On low-volume-plastic-bodied-British-sports-cars Top Gear, Jeremy and
Richard battled it out to find the best shed-built supercar in the UK,
James took a look at a truly enormous Cadillac and comedian, actor and
all-round nice chap Alan Davies got to grips with was our reasonably
priced car.
Hammond looked at the TVR 350C, which is yet another hairy-chested,
plastic missile from the maverick, Blackpool-based manufacturer. It was
pretty hard finding another car that could keep up, so in the end we
didn't bother and raced it against a Harrier Jump-Jet instead.
Jeremy prefers his plastic, British sports cars with the engine in
the middle and therefore championed the new Noble. Richard wasn't
convinced, so they tried to settle the argument with a typically mature
game of Top Trumps.
As a final decider, both cars were handed over to Top Gear's tame
racing driver, the Stig, for a flying lap round our test track. The
times were very close, but in the end the Noble managed a faster and
much tidier lap. Jeremy, as always, was magnanimous in victory and
repeatedly called Hammond a loser while doing a little dance.
Later in the programme, Jeremy tested the astonishing new Phaeton,
which is Volkswagen's first foray into the world of high-end luxury
saloons. He revealed that VW's MD gave the Phaeton's designers a number
of extraordinary rules for the car, including one that states the
windows must never become fogged up with condensation. Jeremy
immediately took this as a challenge and disappeared into the Phaetons
capacious rear with a young lady to make things steamy. Before you all
go running to Points of View, we should explain that all Clarkson did
was boil a kettle and make a nice cup of tea for his new lady friend.
Keeping with the luxury car theme, James May looked at the
jaw-dropping new Cadillac 16 concept. A car with a bonnet long enough to
compensate for even the smallest, erm, ego.
First shown on: 20/07/2003
