33x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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.

Still plenty left.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Whey!

No likey, no likey.

Exactly. Fascinating!

You wake up in the morning
and think,

"What have I got myself into here?"

Well, Mercedes knows the feeling.

Five years ago, Mercedes
announced it was going to 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's 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 £2.5 million 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.
Going out on the track.

In a car with a modern...

ENGINE ROARS

There's the engine.

Tell you what, it's noisy in here.

Much noisier inside than outside.

ENGINE ROARS

There it goes.

Just keeps revving.

ENGINE REVS

The noise is sensational.

It's 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
1,000 horsepower,

is coming from electric motors.

0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds, top speed
219 mph.

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.

ENGINE ROARS

CAR POWERS DOWN

So the power just stopped,

the engine stopped and 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 is 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,

it's so extreme
I've actually put some earplugs in.

I'm just bolted straight
to 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 going
to struggle in this thing,

and the seat, there's not much
support kind of moving around it in.

How do you maintain a Formula 1
engine on the road?

Well, Mercedes are saying
that you'll need

an engine rebuild every 30,000
miles.

Doesn't seem unreasonable,

but it will cost you £700,000.

Or at least it will
if you get that far.

Oh, right. Well, the aero limit is
now coming on,

so it just stops at 145k.

Oh, dear.

I'll tell you what,

it's not been an easy day
for the MG 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
2.5 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.

ENGINE ROARS

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.

Whoa.

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.

That engine is 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 11.

Nothing revs to 11!

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'd 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...

That's probably enough for me.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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 got to accept
if something's not working,

it's not working.

Back in the '90s, I got a perm.

LAUGHTER

Stop it!
I woke up the next day,

I looked like Barbra Streisand.

Didn't work.

I bet that perm didn't cost you
2.5 million quid, though, did it?

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?

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 license
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 do you
fancy doing a bit of F1?" Ooh...

"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 motorsport.

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...

Oh!

..will 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 Jr.

With three World Championships
and eight British titles

under his belt, there is no-one more
qualified to get me race ready

than Frankie Jr.

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. Right.

But then when I've seen it just now,
it's an eyeful, isn't it?

Yep. 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.
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?

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 wall.

Yeah? Yeah.
No, the cars are built to take it.

Yeah, you'd be winded for a few
laps, but you'd just get on with it,
and...

Right.

Full contact could wait.

ENGINE REVS
Wow!

The first job was to head out solo
and try to get a feel for the car.

Whoa! Unbelievable!

Just find my feet.

That's it, Fred. Just nice and
steady. You'll feel your way round.

Wow, there's some power in this.

A quick lap in F1 stock cars...

Right. Come on.

..is all down to the drift.

Whoa!

Argh! Chief!

ENGINE STARTS

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 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...

Argh!

..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.

GEARS GRIND

I can't move because I'm
strapped in that tight.

Yeah. Some people pay good money for
that.

Not this fella.

Piling on the practice laps, though,

sliding the big V8 pile
of scaffolding around the track

was just starting to feel
more familiar.

There she goes, there she goes!

Kind of enjoying it.

I'm not even going to 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 up 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!

HIGH—PITCHED RINGING

Oh.

ENGINE STARTS

Wow.

Oh, whoa.

BLEEP!
Winded.

Jeez!

That's one dent in the fence.

Whoo!

The moment you think, "You know,
I've got this,"

that's when you come unstuck.

I see what you mean about contact.
Yes!

You feel that? Yeah, I did.
Yeah?

It hit me, and then here,
and then head as well.

FRANKIE CHUCKLES

It's a dangerous spot.

You know, if you want to win,
you've got to 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.

Here 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.

Turning the car with the brake.

But before I was trying to use the
accelerator.

Even the crashes got better.

Wahey!

Oh. all, good, all good.

Ready for the effect.

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.

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 up a level
from the last person.

That was like a training track,
put your stabilisers on,

and 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...

Hey, look.

Oh-h*!

Overnight his team

had been busy on my car.

