148Series 19, Episode 127 January 2013Damian Lewis
Review: Richard reviews the Pagani Huayra, the latest supercar from the Italian manufacturer. The car is capable of savage acceleration, with a lot of attention placed into the bodywork, interior and utilizing cutting edge technology. Despite the massive twin-turbo engine and horsepower, thanks to its sophisticated aerodynamic package, the car can easily be driven hard without the risk of spinning. The Huayra also set the fastest time on the Top Gear Test Track in the hands of The Stig, 1:13.8, beating the previous record, set by the Ariel Atom V8.
News: The Dacia Sandero is now on sale in the UK. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black has been updated to produce extra horsepower, but the handling is still challenging. Jeremy claims that he has found a male equivalent version of Fifty Shades of Grey, presenting a kid"s book about tractors. The new Chevrolet Stingray is announced. James May turned fifty the previous week. Also, the rally team composed of war amputees (previously mentioned in series 17, episode 6) finally completed their challenge of finishing the 2013 Dakar Rally.
Review: James reviews the new Bentley Continental GT, and notes the new engine and subtle ride characteristics. Believing that the Bentley, with four wheel drive system and a big, powerful engine, can handle things worse than a Welsh countryside road, James takes the car onto a Welsh stage of the World Rally Championship, with Kris Meeke behind the wheel, and James being the co-driver. Despite the car having less grip, more weight, an electronic handbrake (unsuitable for usage on a rally stage) and James not being proficient at giving pace notes, the Bentley was actually faster than one of the full WRC cars.
Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Damian Lewis takes his turn in the car, and drifts the Kia Cee"d around the snow-coated test track and crosses the finish line sideways, setting the slowest ever time of 2:09.1. Jeremy cheers Damian up by making a separate board for snow (he justs put the time underneath and to the side of the fastest lap time on that board) and says that he is the fastest driver ever on their "snow board".
Challenge: Jeremy attempts to build a car smaller than the Peel P50, naming his creation the P45. It was based on a quad bike, with bodywork fitted, designed to wrap around the driver. He then presented his idea to the "Dragons" in a Dragons" Den style format. All of the dragons declare themselves "out" and back in the studio, Richard concludes that for the P45 to be put in production, Jeremy would have to be dead.
149Series 19, Episode 23 February 2013Mick Fleetwood
Challenge, Part 1: In another challenge, the presenters picked three super cars to take on an epic race. Since it was Hammond"s turn to select the challenge location, the team went to the Western United States. Jeremy selected the Lexus LFA, James chose the new Aston Martin Vanquish, and Richard took the SRT Viper. After a brief drive in the Nevada desert, the trio headed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, specifically the drag strip, to compete in drag races organized by the Las Vegas Police Department; whom organized it with the theory that allowing people to drag race, legally, at a closed circuit, would prevent street racing. Despite the high performance of their cars, the trio were beaten by modified production cars, and 4WD cars, in each of their drag races.
News: Jeremy comes up with a solution on how to solve the crisis affecting Britain"s town centres: sacking all traffic wardens and removing double yellow lines. The trio then review a Chinese product designed to stop drowsiness behind the wheel, before they took a first look at the 2013 Jaguar F-Type. They praised its styling, but criticized its high price tag of ￡60,000, as well as its target audience. James mentions Peugeot Citroen"s car intended to run on compressed air; Jeremy attempted to use a fire extinguisher to demonstrate, but failed after only causing himself to turn slowly around.
Challenge, Part 2.: After leaving Las Vegas, James and Richard make fun of Jeremy"s LFA for lacking not only Bluetooth connection and iPod connectors, but cup holders, despite being the most expensive car. They are then tasked to head to Willow Springs International Motorsports Park, but they instead stop on a grooved road, where each car drives over the grooves and produces notes. When they reach Willow Springs, they are forced to play an aerial version of Laser Quest, where they would drive 5 laps around the track, whilst being chased by two Aermacchi SF.260 armed with laser guns. In the end, James won the challenge by being hit only 17 times.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Fleetwood Mac"s Mick Fleetwood drove the Kia Cee"d around the Test Track with a lap of 1:45.4.
Challenge, Part 3: Departing Willow Springs, the group headed for Los Angeles, Californi...