Top Gear/Season 8 Episode 1

Season 8 Episode 1
Season 8, Episode 1
Airdate	May 7, 2006
Written by
Directed by	Brian Klein
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Top Gear — Season Eight

Episode One of the eighth season of Top Gear, and is episode sixty-seven overall.

Guest Stars: Jimmy Carr, Alan Davies, Trevor Eve, Les Ferdinand, Justin Hawkins, James Hewitt, Rick Wakeman

Information

Nissan Micra Convertible

Richard Hammond reviews the 15,000 GBP (about 27,800 USD) Nissan Micra Convertible. The price is a lot, but the biggest worry to Hammond is that the model he's testing is bright pink. It has an electric folding roof that takes 22 seconds to fold down, which Hammond feels is a long time. On the plus side it still has a lot of trunk space. Hammand's model is the top-of-the-line version with a 1.6 L engine producing 108 hp. It can push itself to 119 mph, but Hammond says you don't want to go that fast with the roof down as it wobbles like it's made of cardboard.

Convertible People Carrier

Jeremy Clarkson wonders why no one has made a convertible people carrier before and asks how hard it could be? So the boys decide to find out — using a Renault Espace. James May says that because the Espace has a proper chassis and only plastic bodywork they could, theoretically, cut the roof off without making it too weak. While cutting into the Espace, Hammond and Clarkson both manage to shatter windows that they needed to have intact. With the roof removed, the boys decide to take the Espace for a spin. Afterwards, they get down to constructing the convertible roof. With it constructed they take the Espace out on a few challenges. The first challenge is to take the Espace up to 100 mph without anything falling off. Once they get past 50 mph, the roof begins to collapse, but they manage to make it to 100 mph. The next challenge is to drive the Espace through the Woburn Safari Park with wild animals, where convertibles are normally not allowed into. After making it through the safari park, the last challenge is to take the Espace through an automated car wash. Inside, the roof begins to collapse and the boys abandon the Espace.

Honda Civic

James May reviews the new Honda Civic. It has normal doors, a normal engine, a normal hatchback, but the styling is from outer space. And the styling continues inside. It has a huge rev counter with a blue halo around it, and even tells you if the passengers in the back have their seatbelts on. May exclaims that even the hazard lights button is flashy with a translucent finish. May's Civic is a mid-range model with a 1.8 L engine and costs about 15,000 GBP (about 27,800 USD) — about the same as a Ford Focus and a little less than a VW Golf. The bad news is that the ride gets a bit choppy at high speeds and the car could use more sound insulation.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

After 1,600 laps around the test track, 400 tires, 400 brake pads, 6 clutches, 2 gear linkages, and 1 wing mirror it's time to put the Suzuki Liana out to pasture. Replacing the Liana is a 10,000 GBP (about 18,500 USD), 1.8 L, 119 bhp Chevrolet Lacetti (known as a Suzuki Forenza in the U.S.). It's more powerful and faster than the Liana, which means the old celebrity lap time board is gone. In order to get the new celebrity lap board going, Clarkson and Hammond invited celebrities to come down to the test track. However, new rules apply. In the past, celebrities got 5-6 practice laps and their best time out of those counted as their timed lap. Now the celebrities get 5 practice laps and their sixth lap counts as the timed lap.

James Hewitt (Well-Spoken Man) races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.47.6. Alan Davies races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.50.3. Trevor Eve races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.47.0, after destroying the clutch with only 26 miles on the Lacetti. Jimmy Carr races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 2.08.9. Justin Hawkins, of the band The Darkness, races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.48.4. Rick Wakeman races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.55.3. Les Ferdinand races the Chevrolet Lacetti around the test track in 1.47.4.

Koenigsegg CCX

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Koenigsegg CCX. Clarkson remarks that the first Koenigsegg is still quite a car — it still holds the record for the biggest speeding ticket ever issued at 242 mph in Texas. The CCX is even faster. The old car topped out on the test track at 174 mph, and the CCX tops out at 193 mph — the fastest car that's ever been on the test track. 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and, given enough space, it can get up to 250 mph. The entire car is made from carbon fiber, it's very slippery, and it has a Koenigsegg-built engine. The engine is a twin-supercharged, 4.7 L V8 that produces 806 bhp. And if you tune the engine to run on environmentally-friendly biofuel, it develops 900 bhp. The engine noise is phenomenal, making Clarkson wonder why Koenigsegg bothered putting a radio inside. The reason why it has a radio, and why it's a bit taller than the old Koenigsegg, is that it's supposed to be easier to drive and easier to live with. You still get the vertically opening doors and the detachable roof. There's no rear spoiler to push the massive rear tires onto the road and there's no traction control. The Koenigsegg CCX costs 415,000 GBP (about 768,000 USD).

The Stig takes the Koenigsegg CCX around the test track in 1.20.4. However, the Stig belives he could get it around faster. But, during the attempt, the Stig loses the back-end of the CCX and crashes it into a tire wall. Koenigsegg announced that they're taking the CCX back, mounting a rear wing on it, and then bringing it back to the test track to have another go.

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