the car. It's another reason to love it.

Why would you want to sit too high in a sports car?

-So people can see you better.

-Oh, my Lord.

It is a good explanation, actually, I'll give him that.

OK, to answer the ultimate question,

it wouldn't have happened in the Porsche, would it?

It wouldn't have happened. If Matt had been driving the Porsche,

his good looks would have been preserved.

Are you saying they've been ruined in some way?

-By you.

-Agh.

-Dented a little.

So, we saw you test the cars in all sorts of different ways,

ways that you don't usually see supercars get tested.

But I know that there are probably people at home looking

at their tellies right now and they're saying,

"Yes, yes, yes, but how big is the boot?"

Well, I heard that the 911's boot is about Chris Harris sized.

That's not a very large unit of measurement, though, is it?

-That's the fourth size gag of the evening.

-I'll keep them coming.

So, there was one other challenge that you didn't see in the film.

Would you guys like to see it now?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yes!

Probably a good idea to put your coat on.

Have you seen the size of my boot?

Yeah, 911s have a nice big front trunk.

-Look at it.

-Yeah, that's big. Bigger than that one.

-Look, it's so big I can get in it, I reckon.

-Do you think so?

Yeah.

Really? All right, get in there. Let me see you.

Can you get all the way in?

Ow! Agh!

Can you get all the way in?

Don't be a wally.

It won't latch.

I nearly got in it.

-Ow!

-No, you're not going to fit.

Come on, I'm getting wet. Let's get out of here.

That's great.

I love how Matt tries to squish you in.

It's like when you're trying to get a teddy bear into a toy box.

A very angry teddy beer.

Now, unfortunately, that's all we've got time for tonight.

But, Rory, what have we got coming up next week?

All right, next week we find out what kind of car you need

if you're going to film a DB11. I'll give you a hint - a very fast one.

And George and I are going to bond over the Ford Fiesta.

-We did bond, didn't we?

-Yeah. Yeah. A little bit.

So we will see you next week, here on Extra Gear.