Episode 10 Top Gear USA

Now, on the best of Top Gear, something old...

-..something new...

-Let's scare some natives.

-..something borrowed...

-Free pony rides.

..and something blue.

Was Smurfs the colour description?

Welcome to Top Gear. On this show, nobody's going to get a makeover,

nobody's going to whisper to a dog.

This is a car show. I'm Adam Ferrara, that's Tanner Foust

-and this is Rutledge Wood.

-Over the past season on Top Gear,

we've driven amazing cars from all over the world. If it had tyres and an engine, we were interested.

If you missed any of the action, this is what we mean.

Go!

Let's go scare some natives.

This isn't just quick for a sedan, this is quick period.

I can just flow into the sun.

There's something so purely red-neck about that sound.

This is awesome! This is awesome!

What's next? Bring it on!

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

-Ready to get your asses kicked?

-One.

-Thrust mode!

Whoa! Yeah!

175.

Oh, my God!

Oh, no! I have browned my pants!

BLEEP

-Holy

-BLEEP!

Holy Moley!

-I'm going to die!

-Don't be a bunch of pansies.

Knock it off!

That was... Pwoah!

I'd forgotten how much fun we had. What amazing cars we got to drive.

That's why picking my favourite won't be easy.

Some cars were easier than others to get off the list. You didn't like the Mercedes SLS at all.

-Not too much.

-And what did you call the doors?

-History has asked me not to say

-BLEEP

-doors again.

-I think you just did.

-Sorry!

But if I was to pick one of my favourite cars,

I think it would be this one.

The Gallardo Superleggera - light, powerful and explosively fast.

The 570 is for the horsepower, the dash four means it's all-wheel drive,

and the LP means the engine is there.

Listen to this V10 hum.

ENGINE ROARS

Superleggera means super-light which means it's less than 3,000 pounds,

the lightest of all the Lamborghinis.

It does zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds.

Lamborghini worked with scientists at Boeing

to develop carbon fibre to use in the doors, spoilers, mirrors and trim pieces

to keep the weight low.

That's a polycarbonate window, so you can see the engine.

I wish you could be inside this car to feel my heart beating.

This car is terrifying and exciting at the same time.

It's like being aroused at gunpoint.

And I even like the colour!

It's loud, it's yellow, it's that crazy uncle that shows up at a wedding

and he's totally inappropriate.

"Where's the bride? I want to kiss her on the mouth!"

The price tag on this is 250,000 plus a 3,000 gas guzzler tax.

You'd think for that kind of money, everything would be included, but no.

If you want a cup holder, 650!

-I don't know what the Italian word for

-BLEEP

-is,

but that's where it goes.

Otherwise, I'm having a hard time finding anything wrong with it!

It was great. I tell you, it was great.

-It sounded amazing.

-It was.

I did not know I was going to like that car as much as I did. I loved that car.

-Seems like you fell in love with it?

-I did.

-That's sweet.

-Thank you.

-A car that I just about fell in love with was the Morg. I didn't expect to do that.

-Really?

I looked at it and it was ridiculous,

but the charisma of this car driving on English country roads was unbelievable.

Every time you got in the car, you couldn't wait to drive it, the Morgan Aero Supersports.

It looks like no other car, sort of retro-futuristic,

like something they'd have drawn for Flash Gordon in the '30s.

If Al Capone were still alive, this is what he'd drive.

The Morgan family started making cars in 1911

and it's run today by the grandson of the founder.

Morgans are still made by hand

and the car reflects the company's history.

It's got the classic swooping fenders,

the big grille,

side exhaust pipes.

The chassis is built from aluminum, or as they say here, aluminium.

But in the frame, they actually use wood.

Laminated ash,

a little old school, but it's light, flexible and incredibly strong.

Because they're hand-built, no two are the same.

What we call a hood, the Brits call a bonnet.

And this bonnet opens from the side.

No fancy buttons here. This is the retro part of retro-futuristic.

And what lies beneath the Morgan's plaque is a BMW 4.8-litre V8 engine.

Yeah! Let's go scare some natives.

First thing you notice about these English country roads...

is that they drive on the wrong BLEEP side of the road! That was so close!

This car is extravagant and simple both at the same time.

The interior is pure function.

It's minimalistic. You have a speedometer and tachometer, temperature and fuel.

You have beautiful leather everywhere designed to be worn in like a baseball glove.

But to really get to know the Morgan, I had to get away from the 30mph speed limits.

Once you put your foot to the floor, it's a beast.

This thunders through the forest like a bugling elk looking for a mate.

It's awesome.

Forget the ancient towns.

Buzzing through the labyrinth of country lanes,

I'd found the Morgan's spiritual home.

That's a sheep right there.

Empty roads twisting through fields of green.

This is what this timeless car was designed for.

The countryside. The car fitted into the countryside.

There's nothing like driving a car in its native land.

-That was truly an amazing car.

-It looked like a great ass.

Do you mean that because the acronym for Aero Supersports would be ASS?

-Correct.

-Nice.

-So you're an ASS man?

-It's not on the resume, but...

-You know, I like where you're going with the British cars.

We all like one of those once in a while.

But if I had to choose my favourite, I would choose one from another one of England's finest.

This is a car maker that defines itself in three words.

Power.

Beauty.

Soul.

A British company with nearly 100 years of history.

A rich racing heritage.

And a tradition of creating instantly recognisable iconic sports cars.

It can only be...

..Aston Martin.

This particular Aston Martin is the V12 Vantage.

When I'm driving an Aston Martin, I feel like 007.

This is the kind of car you want to save the world in. Wood.

Rutledge Wood.

Just as Q modified James Bond's personal cars,

Aston's goons somehow wedged a six-litre V12 from the larger DB9

into the comparatively tiny Vantage.

This was no small amount of work.

Take a look. It's clear to see a big difference.

In the V8, you've got tons of room round the engine.

With the V12, you can barely fit your hand in there.

For engineers to fit this motor, they had to change tons of things,

cant the radiator, shave the oil pan and run a smaller alternator.

But that's what hot-rodding is.

You take the smallest car you have and cram the biggest motor in that you can.

Finally, the Brits took a page from the Americans.

Oh, that power is incredible!

The V12 is only available with a manual transmission

so you know it's a pure-bred driver's car.

What fun would a car like this be if you couldn't take traction control off?

Oh, it's just a beast.

Oh, sideways!

Oh, that's pretty.

The V12 will do 190 miles per hour.

But on this surface there was no chance of getting there.

175 was the best I could get.

It has the performance, the price tag, and with only 300 being made,

the exclusivity needed to achieve the coveted tag of supercar.

I really think that Aston is something all Americans can get behind.

It was a true hot-rod. Who doesn't like that?

The Lambo is everything you want in a supercar. It's loud, over the top, blisteringly fast,

dramatic. That's it in the whole package.

But almost ordinary. The Morgan was a unique driving experience. There's only one in the US.

How's your prostate? Really?

-Who has the Morgan?

-Simon Cowell.

-He's not even American!

He's kind of American.

-Can we just agree they were all awesome cars?

-OK.

In the past season, we've got to test a lot of incredible new cars.

We also drove some great old beaters like this.

Amazingly, we really liked most of the old cars, didn't we?

-Yeah.

-It made choosing the best one difficult.

But not for me. There was one old car that really stood out.

Don't tell me that's what I think it is.

Holy crap, it's a Coupe De Ville!

I worry about Adam sometimes!

Ha-ha!

Wow!

1976 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.

This is a sign of prestige and class, as you can see!

-Probably got what, 400 on it?

-Five, my friend.

You'd better start buying gas cans now!

There are a few things that don't work. The air conditioning doesn't work.

That window doesn't go down. The glove box won't close.

And there's a small exhaust leak.

-Go big or go home. Ready?

-30 points coming up.

Go!

He is so dead right now.

He had it going.

Step back.

He smoked ya!

He smoked ya!

But Adam's reckless driving cost him!

Looks like you've got 50 or 60 broken.

-Let me investigate.

-Step back.

Oh, it's right there!

I'm off-roading in a battleship with two guys I can't trust!

Two, one...

Go!

Oh, my God! He's going away!

It's impossible he's still going!

This is very good stuff. He goes over the water!

-Come on, Adam. Throttle.

-He's going to be so bad.

Hey, Adam! The car is bent. Look at it!

Oh, was that fun. That's my baby!

Mwa!

Was I right?

I was right, man. I loved that car.

-You loved that Caddy so much, you killed it.

-I didn't kill it. It gave its life for me!

You definitely gave that Caddy a beating, but it has nothing on my favourite used-car of the season.

That's right. The Stepside.

Is this yours, Taylor? Oh, it's adorable.

Was Smurfs the colour description?

My choice was a 1983 Chevy CK Stepside.

Lightweight, diesel, 165 horses.

The perfect bush truck.

Take a look under the hood. This is the best part. While you guys are choking, trying to find gasoline,

-I have a torque monster with my diesel.

-You got a diesel?

-You got a diesel with a carburettor.

-That's a 350.

-You got it wrong.

-That is not a diesel.

Getting her up to speed for the first time.

Getting a little shake through the steering wheel. A good 25 degrees of actual play in the wheel.

Fan belt is squealing away and we're going 46 miles an hour.

The Chevy may have had its faults, but when confronted by the Alaskan wilderness,

it fought hard and refused to die on its quest to reach a glacier.

Now we're having fun!

I'm stuck.

Wow, you've led us into some nasty stuff.

-What? I got no other way out of here.

-No!

Let's get to the ice.

-Any part of the truck, right?

-Yep.

You can do it.

You touched it. That counts!

You won. That is America's toughest truck.

It was truly mind-boggling. That Chevy just would not die.

OK, it fought a good fight, but you're going to compare this truckapillar to a Cadillac?

Well, that's actually where my favourite car comes in.

It was tough, it was comfortable, and it was made by GM.

Oh, my God! "Mom's here!"

-You're kidding!

-Allow me to introduce the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon.

Tell me the inside doesn't smell like Virginia Slims cigarettes?

It fits eight people. With the seats down, you can fit a 4 by 8 sheet of ply.

And it'll tow 5,000 lbs.

And with this luxury of the vinyl fake wood panelling,

it lets everybody know I'm classy.

-Can you do a brake-stand in this thing?

-You bet I can.

-Let's see it.

It's a Buick, all right! Look at that!

Wow.

The reason my beer was the best is it won every challenge thrown its way.

Hill climb? No problem.

Oh, I've got this.

Go!

Go!

I almost had it!

-'Storage and handling?'

-Go!

'Easy.' Oh, no! Oh, that's so cold!

Hold on with me. Oh, just let it stop. Let it stop!

Oh!

In build quality, second to none.

That is a lot of water.

-Look at the back tyre.

-Oh, my gosh.

Dear Lord, I don't want to die in a Buick!

It's coming out the door handle!

The back seats are completely...

HORN BLARES

-I can't see anything!

-Oh, my gosh!

That's £25,000 driven by a blind man!

Come on, baby!

And that's why my Buick Roadmaster was the king of the beaters!

I think it's plain to see a Corvette powered eight-passenger wagon

is exactly what makes a great car.

-That's why that was the best old car we had.

-Really?

-Without a doubt.

-Come on!

-We had our choice of old cars. Not just GM cars.

If you look at this, if you remember the best day of your life

for those of you that don't have children or are not married?

You got your driver's licence. That is right.

Then the world was further away than what you could walk to or ride your bike.

But when you get a truck like this, now the world opens up again.

The space between the roads is your playground.

-That's your rationale.

-It's freedom to drive a truck like this. You can go anywhere!

You can take one other person. I can take seven others!

But you guys have great cars. I have a great car, but it's a Cadillac.

It's a unit of measure. That's how great my car is.

An example. The Fender Stratocaster. The Gibson Les Pauls.

Those are the Cadillacs of guitars.

Tanner Foust. Rutledge Wood. These are the Cadillacs of idiots!

In this season, we've been all over this country to pit cars against man and machine.

But if you missed any of that action, here are some of Top Gear's most incredible races.

I'm going to race this Evo against these skiers.

They will race to the summit by gondola, then take a three-minute run down 3,000 feet to the finish line

at Little Eagle Lodge.

I will take the twisting seven-mile route to the finish

that will be a supreme test of the Evo's ability on pavement, gravel and snow.

See you at the Lodge.

My fate hung on the Evo's ability to adapt to changing road surfaces.

The first two miles were pavement.

The road was now a loose surface, but in gravel mode,

the Evo got its claws out and clung on.

A good thing, too, because coming off here would be permanent.

Somewhere above the snow clouds, the luminous hell-hounds were on my trail.

With the weather closing in fast, the Evo was about to face its ultimate test.

Eight-foot-deep snow.

This was it. I'd either be sledding like Sean White

or sinking up to my windows.

Not only could this car drive on snow, it mastered it. It owned it!

And then they were on me, like fluorescent devils.

The orange one was in my sights.

How did those guys get down here so quick?

We were neck and neck with just a mile to go.

Now the skiers had the advantage. They could go off-trail, through the woods.

The Evo was good, but not that good.

Son of a BLEEP!

Oh, God, this is going to be so close.

Come on!

As we burst out of the storm into the sunlight, it was too close to call.

Aghh!

Yes!

Another incredible race took place in the Arizona desert.

It was truck versus gravity.

We couldn't find a production vehicle that came close to matching the Raptor's speed on the desert floor.

It's really in a class of its own.

So a comparison was virtually impossible.

We did, however, find one person willing to take on the VelociRaptor.

He's a halo jumper.

The halo jumper will start 25,000 feet up,

giving him exactly five miles of falling.

He will freefall at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour.

Until he hits 2,000 feet. Then he must open his 'chute or we'll be taking him home in a bucket.

To beat the halo jumper to the finish line, I have to get there in just over four minutes,

which means averaging 71 miles an hour. Have no doubt, this is very dangerous.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Hammer down, now. Hammer down.

As halo man hurtled earthwards,

he shaped his body to create the least resistance to the rushing air around him.

I had my foot to the floor. All 475 horses were galloping hard.

I was hitting 80mph, but the Raptor's giant shocks just soaked it up.

Darth had reached terminal velocity, 120 miles an hour.

Then he used that force to go even faster.

Two minutes down, and I had to be behind.

But ahead was 1.5 miles of pavement, time to floor it.

I'm doing 120 miles an hour.

Up ahead was my turn into the open desert,

the asphalt blast had me back in the game.

Ahead, two miles of track and open desert to the finish line.

Every twist and turn, I tried to get a glimpse of the tiny black dot above me.

I don't see him yet.

But how could I? He was using gravity as his jet pack.

He was ahead, but the advantage was mine.

Because now the halo jumper had to pull his 'chute

or become Darth mincemeat.

As the canopy opened, he decelerated violently to 60 miles an hour.

This was my chance.

No more twisting and turning.

Halo guy was just 1,000 feet above the finish line.

I could see the flags ahead. We were neck and neck.

No - too hard into that corner!

Suddenly, he threw his parachute into a dive,

spiralling straight towards the ground at 90 miles an hour.

No - there he is!

Today we're going over some of the best moments from the past season.

Including one of the great American traditions, the road trip.

I speak for all of us in saying Top Gear is proud to continue that tradition.

One of our favourites was a quick and very hot trip across Michigan

in out-of-production GM cars.

I'm so excited we're doing a road trip.

This really is one of the best road trip cars you could have.

When this was new, this was a car you'd pack the family into

and head across country to Wally World.

"Sorry, folks, park's closed!"

Even though we were in separate cars, I felt like we were one big family taking a road trip.

Oh, man, this thing is comfy.

Like a La-z-boy with a steering wheel in front of it!

Adam was already complaining.

It's hot!

And Tanner was enjoying his toy.

I'm impressed. For a 24-year-old car,

it runs nice. It's not on fire or anything.

If you brought back this car,

you could not only save GM, you could also make some cool cars.

You make the wagon off that, you build a Caprice, a hotrod Impala SS

then cut off the back of the wagon, and what have you got? Da-da-da!

Your new El Camino. GM is saved. Thank you, Rutledge Wood!

Wow.

If I was going to upgrade this car, I'd lighten it up a bit.

Maybe a fibre-glass hood, or carbon-fibre, depending on my cost.

I'd turbo-charge and direct inject the Rocket 350

and I'd fix the frigging air conditioning!

It's hot!

Tanner are you going to put another tiny, hard-to-work-on V6 back there?

-Negatory, my friend. LS7.

-Are you going to change that in your redesign?

The redesign is going to be epic. It's going to start with a race car

and it'll triple the technology into the road.

It's going to establish GM as a world racing power and change the brand altogether.

The majority of y'all's target market was conceived in the back of a Roadmaster wagon.

I know that much.

Granted. You got that one.

75 miles into our journey across Michigan

our family dynamic began to break down.

Poppa bear was getting annoyed because the cubs were wandering.

Taylor, you might want to just slow down a hair.

Hi, Dad. I'm going to the speed limit.

-Slow down!

-BLEEP.

-BLEEP.

-Don't make me separate you two.

-You guys can't keep up?

-If you slow down and get in the right hand lane

-and the three of us get together, then no-one will sound like a

-BLEEP. Too late!

Like eight-year-olds with licences.

That's what a road trip is like with these two.

Honestly.

Honestly, driving with you two is like herding cats!

Driving those GM beasts across Michigan wasn't the only road trip we did.

We also took a trip across the south in cars that cost less than 1,000

in which we became modern-day bootleggers.

-Adam, I'll help with your hood. It looks funny.

-No, don't!

No, what are you talking about?

-Go. Go!

-Give me that!

I don't have it, man!

TOOTS HORN

I knew a guy that could get us some grain alcohol.

Along the way, I learned that when it comes to 1,000 cars,

you get what you pay for. Now, when the turbo kicks in,

it sounds fine.

It's just...cos the speedometer's not working, I can't tell how fast I'm going.

In '87, the Thunderbird set the fastest lap in NASCAR history.

212.8 miles per hour with Bill Elliott at the wheel.

My coupe has heritage.

I love this car. It reminds me of when I was a kid.

My father always had a Cadillac.

I could sleep on the back deck right below the rear window.

So for 1,000 I got a Cadillac.

I knew it was going to be comfortable and the ride would be smooth.

And I knew that it was built like a tank.

My air conditioning does work.

That is a huge bonus cos it is hot and humid out there.

But she feels pretty good.

The radio's on eternal seat, as it should be. The light is eternally on.

Maybe...

Bit of a vibration up front. Transmission...

..not so good.

Rutledge led us to a shady barn in the middle of nowhere.

-How many do we have to pack in?

-25 gallons.

Adam, will you be able to get out of here? That boat is laying anchor!

Thanks to Rutledge's kinfolk, each of our cars was loaded with 100 quarts of White Lightning.

And at over 50% alcohol, it was the highest-octane fuel these cars had ever carried.

We've all owned crappy cars.

They may have been stinky, filthy, dangerous rust buckets

but when called to perform, our cars rose to the challenge.

And we grew to appreciate them.

These cars may have only cost 1,000,

but they gave us everything they had.

One of the shortest road trips we took

was when we decided to become car salesmen and picked up some cars at a police auction.

The auction rules dictated that we couldn't drive our cars before we bought them.

So the 15-mile drive to the lot was the first chance we had

to get to know our investments better.

The air conditioning works. The shift is pretty smooth.

Rides pretty nice.

It's comfortable.

I'm going to make a fortune.

At 870, my car seemed a steal.

Over in Alexis, the extra 1,500 Rutledge spent on his granddad car

made the drive a little less eventful.

It feels great. They put a lot of effort into this car.

They started working on the idea of the LS in 1983.

The project took five years and they think it cost just over a billion dollars.

That's a lot of engineering just to make sure the car did well on the American market.

Come on, baby.

Up to speed we go.

This is so dangerous. A giant freaking gas rig almost running over me.

You never realise how big the other cars are out on the road

till you're driving a small one.

Good Lord. We are going to die.

In this episode, we're taking a look back

at some of the best new and old cars we've driven all season.

We've also remembered some of the incredible races and amazing road trips we've had.

Now, though, it's time to look back at some of the more unusual experiences.

Our producers had us doing things they didn't tell us about when they hired us.

We'd like to show you something they like to call "Making Mom proud".

We've decided to level the playing field on you, my friend.

-Yeah.

-You're not going to be driving.

-You are the driving instructor

and we have got you a great team mate.

-I get car sick.

-That's a real manly statement.

-Do you want to meet your team-mate?

-Yeah. Who is it?

-Hey, Brian!

Come on out!

-He's pretending to be blind, right?

-This way, Brian.

-It's a long time since I've sat behind the wheel.

-OK. Let's keep those comments to a minimum!

-Can you drive a manual?

-I've never driven a stick.

-The clutch is this thing on the right?

-Ha, ha.

They didn't tell you that? They wanted to make it more complicated.

Apparently. Yeah. That's awesome.

-It's the one on the left, actually.

-Is it really?

That's not the brake? So do you drive with two feet or one?

Good question. Two feet.

Slowly bring up the clutch until you feel it bite.

Now you can take your foot off the clutch. You're in gear.

-I take it off the clutch?

-Yeah. A little to the right. To the right! And to the left. Sorry, right!

Right. Left, left, left. Brake! Brake! Brake!

Hard left. Clutch. Clutch.

We broke out the good stuff.

Drink.

Oh, my G..

WHEEZES

That is so smooth!

That is awesome!

Take a big old...

It does sting a little bit.

-Do you think it's flammable?

-Yes.

Are you going to spit on it? Hell, yes!

Take it! Oh, it burns my whole face!

I think my beard's fallen out!

This is fun!

I am the god of hell fire!

Why don't you spit on the fire already, tough guy?

You know the scariest thing, though.

-Sasquatch.

-Cannibal coming at you.

Why don't you say that to my face?

9.00am. You know what that means?

-Car time, baby.

-The doors are open.

-Time to sell.

Time to put our marketing plans into action.

Stress-free motors is supposed to be effortless. Spin the sign effortlessly.

Big smile. That's it!

Free pony rides!

Test drive a car and you get a free pony ride!

Does that say, "Buy a car, punch a clown!"?

Yes. It's brilliant, isn't it?

People will read it and go, "What's that all about?"

My marketing plan was a bit more obvious.

But it got results!

It got me my first customer of the day.

-I'm Tanner, by the way.

-Patrick. This is it?

-The keys are in it.

-Let me grab something out of the showroom.

-Sure.

-Climb on in.

Do you know Alaska is one of the few states where you can see all three types of bears?

-That's great(!)

-There's over 45,000 of them in these woods.

It's not the bears you've got to be worried about. It's the moose.

-Did you hear that?

-Moose?

-What was that?

There's three times as many people killed by moose as there is bears.

-What are you wearing?

-This is for the bears. This is bear spray.

This will knock a grizzly down. Like bear pepper spray.

These are bear bells.

-Bear bells?

-They hate this.

-Salsa?

-No, bear bells. Like Christmas. Bears hate Christmas.

-Bells are Kryptonite for bears?

-Worse. You see any bears?

It might not have been a superbike, but the little Honda had a top speed of 22 miles an hour.

Now we're cooking! Now we're cooking.

And that, my friends, is 91 miles an hour on the water.

In this part of the world, the sea plane reigns supreme.

Down here in Key West, there used to be a navy base

where sea planes would go out into the ocean looking for German submarines.

If they found any, they dropped grenades on them.

Inspired by history, we went hunting. But we had a much larger target in mind than a submarine.

Rutledge's bobbing head.

-Holy

-BLEEP!

Taylor just gave me a haircut with a plane!

Wow! Oh!

-Oh!

-Get him, Adam!

Aw, come on!

This is a 1977 Chevy El Camino SN.

Look at the armaments on this car. Two dedicated rear guns.

Two front guns. All controlled by this instrument panel.

Look at this!

360 degrees of fiery paint raining down on Fog horn.

I am going to paint him like a subway car.

Rutledge Wood, what in the Sam Hill are you thinking?

It's a log cabin. I wanted to bring a piece of home with me to be comfortable.

This is my porch. I can hang out here.

I've got a mini-bar, a stove, complete with a stove exhaust.

Are you ready?

Voila!

Oh, Rutledge!

The fact is, we really did do some strange things on this show.

We've had an amazing time, and we hope you enjoyed watching.

Until next time, thank you and goodbye!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd