0:00:02 > 0:00:03Hi, I'm Rory Reid. Welcome to Extra Gear.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05We are back for a brand-new series,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07crammed full of Top Gear goodies,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and we've got a brand-new studio.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10CHEERING
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Yeah.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I like it, too. So good to be back.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17OK, tonight, I get my hands on a Mk I GT40
0:00:17 > 0:00:22with some special tuition from Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23Right, I want to open it up a bit.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25ENGINE ROARS
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Oh-ho-ho!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Chris takes on Australian V8 around Dunsfold.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Ha-ha!
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Is there any other way to behave?
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Sabine joins us in the studio to explain what this is all about.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39I can't see anything.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Woohoo!
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And John Hennessy is here, just in case you hadn't had your fill of V8 goodness.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46That's how we roll.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48This is Extra Gear.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13First up, I want to get my guests out.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15We've got a lot to talk about.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17He is a Texan tuner whose voodoo engine upgrades
0:01:17 > 0:01:19have taken Mustangs to another level.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Please welcome John Hennessy.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And she's the queen of the ring and an all-round automotive lunatic,
0:01:33 > 0:01:34please welcome Sabine Schmitz.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Right, so, tonight's Top Gear was all about the V8.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I was in a Jag, Chris was in a McLaren, two very handsome
0:01:52 > 0:01:54British sports cars.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55But it wasn't really a surprise
0:01:55 > 0:01:58that Mr LeBlanc went for an American car, was it?
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Yeah, I mean, he's got to go for the Mustang.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02He's playing on the home team.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06So, this started life as a GT 350 R.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11And that has 500 horsepower, but you felt the need to add another 300.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Yeah, it was my own personal car and I thought,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'm probably not going to modify this car much.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But it didn't take long and I thought, you know what?
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It's got great grip, great brakes and it handles wonderfully
0:02:21 > 0:02:24but I find it just needs a little more torque, a little more horsepower.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25- So...- So you added 300 more?
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Yeah. You know when a car needs more...
0:02:27 > 0:02:29- Yeah.- Straight line.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- Go for it.- It just needed more... Needed more bollocks to go proper.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36I've never heard anyone say that a 500 horsepower car
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- needs more bollocks. - That's what we did.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42What's the process? What did you do? How do you make this car go faster?
0:02:42 > 0:02:45This particular car, so it has a pretty highly tuned
0:02:45 > 0:02:475-litre V8 engine from Ford.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49It turns 8,200 rpm.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52That's a flat plane crank, which is pretty trick and pretty cool.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55We added a 2.9-litre supercharger system to it,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58so we upgrade the air intake, fuel injectors,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00we pretty much leave the exhaust alone.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01It just has an amazing sound.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Retune the computer, it's capable of turning 8,200 rpm
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and it sounds like pure madness when it's under boost.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11How do you know how much the engine can take, though?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Do you just, like, crank it all the way up to 300 and see what happens?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Or do you go up incrementally?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19We don't really know. Kind of like a U-boat's commander doesn't
0:03:19 > 0:03:21really know how deep his submarine will go, he just has to, like,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26gradually test it out, and we built, gosh, in the last year-and-a-half,
0:03:26 > 0:03:27be built probably 50 of those and...
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So, essentially, Matt LeBlanc was kind of a guinea pig.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Well, look, if Top Gear can't break it, nobody can break it.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36- So it's very reliable.- Sabine, you saw the cars, I was in the Jag,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Chris was in a McLaren, Matt was in the bright-yellow...
0:03:39 > 0:03:43..thing that makes 800-odd horsepower.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46What would you go for? Would you go British or American?
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Not British. Since got married, left McLaren, I...
0:03:53 > 0:03:55His car is a beast.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I would love to drive this one.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58- You're going to.- Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- I'm sure.- Cool.- I still think I had the best car, though.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Man, that Jag, I mean, it's a great all-rounder.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04It's part 4x4.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08It's essentially, like, a little bit of a Land Rover inside a sports car.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12When you've got all-wheel drive, and you can put the power down in the Mustang,
0:04:12 > 0:04:13forget about it in first or second gear,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15it's a third gear and up car.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It is an extra gear kind of car.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Plus, I know you saw, when I won that shoot-out in the quarry...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I had no doubt. I had no doubt, when you guys did that...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The draw. That all-wheel drive was good.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- You rotated it well, too. - Oh, thank you.- Yeah.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Now, while we're on the subject of Anglo-American relations,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35the GT40 made an appearance on tonight's Top Gear
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and, let's just say, it left a lasting impression.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48This is the 1964 Mk I GT40.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Chassis number 1008.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Yes, it's been dressed up to look like a younger model but, trust me,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57this is one of the originals.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01A car that was born out of Henry Ford II's desire to thrash
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Ferrari in their own back yard at the Le Mans 24-hour race.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And thrash them it did, winning four times in a row.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15The Mk I was developed here in Britain by a team led by John Wyer.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The early cars performed pretty dismally at races, so Ford,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23impatient to win, handed the project to a Texan, Carroll Shelby,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25in time for the 1966 Le Mans.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32It seemed as though the Brits had missed their chance,
0:05:32 > 0:05:38as Shelby's team drove their more powerful 7-litre GT40s to victory
0:05:38 > 0:05:39in both '66 and 67.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44American engineering might have won the day initially,
0:05:44 > 0:05:45but the Brits never gave up.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49John Wyer continued to modify the Mk I GT40
0:05:49 > 0:05:52using his smaller engine and, by a twist of fate,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55larger engines were banned in Le Mans,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and that meant Ford had to turn to British engineering once again.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Shelby was out and Wyer, the plucky Brit, was back in.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05It's a fascinating story
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and one that's best told by a man who was there.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23I'm riding with Jackie Oliver, who won Le Mans in 1969 driving a GT40.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Jackie, this is a bit of a homecoming for you, isn't it?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Driving a Mk I GT40.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36Absolutely. And it's brilliant to be back behind the wheel of it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39The car you won in, that wasn't the Shelby version,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41it was the British JW version, wasn't it?
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Explain to me the difference in philosophies between the two cars.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Shelby was all about horsepower.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55They turned the engine into a 7-litre from a 5-litre.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57JW took the car over,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00they refined the chassis to make the cars go quicker around the corner
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and for the drivers to be more comfortable driving them.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08So there were clear differences between the two cars.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Tell me about the differences between the two men,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Carroll Shelby and JW.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Carroll was a...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17..hard-charging American.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18That's the way he went racing.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24John Wyer, we used to call him Darth Vader,
0:07:24 > 0:07:29because there was something a little scary about him.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33A minute ago you said to me that these cars were comfortable to drive.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36How could it be that at Le Mans, when you're doing 200mph,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- these things were comfortable? - Well, it's an easy car to drive.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Very light on the steering, very comfortable driving position.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48That was the most satisfying thing about racing a GT40.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55JW never gave up, even though Henry Ford took the project away from him.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58What was the feeling in the camp when they got another shot
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and actually won?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03That was very satisfying for John Wyer and the drivers who drove for
0:08:03 > 0:08:07them, and I'm sure Carroll Shelby was very gracious
0:08:07 > 0:08:10with regard to the success,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13but I think when he got back home he was saying, "Dammit.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16"The Brits did it."
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Far from landing on the scrapheap of history,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25the 5-litre British GT40 finally had its day,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30winning Le Mans in '68 and '69, rivalling its American cousin.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Jackie, I'm sat next to a Le Mans winner in a Mk I GT40.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Please tell me I can have a go.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- You can have a go.- Come on!
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- It's alive!- It's alive.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49It's a tiger.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- Woo!- All right.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58What an opportunity.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03And what a car. I can't believe this thing is more than 50 years old.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04It's responsive, isn't it?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I was expecting an absolute animal
0:09:06 > 0:09:08but it's actually quite a refined car.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Right, I want to open it up a bit.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13ENGINE ROARS
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Oh-ho-ho!
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Carroll Shelby, I'm sure he did a fantastic job, but, I mean,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23this JW thing, it just proves...
