Episode 4

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0:00:11 > 0:00:15Tonight, a BMW i8 at full chat in the Yorkshire Moors...

0:00:15 > 0:00:18the cream of Hollywood on our track...

0:00:18 > 0:00:21and a pointless thing about old Land Rovers.

0:00:24 > 0:00:26CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:00:28 > 0:00:32Thank you, everybody, thank you! Thank you so much.

0:00:33 > 0:00:35Thank you, and welcome.

0:00:35 > 0:00:39Welcome to what is, for the first time in many years,

0:00:39 > 0:00:41an actual car show.

0:00:41 > 0:00:45We've packed it with many facts and a lot of informations.

0:00:45 > 0:00:50And we're starting the ball rolling with this, the Mercedes SLS.

0:00:50 > 0:00:52This was one of my favourite cars

0:00:52 > 0:00:55and I was very sad when they stopped making it.

0:00:55 > 0:00:58But, happily, there is now a replacement,

0:00:58 > 0:01:01which I haven't been driving on the track...

0:01:01 > 0:01:03because James has.

0:01:09 > 0:01:12This is what they've come up with.

0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's called the AMG GT.

0:01:17 > 0:01:22And it costs between £97,000 and £120,000.

0:01:28 > 0:01:30Now, I have to be entirely honest with you -

0:01:30 > 0:01:32when I woke up this morning

0:01:32 > 0:01:34and got out of bed to come and drive this car,

0:01:34 > 0:01:36it was with a certain amount of disquiet.

0:01:39 > 0:01:42I've always thought that AMG Mercedes are a bit -

0:01:42 > 0:01:45as my mother would say - unnecessary.

0:01:47 > 0:01:51I don't like the Stormtrooper body kit look.

0:01:53 > 0:01:56I don't really like those pseudo-special forces names

0:01:56 > 0:01:58like "SLS" and "Black".

0:02:00 > 0:02:01Jeremy likes them a lot.

0:02:06 > 0:02:11With this car, however, you sense that something is different,

0:02:11 > 0:02:14that everything's a bit more grown-up.

0:02:16 > 0:02:20See, their last coupe, the SLS, had a massive,

0:02:20 > 0:02:24and again, not entirely necessary, 6.2-litre V8.

0:02:24 > 0:02:28This car also has a V8, but it's a brand-new one

0:02:28 > 0:02:31and it's a much more modest four litres.

0:02:31 > 0:02:32Because of that,

0:02:32 > 0:02:37you might expect it to take a little longer to get from A to B.

0:02:37 > 0:02:38However...

0:02:39 > 0:02:42ENGINE ROARS

0:02:47 > 0:02:54The 0-60 time in that 6.2-litre SLS was 3.8 seconds.

0:02:54 > 0:02:57On this, the four-litre car, it is...

0:02:57 > 0:02:59exactly the same.

0:02:59 > 0:03:01The top speeds are almost exactly the same as well,

0:03:01 > 0:03:04both up in the high 190s.

0:03:08 > 0:03:10Strewth!

0:03:10 > 0:03:15And AMG has achieved this by using brains to make the brawn.

0:03:18 > 0:03:20This car has two turbochargers.

0:03:20 > 0:03:23Normally, turbochargers would be bolted onto the outside of

0:03:23 > 0:03:27the engines, but on this car, they live inside the V of the engine.

0:03:27 > 0:03:31What this means is the engine is more compact,

0:03:31 > 0:03:33the turbos are more efficient.

0:03:36 > 0:03:40So this car costs £50,000 less than the old SLS,

0:03:40 > 0:03:44it uses a lot less fuel and it still goes just as quickly.

0:03:46 > 0:03:50That is what they call on The Apprentice a "win-win".

0:03:56 > 0:03:58And then there's the styling,

0:03:58 > 0:04:01which also has a new level of sophistication,

0:04:01 > 0:04:05with an interior that's more James Bond than Fast And Furious.

0:04:09 > 0:04:11On the outside, it's much the same story.

0:04:11 > 0:04:14These doors are perfectly conventional

0:04:14 > 0:04:16in-and-out sort of doors.

0:04:16 > 0:04:19They are NOT like those idiotic gull-wing things you get on the SLS,

0:04:19 > 0:04:22which makes it look as if it's sniffing its own armpits.

0:04:22 > 0:04:24This rear spoiler is actually an option,

0:04:24 > 0:04:29but even that, by AMG's standards, is quite discreet.

0:04:29 > 0:04:34In fact, the whole thing is quite pretty. Quite classic, even.

0:04:37 > 0:04:41And now we must move on to cornering, an activity where

0:04:41 > 0:04:45AMG normally scores maximum points for mentalness.

0:04:47 > 0:04:52This is, when all's said and done, a 503 horsepower rear-wheel drive

0:04:52 > 0:04:57muscle car, and that sounds like a recipe for extreme trickiness.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02In fact, you can corner quickly in this thing,

0:05:02 > 0:05:04and without soiling your trousers.

0:05:04 > 0:05:06TYRES SCREECH

0:05:06 > 0:05:10Which, once again, is thanks to intelligent engineering.

0:05:10 > 0:05:13In a normal car, the engine and the gearbox,

0:05:13 > 0:05:16they're just dead weight hanging in there and they move around a bit

0:05:16 > 0:05:19and sort of spoil the balance as you go round corners.

0:05:19 > 0:05:23In this car, the mountings for all that stuff are active.

0:05:23 > 0:05:25So, as you go through a bend,

0:05:25 > 0:05:28they stiffen up to keep all that weight in check.

0:05:29 > 0:05:33It's a bit like the way a cat can walk along the top of a fence

0:05:33 > 0:05:36using its tail to keep itself in balance.

0:05:37 > 0:05:40However, if, like Jeremy,

0:05:40 > 0:05:44you want to devour your back tyres in one sitting, you still can.

0:05:46 > 0:05:47TYRES SCREECH

0:05:47 > 0:05:49Yes, thank you!

0:05:57 > 0:05:59And then, there's the noise.

0:05:59 > 0:06:01Are you ready? Here we go.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04ENGINE GROWLS

0:06:06 > 0:06:08HE BARKS

0:06:11 > 0:06:13HE BARKS

0:06:13 > 0:06:16I hate it when my prejudices are demolished,

0:06:16 > 0:06:18but this car is giving me the fizz.

0:06:22 > 0:06:25What I like most of all is that the GT is cleverly designed

0:06:25 > 0:06:28to be Jekyll AND Hyde.

0:06:28 > 0:06:30I'm just going to quieten it down.

0:06:30 > 0:06:34Turn off the manual change, the noisy exhaust.

0:06:34 > 0:06:38We'll put it back into comfort mode, comfort suspension... There you go.

0:06:38 > 0:06:43When you turn all that off, it turns into this incredibly civilised,

0:06:43 > 0:06:46long-legged cruiser.

0:06:48 > 0:06:49I like what they've done.

0:06:49 > 0:06:52They've got rid of the Andy McNab names and all that nonsense

0:06:52 > 0:06:56and given us an AMG for grown-ups.

0:06:57 > 0:06:59I'm glad I got out of bed this morning.

0:06:59 > 0:07:02ENGINE ROARS

0:07:05 > 0:07:07CHEERING

0:07:07 > 0:07:10It's what I've been saying for a long time.

0:07:11 > 0:07:13So there you go, May.

0:07:14 > 0:07:19Ha-ha-ha! I've been saying for ages, AMG Mercs are brilliant.

0:07:19 > 0:07:22Yes, there are couple of massive problems with this one, though.

0:07:22 > 0:07:26- What?- Well, firstly, it reminds me of you.

0:07:26 > 0:07:27LAUGHTER

0:07:27 > 0:07:28The second one is that, to be honest,

0:07:28 > 0:07:30for not much more than half the price of this,

0:07:30 > 0:07:34you could have a Nissan GT-R, which, as we have established,

0:07:34 > 0:07:38is the finest car in the world.

0:07:38 > 0:07:40It's certainly up there, I will grant you that.

0:07:40 > 0:07:43But I'll tell you what we'll do, we'll sort it out on the track, OK?

0:07:43 > 0:07:45We'll see how fast this one can get round.

0:07:45 > 0:07:50That of course means handing it over to our tame racing driver.

0:07:50 > 0:07:57Some say that, last week, he won a BAFTA for Best Original Smell.

0:07:57 > 0:07:59LAUGHTER

0:07:59 > 0:08:02And that when he dies, he thinks he'll go to Devon.

0:08:02 > 0:08:04LAUGHTER

0:08:04 > 0:08:06All we know is, he's called The Stig!

0:08:06 > 0:08:08CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:08:08 > 0:08:11And he's...not in the car.

0:08:11 > 0:08:15Oh, yes, Stig not happy about Ricciardo's lap... He's punched him!

0:08:15 > 0:08:17He's punched him! That's bad.

0:08:17 > 0:08:20He's really not happy about that fast lap.

0:08:20 > 0:08:24He's in the car now, and he's off. A wheel-spinning start.

0:08:24 > 0:08:26Obviously in a furious temper.

0:08:26 > 0:08:28503 horsepower thundering through

0:08:28 > 0:08:31the light-but-strong carbon fibre prop shaft.

0:08:31 > 0:08:35Oh, he's vandalised the first corner. He is really very annoyed.

0:08:35 > 0:08:37But he is driving beautifully.

0:08:37 > 0:08:42# You know I can't smile without you... #

0:08:42 > 0:08:46Another slice of the calming Carpenters there.

0:08:46 > 0:08:50Through Chicago, looking very fast and very controlled. Now Hammerhead.

0:08:50 > 0:08:53James says this car can suffer from snap understeer,

0:08:53 > 0:08:55so let's see what happens.

0:08:55 > 0:08:57No, not a thing. It's worth remembering, of course,

0:08:57 > 0:09:00that James suffers from being a moron.

0:09:00 > 0:09:02LAUGHTER

0:09:02 > 0:09:05# ..I feel sad when... #

0:09:05 > 0:09:08OK, into the Follow Through,

0:09:08 > 0:09:09banging up the double clutch gearbox,

0:09:09 > 0:09:13letting the perfect balance of the transaxle layout do its stuff.

0:09:13 > 0:09:15Just a stab of brakes past the tyres.

0:09:15 > 0:09:18Stig pretending the pedal is an Australian's face.

0:09:18 > 0:09:22Two corners to go... Oh, he's hot through there but very tidy.

0:09:22 > 0:09:23Only Gambon left.

0:09:23 > 0:09:26Laser-guided through there, and across the line!

0:09:26 > 0:09:28CHEERING

0:09:30 > 0:09:31I have the time here.

0:09:33 > 0:09:34Ready?!

0:09:34 > 0:09:38It did a 1.17.5.

0:09:38 > 0:09:40And that is... Well, look.

0:09:40 > 0:09:44That's quicker than the old SLS Black and, ahem,

0:09:44 > 0:09:46quicker than the Nissan GT-R.

0:09:46 > 0:09:49Which shows, James, that you don't know what you're talking about.

0:09:49 > 0:09:52Hmm, interesting. Didn't actually feel like it would be that fast

0:09:52 > 0:09:54when I was driving it, to be honest.

0:09:54 > 0:09:56No, that's because... yeah, YOU were driving it.

0:09:56 > 0:09:57LAUGHTER

0:09:57 > 0:10:02Right, and now we must do the news. And we start with big news.

0:10:02 > 0:10:05This is the biggest news we've had in a long time, I would say.

0:10:05 > 0:10:10Because Ford, for the very first time, is making the Mustang

0:10:10 > 0:10:13in right-hand drive and will be bringing it to the UK officially.

0:10:13 > 0:10:16You can buy them over here. There it is.

0:10:16 > 0:10:20Two versions - you can have a four-cylinder EcoBoost for £28,000,

0:10:20 > 0:10:22or for £33,000, a five-litre V8.

0:10:22 > 0:10:25Mm, the one I want, though, is the Shelby, the 350...

0:10:25 > 0:10:29- GT, yeah, yeah, yeah.- ..or something like that. It's 520 horsepower V8.

0:10:29 > 0:10:32- That's the one. There it is, look. - It looks brilliant.

0:10:32 > 0:10:34But you can't, they're not bringing that one here.

0:10:34 > 0:10:37- They're not selling that one to us. - Why?- It's going to Canada in a year.

0:10:37 > 0:10:39Yeah, I know, but so is the internet, but that...

0:10:39 > 0:10:41But that's not coming here, no, we can't...

0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Why won't they sell it to us? - I don't know.

0:10:43 > 0:10:47But you must be very looking forward to a right-hand drive Mustang, Richard Hammond.

0:10:47 > 0:10:49Yeah, you'd think... No, not really.

0:10:49 > 0:10:52Because I don't want a right-hand drive Mustang.

0:10:52 > 0:10:56Once it becomes right-hand drive, it's like it's trying too hard

0:10:56 > 0:10:59to be British and sophisticated and something it's not.

0:10:59 > 0:11:02I know what you mean. It's like when Americans come over here

0:11:02 > 0:11:04and start using words like "bloody".

0:11:04 > 0:11:06- Yes!- Isn't it? - It's exactly that.- It is.

0:11:06 > 0:11:09And they say, "I'm going to the bloody pub!"

0:11:09 > 0:11:12- It doesn't sound right. It's the same.- Exactly, it is.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15Or they say "mate". They try and say "mate", but it just doesn't work.

0:11:15 > 0:11:17Yes, cos they think we're Crocodile Dundee,

0:11:17 > 0:11:19- cos it's all the same, cos they haven't got atlases.- Yeah.

0:11:19 > 0:11:22So that, realistically, should be called, now it's coming here,

0:11:22 > 0:11:24the "Ford Bloody Quid Mate".

0:11:24 > 0:11:25LAUGHTER

0:11:25 > 0:11:27That's its name! Ooh, now...

0:11:27 > 0:11:31I want to talk about some experts who said last week

0:11:31 > 0:11:33they wanted to rip up all of Britain's railway lines and replace

0:11:33 > 0:11:37them with motorways that would then only be used by coaches.

0:11:37 > 0:11:40- And I think that would be a shame. - Why would that be a shame?

0:11:40 > 0:11:42Because I like having coaches on motorways.

0:11:42 > 0:11:46- Why?- Because you can drive alongside them and use their Wi-Fi.

0:11:46 > 0:11:48Can you?! LAUGHTER

0:11:48 > 0:11:51You can, honestly! Have you not done that? It's fabulous.

0:11:51 > 0:11:54My kids always say, "Daddy, Daddy, slow down to 70."

0:11:54 > 0:11:56- I mean, sorry, "Speed up to 70." - Yeah.

0:11:56 > 0:11:57"Catch the coach, quickly,

0:11:57 > 0:12:00"so we can snapchat this picture of a poo I've done."

0:12:00 > 0:12:02They do!

0:12:02 > 0:12:06- So it's like a free roaming Wi-Fi? - Exactly! Do it on the way home.

0:12:06 > 0:12:07It's incredibly cheap.

0:12:07 > 0:12:10Now, a few years ago, we improved police cars,

0:12:10 > 0:12:13- and last week, we improved ambulances.- Yes, we did.

0:12:13 > 0:12:16We are now the emergency service for the emergency services.

0:12:16 > 0:12:18Yeah, we are. That's what we are.

0:12:18 > 0:12:20Quite a lot of people have written to us and said, "Right,

0:12:20 > 0:12:23"when are you going to improve fire engines?"

0:12:23 > 0:12:25Mm! No, but there's a... No, actually...

0:12:25 > 0:12:28We've looked into this and there's a problem,

0:12:28 > 0:12:30because if you have to build a vehicle big enough

0:12:30 > 0:12:33for all the water you need and pumps and ladders and buckets

0:12:33 > 0:12:38and six burly men, and women, in Wellingtons,

0:12:38 > 0:12:40what you end up with is a fire engine.

0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Yeah.- But, specifically, a British fire engine. That's important.

0:12:43 > 0:12:45Yeah, not one of those stupid American ones

0:12:45 > 0:12:48- where all the firemen stand on the outside.- They do!

0:12:48 > 0:12:51So you get there and there's nobody on board to put the fire out!

0:12:51 > 0:12:54Do you know what I like about the British fire engine?

0:12:54 > 0:12:55It says "Dennis" on the front.

0:12:57 > 0:12:59Dennis is a reassuring name.

0:12:59 > 0:13:03A Dennis would remember to return your lawn mower.

0:13:03 > 0:13:06It is interesting, actually, because American fire engines have really stupid names.

0:13:06 > 0:13:09I've got a picture of an American fire engine here.

0:13:09 > 0:13:11- Guess what that's called? - Fire Engine.

0:13:11 > 0:13:13No, it's called The Igniter.

0:13:13 > 0:13:16- LAUGHTER - It is!

0:13:16 > 0:13:20- How does...? "I've already got a fire!"- Exactly!

0:13:20 > 0:13:22It should be called The Extinguisher.

0:13:22 > 0:13:24- They've probably got an ambulance called The Haemorrhage.- Yes.

0:13:24 > 0:13:27- LAUGHTER - Right, earlier on,

0:13:27 > 0:13:30James had a go at a proper road test in our one-off car show

0:13:30 > 0:13:34- and now it's my turn. - Try not to muck it up.

0:13:34 > 0:13:37No, no, no, relax, this is going to be a blizzard of facts

0:13:37 > 0:13:41because I'm going to talk about the new BMW M3.

0:13:41 > 0:13:45It has a smaller engine than the old model,

0:13:45 > 0:13:47three litres rather than four.

0:13:47 > 0:13:51It has two fewer cylinders, but it is turbo-charged,

0:13:51 > 0:13:56so you get a little bit more horsepower and 111 more torques.

0:13:56 > 0:14:00That means it's four seconds a lap faster

0:14:00 > 0:14:02round our track than the old car.

0:14:02 > 0:14:05And four seconds is a huge gulf because, remember,

0:14:05 > 0:14:09that was already five seconds a lap faster

0:14:09 > 0:14:10round the Ascari track in Spain

0:14:10 > 0:14:12than the equivalent Mercedes and Audi,

0:14:12 > 0:14:16so this is properly quick AND it's more economical,

0:14:16 > 0:14:19but, and this is the big one,

0:14:19 > 0:14:20is it nicer to drive?

0:14:27 > 0:14:30Well, here it is, slithering about on our track.

0:14:30 > 0:14:32TYRES SCREECH

0:14:32 > 0:14:36Look at that. I mean, that's just... the M3 signature dish.

0:14:38 > 0:14:42But, straight away, I must tell you there is a bit of a niggle.

0:14:42 > 0:14:45- TYRES SCREECH - If you stick the tail out

0:14:45 > 0:14:49in a corner, which you can, easily, because it's an M3,

0:14:49 > 0:14:53you'll find it very hard to hold the drift

0:14:53 > 0:14:58because the power steering is now electric rather than hydraulic.

0:15:00 > 0:15:02Going round a corner like this

0:15:02 > 0:15:06is like wrestling with the tail of an excitable crocodile.

0:15:06 > 0:15:08It's not just hard to hold the slide,

0:15:08 > 0:15:12it's also hard to straighten up again afterwards.

0:15:12 > 0:15:14See what I mean?

0:15:16 > 0:15:18Now, I admit, in the real world,

0:15:18 > 0:15:22this isn't going to be much of a problem...

0:15:22 > 0:15:23ever, if I'm honest.

0:15:23 > 0:15:26And anyway, you can solve it by taking the steering

0:15:26 > 0:15:31out of Sport Plus mode and putting it in Comfort mode.

0:15:31 > 0:15:33Then everything is fine.

0:15:41 > 0:15:42Oh, yeah!

0:15:42 > 0:15:45In fact, everything is more than fine,

0:15:45 > 0:15:48everything is absolutely sublime!

0:15:54 > 0:15:57I'm not going to beat about the bush, this car is...

0:15:57 > 0:15:59utterly brilliant.

0:15:59 > 0:16:02It's well made, it's got seating for four,

0:16:02 > 0:16:06it's got a decent-sized boot, it's comfortable, it's quiet,

0:16:06 > 0:16:09it's got lots of standard equipment.

0:16:10 > 0:16:15In many ways, this car is like the perfect dog -

0:16:15 > 0:16:17it's loyal, it's cute, it doesn't chase sheep,

0:16:17 > 0:16:19it doesn't go wrong all the time

0:16:19 > 0:16:23and yet, if a burglar comes, it has the power

0:16:23 > 0:16:25to rip his throat out.

0:16:27 > 0:16:30"Look at me! I'm an attack dog now!

0:16:30 > 0:16:32"I'm fierce and bitey!"

0:16:36 > 0:16:39And that really is that.

0:16:39 > 0:16:41It is a fabulous, wonderful car

0:16:41 > 0:16:44and if you have £56,000 lying around,

0:16:44 > 0:16:46you should buy one immediately.

0:16:48 > 0:16:49Or should you?

0:16:50 > 0:16:53Because today, we live in strange times.

0:16:53 > 0:16:55Environmental times.

0:16:55 > 0:17:00And BMW has another new car which reflects that.

0:17:00 > 0:17:04It's one of the most talked-about cars in years and this is it.

0:17:08 > 0:17:12It's called the i8 and it's a hybrid,

0:17:12 > 0:17:15which means it's powered by an electric motor

0:17:15 > 0:17:22and a tiny three cylinder, 1.5 litre, turbo-charged petrol engine.

0:17:22 > 0:17:24That doesn't sound like much of a recipe.

0:17:24 > 0:17:28It sounds like a sort of glorified Toyota Prius,

0:17:28 > 0:17:31but let me give you the headline figures.

0:17:31 > 0:17:35This car does 155mph

0:17:35 > 0:17:40and 134 miles to the gallon.

0:17:40 > 0:17:43And because it's so economical,

0:17:43 > 0:17:46you get a £5,000 grant from the Government if you buy one,

0:17:46 > 0:17:49it's exempt from the London Congestion Charge

0:17:49 > 0:17:52and the road-tax bill, as you can see here, is...

0:17:52 > 0:17:53nil.

0:17:56 > 0:17:58It really does sound, then,

0:17:58 > 0:18:02like this car answers everyone's prayers, but does it?

0:18:02 > 0:18:06Are pure-bred petrolheads like me really going to say,

0:18:06 > 0:18:11"Mm, yes, what I really want next is a three-cylinder hybrid?"

0:18:13 > 0:18:16Well, that is what I'm going to try and find out.

0:18:16 > 0:18:19I'm going to set the satellite navigation for Whitby

0:18:19 > 0:18:22in North Yorkshire and, obviously, in a car as futuristic as this,

0:18:22 > 0:18:24you don't push buttons to do that,

0:18:24 > 0:18:27you trace the letters you want on this pad here,

0:18:27 > 0:18:29so, wuh...

0:18:31 > 0:18:32..huh...

0:18:33 > 0:18:35..ih...

0:18:35 > 0:18:37tuh...

0:18:37 > 0:18:40Ah-ha! OK.

0:18:40 > 0:18:44'Whitby, North Yorkshire, guidance started.'

0:18:44 > 0:18:46Now, the reason I've chosen Whitby is,

0:18:46 > 0:18:49A, you get the best fish and chips in the world there

0:18:49 > 0:18:53and, B, the M3 we saw earlier is waiting for me there,

0:18:53 > 0:18:58which means, when I arrive, I will face a simple choice.

0:18:58 > 0:19:01Will I want to drive home in that... or this?

0:19:05 > 0:19:08With the sat nav looking for the most economical route to Whitby,

0:19:08 > 0:19:11I put my sensible head on and settle down

0:19:11 > 0:19:14for a 200 mile fact-finding mission.

0:19:17 > 0:19:21You have a choice of three driving modes.

0:19:21 > 0:19:23Number one, electric drive.

0:19:23 > 0:19:25That's the electric motor only.

0:19:25 > 0:19:30It gives you a range of 20 miles, 19 more than you get from a Prius

0:19:30 > 0:19:34and probably enough for you to do your morning commute.

0:19:35 > 0:19:37Then, if you move the gear lever over here,

0:19:37 > 0:19:40you engage sport mode and that means the electric motor

0:19:40 > 0:19:45and the petrol engine are working together to give 352 horsepower

0:19:45 > 0:19:49and it makes the car sort of firm and bitey and Nurburgringy.

0:19:52 > 0:19:57But, since we are on the A1, I shall go for...comfort mode.

0:19:59 > 0:20:00Lovely.

0:20:01 > 0:20:04'And it really was lovely.'

0:20:04 > 0:20:07I know there is an electric motor in the front,

0:20:07 > 0:20:12driving the front wheels through a two-speed automatic gearbox.

0:20:12 > 0:20:14I know there's a petrol engine at the back,

0:20:14 > 0:20:18driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox.

0:20:18 > 0:20:22I also know there is another small electric motor at the back,

0:20:22 > 0:20:26filling in the gaps and doing all sorts of clever things.

0:20:27 > 0:20:29And yet, sitting here,

0:20:29 > 0:20:35this car feels no weirder to drive than that...

0:20:35 > 0:20:39whatever it is, that hatchback thing there.

0:20:39 > 0:20:42I've got a steering wheel, gear lever, accelerator, brake

0:20:42 > 0:20:46and Ken Bruce on the radio.

0:20:46 > 0:20:48How normal is that?!

0:20:48 > 0:20:51# BBC Radio 2! #

0:20:51 > 0:20:53But there is a problem.

0:20:53 > 0:20:58If you're driving in comfort mode, you're not really charging up

0:20:58 > 0:21:02the batteries and, eventually, they are going to go flat.

0:21:03 > 0:21:06One solution is to turn off the motorway

0:21:06 > 0:21:08and charge them up at the mains,

0:21:08 > 0:21:12but, as you're about to see, this is not to be recommended.

0:21:21 > 0:21:24"Connect your vehicle and validate."

0:21:24 > 0:21:27Look, I can operate a Hoover!

0:21:27 > 0:21:30Oh, this is stupid!

0:21:30 > 0:21:35Well, it must... It must be charging. It's plugged in, so...

0:21:37 > 0:21:39I shall go and get a cup of coffee.

0:21:43 > 0:21:46While we wait for the batteries to charge, let me show you

0:21:46 > 0:21:49this incredible app that you can get with your i8, OK?

0:21:49 > 0:21:53If I push that, I can set the air conditioning

0:21:53 > 0:21:56so the car is cool when I get back into it.

0:21:57 > 0:21:59How amazing is that?!

0:21:59 > 0:22:01I can also flash the headlights,

0:22:01 > 0:22:04so I could find it if I've lost it in a car park. I can lock it.

0:22:04 > 0:22:06I can unlock it.

0:22:06 > 0:22:10I don't know why you'd want to do that remotely, but you can.

0:22:10 > 0:22:13I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a feature on here

0:22:13 > 0:22:17that enables the i8 to find another i8 for a good time.

0:22:18 > 0:22:21'After an hour, I went back to the car

0:22:21 > 0:22:25'and found that the charging point hadn't worked.'

0:22:25 > 0:22:30If you had a pure electric car, you would be completely stuffed,

0:22:30 > 0:22:33but this is not a pure electric car.

0:22:34 > 0:22:35So I'm not.

0:22:39 > 0:22:42I can either drive along without the batteries

0:22:42 > 0:22:46or I can put the gear lever over here to engage sport mode

0:22:46 > 0:22:51and then they are being charged up as I drive along.

0:22:53 > 0:22:57What's more, in sport mode, the i8 is properly fast.

0:22:59 > 0:23:02I scoffed when BMW said they were going to make a hybrid

0:23:02 > 0:23:05that was as fast as a 911 or a Chevrolet Corvette, but...

0:23:07 > 0:23:08..it really is!

0:23:10 > 0:23:13'It's so fast that soon I was in the North.'

0:23:15 > 0:23:19This is Doncaster. This is where I grew up.

0:23:19 > 0:23:23It was a mining town back then, but now look.

0:23:23 > 0:23:24It's a wind farm.

0:23:26 > 0:23:30Bit less romantic, the windmills, and they employ fewer people, but...

0:23:31 > 0:23:33..time moves on, I guess.

0:23:35 > 0:23:38'So far, then, the i8 had done well.

0:23:38 > 0:23:42'But to find out if it could truly win the heart of the petrolhead,

0:23:42 > 0:23:45'I turned off the A1 and plunged into

0:23:45 > 0:23:48'the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.'

0:23:48 > 0:23:51DRAMATIC, SWEEPING MUSIC

0:24:04 > 0:24:06So let's find out.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13Oh, God above, this is good!

0:24:18 > 0:24:20This is a revelation!

0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's the lightness that staggers you most of all.

0:24:32 > 0:24:36It's almost as though I'm steering using nothing but thought.

0:24:38 > 0:24:42And because the heavy battery pack is located in the middle of the car,

0:24:42 > 0:24:48here, low down, it has the same centre of gravity as...

0:24:48 > 0:24:49as a worm!

0:24:51 > 0:24:55Couple that to the four-wheel-drive system and, honestly,

0:24:55 > 0:25:00you can go round any corner at any speed that takes your fancy.

0:25:02 > 0:25:06The harder I go, the faster I drive,

0:25:06 > 0:25:08the sharper I brake,

0:25:08 > 0:25:11the more electricity I'm making for the batteries.

0:25:12 > 0:25:14If you get busted for speeding in this car,

0:25:14 > 0:25:17you get a thank-you letter from Greenpeace.

0:25:17 > 0:25:18And rightly so!

0:25:20 > 0:25:23'But before we get carried away with this environmental stuff,

0:25:23 > 0:25:27'there's one important point we all need to remember.'

0:25:29 > 0:25:34I've always had a fundamental problem with hybrids.

0:25:34 > 0:25:35And it's this.

0:25:36 > 0:25:39We all know the world has limited resources

0:25:39 > 0:25:43and we must do all we can to eke them out.

0:25:43 > 0:25:44And you're not going to do that

0:25:44 > 0:25:48if you drive around in a car that has, effectively, two engines.

0:25:48 > 0:25:52You don't solve the problem of conspicuous consumption

0:25:52 > 0:25:55by using conspicuous consumption.

0:25:56 > 0:25:57The thing is, though,

0:25:57 > 0:26:01while you have to rape the world to make a car like that,

0:26:01 > 0:26:03the benefits of owning one for you and I,

0:26:03 > 0:26:07in the here and now, are immense, because that car...

0:26:08 > 0:26:10That car is staggering.

0:26:11 > 0:26:14It's breathtaking.

0:26:14 > 0:26:15MUSIC: Nimrod by Elgar

0:26:17 > 0:26:19It's nearly as breathtaking as that view.

0:26:26 > 0:26:31'With the advert for Yorkshire over, I got back on the road.'

0:26:31 > 0:26:32It is incredible to think

0:26:32 > 0:26:38that I'm now cruising into Whitby in silent electric mode,

0:26:38 > 0:26:43using electricity that I made by driving quickly on the moors.

0:26:43 > 0:26:47The message really is very clear from this car.

0:26:47 > 0:26:50If you want to save the planet, drive fast.

0:27:01 > 0:27:05'After a short eco drive through the pretty fishing port of Whitby...

0:27:07 > 0:27:12'..I arrived in the harbour, where I faced a very difficult choice.'

0:27:14 > 0:27:15Cod or haddock...?

0:27:18 > 0:27:19I think cod.

0:27:22 > 0:27:26'Then I faced an even more difficult choice.

0:27:26 > 0:27:29'Which of these cars would I drive back to London?'

0:27:31 > 0:27:37This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make between cars, ever.

0:27:37 > 0:27:43It's like the M3 is the best of where we've come from

0:27:43 > 0:27:47and the i8 is where going.

0:27:47 > 0:27:50There must have been a moment in history...

0:27:50 > 0:27:52when everybody had typewriters

0:27:52 > 0:27:55and typewriters had been around hundreds of years

0:27:55 > 0:27:59and they were brilliant, and then somebody came along with a laptop.

0:27:59 > 0:28:01That is what's going on there.

0:28:08 > 0:28:10No, I've made my mind up.

0:28:22 > 0:28:24Bet you weren't expecting that!

0:28:32 > 0:28:34APPLAUSE

0:28:34 > 0:28:38APPLAUSE DROWNS SPEECH

0:28:38 > 0:28:40- What?- Hold on, hold on, hold on.

0:28:40 > 0:28:42Let me make sure I got this straight.

0:28:42 > 0:28:46- You, let's be honest, are our resident dinosaur.- I am.

0:28:46 > 0:28:48And you prefer the i8 to the M3?

0:28:48 > 0:28:52- No.- But in the film...- Yes, I know.

0:28:52 > 0:28:53I was wrong.

0:28:53 > 0:28:57The thing is, I've had some time to do some thinking since then

0:28:57 > 0:28:59and there are one or two bits and bobs on the i8

0:28:59 > 0:29:00that would drive you mad.

0:29:00 > 0:29:02I mean, rear visibility is atrocious,

0:29:02 > 0:29:05the boot is microscopic, this window doesn't go all the way down,

0:29:05 > 0:29:07so you can't drive along with your arm hanging out

0:29:07 > 0:29:11and I discovered last week that an i8 has just been bought

0:29:11 > 0:29:12by Wayne Rooney.

0:29:12 > 0:29:14Oh, no. LAUGHTER

0:29:14 > 0:29:17- And it gets worse. - How can it get worse than that?

0:29:17 > 0:29:23Because, in a laboratory in Munich, it can do 134 miles to the gallon,

0:29:23 > 0:29:26but have a guess how many miles to the gallon I averaged.

0:29:26 > 0:29:28- 80?- No.

0:29:28 > 0:29:30- 79?- No!

0:29:30 > 0:29:33- 78?- No, James!

0:29:33 > 0:29:37I averaged 31 miles to the gallon.

0:29:37 > 0:29:40And other i8 owners are reporting the same sort of thing

0:29:40 > 0:29:43and it only has a tiny little fuel tank, seven gallons,

0:29:43 > 0:29:46which means you're going to be stopping for fuel all the time.

0:29:46 > 0:29:49So, when you said, "It's a laptop,"

0:29:49 > 0:29:51- it's one of those really early-days laptops?- It is.

0:29:51 > 0:29:54They are on the right road, make no mistake about that,

0:29:54 > 0:29:56but they are not there just yet.

0:29:56 > 0:30:02So, anyway, let's move on, let's put a Star In Our Reasonably Priced Car.

0:30:02 > 0:30:04Now, my guest tonight was Jordan Belfort's wife

0:30:04 > 0:30:06in The Wolf Of Wall Street,

0:30:06 > 0:30:08one of my favourite films of the modern age.

0:30:08 > 0:30:12She is now in a new film and she's brought along her co-star,

0:30:12 > 0:30:14so please welcome Margot Robbie

0:30:14 > 0:30:17and a man called Will Smith!

0:30:17 > 0:30:19CHEERING

0:30:19 > 0:30:21Oh, heavens above!

0:30:24 > 0:30:25Look what we've got for you!

0:30:25 > 0:30:27Yeah, we got you as well.

0:30:27 > 0:30:30- Good to see you. - Good to see you both.

0:30:30 > 0:30:31Margot, I'll go round here.

0:30:35 > 0:30:36And relax.

0:30:39 > 0:30:45- Have a seat! Have a seat! - This is fantastic!

0:30:45 > 0:30:47- Wow!- Is it really fantastic? - This is great.

0:30:47 > 0:30:48Cos I was going to begin

0:30:48 > 0:30:51by apologising for the trailers we have.

0:30:51 > 0:30:53- The trailers! Oh! Those trailers, yeah.- They're really nice.

0:30:53 > 0:30:58- You know...- Will set his bar very high with trailers, though, so...

0:30:58 > 0:31:01- Really?- Yes, his trailer is pimped.

0:31:01 > 0:31:02I'm very serious about trailers.

0:31:02 > 0:31:05The trailer, you know, it has to be, like, you know,

0:31:05 > 0:31:08you got to hook it up, have a stereo system, you know, it has to...

0:31:08 > 0:31:11Yours had mirrors on the roof... if I recall.

0:31:11 > 0:31:13LAUGHTER, HE MOUTHS

0:31:13 > 0:31:17I'm not insinuating anything, I'm just saying!

0:31:17 > 0:31:19That's going to get in trouble!

0:31:19 > 0:31:21That's going to get us in trouble, there we go!

0:31:21 > 0:31:24Already in trouble where my mind's gone!

0:31:26 > 0:31:30- Now, em, you are over here, obviously, to promote a film.- Yes.

0:31:30 > 0:31:34It's called Focus, but it isn't about the small Ford hatchback,

0:31:34 > 0:31:38which will have disappointed some people in here. It's...

0:31:38 > 0:31:40Well, it's a love story between you two, which is rather sweet.

0:31:40 > 0:31:44- Yeah.- It's interesting, it's...

0:31:44 > 0:31:48My character plays a conman, a master thief,

0:31:48 > 0:31:54and part of being a master thief is he's a liar and...

0:31:54 > 0:31:59he meets Margot's character, Jess, and falls madly in love

0:31:59 > 0:32:03and realises quickly that lying and loving don't go together too well.

0:32:03 > 0:32:08They go together OFTEN, but they don't go together WELL.

0:32:08 > 0:32:11- I believe we have a clip, which we can show now.- OK.

0:32:11 > 0:32:14- # This is a man's world... # - Are you working an angle?

0:32:14 > 0:32:17- I wouldn't trust him, if I were you. - But I should trust you?

0:32:18 > 0:32:23- You've got a problem.- I am going to kill you.- Kill me later.

0:32:23 > 0:32:27- You lost everyone's money, my money?! - Hey!

0:32:27 > 0:32:28- Wow!- Wow!

0:32:30 > 0:32:33- This is your mess.- I think you're losing it.- Whoa! Whoa!

0:32:33 > 0:32:36- Then why did you come up here? - Professional curiosity.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39And I like boobs. You know, I figured it was a win-win.

0:32:42 > 0:32:45'At the end of the day, this is a game of focus.'

0:32:53 > 0:32:55Did you notice when I had my shirt off? You noticed, didn't you?

0:32:55 > 0:32:59Did you see that shot? I just want to know if you saw the shot!

0:32:59 > 0:33:01That's what everyone took away from the trailer.

0:33:01 > 0:33:04- Margot had her trousers off. - Oh, yes! You saw that!

0:33:04 > 0:33:07- Slightly more distracting. - I get that. I get that.

0:33:07 > 0:33:09And I've seen you with no shirt on a million times, but I've never...

0:33:09 > 0:33:12Well, I have seen Margot with no clothes on.

0:33:14 > 0:33:15I've never seen you...

0:33:17 > 0:33:20- This just got awkward.- It did.

0:33:20 > 0:33:22Now, one of the things that make it even more awkward

0:33:22 > 0:33:26- is you filmed quite a lot of the movie in Argentina.- Yes. Yeah.

0:33:26 > 0:33:29LAUGHTER

0:33:29 > 0:33:31- How did that go for you?- For me?

0:33:31 > 0:33:33It was good. It was good, man.

0:33:33 > 0:33:36- Argentina's fantastic.- Is it?

0:33:36 > 0:33:38LAUGHTER

0:33:38 > 0:33:42- What's wrong with Argentina?- What's wrong with Argentina? What happened?

0:33:42 > 0:33:43- Every- BLEEP- thing!

0:33:43 > 0:33:44LAUGHTER

0:33:51 > 0:33:53The thing is... Well, I enjoyed it and best of luck with it.

0:33:53 > 0:33:56- Well, thank you, man. - When's it open?- When does it open?

0:33:56 > 0:34:01- 27th.- 27th.- February 27th. - Is it the 27th here? Yes! OK! Yes.

0:34:01 > 0:34:03Now, we've got to get onto cars

0:34:03 > 0:34:05because you grew up on a farm in Australia,

0:34:05 > 0:34:09so you, presumably, have been driving since you were naught

0:34:09 > 0:34:11because it's such a vast area.

0:34:11 > 0:34:14Yeah, it's huge, but, yeah, in our family, the rule was

0:34:14 > 0:34:16you could drive as soon as you could like, you know,

0:34:16 > 0:34:18physically reach the pedals

0:34:18 > 0:34:21and you could have the car on your own when you reached double digits,

0:34:21 > 0:34:25- so when you were ten, you were allowed to...- Wow.

0:34:25 > 0:34:27And I remember being nine years old

0:34:27 > 0:34:31and arguing with the parents, being like, "Guys, this is absurd.

0:34:31 > 0:34:33"I'm not like..." And they're like, "No, you're nine.

0:34:33 > 0:34:36"You have to wait another year." And I was like, "This is...

0:34:36 > 0:34:38"I can't believe this. This is ridiculous."

0:34:38 > 0:34:41- Have you been out to the outback? - The out... No, no, no.

0:34:41 > 0:34:43I feel like you'd fit right in. You'd just love it.

0:34:43 > 0:34:45So it's a racial thing? You went racial.

0:34:45 > 0:34:47LAUGHTER

0:34:52 > 0:34:54And, so, what was your first car?

0:34:54 > 0:35:00It was a candy apple-red IROC Z, a Camaro.

0:35:00 > 0:35:02- Apparently you don't have those here.- No, we don't. No.

0:35:02 > 0:35:04We have... What's the word? Taste.

0:35:04 > 0:35:06LAUGHTER

0:35:07 > 0:35:10I was thinking, "Maybe this would indicate you don't know about cars,"

0:35:10 > 0:35:12and then I started to look into some of the lyrics.

0:35:12 > 0:35:15- Are you familiar with the lyrics of the early songs?- Oh, jeez.

0:35:15 > 0:35:16I wasn't born.

0:35:16 > 0:35:20- In a song called Gettin' Jiggy Wit It...- Yes.

0:35:20 > 0:35:22I remember that. Yeah, I know that one.

0:35:22 > 0:35:24LAUGHTER

0:35:24 > 0:35:26I don't recognise that one.

0:35:26 > 0:35:28It's got 850is.

0:35:28 > 0:35:30850is if you need a lift.

0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Who's the kid in the drop?- Who else?

0:35:32 > 0:35:35- CROWD:- Will Smith.- Will Smith.

0:35:35 > 0:35:38- Now, drop, I presume, means drop-top.- Drop-top, yes.

0:35:38 > 0:35:40They never did a drop-top 850.

0:35:40 > 0:35:41LAUGHTER

0:35:43 > 0:35:44It's a small problem.

0:35:47 > 0:35:49No, no, hold on.

0:35:49 > 0:35:52Now, see, he thinks he knows everything.

0:35:52 > 0:35:54He thinks he knows everything.

0:35:54 > 0:35:58- In the United States, we do a thing where we customise our cars.- Yeah.

0:36:00 > 0:36:02- Can I just give you another one? - This is brilliant.

0:36:02 > 0:36:06Just Cruisin'. The Maestro. Do you know the next bit?

0:36:06 > 0:36:08- Yes, yes, yes.- Nice flow.

0:36:08 > 0:36:12- Nice flow. Hot like nitro.- Cool as ice, though.- Cool as ice, though.

0:36:12 > 0:36:15- That's a dichotomy.- Do you know what a Maestro is?- You've got one?

0:36:15 > 0:36:16There you go.

0:36:21 > 0:36:23Oh, my God.

0:36:25 > 0:36:29It is so awkward for me to hear you say my lyrics like that.

0:36:31 > 0:36:35- I'll bet.- No, it's making my eyes water.

0:36:35 > 0:36:38We've done enough of this now. We want to get onto your laps.

0:36:38 > 0:36:42- OK, yeah.- How did you enjoy it out there?- It was really fun.

0:36:42 > 0:36:44- It was really nerve-racking, but it was really fun.- Was it?- Yeah.

0:36:44 > 0:36:46- You...- No, it's fantastic.

0:36:46 > 0:36:50I've never... You know, in the United States,

0:36:50 > 0:36:52- the stick is on the other side... - Yeah.

0:36:52 > 0:36:55..so having to drive with the other...

0:36:55 > 0:36:57That's an advantage for you, of course,

0:36:57 > 0:36:58because you're used to driving...

0:36:58 > 0:37:01- Which is why he's mentioning it right now.- He's already started.

0:37:01 > 0:37:03Like, "In case she beat me on the laps."

0:37:03 > 0:37:06- It's the whole switching the side thing.- In case her time was better.

0:37:06 > 0:37:09OK. Margot, you went first and...

0:37:09 > 0:37:11Well, there was a bit of an off.

0:37:12 > 0:37:14Crashed. Yeah.

0:37:14 > 0:37:15Who'd like to see Margot...

0:37:15 > 0:37:19I said specifically, "Let's not let Will know that that happened."

0:37:19 > 0:37:22Let's have a look. Come on. Let's play the tape. Margot's off.

0:37:22 > 0:37:25Oh, wow, it's Chicago. It's understeer at Chicago.

0:37:26 > 0:37:28- It's Ian! It's Ian!- Oh!

0:37:28 > 0:37:31That is Ian the cameraman!

0:37:31 > 0:37:34Sorry!

0:37:34 > 0:37:36And he's dead!

0:37:41 > 0:37:44- Margot, we have...- I am sorry about that.- No, relax.

0:37:44 > 0:37:46We've got a little present for you.

0:37:46 > 0:37:49It's the landing light you hit.

0:37:49 > 0:37:52You can take that home as a souvenir of your trip to Top Gear.

0:37:52 > 0:37:56I'm so sorry about that.

0:37:56 > 0:38:00- Right, now, we've got both your laps to have a look at.- OK.- Ladies first.

0:38:00 > 0:38:02- Ladies first!- So, Margot, let's have a look at your lap.

0:38:02 > 0:38:04This is going to end in a fist fight.

0:38:06 > 0:38:07Right, here we go.

0:38:07 > 0:38:09TYRES SCREECH

0:38:10 > 0:38:12Good clean, aggressive start.

0:38:12 > 0:38:16Up to third. First corner, first corner.

0:38:16 > 0:38:18Let's have a look at this.

0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Good dab of the brakes.- It feel so much faster in the car.

0:38:21 > 0:38:23Everybody says it, but the slower you look...

0:38:23 > 0:38:26Oh, I don't know. There's a lot of understeer there. That's ballsy.

0:38:26 > 0:38:29Oh, God.

0:38:29 > 0:38:31Here we go. Are going to make it without running over Ian?

0:38:31 > 0:38:34Oh, waving to Ian! There's a little wave there. That was nice.

0:38:34 > 0:38:35That was a "Sorry, Ian!"

0:38:35 > 0:38:38Big corner, don't brake, don't brake, don't brake!

0:38:38 > 0:38:39Don't brake! Don't brake!

0:38:42 > 0:38:45- You do look like you're concentrating in there.- Yeah.

0:38:45 > 0:38:47Trying not to hit anyone this time round.

0:38:47 > 0:38:50This is good. I'm liking the look of this.

0:38:52 > 0:38:54- Yes.- Phew!

0:38:54 > 0:38:55Right, coming up to the fastest bit.

0:38:55 > 0:38:58Foot down, foot down, foot down!

0:39:00 > 0:39:04- Confidence, that was. That was the look of confidence.- Great face.

0:39:05 > 0:39:09- Through the tyres. Yes. That does look quick.- Very aggressive.

0:39:09 > 0:39:11That was the fun one. I liked that.

0:39:11 > 0:39:14Second-to-last corner, this is what normally catches people out.

0:39:14 > 0:39:17- Yeah, that's the one.- Through there easily. Through Gambon.

0:39:17 > 0:39:20More understeer! A lot of understeer

0:39:20 > 0:39:22and across the line! There we are.

0:39:23 > 0:39:26That was very good.

0:39:26 > 0:39:27And, now...

0:39:29 > 0:39:33- That was strong. - It is strong, Mr Will Smith.

0:39:33 > 0:39:35Yeah, no, but it was on the left.

0:39:35 > 0:39:38- For me, I'm used to driving... - Yeah, yeah. Any more?

0:39:38 > 0:39:40I had back surgery like three days ago.

0:39:44 > 0:39:46Who'd like to see the lap

0:39:46 > 0:39:48with the poor man with the back surgery himself?

0:39:48 > 0:39:50CROWD CHEERS

0:39:51 > 0:39:53Let's have a look. Here we go.

0:39:53 > 0:39:54TYRES SCREECH

0:39:54 > 0:39:56Whoa! That was some revs!

0:39:59 > 0:40:03- Yep.- Whoo!

0:40:03 > 0:40:06- Right, this is the one.- Did you do a few practices?- Yeah.

0:40:06 > 0:40:08Yeah, I did a few practice laps.

0:40:08 > 0:40:10That's a hard bit of braking mid-corner, there.

0:40:10 > 0:40:13I tell you what, though, that car - Bubba GM's finest.

0:40:15 > 0:40:18Put that power into the road. Feeling good.

0:40:18 > 0:40:24There we go. This is the spiritual successor of the IROC Z.

0:40:24 > 0:40:27I'm on the wall now. They're putting me on the wall.

0:40:27 > 0:40:32My name with all of the fastest times on this track.

0:40:32 > 0:40:34That is a confident man right there.

0:40:34 > 0:40:37It's actually lovely conditions for a fast time, this.

0:40:37 > 0:40:39Keeping it in the lines nicely.

0:40:41 > 0:40:45Yes. It's just like watching Daniel Ricciardo all over again.

0:40:45 > 0:40:49This is the one that makes my children proud.

0:40:49 > 0:40:51Keep it in there. No braking. Flat out. Yeah?

0:40:51 > 0:40:53- No braking. Flat out.- Good man.

0:40:57 > 0:40:59Yep. That's looking very tidy.

0:40:59 > 0:41:02Second-to-last corner, you have any problems?

0:41:02 > 0:41:04No, that is neat. Very neat.

0:41:04 > 0:41:06And through Gambon.

0:41:06 > 0:41:09Still on all four wheels, unlike some people,

0:41:09 > 0:41:12- and there we are. Across the line. - Whoa!

0:41:12 > 0:41:15- That was nice.- That was so much fun.

0:41:15 > 0:41:17- Yeah.- Well done, you two.

0:41:17 > 0:41:22Where do you think you've come on the board?

0:41:22 > 0:41:25I'll be really psyched if I get on the board, to be honest.

0:41:25 > 0:41:27You can't not be on the it, because, trust me,

0:41:27 > 0:41:29Jack Whitehall, Ed Sheeran...

0:41:29 > 0:41:32So there's space down there for me? OK. I want 1:52.

0:41:32 > 0:41:351:52, and Will?

0:41:36 > 0:41:38Well, I want, like, 1:22.

0:41:42 > 0:41:47- Oh, you're asking what I think I did?- Yeah, yeah.

0:41:47 > 0:41:51I think I might be in the 1:50 zone.

0:41:51 > 0:41:52Right in there.

0:41:52 > 0:41:55- Somewhere with the Hugh Bonneville...- I felt like...

0:41:55 > 0:41:57These are wet times. Well, let's have a look, shall we?

0:41:57 > 0:42:00- Let's have a look. I've got the times here.- Oh, jeez. OK.

0:42:00 > 0:42:03- I'm going to did you first, Will. - OK.

0:42:03 > 0:42:04- Oh, jeez.- This is really exciting.

0:42:04 > 0:42:06- Will Smith...- This is very exciting.

0:42:06 > 0:42:11- You did a 1...- That's a good start.

0:42:11 > 0:42:14- ..40...- Oh!

0:42:14 > 0:42:17- ..7...- Whoa!

0:42:17 > 0:42:21- ..2.- OK. Yeah. I'm not mad at that. - That is not a very bad time at all.

0:42:21 > 0:42:22That puts you...

0:42:22 > 0:42:26- Wow. OK, yeah.- That's really great.

0:42:26 > 0:42:29I'm not mad at that. I'm not mad at that.

0:42:29 > 0:42:32- That's not bad.- I like that. - That is not bad at all.- Yeah.

0:42:32 > 0:42:37- And, now, we must get onto your co-star.- OK.- Oh, God.

0:42:37 > 0:42:39If you beat me, this is your last day on the tour.

0:42:42 > 0:42:45I will never work again after this.

0:42:45 > 0:42:48It's Leo, Will Smith, and then TV.

0:42:52 > 0:42:54Margot Robbie,

0:42:54 > 0:42:56- 1...- Oh, good!

0:42:56 > 0:43:00- ..40...- What?- She'd better not.

0:43:03 > 0:43:06- ..7...- Oh!

0:43:06 > 0:43:09She'd better not. She'd better not.

0:43:09 > 0:43:12- ..1!- Oh!- Oh!

0:43:13 > 0:43:15I'm not making it up.

0:43:18 > 0:43:19I'm sorry!

0:43:25 > 0:43:27- Holy- BLEEP!

0:43:35 > 0:43:38This was a bad idea. This was a bad idea.

0:43:38 > 0:43:40It's like the Academy Awards

0:43:40 > 0:43:42where you've got to clap for the other person.

0:43:50 > 0:43:53- I don't know what to say now. - I actually can't believe that.

0:43:53 > 0:43:56Both of you have done amazing times. There was a tenth in it.

0:43:56 > 0:43:59Neither of you have got anything to be ashamed about and it has...

0:43:59 > 0:44:03Oh, no! One of us has something to be ashamed about!

0:44:03 > 0:44:06- I was trying to end on a really high note...- No, no.

0:44:06 > 0:44:08- ..coming up with some nice things... - Yeah.

0:44:08 > 0:44:09..but you're right.

0:44:11 > 0:44:13Ladies and gentlemen, I think you'll all agree,

0:44:13 > 0:44:17this has been an absolute joy. Will Smith and Margot Robbie.

0:44:25 > 0:44:31Right, now we must move on to some very sad news.

0:44:31 > 0:44:35The Land Rover Defender is going out of production

0:44:35 > 0:44:39and our producers thought that that meant it deserved a fitting obituary

0:44:39 > 0:44:43and all we needed for that was a beach and a rural simpleton.

0:44:49 > 0:44:55It's a little known fact that several of mankind's greatest inventions

0:44:55 > 0:45:00have started out as drawings in the sand on a beach.

0:45:01 > 0:45:04Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce fame

0:45:04 > 0:45:06made his first sketch of the Merlin engine,

0:45:06 > 0:45:10the incredible motor that powered the Spitfire and the Lancaster,

0:45:10 > 0:45:12in the sand at his local beach.

0:45:12 > 0:45:15Norman Woodland, no, I'd never heard of him either,

0:45:15 > 0:45:19was in Miami when he revolutionised shopping

0:45:19 > 0:45:22by drawing the first barcode in the sand.

0:45:25 > 0:45:28And, in 1947, here at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey,

0:45:28 > 0:45:31it was the same story for the Land Rover.

0:45:33 > 0:45:37The sketch was done by a chap called Maurice Wilks

0:45:37 > 0:45:41who was the Technical Director for Rover cars.

0:45:41 > 0:45:46At the time, he used an old Bren gun carrier to get around on his farm

0:45:46 > 0:45:51until, one day, he swapped it for his neighbour's old Willys Jeep

0:45:51 > 0:45:56and soon thought, "Hang on. We can make something like this."

0:45:57 > 0:46:01So, he sketched out his creation in the sand

0:46:01 > 0:46:05and a first prototype was quickly built over the following few months.

0:46:06 > 0:46:09Sadly, though, there was a bit of an issue.

0:46:11 > 0:46:15You see, Maurice thought putting the steering wheel in the middle

0:46:15 > 0:46:19would mean they could sell it to right- and left-hand drive countries,

0:46:19 > 0:46:21without having to re-engineer it.

0:46:22 > 0:46:24But then they realised that, amongst other things,

0:46:24 > 0:46:28that was going to make hand signals rather tricky.

0:46:28 > 0:46:30So, it was back to the drawing board.

0:46:32 > 0:46:36And, a mere ten months after that shaky start,

0:46:36 > 0:46:39the first Land Rover was born.

0:46:44 > 0:46:46It came in this green

0:46:46 > 0:46:50because the only paint Land Rover could lay their hands on

0:46:50 > 0:46:54was surplus army leftovers they used for Spitfires.

0:46:54 > 0:46:58The body was aluminium, not for clever engineering reasons,

0:46:58 > 0:47:01but because steel was in short supply.

0:47:01 > 0:47:04If ever there was an underdog...

0:47:04 > 0:47:05it was this.

0:47:05 > 0:47:09Nobody back then could have predicted

0:47:09 > 0:47:13what a phenomenon the underdog would turn out to be.

0:47:14 > 0:47:17The military bought it by the thousand,

0:47:17 > 0:47:22and it was used by everyone from the Medical Corps to the SAS,

0:47:22 > 0:47:27while in civilian life, it was the very definition of versatile.

0:47:27 > 0:47:29You could have a Land Rover tank,

0:47:29 > 0:47:30a Land Rover train,

0:47:30 > 0:47:32a Land Rover conveyer belt,

0:47:32 > 0:47:34a snowplough,

0:47:34 > 0:47:35a fire engine,

0:47:35 > 0:47:38and, rather annoyingly...

0:47:38 > 0:47:41a Land Rover hovervan.

0:47:42 > 0:47:45If explorers wanted to explore,

0:47:45 > 0:47:50adventurers wanted to conquer terrain that was unconquerable...

0:47:50 > 0:47:52they turned to one of these.

0:47:54 > 0:47:57It was the first production vehicle

0:47:57 > 0:48:01to travel 18,000 miles from England to Singapore.

0:48:02 > 0:48:05The first to cross the Bering Strait.

0:48:06 > 0:48:09And the machine of choice for Ranulph Fiennes

0:48:09 > 0:48:12on his epic trans-global expedition.

0:48:12 > 0:48:14In fact, at one time,

0:48:14 > 0:48:20the first car ever seen by 60% of the developing world was a Land Rover.

0:48:20 > 0:48:27And, on top of that, it's been in production for 67 years.

0:48:27 > 0:48:2967 years.

0:48:29 > 0:48:33Production run alone makes this thing one of the greats.

0:48:33 > 0:48:37Look at the other icons - Beetle, I'd say 57 years.

0:48:37 > 0:48:422CV, that was a real fly-by-night - 42 years.

0:48:42 > 0:48:47So great is my love for this machine that when, 13 years ago,

0:48:47 > 0:48:51we ran a Top Gear competition asking viewers to vote for

0:48:51 > 0:48:53the greatest car of all time,

0:48:53 > 0:48:56I championed the Land Rover.

0:48:56 > 0:48:58And the public clearly agreed.

0:48:58 > 0:48:59Because it won.

0:49:01 > 0:49:04I drove a Series 1 in that film.

0:49:04 > 0:49:07It was old and tatty and worn.

0:49:07 > 0:49:11But I fell so completely in love with it that I actually bought it

0:49:11 > 0:49:13so I could restore it.

0:49:13 > 0:49:16I'll never forget the day I brought it home 13 years ago -

0:49:16 > 0:49:20it stood in this very yard like a lost orphan.

0:49:20 > 0:49:22So I took it into the workshop, stripped it down,

0:49:22 > 0:49:26and laid it all out on the floor so I could begin that long,

0:49:26 > 0:49:30loving process of restoring it to its former glory.

0:49:30 > 0:49:31And here it is.

0:49:41 > 0:49:43Yeah, I mean...

0:49:43 > 0:49:45I have been REALLY busy.

0:49:45 > 0:49:47And-and the thing is it's...

0:49:47 > 0:49:51good to have a lot of spare parts cos Land Rovers break down a lot,

0:49:51 > 0:49:54so you never know.

0:49:54 > 0:49:56Can't be too sentimental about these things.

0:49:57 > 0:50:00But because it is the greatest car ever made,

0:50:00 > 0:50:06I must now try to make amends by giving it a fitting sendoff.

0:50:07 > 0:50:10And this is the perfect starting point.

0:50:10 > 0:50:13There are many great Land Rover TV adverts,

0:50:13 > 0:50:17but what you're watching now is the most famous of them all.

0:50:17 > 0:50:23This is the one where it winches itself up a vast, steep dam.

0:50:23 > 0:50:25'Next time you're late for work

0:50:25 > 0:50:27'it's worth remembering that nothing

0:50:27 > 0:50:31'but nothing gets in the way of a Land Rover.'

0:50:35 > 0:50:37Now, the thing is...

0:50:37 > 0:50:41that advert, as exciting as it looked, was, I'm afraid,

0:50:41 > 0:50:44the result of...shall we say,

0:50:44 > 0:50:46the magic of television,

0:50:46 > 0:50:50because the Land Rover didn't winch itself up.

0:50:50 > 0:50:53The winch on the front bumper pulled it the first few feet

0:50:53 > 0:50:55out of the water,

0:50:55 > 0:50:57but then it was actually hauled the rest of the way up

0:50:57 > 0:51:01by a much bigger winch hidden at the top of the dam.

0:51:02 > 0:51:06So I think you can probably see what's coming next.

0:51:06 > 0:51:08As our tribute to the Land Rover Defender

0:51:08 > 0:51:12we are going to redo that stunt properly.

0:51:17 > 0:51:19Oh...God.

0:51:21 > 0:51:25The dam I'll be climbing is Claerwen in Wales.

0:51:26 > 0:51:29It's 1,200 feet wide and,

0:51:29 > 0:51:33more worryingly for me, 200 feet high.

0:51:33 > 0:51:36To make things worse,

0:51:36 > 0:51:40the Land Rover I'll be using is 64 years old.

0:51:40 > 0:51:44So, in order to do what they never managed in the TV advert,

0:51:44 > 0:51:47we've added some bits.

0:51:49 > 0:51:53When they made that advert there wasn't a winch around big enough

0:51:53 > 0:51:57to take on board all the cable you need to go up a big dam.

0:51:57 > 0:52:00So we - well, not Jeremy and me, somebody else -

0:52:00 > 0:52:02has built this ginormous one.

0:52:03 > 0:52:07Then there's the matter of the engine.

0:52:07 > 0:52:12You see, when this thing starts to go up the dam it will go vertical,

0:52:12 > 0:52:17and at that point the engine at the front will cut out.

0:52:17 > 0:52:20Problem, because we need the engine to power the winch.

0:52:20 > 0:52:22Solution...

0:52:22 > 0:52:24a second engine just for the winch.

0:52:24 > 0:52:27Best of all this is built so it can pivot.

0:52:27 > 0:52:31As the Land Rover goes vertical this stays level.

0:52:31 > 0:52:35None of this gave me much comfort, however,

0:52:35 > 0:52:37when I was standing at the bottom.

0:52:39 > 0:52:41Oh, bloody hell.

0:52:41 > 0:52:43It's much steeper

0:52:43 > 0:52:46than the other dam in the advert.

0:52:46 > 0:52:50For a brief moment I thought I was off the hook

0:52:50 > 0:52:53because the start point looked completely inaccessible.

0:52:53 > 0:52:57Sadly, the producers had thought of that.

0:52:57 > 0:52:59I hate problem solvers.

0:53:02 > 0:53:05And this is just a little amuse-bouche.

0:53:06 > 0:53:09Eventually, I was in place.

0:53:09 > 0:53:12The winch cable was attached to the top.

0:53:15 > 0:53:18And it was time to begin.

0:53:19 > 0:53:23That's the engine in the back that powers the winch, remember,

0:53:23 > 0:53:24cos of the angle.

0:53:24 > 0:53:27Um...I'd love to think of something else to say or do.

0:53:27 > 0:53:31I can't, so I'm going to go. So, um...

0:53:31 > 0:53:32Right, here I go.

0:53:37 > 0:53:39Oh, it's tensioning up.

0:53:42 > 0:53:44This is OK so far.

0:53:48 > 0:53:51Oh! There it is.

0:53:53 > 0:53:55Oh, my God!

0:53:55 > 0:53:59Oh! Oh-ho-ho! Oh!

0:54:04 > 0:54:06I know it's slow.

0:54:06 > 0:54:10Any faster and I risk burning out all the winch motors and things.

0:54:11 > 0:54:15Plus, there was an issue with the face of the dam itself.

0:54:17 > 0:54:20The one on the advert was smooth concrete, this is rough stone.

0:54:20 > 0:54:23I didn't take that into account.

0:54:25 > 0:54:28What I've got to do is steer between these rocks

0:54:28 > 0:54:29where they stick out from the face.

0:54:29 > 0:54:33METALLIC GRINDING Oh! It's jerking.

0:54:33 > 0:54:35I'm having to read the surface.

0:54:35 > 0:54:37CLANG! Oh!

0:54:37 > 0:54:38CABLE GROANS

0:54:38 > 0:54:42This vertical off-roading gave me another problem.

0:54:44 > 0:54:49Because the Land Rover is winching itself up on its own winch,

0:54:49 > 0:54:52the cable has to feed evenly onto the drum.

0:54:52 > 0:54:55If it doesn't do that, everything gets ruined.

0:54:57 > 0:55:02I couldn't see the drum, so, up top, the producers were spotting for me.

0:55:02 > 0:55:04Straighten up, please, Richard.

0:55:08 > 0:55:10Ah...

0:55:10 > 0:55:11Oh...

0:55:14 > 0:55:15Oh...

0:55:18 > 0:55:21Because it's so slow I've got time to think about what would happen if...

0:55:21 > 0:55:23I can't, I daren't. I am now terrified.

0:55:23 > 0:55:27I am now absolutely petrified.

0:55:27 > 0:55:28Oh...

0:55:31 > 0:55:34Past the halfway point it started to get even worse.

0:55:36 > 0:55:39I can feel the front wheels now going very light...

0:55:39 > 0:55:44because...where it goes concave, where it bellies in like that...

0:55:44 > 0:55:47my winch cable is pulling the front of the car off the ground. Oh!

0:55:49 > 0:55:51And I can't tell you how horrible that feels.

0:55:53 > 0:55:55Oh-ho!

0:55:55 > 0:55:57Stop, stop, stop.

0:55:57 > 0:55:59I'm stopping, I'm stopping.

0:55:59 > 0:56:00ENGINE SHUTS OFF

0:56:03 > 0:56:06- Honestly, mate, you've got about 20 seconds, I'm- BLEEP- scared, OK?

0:56:06 > 0:56:07And I mean it.

0:56:10 > 0:56:13OK, take your mind off it, take your mind off it. Um...this...

0:56:13 > 0:56:15THUMP! Ah!

0:56:15 > 0:56:18The water behind this dam can supply Birmingham

0:56:18 > 0:56:22with 79 million gallons a day.

0:56:22 > 0:56:24- Who gives a- BLEEP- right now?

0:56:24 > 0:56:26It's all right, we're good.

0:56:31 > 0:56:33It's really vertical now.

0:56:37 > 0:56:38Oh, God.

0:56:38 > 0:56:41CABLE GROANS

0:56:41 > 0:56:42I can hear the lines...

0:56:42 > 0:56:45I can actually hear the tension in that wire.

0:56:49 > 0:56:50As I get to the top,

0:56:50 > 0:56:52the cable becomes less strong.

0:56:52 > 0:56:55Partly because, as well as the weight of the Land Rover and me,

0:56:55 > 0:56:58it has to be carrying the weight of itself and the winch.

0:57:01 > 0:57:04CABLE GROANS

0:57:04 > 0:57:08Oh, God, I'm depending so much on things made by other people.

0:57:08 > 0:57:12Every single part now - the brake that stops the winch feeding out,

0:57:12 > 0:57:15the engine - everything.

0:57:16 > 0:57:19In the face of unutterable terror

0:57:19 > 0:57:22I was, finally, nearing the top.

0:57:24 > 0:57:27We have nearly done this, I've nearly cracked it.

0:57:28 > 0:57:30200 feet of near vertical rock.

0:57:36 > 0:57:39Just a few inches, another few turns on the winch.

0:57:44 > 0:57:45What a fantastic way...

0:57:45 > 0:57:48to pay tribute...

0:57:48 > 0:57:51to the car... What?

0:57:51 > 0:57:55It was at this point the producers broke the bad news.

0:57:55 > 0:57:58Because of where the winch cable was attached,

0:57:58 > 0:58:03the Land Rover wouldn't be able to climb over onto the flat dam top.

0:58:03 > 0:58:06And this meant only one thing.

0:58:08 > 0:58:10I'm going to have to go back down.

0:58:11 > 0:58:13I'm going to have to winch it down the dam.

0:58:17 > 0:58:18I really need a piss!

0:58:22 > 0:58:24CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:58:26 > 0:58:29Thank you. It was nothing.

0:58:29 > 0:58:31It was nothing.

0:58:32 > 0:58:36So...you failed.

0:58:36 > 0:58:38Well, I almost got to the top.

0:58:38 > 0:58:40Yeah, but then you just came straight back down again.

0:58:40 > 0:58:43I'm sorry, Hammond, if I said, "I'm going to drive to Bristol," and then

0:58:43 > 0:58:47got NEARLY to Bristol and came home again, that's NOT going to Bristol.

0:58:47 > 0:58:50Look, the main thing is I gave the Land Rover Defender

0:58:50 > 0:58:54- a fitting- sendoff. Yeah, but they're working on a new Defender now

0:58:54 > 0:58:57and it looks EXACTLY the same as the old one.

0:58:57 > 0:59:01So you said you'd drive to the top of a dam, which you didn't,

0:59:01 > 0:59:05to pay tribute to a car that you said was about to die, but it's not.

0:59:05 > 0:59:07Yeah.

0:59:07 > 0:59:11Well, that means you're a liar and you've completely wasted our time.

0:59:11 > 0:59:12Yeah.

0:59:12 > 0:59:14And on that bombshell, I'm afraid it's time to end.

0:59:14 > 0:59:17Next week normal service is resumed.

0:59:17 > 0:59:20James and I have a lot of crashes on purpose.

0:59:20 > 0:59:23Hopefully we shall see you then. Thank you for watching, good night!