(gentle music)
(upbeat music)
(crowd cheering)
- Hello and welcome to "Top Gear",
where tonight us three are putting our bodies
on the line in the name of research.
Chris Harris pops on the old fireproof pants
for a wrestle with Mercedes' new F1 car for the road.
Freddie Flintoff straps on the old crash helmet
as he takes on motorsport's answer to cage fighting.
And I slip on the old smoking jacket and slippers
for a waft around in the super swanky new Range Rover.
- Taking one for the team there, Pad.
- Selfless, Fred.
- But, we kick off by talking about good intentions.
Explain, Christopher.
- So you know sometimes,
maybe late in an evening after a small shandy,
you make a rash promise
to do something important and worthy like join the gym?
- Or reading Paddy's autobiography
forced on you six months ago.
- Keep it, Fred.
There's still plenty left.
- No likey, no likey.
- Exactly.
- Fascinating.
- And you wake up in the morning and think,
"What have I got myself into here?"
Well, Mercedes knows the feeling.
(dramatic music)
Five years ago, Mercedes announced
it was gonna do something properly exciting:
take the engine from Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 car
and put it into a road car.
A great idea, but as Merc quickly found out,
almost impossible to actually achieve.
The project's been a bit of a disaster.
Years have gone by, deadlines came and went,
CEOs were shown the door, and then everything went quiet,
until recently when Mercedes phoned and said,
"Remember that road car we put Lewis' F1 engine in?
"Well, it's finished."
Here, at long last, is the AMG ONE.
Fashionably late to the tune of three years,
this is two-and-a-half million pounds' worth
of Mercedes F1 know-how poured into a car
that you can legally drive on the road.
Ooh.
The car that many thought would never happen
is finally here.
Wow.
And the only question now
is what on earth is it like from behind the wheel?
So I've just started off in full electric mode.
Here we go, coming out onto track.
In a car with a modern, there's the engine,
I tell you what, it's noisy in here,
much noisier inside than outside.
There it goes.
It just keeps revving.
The noise is sensational.
It is a mighty, mighty experience.
F1 rules state that teams can only use 1.6-litre V6 engines,
so that's what's sitting at the heart of the AMG ONE,
a V6 engine that can spin up to a stratospheric 11,000 RPM.
So I have about 560 horsepower from the engine,
and the rest, which adds up to over 1000 horsepower,
is coming from electric motors.
Nought to 60, 2.9 seconds,
the top speed 219 miles an hour.
They sound enormous numbers, don't they?
But of course, that's not much quicker
than some high-end supercars.
The ONE hasn't been conceived to sit
at the top of a deck of Top Trumps, though.
Think of it instead as a challenge.
With the AMG ONE you actually have five motors.
You've got that internal combustion engine, that's a motor,
two motors on the front wheels,
and a motor coming off the crank as well,
and the fifth one's actually in the turbocharger
to help it reduce lag.
Putting all of this together
is pretty much automotive Everest,
an engineering mountain so great
that Mercedes engineers just had to see if they could.
It's not like anything I've driven before.
So, the powertrain just stopped,
the engine stopped and it then just restarted itself.
Assuming Mercedes engineers
weren't intending unexpected pit stops
to be part of the owner experience,
the early signs were
that there was still a bit of mountain left to climb.
So the problem was twice during full-braking
when I was on a downshift and the revs went high,
the auto blip would blip the throttle
and then the engine would just cut.
Quite why the engine is cutting out under braking
turns out to be a tricky problem to diagnose,
so much so, in fact, that Mercedes wheels out
a second car to get us back up and running.
So, where were we?
Racing cars have to comply with a million regulations,
but road cars, well, they have to comply
with a million totally different regulations.
Put the two together,
this must be the most complicated road car ever made.
No wonder it's having some teething problems now.
The chassis's the bit that I'm finding
a little bit tricky at the moment.
Whatever I do, I've got this understeer.
I can't really get rid of it.
And the bigger problem is, while they've been trying
to get it all working out on track,
you get the feeling Mercedes hasn't had the chance
to sort all the other stuff that makes a road car liveable.
The noise, again I come back to it,
is so extreme I've actually put some ear plugs in.
I'm just bolted straight into the chassis
and the engine's bolted to that,
so I'm kind of connected to the vehicle
in a way you aren't in most supercars.
The steering wheel is a strange shape.
The seating position, I'm not so sure, really.
The seat is fixed, the pedals move,
but someone tall is gonna struggle in this thing,
and the seat, there's not much support,
I'm kinda moving around in it.
And how do you maintain a Formula 1 engine on the road?
Well, Mercedes is saying that you'll need
an engine rebuild every 30,000 miles.
It doesn't seem unreasonable.
But it will cost you 700,000 pounds.
Or at least it will if you get that far.
Oh, right, so the aero limit is now coming on.
So it just stops at 145Ks.
Oh dear, I tell you what,
it's not been an easy day for the AMG ONE.
The second car now has an issue
with the sensor on its active rear wing,
which in turn has triggered a speed limiter on the engine.
I tell you what, if you paid two and a half million quid
for it you wouldn't be over the moon.
But, after a lot more head scratching,
to get around all the bugs
in the drivetrain and aero systems,
the fix that the engineers come up with is a promising one.
Putting the AMG ONE into its most extreme drive mode
would force the car to deploy maximum aero
and maximum performance for one last run.
That mode is the same one Lewis Hamilton uses
in F1 qualifying, and it's called Strat 2.
Oh, that's quite serious.
God, it's fast through there.
Whoo.
That's where the aero really is working.
The concept just makes me grin while I'm sitting here.
This is the engine that genuinely won World Championships.
And that noise, what a noise.
When that incredible engine
and those ridiculously aggressive wings
actually start working together,
this car finally starts to make some sort of sense.
Do you know what, once you're in it,
it feels so much more special,
'cause that engine's unlike
anything I've ever driven before.
And it's 1.6 litres, get your head round that.
And I love the fact that it revs to eleven,
nothing revs to eleven.
The AMG ONE, then, might well be a flawed machine,
but that doesn't stop it being one
of the most fascinating, intriguing cars I've ever driven.
There was a word for this sort of project years ago,
it was called a folly,
something that was just so fraught with difficulties
you wonder why someone would bother.
I suppose I have to ask myself, do I think it was worth it?
Because it's not the best-driving
or fastest supercar I've driven, let alone hypercar.
But there's just something so appealing about it.
When it's up and running, when it's up and running,
it's unlike any other driving experience I've had.
And at the end of it all,
this is an engine from a Formula 1 car,
and that's probably enough for me.
(cheering and applauding)
- So it didn't work.
- It didn't work some of the time.
But when it wasn't not working,
well, it was just fascinating.
- It's amazing looking.
- Yeah but, Chris, it didn't work.
Now, ambition's a great thing, Christopher,
but you've gotta accept, if something's not working
it's not working.
Back in the '90s I got a perm.
- Stop it.
- I woke up the next day, I looked like Barbra Streisand.
It didn't work.
- I bet that perm didn't cost you
two and a half million quid, though, did it?
- It didn't, no, it didn't.
- Only with you two could I get into a conversation
around this wonderful car and his hair.
It's a wonderful vehicle, it really is.
And isn't sort of heroic failure
so much more romantic than unheroic success?
- Well, I've had a few myself, Chris, yeah.
- But honestly, I love the concept.
I love the fact they had the ambition to go and do it.
Mercedes-Benz of all companies asked,
"Why not put a Formula 1 engine in a road car?"
- I love it.
- Well, I think they've given us a few reasons why not.
But, we're moving on.
Fred, what's the news?
- So, last year I got my race licence,
and since then I've been badgering the producers
to let me get stuck into some proper, serious motorsport.
The other day they said,
"How'd you fancy doing a bit of F1?"
Well, if you think I'm up to it, why not?
And they said, "No, not that F1, this F1."
F1 stock cars.
Established right here in the UK,
it's billed as the world's toughest
full-contact motor sport,
an oval racing series where fighting your way
through the field takes on a whole new meaning.
First impressions,
I don't think it's your Jenson Buttons this, is it,
and, you know, your Lando Norrises.
This is like men with big hands
and dirty outfits and overalls and mud.
My debut would be in less than 48 hours.
Why did I not expect it to be that fast?
So, it was just as well the man tasked
with getting me across the line
was F1 stock car legend Frankie Wainman Junior.
- [Announcer] Junior Wainman.
- [Freddie] With three World Championships
and eight British titles under his belt,
there is no one more qualified to get me race-ready
than Frankie Junior.
- Nice to meet you, Freddie. Frankie Wainman.
- I was right about the hands, they're like sausages.
I don't know where to start.
I've seen a little bit of it on YouTube.
Didn't know what to expect.
But then when I've seen it just now,
it's an eyeful, isn't it?
- Yeah, this is the easy bit.
- Seriously?
- It's the other cars that's the problem.
- We'll worry about them after.
But this car, it's not even straight.
- Obviously everything's built just to go left.
- These cars are built for purpose.
Heavy-duty roll and impact protection bars
keep everything in place when the racing gets physical.
Underneath the armour, a naturally aspirated
race-tuned Chevy V8 sends a whopping 740 horsepower
through a simple two-speed gearbox.
Helping to keep that all planted firmly on the track,
that massive wing set up high on the roof.
What type of speeds are you getting up to?
- Depending on the size of the track,
probably 80, 90 mile an hour
on some of them. - Really?
- Yeah, and bear in mind, this is full contact.
So, you're not only doing them speeds
but somebody could just punt you off the end at that speed.
- Have you hurt yourself doing this, Frankie?
- Erm, it's just bangs and knocks, really.
I mean, I've been at the front of this job for 35 years,
I've been and done everything,
and so when the two guys are squabbling at the top
to win the championships, you get put in the whirl.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
No, the cars are built to take it.
Yeah, you'll be winded for a few laps,
but you just get on with it and.
- Right.
Full contact could wait.
Wow.
The first job, here we go, was to head out solo,
we're off, and try to get a feel for the car.
Whoa, unbelievable.
Just finding me feet.
- That's it, Fred, just nice and steady,
you'll feel your way around.
- Wow, there's some power in this.
A quick lap in F1 stock cars,
right, come on,
is all down to the drift.
Whoa.
The oval track's loose, slippery surface
means you have to carry as much speed as possible
into the corners while keeping a smooth line
as you slide around, there we go, for a fast exit.
This is absolutely bonkers.
I don't know if I'm enjoying it, liking it, or what.
And I'm only on my own on the track.
When I got my race licence,
I was driving a lightweight, modern GT car.
Getting to grips with a crude, no-frills stock car
was totally different.
The car's not built for someone my size.
I'm on loose ground.
I can't really change the gears properly.
I can't move 'cause I'm strapped in that tight.
Yeah, some people pay good money for that, not this fella.
Piling on the practise laps, though,
sliding the big V8 pile-of-scaffolding around the track
was just starting to feel more familiar.
There go you, there you go.
I'm kind of enjoying it.
I'm not even gonna style it out.
I'm kind of petrified as well.
And I'm finding, like it is with anything
with this racing lark, smooth is best.
- That's better.
You're picking the throttle a bit slower
and that's more control.
- But more control means more speed.
And that means when the mistakes do happen, they hit hard.
Whey, whoa.
Oh, wow.
(bleep) Winded, jeez.
- That's one dent in the fence.
- The moment you think, "You know, I've got this,"
that's when you come unstuck.
I see what you mean about contact.
- Yes.
Did you feel that?
- Yeah, I did.
It hit me, then here and then my head as well.
- It's a dangerous sport.
You know, if you wanna win you've gotta get hurt.
That's just life, unfortunately.
But it's brutal, it is brutal.
- To get me back on track,
Frankie took to his own car to lead me round.
There we go, nice and smooth.
And with an expert's line to follow, that's better,
things finally started to click, nice.
Totally different now.
I'm turning the car with the brake,
whereas before I was trying to use the accelerator.
Even the crashes got better.
I'm all good, all good, ready for impact.
It's all right if you brace yourself.
End of day one, it's a bit mixed, to be honest.
I feel I'm getting better, but I'm acutely aware
of what I'm getting myself into now, I think.
Come on, keep going.
Keep concentrating.
Driving the track solo is one thing.
The next job was to find out
what it was like with competition.
Here we go, keep driving, keep driving.
This is King's Lynn's Adrian Flux Arena,
the epicentre of the F1 stock car universe.
Yeah, I think this is the upper level
from the last place, innit?
That was like a training track, put your stabilisers on.
And then now this is the real deal.
With my first race now just a few hours away,
Frankie was stepping the training up a gear.
And to give me a bit of inspiration.
- There you go, look.
- Overnight, his team had been busy on my car.
Look at it. It's amazing.
There'll be no guessing who's in this, then, will there?.
- Just in case there isn't.
- Wow.
I'll tell you what, if you're behind this
you're gonna be embarrassed in the race, aren't ya?
Look at that, three lions.
That's lovely, Frankie.
- Good, right.
- Right, I'll go get me kit on.
- Get yourself suited up and we'll get you some laps.
- Make the most of track time.
- No worries.
- Reunited with my old shirt number,
and with my own custom livery,
I was definitely starting to look like a competitor.
Now I needed to know how to drive like one.
Here we go, onto the King's Lynn track.
And to do that, Frankie Junior
had drafted in some help from a fellow racer,
I can hear another car coming in,
his son, Frankie Junior Junior.
Bloomin' heck, two Frankies and a Fred.
Whoa, nice to meet you too.
Let's go then.
Whoa, he's not messing about, Frankie Junior.
- What you've gotta remember, Fred,
this is a full-contact sport.
You've got your lines and everything good now,
we've got some speed.
- This is completely different.
I'm just trying to be smooth.
- We just need to look at a few of the manoeuvres
that you might be receiving
or you might need to give passing slower cars.
- Yeah.
- First of all we've got the push.
- Yeah.
- Which is into the corner,
hit, and then up the inside and go.
- Whoa, bloomin' heck.
- So you gotta hit 'em.
- Yeah, physical contact.
- Whoa, all right then, it's a father-son tag team.
You want some?
I'll go and get my dad, eh?
- Next one is the nerf into the side rail,
middle of the corner.
So this car's sat here,
just a hit on the middle of the side rail there,
just unbalances their car and then you're through.
- Go on then.
Oh, he's pushing me.
You're using them for your position.
- Correct.
- Right, next one we have is the last bender,
which is, you go to this car's winning the race,
you've got to have a dive.
- You have to, yeah.
Wow, that was a heavy hit.
Whoa, this is a rough sport.
- It's easy with these, though, innit.
- Oh yeah, it don't hurt or anything with these.
- You good?
- Yeah, good, can I have that car?
- Yes, that's you. - Thank you.
All right, put it into practise.
- He's gonna be up against sort of 30 cars in a race.
You know, they're gonna be hitting him,
he's gonna be hitting them.
- It's a rough ride.
- He needs to get used to a bit of contact.
- This is racing now.
Come on, Frank, let's be having you.
It's getting rough, this.
It's getting proper toasty.
This is so good.
That last session then, for about six or seven laps,
I wasn't worrying about the car
or me position or anything else apart from racing,
and I felt in it.
Whoa, they're all at it.
I don't think it's something you'll ever get used to,
a car crashing into you, but you,
I think I was learning how to handle it better.
I was keeping me line.
I was managing to control the car
and keeping it pretty much where I wanted it to be.
Whoa, get away, get away.
And I think giving enough back
so that people know I'm around and not get pushed about.
No way, not today, Frank.
- You were getting in there then proper, weren't ya?
- I was enjoying it.
I actually felt in it.
- Yeah, yeah.
- I'm racing, and actually for the first time
since I've been here I was looking, I wasn't here.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
From watching you then you could see
that you were more intent on racing us than the car,
if that makes sense?
You knew where you were going round the track
and you just wanted to beat us,
and that's how it should be, yeah, it's good.
- Part of me thinks, yeah,
if I can drive like that I'm gonna be all right in a race.
But part of me thinks as well
there's gonna be far more cars out there,
there's a target on me back,
but I could spend the next three days going round
and I don't know if I'd be ready.
I think I've just gotta get into it now.
Training was done,
the stock car carnival was rolling into King's Lynn,
and things were getting real.
It's a bit different, innit?
You've got all the crowd here,
a lot of people hanging around the car everywhere you go.
I just have to concentrate on my drive
and not get too worried about the cars around me.
And if I get hit I get hit,
but just concentrate on what I'm doing, that's me plan.
I've got a gum shield as well this time.
Everyone was asking have I got a gum shield,
so I said, why, and they say,
"So you don't bite your tongue off."
I'd like me tongue.
As a rookie, I'd be starting out
with a sixteen-lap race against a field of fifteen drivers.
And as the least experienced of the lot,
I'd be starting at the front of the grid.
It's quite handy, because all the crowd
and everyone knows what class the drivers are.
You know, you start with the red tops, for the best drivers,
and then you go blue, then it's yellow.
Now, here we go, this is my category,
complete novices have white tops.
So I'm hoping I can hold me own, maybe catch a few yellows.
Here we go.
Up to now, my racing career
had been plagued with mechanical failures.
I was praying that this would be the race where,
for once, I'd see the chequered flag.
Here we go.
We're in it now.
- [Announcer] Good afternoon, everyone.
Welcome here to the Adrian Flux Arena.
And taking part in the meeting this afternoon
out there in car number 11
it is none other than Freddie Flintoff.
- Nearly time, nearly time,
the waiting's the worst bit, the worst bit,
waiting to race, waiting to bat, waiting for anything.
- [Announcer] We are all set to go.
It's over to you, Mr Starter, here we go.
- To avoid a massive pile-up on turn one,
F1 stock car races have rolling starts.
Here we go.
I'm a little bit nervous.
- We're on the rolling lap now.
He needs to slow down a little bit.
He looks a bit keen.
- [Announcer] It's green flag out on the raceway.
Away we go with this.
- We're green, we're going.
- Get round, get round, get round.
There we go.
- [Announcer] Flintoff leading the way,
319 Sheldon there in second.
- Got good pace there.
- This is a different proposition.
Get round, get round.
- That's it, that's it.
- [Announcer] Flintoff, then, leads currently
at the end of the opening lap.
- As starts go, it had been a good 'un,
not just keeping the lead but starting to build it.
- He's actually pulling away,
he just needs to steady up a little bit.
Steady, steady.
That's it, that's it.
- Go, go, go.
Oh, you, (bleep) too early.
Never mind, get round, get round.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- [Announcer] Well, Flintoff rattles round the wall.
- He's doing good.
- Nice and smooth, nice and smooth.
Six laps in, this was turning into the drive of my life.
- He's keeping real good pace, real good pace.
- Okay, it wasn't perfect.
- Use the wall.
- Using the wall.
- But it was getting the job done.
That hurt but I needed it.
The trouble with starting
from the front of a packed grid, though.
- Come on.
Come on.
- Is that even the smallest mistake,
keep it smooth, can mean disaster.
- [Announcer] Oh, and he's flicked himself
out of the lead, Flintoff.
- Ah, Freddie.
- No.
The spin was bad enough.
But it was the T-bone that followed that sealed the deal.
- [Announcer] So it's all left kicking off.
- Whoa, easy lad.
Car's gone, car's gone.
(bleep) The car's (bleep) gone. (bleep)
No, please.
- He led that proper then
for at least six laps, really good.
- So annoying.
I was having it as well.
I was at the front, I had one mistake,
I was still in it and me car's cut out, again.
My first stock car race had ended like the rest of them:
back at the pits with nothing to show for it
but another DNF.
It's always a mechanical, me, innit, always a mechanical.
Baja, mechanical; Ginetta, mechanical.
Oh, always a mechanical.
Oh well.
Might go and sit down for a bit, me head's banging.
But I couldn't rest for long.
Keen to race again, and having led for half my first race,
Frankie thought I was safe enough
to get a taste of the big leagues.
So while Team Wainman raced to fix the damage to my car
and the evening's race meet gathered pace,
I headed down the paddock in search of inspiration.
How old are you?
- I'm 20.
- 20 and world champion?
- Yeah.
- You can't stop smiling, can you, and why not?
- No, I can't.
- And why not?
Any tips?
- Try and race your own race.
That's what you gotta do.
- That's the thing, you get sucked in sometimes
about other cars, don't you, you forget what you're doing.
Gotta try and get round.
- Concentrate on what's in front of you,
try and keep the car straight
and obviously just be gentle with that throttle
because it's a lot of power under you.
- Just hit everything in front of you.
- Hit everything in front of me?
I've tried that but it's usually a wall.
- Yeah, and me, but yeah, no,
just keep your wheels straight and you'll be fine.
- With a head full of advice,
it was time to get ready to race.
The last round of the night would be a 10 lap sprint,
where, a solo rookie, I'd be lining up
on a mixed grid of intermediates and pros,
including both Frankies.
This wouldn't be a battle for podiums or silverware.
For me, this battle had a much simpler goal.
I wanna finish a race and then walk away,
ideally in one piece, car's in one piece,
with a grin on me face.
No chance, is there, not a chance.
- [Announcer] We are ready to go with this one.
Over to you, Mr Starter.
- Here we go again, come on, Freddie lad.
Let's see what you got.
Having been drawn in fourth place,
this would be my first start from the middle of the pack,
or to put it another way, right in the thick of it.
- [Announcer] The green is out.
We are away and racing.
- Get round, get round.
- [Announcer] That's Flintoff in 11 in fourth at the moment.
- Bit wide, but we're all rightthough.
Surrounded by topflight racers like Frankie,
I just had to race my race, hold my nerve,
come on, concentrate, and hope for the best.
Hold your line.
This is crazy, Frankie's right behind me.
Oh, we've got a nudge.
He's right there.
- [Announcer] Callenjal gets through, as is Flintoff.
Flintoff's coming back at him on the inside.
Can't quite make it stick that time.
- Cars were spinning out all over the field.
Oh, come on.
But a bit of skill, oh,
and a lot of luck, blooming heck, that was close,
somehow kept me clear of the carnage.
Whoa, that was a bit of a slapper.
Go on then.
As the laps counted down,
I couldn't drop my guard for a second.
The only trouble is to concentrate.
A spin or a crash now was not an option.
Go on, go on, come on, you've got this.
Keep going, do not give it away now.
Do not give it away.
- [Announcer] So back through we go, the last lap.
- Here we go, last lap.
Come on, you got this.
Hang in there, son, hang in there, come on.
Last corner, last corner.
Finish this race.
Here it is, the chequered flag.
[Announcer] And the chequered flag out.
- Oh, I've finished.
I've finished a race.
First time in my history.
Yes please, I'll take that all day long,
every day of the week and twice on a Tuesday.
(applause)
All right, as ambitions go,
it hadn't been an especially grand one.
But walking away from F1 stock cars with a finish
had been plenty good enough for me.
Thanks so much, thanks Frankie, you're a legend.
Come here, you?
Cheers, Junior.
(crowd cheering)
- That looked utterly brutal, Fred.
So in your sporting career,
you've had cricket balls bowled
at your head by angry Australians,
you've been punched in the head by an angry American boxer,
and you've been headbutted by a Norwegian bobsleigh run.
Where does this sort of rank on your personal pain scale?
- This'll come in at number two.
Cricket's still the most painful,
but that's mainly emotional.
It's harder than boxing.
When I hit the wall for the first time,
my shoulder, my head and my ribs hurt more
than any punch that I've felt.
Honestly, it is the most brutal thing ever.
- I've gotta say, watching it, though, it was amazing.
Forget sensible F1, I'm into the bonkers F1:
drive to hopefully survive.
- Yeah, and I'm not sure I would have done
without the help of these two.
Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up
for Frankie Junior and Frankie Junior Junior.
Without you I was done.
I've gotta say, I'm glad I've done it,
but now I've done it, I'm done.
I'm retiring from another sport.
- A short but glorious career.
- Thank you, Paddy, thank you.
- Fella on cameras, come with me for a little walk,
'cause I want to talk about this, the Range Rover.
This one's been knocking around for a decade now,
and it's still the absolute business.
But that hasn't stopped Land Rover cooking up a new one
and they say it's even better.
(dramatic music)
Introducing the all-new Range Rover.
And straight away, you'll notice
it looks like a Range Rover.
But they reckon this Range Rover
now has more luxury and more refinement than ever before.
This is a car, then, with plenty to shout about.
Thing is though, it doesn't.
Listen to that.
Got to listen carefully.
Can you hear it?
Exactly, nothing.
Complete silence.
That's because the good people at Land Rover
have pulled out all the stops
to make this the quietest Range Rover ever.
Take the exterior.
Every millimetre of the bodywork
has been smoothed out to reduce wind noise,
while the structure has been made stiffer
than ever before to reduce vibration.
And if any sound at all does make its way into the cab,
you've got thirty-five noise-canceling speakers in here.
There's even a couple in the headrest.
There could be an earthquake going on out there,
(disruptive noises)
you'd be totally oblivious.
In fact, the Range Rover will keep you isolated
from just about anything
the noisy, dirty outside world can throw at you.
Every time you put the news on these days,
there's another virus out there to get us.
What we need is a weapons-grade air-con system
that filters out all those nasty bacteria and viruses,
which is exactly what this has got.
Nothing is getting in here.
I am not kidding, either, this car will stop Covid.
And when it comes to what powers
the world's most comfortable face mask,
you won't be surprised to hear there are plenty of options.
Petrol, diesel, a plug-in hybrid
that'll do fifty-odd miles on battery power alone.
There's even an all-electric version due out soon.
But from the driver's seat,
it doesn't really matter what you've got under the bonnet.
It's all very quiet and all very peaceful.
Once you've got past all the ways
they've tried to make the new Range Rover
feel as un-car-like as possible, though,
it turns out they've also done some work
on the small matter of actually driving the thing.
The sat nav is constantly talking to the suspension
to warn it about any lumps and bumps in the road ahead
so it can engage the anti-roll system.
It isn't exactly a Lotus
but as far as two-and-a-half tonne cruise liners go,
this is pretty impressive.
As is the rear-wheel steer, which gives this thing
a turning circle of under 11 metres.
That's Volkswagen Golf territory.
But what definitely isn't Volkswagen Golf territory
is what this cleverer, posher-than-ever
Range Rover now costs.
These start at 100,000 pound, start.
Now, if you chuck in a juicier engine,
and smatter it with all the trimmings,
you could be north of 200,000 pounds.
200,000 pounds for a Range Rover.
The world's gone mad.
Especially as however much it costs,
because it's a Range Rover,
this sharp-suited city slicker
still needs to do the business when the going gets tough.
So, to put it through its paces, I headed to Wales
to meet up with Harris for a spot of light off-roading.
This is the King of Britain,
the toughest all-terrain competition in the country,
a race where custom-built, high-performance buggies
tackle a torture chamber of extreme terrain.
And rocking up on warm-up day ahead of the big race,
it was just the place to see
what the Range Rover is really made of.
- What's the total build for this then?
Couple of 100 grand, or is it more?
- Oh, there he is, the big lad,
just talking to men in overalls.
He could not be happier.
- Is it a spec chassis or have you?
- Yeah, it's basically, it's what they call
a Miller pro chassis.
- Yeah.
- Good morning.
- What have you got us into here, Patrick?
What are you playing at?
- Just the King of Britain,
the toughest off-roader there is.
- Look, I'm aware of what it is, utterly brutal.
How are we planning to get around that in this?
- I'll put some off-road tyres on her.
- That's it.
- That's the one.
And I've been swanning around all morning,
so you can drive, in you get.
- These thing struggle.
- Whatever, just get yourself in.
- So, the course that the King of Britain runners
would be spending the next day hammering around
covers gravel tracks, muddy crawls,
boulder fields and water crossings.
And with the pros already out giving it all a good look,
McGuinness's plan was that we would now
also try to tackle one lap of the course.
As off-road tests go, it would be a thorough one.
Fail and we'd have to conclude
that Land Rover's mighty flagship
is now just too posh and too plush.
Right, now before we set off, let's get the seat coolers on.
- Oh yeah.
- Nice and cool.
- That's lovely.
- Bottom of the back.
But anyhow, we've got the V8 in, 500 horsepower,
let's see what she can do.
- Jesus, it goes.
- Oh ho ho, does it.
0-60 in 4.4 seconds, top whack around about 150,
it's a beast, this thing.
The thing about the Range Rover is
it's always made off-roading
feel like you're in a Rolls Royce.
That's it, isn't it?
You're not aware of what's going on outside.
- Although I'm not sure about this interior for off-roading.
Oh, there we are, that'll get it.
- This is just effortless, mate.
- Beautiful. - Effortless.
- And, you hear that?
- What?
- Exactly.
- Gravel tracks are easy pickings, though.
With the course now heading down through the trees,
we could start exploring
the Range Rover's arsenal of off-road tech.
- Here we go.
Fourteen inches of ground clearance this'll give us, Chris.
- Handy for the school run.
Oh, that was a big scrape.
There we go.
- So far, so good.
- Oh my lord, Pad, this looks a bit steep, what's this?
I can't even see down there, what is it?
- Stop, stop, stop.
- Stop what?
- L descent mode.
Look at that, wahey,
it'll never go above two miles per hour there now.
That is heaven.
- I love technology.
- Nothing's testing it yet.
Do you know what, I've not checked on this actually.
- What?
- It's got the old massage seats.
- Has it? - Shall I have a look?
Oh, there it is, massage.
Now are you ready, sir?
(pleasurable moaning)
In the King of Britain.
- In fact, what with the onboard rubdown
and the Rangie so quietly going about its business outside,
so far it was easy to forget
that we were off-roading at all.
- Do you ever remember in an old Hammer horror episode,
they were driving down the road like this
and all of a sudden it gets really foggy
and they're in this village
and everyone's like you and Flintoff,
all teeth are all messed up and yellow,
then they escape in the end,
and they drive out through the fog
and you're like thank God and they're away,
and they were from the Damned, have you never seen that?
- No.
- Oh, it's a belter.
- But, before I could regale Harris
with any more horror classics,
the King of Britain's circuit decided
it was time we head down a dried-up stream.
Let's put the old rock crawl on.
That's that.
And change the camera angles for you.
- So there is a camera underneath the car.
- Yeah.
Some engineer has come up with that, some boffin,
no one will ever use it.
No one's ever gonna come up to you
and go, "Good job on that, I use that."
- Yeah, but they have done an amazing job, though.
- That's a lovely plant, isn't it?
What is that?
Is it a plant or a tree that?
- That's a Buddleia.
- A Buddleia, how do you know these things?
- They're beautiful, but they're rampant.
They're like you on television.
Once they start off they are everywhere,
That's it, you can't stop them, yeah.
- Once again, we had to concede
that Land Rover's luxobarge
was taking the course in its stride.
- Just so impressive, this thing.
- But, while the rest of the King of Britain runners
tore their way through the Welsh hills ahead of us,
that dried-up stream turned into a dried-up river.
We are not going in that.
- It can't go down there.
It can't be going down there.
- Hold on, before you go,
I'm gonna have to do a bit of spotting.
I know we've got the underneath camera, but.
- So what you're saying
is you'd rather be out of the vehicle.
- Yes, right, let's do it.
- Oh God, do you wanna swap?
- No thanks.
Right, oh dear.
You hear me?
- Yes, it's never going down there, is it?
- No, no, you're alright.
Left hand down.
Right, whoa, not too much.
Right hand.
Yeah, keep coming.
Go on.
It's alright, just a little love bite, keep coming.
- That sounded horrible.
- Yeah, keep coming, you're alright.
- Go on, you've passed it there.
Right, straighten up, whoa, whoa.
Straight down now, come on.
- You're looking the wrong way.
- I have to move out your way.
Go on, you're clear.
Keep coming at that.
Tell you what, it's amazing, this.
- Left hand down?
- Come on.
Go on, yes, go on.
Oh, don't go too far back.
- This is horrendous. - Come on, Chris.
You're up.
- Oh Jesus.
The Rangie was holding its own.
- Over here, over you come, right hand down, son.
- But our crawl through the rocks was taking time.
That's horrendous.
- Oh, that's a fair old bit.
- Enough time, it turned out,
for the proper racers to start coming around again.
What's that noise?
What the hell is that?
Where's he going?
- Jeez, hey, has he got cooling seats?
No he has not, up you get.
Give it some, give it some, Chris.
Give it some, go on.
- Whoa, there we go.
- There we go.
- There she goes.
- That's the one.
- I cannot believe it got up there.
I can't believe it got up there.
- Fantastic.
So, rock crawl mode definitely works.
And deciding it was best that we clear out the way
before any more kings of Britain came galloping past,
we got back on the gravel
and set off for the last stage of the course.
Look at that, 50 miles an hour,
you're barely aware of it, are you?
- Fifty miles an hour.
- I know, on rough ground.
- Little bit of splash.
- They're just so capable, aren't they?
It's outrageous how good it is.
- But if you are an engineer at Land Rover,
and you're putting in the long hours developing stuff,
and you're thinking, "Never gonna get used."
- I know.
- It's crazy.
- It's like your rich barrel of humour.
You only give us a little bit of it.
Most of it's just not necessary.
- Oh dear, dear, dear.
Whether it ever gets used or not though,
the truth is the Range Rover
had cleared every hurdle we'd thrown at it.
And with one last obstacle to conquer,
the time had come to take back the reins.
Now look, you've done the lion's share of the driving.
I don't think you fully appreciate everything
about this motor.
And I'm saying get yourself in business class
and leave this bit to McGinty.
Let's go, come on.
- Who's McGinty?
- That is me.
You've been grafting there.
Time for you to relax in business class, my friend.
Right. - Oh yes.
- Oh, it's good to be back.
Here we go.
Oh, this is steep.
Oh, don't worry about that.
- Oh you're having a laugh, Pad, have you seen this?
Look at this, look at this, look at this.
- I'm a bit preoccupied at the minute.
- Oh, you just keep off-roading.
I've got a screen.
- Oh my word.
- Oh, look at that, electric cup holders.
- Roll up your tights, madam, we're going in.
Whoa.
- What have you done there?
- Little wipers on.
- You can do that,
if it keeps going like that, that's amazing.
- Ah, look at that, it's your great granddad.
- This is a great looking car,
but that's still the best-looking Range Rover.
- Look at that, wahey, fantastic.
- Right, the finish line, McGuinness, come on.
- Here we go, not far now.
So there you have it.
Can the most expensive,
most luxurious Range Rover ever made
still cut it in the great outdoors?
Well, you'd have to say the results speak for themselves.
- Oh there it is, there it is. - Here we go, here we go.
- Over the line, over the line, come on.
- Wahey, there we go.
- That is remarkable.
- What a machine this is.
- Can we also be vaguely patriotic?
We don't do many things better than everyone else,
but we still make the best 4X4 in the world, don't we?
- 100%.
(crowd cheering)
- I'll tell you what, it's very impressive.
- Amazing.
- Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely.
- Strong work, lads, and the Range Rover did you proud.
But I've got one tiny issue.
How much is this one as tested?
- 150 grand.
- Whoa, that's a lot of money.
That is a lot of money.
- But it's an off-roader and it's a limo.
It's two cars for the price of one.
And price aside, it is the very best of British.
If you can afford it,
nothing does the job better than a Range Rover.
- I'll give you that. - Absolutely,
and we can all agree on that one.
Well, that's it for tonight,
but tune in next week when him and him
mess around in a bunch of hot hatches,
and I conduct a little experiment
with the help of F1 ace, Lando Norris.
- Ahem, name dropper.
- I'll just pick that up.
See you then, thanks for watching, goodnight.
(upbeat music)