0:09:24 > 0:09:26..bigger isn't always better.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27ENGINE ROARS
0:09:29 > 0:09:30Oh, it sounds so good.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31APPLAUSE
0:09:35 > 0:09:36I love this story.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I think we have to tell the story, though,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42because whenever we talk about the GT40, everyone assumes it's this big
0:09:42 > 0:09:46American icon, but without the Brits it just wouldn't have happened,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- would it?- The chassis basically started as a Lola Mk VI,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53so, really, there's a lot of British DNA in the GT40
0:09:53 > 0:09:55before the car was even born.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57And, Sabine, you've driven the GT40?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Oh, yes. I've driven it in South Africa in Kyalami on the racetrack.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Yeah. What do you like about it?
0:10:03 > 0:10:04I love that pure driving.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You know, I don't like that computer stuff.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09You know, even for a seat you have five computers to move it forward,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- to heat it up and everything.- Yeah.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So to drive such a pure car with your hands
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and you feel it with your back
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and with your bottom, you have the feeling to the road,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22you're connected to the steering wheel and the road and the tyres.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- Brilliant. - John, you've driven a GT40?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I have not. I've driven the Ford GT, the newer one they built,
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Ford built in '05 and '06,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32but the original GT40, I haven't had my chance.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Maybe you could hook me up. - I'll try and sort you out.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37But you've got a heritage edition, don't you?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40One of the new ones, the 2018 Ford GT.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42It's the heritage edition.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It's the red with white, like AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney drove to win
0:10:45 > 0:10:47the overall at Le Mans back in '67.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51So it's kind of Ford made that to commemorate that win 50 years later.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53They didn't make many of them, though, did they?
0:10:53 > 0:10:56No, the new one, they're only making 18.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I think I've got number three of the 18, so I feel pretty honoured.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Ford picked everybody that got one of those cars, and I honestly didn't
0:11:03 > 0:11:07think I'd be in that list, but I feel very fortunate to get one.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09There's something else that comes out of America
0:11:09 > 0:11:12that I feel needs discussing - figure of eight racing.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15More specifically, figure of eight chain racing.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Sabine, you and Chris were lucky enough
0:11:18 > 0:11:21to experience this in America. Well, let's have a look.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25- SABINE:- Hey, buddy.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- Oh, God, no.- Let's smash some stuff.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34SHE CACKLES
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Oh! Go, go, go, go, go, go!
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Oh! Agh!
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Whoo!
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Ow!
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Ow!
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- Shit!- I can't see anything!
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Ow! OW!
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Oh, my God! This is the worst thing I've ever done.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Ever!
0:12:06 > 0:12:07HE SIGHS
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Chris, good job.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Are you still there?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12You total lunatic.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19That was absolute carnage.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I've got to say, I preferred watching rather than being in there.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24What was it like, actually driving from the front?
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Perfect. I had a good position, I had no mirrors,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I couldn't see what's happening behind me,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33so it was really scary for...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35..poor Chris. I enjoyed it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39The look on his face when you were in the car. Look at that.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I think I might just set that as my phone wallpaper.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43You want that place.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45He had the brakes, I had only the acceleration
0:12:45 > 0:12:49and the steering wheel. And he was screaming, "Brake, Sabine!
0:12:49 > 0:12:53"Please, brake!" I said, "Honey, I don't have brakes."
0:12:53 > 0:12:55"Oh, yeah!" And then he starts braking,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59but after a couple of laps he said, "I don't do anything here,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02"I just sit here and wait what happens."
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- It's a bit like me and you at the Nurburgring that time.- Yeah.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I think I had a similar facial expression.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10And the producer... Yeah.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12They insisted that we show this.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Bad times. Bad times.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17John, this figure of eight racing is actually a real thing, isn't it?
0:13:17 > 0:13:18People actually do this.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20They do.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Why?- You know, look, it's one of these things,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26it's kind of like a lot of what we do, it's pointless,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and that's the fun part of it.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- So, it's good entertainment. - I suppose it is.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Our producer's also managed to dig up this little gem.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Let's take a look at this.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- PA:- Get ready, get set
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and ho-o-o-o-o-old on!
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Look out in the middle.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Look out in the middle! No, no, no, no! Oh!
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Scary Gary in the middle!
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Yo! In the middle again!
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They're getting a little randy.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02HE GRUNTS
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Yes! Yes!
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Yes! How about it for the school buses?
0:14:08 > 0:14:09CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:14:09 > 0:14:11What a thing.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Absolutely insane. I should point out, though,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17that the schoolchildren were actually unloaded before.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19I think. I don't know.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24All right, I want to talk about your Venom project.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Back in 2014, the Venom GT
0:14:26 > 0:14:29recorded the highest speed ever for a road car.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32You smashed the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and that had set the record back in 2010.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37How much did that actually beat it by?
0:14:37 > 0:14:38That car went 270.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40We beat the Bugatti guys by a couple of miles per hour.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43I think the interesting thing to note was that we hit that speed
0:14:43 > 0:14:45in less than half the distance.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47The Bugatti took almost five miles to hit their speed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49We did it in a little less than 2.5.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51We actually have a clip of it. Let's roll this.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03ENGINE ROARS
0:15:53 > 0:15:56By the way, just as a side note, something that I'm proud about,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00we consider that an American car but, don't misunderstand it,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03it had a lot of British DNA.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Basically, the Venom GT started as a Lotus Exige chassis, and we wanted
0:16:08 > 0:16:11something very lightweight, so give yourselves a handclap.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13You're welcome.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- We just gave it a little extra horsepower.- Yeah.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Let's talk about the actual runway.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- How long is that? - This particular runway,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24this is the Shuttle landing facility.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27This is where they used to land the space shuttle at Nasa,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. So the total distance
0:16:30 > 0:16:33end to end from grass to grass is 3.2 miles,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and we calculated that we needed about seven-tenths of a mile
0:16:36 > 0:16:38to slow down, so we set cones up at 2.4 miles
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and allowed ourselves about a tenth of a mile...
0:16:42 > 0:16:45..fudge factor in terms of just being able to brake.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Is that when you scream, "Fudge"?
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Yeah, yeah.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52There's actually alligators in that swamp.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55So you're going to have some serious fudge if your brakes don't work at
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- the end of the runway. - You'll be their fudge.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Presumably you can't just rock up to Nasa and say, "Look,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02- "let me borrow your track?"- No,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04you're dealing with the government
0:17:04 > 0:17:08so it took us two years to get into Nasa. We asked very politely,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11but they weren't interested in allowing anybody to come in there
0:17:11 > 0:17:14to set some sort of speed record, but then we found a little bit
0:17:14 > 0:17:16of a loophole in their rules in that if we were showing up
0:17:16 > 0:17:19to do proper engineering testing and validation of the car,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22they were fine with that and they said, "Look,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25"if you're here validating your tyres and the safety of your car
0:17:25 > 0:17:27"and you happen to set a record, then we'll allow that."
0:17:27 > 0:17:31So, two years later, we finally got the chance to run it there.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Since then, Koenigsegg have actually smashed that record
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and word on the street is that Bugatti and you guys
0:17:37 > 0:17:39are actually hot on their heels.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Hey, you know, the Koenigsegg guys, I mean, they destroyed our record.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45And I'm glad that they did because our record stood
0:17:45 > 0:17:48for almost four years and I'm like, if nobody else wants to play,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51it doesn't really give us any relevance to come back
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- and run a big number. - Yeah, they hit 284.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55They went 284. And I'm sure that the Bugatti guys
0:17:55 > 0:17:59are not going to take that sitting down so I imagine they'll jump back
0:17:59 > 0:18:01in and go out and possibly better that number.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And once those guys duke it out a bit, we'll come out with our new
0:18:04 > 0:18:07car and see if we can settle it once and for all.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- OK, what's your number? - I'd like to get 300.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13We'll see. We think the car's capable.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16It's got enough power and the aero's right, just got to make sure
0:18:16 > 0:18:18it has the proper balance of enough downforce but
0:18:18 > 0:18:20not too much downforce. The Venom F5.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23So maybe we'll see some time next year.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26And, Sabine, what's the fastest you've gone?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- 355...kilometres.- KPH.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- 220, 225?- You had him worried there for a second.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- What was that in?- In the Bugatti Veyron.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- In competition. - In Abu Dhabi on a normal road.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Well, maybe we'll come back and we'll film with you.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Yeah, or we borrow it and we go on the Nordschleife again!
0:18:47 > 0:18:49No, no, you're not driving.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- Come on, Rory.- Only if I can drive.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54You have no clue about the Nordschleife.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- It's too dangerous. - Be careful what you wish for.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58This is true. This is true.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01All right. Now, no episode of Extra Gear would be complete without
0:19:01 > 0:19:05a Harris Hot Lap, and this week Chris takes what might be
0:19:05 > 0:19:09his last chance to fling the Vauxhall VXR8 around Dunsfold.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Is there any other way to behave in an HSV GTSR?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I think you've got to do it, haven't you?
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I love this thing. I know it's not as polished as an AMG
0:19:30 > 0:19:33or an M car, but it has a personality all of its own
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and one that we have to celebrate because, sadly,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38we're not going to see another one. It's the last of the lot.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I think they're great cars.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45The interior's a bit ropey and the plastics aren't as good and all that
0:19:45 > 0:19:49stuff, but who cares? It's bright-green and it's a larrikin,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52or is it a bogan? It might even be a bogan, you know.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53It's a yobbo of a car.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06It's one of those cars that feels enormous when you get in it.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10595 horsepower, 460-odd foot-pounds of torque.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It's big.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14But it's quite nimble.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15It's really well sorted.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19You can tell it's been developed by a bunch of people
0:20:19 > 0:20:22that really know how to drive and enjoy driving.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24It stops well, too.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Pretty much two tonnes of car and it holds itself down very well.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Brakes are good, grip is good and, when you want it to slide,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34you just sort of think about it and what happens?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Here we go. Look at that, it's wanting to slide the whole time.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Chris doing what Chris does best.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Let's talk about this car.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48The VXR8 is...
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I guess it has something in common with the Mustang, doesn't it?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54It's just this kind of affordable, raw,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57high-performance car that is aimed at the common man.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And it's... It's there to be enjoyed
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and tyre smoke and wild sideways action
0:21:02 > 0:21:04is kind of what it's all about. Can you...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Does that kind of resonate with you? - Yeah, it does.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I had a car very similar to that. It was my daily driver
0:21:09 > 0:21:12for a couple of years. In the US, they sell
0:21:12 > 0:21:16a similar version called a Chevy SS and we tuned it up a little bit.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- So a lot of fun. Great value.- Yeah.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Sabine, I know you're all about precision on the Nurburgring,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25making sure your lines are tight, coming out of a corner
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and accelerating at just the right point,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29braking at just the right point. But, surely, you...
0:21:29 > 0:21:32You know, you've got to enjoy being a hooligan sometimes as well.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Yeah, I'm a big fan of the V8 stuff from the Australian race...
0:21:35 > 0:21:39..like the Holden Commodore, yeah?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- Yeah.- These things are so good.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44A friend of mine, he bought one and I had a look at it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46It was a piece of...rubbish.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49But it was a Holden Commodore! We had so much fun with it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Yeah, but it might be the end of an era. These things are dying out.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- It's kind of going down...- It's a shame.- It's going down the road
0:21:55 > 0:21:59of, you know, hybridisation and electric cars, and things like that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01You're not a fan?
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Not a fan. Anyone else in here a fan of electric cars?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- ALL:- No. - All about the V8, yeah?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I mean, if I want to drive a golf cart, I go to the golf course.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Yeah.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- Well said. Well said.- 100% with you.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Now, I need to address Chris Harris.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18He was calling Australians bogans.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And our producer's actually found a clip of Chris
0:22:21 > 0:22:24when he was down under reviewing the HSV Maloo,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26where he kind of did the same thing.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I'm not going to resort to crude stereotypes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32So, I'm going to don my bluey.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36I've got my Vegemite.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And I've got my can of VB.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50We shouldn't be clapping that. We shouldn't be clapping that.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52What is going on with the shorts?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Yeah.- That is truly offensive.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Chris, ever the diplomat. Anyway, that's about all
0:22:56 > 0:22:59we have time for tonight. Let's give a big thank you to my guests,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01John Hennessey and Sabine Schmitz.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Cheers, guys. See you next week. Goodnight.