0:00:11 > 0:00:13Tonight, I play tennis.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Richard points at a minibus.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22And James shakes hands with two men.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Thank you so much. Hello! Hello, everybody, and welcome.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Thank you very much. Thank you. Now...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Now, a few years ago,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43bosses at a Cheshire-based engineering company called BAC
0:00:43 > 0:00:46decided they'd like to make a car.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Now, because they're from Cheshire, I assumed it would be made
0:00:50 > 0:00:53from onyx and have bull's-eye glass in the windows
0:00:53 > 0:00:58and then door mirrors made out of Wayne Rooney's ears. But no.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59They decided it should have
0:00:59 > 0:01:02the four-cylinder engine from a Ford people van,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05the gearbox from a Formula 3 racing car
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and that it should be upholstered
0:01:08 > 0:01:12in the same stain-resistant and waterproof material
0:01:12 > 0:01:16that they use to line furniture in old people's homes.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20And then they turned their attention to how it should look.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Most car designers, for their inspiration,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25go to big cats and bats and jet fighters.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30But the men from Cheshire decided they didn't want any of that.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34They decided to take their inspiration from this.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37MUSIC: "All Is Full Of Love" by Bjork
0:01:45 > 0:01:49So, the styling of an Icelandic robot from a Bjork pop video,
0:01:49 > 0:01:54the gearbox from a racing car and the engine from a van.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Bring them all together, and this is the result.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14It's called the Mono, and it's amazing.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The engine may be from a Ford people carrier,
0:02:18 > 0:02:24but it's been fettled by Cosworth, so now it produces 280 horsepower.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And fitting a 280 horsepower heart
0:02:29 > 0:02:32in a car which weighs just half a tonne is...
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Well, the effects are going to be profound.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I can see why they lined it
0:02:46 > 0:02:51with material designed to resist trouser accidents,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54because my bladder's gone!
0:02:54 > 0:02:59It's completely gone! I've wet myself.
0:03:08 > 0:03:120 to 60 takes just 2.8 seconds.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17And in theory, the top speed is 170.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18But in reality, it isn't,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22because the Mono has the same problem as the Ariel Atom.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23No windscreen.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30At 70 miles an hour, your face starts to move about.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And then when you get to 80, it starts to come off.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46'At 90, you're forced to accept that really, you need a helmet.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59'With a lid on, you can start to appreciate
0:03:59 > 0:04:01'just how clever this car is.'
0:04:02 > 0:04:07First of all, I fit. I mean, only just, but I do actually fit.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09And even though it has
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Formula One-style pushrod suspension,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15the ride is sublime. You could almost call it comfortable.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Although, that said, at high revs,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22everything starts to tingle and vibrate.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28I don't want to go into too many details, but let me put it this way.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30If I were a girl, I'd like it very much.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Strangely, even cross-eyed women
0:04:36 > 0:04:39can drive this car legally on the road.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42But realistically, it's built for the track.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44So, let's see what's what.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It's not really about straight-line speed.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It doesn't actually feel that fast.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07And when you get used to it, it's not that scary, either.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10If I'm honest, it's not really like driving, this.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13It's like conducting an orchestra
0:05:13 > 0:05:17of parts that know exactly what they're doing.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19They're very well rehearsed.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24There goes the French horns, and here are the violins.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:30 > 0:05:33The brakes, they're good. Gearbox is fantastic.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39It really is an absolutely instant change. Bang, bang, bang, ready.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'And there's more.'
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Because all the heavy stuff, the engine,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52the gearbox and the driver, is all in a line,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54low down in the middle of the car,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58it has the same centre of gravity as a worm.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Couple that to the F1 suspension and the specially-made tyres,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and the cornering speeds are simply immense.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14To demonstrate how immense,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17we've set up a radar trap on the follow-through,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21and coming through it now, as fast as possible, is a Peugeot 208.
0:06:28 > 0:06:3283.5 miles an hour.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36'Then it was the turn of a BMW M3.'
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Ooh, now, look at that. 90.25 miles an hour.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49'After a Nissan GT-R had a go, we unleashed the Mono.'
0:06:53 > 0:06:55See my point?
0:06:55 > 0:06:59It is very fast, then, and it's fun.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01But what about reliability,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03traditionally not a strong point
0:07:03 > 0:07:05for small-volume British sports cars?
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The first time I drove a Mono, it set fire to itself.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12The second time, the engine went wonky,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16and the third time, it broke down before it had even left the factory.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So I thought of it, really, as another typically British,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23badly-executed good idea.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25But since all those calamities,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29they've had 12 months to work on the design and the detailing,
0:07:29 > 0:07:35and I have to say, it looks not just very well thought out,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39but absolutely beautifully made.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And it's not just the detailing that's beautiful, either.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46When you stand back,
0:07:46 > 0:07:51that's one of the most exciting shapes I've ever seen.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59The Mono is the nicest thing to come out of Cheshire since the cheese.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04But it does cost £102,000, and that,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07for a twice-a-year toy, is a lot.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16In many ways, then, this is a bit like an iPad,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20because that's not cheap either, and you certainly don't need one.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21But you want one,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25because it's such a lovely...thing.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- It is.- It's gorgeous.- I know.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And beautifully made. It's a piece of jewellery.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53But...
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- What?- £102,000?
0:08:57 > 0:08:58I know, it is expensive,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00especially when you bear in mind
0:09:00 > 0:09:04all the other brilliant track-day cars you can buy for a lot less,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06the KTM, Radical, Ariel Atom.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- Morgan 3 Wheeler. - No, I said brilliant.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10All right, the Caterham R500.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13That's a brilliant track-day car, and that's half the price of this.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Yes, and that is enormously fast. But will this be faster?
0:09:17 > 0:09:21To find out, we shall hand it over to our tame racing driver.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Some say that he breaks into people's houses at night
0:09:25 > 0:09:29and leaves two mysterious extra keys in a kitchen drawer...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And that as a result of buying Pirelli condoms this week,
0:09:34 > 0:09:35he now has 17 children.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39All we know is, he's called The Stig!
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Stig snaps to attention, and he's off,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44flicking off the line like a flea,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46even though the start-finish line was damp.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Hopefully, the rest of the track's dry.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Flying into the first corner, he came in very hot there,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55but sorted it out. No problem at all.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58No stereo, of course,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02just the sound of that Cosworth-tuned engine
0:10:02 > 0:10:05as he zips round Chicago absolutely rock-solid.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Now, Hammerhead.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11What will this reveal about the mid-engine balance?
0:10:11 > 0:10:14No drama. That is properly nailed down.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19But look, a well-orchestrated drift on the way out!
0:10:19 > 0:10:24High revs now. The vibrations will be stimulating his lady parts.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Follow-through and yes, he actually changed up through there.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Stig is brave, even on the brink of a crisis.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Controlling it beautifully into the second-to-last corner.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Screams up to Gambon, racing gearbox whining.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Slides it through, and across the line.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Now...here we have the Caterham R500,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54which did it in 1.17.9, yeah?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56BAC Mono...
0:11:01 > 0:11:021.14.3.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04No way!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- Wow!- The second-fastest car we've ever had!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10That is something else.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Tremendous. Excellent.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17And now, now it is time for the news,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19and it's good news,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22because the Dacia Duster has been named
0:11:22 > 0:11:26budget 4x4 tow car of the year.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31- Great. Now, I've bought a bicycle.- I thought you were looking a bit trim.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Well, do you know, it's not really the weight that I've lost,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- but my core, what's it called? - Core strength.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Are we on Loose Women or something?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41No, James, as you well know,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44we have for many years been on Last Of The Summer Gear.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Since I bought my bicycle, what's driving me mad
0:11:46 > 0:11:49is the amount of people who come and say "You need to get lycra shorts now".
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Well, you do, because it's more comfortable and it stops chafing.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55No, Hammond, you don't.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57People who wear lycra shorts go,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00"Look, it's difficult and dangerous, and I need special..." You don't.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04In fact, the only thing I do wear as a concession that I make
0:12:04 > 0:12:06is this T-shirt, OK? This is
0:12:06 > 0:12:08the back of it as I'm riding along.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11"Motorists, thank you for letting me use your roads."
0:12:11 > 0:12:12LAUGHTER
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Because I think that's polite.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I don't believe you have a bicycle. What kind of bicycle is it?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19I don't know, they're all the same.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Is it a mountain bike, is it a racer?
0:12:21 > 0:12:24When you went to the shop, you walked through
0:12:24 > 0:12:27the door of a bicycle shop and the man went, "Oh, my God".
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And you went "I'd like..."?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32I just said, "Can I have the one nearest to the door?"
0:12:32 > 0:12:35He was trying to say, "You can have this one for £10,000..."
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I said "No, I just want a bicycle." 500 quid.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40This bicycle he sold you,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- is the front wheel a lot bigger than the back wheel?- No.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It's just a bike. They're all the same.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Has it got two little ones at the back?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50No, it hasn't got stabilisers.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55I don't believe you, and I think this has become a new mystery.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57It's like a yeti.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59So if maybe somebody's seen him,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02if you have seen Jeremy on his bicycle, write to us, please,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06at "Help, I've Burst From Laughing", Top Gear, Wood Lane, wherever.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I don't believe you.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Now, who saw the British Grand Prix last weekend?
0:13:11 > 0:13:12AUDIENCE: Yes!
0:13:12 > 0:13:14You may have noticed there were a lot of blowouts, OK,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and I must say, I feel rather sorry for Pirelli.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19For the last few years,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22their tyres have been really good and grippy and lasted too long,
0:13:22 > 0:13:23so the organisers said to Pirelli,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26"Can you design a tyre that's a bit rubbish?"
0:13:26 > 0:13:28So they did, and now everyone's saying,
0:13:28 > 0:13:29"Your tyres are a bit rubbish".
0:13:29 > 0:13:30So how rubbish is too rubbish?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33How much do you think Pirelli spent developing those tyres?
0:13:33 > 0:13:35It's got to be...100 quid?
0:13:36 > 0:13:38It's going to be millions.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Yeah, millions of pounds developing a tyre,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and all they get in response is people going into tyre warehouses
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and saying "I need four new tyres for my car, just not Pirellis".
0:13:46 > 0:13:50- Right.- And then I make silly jokes when introducing the Stig about it.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52It's gone wrong! It backfired.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54This is exactly why I don't get Formula One,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57because surely it should be the pinnacle of automotive technology.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Pirelli should make a tyre
0:13:59 > 0:14:01as good as it is possible to make a tyre.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03They should have active aerodynamics,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06they should have traction control, the most sophisticated in the world,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08ABS, invisibility cloaks, all that.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10They should be allowed to have anything they want.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13The problem is, the organisers are trying to make Formula One
0:14:13 > 0:14:16a level playing field to make it a drivers' championship. And it isn't.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18You could put Sebastian Vettel in a Marussia
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- and he's going to come last. - Exactly.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Let's just make it a championship for car-makers,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and then let the designers have completely free rein.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27You know what I'd do?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31I'd make a car that was the exact width of the track.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33LAUGHTER
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- How clever's that? - That's interesting.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39That would only work if you qualified at the front.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40No, you wouldn't have to,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42because it would be a Top Fuel-type dragster, OK?
0:14:42 > 0:14:44So it'd be very poor around the corners
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and I'd qualify last,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49but I would accelerate really quickly past them all
0:14:49 > 0:14:52before the first corner, and then it would expand.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- Oh, it grows. - I've just won the championship.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- Jeremy, what you're proposing is Wacky Races.- I know!
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Anyway, let's move on.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04There has been a whole rash of new supercars launched recently.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- This is the one I'm interested in, this Ferrari.- Ooh.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Indeed, ooh. It has an 800 horsepower V12.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14It has a KERS system like a Formula One car.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16It's going to cost around a million quid,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19but I think they've got a bit of a problem with the name,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22because they've called it LaFerrari.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Sorry, what's wrong with that? I mean, it is.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26No, but that's the model name.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30LaFerrari means "the Ferrari", so that's the Ferrari the Ferrari.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Oh, yeah. The supercar I really want is by Pagani.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37They've got a new car out, except they sort of haven't,
0:15:37 > 0:15:38because it's yet another version
0:15:38 > 0:15:40of the Zonda, their old car. There it is.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- And what's new about that?- Not a lot, really, apart from the price.
0:15:44 > 0:15:51- It's now £2.3 million.- What? - Yeah.- For a second-hand car?
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Yeah.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55You know, the one I'm most interested in,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59this is the McLaren P1, because this is just shy of a million quid,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03so it's almost a bargain. And it's got a 903 horsepower engine. 903.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05What fascinates me is,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08there's a wing that comes out of the back of it
0:16:08 > 0:16:10which has got DRS on it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14You know what DRS is, with the... In Formula One, it opens.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17If you've got 903 horsepower, when would you ever think,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19"Right, I need more straight-line speed.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21"I'll deploy the DRS wing"?
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Well, it could happen.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25"That post office van is getting a shift on. I'll deploy DRS."
0:16:25 > 0:16:29No, you will need that, your DRS,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32when you come across me in the Ferrari the Ferrari,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34because, I hadn't read this properly,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37it has got 800 horsepower in the engine, but of course,
0:16:37 > 0:16:38it's got a KERS system.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41When you deploy it and use the electric bit as well,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45ahem, 963 horsepower.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- And is that all going through the rear wheels?- Yes, it is.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Hang on, that's broadly the same amount of power
0:16:51 > 0:16:52you get from a Bugatti,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54which is almost exactly twice as heavy
0:16:54 > 0:16:59as the Ferrari the Ferrari, and it has four-wheel-drive.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- That's going to be "an handful". - Yes.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08- Exciting, though. I want a go in it. - I really want to go in the McLaren.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10That would be an epic test.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12You in that Ferrari, you in the McLaren, me in that Zonda.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13Anybody want to see that?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15AUDIENCE: Yeah!
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- So do I.- Let's see if we can put that together.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But you know how people often come up to us and say,
0:17:22 > 0:17:23"When will Top Gear end?"
0:17:23 > 0:17:26About three minutes after us three have set off.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Yeah, in a big fireball.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Does anybody want to see THAT?
0:17:30 > 0:17:31AUDIENCE: Yes!
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Right, let's move on, because it is now 11 years we've been on air,
0:17:35 > 0:17:36and in all that time,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40there is one vehicle that we have never reviewed, which is a surprise,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42because it's the most popular,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45important and used vehicle in the world.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I'm talking, of course, about the taxi,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55the lifeblood of people movement wherever you go in the world.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03And Britain's contribution to this effort needs no introduction.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It's a staple of any London street scene.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12There are currently around 19,000 black cabs
0:18:12 > 0:18:15moving people across the capital,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20and this vast fleet covers almost half a billion miles a year.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23There's another. They are literally everywhere.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26London life has caused the black cab
0:18:26 > 0:18:30to evolve into an amazingly efficient vehicle.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Its famous tiny turning circle, for example,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37is the result of the need to tackle the roundabout outside the Savoy.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Then there's the black cab driver.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46No cabbie in the world has to go through
0:18:46 > 0:18:49an ordeal as fearsome as The Knowledge,
0:18:49 > 0:18:55which requires that all London taxi drivers memorise 25,000 streets.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57The test is so tough, in fact,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00that cabbies develop an extra large hippocampus,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04which is the area of the brain associated with memory, navigation
0:19:04 > 0:19:06and views on immigration.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Put this combination of man and machine together,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and what you have is indisputable.
0:19:13 > 0:19:19What you have is, without doubt, obviously, unquestionably,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22no arguments, the best taxi in the world.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Or is it?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The thing is, a New York taxi driver
0:19:30 > 0:19:33would probably disagree with that statement.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37He'd say "Yeah, you may have more space in the back,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42"but your London taxi is slow and the ride is terrible,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46"whereas my yellow taxi has a big V8 and proper suspension."
0:19:46 > 0:19:48But then a cabbie in Delhi would say,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51"My Indian taxi is built to last longer".
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Basically, every cabbie everywhere in the world
0:19:54 > 0:19:58could argue for one reason or another that their taxi is the best.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Which means, if we really want to find out
0:20:01 > 0:20:03which is the greatest taxi in the world,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05there is only one way to do it,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and that is, as ever, in the prism of the furnace
0:20:08 > 0:20:13through the looking glass of the crucible of motorsport.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18That means a race, and the venue for our global showdown
0:20:18 > 0:20:20will be Lydden Hill in Kent,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24famous throughout the motorsport world
0:20:24 > 0:20:28for being the only race track with its own cab office.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38That plywood cab office looks perilously close to the track.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I sincerely hope no harm befalls it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Anyway, let's now meet our grid of taxis from around the world.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Representing Great Britain, we have a 1997 Fairway driver which,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54with a mere 320,000 miles on the clock, is barely run in.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03From Mexico, a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.
0:21:03 > 0:21:0850,000 of these things ply their trade in Mexico City alone.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13From America, one of the titans of the taxi world,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15a New York yellow cab.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20This particular one is a Ford Crown Victoria, rear-wheel drive,
0:21:20 > 0:21:234.6 litre V8 and in its day, good for 130.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26That's one to worry about.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33From India, the Hindustan Ambassador, very much the old-timer here.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36The Ambassador has been India's favourite taxi
0:21:36 > 0:21:38for an incredible 55 years.
0:21:39 > 0:21:45Next, from South Africa, we have this. A Toyota HiAce.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46Whereas in most countries,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49they will be rooting for their local taxi,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52you can expect the South Africans to be booing,
0:21:52 > 0:21:57because these things are hated and feared for their wild aggression.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03Moving on to this, from Germany. It's the Mercedes E-Class.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Neat, smart and fastidiously maintained.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And finally, from Russia, a Stretched Lincoln Town Car.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Now, that might not look like a cab, but it is.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22In Russia, rich oligarchs hail limos just like this to get around.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28So if you think we've included a powerful rear-wheel drive
0:22:28 > 0:22:3130-foot long car just in the hope that it will cause chaos,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33get that thought out of your head.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37So there we are, then - the world's most iconic taxis,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41each poised and ready to defend the honour of its country.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Now, the cab drivers.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48And naturally, because of the magnitude of what's at stake here,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51each country has sent its very best.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54But they all must have got lost or something, so instead,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57we have the usual ragtag bunch of racing drivers.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02For Russia, touring car legend Anthony Reid.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07For South Africa, touring car legend Matt Jackson.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13For Germany, touring car legend Matt Neal.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18For India, touring car legend Gordon Shedden.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23For Mexico, touring car legend Paul O'Neill.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31For America, touring car legend Tom Chilton.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33And in the black cab, me.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37So here we are, ready to plunge once more into the abyss
0:23:37 > 0:23:40of motorsport-based scientific research.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51I should point out that it's the custom for Indian taxi drivers
0:23:51 > 0:23:55to carry a figurine of their chosen God on the dashboard of their car.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I think our guy may have overdone it a bit.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03ENGINES REV, HORNS BEEP
0:24:05 > 0:24:09The guys are getting impatient. That's good. Five-second board.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Yeah!
0:24:20 > 0:24:21The South African is through.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27New York taxi alongside, German...everybody is through.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Absolutely everybody has passed me.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34But this is a marathon, not a sprint.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'As ever, I'd issued strict instructions
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'for the drivers to avoid body contact.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44'Clearly, the South African hadn't got the memo.'
0:24:48 > 0:24:52The South African is completely insane, largely out of control.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Huge slide from the limo! That's incredible.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08'But while the Russian limo may have been struggling in the corners,
0:25:08 > 0:25:09'I had issues everywhere.'
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Yeah. I'm quite badly outpaced on the hill,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21on the straights and in the turns.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24This is all I've got.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'However, I had a plan.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:32When it comes to cunning, remember, black cab drivers do The Knowledge.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37I know where all the shortcuts are. I'll nip down here, love.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Thanks to my super tight turning circle, I can make this.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42That's me back in the race.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I'd say more than back in, I am leading it.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50'Sadly, my fellow cabbies weren't impressed by this tactic
0:25:50 > 0:25:52'and when they caught up with me,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'they were quick to show their displeasure.'
0:25:55 > 0:25:59He's just ramming me! That is just...oh, you're joking.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10Yeah. Some good-natured jostling from the other nations.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21'With the race now at the halfway point, no clear leader was emerging,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25'which meant inevitably that the drivers began to turn up the heat.'
0:26:34 > 0:26:36There's been a crash, but we're OK.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42'Fed up of the South African's hooliganism,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'the limo gave him a taste of his own medicine.'
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Oh! Whoa! Getting a push now.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00This is by far the fastest I have been.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06Oh, Jesus. Sorry about that. Oh, God, it's the Mexican, isn't it?
0:27:06 > 0:27:09It's going to be bad.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15'With just two laps to go, everybody was still running. But then...'
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Oh, the limo takes himself off entirely.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Oh, my word! That is Russia taken out.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35In fact, America has taken itself out as well.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Right, still in play, we have the Beetle...
0:27:44 > 0:27:45The Mercedes is holding up well.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48It's really sustained very little damage.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'But the marauding South African had other ideas.'
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Oh! Bad luck.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01'Now into the final lap,
0:28:01 > 0:28:06'and desperate to beat the remaining runners, I took another sneaky turn.'
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Ha-ha!
0:28:14 > 0:28:15There is the finish line.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21I think I can win this.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27I think I can win... Oh, no, no!
0:28:31 > 0:28:34It's entirely possible that I am a bit last.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40'Nevertheless, the crucible of motorsport
0:28:40 > 0:28:43'had once more given us the answer.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46'As it turns out, the greatest taxi in the world...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50'is the Hindustan Ambassador'.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Well done, mate. Excellent.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Excellent. Good science.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06But may I ask, Hammond, an important question?
0:29:06 > 0:29:11How many people were killed in the making of that film?
0:29:11 > 0:29:15- Actually, only three.- Three. See, that's more than I was hoping for.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18But with science, there often has to be sacrifice.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22But you've decided, have you not, after subjecting those cars
0:29:22 > 0:29:24to the white heat of the crucible of motorsport,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26that the best taxi in the world
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- started out in life as a Morris Oxford.- Yeah, and there it is.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33That would explain why the company that makes the London black cab
0:29:33 > 0:29:36- has gone bust. - You say that, but they're back.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39They've been rescued. They're going to start production again very soon.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Pointlessly, as it turns out.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42Yes, absolutely.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46So, let's put a star in our brand-new reasonably-priced car.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Now, you may be aware that later on this year,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51we're going to be treated to a film called Rush.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It's about the epic battle in 1976
0:29:53 > 0:29:56for the Formula One world championship
0:29:56 > 0:29:58between James Hunt and Niki Lauda,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and my guest tonight is the man who directed it.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ron Howard!
0:30:04 > 0:30:06CHEERING
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Ron Howard is here.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12How are you? He's here!
0:30:16 > 0:30:18The man who made Rush. Have a seat.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Now, Ron, over the years,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26your films have been nominated for 29 Oscars
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and I think you've won two yourself.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32And now you've made a historical film
0:30:32 > 0:30:35about a sport that most of the world doesn't really watch.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39So why did you think, "Yeah, Hunt and Lauda"?
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Great story. Great human interest story,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46and I knew just enough about Formula One to just know how cool it was.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49And I felt like the combination of those characters,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51the kind of human drama,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55the world of Formula One, particularly in the '70s,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57was a chance to offer something fresh to audiences.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It was a movie I wanted to see.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01I was nervous about it because I thought
0:31:01 > 0:31:03oh, no, they'll make it too nerdy
0:31:03 > 0:31:06and everyone will say Formula One's boring,
0:31:06 > 0:31:08or they'll do a Hollywood number of "I love speed!"
0:31:08 > 0:31:10and it will all be set in NASCAR
0:31:10 > 0:31:13to make it easy for the Americans to understand.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17And yet, it's neither of those things.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20It is genuinely a film that takes you back to the '70s,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23when motor racing was bloody dangerous.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25You weren't the only one who was nervous.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28You certainly want the fans to feel the sport's respected,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32but you also need to make a movie that works on a lot of levels
0:31:32 > 0:31:33for a lot of people.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36I had that opportunity with Apollo 13,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38and it's one of the films I enjoyed making most.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41And I've got to tell you, Rush was right up there.
0:31:41 > 0:31:42I had a blast.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46We've got a clip for those of you who want to see what it looks like.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49We'll show it for you now, because it is quite something.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53There's a lie that all drivers tell themselves.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57"Death is something that happens to other people."
0:31:57 > 0:32:01What kind of person does a job like this? Each year, two of us die.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04I accept every time I get in my car
0:32:04 > 0:32:07that there's a 20% chance I could die.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Being driven round at 170 mph? This thing's a bomb on wheels.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- I'm quicker than all of you. - Then let's race.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27I'm a world champion on the verge to become world champion again.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29I could beat this guy. Trust me.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46This lot are going to wet themselves.
0:32:46 > 0:32:52In the film, you show Niki Lauda, warts and all.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56I had no idea he was like that, this OCD, very straight guy.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59How did he react when he saw the finished product?
0:32:59 > 0:33:02When he saw it, he was moved by it,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06and I think it was because he never really had a perspective
0:33:06 > 0:33:08on that period around the accident.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11First of all, he couldn't remember much of it.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15Secondly, what he does remember was all about the anger that people were
0:33:15 > 0:33:17writing him off, thought he had died.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21He could hear that. And also the myopic drive to get back in the car.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25He was so single-minded that he blanked everything else out
0:33:25 > 0:33:28and when he saw this he began to realise what other
0:33:28 > 0:33:32people around him, Marlene, his wife then, in particular,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35what they were going through, and a more human side of it.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37and I think it was emotional for him to deal with.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Then of course you've got James Hunt
0:33:39 > 0:33:41as the complete counterbalance to that.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45We've got a picture of James Hunt which we keep on our office wall.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47This just sums him up. His pop-riveted car.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49He's thinking, "When I've finished this cigarette
0:33:49 > 0:33:52"and this can of beer, you, my dear, are next."
0:33:54 > 0:33:57You just don't see this today. It is one of the tragedies.
0:33:57 > 0:33:58You can't see Nico Rosberg posing.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01"I would like to thank my watch manufacturer
0:34:01 > 0:34:03"and my hat manufacturer and the people who made my oil."
0:34:03 > 0:34:05That's what I really like about it.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07There are two guys, who bowed to no-one.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12There was no Yoda guiding them to their higher purpose.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15These were guys who defined themselves on their own terms,
0:34:15 > 0:34:21very different terms, and they would bear the scars
0:34:21 > 0:34:25of those decisions, but they also could certainly claim the triumphs.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I'm sure everybody in the room here... We move off Rush.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32I'm sure everybody in the room here is looking at you thinking,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35everyone over 40 that is, thinking that is a familiar face,
0:34:35 > 0:34:39because a lot of people don't realise that you were in Happy Days.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41You are Richie Cunningham.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I was him.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:34:49 > 0:34:51It's one of those things I think people find hard to equate.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Here's this amazing film director, but you were,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57so you really did obviously switch into directing and I was just
0:34:57 > 0:35:00making a list of the better-known ones that you've directed and...
0:35:00 > 0:35:02This is extraordinary.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It's Splash, Cocoon, Apollo 13, Da Vinci Code, Beautiful Mind,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Frost/Nixon, Angels & Demons,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10Backdraft, Parenthood - that's very funny - Ransom.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14I'm just thinking, "Hang on a minute, he did Happy Days and all
0:35:14 > 0:35:19"that. I do a car show and I'm flat-out." How do you find the time?
0:35:19 > 0:35:23The simple answer is I enjoy what I'm doing, so I don't need a hobby.
0:35:23 > 0:35:24I love this.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Having been on a show like Happy Days, you sort of are doing
0:35:27 > 0:35:28the same character over and over
0:35:28 > 0:35:32and when I realised I had a chance to be a director I thought,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35"I want to do as many diverse things as I possibly can."
0:35:35 > 0:35:37So I was renting 16mm cameras,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40making my own little independent movies.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Eventually doing my first movie, which was a car movie,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45- Grand Theft Auto.- Of course. - Car crash comedy.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49I did that during one of the hiatuses from Happy Days.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- Moving onto personal life if I may, four children?- Yes.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57- Their middle names interest me. - Oh, yeah, I guess they might.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- You've got one called, middle name of Dallas.- Yes.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- Which I believe was named...- After the city.- Where...?
0:36:03 > 0:36:05She was conceived. Yes.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Then you've got twins, both of whom have the middle name Carlyle.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14Yes. In New York there is a lovely hotel called The Carlyle...
0:36:14 > 0:36:15- OK.- And...
0:36:15 > 0:36:17LAUGHTER
0:36:17 > 0:36:22And we sorted that one out, kind of backtracked, and thought,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26- "That's a very beautiful middle name, let's keep the tradition."- OK.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30- The youngest son is called Cross. - Cross. Reed Cross Howard.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34We sort of found out we were pregnant again. Great.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36"All right, well let's sort through it.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38"I wonder if we can figure it out.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42"Volvo is not much of a middle name."
0:36:42 > 0:36:43LAUGHTER
0:36:45 > 0:36:50- And...- Yeah, Volvo doesn't work.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52But there is a road near us called Lower Cross Road.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Which is where the Volvo was.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57LAUGHTER
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- We have a good marriage.- Evidently. - Richard Hammond does the same.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03I was talking to his kids the other day.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05They're called Bus Stop and By The Bins.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08LAUGHTER
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Now, you are the first person to properly drive our brand-new
0:37:12 > 0:37:14reasonably-priced car.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- Yes. - What did you think of it?
0:37:16 > 0:37:18First of all I will say the right-hand drive
0:37:18 > 0:37:21and the gearshift on the left was a concern to me.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23The correct way round.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27It was... It definitely threw me.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32And I also implore, before you get into all this, I implore anyone who
0:37:32 > 0:37:37has any interest in seeing my movie Rush, I didn't drive in the movie.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Real drivers drove in the movie.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Right, there's your excuses out of the way.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Now who'd like to see Ron's lap?
0:37:46 > 0:37:47AUDIENCE: Yes.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- Let's have a look. - Oh, Lord.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52Let's have a look.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56Look at that mighty machine leaping off the line.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58- AFFECTED ACCENT:- You've got to stick it, Ron.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59You've got to really stick it.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Niki was giving me a little coaching the other day.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04That's Niki Lauda's explanation.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06"You've got to stick it. You've got to really stick it."
0:38:06 > 0:38:10- Holy smokes.- Is that sticking it?
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- I don't know! - Not using all the track.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14Smooth.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18- Right.- I don't know.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20That car is gripping quite well there.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25This is the one that always destroys me.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27The fearsome Hammerhead.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29I look like I'm being destroyed, don't I?
0:38:29 > 0:38:33This is looking good. That's very good. Very tidy.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Listen to that engine(!)
0:38:37 > 0:38:42- Wow, what a machine this is(!) - Concentrate here a little bit.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43See, I'm taking it seriously.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46You were. That is a man who is concentrating.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51Tyres tortured as he goes through the follow-through. Nicely done.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Nicely cut. Let's have a look at the second-to-last corner.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59This is the bit normally catch... Oh! Bang on.
0:38:59 > 0:39:05And then on into Gambon and look at that grip. That's bloody good.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07There we are across the line.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Wow.
0:39:14 > 0:39:21- Thank you.- So, Ron, not many times on the board.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- Where do you think you've come? - Lord.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It wasn't quite as ugly as I imagined it would be.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29My director's eye on the outside had it looking pretty bad.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33It looked smooth. Not sure about fast, but it looked smooth.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Where do we think?
0:39:35 > 0:39:39I'd like to think I'm not flat on the bottom.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41That would be Mike Rutherford out of Genesis.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44I suspect I'm right down there.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- That's where I think.- Ron Howard, you did it in 1...
0:39:47 > 0:39:50- Right.- So that's good.- OK.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56- ..40.- Oh, OK, not the very bottom. - So that's good.- OK.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59The next bit's not so good.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04..9.9.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09- OK.- You're not the bottom.
0:40:12 > 0:40:19So what this means is we've finally found something
0:40:19 > 0:40:21you can't do.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25Good at directing, brilliant in Happy Days,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29a charming human being, but utterly crap at driving.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- Fair enough.- Ladies and gentlemen, Ron Howard.- Thank you.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Now you may have seen that a few months ago
0:40:48 > 0:40:52the famous BBC TV Centre closed down.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54When it did, the airwaves were swamped with emotional
0:40:54 > 0:40:57tributes from the giants of television.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Ronnie Corbett, David Attenborough, Michael Parkinson.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04But nothing from Top Gear. Until now.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08This is the building in question.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16For 53 years, it was the engine room for some of the most iconic
0:41:16 > 0:41:18television in the world.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23But now, today, this is all that's left.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30And that is great news
0:41:30 > 0:41:33because what we've realised is that once you take away all
0:41:33 > 0:41:36the people and the tea trolley and you've locked all the doors
0:41:36 > 0:41:41this abandoned building makes an excellent venue for a race.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45You have these curving corridors that could be long, fast
0:41:45 > 0:41:47sweepers on a top F1 track.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51You have these beautiful offices full of interesting obstacles
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and technical turns.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58And you have all this outdoor area where you can literally
0:41:58 > 0:42:00get some air.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06All in all, a unique and exciting racing circuit I think you'll agree.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08And so to the racers.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Now, unfortunately this building isn't very suitable for cars,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16as indeed Jeremy proved a while back with the Peel P50.
0:42:16 > 0:42:22So today we'll be racing these two. Of which there are three.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25We have Dougie Lampkin MBE,
0:42:25 > 0:42:29a trials rider with 16 World Titles to his name.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35And he's up against Tim Shieff and Paul Joseph,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38two of the finest Free Runners on the planet.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41They may not have an engine between them
0:42:41 > 0:42:44but apparently they can run along corridors and scamper over
0:42:44 > 0:42:49balconies and fire escapes like a couple of randy squirrels.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52So with the introductions over, let's look at the route
0:42:52 > 0:42:53of the race itself.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Here we have a birds' eye view of Television Centre.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59It's actually only a model.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02And you will see it's shaped a little bit like a question mark.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05So what I'm proposing is we start here, which is
0:43:05 > 0:43:06roughly where we're standing now,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09enter the building at the base of the question mark
0:43:09 > 0:43:12and then race all the way through it to finish here
0:43:12 > 0:43:15which is up there.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21'As an excited crowd gathered, I positioned
0:43:21 > 0:43:22'myself on the finish line.'
0:43:24 > 0:43:30Are you ready? In three, two, one.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32HORN
0:43:45 > 0:43:49This is interesting. Dougie Lampkin has chosen to go through the door.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53'But the youths are making their way up the outside of the building
0:43:53 > 0:43:55'which actually isn't such a bad idea'
0:43:55 > 0:43:58because once you're inside here, you will be completely baffled.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01'If they stay on the outside they will have some idea
0:44:01 > 0:44:02'of where they're going.'
0:44:02 > 0:44:03Good thinking.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Right, this should allow me to get a direct feed
0:44:13 > 0:44:17from any of the CCTV cameras around the building.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19And there are the jumpy boys.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23They are literally breaking news.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36'As the youths made their way through the newsroom,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39'Dougie was looking for a way upstairs.'
0:44:42 > 0:44:44There is Dougie Lampkin.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50'In the Newsnight office, the youths had found their path blocked
0:44:50 > 0:44:52'and were having to make their way down again.'
0:45:14 > 0:45:18'Having found himself literally in a lock-in in the BBC bar
0:45:18 > 0:45:22'Dougie too needed to find a way back down.'
0:45:30 > 0:45:34So he is, God knows, somewhere over in the main
0:45:34 > 0:45:37leg of the question mark just approaching the curvy bit.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43I've no idea who's in the lead, but it's very exciting.
0:45:47 > 0:45:48'That, chaps, is a locked door.'
0:45:53 > 0:45:55The Health and Safety department will have something to
0:45:55 > 0:45:57say about that.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Into the studio and the Daleks still waiting
0:46:07 > 0:46:09at the bottom of the stairs there.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16'Amazingly even though the youths were now at the management
0:46:16 > 0:46:18'offices on the sixth floor
0:46:18 > 0:46:21'they were having no trouble making decisions.'
0:46:31 > 0:46:34'Meanwhile Dougie, now completely frustrated by the maze
0:46:34 > 0:46:38'of BBC corridors, had decided on a more direct approach.'
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Oh.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54And Dougie Lampkin is going onto the roof I believe.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34I can hear a bike.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52It's Dougie Lampkin, ladies and gentlemen!
0:47:52 > 0:47:54What a fantastic two-wheeled tribute
0:47:54 > 0:47:57to BBC Television Centre W12 8QT.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Congratulations, sir.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Where are the Free Runners?
0:48:01 > 0:48:03And here they come.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06Tim Shieff, Paul Joseph, close,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08not quite close enough,
0:48:08 > 0:48:09but well done anyway.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13- Well done, great race.- Your victor, Dougie Lampkin. How was it?
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- I'm knackered. - That thing's a labyrinth.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19You know there's a lift? In that tall bit there.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21You just go straight up to the top.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30That was incredible. I couldn't do a single thing that those guys did.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33I was going to do the bike. I couldn't put the helmet on.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35The jumps were amazing.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39I just want to say that when I made that film
0:48:39 > 0:48:44Television Centre had closed, but since then, owing to the unique way
0:48:44 > 0:48:47the BBC is run, they've decided to open it again.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49LAUGHTER
0:48:49 > 0:48:53- Right, so you've made a tribute film to a building that isn't shut?- Yes.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58- Isn't that like making an obituary for Holly Willoughby?- Yes.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00But imagine how pleased you'd be
0:49:00 > 0:49:02when you found out she was still alive.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05- That's a point.- Chaps, may I interrupt?
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Because I much enjoyed your smashing-up-the-taxi film
0:49:08 > 0:49:10and your race between the motorcyclist
0:49:10 > 0:49:14and the two pedestrians, but I'm afraid we have to get serious now.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18- Because we've had a letter. - Oh, no(!)- It's from...
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Well, it's from a mealy-mouthed, small-minded idiot.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26And it says, "Dear Jeremy Clarkson, because Britain is so crowded
0:49:26 > 0:49:29"and there's so much traffic, there's no point owning a Ferrari
0:49:29 > 0:49:33"and therefore no point road testing them on your programme."
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Well, now I disagree, Mr Small-minded Idiot.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Because there are plenty of places in Britain
0:49:41 > 0:49:42that aren't crowded at all.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53This is Hertfordshire.
0:49:53 > 0:49:58It's just 40 miles from London and it's motoring nirvana.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Mmm! We have everything we need.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Huge scenery, swooping road, no traffic.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13The Holy Trinity for anyone whose communion wine comes with
0:50:13 > 0:50:14an octane rating.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Can't enjoy a Ferrari in Britain? Oh, yes, you can.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24But can you enjoy THIS one?
0:50:30 > 0:50:32It's called the F12.
0:50:32 > 0:50:38It costs £240,000 and thanks to a 730 horsepower V12 it's
0:50:38 > 0:50:42the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever made.
0:50:44 > 0:50:49It's almost as powerful, in fact, as Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 racer.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01Of course, at this point, people with mouths of meal would say,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04"What's the point of all that when we've got speed limits?"
0:51:06 > 0:51:09You don't have to use all of it all the time.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13In a town, you can sit back, turn on the radio,
0:51:13 > 0:51:17put the suspension in bumpy road mode to make everything nice
0:51:17 > 0:51:19and comfy, set the gearbox in automatic,
0:51:19 > 0:51:21the air conditioning just so,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24and then you can drive along quite happily at 20 miles an hour.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Easy. 'It's not even especially big.'
0:51:31 > 0:51:34I'm not saying this is tiny,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37but it's not preposterous. You don't go through every gap like that.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43So this car works in Letchworth just like any other car.
0:51:43 > 0:51:50But when the built-up area ends, it's not like any other car at all.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Wow. Wow, this is fast.
0:52:13 > 0:52:18Ferrari say it will go from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22And that flat-out, it will be doing 211 miles an hour.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28And it's not just the massive engine which makes it all so savage.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Unlike the old 599, this has a double clutch gearbox,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37so gear changes are immediate.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40You build up the speed until the noise gets too much
0:52:40 > 0:52:43and your ears are bleeding and then you change up
0:52:43 > 0:52:47and there's no gap. How do you do that?
0:52:50 > 0:52:54They've also fitted a more sophisticated traction
0:52:54 > 0:52:59control system which lets you have fun without allowing you to crash.
0:53:04 > 0:53:09But the most impressive thing is how this car manages the air.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16These flaps down here, when the brakes are hot, they open,
0:53:16 > 0:53:20to allow cooling air to pass on to the discs.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24But the rest of the time, they're shut for better aerodynamics.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27And then you have these channels on either side of the bonnet.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29The air is funnelled along them
0:53:29 > 0:53:33into here and out of here so it provides a boundary
0:53:33 > 0:53:36layer of smooth air passing down the flanks of the car
0:53:36 > 0:53:38making it more slippery.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40There's real downforce as well.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43At 125 miles an hour, the weight of the air
0:53:43 > 0:53:47pressing down on the car is 19 stone.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51That's like having half of John Prescott on the roof forcing
0:53:51 > 0:53:54the tyres into the Tarmac, giving better grip.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00They have done everything in the book to exploit
0:54:00 > 0:54:03the colossal firepower.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06And the results are mesmerising.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15In the past, big Ferraris felt big.
0:54:15 > 0:54:21The Testarossa, the 612, they were immense. They were fat-boy cars.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25This isn't. This is light and nimble and sharp.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It's... It is spectacular.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40I must confess though that while the car is fine,
0:54:40 > 0:54:45I am struggling, because it is a bit frantic in here.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52I just went airborne then.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00You read about those early test pilots in Mach Two
0:55:00 > 0:55:05jet fighters going to the very limits of what was possible.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09That's what it feels like in this - like you're sort of out of control.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21And it has incredibly fast steering, so the slightest movement
0:55:21 > 0:55:24of the wheel causes an immediate dart one way or the other.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28And then there's the throttle.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30You put your foot down and you think, "Whoa, yes,"
0:55:30 > 0:55:34and then immediately you think, "No, actually. Too scary."
0:55:41 > 0:55:44And when life is as hectic as this, what you really
0:55:44 > 0:55:48want are for all the controls to be conventional.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49And they're not.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52All the knobs and buttons for the lights and the wipers
0:55:52 > 0:55:55and the indicators are all on the steering wheel
0:55:55 > 0:55:58which moves about, so they're never where you left them.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02You can't even sneeze when you're driving this car
0:56:02 > 0:56:05because if you did... Well, they'd have to hose you off the road.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11To try and explain what I'm on about,
0:56:11 > 0:56:13I've come to this tennis court.
0:56:19 > 0:56:25This is what it's like to drive an ordinary car
0:56:25 > 0:56:27on the roads of Hertfordshire.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31There you go, Golf GTI...
0:56:33 > 0:56:37BMW M3, Ferrari 458. This is easy
0:56:37 > 0:56:40and manageable
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and I could do it all day.
0:56:43 > 0:56:50Now let me show you what it's like to drive
0:56:50 > 0:56:52a Ferrari F12.
0:56:55 > 0:57:02Ugh! Ugh! Oh, in the face!
0:57:20 > 0:57:24The Stig says, this is the only car in the world that can hold
0:57:24 > 0:57:27a candle to the Lexus LFA.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30He also says it's the first Ferrari he's ever driven that he
0:57:30 > 0:57:32would actually buy -
0:57:32 > 0:57:35if he had any concept of money, which of course he doesn't.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41Me, though... It is brilliant,
0:57:41 > 0:57:46but I think it would be better still if it had slower steering...
0:57:46 > 0:57:50and it's hard for me to say this, but a bit less power.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57Yes, you can really enjoy it in Britain,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00but you can't really enjoy all of it.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:58:19 > 0:58:21It is frantic. I'd still have an LFA.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23The LFA is 100 grand more
0:58:23 > 0:58:26although the options on this,
0:58:26 > 0:58:28they do take it up to 350 as well.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31- Hang on, hang on, hang on.- What?
0:58:31 > 0:58:33Did I just hear you, Jeremy Clarkson,
0:58:33 > 0:58:37- say that you'd like "a bit less power"?- Yes, you did.
0:58:37 > 0:58:40Isn't that a bit like Gordon Ramsay saying, "Yes, I like this dish,
0:58:40 > 0:58:43"but I wish it had a bit less flavour."
0:58:43 > 0:58:46Or James May saying, "Yes, I like this, but can it be
0:58:46 > 0:58:47"a bit less brown?"
0:58:47 > 0:58:53No, it is like that, but it is a bombshell, which means we can end.
0:58:53 > 0:58:56Thank you very much for watching. See you all next week. Take care.
0:58:56 > 0:58:57Good night.
0:59:13 > 0:59:16Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd