What are your Top Gear greatest hits?

[white_goodman]

I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole yesterday evening watching some of my favourite Top Gear films. I've been a fan of the show since "old" Top Gear in the 80s/90s when it was a bit more factual, the only way to experience some of the world's best cars pre-internet and Tiff Needell certainly did some great segments but with the exception of a slightly iffy start, the Clarkson/Hammond/May era for me was really next level in terms of cinema quality film. For me, I don't think that The Grand Tour (with the exception of "The Holy Trinity" first episode) ever quite scaled the same heights, certainly in the more traditional format but the feature length "adventure" episodes were certainly entertaining and worked better in that era I think.

Despite being a bit too much of a caricature of himself sometimes, I still think that Mr Clarkson is probably still the GOAT and made some of the best new car films in the later Clarkson/Hammond/May "Top Gear" days and occasionally raised some good points. Here are some of his most memorable films for me and of some of my all-time favourite cars.

BMW M5 V10 - A car that he appeared to hate at first and appeared to be overcomplicated when it's predecessor was so well set-up out of the box but it all changed at the press of a button!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRwR1WH0rR8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnZVkdzXzFQ

Aston Martin V12 Vantage - who could forget this "less is more" film, which completely captured the essence of the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0Svvdrx_E

Ferrari F12 - the suggestion was that this was the first car which was too fast/powerful to enjoy and I think that is a problem with a lot of modern performance cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ed8pBMel4

Original Jaguar F-Type review - refreshingly simple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6KFA7p7_aQ

Mercedes-Benz CLK Black Series - the noise!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdWiYq5ups

But I did enjoy Hammond's review of the V10 Audi RS6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwnto05elCE

Of the ensemble stuff, this one inspired me to go and do this trip. I'll take the Gallardo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUF-N8BsBmU&t=...

The bank robbery was memorable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcYbckFZFsc

This one was surprisingly emotional from a time when it was still good to be British.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmcmqTAu6b8

But I will concede that the first episode of "The Grand Tour" was pretty epic and Hammond looks genuinely terrified in the P1!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_SApLJ3puA

I enjoyed Fifth Gear more for the old car stuff, as it was a bit more reverential towards those modern classics. So whether it be from "old" Top Gear, Clarkson/Hammond/May era "Top Gear" or even post-Clarkson/Hammond/May, what are your "Top Gear" greatest hits (feel free to share links)?

Edited by white_goodman on Wednesday 19th November 19:48

[200Plus Club]

The one where they nearly drowned in the harbour in their "amphibious vehicles" stands out to me. And the Texas cow juice episode. Got a bit boring and samey unfortunately though as a series.

[baconsarney]

Nail on head for me, Clarkson driving the V12 Vantage…. Epic….

[zetec]

baconsarney said:

Nail on head for me, Clarkson driving the V12 Vantage . Epic .

The soundtrack too, Brian Eno, it was a superb piece of filming.

[zetec]

The episode in Albania with the RR Ghost, Merc S Class AMG and the Bentley/Yugo. The airfield drag race, you get a real sense of speed as the RR and Merc catch up and overtake the Bentley.

https://youtu.be/NGKLy9v2XBw?si=uTUPqFG7g73fKmDi

[Alex_225]

Just all of it, which sounds like a cop out but when I started watching Top Gear I was about 21 and owned my first sporty car (Clio 172). So I've had Clarkson and co on the screen pretty much half of my life. I will re-watch Top Gear and GT weekly right from the early, pre-James May season to the last episodes.

For me there are some highlights. Idle of Man in the BMW M6, 911 and Aston. The Vietnam and the Polar specials. The RR Phantom on the Humber bridge.........I could go on and on haha.

[baconsarney]

The Vietnam episode with the Stars and Stripes scooter was mad, and Clarkson was lucky to survive the I’m gay and in Texas one

[OctiMoron]

Ones that I still recall as most evocative or long lived in the memory for other reasons are -

BMW 1M (Clarkson)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWade6BV40

Porsche 918 at Yas Marina (Hammond)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSqzp3kdAm4

Trying to build a Caterham from scratch (May, amusingly trying to manage the other two)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JxPNMwDTZ4

[williamp]

Tiff in the Mclaren F1
Clarkson in the Vantage in 1993 with the Pink Floyd music.

Like Red Dwarf, Top gear in the 90s was also something you talked about in the playground the next day.

[Sir Keith Stormer]

Clarkson and the Vectra, comedy gold.

[Konan]

zetec said:

baconsarney said:

Nail on head for me, Clarkson driving the V12 Vantage . Epic .

The soundtrack too, Brian Eno, it was a superb piece of filming.

Didn't he say 'This is an ending' over 'An Ending' on that?

I remember at the time wondering if it was deliberate or someone had a quick Google.

[biggbn]

Clarkson in Ferrari F12. Despite his assertion it was too powerful, too fast, it just made it one of the only supercars of the modern day that I genuinely love...

[S16UNN]

Reliant Robin Space Shuttle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJdrlWR-yFM

[itcaptainslow]

Tiff in the S1 Elise. Watching that as a nine year old made me want one, and I'm fortunate I've been able to own a few (and still have a S3!).

zetec said:

baconsarney said:

Nail on head for me, Clarkson driving the V12 Vantage . Epic .

The soundtrack too, Brian Eno, it was a superb piece of filming.

Yes, it was a bit special, that. Encapsulated the car & mood perfectly.

Edited by itcaptainslow on Wednesday 19th November 21:29

[bobthemonkey]

Echo a lot of the above, but want to add the over-the-top review of normal car series that was proper laugh out loud funny; the Ford Fiesta amphibious landing, the Kia Ceed as Clapton's guitar amp and drowning Ross Kemp in Belfast harbour.

In the Grand Tour era, the Eastern European road trip has got to be in with a shout, containing both "I broke Stalin's house" and stealing the waxwork Nigel Mansell.

[LARK F1 GTR]

The Audi R8, Ferrari 458 & McLaren 12C Spider episode. Oh it's all disused, shall we just find a house to stay in?

[sixor8]

baconsarney said:

The Vietnam episode with the Stars and Stripes scooter was mad, and Clarkson was lucky to survive the I m gay and in Texas one

The Vietnam stuff was entertaining but the rubbish about him not riding a motorcycle was drivel. He rode a Ducati 916 round Monaco for a programme years before. Yes it's scripted, but still.

[Ecosseven]

The journey to the north pole in the modified hilux was a standout for me.

Also liked the races across Europe. Clearly scripted but enjoyable all the same. Aston DB9 was the first I think, followed by the Ferrari 612, Veyron, and Mustang GT500.

Enjoyed the South American road trip in Peru with Flintoff, McGuiness, and Harris.

[Paul Dishman]

The episode when Clarkson, May, Hammond and at least two Stigs competed in the Britcar 24 hour race at Silverstone. I drove the Safety Car for the start and can be seen, in the distance, pulling my helmet on and getting into the car.
The only person with a speaking part was my brother in law James Tucker who was the race organiser.

[Mr Tidy]

I loved the one where James May swapped a Fisker with Brian Johnson's 1928 4 and a half litre Bentley daily driver!

But later episodes had some classic moments like when Chris Evans chucked up after some fast laps by legendary Sabine - RIP.