CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Hello, and welcome to Top Gear.
We're still here working from home at Television Centre! Come on.
CHEERING
We've still got our very select audience,
and Fred still can't walk under a low bridge.
This is your worst nightmare, isn't it?
No big crowd to laugh at your jokes.
Phil were laughing! He loved it, Phil there. He loved it. One.
Anyway, we've got a great show for you tonight.
The big man races a jet man.
We've got a beautiful new Ferrari.
And we've got you prancing around in a rented tux
pretending you're James Bond.
Yes, we have, because there's a new Bond film out later this year,
and that got us thinking - if you wanted a genuine Bond car
in your life, how do you get one?
Well, shake yourself a martini,
and enjoy Top Gear's guide to buying a Bond car.
You expect me to talk?
No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die.
For nearly 60 years, James Bond has been saving the day
from behind the wheel of some of the most iconic cars
the world has ever seen.
And would you believe it?
We were lucky enough to bring a whole bunch of them together
in our very own Bond bunker.
Oh...my God.
What?! Me eyes are just everywhere.
This is mega.
Straight away, DB5.
That is the OG right there.
It's like your childhood in a room, isn't it?
The Lotus submarine Esprit, look at that! The submarine!
Shall we have a little walk round? Yeah. Yeah.
Which way do you want to go? I want to have a look at the BMW
that's actually a kit car underneath.
All this... Yeah.
..and you want to start with that Beemer? Yeah, because I want...
The wheel base is a bit wrong underneath. Oh, God. Come on.
Oh, yes, from props department replicas like the Z8
to stunt prep specials like Aston Martin's Vanquish and DB10...
..these are some very special cars.
Isn't this one of the best cars ever? Forget Bond?
It is stunning, this thing.
I reckon that car could make YOU look good.
Do you know what? I hate to say it, boys - for a shape,
I prefer that.
That is the car. I love that. Living Daylights. Love it.
These Aston Martins are just magnificent. Yeah.
Oh! DBS. Come on.
Beautiful!
Name the Bond that drove this.
Ooh! Lazenby.
Yes. Get in!
OHMSS. I know me stuff! OHMSS.
That's the one for me, the one with the Spiro Jump in it.
Look at that!
He goes, "You ain't going to jump that, boy,"
and he goes, "I sure am, boy."
Vroom! Fantastic. Can we open the door?
It's got a plaque inside. Oh, I can see it.
"Driven by James Bond in the movie Man With The Golden Gun."
How cool is that?! How good's that?
These are the actual cars.
Boys, do you think I could sit in this one?
No.
There's no-one about. No.
I'm in, lads.
Oh!
God, these are sensational. Look at this!
HE MIMICS ENGINE NOISE
Every one is a priceless museum piece...
Look at that!
It's just history, innit?
..and each played its part
in enticing generations of loyal fans...
Look at this! This is it.
..to the magic of James Bond.
Don't touch it! I'm touching it, son!
I'll never get the chance again.
In fact, the only one the magic hadn't worked on was Flintoff.
I have got a confession here, lads.
I love the cars. Yes! I love them, I think unbelievable,
but I just don't get James Bond.
What do you mean you don't get James Bond? What's not to get?
He's James Bond. He's the ultimate secret agent.
But he's not, is he? Why?
Do you know who the best special agent is? Go on. Who?
Well, nobody knows, because special agents keep it under their hat.
Oh, God. They don't walk into places and go... Fred.
"Oh, the name's James Bond." "Oh, he's here, lads. Get rid of him."
You're overthinking James Bond. Yeah.
You can't overthink James Bond. You've just got to go with it.
Don't let Flintoff put you off. Bond is brilliant,
and so are his cars.
So let's kick off our buyer's guide with the good news
that there are proper Bond cars out there
that could be yours for sensible money.
Now, what better place to start than the start?
With the original, the affordable Sunbeam Alpine.
Oh, yes, this was the very first Bond car,
the Genesis of things to come.
MUSIC: James Bond Theme
1962's Dr No.
The late, great Sir Sean Connery is at the wheel,
and he's about to have his very first car chase.
James Bond is driving along, enjoying the sunshine,
he looks in the rear-view mirror.
"Ooh, what's that in the back there?
"A couple of rotters in a hearse."
With a few dubious sound effects...
TYRES SCREECH EXCESSIVELY
..and way too much steering...
HORN HONKS
..Bond sneaks under a conveniently-placed crane,
leaving the baddies to plunge off a cliff,
and burst into flames.
I think they were on their way to a funeral.
Amazing!
And that, my friends, was the very first Bond car chase.
Simpler times.
And the Alpine is, in truth, a simple car.
It's got four cylinders, and 80 brake horsepower,
which even by '60s standards was slow.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is 007mph.
But it looks great, you're not going to get a speeding ticket,
it's a proper piece of Bond history, and it doesn't cost the Earth.
You can get a decent one for just under ten grand,
and yeah, it might rust a bit,
and if you're getting chased by baddies, let's hope they're walking.
But that's not important, is it?
What's important is this is the car that started it all.
You want to buy a Bond car on a budget?
Buy the original.
Very nice, but no.
If you want a genuine Bond car for sensible money
that's actually good to drive, you want one of these -
an Alfa Romeo GTV6.
The film was Octopussy.
Sir Roger Moore was at the wheel evading the chasing police
with some proper driving in what still is a fabulous car.
I've never driven one of these before. It's an absolute honey.
It really is!
You've got Alfa's glorious, wonderful-sounding V6 up front...
..perfect weight distribution, I've got a transaxle layout.
That means the engine's in the front but the gearbox is out back,
so I've got 50-50 weight distribution.
You know what? This thing won rallies and won
touring car championships back in the day.
It's a thoroughbred.
Although not, admittedly, an especially reliable one.
It comes from that slightly ropey part of Alfa's history.
So they do rust if they're exposed to
anything other than bright sunlight.
And the upshot is,
if you want one that's more MI6 than stuck on the M6,
you're looking at about 30 grand.
But for something that drives this well,
with this kind of Bond heritage,
oh, yeah, that's got to be worth it.
All right, I'm no expert,
but if you really want a bit of 00fun on a budget...
Bond, sideways.
..forget Octopussy. You want...
..A View To A Kill.
It's the middle of Paris,
Sir Rog has nicked himself a Renault 11 taxi,
and as he races through the streets,
he chops off the top,
and then the back.
And what the big man created is nothing short of a cut-price...
..masterpiece.
Tell you what - of all the Bond cars you could be in,
I don't think I'd swap it. This is so much fun!
I don't need guns. I don't need oil slicks.
All I need is half a car.
Oh! Whoa!
OK, the Renault 5.5's handling is a little bit lively,
but when a whole one from the Continent will only set you back
1,000 euros, I call that a Bond car bargain.
Have a think about this. If you buy it in France,
cut it in half in France, bring it back on the Eurotunnel,
you only have to pay the price of a motorbike. It's dirt cheap!
This car makes sense.
The Renault 5.5 Maybe this Bond lad's all right!
Maybe he's got it right. This is fun.
Oh!
Well, more fun than being stuck with Harris the super fan,
at any rate.
My favourite thing about Bond car chases, though, is the stuff
going on in the background. They're like car time capsules.
From Octopussy, favourite bit, BMW 633 CSI
going the other way over the level crossing
as a police car comes the other way. You picked that out?
Yeah. Dear me.
CAR APPROACHES
What the...?
That is brilliant. That is absolutely brilliant!
Hey-hey!
He's not fully in control of that. I'm just going to stand here.
Oh!
Oh! Hey-hey!
Oh! Oh.
Don't worry, Chris, I've got this. That is superb.
That's one of the best ever Bond chase sequences, isn't it?
And as well, now he's getting into the Bond thing.
He is. He's smiling!
I tell you what - this is so much fun.
Believe it or not, the back end's a bit twitchy.
Yeah! What a car.
Nerdy fact about that sequence, right?
Nerdy fact - have you noticed that when that thing gets T-boned
to make it go in half, the car that goes in is a BMW 323i,
and the next shot is a Renault 20?
I remember you saying that to me over a pint once.
Nobody's ever said that in the history of man. No-one.
One other weird thing, being technical -
where's the fuel tank?
Just behind t'seat. Yeah.
No, but the car in the film... I must admit...
Come on, you must've thought that.
I did think that when I watched it, and that was as a child.
But without this car, that would not be the same film.
It wouldn't be. Can we have a go in that? That is a piece of genius.
Can you have a go, Patrick? Yeah.
You didn't think I'd leave you two out, would you?
There's a couple more of these. No!
Oh, yeah.
Oh! Come on.
Oh, yes, time to show that the Renault 11 is the best
of the budget Bond cars with a bit of high-end motorsport.
My gift to you boys - two laps round Paris.
I wondered what that were!
Prop department pulled it out the bag.
Je m'appelle Bond.
James Bond.
Forget Formula 1, real driver skill is in half-car racing.
Five, four, three, two, one.
HOOTER
LAUGHTER
Oh, this is fantastic fun!
Whoa, here we go!
Here we go, look at this, sideways.
Bit tricky round here.
That's him gone.
With McGuinness' early lead quickly foiled by the Renault's
surprise handling...
Oh, God!
..the inaugural half-car Grand Prix had almost immediately become
a two-horse race, with Flintoff just in the lead.
Where is he? Crazy Harris!
Come on!
Where is he?!
Oh, that's a good drift from Fred!
PADDY YELLS
This is so much fun!
You can keep all your B...
Oh, no, he's here! Oh, he's off.
Yes, baby!
Harris has done me.
ENGINE REVS This is hilarious!
One lap to go, and on the streets of Paris, Harris had just got ahead.
Oh, get Chris, he's proper sideways now.
He's really excited.
Then we'll back it in, bit of oversteer, catch him.
As they say in France, le fight was on.
Come on, Renault 11, don't let me down.
Afraid I'm going to get a whack from...
Oh, I'm all over the place.
Come on. Coming through! Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Oh, spray everywhere!
FREDDIE LAUGHS
I'm not getting beaten by Flintoff.
Oh, no! No!
Got him!
Victory!
Interesting line.
What's he doing?
Having a shocker, Mr Bond.
THEY LAUGH
HE HUMS
Bonjour!
We've been expecting you, Mr Bond.
LAUGHTER
Fair enough, Flintoff nailed it.
The Renault 5.5 really is the ultimate budget Bond car.
But our buyer's guide doesn't end there,
because if you're prepared to spend a little more,
then the world of 007's motors
suddenly becomes a lot more glamorous.
Oh, now we're talking!
The Lotus Esprit. What a car!
Even if you're not a Bond geek, you can't argue with this one.
This is a proper British legend.
And it was treated to one of the all-time great chases.
1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond is on the Sardinian coast,
dicing with a baddie on a motorbike.
He gets rid of him,
then gets tailed by one of the best Bond villains...
James! Yes, I know, don't tell me.
..Jaws.
If that wasn't enough, once he's been seen off,
a helicopter gunship joins the fray, and as we all know,
the only way to get away from one of them
is by turning into a submarine.
This is one of the most iconic moments in movie history.
Now, a regular Esprit, not that good in an underwater situation.
Even in a bit of drizzle, there's water everywhere in this car.
It's starting to leak now.
But that doesn't stop it being an absolute cracker to drive.
ENGINE REVS
Come on!
Go, go, go!
The early Esprits weren't quick, just making about 160 horsepower,
but it's a Lotus - it's light, it's nimble,
the perfect car for getting away from baddies on motorbikes.
Oh! This'll out-manoeuvre anything.
Oh! Nimble.
Pressing on t'pedals at the same time!
Oh! Size 12 feet and Lotus Esprits - that is not a match made in heaven.
And you should probably know that a decent S1 Esprit like this
will set you back about 70 grand.
But if you're rocking a pair of size nines and looking for
a proper classic, trust me, you will not be disappointed.
ENGINE REVS
Just listen to it!
Oh, my word, this was wasted on Bond.
Absolutely love it.
And so he should. The Lotus Esprit is a fine choice,
but it's also a bit of an obvious one.
What if you're after something a bit more unusual?
The Toyota 2000GT...
..the undisputed star of You Only Live Twice,
and quite possibly the coolest Japanese car ever made.
Get down!
OK, the 2000GT doesn't do a whole lot on screen.
Basically, it slides around Tokyo for a bit,
keeping a Toyota Crown at bay, and Bond is only a passenger in it.
But even though its time in the spotlight was brief,
for the real Bond car geeks out there,
it was still utterly fascinating.
How's that for Japanese efficiency?
Just a drop in the ocean.
Now, you might have spotted that the car you see in You Only Live Twice
is a convertible, but this is a coupe.
Good story there.
The only convertible 2000GTs ever made were for the Bond film,
because 6'2" Sean Connery didn't fit into one of these,
so Toyota said they would chop the roofs off
purely to save 007's hair.
Seems a bit brutal to me, and also, I have to say,
this coupe, to me, looks a whole lot prettier.
Which is just as well,
because this is the version that you can actually buy
and it has to be said, it is superb.
This was the first proper Japanese sports car.
It was designed to prove to the world that Japan could do something
other than build very reliable, ordinary, boring cars.
It was expensive, but, boy, did it prove a point.
It had a two-litre straight-six making 150 horsepower,
and with an aluminium body sat on magnesium alloy wheels
to keep the weight down, it was good for 0-60 in eight seconds,
and a top speed of 137mph.
Back then, that was seriously quick.
This car was built in conjunction with Yamaha,
so all the wood in this cabin is Yamaha piano wood.
That's why it looks better than any wood I've ever seen
in a car interior before or since.
Cor! This is a little piece of jewellery, this car.
And it has to be said, it's an expensive one at that.
If you want a 2000GT in your life, and believe me, you really do,
it'll set you back about £800,000...
..which does sound like a lot for a Toyota,
just not, perhaps, for this one.
What an absolutely gorgeous machine.
Wow.
Look at that!
OK, I'll give it to you.
That is nice, isn't it?
For someone of our age, that is the iconic Bond car, isn't it?
It's just beautiful. Do you actually fit in it?
Not quite, but I can just about manage.
Now, I'm a bit embarrassed to ask you, Chris,
I've no idea what your car is. Toyota 2000GT.
Means nothing to you, does it? That's a Toyota?!
That's a Toyota, and... But it's beautiful!
..the current James Bond, Mr Craig himself,
has pronounced this to be the greatest Bond car ever.
I'm not questioning Daniel Craig when it comes to Bond cars,
but surely the ultimate Bond car has got to be British.
Yes, Mr Flintoff, you're absolutely right.
MUSIC: James Bond Theme
Of course it's the one and only, the iconic Aston Martin DB5.
Consider me shaken and very stirred.
007 and the DB5 go together
like vodka martini and a casual fistfight.
It first turned up in 1964's Goldfinger.
Fully equipped by Q Branch, it had smokescreens, oil slicks,
machine guns, bulletproof shields.
It even had an ejector seat.
MAN YELLS
Handy!
The car was an instant icon.
Bond has kept on driving it for over 50 years,
and it's still doing the business in his latest adventure,
No Time To Die.
The DB5 really is the best of the best,
and Aston Martin have just made it even better.
And that's because this car, the one I'm driving right now,
isn't any old Aston Martin DB5.
Oh, no, sir.
This is officially the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation,
the brand-new old DB5.
Oh, and it's so good!
What you get is a 1960s DB5 - same engine, same gearbox,
same everything,
but now built to a level of precision that was just
impossible to achieve back in the day.
This is the DB5 remastered, and it's better than ever.
It's got 280 horsepower,
so when you put your foot down, it goes like The Living Daylights.
Oh-ho!
It's quick, but mainly, it's suave, it's sophisticated.
It makes you feel like Bond.
Although feeling like Bond does come with a couple of issues.
First, the price, because this DB5 will cost you £3.3 million.
You heard it right. Pick Granny up off the floor.
Secondly, you can't officially drive it on the roads, either.
But, as I said before, this isn't any old Aston Martin.
And to show you what this DB5 Goldfinger Continuation
can really do, what we need is a couple of baddies.
What's that I see in my rear-view mirror?
A couple of henchmen!
THEY GIGGLE
AS CONNERY: Gentlemen, do you expect me to talk?
Paddy, you do literally nothing but talk.
NORMAL VOICE: Can you just do me one favour
and just give me the line back for once?
No, Mr Bond, we expect you to die.
Love it!
Right, just get on with it, and catch 00Bolton here.
FREDDIE MUMBLES
Right, let's give them a taste of what the Aston can do.
Have some of that oil, boys!
That's right...
Oil! It's oil!
..for the first time ever,
you can now buy a DB5 fully loaded with Q Branch gadgets.
Skid on that, baby.
What else have you got up your sleeve? Come on, McGuinness.
Sorry, come on, 007.
Have a bit of smoke, gentlemen.
Ha-ha-ha!
HE CHOKES
MUFFLED: Get in character, you!
Have my smoke, boys!
FREDDIE MUMBLES
Jaws has suffered a wardrobe! He's lost his hair.
Apart from the ejector seat,
the Goldfinger Continuation has got it all.
The revolving numberplates, the battering ram,
the bulletproof shield.
OK. Watch this for stunt driving.
MANIACAL LAUGHTER
That's some of the greatest stunt driving ever in a Bond film!
Time for a taste of lead salad.
Oh, yes, this DB5 is even packing the machine guns.
Well, kind of.
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!
Guns!
Has he got guns?
I was going to play it properly, but look in the mirror!
He thinks he's shooting us!
THEY LAUGH
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!
So there you have it - the Top Gear guide to buying a Bond car ends
not just with the best car in Bond history,
nor even the best car in cinema history.
For me, this might just be the best car in history.
The name's Bond.
James Bond.
What's going on? Paddy thinks he's James Bond!
Jeremy Clarkson will be shaking his head.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
It's stunning.
That was...brilliant.
Talk about childhood dreams, and I'll tell you what -
seeing you two as Jaws and Nick Nack has made my year.
That was genius!
What about the stunt, retrieving the wig off the runway,
body on the line, scratched me hands? I liked that!
Popped the wig back in your dressing room after.
LAUGHTER
I loved it!
It's not about us. You are so desperate to be Bond.
Christopher, Christopher, you don't choose to be Bond.
Bond chooses to be you.
Oh, God. Deal with it, my friend.
The Man With The Plastic Gun.
Correct!
The way I see it, Daniel Craig's hanging up the old tuxedo.
Let's get a Bolton Bond in. That's the way forward.
Anyway, can we talk about this DB5? Please do. Beautiful car.
Yes. Love the gadgets.
It's three million quid!
A lot of money. Three million quid, and you can't drive it on the roads.
You can't? You can't drive it.
It's not road legal, but spending a day in it,
you're in a very, very special car.
It's absolutely beautiful,
and I was very lucky to get to drive it.
It is beautiful,
but it's time to move on and talk about electric SUVs.
Audi, Mercedes, Hyundai - they're all doing them right now.
Problem is, they're all a bit boring,
but now there's a new electric SUV that sounded more my cup of tea.
This is the Odyssey 21...
..an electric SUV that's anything but boring.
Oh-ho-ho!
Listen to the noise of it.
ENGINE ROARS
Got 550 horsepower. You get to 60 in less than five seconds.
And it'll do that on anything!
Whoa!
Genuinely, they do call this an electric SUV...
..but this SUV wasn't made for the school run.
This was made for racing.
Ha-ha! Course it was.
Specifically, it was made for racing in a brand-new motorsport
called Extreme E.
Launching this year, it'll see a whole grid of these Odyssey buggies
battling it out in exotic locations all over the world.
And the talent's queuing up already.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are running teams.
Seb Loeb driving.
Jenson Button, he's doing both.
Oh, it's proper racer champion stuff.
But what makes this a bit different is that they'll be racing
through some of the most damaged ecosystems on the planet...
..across deserts, glaciers, even rainforests,
in a bid to raise awareness of climate change.
To me, it's like educating people on elephant poaching
by shooting a load of them.
Extreme E, though, they've thought about that.
They're not flying cars and kit all over the world.
They get from race to race on a cargo ship.
They're doing eco education programmes.
It's carbon negative.
Even Greta would like this.
Basically, this is ethical Fairtrade organic motorsport.
And then there's the cars themselves.
Obviously, it's electric, so there's no fume-y emissions,
but there's more. The bodywork - it's made of plant fibre!
Listen to this - the tyres are made of bits of dandelion.
Seriously! Dandelion.
And underneath all that greenery, it's still a serious piece of kit.
The battery's made by Williams. It sends power to a motor on each axle,
so it's got four-wheel drive...
..and twice as much torque as a WRC car.
It's got double wishbone suspension, which will soak up anything.
It'll get up and down 53-degree slopes.
Go on, son!
Is there anything this car can't do?
Actually, there is,
and unfortunately, the thing this car can't do is go very far.
Oh, come on. I'm out of juice!
You're not surprised, are you?
You drive it hard, you get about 20 minutes.
Here we go, it's dying now. I've got me foot on the floor.
Now I've got to plug it in for two hours.
So what they've made here is a fun impractical toy
that doesn't last long before you have to charge the batteries.
What they've made is a big one of these.
Hey! Hey!
This is just pure fun.
And the lack of range does mean that Extreme E races are quite short.
The average F1 race runs close to 200 miles. Extreme E - 10.
Yeah, the charging thing's a pain,
but I suppose you've got to start somewhere.
That's how progress works.
This is just the first step.
Batteries will get better, charging'll get quicker.
And if it doesn't, we just keep racing petrol cars.
To be fair, though, at least, they're trying to change the game.
At every race,
they'll have a high-tech hydrogen fuel cell generator,
producing all the clean electricity the cars need to charge up.
It's proper future motorsport stuff, and if nothing else,
when your Odyssey 21 is finally charged up again,
you're definitely ready to give it another go.
Oh-ho-ho!
Maybe Extreme E will be the next F1.
Maybe it won't.
But what it does prove is that electric is not just for the roads
or the tracks.
Electric will get you anywhere,
as long as anywhere isn't more than ten miles from where you started,
like, it'll get you anywhere, fast.
This thing, it's a monster.
But here's the thing - it's 2021, and the producers were keen to
point out that when it comes to new and unusual ways to travel quickly
over rough ground, other options are available.
For example, jet packs.
Oh, my word! Look at it.
Yes, me and the Odyssey 21 would now be going up against
Britain's leading and, let's face it, probably only jetpackman,
a bloke called Richard Browning.
Richard! Freddie. Thanks for dropping in.
That's all right. What is that?
This is my Jet Suit.
It's five jet engines, and it's about 1,000 horsepower.
You've got 1,000 horsepower in your rucksack?
Yeah, if you add it all up, yeah.
What speed?
We set the world record at 85mph,
but that was over the water, so maybe not quite that fast here,
but still pretty quick. All right, don't make excuses already,
cos I'm going to race you now. First to the top of the hill wins.
Yep. I'll see you at the top. You're on.
I'm racing a Poundland Tony Stark.
With the title of all terrain transport of the future at stake...
..the winner would be the first to reach the wind turbine
at the top of the hill.
And while the Odyssey and I would have to stick to the gravel tracks
on a longer route up, Richard will be travelling as the crow flies.
JETPACK ENGINE ROARS
Oh, listen to him!
Three, two, one, go!
I'm off!
And he's off as well.
Whoa! Some jump.
Come on.
This is the weirdest thing. I've got no idea where he is.
Better brake here.
Come on! It is so slippery.
Bit messy, a bit messy. Come on.
I'm not getting much from these dandelion tyres.
More like dandelion and burdock, these.
Come on. I can hear him.
JETPACK ENGINE ROARS
Oh, there he is!
Jeez! What a sight!
Well, this snow is giving me absolutely nothing.
I don't know what it's like for him, but I'm concentrating so hard.
Argh!
Just got no grip.
Oh, man!
No! That's going to cost me.
Come on! Where is the jet pack?
Oh, there he is!
No!
Richard and his jetpack just had the lead
as we passed the halfway mark.
Me and the Odyssey needed to push even harder.
Now off the snow,
and now onto the mud.
Nice, nice, nice.
Come on. Get him, get him!
Get through the gate!
Come on, get round.
I can't see him!
I can see the turbine. Go, go, go! Come on.
Where's Jetpackman?
I can't hear him, I can't see him.
No!
Oh! Well done. How was it?
Oh, that was good. Yeah, congrats. Thank you.
Best out of three?
Oh, I'm done. I've got to go.
I've got 50% range left.
Huh?
Oh...
Come on!
Do you fancy cleaning me gutters?
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Oh, mate! That were good fun,
but I've got to say, I'm a little bit disappointed.
I know, I lost. I'm sorry, No, I'm not bothered about that.
I'm disappointed because you didn't give the jetpack a whirl.
Well, I wanted to,
but the BBC insurance department weren't too keen.
Not sure why!
What was it like flying over the car?
Oh, it was unbelievable, the noise of it.
And then I was racing, and you're looking up
just trying to spot him, and when he came across,
it's like nothing you've seen. It was bonkers.
And he had afterburners, boys, he had afterburners.
Afterburners, yeah. On his arms! Mad.
I have to say, Fred, ten-mile range aside, it's outrageous.
It really is. 550 horsepower,
0-60 under five seconds... Ooh! ..on anything.
I can't believe how big it is! It's massive. It's massive!
Do you know what? It's Flintoff-sized.
It's Flintoff-sized, yeah.
I can safely say that is my favourite weekend of driving ever.
Ever. Really? Yeah. Lovely note to end on.
Time to move on, because here's a question we get asked a lot
on Top Gear.
"I've got 200 grand to spend.
"I want something exotic and glamorous and Italian.
"What should I buy?"
You wouldn't believe how often we get asked that.
Well, I reckon I knew the answer.
And so did I. Have a look at this.
Exotic, glamorous...
..and Italian.
Say "Ciao bella," to the beautiful new Ferrari Roma.
Eyes of Britain, you are welcome.
Drink it in, soak it up...
..luxuriate in it, because this is the best-looking Ferrari
of the last 20 years.
Most fast cars now, they're all a bit slatty,
and a bit scoopy, a bit too try-hard.
Not the Roma. The Roma's sophisticated, it's subtle.
Well, apart from the price.
The Roma starts at £170,000,
but, this being a Ferrari,
by the time you've glanced at the options list,
you'll be over 200 grand easy.
Nothing subtle about that.
So, at this kind of price,
there should really also be nothing subtle...
..about the way it goes.
Oh, mamma mia!
Here we go again.
What?!
That is a fast, fast pedal.
And that's because it's attached to a 3.9 litre twin-turbo V8,
making it over 600 horsepower.
It'll get you from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds!
ENGINE ROARS
Top speed - well, Ferrari say it will do over 199mph.
But surely, surely if it would do 200mph they'd say so.
So, top speed, 199...and a bit.
Now, some people, Chris Harris, might tell you that the Roma
is just a hardtop version of Ferrari's entry-level Portofino.
But, they're wrong.
You see, I drove the Portofino a couple of series back
and I loved it, I really loved it.
But the Roma, it's faster,
it's lighter, it's wider, it's lower.
It's just a better car.
Not least because the Roma has been given the latest
version of Ferrari's witchcraft sideslip control system.
Basically, if you've got a race track...
Woo-hoo-hoo!
..it'll help you out with the skids!
That's what we want!
TYRES SCREECH
Got it back! Come on!
Look at it as a Help to Slide scheme.
TYRES SCREECH
Thank you, sir!
I will have another.
Ferrari calls the Roma the new Dolce Vita.
What a machine!
And let me tell you,
for once the marketing speak is bang on the money.
Exotic, glamorous, Italian, great to drive.
Come on.
It's the only answer.
It isn't.
Because, why would you want the new Dolce Vita
when you could have the original?
Meet the GTA-R 290.
Yes, it's a 1960s Alfa Romeo.
But it's also so much more than that.
This masterpiece is the work of a tiny company from Somerset
called Alfaholics.
It's been painstakingly built over 3,000 hours,
and it is...exquisite.
ENGINE ROARS
TYRES SCREECH
HE LAUGHS
This is what's called a restomod which, for proper supercar money,
is a classic car restored, upgraded, and improved
by modern engineering know-how
to create a tailor-made, pocket-sized slice of perfection.
Out the front there, I've got the most glorious twin cam
four-cylinder engine with 240 horsepower.
Woo!
I don't care if the top speed's only 150mph, or not even 150mph.
It's only got a 2.2-litre engine. But listen to it.
ENGINE ROARS
TYRES SCREECH
The noise.
Have you ever heard a four-cylinder sound like that?
MAX ENGINE REVS BEFORE GEAR SHIFT
Do you know what?
It sounds better than most modern V8s!
MUSIC: Gimme Some Lovin' by The Spencer Davis Group
And I've got real-wheel drive, I've got no ABS, no traction control,
no stability systems.
This is absolute analogue driving.
This is to driving what a record player is to music.
# And I'm so glad we made it... #
Wow!
# So glad we made it
# You gotta gimme some lovin'
# Gimme some lovin'... #
Whoa-ho-ho-ho!
What a machine!
# Gimme some lovin' every day. #
I know, supercar money for effectively hot-hatch horsepower.
It's punchy.
But what you need to know is there's no car that's more enjoyable,
more life-affirming to drive than this one.
Honestly, I have not driven many cars
that are more fun than this.
Oh, circus must be in town.
CHRIS LAUGHS
Now we're talking, McGuinness.
CHRIS GIGGLES
Paddy. Ah, charming.
It's beautiful. Yeah.
Isn't it the most perfectly proportioned car ever made?
Gorgeous little thing, but you're not seriously telling me
that's the 200-grand car?
Well, actually, it's not £200,000. Thank God.
No, it's £250,000. Ooh. This is 250 grand.
Whoa, hang on a minute, before you do things like that, warn me.
£250,000?
A few years ago, they'd build you one for 200, but now they're
using even funkier metals, more beautiful materials, so now 250.
250?!
If Noddy wins the lottery, fair enough,
but after that it's ridiculous.
And this one actually is 325. Oh, wow!
It's got titanium suspension components.
300 and what?
325.
That's ridiculous.
This is just a couple of quid over 220, this. OK.
But just look at them. Come on.
This here is a better-looking car than that car.
Oh, come on. Christopher. It looks like an Aston Martin.
It doesn't look like a Ferrari.
A Ferrari should look like a Ferrari.
Is that a bad thing, it looking a bit like an Aston?
Are you going to go, "Excuse me, he looks a bit like George Clooney"?
"Yes, I do."
No-one's ever said you look like George Clooney ever.
Anyhow, how powerful?
240 horsepower.
600, my friend.
Half the weight.
Under 800kg.
Power to weight ratio means I'm just about there.
I reckon it's nearly as quick as that.
Wow. It is.
It's finally happened.
What? You've lost the plot. No, I haven't.
Only one way to sort it.
Science.
BEEP Lovely.
Why have you just locked the car?
To show Harris just how mad you'd have to be to choose
the Alfa over the Roma, it was time for a simple test.
Half a mile up the runway, round the cone, and back again.
Winner? Come on!
It's obvious.
OK, is the £325,000 car ready?
Yes, Patrick.
Bring it.
Three, two, one,
go!
Oooh!
PADDY LAUGHS
Bye-bye, little cute Alfa!
Whoar! It's a rocket, is the Roma.
It's a rocket! But who cares?!
Wow. This thing is rapid!
ENGINE APPROACHES MAXIMUM REVS Listen to the noise!
Look at the majesty of it!
Ooooh! Off we go!
THEY LAUGH
It's understeer central!
CHRIS LAUGHS
Here we go.
That'll do us. Left him for dust.
This is how you lose a drag race.
TYRES SCREECH
He's skidding about.
Let's see what he says.
Welcome.
I don't know what you've proved there other than that I look better.
Well, I've proved that this car is far superior to that.
It's just left you for dead.
Superior means what?
Faster.
Clearly what McGuinness needed was to see what the Alfa was
really made of first-hand.
This is cosy, isn't it, Pad?
Oh, God.
How do I put Radio 2 on?
It doesn't have a radio.
Doesn't have a radio?!
ENGINE REVS
That's aggressive, Chris.
Now, Patrick, this is what it's all about.
Now...
MUSIC: Black Betty by Ram Jam
Oh, dear me.
Come on!
It's the best car you can buy for the money.
I mean, it's 325 grand!
We can't even have a conversation!
Since the passenger seat wasn't quite doing the trick...
I'm feeling nauseous!
..in one last bid to make him see sense...
Oh!
..I came up with a little test of my own.
OK, I bet you that if you manage to not crack a smile
driving this gorgeous machine... Yeah.
..I'll present the rest of the show in my underpants.
Wow.
And, of course, if you do crack a smile... Yeah.
..then you present the show in your underpants.
Oh.
Do you know what, can I firstly just say I can't believe
we're using the word underpants.
That shows our age.
But all right.
TYRES SCREECH
Right, because I know that you're going to question any decision
I make about the smile, or what constitutes a smile...
Well, I've got to say... I've got with me a smileometer. What?
A smileometer.
Can you actually smile, by the way? No, I don't do much smiling.
I've never seen you smile, funnily enough.
Just drive it... Are we going? ..and soak it up. It's gorgeous.
Here we go.
MUSIC: Good Lovin' by The Rascals
# One, two, three Good love... #
ENGINE ROARS
Listen to that noise. Listen to that noise!
I've got to say, it's a different experience when you're sat here.
# Good love... #
And you're engaged with it and you're controlling it.
# Yeah, yeah, yeah... #
Whoa! Watch them.
# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... #
Love it, Paddy!
Love it!
Now you feel so much better than driving that Ferrari.
Listen, I'll agree with you, I feel alive.
Yeah!
# Good love... #
And he's sliding it.
Paddy is sliding it!
CHRIS LAUGHS
I'm not smiling, I'm just a bit bemused.
Yes, he is!
It surprised me.
You are smiling! That's what I'm saying.
You are smiling and you... Oh, and he's off.
No, I'm not! No, I'm not!
Whoa!
THEY LAUGH
That wasn't a smile.
CHRIS LAUGHS
We've had, I think, five or six big smiles.
Where have I...? We've had a howl with laughter.
You're in your pants, son.
What are you on about? The Alfa Romeo has rendered you...
There's been no howling laughter. You were howling with laughter.
I've told you, there's different gauges of smiling!
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Fair play.
You are a man of your word.
Can we just please get on with it very quickly?
No, no, no, there's no need to rush here.
There's a lady up there shut her curtains.
But on the plus side that fella's opened his.
Hello, mate! LAUGHTER
Ho-ho! Enjoy!
Now, look here, which of these two would you have?
Well, I'll never say this to you again, Chris, but I want to know
more about that car from you.
Firstly... Yeah?
..what's the power-to-weight ratio?
Well, it's called the 290. It's just under 300 horsepower.
Come on, boys. I'm cold. Hang on, Pad. I'm cold...
Is it true it's got...?
..and things are shrinking. LAUGHTER
Please. Is it true it's got 300mm brakes?
It has. Has it got...? It has. When are you interested in that ever?
I'm just trying to educate myself.
This is a car show. This is a car show.
Get on to that against that! Come on!
LAUGHTER
So which one would you have? Come on, give us an answer, Fred.
Pick that. Let's get on with it.
You know I love Ferrari.
Yeah.
But there'll be a new one along in 18 months' time.
A valid point, Andrew.
And I am a sucker for a classic.
Chris. Yeah?
I'm going with the Alfa. Thank you! What a result.
I'm going with the Alfa. What a result.
Thank you. Thank you.
APPLAUSE
Good, that's that settled.
We're back next week with a big off-road expedition across
the Highlands of Scotland, and I'll have my trousers back on.
Sorry about that, mate.
See you then, good night! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE