0:00:21 > 0:00:23CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Hello and welcome to Top Gear.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- We're back! - CHEERING
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- And we've got lots and lots of shiny new cars.- That's right.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33CHEERING
0:00:33 > 0:00:35That's right.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38In fact, here's a look at what's coming up over the next seven weeks.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43# My mother told me "Son, let it be"... #
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Oh, it's on!
0:00:44 > 0:00:48# Sold my soul to the calling... #
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Let's go racing!
0:00:49 > 0:00:52# Sold my soul to a sweet melody... #
0:00:52 > 0:00:55HE LAUGHS
0:00:55 > 0:00:59# Now I'm gone, now I'm gone now I'm gone
0:00:59 > 0:01:01# Oh, gimme that fire... #
0:01:01 > 0:01:03ENGINE ROARS
0:01:03 > 0:01:04TYRES SQUEAL
0:01:04 > 0:01:05- THEY LAUGH - It's got a chicken!
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I'm done. Have the car, I'm out.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10HE LAUGHS
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Oh, the acceleration is enormous!
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Whoo!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17The way this is written,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19it sounds like I just kicked your ass here.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20HE LAUGHS
0:01:20 > 0:01:22# Oh, gimme that fire... #
0:01:22 > 0:01:24My knob's come off!
0:01:24 > 0:01:27# Oh, gimme that fire... #
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Oh, yes! What a thing!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32# Oh, gimme that fire... #
0:01:32 > 0:01:33THAT is immature.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Ooh. OK.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38All righty.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Wow, that's a lot for the eyes.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Looks OK to me.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49OK...let's kick it off with this.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50The LaFerrari.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Costs £1 million, and only 500 will ever be built.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Interesting, isn't it, that adding "La" to a name
0:01:57 > 0:01:59makes it sound more exotic,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02whereas "Le" - not so much, really.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04LAUGHTER
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I get it. I see what you did there. You got... You got me.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09We don't need to go into your last name. All right.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Anyhow, the LaFerrari.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16You hear that, you think, "Ferrari's VIP area," right?
0:02:16 > 0:02:20The fastest, the most advanced, the most exclusive.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Well, nearly. Because, in the world of Ferrari,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26turns out there's a V-VIP area -
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- somewhere off-limits to us mere commoners.- Mm-hm.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Somewhere home to a truly extraordinary machine.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Here it is, the Ferrari FXXK.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And, no, that name is NOT accidental.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- Oh, my- BLEEP- days.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It's based on the bones of the LaFerrari hypercar,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58but it's been intensified in every department.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Only 40 will ever exist,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and it costs over £2 million.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Or at least it would, if you could buy it.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Which you can't. Even if you're a zillionaire,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15you don't just phone up Ferrari with your credit card details.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Oh, no.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20First, you must have been judged, in Ferrari's words,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22to "have the right mind-set."
0:03:22 > 0:03:24You must be invited.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28In fact, the FXXK is so unattainable,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32I'm the first outsider ever permitted to drive one.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38ENGINE PURRS
0:03:38 > 0:03:41So, just for today,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43you can keep your LaFerraris,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46your everyday hypercars.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48ENGINE GROWLS
0:03:48 > 0:03:51MUSIC: Run by Bring Me The Horizon
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Today, I've got more power,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56more lightness,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58more grip.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59So much MORE.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08ENGINE ROARS
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Oh! Oh!
0:04:15 > 0:04:18The speed is preposterous!
0:04:19 > 0:04:20If you believe it,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24it has 1,050 horsepower.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31That's 87 more than the LaFerrari road car.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35It's SO physical.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38It gets inside your body.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46Sensational, addictive, mighty, corrupting power!
0:04:49 > 0:04:520 to 60 takes just over two seconds,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55but this car lives way beyond that.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Just keeps going...
0:04:57 > 0:04:58until your brain implodes...
0:05:00 > 0:05:01..like a collapsing star!
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Like the LaFerrari, the FXXK has a KERS system
0:05:08 > 0:05:11harvesting energy wasted underbraking.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12If I brake hard now,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17I can feel a kind of pressure behind my eyeballs, forcing them forward.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But here the system is F1 spec,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22and when it uses that energy to boost the performance
0:05:22 > 0:05:25of the 6.3-litre V12 engine...
0:05:26 > 0:05:28..it just bungs you down the road.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32It's not like a normal car experience of acceleration.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Here we go. I accelerate in third and...
0:05:35 > 0:05:36ENGINE ROARS
0:05:36 > 0:05:39..I'm 100 yards further than I thought.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Good Lord.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And then there's the traction control.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Because Ferrari doesn't want to kill its wealthiest customers,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49they're some of the most sophisticated systems
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I've ever encountered.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I can just bury the throttle coming out of turns,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and it just manages it beautifully.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I suppose part of the thrill of this car is...
0:06:00 > 0:06:03building up the courage to switch them off.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Well, you only live once.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11ENGINE ROARS, TYRES SQUEAL
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Oh, yes! I'm alive! I'm alive!
0:06:24 > 0:06:26HE LAUGHS
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Now, this is a good way to ruin some very expensive tyres.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Fortunately, changing them is easy,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38because your £2 million FXXK
0:06:38 > 0:06:41also comes with its very own Ferrari pit crew...
0:06:42 > 0:06:45..just like a modern Formula One car.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48But, unlike a modern Formula One car,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50it doesn't need to comply with a great big rule book.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54In fact, it doesn't need to comply with the rule book...well, at all.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Ferrari basically said to its engineers,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00"Knock yourselves out, do whatever the hell you want.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02"Just make it fast.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03"CRAZY fast!"
0:07:07 > 0:07:09And this being Ferrari...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14..crazy fast on the straights is just the start.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20The true nature of this car lies in the way it corners.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22ENGINE ROARS
0:07:22 > 0:07:27The faster you go, the harder it sticks. It's like a giant magnet.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You can't see it but, boy, can you feel it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35It's lawless, savage.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39It's motorsport unlimited.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Unbound by rules,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the FXXK can delve deep into the dark art of aero.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51From that enormous active wing to the insane diffuser,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55its hunger for downforce crushes the tyres into the tarmac.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00The aero through this left-hander.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Wow! Into the deck.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Right now, it feels about the fasted thing ever made, to me.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17'The performance of the FXXK is so extraordinary,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19'it recalibrates your understanding of...
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'what a car is capable of.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'It's wonderful, intoxicating.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26'It's so cutting-edge, it's...'
0:08:26 > 0:08:30I got quite a high water temperature now, so I need to just cool it down.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32'..well, it's high maintenance.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36'And that means your pit crew will spend a lot of time
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'fiddling about with stuff you don't understand.'
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Needs a reset on the, er...
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Er...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And this ultimate Ferrari thoroughbred is so extreme,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48you can't drive it on the road,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and it doesn't qualify for any existing race series.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55ENGINES ECHO
0:08:59 > 0:09:03So, as a car, the FXXK doesn't really make sense.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05But it's not meant to.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06It's not really a car.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11What it is is a ticket...
0:09:11 > 0:09:14to the most exclusive private members club on the planet.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21And this club has one final members-only benefit.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27You see, up to now, the car has been holding back,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30saving power to make sure its batteries never run flat.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36But the FXXK has something called Qualify Mode,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and that gives you all the petrol power
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and all the electric power in one massive hit.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Maximum attack for one lap only. And, well...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49since I've only got one lap left, well...
0:09:49 > 0:09:50you can't take it with you.
0:10:23 > 0:10:261,050 horsepower!
0:10:26 > 0:10:30What a car! What a day!
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Drink it up. Drink it up, it's the last lap.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Unbelievable. I'll never get to do that again.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I'm staggered I've had a chance to do it in the first place.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08When the world's electric...
0:11:09 > 0:11:14..I think I'll remember this day more than every other.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:11:24 > 0:11:29- Ooh.- Well, I didn't crash.- No, you didn't. No, what an incredible car.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31And I've got to be honest, you drove the ass off it.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34One tiny point though, and I don't mean to be picky,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- but you know this whole exclusive club thing?- Mm-hm.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38OK, so what you're saying is,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41if you're a very, very special friend of Ferrari,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46you might just be lucky enough to receive an invitation
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- to give them £2 million.- Correct.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51And in return, you get a car that, yeah,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55is very fast and very pretty, but it's essentially useless, right?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I mean, you can't drive it on the road,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59you can't enter it in any race series,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01you need a team of mechanics to keep it running...
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Also correct.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06That's good business.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07LAUGHTER
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It is if you're Ferrari.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Now, this is the point we usually hand the car over to Stig
0:12:12 > 0:12:15to thrash around our test track, but today, we can't.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16It's just too cold out there.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20The FXXK is on racing slicks and it just won't get hot enough to work.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21We're sorry.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But we'll try to coax it back again for a lap later in the series
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- when the weather warms up a bit. - Yes, we will. Rory.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29What a car.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31And the high horsepower thrills don't end there,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34because later this series, and I can't believe I got to do this,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38but I drive the new Renault Twingo.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Oh, yes.- Wahey!- Oh, yes.- Ho, ho! APPLAUSE
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- Whoo!- Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48OK. Now it is time to introduce this week's studio guest.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51He's the star of Atonement, X-Men and Split.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome James McAvoy.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:12:59 > 0:13:01WHISTLING
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Welcome, welcome.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Now, James, I know you didn't get a chauffeur to drop you down today.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- You drove yourself, right? - I did, yes.- OK, what did you drive?
0:13:15 > 0:13:19- I drove my RS3.- Nice, little pocket rocket.- Little ninja, yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- 300 plus horsepower there. - Uh, if you say so.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Yeah, I just know it goes fast, man. It goes fast.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26So you have a driver's licence now,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29but didn't you drive for years without one?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This is the weird thing. I played a car thief in Shameless
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and I had to drive many beautiful cars
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and nobody ever asked me if I had a driver's licence,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38so I didn't, I didn't offer it up.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- I didn't get a driver's licence until six years later.- Hang on.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43You're painting quite a picture for us.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Any other bad behaviour you want to come clean with?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I do actually have a clean driver's licence, but I did have a...
0:13:48 > 0:13:52I had a provisional driver's licence just for riding a 125 scooter
0:13:52 > 0:13:56before I grew up and got a big bike, and, erm...
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I got 11 points on my provisional licence.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00- LAUGHTER - Yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03The guy, the policeman that took me aside
0:14:03 > 0:14:06was like, "I'm probably going to let you off with it",
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and his partner was like shouting from the car going, "No way!
0:14:09 > 0:14:11"He's going down! This is unbelievable!"
0:14:11 > 0:14:13So, yeah, they put me in the back of the car
0:14:13 > 0:14:15and made me feel like a drug dealer.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19All right, now, you didn't just come down here to enjoy our company,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21because, frankly, who would do that? No, no.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- You came here to drive fast around our track.- Yes.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27And the first thing that everyone here should know is that
0:14:27 > 0:14:30the original Top Gear track is back!
0:14:30 > 0:14:32CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And here's the other thing you need to know, we've got a new car.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And after all those Lianas and Lacettis and Cee'ds...
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- I'm still a big fan of the Cee'd. - That's cos you were quick in it.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47We decided it was high time for something a bit more exciting,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50something rear-wheel drive, something fast.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52That's right, but not too fast,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54cos we're talking about celebrities here,
0:14:54 > 0:14:55not responsible adults.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Which meant there was only one car for the job,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and I mean literally only one car.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Introducing our new reasonably fast car,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06it's the Toyota GT86.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Drive it well and it's so much fun, but get it wrong and you will spin.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- I guarantee it.- Yeah, so do I. From experience I can guarantee it.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Right, so, obviously we're not going to send you out there
0:15:24 > 0:15:26without a little bit of instruction, so...
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Do you remember at school that one teacher
0:15:29 > 0:15:33who really inspired you, nurtured you, believed in you?
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Well, our instructor is exactly the opposite of that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41He's mad, he's tiny, his head is very shiny, it's Chris Harris.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Welcome to the Toyota GT86.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Your performance reflects on me.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- All right, mate. - So you've got to listen.- What?- OK?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Aim for the 50 metre board.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Don't try and be funny. Fourth gear.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01When I say "brake", brake. Brake!
0:16:01 > 0:16:02CAR SCREECHES
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- Listen! Listen, James.- I am.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Over that way. Do what you're told.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12My hand's over there. Look, third gear. Third gear.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13- Third gear, that's second, you... - BLEEP
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- Third! Third! - CAR SCREECHES
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Argh!
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Aw!
0:16:21 > 0:16:22- OK.- Whoo!
0:16:25 > 0:16:27You have to listen to the next bit,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30otherwise we both end up being looked for through dental records.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Fourth gear. Fourth gear.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35CAR SCREECHES
0:16:37 > 0:16:39JAMES LAUGHS
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Yes!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I wish they'd given me someone talented for this first episode,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47cos it would look so good for my coaching skills.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Oh, my lord.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53And over the line.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54And stop.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57And never...
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- BLEEP - ..do that to me again.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- You loved it.- Jesus Christ. - You loved it.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03APPLAUSE
0:17:06 > 0:17:07MATT LAUGHS
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Well, very nice, very nice.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I'm beginning to see why that career as a hostage negotiator
0:17:15 > 0:17:16never worked out for you.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20OK, seriously, Harris, that is no way to speak to our guest.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Absolutely not.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Do you know what? I kind of liked it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24I like to be treated rough sometimes.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- That's just... - LAUGHTER
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Well, anyway, we are looking forward to seeing your timed lap
0:17:29 > 0:17:32a little bit later. But first, here's a question...
0:17:32 > 0:17:36£150,000, something fun for the summer, what do you buy?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- Er, GT3 RS.- OK, Rory?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- McLaren 570?- Mm-hm.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Yellow Ford Capri with black stripes on it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46LAUGHTER OK.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- OK, all good.- Thanks. - All good. All wrong.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55Because the most fun you can have for £150,000 is one of these.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- That's a Hobbit caravan. - No. No, that's a pressure washer.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05So it's a pressure washer for £150,000 Sterling.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07What are you going to wash with that?
0:18:07 > 0:18:12I'm going to wash a melon, a shed and a Volvo. Check this out.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15This is the Karcher Ecomaster mark three.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18It runs at about 2,800 bar of pressure.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22That's...about 40,611 PSI.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Roughly. Exactly.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27This cleans stuff really well.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Watch this.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06There you have it!
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Clean!
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Clean as a whistle!
0:19:11 > 0:19:14CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Am I right? That's good. That thing's great.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- Your handwriting is appalling. - LAUGHTER
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Don't pretend you're not jealous.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Right, I need to vent about something.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28The other night I was watching Ronin, OK?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- Ronin, that film that came out, what? 20 years ago?- Yeah.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32- Always up-to-date.- Stop that. Look,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35one of the best on-screen car chases of all time. Agreed?
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- FROM AUDIENCE:- Yes. - OK.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39But I've spotted something that's troubling me, vexing me.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Have a look at this.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47- GUNSHOT - Wait there! There!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- How annoying is that? Did you see that?- What?- See what?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- You saw that.- What?!- There.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56BMW E34 M5 1990, turbine design wheel,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59cool for brake distance, that kind of thing.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Cut to... That's not an M5 wheel.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- LAUGHTER - That's the...
0:20:04 > 0:20:08That's from a 535i. It's a continuity nightmare.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11How long are you planning on being a virgin?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13LAUGHTER
0:20:13 > 0:20:16APPLAUSE
0:20:19 > 0:20:20I could help you out.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Look, you work in film, you saw that, that's a nightmare.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- Yeah, right?- This has been bothering me... Can I do one more?- Go ahead.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30..bothering me since 1987. Withnail And I. Great film?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- A wonderful film.- You must know it line by line.- Yeah... Go on, then.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Continuity nightmare.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Watch this.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Withnail, car.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42There!
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- Where? What?- You saw it.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46- Saw what?- You saw it!
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Withnail is set in 1969, OK?
0:20:50 > 0:20:52It's the end of the '60s, it's apocalyptic.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Right in the background is a Volvo 340 DL, launched in...
0:20:56 > 0:21:001976! Even worse, the red smudge behind it,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Nissan Sunny, 1981.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- LAUGHTER - It's terrible.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Imagine, OK, Gladiator, Russell Crowe struts in,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09"I'm the father of someone... got murdered,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11"I'm generally fed up with life," toga, look down below.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- Air Jordans. - LAUGHTER
0:21:14 > 0:21:17You're not going to suffer that. It's not good.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18It is literally,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21literally...nothing like that. OK?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24In fairness, though, I do hate film mistakes.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- You know Mad Max Fury Road?- Yeah.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31OK, if you look really close, really, really closely,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33don't blink, you'll miss it,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36you'll see that they cast Tom Hardy instead of me.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37LAUGHTER
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Look real close. You can see it.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Anyway, moving on, a couple of months back the producers
0:21:43 > 0:21:45told us to tackle a serious consumer question.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Specifically this one...
0:21:47 > 0:21:51What is the most reliable new car on sale today?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And we said, "Well, that's a stupid question.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56"New cars can't be reliable. They're new.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59"You have to earn reliability over lots and lots of miles."
0:21:59 > 0:22:03If a car's driven to, say, the moon and back, and it's still going,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05now that's proof of reliability.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08That's right, so our producer said, "All right, you're on."
0:22:08 > 0:22:10They told us each to go buy a car
0:22:10 > 0:22:12that HAD driven to the moon and back.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Well, the Earth equivalent.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18480,000 miles on the clock. So we did.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And they shipped them off for a series of reliability challenges
0:22:21 > 0:22:23in the middle of nowhere.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25A little place called Kazakhstan.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39So...
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Kazakhstan.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Shall we go and find our cars?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Three containers, gentlemen. - Who wants to go first?
0:22:50 > 0:22:51- Can I go first?- Go for it.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54You're going to love it.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58What do you think he's got?
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Some kind of mental issue.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01RORY LAUGHS
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- It's definitely a sports car, no? - Yeah, it's got to be.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- A high mileage Ferrari, perhaps? - Maserati.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- High mileage Maserati?- Yeah.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Which is, you know, a horrible idea.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- 'But Chris surprised us both.' Oh!- That's not Italian.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19That's not Italian at all. RORY LAUGHS
0:23:19 > 0:23:21A Volvo?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23The Volvo V70.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27You want reliability, you go to Sweden, gentlemen. You know that.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28She's a minter.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I don't want to patronise you, but you know that in the Arctic Circle
0:23:32 > 0:23:36a reliable car is the difference between life and death.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But you're not playing a housewife in this film. That's the thing.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Look, I know, it's not going to set any pulses racing,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45but V70s in this generation are very, very strong.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Manual gearbox for a bit of fun, and there's a button in there
0:23:48 > 0:23:50that's for heated seats,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52and I wonder whether either of you two have that function.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Shall we see your car, Matt? - THEY LAUGH
0:23:57 > 0:23:59That's really sad, mate.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Forget Sweden.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04You want reliability?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- CHRIS LAUGHS - He's got it!
0:24:06 > 0:24:07THEY LAUGH
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- Right, here we go.- He's got a Merc.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Now, he thinks he's just bought into the ultimate brand
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- of reliability, but little does he know.- Come on now.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- Huh?- Explain yourself.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Mercedes, the symbol,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25the quintessential symbol of quality, right?
0:24:25 > 0:24:26You go anywhere in the world,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29you see these E-Classes just rattling along,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33clicking off the miles, reliability, reliability, reliability.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Do you understand the significance of the colour?
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It's like a beige, kind of like a granny's living room colour.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- You know why it's that colour? - I don't know.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44That was a taxi cab, that was a German taxi cab,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- probably from the Berlin area.- What?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50So that's had the hardest life imaginable.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53While Matt came to terms with his new taxi...
0:24:53 > 0:24:57- But it's still an E-Class. - ..I went to fetch...mine.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00MUSIC: London Calling by the Clash
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Oh, my God.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05MATT LAUGHS
0:25:05 > 0:25:08What were you thinking?
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I don't know what to say.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13CHRIS WHEEZES AND LAUGHS
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Look, you want to talk reliability?
0:25:15 > 0:25:17This has got to be in the conversation, OK?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20London taxi, utterly bombproof.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Come the apocalypse, there will only be cockroaches and London cabs.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I don't know where to begin, Rory.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Look, first of all,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30these vehicles are designed to cover very short distances.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Maybe 40, 50 miles at a stretch.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Beyond that, they are purgatory.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Well, that's neither here nor there.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Also, people visit London to come and see the London black cab.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42No, they don't.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45They get in that piece of crap to go see something else.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Tell me the best thing about this car.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51The best thing about this car, turning circle, 7.62 metres.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I can run rings around your cars.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Right.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00But before he could get in and show us, a man appeared in an old Lada.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- Welcome.- Thank you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04Wheel bearing's gone.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08"You and your high-milers will now undertake
0:26:08 > 0:26:11"a series of reliability challenges as you cross Kazakhstan
0:26:11 > 0:26:14"to the Baikonur Cosmodrome,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17"which is home to the Soviet Union's space programme.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20"There's a rocket launch in two days. Be there."
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- We're going to a rocket launch? - No, no, no.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Those of us that have a car that's going to make it to a rocket launch
0:26:26 > 0:26:27are going to a rocket launch.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30You two are going to die on the Steppe.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Why do you have to be like that?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Yes, ahead of us lay the Steppe,
0:26:36 > 0:26:41a vast desert of unforgiving terrain and extreme temperatures,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44certain to test our high-miler's reliability.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The journey would lead us to the Baikonur Cosmodrome,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51the world's largest, oldest space launch facility.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And the home of the Russian space programme.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Sputnik, Yuri Gagarin,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02even the first piece of the International Space Station,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05all were launched from this 3,000 square mile
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Russian-controlled facility...
0:27:09 > 0:27:11..but with only two days to get there,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13we had a lot of ground to cover.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I was just thinking, you see a car with 100,000 miles on it,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23you think, right, time to get a new one, that's pretty much worn out.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25That's not what we've done, we've gone for cars
0:27:25 > 0:27:28that have 500,000 miles on them, and mine runs fine.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- How does yours run? - My cab hasn't aged a bit.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- What did you say? It was a piece of- BLEEP?
0:27:34 > 0:27:36RORY LAUGHS
0:27:38 > 0:27:41This taxi is a bit of a shed.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I've just discovered that my heating doesn't work -
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and that's a bad thing, because in Kazakhstan
0:27:48 > 0:27:51it's currently minus 12 degrees outside.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55First impressions, very impressive.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Doesn't really rattle or shake, it's remarkable.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Let's face it, Volvos are so reliable.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03If this thing does break down,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05there'd probably be a national day of mourning in Sweden.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Guys, I don't have any heating whatsoever in my cab.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15The sun's out, Rory. Think positive, think warm.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I'm going to die of pneumonia, man!
0:28:17 > 0:28:18HE CHUCKLES
0:28:20 > 0:28:24'Heading out of town, we made a start for Baikonur
0:28:24 > 0:28:28'and the bustle quickly dwindled.'
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Look at it, it's just acres and acres of nothing.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35It's like...Stoke!
0:28:35 > 0:28:37'And, as the road turned to dirt,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41'we got the feeling this might not be the way to Baikonur after all.'
0:28:41 > 0:28:46Why are we doing this? Can't we find another road?
0:28:46 > 0:28:47'But then...'
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Look at that.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52- That is huge.- Thanks, Chris.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55'We had stumbled across our first opportunity
0:28:55 > 0:28:57'for a spot of competition.'
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
0:28:58 > 0:29:00I think I am thinking what you're thinking.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02That looks like a race track to me.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05I think we need to get it on.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11'Our first test of reliability would be an impromptu quarry race
0:29:11 > 0:29:14'down to the bottom, back to the top.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19'First past the cow's head...wins.'
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Gentlemen, may the best man and his machine win.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Come on, little black cab.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Three, two, one...go.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Oh, that's hopeless. I've just been overtaken by a bloody London taxi!
0:29:35 > 0:29:38I've got better traction than Chris! Yeah!
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Oh, Matt's quick, though.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- Oh-ho!- Ah, he's in front.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Come on, chase him down, chase him down.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Oh, he's gaining.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Come on, come on.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Yes! Yes, yes, yes!
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Ha-ha!
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Oh, Rory with the big move up the inside.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08We're in front! The black cab is in front!
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- Oh, get out of the way! - THUDDING
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Hey, hey, watch the paint!
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Come on, baby, come on, hold it together.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20OK, we're coming around the loop. Ah, the turning circle coming in.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22More than handy there.
0:30:22 > 0:30:2879 horsepower! 0-60 in 21 seconds.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- THUDDING - Sorry!
0:30:30 > 0:30:33And we've destroyed the Merc and the Volvo.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Oh, this is hopeless.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Slow up the hill. I got him, I got him.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Matt's gaining, Matt's gaining.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Here we go.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Ah, no!
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- Thank you!- No!
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- Yeah. - Oh!
0:30:53 > 0:30:54Right, come on, old girl.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Here comes Chris.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01- RATTLING - I'm on the defensive.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Hold him off, hold him off! Hold him off! Hold him off...
0:31:08 > 0:31:09ENGINE GRINDS
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Matt's slowing down.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12What the...?
0:31:15 > 0:31:17LOUD CRASH
0:31:17 > 0:31:18- What the- BLEEP?!
0:31:18 > 0:31:20ENGINES GO SILENT
0:31:24 > 0:31:25Whoo!
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Come on! Yes!
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Ha-ha!
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Not quite the end I'd expected.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36HE LAUGHS
0:31:39 > 0:31:42- Well, what happened? - What do you mean, what happened?
0:31:42 > 0:31:44- You weren't moving.- I lost drive.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Coming up the hill, the transmission kind of let go.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48I'll tell you what happened.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- I just won the race in the black cab!- Honestly, I'm disappointed.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54I was coming past you, and you were stationary.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56- You weren't coming past me.- I was. I was pushing you up the hill.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59No, I was putting the moves on you, I was blocking you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01So you reckon you were not being pushed up the hill?
0:32:01 > 0:32:03I was defensive driving the hell out of you.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05- You weren't aware you were being pushed up the hill?- Yeah,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07- but that was enough to stay ahead! - CHRIS LAUGHS
0:32:07 > 0:32:09You would have pushed me over the finish line!
0:32:09 > 0:32:11I'm feeling slightly guilty.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15This car has lived for 13 years and 570,000 miles.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17And I've had it 42 miles.
0:32:17 > 0:32:1942 miles!
0:32:19 > 0:32:22The last one was probably the most special.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26- Meanwhile...- Yeah. - ..pristine, good as new.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28I can change that quite quickly for you.
0:32:28 > 0:32:29THEY CHUCKLE
0:32:33 > 0:32:35'Our quarry race had taken its toll -
0:32:35 > 0:32:40'but, after a few hours, we were back on the road.'
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Your Volvo looks like the Terminator near the end of the film.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51I removed a quarter of the front of the car
0:32:51 > 0:32:56and the warning system simply tells me, "Bulb failure, dipped beam".
0:32:56 > 0:32:58That's how tough this car is. That's Nordic strength.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And also, the airbox has been a bit squashed
0:33:02 > 0:33:05which means it now sounds like a full-house Audi Quattro.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08So, actually, I've improved the car.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11REVVING
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It does sound good.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15That is nice.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17Ba-a-ah!
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'At last, we were on the road to Baikonur
0:33:22 > 0:33:25'and the producers had told us to make a stop at the next town,
0:33:25 > 0:33:27'a place called Kyzylorda.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29'So, we pressed on,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33'and Chris took it upon himself to keep us entertained.'
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Were you to drive from one side of Kazakhstan to the other
0:33:36 > 0:33:39it's the same as driving from London to Istanbul.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42It's basically the size of Western Europe.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44Is it really?
0:33:44 > 0:33:49On a smaller scale, this country was the origin of the apple tree,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52so the apple was invented here.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Was it really?
0:33:54 > 0:33:58The Kazakhs were also the first people to domesticate the horse,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00the humble horse.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05'But, before Chris could go full corduroy,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09'we arrived in Kyzylorda and, at the local sports ground,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13'we discovered apples and horses weren't all they had invented.'
0:34:13 > 0:34:15CROWD NOISE
0:34:15 > 0:34:21'They were playing a game called kokpar. Basically, that's goat polo.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23'It's a professional sport in Kazakhstan,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26'and the aim is to get the goat carcass in the goal.'
0:34:30 > 0:34:36I got to say, this is, uh, right up there with some of the, um,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38grossest shit I've ever seen.
0:34:38 > 0:34:39THEY LAUGH
0:34:47 > 0:34:50'As we wondered what else the afternoon had in store,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52'a challenge arrived.'
0:34:52 > 0:34:55It says, "You will need now take on some local high-mile heroes
0:34:55 > 0:34:58"in a simple game of tag.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00"If you tag another car, they're out.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04"If you get tagged, you're out.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06"Last car driving is the winner."
0:35:09 > 0:35:11'Apparently, goat polo was just a warm up.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13'And, as we took to the field,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16'the atmosphere in the stands was electric.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20'To prove which of our high-milers
0:35:20 > 0:35:22'was the most rugged performance machine,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24'we'll be going up against not just each other
0:35:24 > 0:35:27'but three Steppe-hardened Lada workhorses.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29'Proven benchmarks of reliability...'
0:35:29 > 0:35:31REVVING
0:35:31 > 0:35:34'..driven by a crack squad of local talent.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39'So, with all six cars spaced out around the track,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43'it was time for tag.'
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Whoop, whoop, whoop. Let's go racing!
0:35:49 > 0:35:51ENGINES REV
0:35:51 > 0:35:52Here we go!
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Come on, baby. Let's do this one to London.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- RORY:- Oh, that Lada is mine!
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Hey, little red Lada, I'm coming after you.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07They're surprisingly quick, these Ladas, these local hands.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13I think I've got the Kazakhstani rallying champion in front of me.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20'With the Volvo and taxi both struggling in the early stages...'
0:36:20 > 0:36:22ENGINES REVVING
0:36:22 > 0:36:25'..it was Matt's Mercedes making all the moves.'
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I got this red guy, I got him, I got him!
0:36:28 > 0:36:30CRUNCHING AND THUDDING
0:36:30 > 0:36:31CHEERING
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Matt's got the red Lada.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35'But Matt had forgotten to check his mirrors.'
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Damn! CHEERING
0:36:39 > 0:36:41I'm out. I'm out.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43'Having taken out the Merc,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46'the little blue Lada had a taste for blood.'
0:36:46 > 0:36:48I'm going to hit the brake and let him fly past me!
0:36:50 > 0:36:53He's missed! The blue Lada has missed!
0:36:53 > 0:36:57'But then, it wasn't the blue Lada I needed to worry about.'
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Oh, Harris is behind me.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00No, no, no, no!
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- Give you a little tap, Rory. - THUD
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Oh, Harris has got me!
0:37:06 > 0:37:09A slight bonnet issue now, a slight bonnet issue.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10RORY GUFFAWS
0:37:14 > 0:37:17'With one increasingly battered Volvo left in the running,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20'it should have been easy pickings for the two remaining Ladas,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23'but Harris doesn't give up easily.'
0:37:23 > 0:37:25I'm on the blue Lada now.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Come on, Harris, get him, get him, get him, get him, get him!
0:37:31 > 0:37:32I'm going to tap him, I'm going to tap him.
0:37:34 > 0:37:35CHEERING
0:37:37 > 0:37:41A bit harsh, but there we go. He needed to know I was there!
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Right, come on. This is the endgame.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49He's chasing down the last Lada right now. I think he might do it.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I can't actually see anything. Where is he?
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Ooh, there he is. Nudge.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58He's got him!
0:37:58 > 0:37:59CHEERING
0:37:59 > 0:38:00CHRIS LAUGHS
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Victory.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Finally, the Volvo gets something.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Way to go, Harris, all right!
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Why is he always finishing races with his bonnet up?
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Oh, I... It's an aero device, gives me a bit of extra front downforce.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16RORY LAUGHS
0:38:16 > 0:38:18A couple more screws in the bonnet this time, I think.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Yeah, I think so. We'll get there. We'll get the old girl to Baikonur.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I want to see a rocket go off.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25To Baikonur!
0:38:31 > 0:38:32APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:38:37 > 0:38:41You know, honestly, before that trip,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I had no idea that Kazakhstan was real.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46I thought it was one of those made-up places
0:38:46 > 0:38:48like Timbuktu or Guernsey.
0:38:48 > 0:38:49GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Those are both real places.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I know. GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:38:54 > 0:38:57OK, James, to recap what happened there
0:38:57 > 0:38:59for everyone's benefit and yours is that
0:38:59 > 0:39:03the taxi won the race around the quarry. All right!
0:39:03 > 0:39:04CHEERING
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- Yeah, yeah?- Don't do the dance, don't do the dance!
0:39:07 > 0:39:11I won the race around the goat sacrifice temple.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12Yeah, and Matt's Mercedes...
0:39:12 > 0:39:16No, no, no, don't, don't do it. Don't bad-mouth the Mercedes.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Don't do it, because we're in the presence
0:39:18 > 0:39:20of another lover of classic Merc, right?
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Am I right? Now, is it true
0:39:23 > 0:39:26that you once owned Idi Amin's Mercedes SL?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- JAMES LAUGHS - Erm...
0:39:28 > 0:39:30I was in a movie called The Last King Of Scotland,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34and at the end of that movie, they gave me this car that I drove in,
0:39:34 > 0:39:35which I didn't know at the time
0:39:35 > 0:39:37but it had belonged to somebody
0:39:37 > 0:39:40and Idi Amin had given it to that person.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41So they said at the end of the movie I could have it.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44But, again, I didn't have a driver's licence
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and I didn't really fancy driving it back from Uganda.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50So I left it. I just left it there.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53I think they gave it to my driver, he was a nice guy called Fred.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Nice. Way to go, Fred.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Right, now, it's time to find out how you went around the track
0:39:58 > 0:40:02in our new reasonably fast car. Come on. How did it go out there?
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Well, I don't think it went that well. But it was a tonne of fun.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Well, what do you think? Let's see how you did.- OK.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11'So, here we go, then. Soaking wet track for James.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14'Off the line. Traction control on.'
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Big balls. Big, big balls, that's all you need.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21'I don't disagree with you. Coming up towards the first corner.'
0:40:21 > 0:40:25Wetter than a waterfall in a monsoon.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27'This braking's going to be tough.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29'There's a direction change and also a surface change.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31'The grip levels there are terrible.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33'Best to stay on the track, I find, there!'
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Shut it!
0:40:35 > 0:40:38'Blending left, turning right into Chicago.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41'The inside line is off the frame at the moment so,
0:40:41 > 0:40:42'actually, there's grip around the outside.'
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Come on!
0:40:45 > 0:40:47'Now, this is the long drag toward Hammerhead.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49'Big braking has triggered the warning lights,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51'you were braking so hard, that must be good.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54'The car's going to oversteer a bit, is it? Yeah, there it goes.'
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Whoo!
0:40:55 > 0:40:58'I'd like to say you caught that. It wasn't, the electronics caught it.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00'And again! That was a mid-gear change slide.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02'That's just showing off!
0:41:02 > 0:41:06'Now we've got this fast right here, down towards the follow-through.'
0:41:06 > 0:41:07TYRES SCREECH
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Yeah! Whoo!
0:41:10 > 0:41:13'You think you're saving that, you're not. The computer's doing it.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16'Through the follow-through. That looks terrifying.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- 'Oh, my Lord. It looks...' - JAMES LAUGHS
0:41:18 > 0:41:21'You're like a sort of Scottish Ari Vatanen, aren't you?
0:41:21 > 0:41:24'Now, coming hard into second to last, does he make the apex?
0:41:24 > 0:41:25'He does. He clips it.'
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- That's so slippery, isn't it? - Yeah, it's horrible.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31'Through Gambon. Nowhere near the racing line.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33'And over the line.'
0:41:33 > 0:41:36- APPLAUSE - Thank you.- Good effort.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37Honestly...
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Can I just say, before we go anywhere,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43it was so slippery out there today.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45- It really was treacherous.- Yes.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- But it was a lot of fun because it was.- It was a good run.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50OK, new car means a new lap board.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53We've already had a test day where we sent a bunch of celebs
0:41:53 > 0:41:56out in the GT 86 to lay down some markers.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58You can watch how they did over on Extra Gear.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02But the fastest time so far is one minute 39.5
0:42:02 > 0:42:05from Olympic double gold-winning gymnast Max Whitlock.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Oh, I loved his pommel routine, did you ever see that?
0:42:08 > 0:42:10GENTLE LAUGHTER Elegant... Anyway, all right.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13James, and Chris, because, frankly, this is your fault
0:42:13 > 0:42:17if he doesn't go straight to the top, you were his instructor. Right.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- Feeling confident? - Mm, not really. A little bit...
0:42:20 > 0:42:21- Come on!- Go on, show me.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26All right. You did it in the wet, so it's a wet time.
0:42:26 > 0:42:33- One minute...47.1.- Yes...yes..
0:42:33 > 0:42:35- Oh! That's not bad. That's not bad. - APPLAUSE
0:42:35 > 0:42:37That's not bad.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39- Thank you. That's not bad. - That's awesome. Not bad at all.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Right underneath Ore Oduba there.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- A fine effort.- Congratulations. - I'm the only one in the wet.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46That's good. That is good.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47Only one in the wet.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49I think you guys will have a lot of fun this season
0:42:49 > 0:42:51with the celebrities in that car
0:42:51 > 0:42:52because you just can't control it
0:42:52 > 0:42:54like you could that Cee'd that we both drove.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56- When you say "fun", do you mean death?- Yeah!
0:42:56 > 0:42:57LAUGHTER
0:42:57 > 0:43:00All right, James, thank you so much for coming down and playing with us.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Ladies and gentlemen, James McAvoy!
0:43:03 > 0:43:05- APPLAUSE AND WHISTLING - Thank you!
0:43:08 > 0:43:13Now, time to return to our high-mile challenge.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Earlier on, the three of us each had bought a car
0:43:15 > 0:43:17that had driven to the moon and back.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19And we were crossing Kazakhstan
0:43:19 > 0:43:21for an appointment with the big rocket.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28We awoke to the chill of another morning in Kazakhstan.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32And Chris noticed that overnight I had been busy.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Matt, what's going on with the back of your car?
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Was it abducted last night by a band of amateur scaffolding people?
0:43:38 > 0:43:41You know that the little thing you gave me
0:43:41 > 0:43:43that lifted the ascent of the car up about four feet?
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Well, that's me being cautious
0:43:46 > 0:43:50and just trying to preserve the rear end of this Mercedes.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Despite the previous day's trials, all three of our high-milers
0:43:54 > 0:43:57were still in the hunt for Baikonur.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59But since we had the place to ourselves,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Rory had an idea to see whose car was holding together best.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06How about a top speed challenge?
0:44:06 > 0:44:09But here's the twist - this is all about reliability.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12So I think we should find out whose car gets closest
0:44:12 > 0:44:15to their manufacturer's claimed top speed.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18- That sounds good. - Chris, you're up first.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20And the Volvo's top speed?
0:44:20 > 0:44:23125mph.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Three, two, one, go for it!
0:44:26 > 0:44:28WHEELS SPIN
0:44:28 > 0:44:29ENGINE ROARS
0:44:29 > 0:44:32- It's pretty aggressive.- Yeah.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37That's the half a million mile clutch he's working with.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38THEY CHUCKLE
0:44:38 > 0:44:40Come on, Volvo!
0:44:40 > 0:44:41Fourth, come on.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43That's 90.
0:44:43 > 0:44:48If Volvos are as reliable as he says they are, this should be no problem.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I'm not even 100.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Not even 100, come on!
0:44:56 > 0:44:58- How are the kids?- Good. Yours? - Yeah, not too bad.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01- All right.- Right.
0:45:01 > 0:45:06- How did we do?- I blame you for what just happened there.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09I've got terrible aero and no power cos my airbox has moved
0:45:09 > 0:45:14because you stopped your vehicle on the first challenge, and I hit you.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16- That's my fault? - Yeah, that's your fault.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20- Who hit who?- Who stopped? - Who hit who?- Who stopped?
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- Who hit who?- I couldn't have hit the thing if it hadn't stopped.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26If there's a policeman standing there, you'd be in trouble.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Do they have policeman at race circuits?
0:45:28 > 0:45:32It wasn't a race circuit, we were in a hole in the ground.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33THEY ALL LAUGH
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Look, the news is, 104mph,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39which is not good enough cos this thing should do 124, 125.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43So I'm 20mph back. So go and do your worst, I'm going to lose.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Next up, my European E-Class,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50with its 180 kilometres per hour top speed.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Go!
0:45:55 > 0:45:57There's 100.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00There's 120.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05- Did they really invent apples in Kazakhstan?- Yeah, apparently.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09I just think, if they invented the apple,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12then we should try an actual Kazakhstani apple.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13I'd love to have an apple.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16155.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Russet's that sort of thick-skinned, amber-coloured apple,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22delicious things. The juice from them makes a very good drink.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- Come on, then, what's the number? - Take a guess.
0:46:27 > 0:46:28160.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32- Wow, on the money.- 160? - 160, that's about 100 miles an hour.
0:46:32 > 0:46:39So, by getting within about 12mph of my top speed, I had edged Chris.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42But I'd left the door open for Rory's 81mph taxi.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Go!
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- Come on, black can. - Takes off like a shot.
0:46:47 > 0:46:4840.
0:46:48 > 0:46:5145.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53He was hardly the figure of humility when he won last time,
0:46:53 > 0:46:55what's he going to be like this time?
0:46:55 > 0:46:5781mph.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Ahhh! Yeah!
0:46:59 > 0:47:00Unbearable.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03RORY LAUGHS
0:47:03 > 0:47:05It just gets better with time.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Like a fine wine.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Right, gentlemen.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Give me the good news or the bad news.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Well, I'm afraid it's bad news for you, but good news for me.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I managed 84mph.
0:47:19 > 0:47:233mph more than the manufacturer's quoted top speed.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26- What?- 84mph.- Really?
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- Hey, come on, you got to give it up for the taxi, right?- Yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33- I guess so, yeah.- Jump back in your cars, see if you can keep up.
0:47:35 > 0:47:36Nice one...
0:47:36 > 0:47:37(A-hole.)
0:47:39 > 0:47:43I didn't expect the taxi to go faster than it did
0:47:43 > 0:47:45when it left the factory.
0:47:45 > 0:47:46That's amazing.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50With begrudging respect for the black cab, we headed on.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53And before long, I made a discovery.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Hey, there's a David Hasselhoff cassette in the stereo.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58Check it out.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01# I've been looking for freedom
0:48:01 > 0:48:05# But it can't be found... #
0:48:06 > 0:48:09He's been looking for freedom, but it can't be found.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16But as the hours dragged on...
0:48:18 > 0:48:21I'm finding the flatness quite imposing now.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25You wouldn't want to break down out here, would you?
0:48:28 > 0:48:31..we were told to head to our last overnight stop...
0:48:31 > 0:48:34So that's it, that's quite literally the end of the road.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37..located somewhere within the vast emptiness
0:48:37 > 0:48:40that surrounded the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48That's a dried up salt bed.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50Wow!
0:48:50 > 0:48:52That's like Kazakhstan's Bonneville.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Driving on into the dark, inky gloom,
0:49:05 > 0:49:09eventually we arrived at our overnight stop
0:49:09 > 0:49:12where our final challenge awaited.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16- Oh, hello.- What does it say?
0:49:16 > 0:49:20It says, "Tomorrow you drive to Baikonur.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23"You must reach the border gate by 2pm.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26"At 9am tomorrow, your mileage trips will be reset.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30"The winner is the high-miler that racks up the most miles
0:49:30 > 0:49:33"over the subsequent five hours.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36"Only the winning car will attend the launch.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39"The two losing cars will be sentenced to hard labour."
0:49:39 > 0:49:41All right, OK.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44# I'm looking for freedom... #
0:49:44 > 0:49:46You know what I'm going to do when I get home?
0:49:46 > 0:49:48I'm going to dig out my Hoff collection.
0:49:48 > 0:49:49You should go to a doctor.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55With the rest of the night to consider our strategies...
0:49:56 > 0:49:59..the next morning, we awoke to a tantalising sight.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07- Oh, wow!- Oh, yeah, look at that!
0:50:07 > 0:50:11Yes, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was almost within reach.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17But with our trip meters covered and reset,
0:50:17 > 0:50:19first there was a challenge to win.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22And Chris was late.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26LAUGHTER
0:50:26 > 0:50:28What have you done?
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Mind your own business, Matthew.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36All right, all right. Most miles when we get to Baikonur wins.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Three...two...
0:50:38 > 0:50:40one, let's rock.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45If he's going to roar it, why's he not moving?
0:50:45 > 0:50:48I don't know, and maybe the taxi finally packed it in.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52So, clearly I'm not going to beat those guys in a head-to-head race.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55I need to be smart about this challenge,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58and approach things with a bit more cunning.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02A cagey start from the others,
0:51:02 > 0:51:03but my plan was simple -
0:51:03 > 0:51:06more speed means more miles.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09The easy way to make your car quicker is to lose weight.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10Seats are gone,
0:51:10 > 0:51:12door panels gone.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17And I figured the best place to take my new superlight racer
0:51:17 > 0:51:19was back to Kazakhstan's Bonneville.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Even if that did mean...
0:51:22 > 0:51:25another lengthy, off-road drive to reach it.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Meanwhile, in Harris's Volvo...
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Ha-ha, a road!
0:51:31 > 0:51:34..Chris was heading for a nearby town
0:51:34 > 0:51:36with his own harebrained strategy.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Speed is in the mind, so to change my mind-set,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44I've invoked Volvo's racing history here.
0:51:46 > 0:51:47You remember?
0:51:47 > 0:51:50The year was 1994 and British touring car legend
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Rickard Rydell debuted the Volvo 850 Estate.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Surely the coolest estate car ever.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Add to that a...perfectly safe range-extending fuel tank
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and you have the ultimate high-mileage maker.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10I just needed somewhere to use it.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12So, I did a bit of research last night.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15There is an airfield near here, I don't quite know where,
0:52:15 > 0:52:17but I know it's nearby.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21The second thing I did last night was to learn a Russian phrase.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22"Where's the airfield?"
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Here we are, I'll ask this woman here.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:52:28 > 0:52:30No, she didn't want to know.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32She didn't want to...
0:52:32 > 0:52:35'Now, while the others wasted valuable time
0:52:35 > 0:52:38'finding places they could up the pace...'
0:52:38 > 0:52:39Into gear.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Now for some revs.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46'..I opted for a short cut.'
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Right, this is it.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Let the high mileage begin.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58Woohoo!
0:52:59 > 0:53:01SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:53:01 > 0:53:03No, that's not happening.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Though I swear I heard one of them say, "Is that Rickard Rydell?"
0:53:06 > 0:53:09SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:53:20 > 0:53:21That was it.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23We're on. This direction.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Woohoo!
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Now, this is what I call easy miles.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Nice and soft terrain, not too hard on the car.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40RUMBLING AND CLANKING
0:53:42 > 0:53:43What the hell was that?
0:53:45 > 0:53:46Something's come wildly loose,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49I don't know if it's that bar on the back or what.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52In fact, it was worse.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53And with no time to lose,
0:53:53 > 0:53:57the Mercedes needed the delicate touch of a professional.
0:54:10 > 0:54:11Saved a little more weight.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21After a slow start over in the Volvo...
0:54:22 > 0:54:26..Rickard Rydell had finally found his airfield.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31100 miles an hour.
0:54:33 > 0:54:34What a place!
0:54:37 > 0:54:39High banking at Daytona.
0:54:39 > 0:54:40I really like this car.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44She may be old, she may be almost worn out,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46but she's got heart, she really does.
0:54:46 > 0:54:51'After three hours of flat-out, lightweight racing though...'
0:54:51 > 0:54:53A fuel light just came on.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56'..it was time to start the long drive back.'
0:54:56 > 0:54:58OK, Baikonur!
0:55:00 > 0:55:04Now, Rory was also running low on fuel, but he had thought ahead.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09- Ouch!- BLEEP!
0:55:15 > 0:55:17No!
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Oh, that is dead.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30That's dead, isn't it? That's definitely dead.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Oh, man!
0:55:34 > 0:55:40Back in my range-extended Volvo, things were looking tasty.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44I'm averaging a lot of miles an hour here.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46A lot of miles an hour.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50And while I was piling on the miles, Matt...
0:55:50 > 0:55:51wasn't.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54All right, finally a little bit of smooth road.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56CLUNKING
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Oh, spoke too soon.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01But then, somehow...
0:56:03 > 0:56:05..the cab was back.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10How is this car still running? Unbelievable!
0:56:13 > 0:56:14I love this car.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18We're a team.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20Whatever happens, we're a team.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23'And at last...'
0:56:23 > 0:56:25This is it, this is it.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28'..this team reached the entrance to the Cosmodrome.'
0:56:28 > 0:56:30I'm the first one here,
0:56:30 > 0:56:34so I may as well do a few of my legendary tiny turning circles.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Every mile counts. Every mile counts.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42And with just a few minutes left...
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Hey, there you are!
0:56:44 > 0:56:48..it was a desperate fight to add distance.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52I can add some miles too, man, two can play at that game.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57Where's Harris?
0:56:59 > 0:57:01- Oh,- BLEEP!
0:57:03 > 0:57:08Rory, Rory, that's it. Two o'clock. Two o'clock, the party is over.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13How's your head? Dizzy?
0:57:13 > 0:57:14Dizzy.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18That is becoming his signature look.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Maybe he can't see where he's going.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24- Gentlemen.- How did you do?
0:57:24 > 0:57:29- Well, quietly confident, but let's see what happens.- Who's this?
0:57:29 > 0:57:31He must be checking the mileage.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37He's got a lovely wrist action on that ratchet.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41- Thank you, thank you very much. - OK, Matt.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47OK, I have here the results.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50In third place, with 211 miles...
0:57:50 > 0:57:52Mr Chris Harris.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54- Oh!- Congratulations.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01In second place, with 284 miles...
0:58:03 > 0:58:06- ..Mr Matt LeBlanc.- Come on!
0:58:06 > 0:58:09- That's right.- Say it, say it.
0:58:09 > 0:58:16In first place, with 329 miles, Mr Rory Reid in the black taxi.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19Way to go, man.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23Hang on, hang on, look at this.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28Oh, really? Is that what's happening?
0:58:29 > 0:58:31The losers lose their cars.
0:58:33 > 0:58:34'So we had our winner.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38'And as the others set off toward their new life of service
0:58:38 > 0:58:40'on the Kazakh Steppe...'
0:58:40 > 0:58:43I'd become rather fond of my Volvo, Matt.
0:58:43 > 0:58:46Yeah, I'm going to miss that old car.
0:58:46 > 0:58:50'The truth is, all our high-milers had proven their worth.
0:58:50 > 0:58:54'And now, all that remained were the last few miles
0:58:54 > 0:58:57'into the heart of the Cosmodrome and the launch site.
0:58:57 > 0:59:00'This would be the black cab's victory lap.'
0:59:00 > 0:59:03- Where you headed? - Rocket launch?- Jump in.
0:59:04 > 0:59:08And it gave us a chance to consider something.
0:59:08 > 0:59:12You see, to most people, cars are just a tool, a runaround.
0:59:13 > 0:59:17You might run one for 60, 70,
0:59:17 > 0:59:20even 100,000 miles and think it's had its day.
0:59:20 > 0:59:24But the truth is, it could do so much more.'
0:59:24 > 0:59:28Back in the '50s, the US and Soviet Union's fierce battle
0:59:28 > 0:59:33for global engineering dominance propelled mankind into space.
0:59:34 > 0:59:37The Cold War thawed just for a moment
0:59:37 > 0:59:42as the world stood in collective wonder at what we could achieve.
0:59:42 > 0:59:46It was an event that marked one of the most intense periods
0:59:46 > 0:59:49of technological development in human history -
0:59:49 > 0:59:53and it brought us to today, where right now,
0:59:53 > 0:59:56sat on your driveway, you could have a car,
0:59:56 > 1:00:01a car, that's been so well engineered,
1:00:01 > 1:00:05it'll go the distance to the moon and back, and beyond.
1:00:11 > 1:00:12Wow!
1:01:15 > 1:01:18I still can't get that Hasselhoff song out of my head.
1:01:18 > 1:01:20THEY LAUGH
1:01:20 > 1:01:24APPLAUSE
1:01:24 > 1:01:27Amazing cars, indestructible. Indestructible.
1:01:27 > 1:01:31OK, so, Rory, we know why our cars aren't here,
1:01:31 > 1:01:33they're doing hard labour in Kazakhstan.
1:01:33 > 1:01:35But where's your little black cab,
1:01:35 > 1:01:37did you not want to drive it back the 3,000 miles from Baikonur?
1:01:37 > 1:01:40I'd have loved to have driven my taxi home,
1:01:40 > 1:01:42but it had a higher calling, a public duty.
1:01:42 > 1:01:43Check this out.
1:01:43 > 1:01:44See that?
1:01:44 > 1:01:47APPLAUSE
1:01:49 > 1:01:53That's been immortalised, OK? It's a symbol of hope.
1:01:53 > 1:01:56Yeah, you know, that was really nice.
1:01:56 > 1:01:58The good men and women of Baikonur,
1:01:58 > 1:02:01they can look up at your humble taxi,
1:02:01 > 1:02:03symbol of Britain, of London,
1:02:03 > 1:02:05and think, thank God I don't have to drive one of those.
1:02:05 > 1:02:07Don't hate a winner, Matt.
1:02:07 > 1:02:10- Don't do the dance, don't do the dance.- No dancing.
1:02:10 > 1:02:14OK, next week, convertible supercars in the USA,
1:02:14 > 1:02:17the Alfa Romeo Giulia and one very broken windscreen.
1:02:17 > 1:02:20- Thanks for watching. - Yeah, we'll see you all next week.
1:02:20 > 1:02:21- ALL:- Goodnight.