Look at it. It's amazing.

HE LAUGHS

No guessing who's in this then.

Just in case it isn't. Wow!

I'll tell you what if you're behind
this, you're going to be
embarrassed in the race, aren't you?

Look at that. Three lions.

That's lovely, Frank. Good.

Right. Right, I'll get my kit on.
Get yourself suited up.

We'll get you some laps.
Make the most of track time.

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.

Oh, nice to meet you too.

Let's go then.

Whoa...

BANG

He's not messing about,
Frankie Junior.

What you've got to 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've got to hit them?
Yeah, physical contact.

Whoa! All right, then.

It's a father and son tag team.

Do you want some?

I'll go and get my daddy.

Next one is the nerf into the side
rail middle of the corner.

So these cars sit here,

just a hit on the middle of the
side rail there. Yeah.

Just unbalances their car
and then you're through.

You're pushing me.

You're using them for your
position. Correct.

Right, next one we have the last
bender, which is... Yeah.

You go into this car that's
winning the race.

You've got to have a dive.

You have to? Yeah. Yeah.

Well, that was the heavy hit.

Whoa, this is a rough sport!

It's easy with these, though, isn't
it? Oh, yeah, it don't hurt
or anything.

Yeah. You good? Yeah, good. Can I
have that car? Yes.

Thank you. That's you. Thanks.

FRANKIE LAUGHS

Put it into practice.

He's going to be up against 30
cars in a race.

You know, they're going
to be eating him,
he's going to be eating 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 tasty.

This is so good.

That last session then,

for about six or seven laps...

..I wasn't worrying about the car
or my position

or anything else apart from racing,

and I felt in it.

Whoa, let's roll at it.

I don't think it's something you'll
ever get used to,
a car crashing into you,

but 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.

Oh, get away, get away.

And I think giving enough back

so that people know when I'm around
I'm not going to get pushed about.

Go away!

Not today, Fred.

You were getting in there then
proper, weren't you?
I was enjoying it.

I actually felt in it. Yeah, yeah.

And racing, and actually for the
first time since I've been here,

I was looking.

Yeah. I wasn't...
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. Yeah.

You knew where to go around the
track, and you 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 going to

be all right in a race.

Part of me thinks as well there's
going to be far more cars out there.

There's a target on my back.

But I could spend the next
three days going around

and I don't know if I'd be ready.

I think I've just got to
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,
you've got the crowd here.

People hanging round the car
everywhere you go.

I just have to concentrate
on my drive

and not get too worried
about the cars around me.

If I get hit, I get hit.

But just concentrate on
what I'm doing, that's my plan.

I've got a gum shield as well
this time.

Everyone was asking do I want
a gum shield, so I said, why?

They said, so you don't bite
your tongue off. I like my tongue.

As a rookie, I'd be starting out
with a 16-lap race

against a field of 15 drivers.

And as the least experienced
of the lot,

I'd be starting
at the front of the grid.

It's quite handy here, because
all the crowd and everyone knows

what class the drivers are.

You know, you start with
the red tops for the best drivers.

Then you go blue.
Then it's yellow.

And then this is my category.

Complete novices are 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.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome here
to the Adrian Flux Arena.

And taking part in the meeting

this Saturday and 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.

We are all set to go.
It's over to you, Mr Starter.

Here we go.

To avoid a massive pile-up
on Turn 1,

F1 stock car races
have rolling starts.

Here we go!

Little bit nervous.

We're on the rolling lap now.

Needs to slow down a little bit.

He looks a bit keen.

It's green, that flag
out on the raceway.

Away we go.
It's green, they're going.

Get round, get round, get round.

There we go!

Flintoff leading the way...

319 in second.

Got good pace there.

This is a different proposition.

Get round, get round.

That's it, that's it.

Flintoff leads at the end
of the opening lap.

As starts go, it's been a good 'un.

Not just keeping the lead,
but starting to build it.

He's actually pulling away.
If he can steady up a little bit.

Steady, steady.

That's it, that's it.

Go, go, go!

Oh, BLEEP.

Too early.

Never mind, get round, get round.

Whoa, whoa.

Well, Flintoff
rattles round the wall.

Pretty good.

It's speed!

Six laps in,
this was turning into...

Go, go, go!

..the drive of my life.

He's keeping real good pace.
Real good pace.

OK, it wasn't perfect...

Use the wall!

Using the wall.

But it was getting the job done.

What's what I need.

The trouble with starting from the
front of a packed grid, though...

Go on! Come on!

..is that even
the smallest mistake...

Keep it smooth!

..can mean disaster.

Oh, and he's flipped himself
heavily, Flintoff. Agh!

No!

The spin was bad enough.

But it was the T-bone
that followed...

..that sealed the deal.

So it's all kicking off
at King's Lynn...

Whoa!

The car has gone. Car's gone.

BLEEP

The car's BLEEP gone.

No, please!
ENGINE TURNS OVER

He led that proper then
for at least six laps.

Really good. So annoying!

I was having it as well.

I was out in 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 with me,
isn't it? Always a mechanical.

Baja, mechanical.
Ginetta, mechanical.

Ah, always a mechanical. Ah, well.

I 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. A world champion? Yeah.

You can't stop smiling, can you?
And why not? No, I can't.

Why not? Any tips?

Try and race your own race. Yeah.
That's what you got to do.

That's the thing. You get
sucked in about other cars. Yeah.

You forget what you're doing.

Just try and get round.

Concentrate on what's in front
of you. Keep the car straight.

And be gentle with that throttle.
It's a lot of power under you.

Just hit everything
in front of you.

Hit everything in front of me? Yeah.

I tried that
but it's usually a wall.

Yeah, and me, but...

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 ten-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 want to finish a race
and then walk away.

Ideally in one piece, car's in one
piece, with a grin on my face.

No chance, is there?
Not a chance.

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've 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.

The green is out.

We are away and racing.

Get round, get round.

Freddie Flintoff in 11
in fourth at the moment.

Bit wide. We're all right, though.

Surrounded by top-flight
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.

Whoa, got a nudge.

He's going!

He gets through. Passes Flintoff.

Flintoff coming back at him
on the inside,

can't quite make it stick that side.

Cars were spinning out
all over the field.

But a bit of skill...

Whoa!

..and a lot of luck...

Bloomin' heck, that was close.

..somehow kept me clear
of the carnage.

That was a smart one.

Go on, then

As the laps counted down,

I couldn't drop my guard
for a second.

Concentrate.

A spin or a crash now
was not an option.

Go on, go on.

All right, you got this.

Keep going.
Do not give it away now.

Do not give it away!

So, back through we go,
the last lap.

This is the last lap.
Come on, you got this.

I'm getting there,
I'm getting there, come on!

Last corner, last corner.

Here it is, the chequered flag!

And the chequered flag out
on the raceway.

Whoa, I finished!
I 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. You're a legend.

Come here, you.

CHEERING

That looked utterly brutal.

So in your sporting career,

you've had cricket ba*ls 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 felt.

Honestly, it is
the most brutal thing.

I've got to say, watching it,
though, it was amazing.

Forget sensible F1,
I'm into the bonkers F1.

Drive to hopefully survive.

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.

CHEERING

Without you, I was done.

I've got to 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.

Feller on cameras.

Come with me for a little walk,
because 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.

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.

You've 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 35 noise-cancelling
speakers in here.

There's even a couple
in the headrest.

There could be an earthquake
going on out there.

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 50-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-carlike 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 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.

Start.

Now, if you chuck in
a juicier engine

and smatter it
with all the trimmings,

you could be north of £200,000.

£200,000 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 t*rture 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 bill for this?
A couple hundred grand, or more?

Oh, there he is.

The big lad.

Just talking to men in overalls.

He could not be happier.

Is it a spec chassis? Yeah.

That's what they call
a pro chassis. Yeah.

Good morning.

What have you got us into here,
Patrick?

What?

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. Yeah.

How are we planning
to get round 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 things 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, yes. 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, h*, h*, does it!

0 to 60, 4.4 seconds,
top whack around about 150.

It's a beast, this thing.

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, sh...

Oh, there we are. That'll get it.

It's 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. 14 inches of ground
clearance

this will give us, Chris.
Handy for the school run.

Ooh. 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.

El descent mode.

Look at that, wahey!

It'll never go above 2mph there now.

That is... 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 we have a look?

Oh. There it is.

Massage.

Now, are you ready, sir?

Oh! Oh!

Oh!

Oh! Oh! Oh!

The King of Britain.

In fact, what with the onboard
rubdown, and the Rangy 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 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,
teeth are all messed up and yellow,

and the escape in the end.

And they drive out through the fog,
and they're like, "Thank God."

And they're away... 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 circuit
decided it was time we head

down a dried-up stream.

Just pop 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 going to come
up to you and go,

"Good job on that. I use that."

Yeah, but they have done
an amazing job, though!

It's a lovely plant, innit?

What is that? Is it a plant or a
tree, that?

It's a buddleia. A buddleia.

How do you know all these things?

They're beautiful, but they're...
They're rampant.

They're like you on television,
once they start off...

You can't stop them. ..they are
everywhere. Yeah.

Once again, we had to concede
that Land Rover's luxobarge

was taking the course in its stride.

It's 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.

We can't be going down.

Hold on, before you go, I'm going to
have to do a bit of spotting.

I know we've got the underneath
camera...

What you're saying is you'd rather
be out of the vehicle? Yes.

Right, let's do it.

Oh, God. Do you want to swap?
No, thanks.

Right... Oh, dear.

Can you hear me? Yes.

It's never going down there, is it?

No, no, you're all right.

Left hand down.

Whoa, not too much.
Right hand. Yeah, keep coming.

Go on.

All right, just a little look back.
Keep coming.

That sounded horrible!

Yeah, keep coming. You're all right.

Go on.

You passed it there. Straighten
up. Whoa, whoa!

Straight there 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!

Whoa, don't go too far back.

This is horrendous. Go on, Chris.

You're up. Oh, Jesus.

The Rangy 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... That's a fair old
bit.

Enough time, it turned out,
for the proper racers to start

coming around again.
ENGINE ROARS

What's that noise?

What the hell is that?

Where is he going?

CAR HORN BLARES

Geez!

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!

CAR SCRAPES GROUND

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 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, 50mph.

You're barely aware of it, are you?
50mph... I know, on rough ground.

Little bit of splash.

Yes! Go on! 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 going to
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 is 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.

I'm saying, "Get yourself
in business class."

Leave this bit to McGuinty.
Let's go, come on.

Who's McGuinty? That is me.

You've been grafting there.

Time for you to relax in business
class, my friend. Oh.

Oh, yes. Right.

Oh, it's good to be back.

Here we go.

This is steep.

Oh, don't worry about that.

Oh, you're having a laugh, Paddy.
Have you seen this?

Look at this. Look at this. Look at
this.

Er, I'm a bit preoccupied at the
minute.

You just keep off-roading.

I've got... I've got a screen.
Oh, my word.

Oh, h*, h*! Look at that!

Electric cup holders.

Roll up your tights, madam,
we're going in! Wahey! Whoa!

What have you done there?!
Oh, h*, h*! The old wipers on.

If it keeps going like that,
that's amazing.

Oh, look at that! It's your
great-grandad.

This is a great-looking car, but
that's still the best-looking, mate.

Look at that! Wahey! Fantastic!

Right, finish line, McGuiness.

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.

Here we go! There it is!

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 four by
four in the world, don't we?

100%.

Strong work, lads,
and the Range Rover did you proud.

I've got one tiny issue.

How much is this one as tested?

150 grand.
AUDIENCE: Ooh!

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.

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.

COUGHING: Name-dropper.

I'll just pick that up. Oh, h*, h*!

See you then. Thanks for watching.
Goodnight.