Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson drives the new Jaguar F-type sports car on some of Britain's finest roads, James May takes the New Bus for London for a nice day out in the country, and Richard Hammond tests the new Range Rover Sport off-road, on track and in its most natural habitat, the lanes of Cheshire. Inspired by these machines, the presenters meet up for an epic celebration of all that is great about Britain's motor industry, culminating in a grand finale in front of Buckingham Palace. Mark Webber is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

But like I said at the beginning,

Very steep, very steep, very muddy.

is that hurling this car around this racetrack,

he has no idea what that last car was called, no idea what he's in now.

That's the longest protracted tyre squeal

wishing you'd saved 20 grand and bought the Sport.

Now, the news. And a couple of weeks ago,

"Inferno", "crater", "apocalyptic."

They pick on a subject like woodpeckers or hats or diseases.

Why don't they put something modern on it?

It's a bit like going to Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy and saying,

No, Eric Pickles. Brilliant.

That sounds like perfectly good common sense.

that anyone who spends £300,000 plus on a car will want only two seats

But even though it's 35 feet long, it's not hard to drive at all.

Can you check I don't knock a building over?

But with the road ahead mercifully free of traffic,

Over its lifetime, it's reckoned that about four million people

Hang on.

Now, my guest tonight is an Australian who lives in Britain,

I'm in reasonable shape. I think all the guys are fit now.

I say car crash, that is a plane crash going on. How did that happen?

The thing about both of those accidents,

So I'm going to race with Porsche, actually.

In a competitive environment, there's always going to be a bit of needle.

I don't know how he's keeping it at bay.

That'll help with your time. Right, Hammerhead.

You see, I trail break. Trail breaking? A little bit.

Did you beat ze German, who did a 1.44 dead?

It does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds.

Engine at the front, drive to the rear

And there's no need for it.

You should come there more often.

And so, for the finale of the last programme of the series,

Then you have the people doing the wood.

Red Bull and Mercedes.

The rest of the world likes what we're doing these days.

So we hatched an ambitious plan.

Jeremy Clarkson and James May investigate an increasingly popular type of tall hatchback often referred to as a 'crossover'. After deducing that these cars are designed entirely to appeal to caravanners, the pair pick examples from Mazda and Volkswagen then use them to spend a couple of days living like the kind of person who would buy one. Meanwhile, Richard Hammond is in Italy driving a pair of Lamborghinis, the sensational Aventador Roadster and a 2 million pound, 570 horsepower riot of carbon fibre and space age styling called the Sesto Elemento. Plus, James May is at the test track to drive a modern recreation of the classic Porsche 911 and Aerosmith legend Steven Tyler is the rock star in the Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

and, to be honest, I'm perfectly happy with it.

The precision on the steering - you didn't feel that,

Jeremy drove a few series back. It's a love letter to a car.

In what way is that pornography? Well, it's orange.

and I got my BMW stuck on that termite mound thing, and I said,

Does anyone here have the first idea what any of that means?

Dacia has announced a special,

because what I'm interested in is why this car perfectly sums up

That's five decades of unleashing unique, flamboyant machines,

And in the periodic table, that sixth element is carbon, which is

Instead, its colour comes from flecks of crystal embedded in the bodywork.

£1.95 million.

Operating the steering is just a joyous experience!

That is how light this thing is. That's not even glass.

No stereo so no TV theme tunes mercifully.

Yes, it is. No way! You're not...

Actually I pretended to be his brother

So, if you're driving around in that with AC/DC blaring out,

We're on tour right now. We just did Singapore for the first time

Presumably it's because you are used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

But it sure is fun.

1.51.5 at the bottom

you're not the fastest...

like they do in Which? magazine and they told us not to muck about.

insurance group and for that reason,

I mean, I like snorkelling but I don't go shopping

but look, 1.4 tonnes against generally two tonnes.

"Which one can do the best J-turn?"

'which we'd been told is something caravannists do a lot.'

Even though the Mazda is less expensive to buy,

shove it in that car park over there and we'll just wait for a tow truck.

'And the following morning, the memories were still with us.'

That's a five-wheel drift!

It has 30 or 40 more torques.

'The start point was several miles away from the site.

'but he'd also had the same idea as me about going off-road.'

This is what this car was designed to do.

'I kept my foot hard down.'

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May bring relief to flood-stricken areas of Britain by building a car that can turn into a hovercraft. After a bumpy start, the presenters demonstrate the brilliance of their creation with an eventful journey down the River Avon. Also in this show, Jeremy is on the track in the insane Mercedes SLS Black and the 739 horsepower SLS Electric, while Hollywood star Hugh Jackman is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

and partly it's because it produces 739 horsepowers.

You put it in sport-plus mode and put your foot down.

Three, two, one.

this should have the handling to match the immense grunt.

It feels twitchy and nervous. It feels like a thoroughbred.

And there's more.

So am I.

because he's trying to save juice.

I did it last week and the week before and the week before that,

They are indeed. I did an experiment to prove my 95mph point this morning

And a lot of houses are being built on flood plains,

such as Doncaster or Tewkesbury, because a hovercraft simply

It's going to have to be quite big, this car.

a certain amount of this cushion of air escapes out of the sides...

'..Richard set to work mounting the two motorcycle engines

'With the power issues settled, we went to work.

'unnecessarily heavy items had been removed, and our van was ready.'

Here at the back, the third engine - that's powering the thrust.

Or we could just call it the hovervan.

Engage thrust mode! Here we go!

You went in too quickly. It swamped.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Hugh Jackman!

I'm like, what kind of country do you live in when everybody reminisces about the summer of '76?

A really clever way.

Wolverine is literally at the bottom of his life.

..who has no reason to live.

I know exactly what you mean. No, my penis is too small.

he was sitting in the tub like this and he goes...

Have your kids ever gone through the car-sickness phase?

Let's play the tape.

Oh, can't believe I'm staying on there.

Now, in the back

With overhanging branches, submerged shopping trolleys

Here we go! 600 horsepower.

Too much! Too much! Oh, things are working. Steer it!

This is a great machine.

'Eventually, we arrived in the centre of Stratford,

That's amazing. We did a thing! We did a thing!

Why don't we just make a sign that says "sorry"?

Oh, no, we're stopping. What's happened? You've dropped the...

I am Mister Sulu, Scotty and Spock all rolled into one here.

Right, if you wind, I'll push. Ooohh! Look at this!

I can't breathe!

I don't think we'd be able to sell this for much less than

The three motoring enthusiasts head to Spain on a mission to help its struggling economy - but the convertible supercars they take are very expensive and anything but discreet. With Jeremy Clarkson in a McLaren MP4-12C, Richard Hammond driving a Ferrari 458 and James May behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10, the trio encounter mountain passes, empty towns and an abandoned airport before creating their own street circuit in a deserted Madrid development. Plus, Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness star Benedict Cumberbatch sets a lap time in the Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

It is the perfect car for a cash-strapped economy.

James set off, confident his grey Audi would be like a ghost.

Oh, this is astonishing.

'we saw just how badly hit Spain has been by the financial crisis.'

because he's got two more cylinders than we have. Yes.

What's my score? 105.

This is what the McLaren was always meant to be - open top.

is just how fast that McLaren is. Yes.

have fun in a nice car, I took a Ferrari to this road, and I said

You're driving along, don't have to take your hands off the wheel.

By the time you've got in your car, your dog had seen its opportunity

I've got some serious news.

I love that very much. Not sure about the car, though.

We actually asked our researchers to call up this company and say,

'So we were about to give up on our top speed run, but then...'

Seventh gear has just been hit. 175 miles an hour.

Well, I'm through and I've indicated...198.

Because your roof takes longer to go up. You can't set off at all until your roof is up.

Right, glasses on so I can read when the roof is latched.

Because they are Germans and it is impossible to paint a car badly.

'With that settled, we moved in.' Oh, it's nice!

I'd go with that entirely. Yes. Not very useful for the viewers.

I don't think you really want to hang on and watch that.

I'm not going to tell anyone. I can't.

End of my US career!

Not just with handcuffs either!

So, your MGT and a Golf Mitsubishi! Yeah!

Is anybody... Your dry-cleaning bills when my nose...!

But it was very scary.

Let's have a look.

No, that is pretty much perfect. Is it?

where Jeremy had cooked us dinner.

this will effectively repair the damage you've done to your car.

That's a dirty, dirty sound.

And now the final straight, up towards the finish line.

Jeremy Clarkson tests the sensational 730 horsepower Ferrari F12 in the wide open spaces of Scotland, Richard Hammond harnesses the power of motorsport to find the world's best taxi, and James May pays tribute to BBC Television Centre using a motorcyclist and a pair of parkour runners. Meanwhile, the extraordinary BAC Mono is put to the test on the track and movie director Ron Howard is the star in the brand new Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

I don't want to go into too many details, but let me put it this way.

The brakes, they're good. Gearbox is fantastic.

And it's not just the detailing that's beautiful, either.

And beautifully made. It's a piece of jewellery.

1.14.3.

the back of it as I'm riding along.

Now, who saw the British Grand Prix last weekend?

a level playing field to make it a drivers' championship. And it isn't.

I'd fit my Formula One car with time travel. Think about it.

"Can I park here? Can I park there? Where can I go?"

- It's now £2.3 million. - What? - Yeah. - For a second-hand car?

as the Ferrari the Ferrari, and it has four-wheel-drive.

And Britain's contribution to this effort needs no introduction.

Put this combination of man and machine together,

That means a race, and the venue for our global showdown

4.6 litre V8 and in its day, good for 130.

So if you think we've included a powerful rear-wheel drive

And in the black cab, me.

'for the drivers to avoid body contact.

I'd say more than back in, I am leading it.

Oh! Bad luck.

How are you? He's here!

And yet, it's neither of those things.

and when he saw this he began to realise what other

everyone over 40 that is, thinking that is a familiar face,

Eventually doing my first movie, which was a car movie,

And... - Yeah, Volvo doesn't work.

Look at that mighty machine leaping off the line.

And then on into Gambon and look at that grip. That's bloody good.

So today we'll be racing these two. Of which there are three.

leg of the question mark just approaching the curvy bit.

Oh.

You don't have to use all of it all the time.

to allow cooling air to pass on to the discs.

This isn't. This is light and nimble and sharp.

and then immediately you think, "No, actually. Too scary."

The motoring magazine returns with the action kicking off in New Zealand, as Jeremy Clarkson and James May race a car against a boat in a nail-biting battle up the beautiful coastline to the very tip of the North Island. The boat is a state-of-the-art America's Cup yacht, while the car is of a type many are familiar with yet have never before seen on Top Gear. Meanwhile, back in the UK, Richard Hammond attempts to find a hot hatch hero from a trio of newcomers, the Renaultsport Clio 200, Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Fiesta ST, and a cavalcade of top stars assemble at the track to welcome a brand new Reasonably Priced Car. MORE -LESS

the Renault is aimed squarely at today's computer geeks.

It might win, or come second...

It's not just about being nearer the ground.

It's almost as though all the planets aligned to make this car.

I'm told The Stig was listening to TV theme tunes there...

1.32.7, so it's in the middle, but it doesn't matter.

Has anybody ever gone halfway through a motorway

You were standing by the side of a presumably busy main road,

LAUGHTER

but probably ten seconds, he's got enough for a supercharged Jag.

Why don't you live at our end of it? Because my house is at the other end.

Or perhaps from Aberystwyth down through the Irish Sea

'And this is what he would be up against.

because do you know what makes this so fast?

It's right in front of us. In that bag?

12 knots, which is about 14mph in car terms.

'This speed, however, did have its downsides.'

'The £65-a-day hire car and the £700,000 boat hunkered down

Can you congratulate him for how good he was in both Gandhi

It's drawn applause and I'm not surprised.

'And soon everything was ready for our distinguished guests.'

'Since this was the maiden voyage for our new car,

'And whilst he was on the track,

I need to set a good lap time and how can I if this sort of disintegrates. "Is that his excuse?

Right, good. I'll leave the two of you alone. OK. Just to get to know each other.

who made a beeline for the boxing machine.

Good to meet you, how are you? Good, thank you.

Joss, I have your time written down over here.

Look who it is.

If you're just hiding from him, he's one of the nicest people...

It's his hobby, but I think natural ability...tough to beat.

So where do you think you've come?

But I was very miserable.

MUSIC: "Always Take the Weather With You" by Crowded House

'I decided to use my sat phone to see where Jeremy was.'

'My plan was working well, but then the gravel ran out.'

Sir Ben Ainslie, sir? Yes!

Come on, James, give us a hand! It's not a bloody love boat.