Top Gear/Season 1 Episode 2

Season 1 Episode 2
Season 1, Episode 2
Airdate	October 27, 2002
Written by
Directed by
← 1x01 Season 1 Episode 1	1x03 → Season 1 Episode 3
Top Gear — Season One

Episode Two of the first season of Top Gear, and is episode two overall.

Guest Stars: Jay Kay

Information

Ford Focus RS

Jeremy Clarkson shows off the Ford Focus RS. Ford promised over 300 bhp and AWD, but it only has front-wheel drive and 212 bhp. To get a good look at its competition, they've put The Stig in a Subaru Impreza WRX and he took it around the test track in 1.39.0. The Stig then takes a Honda Civic Type R around the test track in 1.38.6. Finally, The Stig takes the Ford Focus RS around the test track in 1.33.8.

Deciding to drive the Focus RS out in the real world, Clarkson takes the car to a place with empty roads and where no one wants to live — Wales. Clarkson remarks that there's not much in the interior of the Focus RS which would suggest it can smoke an Impreza WRX, aside from the sporty seats, starter button and hideous steering wheel. It feels and sounds like a normal 3-door Focus. It has a 2.0 L turbocharged engine producing 212 bhp, but it doesn't have the same straight-line "oomph" as a Subaru Impreza WRX. It's two seconds slower going 0-100 than the Impreza WRX. The reason why it beat the Impreza WRX is because it corners like out of a cartoon. It has a new type of differential at the front which seemingly feels like you can take any corner at any speed with absolute ease and endless grip. It costs less than 20,000 GBP (about 36,400 USD) — a super car for super market prices. The trouble is, however, the differential causes the car to go in the direction of wherever the wheels are pointed, even if that's not the direction you want to go.

Jumping a Bus Over Bikes

Richard Hammond decides to see if you can jump a bus over 14 bikes. 14 bikes is about 30 feet and the bus is a 1970's double-decker Daimler Fleetline. The bus manages to clear three of the bikes.

Noble M12 GTO

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Noble M12 GTO. Its plastic body is manufactured in South Africa, shipped to England, and mated to a Ford Mondeo engine. It's comfortable with plenty of space inside, air conditioning, and adjustable steering wheel. However, Clarkson finds the engine noise to be extraordinary and likens it to Darth Vader. The engine has twin turbos, pushing the car from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 165 mph. It's not the power ot the looks that set the Noble apart, however, it's the way it goes around corners. It absolutely will not understeer due to its tons and tons of grip. At 40,000 GBP (about 72,700 USD) it's a bargain. However, the windows don't go all the way down and its turning radius is horrendous.

The Stig takes the Noble M12 GTO around the test track in 1.32.9 in the wet.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

This week's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is Jay Kay, an English musician and lead singer of Jamiroquai. Jay Kay races the Suzuki Liana around the test track in 1.48.1.

RS Ford Cars

Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond show a video of RS owners driving their cars around the test track. Featuring the Ford Escort RS, Ford Sierra RS, and Ford Capri RS. Hammond then shows a video of Clarkson driving the Ford RS200 and crashing it into a ditch.

Insider Dealing

Jason Dawe explains that the 14,500 GBP (about 26,400 USD) Citroën C5 isn't selling well. He was offered a brand-new Citroën C5 for only 10,000 GBP (about 18,200 USD). A new Rover 75 model is coming out, so dealer's are dropping down the prices of the older model. If you want to buy a used supermini, such as the Citroën Saxo or Fiat Cinquecentro, now is the time. The new BMW 7 Series has caused the older models to drop in value significantly, so now is the time to buy a used one if you're looking. Dawe also suggests to buy a used car with higher mileage as you can get a more new used car with higher mileage for about the same price as an older used car with lower mileage.

Ford Escort RS 1800

Richard Hammond reviews the Ford Escort RS 1800. It was only made for two years and killed off in 1977. The RS 1800 is Ford's most successful rally car ever, and is still used in some smaller rally's and still wins. It only has 115 bhp, but the engine was incredibly high tech stuff back in the 70's. 4.9 million Ford Escorts were sold in the UK and only 109 of those were Ford Escort RS 1800's, and out of those there are only 25 running today. Out of those 109 made, only two were red and only one of those survived.

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