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Private Notes
Jeremy Clarkson and the team return with a look at Ford’s new Scorpio, the most controversially styled carto appear in years. Plus Tiff Needell drives the latest three-wheeled Grinnall Scorpion.
Buyers don’t expect many surprises when a new Escort-sized car appears. But, according to Jeremy Clarkson, the Alfa Romeo 145 is one motor that dares to be different. Impressed by its Italian good looks, he gives it a test drive to see if its performance is equally stylish. Plus Quentin Willson tries to identify what could be the classic cars of the next decade.
Some four-wheel-drive off-roaders are becoming more like plush saloons. Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell find out how well they handle on the road. Plus Quentin Willson test drives the new Lexus LS400, a luxury saloon with “1,700 refinements” — but is it really now one of the best cars in the world?
Jeremy Clarkson test drives the new Audi A4, while Chris Goffey drives modern replicas of two great classics, the Porsche Speedster and the Ferrari 500 Mondial. Steve Berry visits John Fletcher, a former miner and motorbike enthusiast, whose home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is virtually a shrine to two-wheelers.
Jeremy Clarkson visits the JCB excavator factory in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Plus Chris Goffey test drives Honda’s new Civic and compares it to the the Ford Escort.
From the Geneva Motor Show, Jeremy Clarkson reports on the launch of some new British cars, including a Bentley convertible and the first MG roadster in 25 years. Plus a look at a Mercedes with three body options, and the Fiat Barchetta which replaces the Spider. With Steve Berry, Quentin Willson.
Fiat have taken their tiniest car and created a sporty version of it. Jeremy Clarkson drives the new Cinquecento Sporting to see whether it offers more fun than Britain’s Mini Cooper. And Tiff Needell tests a new racing car built to look like one from the 50s. It’s set to compete in a race series called Formula Classic.
Daewoo is the latest car manufacturer from South Korea to launch cars in Britain. Chris Goffey drives the Nexia and Espero, which go on sale here later this month, and assesses the company’s strategy of selling direct to the public through its own showrooms rather than through dealers. Plus Tiff Needell test drives the new French supercar, the Venturi 400 GT, to see how it fares against the Italian opposition.
'''Feature''': Quentin Wilson presents the 2nd annual Top Gear JD Power Car Satisfaction Index.
'''Feature''': Jeremy Clarkson looks at 'chipping' - a way of increasing performance by replacing the standard engine management chip with a reprogrammed one.
'''Classics''': Chris Goffey briefly looks ahead to the Top Gear Classic and Sportscar show at the NEC, Birmingham, including a competition to win tickets.
'''Motorsport''': Tony Mason looks at the 6th Rhino Charge Rally in Kenya, a charity event designed to raise money for protection of Rhinos.
With the prospect of warm weather ahead, drivers’ thoughts turn to convertibles. Jeremy Clarkson test-drives the new soft-tops on the market, which range from Fiat’s avant-garde Punto and the Pininfarina-styled Peugeot 306, to the Saab 900 and Toyota’s Celica GT Cabriolet. Plus Tiff Needell tries out the new 911 Turbo Porsche, the first with four-wheel drive and a turbocharger, to find out how it compares with Porsche’s classic 959 model.
Jeremy Clarkson test drives the new Škoda Felicia, which replaces the popular Favorit, the model that helped change the company’s image. The Felicia has been re-styled and now features many components, including the engine, from Škoda’s parent company, Volkswagen. Chris Goffey looks at the latest offering from Tatra, manufactured in the Czech Republic, and gets a feel of the past in a Type 87. Plus Steve Berry tests the handling of the Chrysler Atlantic, a luxurious modern coupe with echoes of 30s glamour.
Chris Goffey drives the new Rover 400, the final car to emerge from the Rover-Honda partnership. And Steve Berry goes to Italy to visit one of the newest motorcycle companies, Aprilia, whose strategy of marketing bikes as fashion items includes the new Moto’ 6.5, styled by designer Philippe Starck.
In the last in the series, four teams compete to build a Westfield sports kit car against the clock. Quentin Willson considers the pros and cons of buying a secondhand XJ series Jaguar, and Andy Wilman attends the Orange Show Art Car Festival in Houston, Texas, where last year’s customised exhibits included cars covered in human hair, dog biscuits and empty beer cans.
