0:00:19 > 0:00:24Hello, thank you, thank you everybody, thank you.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Now, let's get one thing straight, from the start -
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Formula 1 is better than NASCAR.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33CROWD CHEERS
0:00:33 > 0:00:35It just is.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38If you compare them to musical instruments,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42F1 is a Stradivarius violin, NASCAR is banging a saucepan
0:00:42 > 0:00:44with a wooden spoon.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Now, we all agree on that in the civilised world.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Well, when I say we all agree,
0:00:49 > 0:00:55we all agree apart from Richard J Cheeseburger Hammond III.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13I'm not alone in believing in the supremacy of NASCAR.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16It's currently the most popular spectator sport in America.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21And there are many reasons why it hits the spot with the fans.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25The first is to do with its roots.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Unlike Formula 1, which began as a pastime for wealthy playboys
0:01:33 > 0:01:39and aristocrats, NASCAR has very humble, blue-collar origins.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42NASCAR has its roots back in the 1940s,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45when the moonshine runners, basically naughty hicks,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48smuggling illegal booze across county lines,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52would modify their cars to outrun the cops.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55One thing sort of led to another, and before you knew it,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58they were holding informal race meetings in the evenings,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02on impromptu racetracks that they kicked into the dirt in fields.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08The cars the moonshine runners favoured were ones like this,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11a respectable-looking 1941 Ford Business Coupe,
0:02:11 > 0:02:17which wouldn't raise the suspicions of a passing policeman.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Clearly, the man in such a car as this,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23is going about his business - why would the cops disturb him?
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Underneath, though, is a highly-tuned engine,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30beefed-up suspension, and inside, a special hideaway
0:02:30 > 0:02:32for the illegal booze.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Moonshine runners used this actual car.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It smuggled hooky booze across county lines,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and then went on to race in NASCAR - it's the real deal!
0:02:48 > 0:02:51As the decades passed, the sport grew.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55'One critical time when trouble could be mighty contagious.'
0:02:55 > 0:02:58But that love of living outside the law remained.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02In the early 1950s, for example, roll cages were mandatory
0:03:02 > 0:03:05in NASCAR racing, but the drivers thought,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08well, the added weight was a bit wussy, having a roll cage,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12so they just fitted them with things that looked like roll cages,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16made out of offcuts of wood, say.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Another reason I prefer this sport,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29apart from its rebellious streak, is that next to the spaceships
0:03:29 > 0:03:33you get in F1, NASCAR machines are beautifully simple.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40As was explained to me on race day at Texas Speedway.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42This is making 800 horsepower?
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Closer to 900, yeah.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- 900 horsepower.- 900 horsepower.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47And no electronic aids on this?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50No. It's literally carburetted.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55NASCAR wants the drivers to separate themselves on the track,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57so, for myself, without having data,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I have to explain all the sensations I feel in the car.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Talk about spring changes, shot changes, geometry changes.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06So, they're not downloading it off a laptop?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08We don't even have a fuel sensor to tell us we've run out of gas.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And these little things, these are the ones...
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's just to create some drag when the car spins around...
0:04:14 > 0:04:16That's not going to stop you flipping!
0:04:16 > 0:04:18They've proven in the wind tunnel that it does.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Now, what really helps is this. These deploy.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25When there's a low-pressure area on the top, these deploy,
0:04:25 > 0:04:26and help set the car down.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- That stops you spinning and flipping. - Two on top.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31You have these here, as well.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Hey, that's high-tech, that's like a Land Rover's air vents at the front.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36It's not mega high-tech.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42If you're a Formula 1 fan, and a NASCAR cynic,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I think I know exactly what you'd be saying if you were here.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50This looks, well, easy.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53You just keep your foot down, keep turning left,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55and that's kind of it, really.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Whereas in Formula 1, there's corners and stuff to remember.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00It's tricky.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03So, do these drivers,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06who can earn up to £15 million a year,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10have an easier time of it than F1 drivers?
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Well, let's ask a man who's raced in both sports.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17To drive? I would say there's nothing drives like a Formula 1 car,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19but these are more unpredictable.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22They slide around a lot, they have no brakes.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I mean, when I tell you NO brakes, because the car's so heavy
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and the brakes are so tiny.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35I've got to say, ovals, I think, are more challenging,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37and it's because the corner starts way over there,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and ends way over there.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42And is the car moving?
0:05:42 > 0:05:46The car's moving all the time, it's never settled.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49And then, you take the cars all around you, the turbulent air.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52If they are on the outside of you, it's pulling you around,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56if they're in front of you, you just don't have the grip.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01That's when the entertainment value goes up tremendously,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04because you're averaging over 190mph,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07with that many cars inches away from one another,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11and we'll be three or four wide through these corners.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15You go to Silverstone, you sit in a stand on and you go, "Meooooo!"
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- You wait one half minutes. - See if the order has changed.- Yes.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20But most likely, it won't.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23They used to give awards because, oh, the overtaker of the year,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27you passed three people in the whole freaking year.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So, lots of close racing in cars that are tricky to drive,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34which means, as a bonus, you get lots of these.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It's a contact sport, put it that way.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53A lot of times, the contact that's made is either out of frustration,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55the guy wants to get another guy out of the way.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- You can't just ram him because you can't overtake! - If you have bumpers, you do!
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And when there is a coming together,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07NASCAR drivers don't bother settling with a stewards' enquiry.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Let's see if they'll fight? Harvick's really mad at Montoya.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Have we got a fight breaking out? - Here it comes.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16He's slowing back here, and we're going to have a little talk.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21This, too, is a bonus for the hard-core fans,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23who are not often mistaken for Harvard professors.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- Yeah!- Yeah!
0:07:27 > 0:07:33On race weekends, their main diet is beer and red meat.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38- What if you were spotted eating a salad?- Eating salad?!
0:07:38 > 0:07:42And they get a lot more access than F1 fans.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46These are actual fans being driven around!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48These are fans who have lined up,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51that have paid to go around the track with a professional,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53or some kind of driver.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Can you imagine that in F1?- If you can do this, I'm coming tomorrow.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59They're in a pack of cars, they're not even on their own.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Look at this, these are just spectators, you or me.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11I didn't see how I might get the same chance to drive on that oval,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13but then I was told to report to the drivers' briefing,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15where I was in for a surprise.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17From the United States Air Force,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21four-star general, General Mark A Welsh III and his wife Betty Welsh.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23RAPTUROUS APPLAUSE
0:08:28 > 0:08:31From Top Gear UK, today's honorary pace car driver,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34from Birmingham, England, Richard Hammond.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37MUTED APPLAUSE
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Race time arrived.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54After the national anthem had finished,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59the man with the jetpack had landed, and the B-52 bomber had flown past.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10It was time to me to lead the grid of 43 cars out on the formation lap.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14They are still coming, there's millions of them.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17ENGINES ROAR
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Don't stall, Hammond, don't mess it up.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28Behind me, 39,000 horsepower was itching to get going.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35I daren't look in the mirror, it's like being attacked by tigers.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40Woah-ho-ho! Oh, come on.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43'Slip road is clear.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48'Green flag.'
0:09:50 > 0:09:53We started that! We did that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04And my treats weren't over, because I would be spending
0:10:04 > 0:10:06the actual race helping one of the teams,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10who gave me a very important job.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18Yeah, I'm with the team. Coming through, oh, yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Now, I will admit, the one problem with NASCAR races
0:10:21 > 0:10:24is that they're over 500 laps long,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28so at this point there is only one thing we can do...
0:10:28 > 0:10:31# We're gonna need a montage Montage
0:10:31 > 0:10:34# Oh, it takes a montage Montage
0:10:34 > 0:10:38# Show a lot of things Happening at once
0:10:38 > 0:10:41# Remind everyone of what's going on
0:10:41 > 0:10:44# That's called a montage Montage
0:10:44 > 0:10:48# Oh, we want montage Montage
0:10:48 > 0:10:53# Always fade out in a montage
0:10:53 > 0:10:55# If you fade out... #
0:10:55 > 0:10:59That did the trick, and 530 laps later, we had ourselves a winner.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Three hours and 20 minutes of racing just flew by.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08There's a man over there who won, he's now firing six guns in the air,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10wearing his new Stetson. and he's delighted.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Now the whole circus moves on to the next place, to do it all again,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and there's a big argument here to say this is proof
0:11:18 > 0:11:21F1 is po-faced, it could learn a lot from this.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The next morning, at a deserted Texas Speedway,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30there was one final treat in store.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32This.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Plus a driving lesson from NASCAR royalty - Kyle Petty.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42It doesn't feel like anything else I've ever driven, I mean,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45this thing does not want to go in a straight line.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The car only wants to turn left, it doesn't want to go straight.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Hit the grass, you've got to run through the grass.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54It's like mowing the yard, you have to hit the grass. Hard.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56RICHARD SCREAMS
0:11:56 > 0:12:01- Yeah, all the way down. - I am so scared!
0:12:01 > 0:12:05More gas, more gas, more gas, more gas.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Oh, dear Lord!
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- Put her next to the wall a little bit.- I am next to the wall!
0:12:11 > 0:12:14'Eventually, Kyle let me go out on my own.'
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Letting it find grip. Trying not to fight it too much.
0:12:21 > 0:12:28It's not just a big loop, it's complex, it's three-dimensional,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32and I'm wrestling my way around it in a huge shouting dragon.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I'm going to roll out of this corner onto the straight now,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39here I go, getting on the gas! Haha!
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Oh, my God!
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I'm in an explosion again!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48SCREAMS MANICALLY
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Where's it finding the grip?
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Both of my lungs are on the same side, that's not normal.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'And then, just to add to my problems...'
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Oh, no, that's not what I wanted to see in the mirror,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04that's too authentic.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I don't need that!
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Arghh!
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Now, there is a new Range Rover.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It's not as big as the real thing, but does it work?
0:13:30 > 0:13:35To find out, I went to the United States. Which is in America.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52'This is it.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'It's called the Evoque,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57'and even though it's covered in Range Rover badges,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01'it doesn't look especially tough or off-road-y.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06'Little wonder, when the design consultant for this car was Victoria Beckham.'
0:14:07 > 0:14:11This is one of those luxury lifestyle off-roaders,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15which is why the producers have told me to drive it to Las Vegas,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19where I have a job for the evening chauffeuring the cosmetically enhanced Cher.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23However, there is a small obstacle in the way.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27'Actually, it's quite a big obstacle,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30'because my starting point is here.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:39'Death Valley, one of the most inhospitable places on earth,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43'boasting some of the toughest terrain a car could ever face.'
0:14:47 > 0:14:52So, it's the perfect place to decide if the new Evoque is a proper Range Rover
0:14:52 > 0:14:55or just a big designer girl's blouse.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06'The edge of Death Valley was 150 miles away,
0:15:06 > 0:15:11'and to get there, I wasn't allowed to use any tarmaced roads.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Now, this is no small challenge because the Evoque doesn't have a massive separate chassis,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21it doesn't have a low range gearbox, and it doesn't have a big fire-breathing V8.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26What it has is a four cylinder turbo diesel engine
0:15:26 > 0:15:28making 187 horsepower,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and underneath, it's based on the old Freelander,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34which is loosely related to the Ford Mondeo.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44I think the record temperature for this area is something like 137.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47If the car were to break down out here,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I reckon it would be three, maybe four minutes
0:15:51 > 0:15:57before I got into the crew's Range Rover and went back to the hotel.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'For the first few miles,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'the terrain didn't offer much of a challenge.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08'But I did find out something pleasing about the Evoque.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:10The ride in this car is excellent.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14This surface is actually quite washboard...
0:16:15 > 0:16:18..but this is soaking it up marvellously.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22'That's because the dampers are filled with a fluid
0:16:22 > 0:16:24'that contains magnetised iron filings,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28'which can react in milliseconds to alter the firmness of the suspension.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's the same system, actually, that they use on the Audi R8,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35only in this they can respond twice as quickly.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40And if that was you responsible for that, Mrs Beckham,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42then can I say thank you very much indeed?
0:16:44 > 0:16:45'Mrs Beckham's suspension
0:16:45 > 0:16:49'wafted me towards my appointment in Las Vegas.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:51MUSIC: "Believe" by Cher.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56# Do you believe in life after love? #
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Stereo's good as well.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The interior is very good, nicely trimmed and everything,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06but then it should be because this may be a baby Range Rover,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09but even the most basic one starts at £28,000,
0:17:09 > 0:17:15and if you have the Prestige model, like I have here, then it's about £43,000.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'Soon, the going started to get much tougher.'
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Ow.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30'This is where you normally need a low-range gearbox,
0:17:30 > 0:17:37'but instead, the Evoque has an electronic off-road system called terrain response.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:38Difficult terrain setting.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'Now I'd find out if it was any good.'
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Find me some traction. There you go.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54'Along with the terrain response, there are other 21st century aids'.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58I can use, look, these cameras, there's five cameras on the car
0:17:58 > 0:18:01which help me to look out for bits that I might otherwise hit.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Going on this one, I could miss that rock.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Loving your work, Mrs Beckham.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15'Soon, I found myself in a narrow, rocky canyon,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19'and the Evoque started to struggle.'
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Make an aim for that bit.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24HE GROANS
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Yes!
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Give me more of that!
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I have to say, this is pretty good for a car that,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43let's be honest, most people are going to drive to the shops
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and occasionally across a field to a Pony Club meeting
0:18:46 > 0:18:49or Gymkhana, or whatever they're called.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55'But eventually, the Evoque had to throw in the towel.'
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Oh, no.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04I must be a bit of a chump thinking I can get up that, must I not?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07That is officially a small cliff.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Still, it's quite a noble effort.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12I think we'll have to find a different way round.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22'Having retraced my steps, I found another route
0:19:22 > 0:19:23'and was soon flying along.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Woo! This is better!
0:19:26 > 0:19:29'Look at the speed I'm doing,'
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I'm doing 70 miles an hour on my way to Cher.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'But then...'
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Oh, no! Oh!
0:19:46 > 0:19:50'With the sand dunes sitting slap-bang between me and Cher,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'there was no option but to put my faith once more in the terrain response computer.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58'I have it in sand mode,'
0:19:58 > 0:20:01and what it does is it changes all sorts of things,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03the suspension settings, the throttle response,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07and because I've got it in sand, I get very peaky power delivery,
0:20:07 > 0:20:12it holds it in the lower gears, I can change manually in it, it keeps me going through the sand.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22That's steeper than I thought.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28'As it turned out, the baby Range Rover coped well on the sand.'
0:20:28 > 0:20:29HE LAUGHS
0:20:31 > 0:20:34What happens if I try and go up there?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Crikey, that's a big climb. You've got to be bloody careful.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40'There was, however, a weak link,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43'and, as ever, it was my internal sat nav.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Hang on, hang on. Now I'm going the wrong way.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50No. No, no, no.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53It just looks like a sheet of beige paper.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57'And then some enthusiastic locals turned up.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Yobbos!
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Come on, then.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I don't know what the hell the engines are they've got in those things,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28but they're massive!
0:21:29 > 0:21:32They've done a wheelie!
0:21:33 > 0:21:37'After they'd stripped the Evoque of most of its paint...'
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Thank you.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45'..the Death Valley rednecks showed me the way out of the dunes.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I've no idea who these blokes are, but they're good sports.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58'Eventually, the buggy chaps deposited me on a dry riverbed,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01'but since I was now running late for my date with Cher,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05'there was no time to give the Evoque a breather.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Well, this is about as fast as it will go, actually,
0:22:14 > 0:22:15cos it's slightly soft.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22I can get up to about 75 or so before the car starts squirreling around.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Again, Mrs Beckham, I have to commend you on your car.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'As the sun set, I came upon a marvellous sight.'
0:22:39 > 0:22:40He-hey!
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Oh, that's nice.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Mmm, lovely, lovely tarmac.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54It's like a cool hand passed across your fevered brow, tarmac.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'It also meant I was out of Death Valley
0:22:58 > 0:23:00'and on course to make my appointment.'
0:23:00 > 0:23:04'Right, I'm pretty sure that Cher is not going to be interested'
0:23:04 > 0:23:07in the road test of the Evoque, so here's a quick sum-up.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09'Things I like.'
0:23:09 > 0:23:13I think it looks excellent, it's particularly good off-road, as it turns out.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It has a nice, tasteful interior, and the ride is excellent.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Things I don't like, it's not that spacious in the back,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22there are a few too many buttons on the steering wheel,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and the door mirrors are too big.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Anyway, onwards to Cher.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38'Eventually, my destination came into view.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40'Not that you could miss it.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I've heard Cher's a bit of a diva, actually.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I don't know how she's going to take to...
0:23:53 > 0:23:55HE SNIFFS
0:23:55 > 0:23:58..a man who's done this much desert off-roading.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Hopefully she likes a bit of stinky rough.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'Soon, I arrived at the venue.'
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Temperature set to something comfortable.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17That's in the right mode.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20CROWD APPLAUDS
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Here we go, here we go.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Evening.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Are you a bloke?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Um, yeah.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02So you're not actually...
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Cher isn't a man?
0:25:04 > 0:25:08No, I'm a man that plays Cher.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Right.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12# I got you, babe... #
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I could really use a burger right now.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Right. Well, that's my kind of language.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21I'll see what I can do, sir/madam.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- Sir.- Madam.- Madam.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Now it is time to put a Star in our Reasonably Priced Car.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And my guest tonight is quite simply... Rowan Atkinson!
0:25:44 > 0:25:49120 shows. Finally got you here.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Thank you so much.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Have a seat.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Rowan Atkinson.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02So, Rowan, obviously Not The Nine O'Clock News,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Mr Bean you are, Blackadder.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10But may we begin by talking, if you don't mind, about the Honda NSX?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- You are a fan, I believe, of the Honda?- I have owned one. Yes.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18- And why, did you find that...? - Well, I liked its modesty.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I liked its understatedness.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I liked the fact that it was a very good car.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And yet it didn't shout itself.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It was sort of image-free. I think that's what I liked about it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30This is nice, I like talking to a man about cars.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- It's the only thing I can really talk about.- Which is why we've looked forward
0:26:34 > 0:26:38for some many years to have you on. Of course, the McLaren F1 was another one of your...
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Which I've still got. 14 years on. - You still have it?- Yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44That is more interesting. Because I don't like that.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I know, you've never been wild about it.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I don't know, you could live with it. I've lived with it for 14 years.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53And I've done a lot of miles in it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I've done 37,000 miles.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59- In a McLaren? - Which, for a McLaren, is a lot.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01And you actually lent yours to us, I seem to recall?
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05What on earth possessed you to say,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08"Yes, Top Gear have rung saying, can they borrow my most prized possessions?"
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I know, for some reason I trusted you more than most people trust you.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15It was Richard Hammond as well, I believe, who has a reputation
0:27:15 > 0:27:20- for driving in a straight line with no incidents at all. - Oh, right, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- You had an Aston Martin last time we saw you in Johnny English.- Yes.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- Which was a DB7.- Yes, a DB7 Vantage.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29That shows how long ago it was.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32It was 2002 when we made the first Johnny English.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- And, of course, now there is another one.- There is a new one.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Johnny English Reborn.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40Reborn? I'm embarrassed to say, I haven't actually seen it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44There's a very good reason for that, because we haven't actually finished it.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47But it's coming. It's in the pipelines.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It's out in September, so you'll see it then.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53We have a sample of what's going to be in the new movie.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Hopefully some cars. - Some bits and bobs, yes. - Let's have a look at the clip.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59The world's greatest spy...
0:27:59 > 0:28:04- Johnny English. Work hard, play hard.- Is back.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08And deadlier than ever.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10You've been away for some time, English.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13But you haven't been forgotten.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17There is a plot to kill the Premier.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- Time is of the essence. Where are we on security?- English?
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Give me 24 hours.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33- In 2011...- My country needs me.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36- It's Johnny English. - Let's kick some bottom.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39British intelligence...
0:28:41 > 0:28:42Fights back.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Johnny!
0:28:46 > 0:28:49It's the killer from Hong Kong! Murderous crone!
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I've got her! You old hag! She's the killer!
0:28:54 > 0:28:56- She's my mother!- Granny!
0:29:02 > 0:29:04I thought the last one was excellent. And that looks...
0:29:04 > 0:29:07You'd go and see that, wouldn't you?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Obviously, let's talk about the cars in there. We saw a Rolls-Royce, the Phantom.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Yeah, Rolls-Royce Phantom coupe, exactly.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18I feel as though the Aston thing has been a bit over done.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20It's in the James Bond movies and we used it in the first film.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23I just felt like doing something a bit different.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28I've become quite a fan of the Phantom. But I wanted to give the car we had a little USP.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32You know, some unique little thing which no other Phantom had.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36- Which was?- Which was an engine.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39But not any engine.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40This was an engine...
0:29:40 > 0:29:42There's an interesting story behind it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45When BMW bought the rights to the Rolls-Royce name
0:29:45 > 0:29:48in the late 20th century, they had the opportunity to create
0:29:48 > 0:29:51the ultimate luxury car for the 21st century.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54They thought, "Maybe we ought to give it the ultimate engine."
0:29:54 > 0:30:00So let's give it something like a nine-litre V16 engine.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03And, unbelievably, they made three or four of these engines and they tested them.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08They got them up to speed and they had unbelievable power and torque figures.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12And then, at the last minute, they thought, "Hmm, might be a bit over the top."
0:30:12 > 0:30:15But they had developed these engines and they'd stuck them in the warehouse somewhere.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19And I knew that they existed, so I got in touch with Rolls-Royce
0:30:19 > 0:30:24and said, "Would you mind squeezing one of your V16 engines in the front of our Johnny English Phantom?"
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Very sweetly, they agree to do it. And it works, it's the real thing.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33So the car we have over there, which is from the movie, that's got a V16 engine in it?
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- Yes, a nine litre V16 engine. - That's amazing. That's why its bonnet's up?
0:30:36 > 0:30:38I thought it had broken down.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41No, Jeremy, it hasn't broken down.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43I'm with you, I'm a huge fan of the Phantom.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48- I think it is one of the greatest cars.- And, of course, it fits perfectly because the Phantom
0:30:48 > 0:30:50was designed for that engine.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53I want to talk, if I may, just a bit about comedy.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56The comedy stuff, take Blackadder.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01- Right.- When you read that script and there was somebody there called Bob.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Anybody else would read it and go, All right, they're called Bob." You decided that
0:31:04 > 0:31:05Bob could be a funny word.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Right. Bob.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11But how do you do that?
0:31:11 > 0:31:14It was always at the end of the sentence.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17"So, how can I help you, Bob?"
0:31:17 > 0:31:20It just seemed like a funny way of saying it. Bob.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Because I was wondering, I was looking at a list of motoring words
0:31:23 > 0:31:27the other day and wondering if you could, just by saying them, make them funny.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31- Just say the word.- Airbag.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36De Dion-Bouton.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38That's a French word, that.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Petrol pump.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Very good. Round of applause for saying "petrol pump".
0:31:45 > 0:31:50- Can I just say, it's also the faces.- Exactly, that helps.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55Reviewing the car, because I have to think of all sorts of things to say about a car.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00I know that if you were a presenter on this show, you could just do it with an expression.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05- Right.- So, for example, if you were presented with a McLaren F1.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Think of another one. The imperiousness one gets from a Range Rover.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Ah, right, OK.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24LAUGHTER
0:32:24 > 0:32:27APPLAUSE
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Amazing!
0:32:32 > 0:32:36We have so much to learn. So, obviously, you do love your cars.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39- Yeah.- Now, of course, you race.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Yeah, occasionally. Historic racing, yeah.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45So, what are you racing now?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48What I have got is a Ford Falcon, 1964 Ford Falcon.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52It's a big 4.7 litre V8, and very, very light.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Isn't that like land yachting?!
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Yes, exactly, it's got a certain floppiness to it!
0:32:59 > 0:33:02So, obviously, driving the Kia...
0:33:02 > 0:33:06One of my worries about coming on the show was
0:33:06 > 0:33:08that I think people know
0:33:08 > 0:33:10that I'm a car enthusiast and that I have done some racing,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and they will assume that in the Reasonably Priced Car
0:33:13 > 0:33:17I'll be very good, when there's no guarantee of that whatsoever.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Because it is a very particular thing,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and I'm a slow learner of cars and all that.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23But anyway, I was keen to have a go, so I had a go.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27Who here would like to see Rowan's lap?
0:33:27 > 0:33:29CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Play the tape. Let's have a look.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Like you were using launch control!
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Okey-dokey. Here we go.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45You look a bit nervous, if I may say.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Ooh, wide line, like a Formula 1 driver through there.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51And wide on the way out as well. Looking smooth.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Yes, now, here we are, into the Hammerhead,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08keeping it between the lines.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Obviously, the slower you appear to be going -
0:34:10 > 0:34:14and that does appear to be very slow indeed -
0:34:14 > 0:34:15sometimes, the faster it is.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19That doesn't look too bad, but what do you think from inside?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Good, good, good.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26You really weren't pleased with any part of this, were you?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Obviously, flat through there.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Not so good. Not so good, that.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Come on, cheer up! Yeah, that's nicely done.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37I say, keeping it very tight on the runway.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40That's a new, interesting line.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Second to last corner, that is beautifully handled.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48And Gambon, no drama, no histrionics, across the line.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Well.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00There's the board. Where do you think you might have come?
0:35:00 > 0:35:01Who's at the very top?
0:35:01 > 0:35:05The man at the very top is John Bishop, the northern comedian,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09- followed by Ross Noble, the northern comedian.- I was born in the north.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12You're from the same neck of the woods as Ross Noble.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15- Indeed.- You're looking at the top, you have that...?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17No, exactly, one looks at that,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20but there's no reason why I should be there.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25I felt as though I did OK, but not great. That's my view.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28OK, at the very top is Bishop on, what is he, 1:42.8.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30So, Rowan Atkinson. You did it...
0:35:31 > 0:35:33..one...
0:35:33 > 0:35:34Good.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37..forty...
0:35:38 > 0:35:39Excellent.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41..two...
0:35:45 > 0:35:46..two.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:35:51 > 0:35:56Come on! That's the new fastest man we've ever had on our track!
0:35:59 > 0:36:04Ladies and gentlemen, Rowan Atkinson, the fastest man ever!
0:36:11 > 0:36:13It is actually remarkable,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16because we did genuinely think when Bishop did that time
0:36:16 > 0:36:20and was so much faster than Tom Cruise, it would never be beaten.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22No, the Tom Cruise thing is fun, actually.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And your lap times were incredibly consistent,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28as is the mark of a great racing driver.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Pish and posh!
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Turns out you're in the wrong career.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37- So, a lot of people think you've already been on this show.- Yes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Ladies and gentlemen, he has now. Rowan Atkinson!
0:36:40 > 0:36:42CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:36:49 > 0:36:55Many people say that last year they stopped making the Hummer because it was too big and too silly.
0:36:55 > 0:37:03However, Richard Hammond says the reason it's gone west is because it wasn't big or silly enough.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15This is one of the deceased Hummers.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17The H3.
0:37:17 > 0:37:23And it is, you'll notice, a pretty sizable car.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26However, if you mourn its passing,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30don't worry because happily you can now buy something a bit bigger.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40It's called the Marauder, which is quite a scary sounding name.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44But, hey, Buttercup didn't feel quite right so, hey, live with it.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49I can't imagine it ever having one of those Christian fish symbols on the back bumper.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54The Marauder, which is built in South Africa, weighs ten tonnes.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59It's also 21 feet long and 9 feet high.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02So in traffic it does tend to stand out a bit.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Ooh, don't people get out of your way!
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Don't they!
0:38:17 > 0:38:19CHUCKLES Yeah! Hmm...
0:38:19 > 0:38:26Tell you what, you do get some people telling you about how they feel a bit nervous in Johannesburg.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28I er... I don't, no! I don't.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36It's a weird feeling because I'm both worried about bumping into things because it's big,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38and NOT worried about bumping into things
0:38:38 > 0:38:40because, well, frankly, who cares?
0:38:43 > 0:38:50Like the original Hummer, the Marauder is a military-spec vehicle that ordinary civilians can buy.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53All you have to do is pass a background check
0:38:53 > 0:38:58to prove you're not a villain living in a hollowed-out volcano,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and come up with a cheque for £300,000.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06That is Rolls Royce Phantom money,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10for a machine that's not exactly the last word in luxury.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Take the back seats, for instance.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15There are eight of them, which is good,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19but I don't think you'll be renting this out as a wedding car any day soon.
0:39:19 > 0:39:26And as for the dashboard, they clearly decided not to go for the walnut and leather option on here,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29partly because they need to leave room for the switches,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32partly because the wood might clash with the machine guns.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39However, the Marauder does compensate in other areas.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Take this annoying slow traffic that I'm stuck in now.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Normally this is where you need some expensive sat-nav system to give you alternative routes.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52The Marauder doesn't need sat-nav.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02There you go. There you go.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05Oh, yeah!
0:40:07 > 0:40:11It really does control its immense weight very well.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Yes!
0:40:16 > 0:40:21It really is like offroading quite a large building.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Right, now...
0:40:29 > 0:40:31That gap's big enough.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36I-It is now.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44Oh, Lord!
0:40:47 > 0:40:51ALARM WAILS
0:40:53 > 0:40:55This is a good town car.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07In fact, the Marauder has several benefits as a city runabout.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14Imagine, for example, that you nip off to get a coffee and this happens.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Oh! That's not nice, no.
0:41:22 > 0:41:28Now, normally the towaway people leave you powerless and penniless,
0:41:28 > 0:41:29but not this time.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33The Marauder has got 290 brake horsepower
0:41:33 > 0:41:37and a top speed of just 70 mph, which admittedly isn't brilliant.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41However, the torque figure is astonishing -
0:41:41 > 0:41:451,100 Newton metres of it, which is...a lot.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49And that makes it pretty good in a towaway tug-of-war.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00We're going this way.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Yes, there you go.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11Another everyday irritation,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15popping into the supermarket
0:42:15 > 0:42:19and coming out to find yourself blocked in. Again,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23no problem for the Marauder, thanks to its vertical climbing system.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28Low range, four-wheel drive, div lock,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31drive, handbrake off.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04It's really kind of the ideal shopping car.
0:43:06 > 0:43:12But let's not get carried away because, like everything,
0:43:12 > 0:43:14the Marauder has its weak points.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Visiting a drive-through, for example.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Normally at about this point you'd roll down the windows
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and get ready to say, "Cheeseburger and chips, please."
0:43:24 > 0:43:28But the problem is the Marauder's windows are for tough situations,
0:43:28 > 0:43:33they're 90 mm thick. They can shrug off an RPG
0:43:33 > 0:43:37and as a result you can't open them, so this is where it gets a bit awkward.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Good morning, can I take your order please?
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Hello? If you're there...
0:43:46 > 0:43:50BOOMS OVER LOUDSPEAKER: ..I'd like a cheeseburger and some chips, please.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52This isn't a riot situation, don't be alarmed.
0:43:52 > 0:43:58But the real problem comes when you drive around to collect your order.
0:44:00 > 0:44:01Right.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Don't be alarmed, I'm not shooting.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15So, a mark against the Marauder there.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20And if you happen to visit a safari park...
0:44:20 > 0:44:25you might find that the windscreen wipers aren't that tough.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30But is this the only weak spot? Let's see.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38Now, this is where we're going to do a little test you won't find
0:44:38 > 0:44:43in the NCAP ratings, and we start not with this but with that.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45Our old friend, the Hummer...
0:44:49 > 0:44:54..whose underside was packed with seven pounds of plastic explosive.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57Oh, dear.
0:44:57 > 0:45:03Really not much point trying to see if it'll start because some pretty important bits are missing.
0:45:03 > 0:45:09So the H3 is, like Hummer itself, very dead.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13But the important question is what happens to the Marauder
0:45:13 > 0:45:17when you put the same amount of explosives underneath it?
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Right, well, clearly, what has happened here is there was a fight
0:45:39 > 0:45:45between the Marauder and the earth, and the earth lost and the explosives have just dug a big hole.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50The question is, can it still be driven?
0:45:50 > 0:45:53OK, fingers crossed.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55ENGINE STRUGGLES
0:45:55 > 0:45:56ENGINE STARTS
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:45:58 > 0:46:03That was definitely an inconvenience but really nothing more.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Oh, yeah.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28This is the pretty little village of Chilham in Kent.
0:46:31 > 0:46:37And careful planning means all of the houses are still very lovely.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40But look here. The owner of this house wouldn't be allowed
0:46:40 > 0:46:47by the planners to fit uPVC windows or stone cladding, but he's allowed to festoon
0:46:47 > 0:46:54the parking space outside his house with a hideous Chrysler PT Cruiser.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56It makes no sense.
0:46:57 > 0:47:03If I had my way, only one car would be allowed in a village as lovely as this.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07A car that, this year, is celebrating its 50th birthday.
0:47:07 > 0:47:12The beguiling, bewitching, beautiful
0:47:12 > 0:47:14E-type Jag.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23Over the years, there have been many pretty cars.
0:47:25 > 0:47:31But Enzo Ferrari described the E-type as the prettiest of them all.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39And what makes that extraordinary is that it was shaped at night
0:47:39 > 0:47:43in a rudimentary early-days wind tunnel that used so much electricity
0:47:43 > 0:47:47it could only be operated when the rest of the country was asleep.
0:47:49 > 0:47:54And everyone was still asleep when the car itself was tested
0:47:54 > 0:48:01because the only place where they could actually run it up to its 149 mph top speed
0:48:01 > 0:48:03was at 5am on the M1.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09It was on one of those high-speed runs they discovered the roof
0:48:09 > 0:48:11would flap about so,
0:48:11 > 0:48:16to weigh it down, a string of lead shot was sewn into the canvas.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19And there was a similar make-do-and-mend attitude to the rear suspension.
0:48:19 > 0:48:25The chief engineer was given just a month to design an entirely new system.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29The boss, Sir William Lyons, bet him a fiver he couldn't do it.
0:48:29 > 0:48:36He did, and Jag used exactly the same set-up for the next 25 years.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Lyons, in fact, was completely underwhelmed by the finished product.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46He didn't like the look of the back end and didn't think it would sell. He was wrong.
0:48:46 > 0:48:54Because when the E-type was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961,
0:48:54 > 0:48:55it was an instant hit.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Such was demand for test drives that a second demonstrator
0:49:01 > 0:49:05was driven through the night from the factory in Coventry to Switzerland.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09And this is that very car.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19OK, let's see what the old girl can do.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24I know it's genesis, I know this is the very first convertible E-type ever,
0:49:24 > 0:49:28but I have to find out what it's like when we give it some noise.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Oh-ho-ho!
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Can you imagine what it must have been like in 1961?
0:49:41 > 0:49:46You've been to the bakery, you've queued for a week for a loaf of bread, you're on your way home
0:49:46 > 0:49:52in black-and-white in your Humber and you were overtaken by one of these.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55It must have been staggering.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57"What was that?!"
0:49:58 > 0:50:03It's the same age, this car and me, give or take.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04It has aged better.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Still looks good.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13But it wasn't just the looks that astonished everyone back in 1961.
0:50:13 > 0:50:19Back then, the equivalent Ferrari or Maserati was £6,000. A little bit more, in fact.
0:50:19 > 0:50:24This was £2,098, and this,
0:50:24 > 0:50:30thanks to its 3.8 litre straight-six engine, was faster.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34Oh-ho-ho!
0:50:35 > 0:50:37This is just heaven.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44Even by today's standards, that's a lot of go.
0:50:50 > 0:50:55Small wonder the E-type became a must-have accessory for the jet set.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00Princess Grace, Steve McQueen, Tony Curtis,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04Britt Ekland, Frank Sinatra, George Best,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Roy Orbison, Charlton Heston, Count Basie.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10They all had E-type Jags.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17No car before ever caused such a stir
0:51:17 > 0:51:20and no car has since, really.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27Until now.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34This is called the Eagle Speedster.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39Made by a small engineering company in Sussex, it looks like an E-type.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43It's even based on an E-type but there have been some changes.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47The aluminium body is deeper,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50the windscreen is lower and more steeply raked.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54The wheels are new, and the tyres, and the brakes.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57And the interior.
0:51:59 > 0:52:04If someone had come to me asking for planning permission to alter
0:52:04 > 0:52:08an E-type Jaguar, I'd have said no, don't be stupid, you'll mess it up!
0:52:08 > 0:52:11But they haven't.
0:52:11 > 0:52:18I think this, by a long way, is the most beautiful car I've ever seen.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24It might actually be the most beautiful THING I've ever seen.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32And the surgery isn't just cosmetic.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37Under the bonnet there's a fuel-injected 4.7 litre straight-six
0:52:37 > 0:52:45which sends its power to the rear wheels through a five-speed gearbox and an aluminium differential.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53As a result of all the aluminium, which doesn't weigh very much,
0:52:53 > 0:52:57this has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Turbo,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01and, as a result of that, it can do 0 - 60 in 5 seconds.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05Flat out, it'll do 160.
0:53:08 > 0:53:13- And then there's the noise. - ENGINE ROARS
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Ha-ha-ha!
0:53:21 > 0:53:24It's spitting fire.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27It's a spitfire! That's what it is.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36The looks, the noise!
0:53:49 > 0:53:51This, to me, is...
0:53:51 > 0:53:55absolute perfection.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59I'll put my hand on my heart and say here and now
0:53:59 > 0:54:05I've never ever driven a car, ever, that I've wanted more than this one.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14I yearn to have it.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26There is, however, a problem.
0:54:26 > 0:54:32Because every single piece of this car, pretty much, was hand-made,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34the price is fantastic.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Enormous. Eye-watering.
0:54:36 > 0:54:43I didn't know numbers went this high, but it turns out they do, so sit down, I'm going to say it.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45Here we go. The Eagle Speedster...
0:54:46 > 0:54:52..is half a million pounds. Half a million.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59That's a lot for a toy. A car that doesn't even have a roof.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02But this is more than a toy.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05It's a modern take on the E-type Jag.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08And the E-type, with the possible exception of Concorde,
0:55:08 > 0:55:13is almost certainly the last truly great thing Britain made.
0:55:15 > 0:55:21I think we should be more proud of it than we actually are.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26Its 50th birthday was marked by a small piece on page 16 of the Daily Telegraph
0:55:26 > 0:55:32and I don't think that's right, which is why I've organised something a little more substantial.
0:55:32 > 0:55:38- BAND PLAYS - I've organised something which recognises that this is the soul,
0:55:38 > 0:55:42the spirit, the beating heart of all that we can be.
0:55:42 > 0:55:50The E-type isn't a plucky Brit that's happy to come home second, it wouldn't be humiliated by Barcelona.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54It wouldn't simply wave Sebastian Vettel by.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58And if you asked an E-type to organise a royal wedding,
0:55:58 > 0:56:02it wouldn't ferry the guests to Westminster Abbey in a fleet of minibuses.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06The E-type doesn't know what a minibus is.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Every country has an icon.
0:56:08 > 0:56:13The great nation of France has the big brown pylon in the middle of Paris.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Australia has a rock.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18The Belgians have a urinating infant.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Well this, I put it to you, is ours.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26Our Jerusalem, our chariot of fire, the maypole around which the people
0:56:26 > 0:56:31of this funny little rock in the North Atlantic can gather, to remind ourselves
0:56:31 > 0:56:34that, once upon a time, we really were as great...
0:56:36 > 0:56:37..as we think we are now.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15ENGINE FAILS
0:57:16 > 0:57:18It won't start.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23APPLAUSE
0:57:30 > 0:57:33A stirring but nicely understated tribute there, I thought.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37But you said something that worried me - with the possible exception of Concorde,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41the E-type was the last great thing Britain made. Is that right?
0:57:41 > 0:57:46Can you think of anything we've made since which you go, "that's a world-beater"?
0:57:46 > 0:57:50The E-type was a third the price of the Ferrari, as I said, and faster, and better-looking.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55The only thing I can think that even gets close really is Monty Python, that moved the world on.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58What about those vacuum cleaners with no bags in them?
0:57:58 > 0:58:01We invented those and they're pretty good, they're clever.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Hammond, I'm not sure that, in 50 years' time, people will be having
0:58:04 > 0:58:08a big birthday party on Beachy Head with people going, "These Dysons are brilliant!"
0:58:08 > 0:58:11I'm not sure that's going to happen.
0:58:11 > 0:58:16- Moving on, the Eagle Speedster - is it really that good?- Look at it.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Seriously, just look at it.
0:58:19 > 0:58:24It's beautiful to behold, yes, but how can it really be worth
0:58:24 > 0:58:26five times more than an immaculate original E-type?
0:58:26 > 0:58:28I can demonstrate that, Hammond.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32I can demonstrate that because, if I step in here, OK? Listen.
0:58:35 > 0:58:36ENGINE FAILS
0:58:36 > 0:58:38LAUGHTER
0:58:38 > 0:58:39ENGINE STARTS
0:58:39 > 0:58:42CHEERING
0:58:42 > 0:58:44It starts.
0:58:44 > 0:58:46On that bombshell, it's time to end.
0:58:46 > 0:58:48Thank you very much for watching. Good night!
0:59:00 > 0:59:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd