1
00:00:11,188 --> 00:00:13,988
On tonight's Holiday programme
we go to San Francisco
in California,

2
00:00:14,748 --> 00:00:20,588
we have a night out in Reno, Nevada-
and we end up on the salt flats
of Bonneville.

3
00:00:28,628 --> 00:00:30,748
Thank you, hello.

4
00:00:31,108 --> 00:00:32,388
Hello and welcome.

5
00:00:33,348 --> 00:00:36,308
Now that's all to come. But first,

6
00:00:37,188 --> 00:00:41,108
ever since Mr Barclays stop
lending money to Mr Lloyd and

7
00:00:41,868 --> 00:00:46,828
Mr Rock was bought by Mr Brown,
sales of flash new cars have
almost completely stopped.

8
00:00:47,908 --> 00:00:53,988
So does this mean it's the end
of the road for the petrolhead
or can you still have fun for 8p?

9
00:00:56,908 --> 00:01:01,268
This is the Fiat 500
and first things first,
James May doesn't like it at all.

10
00:01:03,228 --> 00:01:05,828
He says it's too cutesy, too twee.

11
00:01:07,508 --> 00:01:10,468
Mind you, we're talking about a
man who says if he came to power,

12
00:01:11,108 --> 00:01:15,948
his first job would be to
carpet-bomb the Cotswold town
of Burford.

13
00:01:19,948 --> 00:01:25,548
I, on the other hand, wouldn't bomb-
Burford so I like the little
Fiat a lot.

14
00:01:26,268 --> 00:01:29,948
Its £4,000 cheaper than a Mini,
it's also smaller,

15
00:01:30,468 --> 00:01:32,948
more economical
and I think better looking.

16
00:01:36,548 --> 00:01:38,188
And best of all, and I
know it this is a concept

17
00:01:38,828 --> 00:01:44,428
Eeyore May doesn't understand,
this car makes you feel happy.

18
00:01:46,428 --> 00:01:47,708
Yeah.

19
00:01:49,748 --> 00:01:52,628
And now there's a new version
and that's even better.

20
00:01:57,228 --> 00:02:00,028
This mad little scamp
is the 500 Abarth and
here are the headlines.

21
00:02:02,308 --> 00:02:08,268
The 1.4 litre engine
has been turbocharged,
producing 135 horsepower.

22
00:02:08,948 --> 00:02:12,428
It'll do 130mph.

23
00:02:15,228 --> 00:02:23,308
That's brilliant, except the car
I'm driving now is the SS version,
which produces 160 horsepower.

24
00:02:25,388 --> 00:02:30,028
160 horsepower
in a car the size of a shoe!

25
00:02:30,508 --> 00:02:31,908
That's fantastic.

26
00:02:38,508 --> 00:02:39,828
Heel and toe.

27
00:02:47,148 --> 00:02:49,268
With all that power going
through the front wheels,

28
00:02:51,108 --> 00:02:53,068
there's a bit of tug at the
steering
wheel - that's to be expected.

29
00:02:53,548 --> 00:02:55,548
The ride is quite bouncy.

30
00:02:58,228 --> 00:03:00,068
However, there's no bounciness
in the cheque you'll have to write

31
00:03:00,708 --> 00:03:04,868
because prices are going
to start at just £13,500.

32
00:03:08,108 --> 00:03:10,588
It's not what you'd
call barren in here.

33
00:03:11,228 --> 00:03:14,268
It's got a slot down here
into which you can plug your...

34
00:03:14,628 --> 00:03:15,308
Windows.

35
00:03:15,948 --> 00:03:21,788
It's got air-conditioning,
MP3 connectivity, a CD player
and a radio that plays...

36
00:03:22,508 --> 00:03:24,748
CRACKLE
Static.

37
00:03:26,908 --> 00:03:30,228
Although this could be Radio 1.

38
00:03:30,868 --> 00:03:35,508
You could solve that by fitting
an aerial and then you'd end up
with

39
00:03:36,108 --> 00:03:41,108
a small cuddly pet mouse that
can be used for killing burglars.

40
00:03:41,708 --> 00:03:47,188
However, there's one teeny
little thing that's niggling me.

41
00:03:47,828 --> 00:03:52,108
You see Abarth is to Fiat
what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz.

42
00:03:52,588 --> 00:03:55,188
It's an in-house tuning company.

43
00:03:55,988 --> 00:03:59,228
Only they're much, much more mad.

44
00:03:59,828 --> 00:04:02,788
For example, in the '80s
they got hold of the Strada

45
00:04:03,468 --> 00:04:05,388
and they fitted these
fabulous bucket seats.

46
00:04:06,228 --> 00:04:06,908
They were brilliant.

47
00:04:07,508 --> 00:04:08,588
Except you couldn't
tilt them forward

48
00:04:09,228 --> 00:04:12,148
because the headrest hit
the roof and so
you couldn't get in the back.

49
00:04:13,828 --> 00:04:18,108
That was nothing compared
to what they did to the 600.

50
00:04:18,708 --> 00:04:20,708
What they did
was tweaked the engine.

51
00:04:21,468 --> 00:04:24,868
And then they found the only way
of keeping it cool was to run
with the boot lid open.

52
00:04:25,388 --> 00:04:29,188
And then they found if they opened
the boot lid fully, in made the car

53
00:04:30,428 --> 00:04:33,108
11 kilometres an hour faster,
so this is how it was sold.

54
00:04:33,628 --> 00:04:35,588
With a boot lid
that can't be closed.

55
00:04:36,348 --> 00:04:40,388
That and seats that won't fold
forward, that's the Abarth way.

56
00:04:45,428 --> 00:04:48,468
And that's the niggle I have
with the new 500.

57
00:04:48,988 --> 00:04:51,588
Where's the lunacy?

58
00:04:55,668 --> 00:04:57,548
If we X-ray it, we find
the floor from a Panda,

59
00:04:58,188 --> 00:05:00,788
the engine from a Punto,

60
00:05:03,268 --> 00:05:07,708
a shape from the '60s
and some Abarth badges.

61
00:05:11,428 --> 00:05:14,388
Behind the louvres and the big
wheels and the lowered suspension,

62
00:05:15,028 --> 00:05:19,188
we find it has
seating for four - just.

63
00:05:20,388 --> 00:05:22,868
And a boot which is big enough
for things.

64
00:05:24,828 --> 00:05:27,628
On the move, it doesn't bark
or try to and turn itself
into an oven glove.

65
00:05:28,148 --> 00:05:33,388
And if you try to drive it with the-
bonnet open, it doesn't work at all.

66
00:05:34,548 --> 00:05:37,428
I can't see where I'm going!

67
00:05:37,788 --> 00:05:39,588
I can't see a thing.

68
00:05:45,588 --> 00:05:47,708
This car isn't mad in any way.

69
00:05:48,468 --> 00:05:52,268
But on the up side,
it's a pretty serious little racer.

70
00:05:58,428 --> 00:06:01,828
Listen to the noise - it growls.
Grrrr.

71
00:06:02,228 --> 00:06:05,428
I'm only this big but
I'm a Lamborghini really.

72
00:06:06,148 --> 00:06:08,788
I am, I really am. I promise.

73
00:06:10,428 --> 00:06:13,628
Look in here, it's got a steering
wheel trimmed in red and black like

74
00:06:14,148 --> 00:06:17,348
a man's wash bag and it's got
body-hugging leather seats and a

75
00:06:17,988 --> 00:06:22,948
button here that makes
more talk and another button
that does something racy.

76
00:06:23,788 --> 00:06:29,148
Look at this. A turbo boost gauge
the size of a fat spaniel's face.

77
00:06:32,948 --> 00:06:35,348
It corners well too.

78
00:06:35,828 --> 00:06:40,468
It's poised, composed, tidy,
no histrionics.

79
00:06:40,988 --> 00:06:43,708
You see, I told you I
was a Lamborghini. I am!

80
00:06:48,828 --> 00:06:51,948
In many ways, it reminds
me of the original Golf GTi.

81
00:06:52,588 --> 00:06:56,228
It's just a genuinely good,
small fast car.

82
00:07:04,428 --> 00:07:05,348
APPLAUSE

83
00:07:08,228 --> 00:07:09,908
I love it. I really love it.

84
00:07:10,548 --> 00:07:15,388
But as I said in the film, I do
miss some of that Abarth idiocy.

85
00:07:16,468 --> 00:07:17,868
What you're saying is it

86
00:07:18,468 --> 00:07:20,748
Yes. But you're just being obtuse.

87
00:07:21,348 --> 00:07:24,028
You're the one that wants to
attack the Cotswolds.

88
00:07:24,868 --> 00:07:26,868
Anyway, we must now find out how
fast it goes around our track.

89
00:07:27,388 --> 00:07:30,108
That means handing it over
to our tame racing driver.

90
00:07:31,148 --> 00:07:35,068
Some say he invented November.

91
00:07:36,828 --> 00:07:39,148
And that if he won the
World Championship in Brazil
last weekend,

92
00:07:39,788 --> 00:07:44,388
there might have been one
photograph of him without his
father gurning in the back of shot.

93
00:07:45,868 --> 00:07:48,108
All we know is
he's called the Stig.

94
00:07:49,828 --> 00:07:53,828
He's off, wheel spin there.This is
the first front-wheel-drive car
we've had on the track for a while.

95
00:07:54,468 --> 00:07:56,428
He's charging down
to the first corner.

96
00:07:57,508 --> 00:07:59,628
The hazards come on, hard braking.

97
00:08:00,148 --> 00:08:02,748
A sensible safety feature, not at
all what you want from an Abarth.

98
00:08:03,108 --> 00:08:04,628
MORSE CODE

99
00:08:09,588 --> 00:08:14,828
Stig's still listening to Morse
code - better than static, I
suppose as he squeaks round Chicago.

100
00:08:15,308 --> 00:08:16,948
And now down to the hammerhead.

101
00:08:19,028 --> 00:08:22,948
More hazard flashing but
it's front-wheel-drive

102
00:08:23,588 --> 00:08:27,348
Yes there's a limit to
the little terrier's grip.

103
00:08:27,828 --> 00:08:30,188
Yet he's got it all gathered
up in no time. Good boy.

104
00:08:35,748 --> 00:08:36,868
MORSE CODE

105
00:08:37,548 --> 00:08:40,228
Maybe he's signalling
to his home planet.

106
00:08:40,828 --> 00:08:43,428
Scampering through follow through,
panting and growling past the tyres.

107
00:08:43,948 --> 00:08:47,588
This kind of car would try to make
love to your leg. Two corners left.

108
00:08:48,548 --> 00:08:50,668
Clinging on bravely through there.

109
00:08:51,428 --> 00:08:55,428
Now coming up to Gambon,
turns in, kicks up some dust
and across the line.

110
00:08:56,028 --> 00:08:57,068
APPLAUSE

111
00:09:02,388 --> 00:09:03,908
Now...

112
00:09:04,628 --> 00:09:06,868
let's not forget
the little Fiat costs

113
00:09:07,348 --> 00:09:12,828
£756,000 less
than the Zonda F.

114
00:09:13,548 --> 00:09:15,908
You'd expect it to be
right down here.

115
00:09:16,988 --> 00:09:20,548
And it is. It's 135.5.

116
00:09:21,028 --> 00:09:23,188
And now let's do the news.

117
00:09:24,628 --> 00:09:27,468
And that little Fiat, I just love it.

118
00:09:27,948 --> 00:09:31,308
Seeing it on the telly as it bounces-
round a track, it's great.

119
00:09:32,028 --> 00:09:36,428
But if for some reason,
you're like Eeyore,
you don't want one of those...

120
00:09:37,108 --> 00:09:38,308
Are you wearing that for a bet?

121
00:09:40,828 --> 00:09:42,228
Yeah. OK. Go on.

122
00:09:43,828 --> 00:09:48,428
If, like Eeyore, you don't want one
of those, there's an alternative
super-fast micro car.

123
00:09:48,908 --> 00:09:50,908
This Renault Twingo 133.

124
00:09:52,348 --> 00:09:56,308
It's 0-68.7 seconds, 125 miles an
hour, not quite as fast as the Fiat.

125
00:09:56,908 --> 00:09:59,868
But more importantly that,
even with the clever

126
00:10:00,748 --> 00:10:07,148
sports chassis, a 650 quid option,
is still 1300 quid less
than the Fiat.

127
00:10:09,228 --> 00:10:11,548
That's extremely
good value for money. I love it.

128
00:10:12,188 --> 00:10:13,468
We've got one of those
in the studio over there.

129
00:10:15,028 --> 00:10:16,788
I've been driving at this
morning and I think it's excellent.

130
00:10:17,388 --> 00:10:18,428
Honestly, having
driven both of them,

131
00:10:19,428 --> 00:10:23,788
the Fiat is £1,000 more but it's
worth it. Does that make sense?

132
00:10:25,308 --> 00:10:32,428
And there's more fast small car
news from Renault with this,
which is the Megane R26R.

133
00:10:33,028 --> 00:10:34,308
I think that looks
really great as well.

134
00:10:35,748 --> 00:10:39,108
I saw that and thought
of you straight away.

135
00:10:39,548 --> 00:10:42,028
I thought what that James May is
going to want is a hatchback with

136
00:10:42,708 --> 00:10:47,068
red wheels, six-point harnesses,
a carbon fibre bonnet,
plastic windows.

137
00:10:48,148 --> 00:10:51,828
And James, it's French,
who you like to think of as
lamb-burning Communists.

138
00:10:52,428 --> 00:10:54,788
It's perfect for you in every way.
How did you arrive at wanting that?

139
00:10:55,748 --> 00:10:59,548
Because I like it.
James, you'd have to have literally

140
00:11:00,748 --> 00:11:03,548
no penis at all to buy a
car like that.

141
00:11:05,548 --> 00:11:07,748
How do you work that out?
We're always being told that

142
00:11:08,628 --> 00:11:12,428
the flashness of your car
is inversely proportionate
to the size...

143
00:11:13,028 --> 00:11:14,788
Am I talking sense here, girls?

144
00:11:16,908 --> 00:11:20,428
So the larger the man's car
and flasher it is, the vegetable
thing goes on.

145
00:11:21,068 --> 00:11:25,908
Is that right?
And you're saying that to a man
with a 1.2 litre Fiat Panda.

146
00:11:27,988 --> 00:11:31,188
Mr Swollen Wheel Arches
Mercedes CLK Black.

147
00:11:31,948 --> 00:11:33,548
He has a point there.
You've got a Ford Mustang.

148
00:11:34,228 --> 00:11:35,788
Let's move on.

149
00:11:37,108 --> 00:11:38,028
Can we stop talking about cars?

150
00:11:38,668 --> 00:11:42,188
Well, we weren't talking about cars.-
Not latterly,
but we were to start with.

151
00:11:43,108 --> 00:11:44,908
I want to congratulate
Lewis Hamilton.

152
00:11:45,388 --> 00:11:47,748
I think we all should.
CHEERING

153
00:11:48,468 --> 00:11:50,468
What a race, what a man.

154
00:11:50,948 --> 00:11:53,788
Well done. What a performance.

155
00:11:54,428 --> 00:11:56,188
A couple of tips
if you're watching, Lewis.

156
00:11:57,188 --> 00:12:02,668
We saw in the paper here
that his girlfriend said, the
one from the Pussycat Dolls -

157
00:12:06,108 --> 00:12:07,788
That's what she said after the race.

158
00:12:08,388 --> 00:12:12,308
We then saw in another paper that
he'd done this -

159
00:12:12,668 --> 00:12:14,068
Stayed up until 9am.

160
00:12:14,828 --> 00:12:19,788
If you've got a Pussycat Doll
saying you're going to get it
tonight, go to bed and have it.

161
00:12:20,668 --> 00:12:23,268
Maybe he didn't realise what
she meant. "I've already won it."

162
00:12:23,708 --> 00:12:25,748
No, not that!

163
00:12:26,348 --> 00:12:29,548
How could he get it so wrong?
We're a bit baffled by that.

164
00:12:30,388 --> 00:12:34,428
Next year, this is the good thing
about Formula One,
it's coming home to the BBC.

165
00:12:35,388 --> 00:12:36,908
CHEERING

166
00:12:37,508 --> 00:12:39,508
No adverts.

167
00:12:40,148 --> 00:12:44,268
The only problem we've got is there
are some people speculating

168
00:12:45,508 --> 00:12:48,668
the person getting the commentary
job, going to be the modern-day
Murray Walker, is Richard Hammond.

169
00:12:49,188 --> 00:12:51,788
I've seen that in the papers.
It came as a surprise.

170
00:12:52,348 --> 00:12:55,468
He's never watched a Formula One
race in his life. No, actually.

171
00:12:57,388 --> 00:12:59,668
You weren't even watching last
weekend. No. I was driving home.

172
00:13:00,588 --> 00:13:03,068
Did you look around and think
"The traffic's quiet tonight?"

173
00:13:03,548 --> 00:13:05,708
I did get a clear run, I must say.

174
00:13:06,188 --> 00:13:08,788
If he got the job it really would
be, "And they're off and look

175
00:13:10,708 --> 00:13:12,228
"at the idiot in the Mercedes
holding them up."

176
00:13:12,708 --> 00:13:14,268
No, Richard, that's the parade lap.

177
00:13:14,868 --> 00:13:17,188
There's a red one in the lead.
He's pulled in - what, for petrol?

178
00:13:17,708 --> 00:13:19,468
Why didn't
he fill up before he left?"

179
00:13:21,308 --> 00:13:23,068
I freely admit I wouldn't
be very good at that.

180
00:13:23,548 --> 00:13:27,588
He would be the worst person
in the world for that job...

181
00:13:28,068 --> 00:13:29,948
Well, not absolutely.

182
00:13:31,668 --> 00:13:33,028
Who would be good?
Anyone got any thoughts?

183
00:13:33,868 --> 00:13:36,348
Dale Winton. Dale Winton.

184
00:13:37,788 --> 00:13:39,188
Brilliant.

185
00:13:39,788 --> 00:13:42,548
Russell Brand. Russell Brand. Yes!

186
00:13:43,708 --> 00:13:44,428
No!

187
00:13:45,388 --> 00:13:48,468
I rang Rolf Schumacher and...
we're off the air.

188
00:13:52,308 --> 00:13:53,228
Took time.

189
00:14:00,348 --> 00:14:03,388
I can't think of anybody.
It's going to have to be me.

190
00:14:04,868 --> 00:14:06,868
Now, the time has come, I fear.

191
00:14:07,508 --> 00:14:11,028
Lots of complaints after last
week's programme,
internet awash with...

192
00:14:11,508 --> 00:14:14,588
hate, people demanding an apology
and I'm only too happy to give one.

193
00:14:15,348 --> 00:14:18,668
I'm very sorry that I didn't put
the GT2's time on the board.

194
00:14:20,228 --> 00:14:21,988
APPLAUSE

195
00:14:22,948 --> 00:14:24,828
I don't know what to say.

196
00:14:26,828 --> 00:14:29,628
We had more complaints
about that than we did
about burning Steve Redgrave's shed.

197
00:14:31,548 --> 00:14:32,628
But what was the time?

198
00:14:35,828 --> 00:14:36,988
it wasn't.
It was exactly the same time.

199
00:14:38,268 --> 00:14:40,148
119.6 or something.

200
00:14:40,508 --> 00:14:41,948
It was exactly the same time.

201
00:14:42,788 --> 00:14:45,388
There you go. So it's the same
as your four-wheel-drive Lambo,

202
00:14:45,988 --> 00:14:47,868
or the two-wheel-drive Porsche
did it.

203
00:14:48,268 --> 00:14:51,228
You can do it once in the Porsche.
The second lap would kill you.

204
00:14:51,828 --> 00:14:53,828
Only if you were a useless coward.
It's a better car.

205
00:14:56,108 --> 00:15:01,028
Time to move on.
What we have down here is a
selection of American muscle cars.

206
00:15:01,748 --> 00:15:03,468
The recipe for this sort of
thing was always very simple.

207
00:15:04,108 --> 00:15:10,908
Massive engine, crude,
simple suspension, very low price
and finally, some orange paint.

208
00:15:11,508 --> 00:15:14,108
This sort of thing never really
caught on in the civilised world.

209
00:15:15,108 --> 00:15:19,708
We thought that what with petrol
prices being so high now, they'd
have died out in America as well.

210
00:15:20,348 --> 00:15:25,068
However, in the last few months,
three brand-new American
muscle cars have arrived.

211
00:15:25,868 --> 00:15:29,628
So we thought we'd best
pop over to the States
and find out if they were any good.

212
00:15:29,988 --> 00:15:32,348
Unfortunately, there was a problem.

213
00:15:32,988 --> 00:15:37,348
You see, we all have visas
which allow us to go to America
and make a factual documentary.

214
00:15:38,108 --> 00:15:43,468
But since our last trip over there,-
when I might have accidentally
put a cow on the roof of my car,

215
00:15:44,068 --> 00:15:47,028
the American - the US State
Department, no less - has decided

216
00:15:48,468 --> 00:15:51,428
Top Gear is actually now
an entertainment show.

217
00:15:52,428 --> 00:15:56,828
Unfortunately, that requires
a different type of visa, and
we didn't have time to get one.

218
00:15:57,548 --> 00:16:02,908
So in the end, we were only allowed-
into the country if we promised -
this isn't a lie, is it?

219
00:16:03,988 --> 00:16:05,628
This is absolutely true,
hand on heart.

220
00:16:06,268 --> 00:16:09,188
..If we promised
not to be entertaining.

221
00:16:16,308 --> 00:16:19,708
The idea was that we'd meet up
with our muscle cars
in San Francisco,

222
00:16:20,228 --> 00:16:24,028
the 14th most populous city
in America.

223
00:16:25,348 --> 00:16:29,428
But immediately,
we ran into another problem.

224
00:16:33,508 --> 00:16:36,708
This is the Cadillac CTS-V
that James will be driving.

225
00:16:37,548 --> 00:16:41,108
This is the Corvette ZR1
that I'll be driving.

226
00:16:44,148 --> 00:16:49,428
And this is an empty space where
Richard's Dodge Challenger
should have been parked.

227
00:16:50,428 --> 00:16:54,108
It isn't here because Chrysler, the
people who make the Dodge Challenger,

228
00:16:54,748 --> 00:16:59,508
said we're always horrid about their-
cars, and decided at the last minute-
not to lend us one.

229
00:17:00,508 --> 00:17:05,588
If this was normal Top Gear,
we'd just make a Challenger
out of leaves or something.

230
00:17:06,108 --> 00:17:07,708
Or push Hammond off there
and carry on without him.

231
00:17:09,068 --> 00:17:11,268
Exactly,
but we decided to show Chrysler...

232
00:17:11,828 --> 00:17:13,308
In a factual,
not an entertaining way...

233
00:17:14,308 --> 00:17:17,108
..that Britain is not a bankrupt
rock in the North Atlantic,

234
00:17:17,748 --> 00:17:21,428
and that we will not be pushed
around by a two-bit car company.

235
00:17:26,228 --> 00:17:28,708
This is a Dodge Challenger
that I've just bought. Yeah!

236
00:17:29,828 --> 00:17:31,708
Thought you could stop us,
didn't you?

237
00:17:35,588 --> 00:17:37,588
Because of demand for these cars
over here right now, I've had to pay

238
00:17:38,188 --> 00:17:42,068
$51,000, which is $10,000
more than the list price.

239
00:17:46,228 --> 00:17:49,748
But all the same, I reckon, what,
£28,000 is not a lot for

240
00:17:50,388 --> 00:17:54,188
425 horsepower and a sound that
can start earthquakes.

241
00:17:55,988 --> 00:17:57,628
DEEP ROARING
Oh, yeah!

242
00:17:59,788 --> 00:18:02,028
That's subtle.

243
00:18:02,428 --> 00:18:05,388
'Once we were all assembled,
we broke out the map.

244
00:18:06,028 --> 00:18:11,188
'We had to get from San Francisco
across California and Nevada
to the Bonneville salt flats

245
00:18:11,188 --> 00:18:19,028
'in Utah...where in three days'
time, we'd been entered
for the Speed Week drag races.'

246
00:18:19,668 --> 00:18:24,788
Look, you two,
no irony, no hyperbole, no sarcasm
and don't put a cow on your roof.

247
00:18:25,228 --> 00:18:27,228
Can I crash into James
every time we stop? No.

248
00:18:27,708 --> 00:18:29,228
Just a tiny... No! All right.

249
00:18:32,868 --> 00:18:34,508
If Hammond drives
into May's car, Bruce Willis

250
00:18:35,028 --> 00:18:37,828
will come in a state department
gunship, and we will all be killed!

251
00:18:40,868 --> 00:18:42,628
We burbled out
of San Francisco, which is,

252
00:18:43,228 --> 00:18:49,428
er, the 14th most populous city
in America, towards the Golden Gate.

253
00:18:53,068 --> 00:19:00,588
Opened in 1937, this $27 million
colossus...is much like
the Humber Bridge in Britain.

254
00:19:02,508 --> 00:19:03,788
Only smaller.

255
00:19:05,508 --> 00:19:08,108
I want to make it plain.
That was a fact.

256
00:19:09,668 --> 00:19:11,068
And here's another one.

257
00:19:11,708 --> 00:19:16,708
After just half an hour,
James had decided he didn't
like his Cadillac very much.

258
00:19:17,508 --> 00:19:18,948
What exactly

259
00:19:18,948 --> 00:19:20,628
were they thinking of?

260
00:19:20,628 --> 00:19:23,588
This ambassador for the relaxed
American way of travelling

261
00:19:24,468 --> 00:19:31,148
around in style has a 6.2 litre
supercharged V8,
developing 556 horsepower.

262
00:19:32,108 --> 00:19:35,428
It's just not necessary.

263
00:19:35,428 --> 00:19:37,988
The moaning went on.

264
00:19:37,988 --> 00:19:42,588
What was wrong with being a
Cadillac? It's supposed to be
soft and floaty, you're supposed...

265
00:19:48,148 --> 00:19:51,588
..and sending a car
around the Nurburgring spoils it.

266
00:19:51,588 --> 00:19:54,548
Simple as that. I see why
the muscle car never caught on...

267
00:20:01,468 --> 00:20:05,108
Unlike James,
I absolutely understand
the appeal of muscle cars.

268
00:20:06,068 --> 00:20:08,228
Factually,
they're like killer whales.

269
00:20:08,228 --> 00:20:09,988
Very striking to look at, very fast.

270
00:20:10,708 --> 00:20:12,228
But you wouldn't want to own one.

271
00:20:12,988 --> 00:20:17,388
'This Corvette ZR1
is a classic case in point.'

272
00:20:17,388 --> 00:20:22,068
I've the same basic engine that
James has in his Cadillac,

273
00:20:22,068 --> 00:20:28,868
but while he has to make do with
only 550 horsepower, I have 640.

274
00:20:29,348 --> 00:20:31,228
ENGINE REVS

275
00:20:31,748 --> 00:20:33,988
That is intoxicating.

276
00:20:36,788 --> 00:20:40,668
I'm not being entertaining,
I'm just saying, that is...

277
00:20:41,628 --> 00:20:43,748
really incredible.

278
00:20:45,348 --> 00:20:52,268
It may cost $100,000 - a lot for a
Corvette - but it is Enzo fast.

279
00:20:53,468 --> 00:20:55,468
0-60 takes three seconds.

280
00:20:55,468 --> 00:20:58,828
The top speed is 205.

281
00:21:00,188 --> 00:21:05,028
It is ballistic, but you can't
have a Corvette in Britain.

282
00:21:06,348 --> 00:21:08,388
It's too brash, too ghastly.

283
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:16,748
It'd be like turning up at
one of the Queen's garden parties
in chromed cowboy boots and chaps.

284
00:21:18,148 --> 00:21:25,028
Of course, Hammond failed to
understand any of this because deep-
down, he is a secret American.

285
00:21:27,428 --> 00:21:28,748
I love muscle cars.

286
00:21:30,508 --> 00:21:31,988
I love the fact that they're

287
00:21:31,988 --> 00:21:35,428
about racing away from the lights
when the police aren't looking.

288
00:21:35,428 --> 00:21:39,348
They're about cowboy boots,
work boots, denim jeans,
dime stores, bars. I love that.

289
00:21:41,988 --> 00:21:43,268
I'm feeling cooler already.

290
00:21:43,268 --> 00:21:44,828
I'm chewing gum and everything.

291
00:21:48,468 --> 00:21:54,668
James, meanwhile, wasn't even
enjoying the excellent music
on the local radio station.

292
00:21:54,668 --> 00:21:56,668
MUSIC: "JESSICA"
("TOP GEAR" THEME)

293
00:21:57,748 --> 00:21:59,748
I wasn't expecting to hear that.

294
00:22:00,588 --> 00:22:04,188
"On tonight's programme..."

295
00:22:07,348 --> 00:22:12,788
High in the Sierra Nevada we pulled
over next to Lake Tahoe,mountains,

296
00:22:13,988 --> 00:22:17,468
the eighth deepest lake
in the world.

297
00:22:18,188 --> 00:22:22,628
But because we could only look
at its shimmering beauty in a
factual way, we didn't bother...

298
00:22:22,628 --> 00:22:27,348
and concentrated instead on teasing-
Hammond about some of the
facts on his Challenger.

299
00:22:29,668 --> 00:22:32,748
Is this real carbon fibre?
No. Are these real

300
00:22:32,748 --> 00:22:34,508
ram air scoops? No.

301
00:22:35,148 --> 00:22:38,188
Sorry, Richard... It's
not supposed to be a Rolls-Royce.

302
00:22:39,148 --> 00:22:41,628
It's simple,
it's fast, it's a worker's car.

303
00:22:42,308 --> 00:22:45,828
It's for blue-collar workers...
Were you born in the USA?
What has happened to you?

304
00:22:46,908 --> 00:22:47,468
Put it this way.

305
00:22:48,068 --> 00:22:48,908
This is like a bodybuilder.

306
00:22:49,628 --> 00:22:53,028
Hugely impressive,
but when you take its trunks down,
it's "Hello, Mr Squirrel".

307
00:22:53,988 --> 00:22:56,108
BEEP

308
00:22:57,508 --> 00:22:58,988
What do you mean,
you put it in a melon?

309
00:22:59,588 --> 00:23:01,828
Sorry. Don't send helicopters.

310
00:23:02,348 --> 00:23:03,588
Why have you got
secondary double-glazing on

311
00:23:04,108 --> 00:23:06,348
your bonnet?
What's the point of that?

312
00:23:07,708 --> 00:23:13,308
Lamborghini and Ferrari put a glass-
engine cover on these days, so you
can see the craftsmanship. This?

313
00:23:13,788 --> 00:23:15,748
So you can see some
writing and some showing off.

314
00:23:16,348 --> 00:23:18,268
I quite like that. You... I do!

315
00:23:19,708 --> 00:23:22,188
I like it. The Ferrari's made
by craftsmen in Maranello.

316
00:23:22,788 --> 00:23:25,268
This is made by two
fat blokes in Kentucky.

317
00:23:25,628 --> 00:23:27,388
Called Bud and Bob.

318
00:23:28,388 --> 00:23:31,428
This plastic comes from the
same plastic they use to
make newsreaders over here.

319
00:23:31,908 --> 00:23:35,228
That's the same colour as well.

320
00:23:35,868 --> 00:23:37,388
Is there nothing about
your car that you like?

321
00:23:37,948 --> 00:23:39,868
Factually? No.

322
00:23:40,948 --> 00:23:44,988
Cos last time we were here,
you bought a Cadillac,
and you loved that.

323
00:23:45,828 --> 00:23:47,348
Yeah, but I was being entertaining.

324
00:23:50,508 --> 00:23:54,428
'Fearful that James may have
made a joke, we decided to leave'.

325
00:23:55,028 --> 00:23:57,308
Quickly, Bruce Willis will be here.-
I can hear helicopters.

326
00:24:01,348 --> 00:24:04,548
After an hour or so, there was a
worrying announcement from Jeremy.

327
00:24:06,948 --> 00:24:08,588
I'm starting to like this Corvette.

328
00:24:09,788 --> 00:24:11,708
It's ridiculous.

329
00:24:13,828 --> 00:24:15,348
It isn't the power.

330
00:24:15,868 --> 00:24:18,108
It's the surprise of the power.

331
00:24:18,748 --> 00:24:22,908
When you're driving a Ferrari Enzo,-
you expect it to go like Stig.

332
00:24:23,508 --> 00:24:26,108
But this is quiet,
comfortable, spacious.

333
00:24:26,948 --> 00:24:28,588
It's beautifully air-conditioned.

334
00:24:29,428 --> 00:24:33,588
So you're simply not
ready for the savagery
when you put your foot down.

335
00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:37,868
Whoa!

336
00:24:39,948 --> 00:24:44,548
And I've got a display
with my lateral G
and my supercharger pressure.

337
00:24:45,148 --> 00:24:47,388
And I've got the best
stereo in the world!

338
00:24:49,308 --> 00:24:52,028
Facts, Jeremy, facts.

339
00:24:55,788 --> 00:25:02,308
'As night began to fall and with
James still complaining about his
car...' ..To make a BMW M5...

340
00:25:04,868 --> 00:25:06,628
'We arrived in Reno.

341
00:25:08,548 --> 00:25:11,388
'Which is like Las Vegas,
only smaller.

342
00:25:12,708 --> 00:25:14,708
'And worse.'

343
00:25:15,308 --> 00:25:18,668
It's a town with some
light bulbs on it.

344
00:25:18,668 --> 00:25:22,588
Weirdly, James made
straight for a casino.

345
00:25:22,588 --> 00:25:24,348
Can't wait, sorry.

346
00:25:27,748 --> 00:25:31,148
While out on the street,
I was trying to keep
the Duke of Hammond under control.

347
00:25:32,708 --> 00:25:35,348
Don't race between the lights.

348
00:25:41,948 --> 00:25:45,148
No! Yeah, that's what we mustn't do.

349
00:25:47,108 --> 00:25:50,388
In Nevada's casinos, you can
usually win a car of some sort.

350
00:25:51,508 --> 00:25:54,228
Sadly, the prize in this casino
was this.

351
00:25:56,908 --> 00:25:59,228
Still, it was better
than that stupid Cadillac.

352
00:26:05,828 --> 00:26:06,508
Evening.

353
00:26:09,388 --> 00:26:12,348
Meanwhile we were still thinking of-
things we weren't supposed to do...

354
00:26:13,308 --> 00:26:14,468
to do.

355
00:26:14,948 --> 00:26:17,828
Ready? Here, OK? Go.

356
00:26:18,748 --> 00:26:20,068
ENGINES REV

357
00:26:21,868 --> 00:26:22,668
CAR ALARMS SOUND

358
00:26:23,388 --> 00:26:27,308
'Two revving V8s, and the alarms
went berserk'. Run away! Run away!

359
00:26:27,828 --> 00:26:29,548
Go, go, go!
Don't screech your wheels.

360
00:26:30,148 --> 00:26:31,468
WHEELS SCREECH

361
00:26:32,308 --> 00:26:37,308
That helped,
Jeremy, that helped!

362
00:26:37,308 --> 00:26:39,428
You won't change it
unless you change that.

363
00:26:40,068 --> 00:26:43,348
Yeah, it won't change unless you
change that. Now you're hit again.

364
00:26:44,188 --> 00:26:45,948
Where are you guys from, Australia?

365
00:26:46,588 --> 00:26:49,068
'James wasn't really
enjoying his company.

366
00:26:50,108 --> 00:26:52,028
'But then, neither was Jeremy.'

367
00:26:52,508 --> 00:26:54,988
I didn't know you were the police.
Real police. Well...

368
00:26:55,508 --> 00:26:59,148
Police. You were squealing the tyres-
and revving the engine.

369
00:26:59,668 --> 00:27:01,068
My foot slipped off the clutch.

370
00:27:01,788 --> 00:27:03,668
No. I don't buy that for a second.
Sorry.

371
00:27:05,588 --> 00:27:06,988
Oh, dear.

372
00:27:08,348 --> 00:27:11,188
'After a ticking off from the we
went to find James.'police,

373
00:27:14,308 --> 00:27:17,148
That's desperate. That is desperate.-
That is desperate.

374
00:27:17,748 --> 00:27:19,508
You'd rather have that
than your Cadillac? Yep.

375
00:27:20,108 --> 00:27:22,868
What is that? It's hideous.

376
00:27:23,948 --> 00:27:27,388
'We decided to turn in and leave
James with his new best friends.'

377
00:27:29,308 --> 00:27:29,988
Are you, er...

378
00:27:30,348 --> 00:27:32,868
John Lennon, or...? Might be.

379
00:27:33,588 --> 00:27:36,068
Well, you're from
the best band that I ever heard.

380
00:27:36,868 --> 00:27:38,068
Thank you.

381
00:27:38,508 --> 00:27:39,948
APPLAUSE

382
00:27:41,148 --> 00:27:44,228
Not arrested yet.
Right, we'll pick that up later on,

383
00:27:44,868 --> 00:27:47,428
but now it's time to put a star
in our reasonably priced car.

384
00:27:48,228 --> 00:27:54,148
My guest tonight won a programme
called Pop Idol, which of course
means I've never heard of it.

385
00:27:55,148 --> 00:27:58,828
Bit difficult, this, but ladies
and gentlemen, please welcome
that man over there!

386
00:28:03,228 --> 00:28:04,548
You know who I am! I know!

387
00:28:05,468 --> 00:28:08,108
It's Will Young, everybody!

388
00:28:08,668 --> 00:28:10,348
I'm being obtuse.

389
00:28:11,908 --> 00:28:13,428
I'm being obtuse again.

390
00:28:14,188 --> 00:28:18,228
Now, I'm not very good at
chat-shows, as we discovered last
week. We had Michael Parkinson on,

391
00:28:19,668 --> 00:28:22,388
and what's really worrying me is
that when Simon Cowell came here,

392
00:28:23,108 --> 00:28:28,028
I may have said accidentally
that you look like you've been
hit in the face with an axe.

393
00:28:30,868 --> 00:28:32,388
And now you're here!

394
00:28:33,028 --> 00:28:35,348
I get that, because I do

395
00:28:35,828 --> 00:28:37,508
had Slick Jaw McGraw, you know.

396
00:28:38,948 --> 00:28:42,028
But I've never heard "hit in the
face with an axe"! It's like, "Ow!

397
00:28:43,428 --> 00:28:44,828
"Look what you've done now".

398
00:28:45,468 --> 00:28:48,308
The thing I find interesting
is that you have actually got a

399
00:28:48,908 --> 00:28:52,348
career out of winning Pop Idol,
which of course became the X Factor.

400
00:28:52,828 --> 00:28:54,948
Yeah. Because most of them don't.

401
00:28:55,708 --> 00:29:00,348
Looking at the winners, I have to
refer to notes here, cos they're
meaningless names. Shane Warne.

402
00:29:01,428 --> 00:29:02,828
Shayne Ward!

403
00:29:03,468 --> 00:29:07,748
I don't know! What's Warne?
He's a cricketer! Even I know that.
Shane Warne's a cricketer?

404
00:29:08,468 --> 00:29:12,508
I don't know anything
about cricket either.
It's like talking to my dad.

405
00:29:12,988 --> 00:29:15,028
Leon Jackson?

406
00:29:17,148 --> 00:29:18,308
He's good?

407
00:29:19,148 --> 00:29:20,908
He's not as good as Camel Or Gong,
trust me.

408
00:29:22,028 --> 00:29:25,908
Nobody's heard of Camel Or Gong,
Focus or Genesis,
Led Zeppelin, The Who?

409
00:29:26,428 --> 00:29:27,708
Smoke On The Water,
people normally get that one.

410
00:29:28,308 --> 00:29:29,708
What's Smoke On The Water?

411
00:29:30,068 --> 00:29:31,948
Oh, for God's sake!

412
00:29:32,548 --> 00:29:37,348
But this is you. Your record
collection doesn't go past...1979,

413
00:29:37,948 --> 00:29:40,788
does it? When were you born?
I was born in 1979.

414
00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,268
See, this is your problem.

415
00:29:43,868 --> 00:29:46,868
You were born the year,
quite literally, the music died.

416
00:29:46,868 --> 00:29:50,068
The Clash...The Clash were
pretty much over in '79.

417
00:29:51,268 --> 00:29:53,868
Prog rock was over. What was
going on when you were growing up?

418
00:29:54,948 --> 00:29:56,108
What music did you listen to?

419
00:29:56,868 --> 00:29:59,668
I listened to my parents',
so it would have been
Joni Mitchell, the Beatles...

420
00:30:00,548 --> 00:30:02,548
This explains why you're
so successful now.

421
00:30:03,388 --> 00:30:04,548
You've got a new album out.
What's that called?

422
00:30:05,148 --> 00:30:07,508
Let It Go, which I think sounds
like a self-help book,

423
00:30:08,588 --> 00:30:09,748
but it's the only title I could...

424
00:30:10,468 --> 00:30:12,708
And you're on the South Bank Show
now. You really have achieved.

425
00:30:13,308 --> 00:30:15,068
X Factor to the South
Bank Show is astonishing.

426
00:30:15,868 --> 00:30:19,628
Yeah, but this, I'm
dead chuffed to be on this show,
cos I'm quite an avid watcher.

427
00:30:20,108 --> 00:30:24,188
I am the guy that watches
the re-runs of this on Dave.

428
00:30:25,708 --> 00:30:27,988
Really? Cos I've often wondered,
who's watching it again?

429
00:30:28,428 --> 00:30:31,068
That's me! I am the loser!

430
00:30:31,788 --> 00:30:32,908
So are you a bit of a car man?

431
00:30:33,668 --> 00:30:36,868
I am a car man, and my family
have always been car mad.

432
00:30:37,588 --> 00:30:40,068
My grandparents used to
have amazing cars.

433
00:30:40,628 --> 00:30:43,588
They had XK120s. They had a Bristol.

434
00:30:44,108 --> 00:30:45,868
My grandmother had an Alfa Spider.

435
00:30:46,628 --> 00:30:49,788
They always had...and My mum
and Dad have always been into cars.

436
00:30:50,428 --> 00:30:53,748
And also, we do love each other,
but we don't really get on that well.

437
00:30:54,308 --> 00:30:55,388
So when we go on holiday,

438
00:30:56,228 --> 00:30:59,188
if we go to Scotland or something,
we all drive in our separate cars!

439
00:30:59,868 --> 00:31:01,068
We can't be in the car together.

440
00:31:01,668 --> 00:31:02,588
Seriously? Yeah.

441
00:31:03,068 --> 00:31:04,468
Does it ever develop into a race?

442
00:31:05,828 --> 00:31:09,388
We have...no, cos we're
very responsible and we don't

443
00:31:09,828 --> 00:31:12,348
have races. I did a race once.

444
00:31:12,908 --> 00:31:14,708
I did a Top Gear race. Really? Yeah.

445
00:31:15,628 --> 00:31:17,388
I had the best car I've ever driven,

446
00:31:18,268 --> 00:31:23,788
a Range Rover supercharged Sport,
and my friends were flying back from

447
00:31:24,948 --> 00:31:28,268
Newquay, and we were driving back,
and we did our own Top Gear...race.

448
00:31:29,468 --> 00:31:30,508
See who could get back to London?

449
00:31:31,108 --> 00:31:33,988
Notting Hill. That's interesting.
Who won? We won. In the car?

450
00:31:34,428 --> 00:31:36,588
Yeah. Good man! That's the ticket.

451
00:31:37,388 --> 00:31:38,308
APPLAUSE

452
00:31:41,108 --> 00:31:45,868
So where did your car story begin?
What was the first car you had?

453
00:31:46,228 --> 00:31:47,268
The inevitable Mini?

454
00:31:48,108 --> 00:31:50,388
There was a Mini,
yeah, racing green Mini.

455
00:31:51,188 --> 00:31:53,428
Which was great, because...
I think of it like Lego.

456
00:31:53,908 --> 00:31:57,588
I remember buying another Mini
for 80 quid just for the wheels,

457
00:31:58,468 --> 00:32:01,028
and then you put bucket seats in
and you had racing pedals,

458
00:32:01,668 --> 00:32:03,428
and you could just interchange
the whole time.

459
00:32:04,188 --> 00:32:07,108
You should always start with Minis.-
It's the right place to start.
It's like a go-kart.

460
00:32:07,868 --> 00:32:11,388
You're so low down, you feel
like you're doing 100. The wing
mirrors used to flap at 80.

461
00:32:12,028 --> 00:32:13,908
You are interested in aesthetics.

462
00:32:16,228 --> 00:32:21,588
Property is an area you've moved
into? Yeah. I love doing them up.

463
00:32:22,028 --> 00:32:24,908
I've just got a place in Brighton
and it was quite dilapidated,

464
00:32:25,388 --> 00:32:26,668
and I loved, sort of,

465
00:32:27,268 --> 00:32:30,388
bringing it back to former glory.
Does yours always end up rubbish?

466
00:32:31,468 --> 00:32:34,868
Cos when I've just done
my house up, you just think,
"What did I do that for?"

467
00:32:35,348 --> 00:32:36,268
But it's quite addictive.

468
00:32:37,028 --> 00:32:41,548
Mmm. Everything, down to
the right cushion, you know,
I like the whole detail.

469
00:32:42,028 --> 00:32:43,428
I've just had that exact thing.

470
00:32:44,308 --> 00:32:47,108
The poor woman trying
to get my cushion fabric -
you may find this surprising,

471
00:32:47,788 --> 00:32:50,908
but I've been going, "No,
the brown stripe's too wide.
I want more orange".

472
00:32:53,588 --> 00:32:56,188
I wouldn't have you down
for that type of man.

473
00:32:56,788 --> 00:32:59,988
Maybe we should start a programme.
Jeremy and Will do up Surrey houses.

474
00:33:00,468 --> 00:33:01,868
I'd love to do up Surrey houses.

475
00:33:03,188 --> 00:33:05,188
Us fighting over shag-pile carpets.

476
00:33:05,788 --> 00:33:08,628
I don't like shag-pile.
Neither do I.

477
00:33:09,228 --> 00:33:11,748
LAUGHTER

478
00:33:13,028 --> 00:33:16,628
Have you ever been to the Chelsea
Flower Show? I have, actually!

479
00:33:17,268 --> 00:33:21,148
I went to the Chelsea
Flower Show to get a water
feature...talk among yourselves.

480
00:33:21,668 --> 00:33:24,028
Pathetic! They are
useless, water features.

481
00:33:25,588 --> 00:33:27,468
I've just got some
authentic Spanish tiles

482
00:33:27,988 --> 00:33:31,628
for my garden, and a water feature
and it's slate, but the water's...

483
00:33:32,868 --> 00:33:35,468
What colour slate, grey?
Yeah, that's the colour of slate!

484
00:33:36,068 --> 00:33:39,148
Yeah, but... This is
how the show could go!

485
00:33:39,788 --> 00:33:42,028
It would either go
incredibly well,

486
00:33:43,108 --> 00:33:45,468
to new heights...

487
00:33:46,148 --> 00:33:47,188
Or it could end in a massive fight.

488
00:33:47,708 --> 00:33:51,268
And you'd probably kill me. No,
I've got arms like pipe cleaners.

489
00:33:51,748 --> 00:33:53,988
You're quite trim. I mean,
not trim. Fit. Not fit.

490
00:33:54,468 --> 00:33:56,588
I'm saying all the wrong things.

491
00:33:57,308 --> 00:33:59,308
LAUGHTER

492
00:33:59,948 --> 00:34:02,748
Right, now, your lap.
How did it go out there?

493
00:34:03,468 --> 00:34:04,268
I think I did all right.

494
00:34:04,788 --> 00:34:08,788
But some things the Stig was saying
to me, I just didn't quite get...

495
00:34:09,428 --> 00:34:10,588
particularly the last corner.

496
00:34:11,348 --> 00:34:14,028
I had a lot of problems
with the last corner.

497
00:34:14,548 --> 00:34:16,028
I have to say,
the Stig was impressed.

498
00:34:16,628 --> 00:34:18,548
Really? He was impressed.

499
00:34:19,148 --> 00:34:22,188
You were let down slightly by the
lord of weather today, drizzling.

500
00:34:22,828 --> 00:34:24,348
Yeah, it started drizzling,
which I think is the worst.

501
00:34:24,828 --> 00:34:26,828
But he says you're fearless.

502
00:34:28,628 --> 00:34:30,988
And also a precision,
I mean, a feel for cars.

503
00:34:31,468 --> 00:34:33,868
Oh, good! Shall we see how he got
on?

504
00:34:34,348 --> 00:34:36,708
I know everyone says this
- I'm so nervous.

505
00:34:37,428 --> 00:34:39,908
I'll either be elated,
or I shall be weeping.

506
00:34:40,628 --> 00:34:42,548
Let's have a look at the lap.
Here we go.

507
00:34:44,668 --> 00:34:49,228
I've just turned the air con off,
thinking it would make a difference.

508
00:34:49,948 --> 00:34:51,348
How competitive I am!

509
00:34:52,028 --> 00:34:53,948
It'll make a huge difference.
About 10% more power.

510
00:34:54,428 --> 00:34:57,988
Oh, you see, yeah. You really
are intent. Look at this.

511
00:34:58,388 --> 00:35:00,948
Windscreen wipers on - how do
they work? Can't see anything.

512
00:35:02,388 --> 00:35:04,148
But it's raining.
You do need to have them on.

513
00:35:04,788 --> 00:35:07,868
That's not bad, if you
can get it back in tight again
on the exit, which you have.

514
00:35:08,428 --> 00:35:10,828
I'm so sweaty. Come on!

515
00:35:12,188 --> 00:35:14,268
Hammerhead. Hammerhead. Hammerhead.-
It's very hard, that.

516
00:35:14,788 --> 00:35:16,548
It's the hardest corner
on any track.

517
00:35:17,148 --> 00:35:20,548
If you keep it in those lines...
Yes! Look at that.

518
00:35:21,068 --> 00:35:22,348
Hey, that's all right, isn't it?
Don't lift off the gas. Yes.

519
00:35:23,068 --> 00:35:26,268
And you didn't go over the red
and whites. Flat out through there.

520
00:35:29,028 --> 00:35:30,188
This is BLEEP terrifying.

521
00:35:34,188 --> 00:35:36,428
Oh, now we slowed down.
That's too slow. Too slow!

522
00:35:37,188 --> 00:35:39,268
I know, I just couldn't ...
Were you frightened a bit about
crashing there? There we are!

523
00:35:40,588 --> 00:35:41,748
Across the line.

524
00:35:42,348 --> 00:35:43,748
APPLAUSE

525
00:35:45,308 --> 00:35:47,308
That second to last corner.

526
00:35:47,908 --> 00:35:48,828
What happened?

527
00:35:50,148 --> 00:35:51,188
Where do you reckon then?

528
00:35:51,948 --> 00:35:56,228
Now, bear in mind if it's wet,
as you can see, the wet laps start
down here. This is very wet.

529
00:35:56,588 --> 00:35:58,228
Keith Allen, Rob Brydon.

530
00:35:58,708 --> 00:36:01,788
They're down in the 151s.

531
00:36:02,148 --> 00:36:03,468
Do I get a wet lap?

532
00:36:03,948 --> 00:36:06,548
Oh yes, there's no question it was
wet. I'm assured by the Stig...

533
00:36:07,028 --> 00:36:08,788
Well, damp. I'll put a D on it.

534
00:36:10,228 --> 00:36:11,628
Or an M. Which do you want?
Would you like moist or damp?

535
00:36:12,708 --> 00:36:14,348
LAUGHTER

536
00:36:16,548 --> 00:36:18,508
They've got to do that show,
you know. It would be brilliant.

537
00:36:19,868 --> 00:36:22,828
D, please. D. Right,
you've got a D for damp.

538
00:36:23,908 --> 00:36:25,308
Oh, God.

539
00:36:25,788 --> 00:36:27,188
Come on, hazard a guess.

540
00:36:27,708 --> 00:36:28,828
Hazard? Oh God, I don't know.

541
00:36:29,708 --> 00:36:32,028
I'd like to be in the top ten.
You can't be. It's wet. All right,

542
00:36:32,668 --> 00:36:35,268
well, I'd like to be in the top ten
of the damp, wet people.

543
00:36:35,868 --> 00:36:37,388
Of the damp people. OK.
I have to say,

544
00:36:38,108 --> 00:36:39,508
I'm just prolonging your agony now.

545
00:36:40,108 --> 00:36:43,428
Oh, you're such a BLEEP, aren't you?-
You can't put that out.

546
00:36:43,908 --> 00:36:45,908
You did it in one minute...

547
00:36:48,428 --> 00:36:52,508
48.9. That's the fastest wet lap
we've ever had.

548
00:36:53,108 --> 00:36:54,588
APPLAUSE

549
00:36:55,308 --> 00:36:56,508
That is right...

550
00:37:00,788 --> 00:37:01,628
Is that good?

551
00:37:02,948 --> 00:37:05,708
I know you're going to look
disappointed but it's not our fault.

552
00:37:06,148 --> 00:37:07,308
I'm a little disappointed.

553
00:37:08,028 --> 00:37:11,508
I think that's an incredibly
good time on a damp track.

554
00:37:12,228 --> 00:37:14,588
OK. It's been brilliant. Thank you.
It's been great fun having you.
A car fan at last!

555
00:37:15,188 --> 00:37:16,828
Ladies and gentlemen, Will Young!

556
00:37:17,908 --> 00:37:18,948
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

557
00:37:26,428 --> 00:37:30,348
Now, tonight, we're trying to get
three fast cars from San Francisco

558
00:37:31,108 --> 00:37:33,908
to the speed week drag races,
at the Bonneville salt flats.

559
00:37:34,508 --> 00:37:36,148
Usual range of problems.

560
00:37:36,908 --> 00:37:40,548
We've got visas that only allow us
to be factual, not entertaining.

561
00:37:41,028 --> 00:37:43,308
Jeremy has met a policeman.

562
00:37:43,908 --> 00:37:45,908
And James hates his car.

563
00:37:46,508 --> 00:37:51,028
We rejoin the action at Reno, which
is, factually speaking, a toilet.

564
00:37:53,588 --> 00:37:56,388
'Good morning. This is KAOL
and it's another beautiful day

565
00:37:58,308 --> 00:37:59,588
'in northern Nevada.'

566
00:38:02,108 --> 00:38:04,508
Not for James, it wasn't.

567
00:38:07,628 --> 00:38:09,508
He'd been up all night,
hadn't won the trike,

568
00:38:10,148 --> 00:38:12,828
and was now facing another day
in his hateful Cadillac.

569
00:38:16,428 --> 00:38:19,428
What an appalling cackhole.

570
00:38:22,548 --> 00:38:25,668
Now, the quick way from Reno to
Bonneville is on the Interstate.

571
00:38:26,868 --> 00:38:31,868
But, to cheer James up, Hammond
and I decided not to use it.

572
00:38:33,548 --> 00:38:35,668
Chaps, why are we
going the long way round?

573
00:38:36,308 --> 00:38:38,388
Well, because we've got
really good cars.

574
00:38:40,268 --> 00:38:46,548
We would be using the I50, which
has been known as the loneliest
road in America since 1986.

575
00:38:47,268 --> 00:38:50,228
That's a staggering 22 years.

576
00:38:52,388 --> 00:38:55,268
It crosses all of Nevada and is
famous for going past almost

577
00:38:55,948 --> 00:38:59,068
nothing of any interest whatsoever.

578
00:39:00,148 --> 00:39:03,788
It was on this very road that they
shot the epic film Vanishing Point.

579
00:39:08,988 --> 00:39:12,308
It was about a bloke being chased
by police in a Dodge Challenger.

580
00:39:14,748 --> 00:39:18,748
He smashed into a digger and
was killed, I seem to remember.
I don't want to do that bit.

581
00:39:22,668 --> 00:39:25,828
That sound of a big V8 growling
and bellowing across the desert

582
00:39:27,028 --> 00:39:30,348
has got to be one of the single
most evocative noises in the world.

583
00:39:35,388 --> 00:39:37,268
Look at that road. Look at it.

584
00:39:38,268 --> 00:39:41,548
You could just become mesmerised
by the straightness of it.

585
00:39:46,148 --> 00:39:50,068
After a while, though, we became
bored by the straightness of it.

586
00:39:51,988 --> 00:39:56,628
There are 213 stitches
on my door panel.

587
00:39:57,588 --> 00:40:02,468
If you add up all the numbers on
my dashboard, it comes to 1,247.

588
00:40:04,388 --> 00:40:07,468
My battery is producing 12.9 volts.

589
00:40:10,508 --> 00:40:13,228
To liven things up, I decided
to stop for some elevenses...

590
00:40:15,388 --> 00:40:16,468
..Corvette style!

591
00:40:30,268 --> 00:40:31,188
What are you doing?

592
00:40:31,708 --> 00:40:33,548
I've just laid these black
lines on the road and I bet you

593
00:40:34,068 --> 00:40:35,468
you can't do longer ones.

594
00:40:37,748 --> 00:40:39,388
I bet you a million pounds I can.

595
00:40:40,308 --> 00:40:42,468
This is what this car's for!

596
00:40:42,948 --> 00:40:43,668
What are we doing?

597
00:40:44,148 --> 00:40:47,228
You're keeping a lookout while
he tries to lay longer black lines

598
00:40:47,868 --> 00:40:49,108
down the road than I've managed.
But what if somebody sees us?

599
00:40:49,588 --> 00:40:51,268
I don't think they will. Ready?

600
00:40:54,868 --> 00:40:56,508
I don't think they will. Ready?

601
00:40:59,388 --> 00:41:00,908
Yes. Here I go.

602
00:41:02,348 --> 00:41:03,508
Ha-ha-ha!

603
00:41:04,508 --> 00:41:07,948
Hopeless. This may be harder
than I thought. It's automatic.

604
00:41:08,468 --> 00:41:11,028
Right, back him out the way.
Let's see if May can do it.

605
00:41:11,508 --> 00:41:12,428
This can only go well.

606
00:41:13,068 --> 00:41:14,068
Have you turned the traction
control off? Yes.

607
00:41:14,588 --> 00:41:16,588
Have you ever done that
in your life? No.

608
00:41:17,788 --> 00:41:20,628
I think it's game of him
to join in. Right, lots of revs,
steering wheel straight.

609
00:41:29,708 --> 00:41:33,068
Oooh! Oh, cock!

610
00:41:33,668 --> 00:41:36,268
You are such an imbecile.
What do you call that?

611
00:41:36,788 --> 00:41:39,628
I over corrected. How well does
that bode for Bonneville?

612
00:41:40,228 --> 00:41:41,628
He can't drive in a straight line.

613
00:41:43,908 --> 00:41:47,348
Traction control. On.

614
00:41:49,508 --> 00:41:51,268
We tried going back
to being factual.

615
00:41:53,068 --> 00:41:54,108
Cows.

616
00:41:54,708 --> 00:41:56,708
But soon we ran out of facts.

617
00:42:17,508 --> 00:42:18,908
Oh God, look.

618
00:42:19,628 --> 00:42:22,228
It's clouding over. Oh(!)

619
00:42:28,388 --> 00:42:31,828
After what felt like six years,
we came across some civilisation.

620
00:42:37,148 --> 00:42:41,868
Where Richard said he fancied
an all day breakfast in a
good old boys' American diner.

621
00:42:42,508 --> 00:42:44,348
And that gave me an opportunity
to think of another thing

622
00:42:44,828 --> 00:42:46,868
we weren't supposed to do...to do.

623
00:42:49,548 --> 00:42:51,428
All our cars have keyless go,
so providing you have the key

624
00:42:52,028 --> 00:42:55,108
about your person, somewhere near
the car, the engine will start.

625
00:42:55,948 --> 00:42:58,268
I think, however, that dodgers
are a bit crude.

626
00:42:59,628 --> 00:43:01,268
So, Hammond's sitting there, OK?
He's got the keys in his pocket.

627
00:43:01,868 --> 00:43:04,108
He'll know he's left it open.
I don't have his key.

628
00:43:07,468 --> 00:43:08,748
OK, ready?

629
00:43:13,708 --> 00:43:16,068
I'm going to re-park it. I'm not
sure how far I can actually

630
00:43:16,668 --> 00:43:19,628
drive before the engine
realises there's no key.

631
00:43:20,868 --> 00:43:24,908
But I think if I put it... I
don't know, about here. Perfect.

632
00:43:27,548 --> 00:43:29,788
Sorry.

633
00:43:31,508 --> 00:43:36,868
With that factual test completed,
we enjoyed a light breakfast
and chatted about our road trip.

634
00:43:37,948 --> 00:43:39,468
How much are you looking
forward to Bonneville?

635
00:43:40,068 --> 00:43:42,308
More than I've looked
forward to anything, ever.

636
00:43:43,628 --> 00:43:44,668
HORN TOOTS

637
00:43:45,308 --> 00:43:46,708
I've wanted to go there
since I was a small boy.

638
00:43:47,188 --> 00:43:48,348
TOOT!

639
00:43:49,668 --> 00:43:51,188
I'm going to buy a Corvette
when I get to England. You won't.

640
00:43:51,788 --> 00:43:54,388
'It was time to hit the road.'

641
00:43:55,228 --> 00:43:58,188
Onwards! Is that ...?
My car was there and now it's there.

642
00:43:58,948 --> 00:44:02,388
Did you leave it there?
No, of course I didn't leave it
in the road!

643
00:44:02,988 --> 00:44:04,588
I've got the...
I'd go and get it if I were you.

644
00:44:05,188 --> 00:44:06,468
How the...?

645
00:44:08,628 --> 00:44:09,828
TOOT! TOOT!

646
00:44:10,388 --> 00:44:13,028
Oh God, I'm sorry. Sorry!

647
00:44:17,228 --> 00:44:18,388
That's weird.

648
00:44:21,788 --> 00:44:25,948
Back on the I50, I rechecked
my stitching. 18, 19, 20.

649
00:44:26,908 --> 00:44:29,628
21. And James carried on moaning.

650
00:44:32,268 --> 00:44:33,788
..isn't a proper
American luxury car.

651
00:44:34,428 --> 00:44:36,388
This is some sort
of ridiculous American...

652
00:44:39,388 --> 00:44:40,348
At the end of the I50,

653
00:44:43,348 --> 00:44:45,188
there's another very
straight road to Bonneville.

654
00:44:45,828 --> 00:44:47,948
But Richard and I
decided it would be more

655
00:44:49,268 --> 00:44:53,668
fun to go there through the longer,-
twisting road through the mountains.

656
00:44:55,868 --> 00:44:59,508
So we'll go that way.
Why can't we just go there?

657
00:45:00,148 --> 00:45:02,988
Look, James, Cadillac has
never heard of Germany, OK?

658
00:45:03,748 --> 00:45:07,508
Despite that, this car has been
around the Nurburgring
in less than eight minutes.

659
00:45:08,388 --> 00:45:10,228
It's supposed to be the fastest
four-door saloon ever.

660
00:45:10,868 --> 00:45:13,828
On those twisting roads,
you'll love it.

661
00:45:17,228 --> 00:45:21,708
And, you know what?
On this astonishing road, he did.

662
00:45:23,868 --> 00:45:24,668
Hee-hee-hee-hee!

663
00:45:25,908 --> 00:45:28,028
All of a sudden, that stuff about
limited slip differentials

664
00:45:28,788 --> 00:45:33,268
and magnetic suspension...
all makes complete sense.

665
00:45:34,708 --> 00:45:35,988
Oh, yes!

666
00:45:36,988 --> 00:45:38,268
It's so planted.

667
00:45:43,588 --> 00:45:46,868
This is the best American
car I've ever driven.

668
00:45:47,468 --> 00:45:50,108
By a distance as great as that road.

669
00:45:53,108 --> 00:45:59,188
The lighter, grippier Corvette,
however...moves even better.

670
00:46:02,068 --> 00:46:03,228
Man, this is great.

671
00:46:04,908 --> 00:46:08,468
How can a car as docile as this one-
is most of the time

672
00:46:09,228 --> 00:46:12,668
be this exciting when the road gets
twisty? How is that possible?

673
00:46:16,028 --> 00:46:18,868
It's also such a joy to have all
this power and all this handling

674
00:46:19,388 --> 00:46:23,628
and a proper manual gearbox,
not those stupid flappy panels.

675
00:46:25,948 --> 00:46:29,148
Simple traction control on or off.

676
00:46:30,828 --> 00:46:32,748
Are you listening, Ferrari?

677
00:46:34,548 --> 00:46:39,428
Well done, fat man from Kentucky.
This is a masterpiece!

678
00:46:45,948 --> 00:46:48,388
Here in the mountains,
James and I have discovered we

679
00:46:51,188 --> 00:46:52,108
weren't really driving point
and squirt muscle cars.

680
00:46:52,588 --> 00:46:55,428
We were in full on sports cars.

681
00:47:00,148 --> 00:47:03,508
Richard, on the other hand, was
driving a traditional muscle car.

682
00:47:04,068 --> 00:47:07,388
And he wasn't having
quite such a good time.

683
00:47:08,988 --> 00:47:11,588
The Challenger's not really
very good at this sort of thing.

684
00:47:12,588 --> 00:47:15,388
The steering though, is...numb,
actually. It's quite numb.

685
00:47:17,188 --> 00:47:20,988
Meanwhile, back at the front,
something amazing was happening.

686
00:47:21,468 --> 00:47:23,588
This is just a tremend...
Oh, my God, look at this.

687
00:47:24,068 --> 00:47:25,948
I just got overtaken!

688
00:47:26,588 --> 00:47:28,668
Sorry, mate, but you're
spoiling the view ahead slightly.

689
00:47:29,148 --> 00:47:30,348
Now, that won't do.

690
00:47:33,948 --> 00:47:34,988
What's got into him?

691
00:47:37,388 --> 00:47:39,148
Try and keep up, Jezza.

692
00:47:39,788 --> 00:47:42,988
He is really shifting now,
Captain Slow.

693
00:47:44,068 --> 00:47:47,228
This was way too exciting
for the US government.

694
00:47:49,668 --> 00:47:52,988
And, anyway, we had to reach
Bonneville before nightfall.

695
00:47:53,588 --> 00:47:57,028
So we rejoined the main highway
and went for it.

696
00:48:10,868 --> 00:48:14,028
I just wanted to make sure that
you guys were doing the documentary.

697
00:48:14,548 --> 00:48:17,868
It is a documentary. It's not
like a fooling around show, no.

698
00:48:18,828 --> 00:48:22,868
A serious show. 'Jeremy's
sincerity wasn't convincing.

699
00:48:23,468 --> 00:48:26,548
'And his hand gestures
didn't help either.'

700
00:48:27,268 --> 00:48:28,348
Everything you said.

701
00:48:28,788 --> 00:48:30,708
Everything you said made it worse.

702
00:48:31,148 --> 00:48:32,348
At one point, I wanted to just...

703
00:48:32,948 --> 00:48:34,708
Look, did I tell him we were
doing a factual documentary?

704
00:48:35,348 --> 00:48:39,828
There's going to be no issues.
What's really alarming is, you've
actually been quite entertaining.

705
00:48:40,668 --> 00:48:41,628
I wasn't entertaining.

706
00:48:42,468 --> 00:48:45,628
No, I found you entertaining.
Yeah, you were. I was being factual!

707
00:48:50,588 --> 00:48:53,668
After that, we drove on
in a factual manner,

708
00:48:54,188 --> 00:48:55,948
excited that soon we
would be in Bonneville,

709
00:48:57,228 --> 00:48:59,588
the mecca of speed.

710
00:49:00,428 --> 00:49:01,628
And it really is a pilgrimage.

711
00:49:02,388 --> 00:49:05,108
I mean, for a petrol head,
that is hallowed ground.

712
00:49:20,708 --> 00:49:21,508
We woke up the next morning,

713
00:49:22,148 --> 00:49:23,628
having spent the night
in our rented Winnebago,

714
00:49:23,908 --> 00:49:26,348
on the salt flats themselves.

715
00:49:35,548 --> 00:49:38,588
Caused by global-warming about
15,000 years ago,

716
00:49:51,188 --> 00:49:56,748
Keen to become one of those speed
freaks, I was up extremely early.

717
00:49:57,268 --> 00:49:59,148
Now, as we know,
practice makes perfect.

718
00:49:59,628 --> 00:50:00,708
So I'm going to get some practice

719
00:50:01,308 --> 00:50:03,388
now before the course
opens, in the 'Bago.

720
00:50:07,028 --> 00:50:09,628
Clarkson! What? I know it's you.

721
00:50:10,588 --> 00:50:11,748
What are you doing?

722
00:50:12,388 --> 00:50:16,148
We're up to 40mph in the 'Bago.
Come on! I was asleep.

723
00:50:16,788 --> 00:50:18,668
Where's May?
Pack it in! I'm on the throne!

724
00:50:19,348 --> 00:50:20,548
Clarkson, it's not funny!

725
00:50:24,108 --> 00:50:25,788
Clarkson, you infantile pillock!

726
00:50:26,828 --> 00:50:28,148
You're tidying that up.

727
00:50:32,388 --> 00:50:37,228
At nine, the event began and
we immediately bought
some hats so we'd blend in.

728
00:50:39,308 --> 00:50:40,188
Morning.

729
00:50:40,948 --> 00:50:43,308
Then it was time for
our safety briefing.

730
00:50:44,348 --> 00:50:45,668
On a run, if a car has a problem,

731
00:50:46,548 --> 00:50:49,828
they blow up an engine, or catch
fire, they turn out to the right

732
00:50:50,588 --> 00:50:52,708
and we know immediately
to send the fire truck.

733
00:50:53,388 --> 00:50:54,428
So we go right if we have
a problem? Correct.

734
00:50:55,348 --> 00:50:58,268
If we go left, spinning wildly,
that doesn't mean we
haven't had a problem.

735
00:50:59,148 --> 00:51:01,348
It just means we haven't
been able to go to the right.

736
00:51:02,548 --> 00:51:03,948
Our challenge was simple...

737
00:51:04,548 --> 00:51:08,708
To see what speed we could achieve
as we went past the mile marker.

738
00:51:11,028 --> 00:51:13,908
I'm not leaving here until
I've achieved 170 miles an hour.

739
00:51:14,708 --> 00:51:15,988
150 is my target for that.

740
00:51:16,588 --> 00:51:20,028
150. 160.
50, 60, 70. Right, gentlemen.

741
00:51:22,468 --> 00:51:25,908
On a mile-long run on tarmac, our
cars would hit those speeds easily.

742
00:51:26,988 --> 00:51:30,668
But on salt,
that's a very different story.

743
00:51:32,508 --> 00:51:35,188
There's a top coat of tiny crystals.

744
00:51:36,628 --> 00:51:40,348
You kind of float over 130. You
start floating around a little bit.

745
00:51:40,948 --> 00:51:43,308
It's slicker. The surface responds
differently to the tyres.

746
00:51:43,788 --> 00:51:44,628
Does it slide about?

747
00:51:45,228 --> 00:51:47,228
Sometimes. Depends on how
much horse power you put down.

748
00:51:47,668 --> 00:51:49,108
425, what will happen then?

749
00:51:49,668 --> 00:51:51,468
You'll spin out. OK.

750
00:51:52,788 --> 00:51:54,788
You'll spin out? So what am
I going to do at 640 horsepower?

751
00:51:55,388 --> 00:51:57,868
You're gonna have to be
awfully careful.

752
00:51:58,868 --> 00:52:00,988
It was time for our first runs.

753
00:52:03,988 --> 00:52:07,188
Create havoc and let's slip
the dogs of war!

754
00:52:11,548 --> 00:52:14,268
They probably think that's
a Bon Jovi lyric here.

755
00:52:18,108 --> 00:52:19,668
OK, here we go.

756
00:52:21,548 --> 00:52:24,388
Come on now, baby. This is your
territory. This is what you do.

757
00:52:24,868 --> 00:52:26,668
Just that little bit more.

758
00:52:30,468 --> 00:52:32,388
Oh, that was a bad start.

759
00:52:33,108 --> 00:52:35,228
A bit of shaking.
Bit of wobble. Come on, car.

760
00:52:39,548 --> 00:52:40,868
One mile!

761
00:52:41,468 --> 00:52:42,868
There we go.

762
00:52:46,348 --> 00:52:47,628
'Course is clear.'

763
00:52:48,108 --> 00:52:49,628
All of us were too slow.

764
00:52:51,308 --> 00:52:53,908
166. 157. 142.

765
00:52:54,628 --> 00:52:56,508
That's not... No, I know.

766
00:52:58,668 --> 00:52:59,468
To reach our targets,

767
00:53:00,108 --> 00:53:02,828
we'd have to get the wheel spin
off the line exactly right.

768
00:53:03,308 --> 00:53:04,948
Every gear change exactly right.

769
00:53:05,788 --> 00:53:08,028
We'd have to get our line
in the salt exactly right.

770
00:53:08,668 --> 00:53:10,988
Every bit of the run
would have to be perfect.

771
00:53:12,428 --> 00:53:14,068
And that's a tall order for us lot.

772
00:53:15,148 --> 00:53:16,108
BLEEP the limiter.

773
00:53:19,188 --> 00:53:20,148
BLEEP the limiter.

774
00:53:21,068 --> 00:53:22,388
No, this is hopeless.

775
00:53:25,828 --> 00:53:27,228
166.

776
00:53:27,708 --> 00:53:29,268
153. Ignoring that one.

777
00:53:30,308 --> 00:53:32,908
Come on, come on...

778
00:53:33,388 --> 00:53:35,308
Oh no, I misdrove!

779
00:53:36,268 --> 00:53:38,868
It's going to be worse, no!

780
00:53:39,588 --> 00:53:40,988
This is so irritating.

781
00:53:41,828 --> 00:53:42,628
Oh BLEEP!

782
00:53:45,388 --> 00:53:47,868
144. 157.

783
00:53:48,348 --> 00:53:50,268
Missing the gear cost me three mph.

784
00:53:52,108 --> 00:53:54,428
It just doesn't work
with the traction control off.

785
00:53:55,148 --> 00:53:56,908
That was a complete cock-up.

786
00:53:57,508 --> 00:53:59,508
That was hopeless.
I'm going backwards.

787
00:54:01,068 --> 00:54:03,908
144 again.

788
00:54:06,588 --> 00:54:08,308
In the midst of all this
disappointment though,

789
00:54:09,188 --> 00:54:12,148
the little red Corvette
achieved something amazing.

790
00:54:12,948 --> 00:54:16,308
Well, you've got the fastest run
we've ever clocked on these clocks.

791
00:54:17,908 --> 00:54:20,708
Most people would be pleased to
break a record for production cars...

792
00:54:21,908 --> 00:54:25,508
Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!

793
00:54:26,708 --> 00:54:30,868
But Jeremy was still shy
of his 170 mph target.

794
00:54:31,348 --> 00:54:33,948
They call this salt fever when you
become so obsessed...

795
00:54:35,188 --> 00:54:41,708
that you can think of nothing
but going faster and
faster and faster. Sod it!

796
00:54:42,428 --> 00:54:44,828
Even Captain Slow was infected.

797
00:54:45,268 --> 00:54:49,068
Oi! Have you met James, middle
name queue barger? I like this game.

798
00:54:49,828 --> 00:54:53,748
To help us find more speed,
Jeremy and I pumped our tyres up.

799
00:54:58,228 --> 00:55:03,428
While Richard met an expert who
said he should let some air out.

800
00:55:04,508 --> 00:55:07,108
If you have too much air in the
tyre, the air is actually holding

801
00:55:07,748 --> 00:55:10,468
the pressure held on the side wall
so the tyre can't grow.

802
00:55:11,788 --> 00:55:14,388
I'm really pinning my hopes on that
guy being one of those sort of

803
00:55:15,028 --> 00:55:16,868
mystic gurus of the flats.
They exist.

804
00:55:21,028 --> 00:55:25,628
Jeremy and I lined up
for another run with our tyres
bulging at 50 psi.

805
00:55:26,868 --> 00:55:32,228
Warning notices all over
my dashboard and I'm ready to rock!

806
00:55:36,108 --> 00:55:39,748
Good gear change there. Didn't
hit the rev limiter this time.

807
00:55:40,628 --> 00:55:43,348
Come on, stretch it,
stretch it, stretch it.

808
00:55:45,468 --> 00:55:47,228
162. 164. 165.

809
00:55:49,508 --> 00:55:51,028
169.

810
00:55:51,508 --> 00:55:53,508
Half-a-mile an hour to go.

811
00:55:57,148 --> 00:55:58,788
Come on, come on,
come on, come on, come on.

812
00:55:59,748 --> 00:56:02,028
Yes, yes, yes, yes.

813
00:56:05,028 --> 00:56:05,828
159.

814
00:56:06,428 --> 00:56:08,788
Oh, God! I can't do it.

815
00:56:10,948 --> 00:56:13,428
It had been close, but no banana
for Jeremy and James.

816
00:56:14,348 --> 00:56:16,748
So now, watch and learn.

817
00:56:19,428 --> 00:56:23,668
That's a much better start.
It's gonna work.

818
00:56:24,788 --> 00:56:29,308
Come on, Challenger. Think of
the glory, think of the honour.

819
00:56:34,028 --> 00:56:37,308
Ha-ha-ha! 130...? What's that?
I can't read it.

820
00:56:38,268 --> 00:56:40,068
139.

821
00:56:41,508 --> 00:56:44,108
It was afterwards, when we were
making the front of my car more

822
00:56:46,068 --> 00:56:49,268
streamlined, that I learned
a bit more about my salt guru.

823
00:56:49,868 --> 00:56:51,508
How much of your life
have you spent on the flats?

824
00:56:52,108 --> 00:56:53,748
This is my first time on the salt.

825
00:56:58,068 --> 00:56:59,388
OK.

826
00:57:00,228 --> 00:57:01,988
Still, he was pretty
good with Sellotape.

827
00:57:02,588 --> 00:57:05,068
So, with my grill sealed over
and my tyres pumped up,

828
00:57:05,908 --> 00:57:07,788
I set off for another run.

829
00:57:13,308 --> 00:57:15,068
Snaky start. Snaky start. Come on.

830
00:57:15,708 --> 00:57:19,708
Oh no, a bit of tape's gone.
I can't press the pedal any harder.

831
00:57:22,028 --> 00:57:25,148
Come on, come on, keep climbing,
keep climbing, keep climbing.

832
00:57:29,468 --> 00:57:33,548
Do you have a knife I can borrow?
There you go, Challenger - breathe.

833
00:57:34,348 --> 00:57:35,988
With my tyres pumped up
to the point of exploding,

834
00:57:36,788 --> 00:57:38,708
I set off after Hammond.

835
00:57:43,388 --> 00:57:45,508
Forward into the pages of history!

836
00:57:48,068 --> 00:57:49,908
Synchro's getting
a bit weak on second.

837
00:57:52,428 --> 00:57:53,988
153...4.

838
00:57:55,028 --> 00:57:57,068
Come on, stretch it, stretch it.

839
00:58:01,028 --> 00:58:02,308
Come on, 'Vette.

840
00:58:07,468 --> 00:58:10,348
Ooooh, I don't know.

841
00:58:11,268 --> 00:58:14,268
Ha ha ha! I didn't expect that.

842
00:58:14,708 --> 00:58:17,468
I've done it. 150.02. What?

843
00:58:18,668 --> 00:58:20,428
Just this second, that last run.

844
00:58:21,028 --> 00:58:22,468
You've done it? I've done it.

845
00:58:23,508 --> 00:58:25,668
Look, 150.02. What have I just done?

846
00:58:26,148 --> 00:58:27,068
Let's see.

847
00:58:27,668 --> 00:58:29,788
176.549. No?

848
00:58:34,628 --> 00:58:37,308
So, could Slow make it
three out of three?

849
00:58:39,708 --> 00:58:40,788
Come on.

850
00:58:42,228 --> 00:58:44,108
Quick change.

851
00:58:44,708 --> 00:58:46,828
Come on, come on, come on.

852
00:58:48,508 --> 00:58:50,788
176 miles an hour.

853
00:58:51,228 --> 00:58:53,308
I got 150 from my Challenger.

854
00:58:53,708 --> 00:58:56,588
I've ruined it, obviously.

855
00:58:57,188 --> 00:58:59,068
Come on.

856
00:59:02,908 --> 00:59:04,588
Please let that be it.

857
00:59:06,628 --> 00:59:08,748
Was it a good run?
Felt like it. Sir?

858
00:59:09,308 --> 00:59:11,108
163. Yes!

859
00:59:12,228 --> 00:59:14,308
We've all done it.
Has Hammond done it?

860
00:59:14,788 --> 00:59:16,068
Hammond's done 150.

861
00:59:16,788 --> 00:59:18,788
Fantastic. He's celebrating
in the honey bucket. Hammond!

862
00:59:19,508 --> 00:59:20,788
Hammond!

863
00:59:21,388 --> 00:59:23,188
What? He did it. What, 160? Yes.

864
00:59:23,788 --> 00:59:25,988
163. Hey, we've all hit our target!

865
00:59:26,628 --> 00:59:29,828
We were ambitious and, for the
first time ever, successful.

866
00:59:31,628 --> 00:59:34,988
We've never been good at anything
before. And, we've been factual.

867
00:59:35,948 --> 00:59:39,868
Our success though was not the
biggest surprise on this trip.

868
00:59:41,068 --> 00:59:44,028
We came here wondering
if America had finally

869
00:59:44,868 --> 00:59:49,268
made a car that might actually
work in the civilised world.

870
00:59:49,988 --> 00:59:51,548
The answer is no, they haven't.

871
00:59:54,788 --> 00:59:59,068
As you can see from our smiles,
they've made three.

872
01:00:08,428 --> 01:00:09,868
APPLAUSE AND CHEERS

873
01:00:10,668 --> 01:00:12,348
They were, all three, just great.

874
01:00:12,988 --> 01:00:16,028
They were. I reckon my Vette was
better than that Renault twingo.

875
01:00:16,548 --> 01:00:18,748
I'd rather have the Challenger. Yes.

876
01:00:19,388 --> 01:00:20,988
Perhaps they're not quite
as well made as we'd like.

877
01:00:21,628 --> 01:00:25,188
No, but they were just
fantastic fun. We just love them.

878
01:00:27,388 --> 01:00:29,748
And on that Obama shell,
it's time to end the show.

879
01:00:30,348 --> 01:00:33,548
Thanks very much for watching.
See you next week. Good night.

880
01:00:47,948 --> 01:00:50,788
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

881
01:00:52,348 --> 01:00:55,068
E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk